Can you find the 'knitted' bear?

TV comedian Harry Hill has had an influence on an upcoming village fair.

As well as all the usual fun of the fair, the Crowthorne May Fair will feature a prize for someone who can spot the ‘knitted’ bear which will be hidden somewhere around the event at the Morgan Recreation Ground in Lower Broadmoor Road on Monday, May 3.

The annual event is being organised by a committee from St John’s CE Church in Church Road which came up with the idea of hiding a fluffy toy somewhere around the fair.

Harry Hill in his TV Burp show challenges viewers to spot the knitted character hidden in other TV programmes.

Brian Turner, spokesman for the committee, said: “We’re using a teddy bear but it’s inspired by Harry Hill’s knitted character.

“If people give a contribution they get a map and if they find the bear they can mark the position on the map and then all the correct maps will go into a prize draw.”

As well as that there will be bric-a-brac, a beer tent, cakes, food, bouncy castles, song and dance and more.
Last year the event raised £10,000 and the Mr Turner is hoping to raise the same amount this year.
He added: “We raise money and some of it goes towards the church’s missions all over the world and locally and the rest of it goes back into the church’s funds.”

The fair will be opened by Bracknell Forest Mayor Councillor Bob Wade at 2pm on Monday, May 3, and will carry on until 4.30pm.


Joseph Turner, 10, Holly Turner, 6, and Callum Sutherland, 9, with the 'knitted' bear you’ll be seeking out at Crowthorne May Fayre

April's news

Phew! It's been busy here at the K&S offices in Swansea this month. We're constantly adding new items to our stores, both online and in our real store in the city centre, adding to existing ranges and bringing in new ones.

To keep it brief, here's a list of what is new:

• SALE needlework kits are now available online at http://www.needle-work.co.uk/
• Popcorn the Bear and friends range comntinues to expand, now available as cushion & rug kits http://www.needle-work.co.uk/Popcorn_Bear.htm
• We continue to expand our online networking with pages on Twitter and Facebook. Do find us and follow us! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=159279&id=83939721313&saved#!/pages/Swansea-United-Kingdom/Knit-and-Sew/83939721313?ref=nf and http://twitter.com/KnitandSewcouk
• Our original site http://www.knitandsew.co.uk/index.html has had a slight facelift with an easy to navigate front page and links to the needlework site.
• We have introduced a testimonial page, so you can log in and leave comments about the service you have received http://knitandsew.co.uk/comments/gbook.php
• We continue to modernise our storage solutions, with new knitting and sewing bags and boxes being added regularly.

Do call soon and see for yourselves!

New Storage Solutions

For the avid knitter and crafter we have introduced some modern storage solutions...

David James: knit-wit

From Mirror Football
By The Mole

Sarong wearing David Beckham led the way in proving that top footballers do have a feminine side and now his England team-mate David James has revealed how his womanly ways ended up giving him the needle.

For the Portsmouth goalkeeper learned to knit when he was growing up and he put his skills to good use by creating fashion for his toys.

“My mum actually taught me to knit," James told channelbee.com. "I knitted my teddy bear a jumper, I couldn’t round off though.”

No pulling the wool over his eyes, then...

Sewing surges in popularity

By Arelis Hernandez
Associated Press
Published: August 11, 2009

The rules in the sewing lounge read like metaphors for good living: Know where your fingers are at all times. No running with scissors. Look before you cut.

For sewing teacher Abby Wright, gliding a needle through a piece of fabric is a life skill in every sense.

"Some people will focus on the wrong thing trying to get it perfect," said Wright, 27, who was wearing a black baby-doll dress, which of course she made. "But it's OK just as long as you follow the path. The stitch will take you where you need to go ... it's kind of like life."

Pointing to a meandering stream of black thread, she added, "If you mess up, there is always the seam ripper."

Sewing is shedding its grandmotherly image and catching on among a younger generation trying to stay chic and original while saving a little money. Many see it as part of an overall yearning for self-sufficiency in uncertain times — similar to the trends toward cultivating home gardens or raising chickens in the backyard.

Across the nation, sewing lounges are filling up with people looking for an economical, earth-friendly craft coupled with good conversation and company.

Wright, who is spokeswoman for the Houston-based American Sewing Guild, is bringing along craft converts such as Renee Botti and her 9-year-old daugther, Sofia. Botti said sewing reminds her family of what they value most: time together, and practicality.

She attends a sewing boot camp taught by Wright at Sew Crafty, a shop in Houston's historic district. Owner Sarah Gabbart said her studio functions as a social network.

"The coolest thing about sewing are the friendships that form and the camaraderie of doing something with your hands," she said. "It's different from being at a bar or mixer."

The Internet, too, offers ways for sewing enthusiasts to connect with each other. They share patterns, ideas and tips on the latest trends and designs.

"People can blog about what they make, what worked and what didn't work," said Rhea Daiute, manager of Alewives Fabrics in Nobleboro, Maine, which has a waiting list for its sewing class. "When people get together to sew and a lot of venting gets done, it's easier to talk when you have something like sewing or knitting in common."

At first, Daiute said, seeing a young person sewing was like spotting a mythical creature — rare and fantastic. She has since gotten used to it. Many of her friends, she said, now congregate religiously at her store to buy the newest and most contemporary fabrics.

But those drawn to sewing today aren't just attracted to its utilitarian side, observers say.

"Now it's considered an art form," said Wright.

As part of a growing demand for handmade goods, Web sites that offer them, like Etsy.com, have flourished. Shows like Bravo's "Project Runway" have inspired a generation of designer wannabes.

"Sewing enthusiasts are now born out of ingenuity, the need to expand one's creativity and the desire to be independent from mass-production clothing stores," Wright said.

Sewing machines and patterns have gotten simpler and easier, Gabbart said, allowing even the most feeble crafter to create elaborate designs. Fabrics have become bolder, more colorful and more modern.

Randy Thomas, senior vice president of the world's largest sewing machine manufacturer, Janome America, says hard times also have a lot to do with the resurgence in needlework.

"When the economy goes down, the sewing industry goes up," Thomas said. "People are looking for ways to save money by repairing garments instead of buying new ones or embellishing purchased garments."

Sewing machine sales have almost doubled in the past decade, he said, and the recession has moved people to become more creative.

"In 1999, there was about 1.4 million sewing machines imported into the United States," Thomas said. "In 2008, that number went up to 2.21 million."

At the American Sewing Guild, membership has consistently grown each year by about 15 percent, Wright said.

At Sew Crafty, students start with clutch purses — for male students "man bags" — and gradually move on to pajama pants and aprons. Despite the rules on the studio's wall, students are encouraged to let their imagination guide the stitches.

Gabbart said many of her students "have professions where they are working with intangible things like spread sheets and computer documents that offer little gratification. But when they make something with their hands, there is a huge sense of accomplishment and you are leaving with something tangible."

Darwin's animals recreated by knitting team

Charles Darwin's treasured animal collection, including creepy creatures in jars and a stuffed tortoise, have been recreated by a team of knitters.

The woollen versions of Darwin's Victorian paraphernalia is part of an exhibition at Bristol Zoo Gardens.

The show, called Darwin's Leftovers, includes knitted hummingbirds, fossils, a life-size iguana, tribal souvenirs and a tarantula.

The stuffed animals once owned by Darwin have been copied by a team of 60 knitters from Gloucestershire to celebrate the bicentenary of his birth.

The exhibition is funded by the National Lottery and supported with materials from wool company Patons.

The creations were knitted by members of Stroud Knitting Group, along with children from three Gloucestershire schools and a team of volunteers.

Knitter Liz Lancashire said: "Darwin's Leftovers pushes the boundaries of knitting into a wild, wacky, three-dimensional world, and shows just what can be achieved with two knitting needles and some interesting wool.

"Charles Darwin had many hundreds of stuffed animals in his cupboard and I wanted to recreate some of the paraphernalia of his scientific collection and capture the day he had an office clear-out.

"Each element of the display celebrates a key part of Darwin's work and thinking.

"My aim is to spread understanding about Darwin's key ideas and to re-awaken people's interest in knitting, which is a dying craft.

"Fifty years ago most women would have been confident knitters making much of their own clothes.

"Now knitting is on a par with other hand-based skills such as dry-stone walling, and expertise is being lost with each generation."

Darwin's Leftovers will be on display in the Zoo's terrace theatre from Monday until Sunday August 23.

Published by Hannah Wooderson for 24dash.com in Communities
Friday 31st July 2009 - 2:58pm

Knitted with love for orphans around the world

By Thom Kennedy, Cumberland News
Last updated 05:18, Friday, 31 July 2009

THOUSANDS of children around the world will go to bed with a warm jumper on tonight –thanks to one woman from Carlisle.
Margaret Chamberlin, 76, has spent the last two-and-a-half decades giving her time hand-knitting jumpers and cardigans for poverty stricken children in orphanages and hospitals in Third World countries.
She currently has a box full of 200 hats, cardigans and jumpers to sent to young people in destinations such as Romania and Kenya.
And it is just one of dozens of boxes she has knitted herself and sent out over the last 27 years through the Scottish Christian care charity Blythswood Care.
Mrs Chamberlin, who lives in Clift Street, off Newtown Road, said: “I never knit two the same. Every one is different and flashily coloured as I think children relate to colours and can identify their own jumpers.
“I can do a jumper or cardigan in two nights, and including hats I can do about 300 or 400 a year. It’s just a case of how often I sit down and knit, and how much I do at a time.
“I’m sure I’ve sent thousands of items, but I’m glad I can’t count the exact amount. I was asked to go out to Romania once but I couldn’t go. I’m too soft-hearted anyway, I don’t think I would want to go into those hospitals. It must be heart-breaking to see. You do the best you can but you can’t do everything.”
She used to use a knitting machine, but an accident stopped her using it – so she sent it to Kenya.
Now all her jumpers, hats and cardigans are made by hand. As well as her knitting, Mrs Chamberlin makes cot blankets out of old materials, which are also sent to the countries.
Because her achievements have become so well known among friends, Mrs Chamberlin rarely buys wool or material.
She said: “I never need to go and buy wool, as different people bring it to me.
“It’s surprising how many people call up saying things like ‘I’m changing my bed, do you want a duvet?’ and I can cut it up and make it into a cot blanket.”
A van from the charity comes to Carlisle every month to pick up goods donated by members of the public, including medical supplies and clothes collected by other people in Carlisle, and throughout the north west and Scotland.

Scrumptious new buttons...

Knit and Sew now have gorgeous colourful and monochrome buttons in stock.

All made from natural horn, and about 40mm diameter, these Natural World buttons come in packs of 2 and would be ideal for cardigans and jackets.

With a choice of 24 designs, add some individuality to your knitting!!

Knitting Club - Llanelli/Swansea area

Meets every Wednesday 5.30-9.00pm.

Bring your wool & needles and join the group! Make friends and learn a new skill. A great opportunity to enjoy your hobby, catch up with friends and be able to ask advice on your latest knitting or crochet project.

Refreshments available.

The Joiners Arms, Llwynhendy, Llanelli. For more info call: 01554 754594

Newcastle knitter takes her craft to new heights

Jun 21 2009 by Katy Simpson, Sunday Sun

"A KNITTER from Newcastle will be taking her craft to new heights atop Trafalgar Square’s empty plinth.

Knitting and crochet tutor Anne Makepeace, 51, from Gosforth, has travelled from Scotland to Sussex giving wool workshops.

But she has never taken her passion anywhere as exciting as the square’s fourth plinth, where she is heading next month as part of Anthony Gormley’s One and Other project.

The Angel of the North creator is enabling different people to make the plinth their own, every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break.

And Anne is one of the 2400 people who will climb up to the space normally reserved for Kings and Generals, but which is being handed over instead to people of all walks of life.

The mum-of-two is planning to spend her hour of fame showing people how much fun knitting can be, surrounded by woolly flowers.

She is appealing for people to knit flowers for her to take on to the plinth, which will later be sold for charity.

Anne is the second North East participant to be revealed as taking part in the human artwork project in London.

More than 200 people from the region applied to take part. Northumberland student Helen Pringle from Allendale will be celebrating her 20th birthday with her appearance on the plinth.

Each of the participants have been chosen at random by computer from thousands of entrants.

They are allowed to do anything they want, as long as it is within the law, from entertaining the tourists below to educating people about a message of importance to them. Anne said: "I applied because I thought it was a chance to do something different.

"It’s supposed to be a representation of people all around the UK, so I thought it would be good to take my knitting up there, as people often think knitting is just for grannies, and it’s not at all.

"I will never get an opportunity like that to show off what I can do, and show that knitting is fun. My favourite thing is to knit is socks, but you wouldn’t be able to see what I’m doing. It’s got to be something big, bold and bright that can be seen from below, so I’m going to do a big scarf.

"I’m hoping to get friends from around the world to knit me flowers to take up there. I’d appreciate any donations from anyone who would like to get involved."

Anne will take up her place on the plinth on July 26 at 5pm.

Among the tourists in Trafalgar Square, there will also be Anne’s husband Andrew, daughter Sarah, 13, son Euan, 21, and their grandparents.

Anne said: "It’s going to be a big family day out. Because of the workshops I do, I’m quite used to knitting in front of people.

"But with is being a Sunday in the summer, I suspect it’s not going to be quiet.

"It’s one of those things you don’t think you’ll ever get. It’s quite high and I’m actually not that good with heights.

"I was quite pleased that somebody from Newcastle got picked because everyone knows the Angel of the North."

Donations of knitted flowers should be sent to Anne via her business address at 58 Low Friar Street, Newcastle, NE1 5UE."

New Patterns due in stock July 1st

A wide range of NEW Sirdar patterns is due in stock on July 1st.

With the introduction of new yarns such as Crofter Chunky, Nomad and Persia Sirdar have also designed a range of exciting new patterns to go with these and existing wool ranges.

There are also additions to may other ranges including Snuggly Baby Bamboo, Snuggly Snowflake DK and Chunky, Crofter DK, Big Softie and more!

Many of these ranges have had new wool shades introduced too, so make sure you check out our site to see everything!

You may browse some of these patterns online already, but if you do order, there will be a little wait until they arrive next month.

Knitting Marathon

The following article appeared in the Scarborough Evening News on May 26th, 2009

By Laura Crothers

A TEAM of Mother's Union members showed stamina and determination as they endured a marathon of the woolly kind.

Six keen knitters spun the yarn around the clock as they took part in a 24-hour knitting marathon as part of the Sailors' Society's annual Woolly Hat Campaign.

The marathon started at noon on Friday at St John's Church in Filey, and continued until Saturday lunchtime, with other knitters joining the group throughout the course of the day to show their support.

Jenny Jordan, of the Mother's Union, said: "We had six knitters who came from all over the East Riding who endured the full 24 hours. A lot of other people came at various times over the 24 hours and joined in the knitting which was a huge help.

She added: "It was actually a lot easier than we thought. We had a lot of fun and ate a lot to keep us going. I can't even count the number of cups of tea we had.

"Overall the event went really well. We managed to stay awake, and fortunately our fingers weren't too sore at the end of it."

for the rest of the article click here

Knitting is good for your memory!

Hobbies like knitting and patchwork have been found to reduce the risk of memory impairment. This is according to a study of around 200 people (aged 70-89) at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

We all know about crosswords, soduku and 'Brain Training' being good for memory skills but knitting is possibly not something we would expect to be as effective. The test cases were asked about their daily activities during the past year and during middle age. Those who had been busy reading, knitting, patchworking or playing games were found to have reduced their risk of memory impairment by 40%.



According to the Alzheimers Society:
"One million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years so there is a desperate need to find ways to prevent dementia"

If knitting has already been shown to reduce stress, so now its proven to help with our memory, lets keep knitting and turn off the TV!



For the full BBC News article, click here.

New Sewing Boxes and Knitting Bags

The new range of Sehlbach Knitting and Sewing storage bags and boxes will be in store from the 1st June 2009.

With fabulous new colour-ways and exciting patterns in the range, you'll be stuck for choice!

There's something for everyone including cats, florals, stripes, spots, damask, country, retro, brights and chintz prints. There is also a wide range of childrens' items for the younger crafters out there!



There is a huge choice of sizes and budgets available. From needle cases to large wooden folding boxes, needle books to pin cushions, travel sewing kits to matching mini tailor's dummies!

Even if you're not a knitter or sewer, storage is the perfect gift for the crafter in your life: "Yarn has a tendency to multiply. Stash organizers are always welcome gifts. Choose quality over quantity, and give one that matches the recipient's decor and doesn't need to be put away when company visits. That way, the work is always ready but never messy."

From: "Gift Ideas for Yarn Artists: Giving Creative Presents to Knitters and Crocheters | Suite101.com" - http://knittingcrochet.suite101.com/article.cfm/gift_ideas_for_yarn_artists#ixzz0GbJUoaTm&A

Check our site in the first week of June to see the full range...

New Knitting Pin Cases

Knitting Pin cases are now in - in delicious new patterns and colours!

Choose from red and white polka dots, black and white swirls, French-style toile in blue and chintz-style roses in shades of pink.

All with a simple zip closure and lined with toning fabric.

Click here to see the whole range! Only £3.99 each - a great gift idea!