Issue 166 March 2020

Masham Sheep Fair Carole and Colin Wareing describe this fully woolly show British wool Sue Blacker explains its qualities Double filet Dianne Chan enthuses The power of wool Amalia Liguori on the transformative effect of and crochet

The Journal of the Established in 1978 for Education, Innovation Knitting & Crochet Guild and Preservation p. 1 SlipKnot 166 Hampshire Fleet Knitng Club Branch Report - see p.32 Central London Branch Report- see p.32

Emma Vining’s sample at the Central London Branch - see p.32 Dianne Chan’s double flet crochet - see p.23

Dianne Chan’s double flet crochet - see p.23 p. 2 SlipKnot 166 ... From the CONTENTS Editor Features Members’ contributons to Slipknot arrive Book reviews 10 at diferent tmes and, as editor, you Britsh wool for knitng, never quite know what to expect. So it is crochet and crafs 28 a happy coincidence when several artcles Did you know? 15 & 39 on a similar theme come along and, in Inspired minds 8 this issue, that theme is wool. Whether Kniters in 1625 Salisbury 36 we handknit, machine knit or crochet, we Learning to knit on a c1912 fat-bed all love wool. Sue Blacker tells us which knitng machine 26 Britsh to use for which projects, we Managing art silk 13 have a report on the Masham Sheep Fair, a Rebellious knitng 18 review of This Golden Fleece and an artcle Sample the Sampler: an update 16 on the power of wool. Stressed out: part 2 24 Spring is a tme for fresh starts and ideas The joy of double flet crochet 23 and Emma Vining takes inspiraton from The power of wool 14 ‘The Sampler’ and describes how to work Visit to Masham Sheep Fair 6 just one of its paterns. We also look back What’s on – Spring 2020 38 into history. I was fascinated to read about The Guild the restoraton of a 100+ year-old knitng 200 Club 7 machine and, in another piece, gain insight Branch reports 32 into the life of trainee kniters nearly 400 Contributons to Slipknot 38 years ago. And, once again, Barbara Smith Conventon booking form 19 fnds a litle gem in the Guild’s Collecton. Directors and post-holders 4 There is a wonderful programme of actvity From the Editor 3 at this year’s Conventon and, if you Message from the Board 5 haven’t already booked online, you’ll fnd Oxford Regional Day 7 an applicaton form and all the details in The views and opinions expressed by contributors the centre pages. to Slipknot may not necessarily refect or Whatever your interests, I hope you will represent those of the Knitng & Crochet Guild. fnd something to enjoy in this issue. Cover pic: a Wensleydale sheep at Masham ... Elspeth Sheep Fair p.6

Download a full-colour pdf of this issue from the members’ area of the website.

SlipKnot 166 p. 3 Directors and post-holders The Board The Board is elected by Guild members both as directors of the company and of the charity. The whole board is responsible for the strategic directon, governance and management of the Guild. Director roles as at 31st December 2019 Janet Collins Julie Hulme Chair – [email protected] Finance & Admin: Conventon 2020 – Membership secretary: new members – [email protected] [email protected] Barbara Kolator Board link with Collectons team – Company Secretary – [email protected] [email protected] Fiona Mannifeld Linda Curry Membership Secretary: renewals – Web content – [email protected] [email protected] News & events for website – [email protected] Susannah Mathews Marian Dye Admin Consultant – [email protected] No specifc role Gillian Oliver Clare Grifel Legal – [email protected] Advisor to Chair – [email protected] Alison Peck Suzan Turner Vice Chair – [email protected] Treasurer - [email protected] Jacqui Taylor No specifc role Post-holders These are not directors/trustees. They are appointed by, and work with, the Board. Elspeth May and Denise Cripps Angharad Thomas Slipknot Editors – [email protected] Textle Archivist – [email protected] Fiona Laden Maureen Wheeler General Enquiries – [email protected] Collectons Team – [email protected] Barbara Smith Publicatons Curator – [email protected]

Slipknot team Elspeth May & Denise Cripps Liz Smedley Slipknot Editors – [email protected] Machine Knitng Editor – Lesley O’Connell Edwards [email protected] Did you know? – [email protected] Rita Taylor Anne Scahill Book Reviews – [email protected] Branch Reports – [email protected] Lindy Zubairy Designer – [email protected]

Slipknot 167: Copy date 30/06/19 Slipknot is published by the Knitng & Crochet Guild and printed by Dearneside Press, Huddersfeld. p. 4 SlipKnot 166 Message from the Board Since we last reported in the December more accessible; and reviewing of some of Slipknot, your Board has been very busy. our policies to ensure that they are ft for One of the interestng things to me, as a purpose. All this plus the routne actvites recently joined Board member, is learning involved in running a registered charity, about the work which goes on behind the such as keeping proper accounts – oh, and scenes of the Guild, unknown to most of course organising Conventon! members. Before I joined the Board, I All these dutes are dealt with by would happily trot along to my local group volunteers, giving their tme freely for the meetngs, look forward to reading Slipknot beneft of our community. I am pleased to and enjoy atending Conventon, without say there is room for more volunteers to giving much thought to the people who carry out specifc tasks, ofer advice, and make all this possible. bring to bear their professional skills. We What I hadn’t appreciated is that the Guild recognise that commitee work is not for is a large and quite complex organisaton everyone – it is possible to support the – much larger now thanks to welcoming Board as a ‘post holder’ which does not our colleagues from the Guild of Machine require you to actually join the Board. So Kniters – with a worldwide membership. if you would like to get involved, in any In additon to providing services to capacity, we would be delighted to hear those members, it is responsible for an from you – just drop a brief message to important textle collecton. [email protected] and we will get back to you. Even if we don’t need your help Among the maters currently occupying immediately, it will be enormously useful the atenton of the Board are the updatng to have up to date informaton about your and streamlining of our IT systems skills and potental interests. (including membership processes such as renewals); the ‘100 objects’ project, aimed Meanwhile, as you will see from the insert at making items from the Collecton in this Slipknot, all is now in place for an excitng Conventon in July. Our thanks to the organising team for their hard work Knitng & Crochet Guild in getng us to this point, and we look Part First Floor, Britannia Mill, forward to meetng many of you there. Slaithwaite, Huddersfeld, HD7 5HE Clare Griffel Company No. 05457452. Registered charity no. 1113468. On behalf of the Board

SlipKnot 166 p. 5 Visit to Masham Sheep Fair 2019 Carole and Colin Wareing describe this fully woolly show.

Each year, over one September weekend, Part of the market square was given over the small Yorkshire Dales market town of to a fun fair. The sheep-show trailer was Masham becomes a great big fair for all here and there were various stalls selling things woolly and sheepy. The fair was all sorts of country stuf, while in the started about 30 years ago as a charity feld behind the church were more stalls, fundraising event by a commitee of local along with the sheep-dog trials, sheep ladies and has gone on to become a fxture racing, and duck herding. In the school in the rural calendar. yard a tent was set up for the selling of recently-sheared raw feece, so it might Masham boasts one of the largest and need cleaning and washing before carding, fnest market squares in England, famous dyeing, and spinning, then onto knitng or for its sheep sales where, in the past, as . Prices were not too high, about many as 70,000 sheep were sold each a fver a feece. Meanwhile, in the school year. Now the fair is more of a show than itself, the spinners and weavers of the a selling market with sheep from a wide Craven Guild were happy to pass on their range of breeds arriving from all over the skills to anyone who asked. country to be judged, all done for the love of sheep. No one is going to get rich The town hall was taken over by more on prize money that ranges from a frst selling of and wool, equipment and prize of £10 to a possible sixth prize of fnished goods with local sellers and those £1 depending on the size of class. Luckily, who travelled from further afeld. On the entry fee last year was a reasonable display on the main stage were the entries £1.50. In the pens that fll half of the of the Woolcraf competton, encouraging market square were many breeds that will visitors to aim for next year’s show with be familiar to kniters, crocheters, crafers their own knitng, crochet, dyeing, and fbre artsts. The local Wensleydale, spinning or weaving. Teeswater, Bluefaced Leicester, Jacobs Added to all this, Masham had a great and more were all there. Each breed had range of pubs, a fower festval and various classes, from lambs to rams, the a harvest thanksgiving service in the competton being intense with clipping church, brewery tours at Black Sheep and cleaning to show of what can be years and Theakstons, the Yorkshire Vet, of breeding and husbandry. Morris dancing....and all in support of

p. 6 SlipKnot 166 the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. It was a It is with great pleasure that you great local show that welcomed visitors from all over the world, with plenty to are invited to atend the entertain the rest of the family. It’s well worth making the efort to go and the KCG Oxford inexpensive entry fees won’t eat into your yarn buying budget. Regional Day Colin Wareing is captain and stock man on on The Wool Boat, a unique foatng wool and yarn shop on a canal narrow boat. www. Saturday 24 October 2020. thewoolboat.co.uk An excitng programme of workshops will follow our keynote speaker Dr Ellie Reed, with opportunites to relax over cofee and a delicious lunch. Our venue, St Anne’s College Oxford, is easily accessible by public transport and stll reassuringly close to the Oxford Yarn Store.

Fleece for sale Joining instructons and workshop details will appear in the next editon of Slipknot. 200 Club Winners The winners of the June draw were Alison Peck, Kath Skidmore, Miranda Vincins, Margaret Grinter, V Bruton, Julie Hulme, Dorothy Spruce and Sue Bell, who each Wensleydale Longwool stall win £20. All members are eligible to join. If you are interested, please contact Judy Jones at Canalside Farm, of Hobb Lane, Moore, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 5QT, by phone at 01925 740386 or by email at judy.alan@ btnternet.com. Each share costs £10 a year. Judging line up of sheep

SlipKnot 166 p. 7 Inspired Minds Patron, Debbie Abrahams, describes her collaboraton with Jane Crowfoot.

As the New Year begins, it’s tme to start careers back in the mid-ninetes as Design planning out my calendar for 2020 and Consultants with the Rowan brand. Over one of the frst things on my list is my the past 20 years we have formed a good workshop programme. I’ve been teaching social and working relatonship, working workshops for over 25 years and they alongside each other on various projects remain an essental part of my work, including workshops and knitng holidays. enabling me to meet kniters, pass on tps In 2005 we produced our frst co-writen and advice, and pick up a few extra skills self-published book, Kaleidoscope. myself too. For many years I ran workshops Following on from this, we decided to run on my own, but afer a meetng with some joint workshops to support the book, infuental crochet and knitng designer ofering people the opportunity to learn Jane Crowfoot, we decided to combine both knitng and crochet skills within one our talents and create our own events and workshop. The workshops were a success workshop company, Inspired Minds. and Jane and I found that we worked really well together. And so was born Inspired Jane and I have known each other for Minds! many years, both of us beginning our Inspired Minds was set up in 2014 and we held our frst workshop weekend at the Marsham Court Hotel in Bournemouth. Our plan was simple, that we both design the same project using the same yarn, but Jane makes a crochet version and I make a knited version. (I must add here that I actually cannot crochet, so that side of things was defnitely lef to Jane!) And our plan worked well as we found that despite living a great distance from each other and having minimal contact, we

p. 8 SlipKnot 166 were prety much on the same wavelength Northamptonshire and Losehill House in with regards to our thought processes. Derbyshire. Most of these have been joint Our frst project was a knited advent events, but last year we decided to run a calendar which the partcipants embraced knit-only and a crochet-only event as well with great enthusiasm, some choosing as our joint Bournemouth festve event. Jane’s crochet version, others optng for These went down very well too with both my knited version, and some having a events selling out within hours. go at both! It was so much fun that from Jane and I are now busy planning out thereon we decided to run an annual our Inspired Minds events for this year, festve workshop at Bournemouth. And with Bournemouth frmly in the diary fve years on it is stll our most popular for the end of the year for our joint event, with places selling out within a few festve workshop, and Jane returning to days of the tckets going on sale. We have Bournemouth in the summer for a crochet- designed a whole range of diferent festve only event. I am researching new venues projects including favour bags, Christmas for a knit-only event too, so it looks as if crackers, baubles, mandalas, Christmas 2020 is going to be another very busy year stockings and wall hangings. for us both! Not only is there plenty of knitng and If you are interested in joining us at one crochetng going on at our events, but we of our events then you can get all the also bring with us our own mobile shops, latest and up to date informaton about ofering the partcipants some much- what we have in store by signing up to our needed retail therapy. Jane’s husband, newsleter on our Inspired Minds website, Andy, runs the Janie Crow shop which is www.inspiredminds-uk.com. packed full of all sorts of wonderful things from crochet and knitng kits, to needles, We hope to see you in 2020! hooks, books and accessories, and Sue, my mother-in-law, runs my shop where we sell knitng kits, handmade ceramic butons (made by my mum), yarn, books and DVDs. Since that frst workshop in Bournemouth we have added several other venues to our Inspired Minds list and run events at some beautful places including Rudding Park Hotel & Spa in Cheshire, The Queens Hotel in Chester, Wadenhoe House in

SlipKnot 166 p. 9 BOOK REVIEWS Edited by Rita Taylor

the nålebound Coppergate sock. This later This Golden Fleece: A journey through item was based on a 10th-century foot Britain’s knited history, Esther Ruter. covering unearthed near the Coppergate Granta Publicatons, 2019. Hardback, in York. 340 pages, £16.99. ISBN 971783378435 This book is peppered with the author’s I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Esther observatons on the people she met on her Ruter is a skilful author, able to take us journey, along with her thoughts on how with her on her journeys round the Britsh modern-day knitng refects this knited Isles with evocatve imagery, refreshing past. In a chapter which I felt fts less well openness and a researcher’s eye for into the overall narratve, she explores unearthing previously unsung detail. With ‘Revolutonary Knitng’, going from the luxury of a whole year of to follow Madame Defarge, the French revoluton’s her kniterly interests around the country, macabre tricoteuse, to 21st century something few us can imagine being able Pussyhats. Esther Ruter’s approach is not to do, she explores the social history of the to deal with her topics in a chronological UK’s knitng traditons. At the same tme or discrete manner. Rather, links are made –and what makes this book so unusual between subjects in a way which may – she creates a knited garment for each dissatsfy some readers but delighted me. of the knitng traditons she examines. For example, Shetland’s renowned hand Her photographs of the resultant projects spinner, Elizabeth Johnston, features not in include a marathon-of-knitng gansey for the chapters about Shetland but in the one her father, hiking socks for her husband on revolutonary knitng. You’ll have to and a striking yellow bikini for herself. read the book to fnd out why. There are chapters on some of the topics I found this book absorbing and easy to you would expect in such a round-up of follow. I imagine returning to it, both Britain’s knitng history: ganseys from as a reference source and as a pleasant Scotland’s islands and east coast, gloves diversion from life’s demands. If I had from Dent, and shawls and from one very slight critcism it is that, with Shetland. But there are also chapters such a visual subject, there could be more on items with which I was less familiar: pictures. There are atractve drawings to Gairloch stockings, Monmouth caps and

p. 10 SlipKnot 166 illustrate each chapter and the occasional with large images of the sttches. My only black and white photo within the text. The caveat is that some of the illustratons are colour plates are corralled into eight pages so large that they make the book bigger in the centre of the book: I would have and more expensive than necessary. I liked more of these. would defnitely like to put some of these techniques into practce and, for anyone Elspeth May who likes trying out new techniques, it is a Disttch , a new knitng concept, Assia book worth having. Brill, Nielsen Book Services, 2019. Rita Taylor Paperback, 272 pages, £33.00. ISBN 9781527239234 Knited Dolls with a Designer Wardrobe, Arne Nerjordet and It is excitng when a new technique Carlos Zachrison. Search Press, 2012. in knitng and crochet comes about, Paperback, 200 pages, £14.99. IBSN especially when the idea is such a simple 9781844488506 one. Assia Brill has described a way of making the conventonal sttches but The frst thing I wanted to do when I giving a thicker and more robust fabric. It picked up this book was to fick through all is similar to brioche knitng in that the the beautful photographs, where you are sttches are made by working into the row transported to a magical and quirky world below, so forming two loops on the needle that the authors have created. Taking their for each sttch. To me, the best use of this inspiraton from traditonal and vintage is the way the technique produces a lovely motfs, it shows dolls in diferent scenes, tdy edge to a fat knited scarf or blanket with their pals and colourful clothes. (see Assia’s free patern for a Disttch Edge The book gives clear instructons on how Scarf on ) but it also makes very to make a basic doll 40 cm in height. It neat stranded colourwork paterns. includes hints and tps on how to create The book is divided into chapters the features of the face and hair, and then describing the characteristcs of disttch shows 15 diferent characters you could (pronounced dee-sttch), how to work create. It is very generously packed full of the sttches, how to shape in disttch charted paterns giving a total of 44 outits and a brief menton of how to use it in which you can then mix and match. crochet. There is a sttch dictonary and a All levels of ability are catered for, so you collecton of 10 simple paterns with the can use the basic patern for the clothes, occasional link to a YouTube video, a useful but colour work, raglan sleeves and innovaton. It is fully illustrated in colour paterns are all given, so you can be as

SlipKnot 166 p. 11 ...BOOK REVIEWS (CONTINUED) detailed as you like, according to your as well as colour theory and techniques. skills and patence when working small These are brief but clear, however, I am scale. Suggested wools are given but it experienced in colour work so I wonder would be a great way to use up your stash. if they would seem as clear to someone Interestngly they use 100% wool (the kind not familiar with this style of knitng. used for feltng) to stuf the dolls, so if The second, larger, part of the book, is you use machine washable wool, not only a series of charted motfs with projects can you wash your doll, but also the wool that use some of them; jumpers, hats, stufng will felt, helping to frm and give a socks, blankets, and cushions – the usual beter shape to your doll. suspects really. I imagine any child would love to have Does the book live up to its ttle? Well yes. one, or several of these dolls to create The projects did not really inspire me, but their own litle world. However, the the lovely bright colours and interestng book defnitely has adult appeal: they motfs did get my fngers itching. I will probably get as much fun out of it as would defnitely fnd space for it on my a child! craf shelves. Jeanne Rayment Rebecca Price

Fair Isle Knitng; A practcal and The Guild on the Net inspiratonal guide, Monica Russel, The Knitng & Crochet Guild on Search Press Ltd. 2019. Paperback, 176 Facebook at www.facebook.com. pages, £14.99. ISBN 9781782215806 @kcguild on Instagram at www. First things frst: this is not traditonal instagram.com. Fair Isle. The motfs are ofen modern and bright with themes such as fowers, KCGuild (friend) and KCG (group) on cherries, dancing ladies, ducks and alpacas Ravelry at www.ravelry.com. as well as various geometric shapes. Each Follow the Collecton and other Guild motf is shown knited up as a swatch as maters on @KCGCollecton on Twiter well as in a chart, and in various colour at www.twiter.com. variatons. Also check the Guild’s own website at The book is in two main sectons. The www.kcguild.org.uk. frst covers the basics of Fair Isle history

p. 12 SlipKnot 166 Rowntrees holder, with six arms, is Managing art silk compressed cardboard. Others in the Felix the cat atracts Barbara Collecton are made of plastc. Most Smith’s atenton. are cheaply made, and several in the Collecton advertse a shop selling art silk. Rowntrees of Scarborough was a department store, not simply ‘Artfcial Silk Specialists’; the Rowntrees were the same family as Rowntree’s chocolate in York. The holder which stll has rayon wound onto it also bears the name of a department store: The Grand Pygmalion, of Boar Lane, Leeds. The store closed in 1927, which gives a latest date for our holder. The ‘Felix’ holder shows a popular cartoon character of the silent flm era – ‘Felix Keeps on Knitng’ echoes a popular song from 1923, with the chorus ‘Felix Keeps on Walking, Keeps on Walking Stll’. The objects in the photo are from the (You can hear it on YouTube.) Guild Collecton. It might be hard to guess what they are, but one of them has rayon At the tme, these holders must have been yarn wound onto it, and that’s the clue. commonplace, and no-one thought to Rayon, manufactured from cellulose, was write about them. Possibly the holders a popular yarn for knitng and crochet in with the name of a shop were free with a the 1920s, when it was called artfcial silk, purchase of art silk, but that’s a guess. The or ‘art silk’. It has a beautful sheen, but ‘Felix’ holders have survived in relatvely is difcult to work with because it is very large numbers, and another guess is that slippery. If you wound a skein of art silk they were a free gif with a magazine. If so, it might be possible to fnd the into a ball, as you would a skein of wool, it evidence one day. would fall apart into an impossible tangle. Meanwhile, if anyone A soluton was to wind the yarn around a can add anything to holder, like these. the story of these art The ‘Felix’ holder is 6½ inches across silk holders, please (approx. 16.5cm). The holders with email collectons@ four arms are thin plywood, while the kcguild.org.uk.

SlipKnot 166 p. 13 The power of wool Amalia Liguori found the transformatve efect of knitng and crochet. I qualifed as a dentst in December 1986 and the good at St Thomas’ Hospital from University College London. and a consultant said I had carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, worse in the I am a dinosaur who crocheted as a right. Surgery was the only opton. I youngster and started making her own was terrifed as there is always a risk clothes as a teenager. I contnued to make that the operaton would not cure my myself clothes and ball gowns when I problem. I refused the surgery. Instead, was a student, but I started having pain I was given exercises to do every day. in my wrists when I began my student Then one day, I had a lightbulb moment. I clinical work. thought to myself, these exercises are a bit A few years later, I had problems again. I like knitng. went to see a specialist and he said, ‘stck I can’t even remember where I got the to your day job’, meaning that I should give wool and needles from, but I started up sewing. So, I followed his instructons knitng squares. Afer about three weeks, and carried on working as a dentst. I had no pain. I could do my work with In 2012 I started having problems again. This tme it was worse. At work my hands became very painful, the right hand more than the lef. I would get an awful burning sensaton and have to stop and shake my hand before carrying on. I accepted that my days as a dentst were over. I was, of course, devastated. I subsequently went to see the great

p. 14 SlipKnot 166 Did you no problem. I just couldn’t believe it. I contnued to knit. I then started to knit know? dollies’ clothes to make it more interestng and I would give the clothed dollies to Compiled by Lesley O’Connell the women’s refuge. I was so thankful Edwards. that I pledged to knit for charity. I became At the Leiden Textle Research Centre’s a volunteer for the UK Hand Knitng citzen science project to re-create the Associaton and I started to knit for Knit 17th-century silk stockings found in a wreck of the island of Texel, a patern is for Peace, a charity that sends knited and now available, accessible from Ravelry at crocheted items to areas of need in the UK www.ravelry.com/paterns/library/17th- and abroad (knitorpeace.org.uk). I have century-silk-stockings. By 2 Nov 2019, also started crochetng. I enjoyed it so 27 stockings had been recreated for the much as a child and I realise I’m enjoying it Centre, and in the process, a lot has been as much in middle age! A few of my friends learned about the creaton of wearable silk stockings. The Textle Research Centre is a asked me to teach them how to crochet not-for-proft organisaton and holds over and I am showing them how to make 25,000 textle items as well as a library of granny squares. They love it. nearly 4,000 books, all of which can be viewed at the Centre. In additon, it hosts I contnue to work as a dentst and you can exhibitons, both real and virtual. See see from the photos how very happy I am. www.trc-leiden.nl for more informaton. Every tme I pick up knitng needles, I am Cannula sleeves are used for dementa grateful that knitng has been my saviour. patents and are a development of twiddle I am very pleased to have joined KCG and mufs by Handmade for Dementa. Like I enjoyed my frst meetng in November the mufs, they have bobbles and other with many kindred spirits. textured sttches which provide stmuli for the dementa patents, but the sleeve The power of wool: I leave you with covers and protects the cannula. If that thought. you would like to make one, check the requirements with your local hospital. More informaton is on the Alzheimer’s’ Society website, www.alzheimers.org.uk. Sandy Downing recommends trying Cif Multpurpose Ultrafast cleaner for cleaning a sheet of the KL116 Knitleader knitng machine, when pen marks do not come of with soap. Use a damp microcloth, spray on a small amount and gently rub. Ensure the Cif has been completely removed by rubbing with a clean cloth aferwards.

SlipKnotSlipKnot 166165 p. 15 Sample the Sampler: an update Emma Vining on her latest adventures with Gladys’s sampler.

2018 was the year our Guild celebrated paterns and ways to its 40th Anniversary. One of the ways this re-interpret them. milestone was marked was by highlightng As well as being a the work of a very special kniter, Gladys wonderful sttch- Jeskins (1923–97). The project was called patern resource, the ‘A Kniter’s Journey’ and it explored, and sampler is also a great way to encourage contnues to explore, an amazing sttch experimentaton in knitng. Together, we sampler knited by Gladys over a period of discovered many ways to customise a sttch many years. The sampler measures more patern, leading to further discussions about than 50 metres in length and contains 899 what criteria are necessary to create a individual sttch paterns on a single long completely new sttch patern. strip of knitng! Using the example of Gladys’s patern As part of the project, Guild members number 40 for swatching, each workshop re-knited 60 of these inspiratonal sttch came up with many variatons on the paterns. The resultng swatches have been original! For example, everyone was beautfully mounted on display boards by knitng with diferent yarns and we could Tricia Basham. Last year, I travelled with the immediately see how the sttch patern was boards to Reading, Warwick and Oxford, completely transformed when worked in where I had the pleasure of leading ‘Sample diferent yarn weights and fbres. the Sampler’ workshops for Guild members I have included the sttch patern for Gladys’s at branch meetngs and at our annual patern number 40 in this artcle. Patern Conventon. number 40 was the startng point for the During the workshops we had a series of half-pi shawl (see p. 2) I designed for the lively discussions about the sampler, the Guild’s ruby-anniversary eBook, which is

p. 16 SlipKnot 166 available to download for free from the Swatch Instructons members’ area on the Guild website. The shawl uses three variatons of patern Using correct needle size for yarn being number 40 and shows how just one sttch used, cast on 26sts. patern can be the basis of a whole series of new designs. Patern Number 40 (Multple of 6sts plus 2sts) Knit two rows. Special abbreviatons Row 1 (RS): K3, p2, *yo, p2tog, p1; rep In her original patern notes, Gladys writes from * to last 3sts, k3. out instructons in full, describing the knitng Row 2 (WS): K5, *yfd, sl loop, k2, rep from acton in detail within the patern. This detail * to last 3 sts, k3. was very helpful in recreatng the sttch patern and I have abbreviated the long Row 3: K3, p2, *sl two loops, yo, p2; rep instructons to make them more concise. from * to last 3sts, k3. sl loop(s), yo: On RS rows, slip the loop(s) Row 4: K5, *yfd, sl three loops, k2; rep made on the previous row purlwise from from * to last 3sts, k3. lef-hand needle onto right-hand needle, Row 5: K5, *k four loops tog, k2; rep from then work a ‘yo’ to make another loop. The * to last 3sts, k3. number of loops will vary from one to three Row 6: K5, *p1 with yrn twice, k2; rep loops as the patern progresses. These loops from * to last 3sts, k3. count as one sttch. Row 7: K3, p2, * yb, sl next st dropping yfd, sl loop(s): On WS rows, take the yarn to extra loop, yfd, p2; rep from * to last 3sts, the front of the work, slip the loop(s), then k3. knit the next sttch, making a new loop that lies in the same directon as the other loops. Row 8: K5, *yfd, sl1, yb, k2; rep from * to last 3sts, k3. k four loops tog: insert needle under all four Row 9: K3, p2, * yb, sl1, yf, p2; rep from * loops from previous rows, then knit these to last 3sts, k3. loops together. Rows 10: Knit. p1 with yrn twice: purl the next sttch, passing yarn around needle twice. The These ten rows set the patern. extra loop will be dropped on the following row, creatng an elongated sttch that will be worked as a slip sttch over the next three rows.

SlipKnot 166 p. 17 llious Rebe ing knitt Time for ‘mutny’ suggests Rita Crazy image from McCalls Needlework Taylor. and Crafs magazine, Fall/Winter 1965 to 1966 In the Winter 2019 issue of Piecework there is an artcle by Nancy Bush on Haapsalu shawls. She says that a true the usual textured design? Must an Aran Haapsalu shawl is made of 100% wool in a cardigan be in cream báinín* wool with solid colour with a large decoratve border bands of ropes and diamonds, or, as seems and a separate edging that is sewn on. Any more common today, with a wide panel of shawl that deviates from this descripton a Viking cable at the centre? What other is called ‘rebellious’. So, a mix of wool and examples can you think of that could be synthetc, a shawl made from variegated classed as ‘rebellious’ knitng? Are you wool, or one featuring bands of diferent inspired to be a rebel yourself and create colours, a knited on border, or a plain something mutnous? centre would be called ‘rebellious’. The true shawl should be triangular, square [* Báinín is the unscoured wool yarn or rectangular too, so using the correct traditonally used in Aran sweaters. Editor] solid coloured wool but making it crescent or asymmetrical in shape would also be disobedient! This prompted me to wonder what other forms of traditonal knitng might be called rebellious. The frst one that came to mind was Fair Isle, and there is a lot of naughty Fair Isle about, not least the motfs depicted in Rebecca Price’s book review on p 12. And what about ganseys? Would it be rebellious to knit one in kid mohair or acrylic, and to place a colourwork patern on the yoke instead of

Haapsalu shawl at AmandaWoolShop on Etsy p. 18 SlipKnot 166 KCG Convention & 42nd AGM Our annual Conventon weekend is the highlight of the Guild’s year. This is the key opportunity for members to meet up with others from around the country, become more involved with the Guild and actvely support its aims. We really hope you will come join us for this truly exceptonal weekend. You’ll see in the info following there’s a 10th–12th JULY 2020 lot going on over the weekend. This year we are staying at The Queens Hotel in Leeds. It’s an ideal locaton Our Conventon overlooking Leeds City Square, with its You’ll have seen our Patron, Louisa Harding’s artcle in the own private access direct from the booking Louise Harding December 2019 editon of hall at Leeds Staton. Built in 1937, it is Slipknot and we are delighted to say she full of Art Deco style details, with modern will be our afer-dinner speaker on Friday facilites and lifs to all foors. The central evening when you’ll be able to fnd out more about her fascinatng career. locaton is ideal as there is much of interest Over the course of the weekend we’ll be in the city, from the markets at Kirkgate, to ‘Meetng the Shepherdess’, Sarah from the Royal Armouries, and Leeds Art Gallery, Wooldale Wool who will be telling us about and you can fnd out more on the Visit her fock and bringing her yarns and kits to Leeds website at www.visitleeds.co.uk. the marketplace. Our guest speaker on Saturday afernoon is Further Atractons Jeanete Sloan, knitwear designer, maker, • Show and Tell – everyone who enters contributor to Knitng magazine, writer an item will be put into a prize draw. and tutor. We’ll hear about the launch of BIPOC in Fiber – a website dedicated to • Singer/songwriter Jon Harvison will be making the fbre industry as diverse as the bringing his songs of ‘Wool & Mills’ to community it serves. entertain us. We are delighted that Lorna Hamilton- • Stash Amnesty – raise funds to support Brown MBE will be speaking on Sunday the Guild’s Collecton of paterns and morning. A textle artst who describes artefacts. herself as a knitng evangelist, Lorna • Display of items from the collecton. combines her skills as an artst, researcher, educator, knitwear designer, performer and • Branch Coordinators Meet up. flmmaker to make social comment. (See over for more details.)

Pull out or photocopy this centrefold to fll in the formSlipKnot 166 p. 19 Booking Form Please note the maximum capacity of the post by the deadline to the address below. venue for our event is 100, so, do book Alternatvely enclose your cheque with the promptly to secure your place. booking form made payable to Knitng & Payments can be made by direct transfer to Crochet Guild. our CAF bank Sort Code 40-52-40 Account Please return this form to Julie Hulme, 125 00014221 quotng your membership Bunkers Hill, Lincoln, LN2 4QT by 31st March number and email the booking form to Julie 2020 at the latest, as fnal numbers need to Hulme [email protected] or be given to the hotel in early April.

About You Please tck the appropriate boxes below Name: Address including postcode

Tel No: Email: KCG Membership No Emergency Contact No: Signed Date:

Member – full weekend (Fri 4pm to Sun 3pm) single occupancy £365 Member – full weekend (Fri 4pm to Sun 3pm) double occupancy £307 Non-Member – full weekend (Fri 4pm to Sun 3pm) single occupancy £390 Member - Saturday day delegate including evening meal and Show & Tell £113 session and evening entertainment Member – Saturday day delegate leaving afer workshop session £92 Member – full weekend (Fri 4pm to Sun 3pm) without Bed & Breakfast £197 Non-Member – full weekend (Fri 4pm to Sun 3pm) without Bed & Breakfast £222 Additonal night Bed & Breakfast - single occupancy Thursday £102 Additonal night Bed & Breakfast – double occupancy Thursday £57 Additonal night Bed & Breakfast - single occupancy Sunday £81 Additonal night Bed & Breakfast – double occupancy Sunday £47 Dinner at Hotel – Thursday/Sunday (delete as appropriate) £21 I will be atending the AGM only No Cost Total Cost £ In the case of double occupancy please state the name of member you are sharing with.

I have transferred/enclose a non-refundable deposit of £50 and agree to pay the balance by Friday 5th June 2020 – The Guild needs to pay the hotel in full by this date so please note no refunds are available for any cancellatons afer this date. I have transferred/enclose Payment in Full p. 20 SlipKnot 166 Accessibility Getng to the Conference Centre The hotel has two fully accessible bedroom THE QUEENS, CITY SQUARE, LEEDS, LS1 1PJ suites with walk-in showers available, We would encourage as many atendees as plus three with low sided baths, so we possible to travel to the venue by train to need to ensure that these are allocated Leeds; also the bus and coach statons are appropriately. a short walk away from the hotel. There is Would a stool in the shower make washing valet parking at the hotel which costs £21 easier? yes/no per 24 hours and allocated on a ‘frst come, Any other features that would make the frst served’ basis. wash hand-basin or toilet facilites easier If you’re new to the Guild, or contemplatng to use? your frst trip to Conventon, do have a look at the reports of previous years’ events, Do you need extra help getng around the which you can fnd at kcguild.org.uk/events/ bedroom suite or around the Conference category/kcg-events. site generally? We are planning a day trip to visit our heritage collecton based at Britannia Do you have any dietary requirements? Mill in Slaithwaite near Huddersfeld on yes/no If yes, please state your Friday 10 July before Conventon proper requirements here: gets underway. Come and fnd out from the volunteers what goes on and see some of the Atracton Details amazing items held there. There is plenty to see around the town so there will be tme to Our perennial favourite ‘Show and Tell’ visit bookshops, antque centres and have will follow dinner on Saturday evening. lunch at one of the many cafes in Slaithwaite Throughout the weekend items will be including the famous Handmade Bakery at displayed so you can get a close look at all thehandmadebakery.coop/cafe/. the projects and WIPs. We look forward to hearing about the lessons learned! Everyone A selecton of some of the items showcased who enters an item for Show and Tell will be in our ‘Collecton in 100 objects’ project, put into a prize draw. funded by the Heritage Lotery Fund, will On Saturday, Jon Harvison will be be on display throughout the weekend. We entertaining us with songs of ‘Wool & Mills’. hope that volunteers from Britannia Mill will Jon has a regular slot at the Leeds Wool be on hand to tell us more about what was Festval at Armley Mills and we’re delighted involved in the project. to welcome him to Conventon 2020. Our ‘Stash Amnesty’ will provide an opportunity for you to de-stash yarn, books and equipment, with all items donated sold to support the Guild’s Collecton. SlipKnot 166 p. 21 KCG Convention & 42nd AGM Nine Workshops Our AGM We hope to ofer a choice of up to This is free to all members and the Board nine workshops for both the Saturday is very keen that as many members as afernoon and Sunday morning sessions, possible atend this important meetng. so there should be plenty to interest you. It will take place at 11:00 on Saturday 11 July. We do need to know that you are Knitng coming so, even if you are not staying Lesley Fidler – Double knitng for Conventon itself, please return the Heike Gitens – Beginners Sock Knitng booking form to let us know you are Clare Grifel – Beginners Knitng atending the AGM only. Dawn Hemming – Colour dominance in The agenda will be sent with the June stranded knitng editon of Slipknot. There will be reports on Judy Jones – Knitng to entertain others the Guild’s fnances, Board appointments, Rachel Lemon – Cast On/Cast Of the achievements of the past year and Elspeth May – Fair Isle Tea cosy, an what the Board plans to do in the coming excellent project to try your frst . year. You will have a chance to express Angharad Thomas – Gloves your views on all these issues and to vote Marie Wright – Reversible Cables on some of them. Crochet and other interests There are many optons for atendance, from AGM-only to the full weekend with Marisa Alcock – extra nights on Thursday and Sunday, so Tricia Basham – Corner to Corner crochet we do hope you’ll join us at some point Jane Harrison – Introducton to Machine over the course of our Conventon. We knitng look forward to receiving your booking Liz Holness – Hand tooling for machine form and your non-refundable deposit knitng by 31st March 2020. Please note that Mary Lambert – Double flet crochet payment of the balance will be needed by Deborah Nash – Visible mending Friday 5th June 2020 and no refunds can Ellie Reed – back by popular demand be made for cancellatons afer that date with ‘A morning at the Collecton’ as the Guild needs to pay in full for the Debbie-Ann Shears – Bavarian crochet event by that date. Lindy Zubairy – Double ended hooking

p. 22 SlipKnot 166 The joy of double flet crochet Dianne Chan enthuses about her local crochet group.

these can be made into many diferent items. Once I had seen the more complicated pieces made by other members of the group, I needed to grasp more techniques to try some for myself (see photos). For those who like to pass milestones there are certfcates awarded for diferent levels of skill. The higher the level, the more complex the pieces of work required. At the higher levels, original design and crochet charts are necessary. Double flet crochet has to be charted as it does not lend itself to See inside front cover and back for more pictures writen paterns. This is where the 3D skills come into play. If you have basic crochet skills and are Nowadays the group is run by Nic Walker, looking for a challenge, look no further. I who is assisted by Barbara and Michael’s joined the East London Crochet Group in daughter, Rose. Barbara and Michael atend spring 2018. Since then I have not missed a regularly and they contnue to pass their meetng. It is totally addictve. expertse on to others. The group meets The group was set up many years ago by quarterly in the Community Room, St Mary’s Barbara and Michael Mann. They took the Church, Ilford, which is next door to Ilford idea of interlocking crochet and developed Fire Staton. See the KCG website for details their own style of it. Two separate nets of of the East London branch. This is a very crochet are worked together line by line. friendly and inclusive group. Everyone is This results in a thicker texture and allows welcome. for paterns and colour changes, which are Each workshop has a theme and worksheets limited only by your imaginaton. Some with appropriate designs are handed out. pieces are reversible. There are experienced members available It takes a while to grasp the concept as you to teach small groups on an individual basis. have to visualise the work in 3D. Before Everyone else makes something from the joining this group I had never unravelled themed worksheet. so much... The good news is that most If you would like to give it a try, come to a newcomers learn how to make the basic workshop in Ilford or book the double flet double flet within the frst taster session at the KCG Conventon in July. workshop. As with ordinary granny squares, You will be hooked!

SlipKnot 166 p. 23 therapies I have tried. And I’ve tried a lot. Apparently, the brain can process only so Stressed much at a tme. The repettve nature of knitng, combined with its physical and out? cognitve demands, is thought to occupy the brain to such a degree that it literally Knitting as the tonic for can’t think about anything else. For me, a modern age (Part 2) this is exactly what it felt like. I went from being unable to control my thoughts to Jen Hodgson looks at more having moments of uter relief. When I was aspects of this topical focused on ever more-challenging knitng discussion. paterns, intrusive thoughts and memories In Slipknot 164, Elspeth May explored how from the past were efectvely blocked out. increasing numbers of men and women This is thought to be the same principle are turning to needlecrafs, many for an for how knitng can help those who are improved sense of mental and physical sufering chronic pain. The brain simply well-being. The global wellness market cannot focus on both actvites at once, i.e. is booming and the knitng industry is both knitng and delivering pain signals to following this trend. But whilst some the body. wellness treatments are undoubtedly Knitng is also thought to have potental faddish and questonable, science has in the fght against dementa. With cases proven that knitng is a truly benefcial expected to triple by 2050, scientsts craf for psychological well-being. In are increasingly looking for ways to this second of a two-part artcle I will prevent the conditon before symptoms explore further some of the scientfc start to show. A number of studies have and therapeutc benefts of knitng in already shown that cognitve decline more detail. and dementa are not things we should Before we look at studies and research expect or passively accept, and knitng papers, however, I’d like to share my own has again been linked as a potental way personal angle on this. As mentoned in to help delay their onset. The Mayo Clinic Elspeth’s artcle, knitng and other crafs found that crafing, including knitng, were used as diversions for soldiers injured could reduce the odds of developing mild or sufering from PTSD during WWI. As a cognitve impairment by 30%–50%. Mild suferer of PTSD, I can personally atest cognitve impairment in turn increases that knitng has been the best of all the the risk of developing dementa. Memory,

p. 24 SlipKnot 166 atenton and problem-solving are all new to the craf should be prepared for afected by the syndrome and, as we more than a litle frustraton. kniters know, these are all skills that are So with that balanced view in mind, here practsed and honed when knitng. are a few fascinatng facts about knitng So beyond simply managing stress and well-being which you can use to and anxiety, knitng really can make convert friends and colleagues to this a diference to our well-being in wonderful craf (just don’t forget the fundamental, life-changing ways. That proviso about learning pains!): said, of course, knitng can come with • Knitng can a sense of well- its stresses. In a 2016 study in the US, being, lower blood pressure and reduce knitng was voted the most stressful stress depression, anxiety, loneliness and reliever, alongside running and cooking! isolaton (Knit for Peace, 2018). Haven’t we all felt a litle pang of anxiety when we look at all that expensive yarn • Those who engage in crafs such as that needs knitng up? What about the knitng and crochetng are less likely frustraton of the never-ending jumper? to develop memory loss (Geda, 2011; Or second-sock syndrome? Haven’t we Mayo Clinic, 2009). also all felt a litle anxiety when in a group • Knitng can help reduce the awareness of experienced kniters – the fear of of chronic pain (Corkhill, 2014). judgement, however well meant? • Knitng can lower the heart rate by Kate Davies wrote a fascinatng blog an average of 11 beats per minute, recently about knitng not always being encouraging a physical and mental state meditatve (Knitng, creatvity, mental similar to that achieved through doing health, available at htps://kddandco. yoga (Harvard, 2007). com/2019/05/22/knitng-creatvity- • Kniters with PTSD report they have mental-health/). She notes that, whilst fewer fashbacks, intrusive thoughts and knitng can be calming, that’s not always other symptoms (Corkhill, 2014). the case. Nor is it necessarily therapeutc for everyone. She makes an important and • For full references, valuable point: no-one should be coerced please contact into knitng on the principle that it is Jen Hodgson at therapeutc. The point is that it can be. jen2t@yahoo. Being told to knit to calm down is likely to com. have the opposite efect and, certainly at the outset when learning to knit, anyone

SlipKnot 166 p. 25 Learning to knit on a c1912 fat- bed Liz Holness gets an old knitng machine working.

Harrison Machine knitng using 4-ply sock yarn I could immediately see similarites with modern knitng machines but there were also a lot of diferences. The materials used were cast iron and steel. The instructon book was missing, as were the tools and weights, but there Harrison Knitng Machine c. 1912 was a cast-on comb. I didn’t want to I’ve long hankered afer a circular sock start playing untl I was sure I wouldn’t machine (CSM) but they have always been damage things beyond repair, plus, the beyond my budget, so, when I had the machine hadn’t been used for a while so opportunity to purchase (at a price I could needed a good clean and re-oil. aford) a Harrison double-bed knitng machine built around 1912, I just had to I was lucky enough to fnd someone have it. Quite ironic really, when the fat- who had instructon books for this bed machines were considerably more machine and who would loan them to expensive than CSMs at the tme they me. These were not instructon books as were made, and both cost more than a machine kniters today know them, but month’s wages for an unskilled worker. comprised a chapter naming the parts of p. 26 SlipKnot 166 the machine and their functons (with just or rib. There’s also a racking handle which a few line drawings), followed by ‘lessons’ - moves one bed horizontally so that it can paterns for items that could be knited on make rib and fancy sttches and a lovely big the machine. The books were very fragile, handle with a connectng bar which you about A5 in size, with over 80 pages of turn to move the carriage. small type and a few sketch drawings. The It took me a few days to pluck up the language used is obviously of its tme but courage to try to knit on the cleaned descriptve. machine and I chose some 3-ply yarn With the aid of the instructon book and (Yeoman 50/50) to start. I tried to with a lot of help from my husband, we follow the instructons, but they didn’t set about cleaning and re-oiling. We didn’t seem to work, so I cast on as if it was a have three parts sperm oil and one part modern machine, which was much more parafn as recommended by Harrison but successful. Afer a few more false starts, setled for the suggested alternatve of I got three small pieces of knitng. They ordinary sewing machine oil. Needles and were grubby from the oil on the machine, needle springs should remain in the same with lots of dropped sttches, but that channels and not be swapped around wasn’t unexpected. Whew – at least it which was a challenge for cleaning but worked. nothing was too rusty. I then tried coned 4-ply acrylic yarn. I dug through my modern machine That wasn’t successful, but it could be knitng tools and found some that would because the yarn was acrylic and quite work. The needle spacing is similar to a lightly twisted. So, back to the stash, and I fne machine, so good light (and found a part ball of 4-ply sock yarn. It has eyesight) is needed to see anything. There a tghter twist and, being wool, is a litle are 60 needles on each bed (or should be, bit frmer. So, with a bit of trepidaton and as there are a few missing!). There are four a deep breath, I threaded up and tried knobs for tension, and four cam levers to again. What a diference! Success, but it dictate whether the needles knit circular has shown that I need to fnd some new needles as soon as possible. There are a few that aren’t playing nicely. Without my experience using modern knitng machines, getng knitng of this machine would have been unlikely. The next task is to knit something useful and First three pieces knited then it really will be tme to show of!

SlipKnot 166 p. 27 increasing their size, which in practce also British wool for reduced the quality of wool from very fne to knitting, crochet more suitable for furnishing. Today Britsh wool producton is mostly focused on carpets and crafts and upholstery, although there remains Who beter to extol the qualites signifcant producton of fner feece too. of Britsh wool than Sue Blacker, So it is rather a shame that the majority the creatve genius behind of wool available here today for knitng Blacker Yarns. and crafs is not Britsh wool, in terms of the origins of the sheep that grew it, and Britain has been a centre for sheep farming even more disappointng that the majority since before the Romans came – indeed of ‘Britsh’ wool made by UK companies is one of their reasons for wantng to come actually not spun in the UK. This is also a was the quality of our wool and they are result not only of our desire for sof, fne thought possibly to have introduced the Merino wool from Australia and China but Romney sheep breed here. Moving on a also of the growth of artfcial fbres over the thousand years and the wool industry was last 80 years, such that wool totals only 3% the basis of the wealth of the country, giving of world textle fbre consumpton nowadays. us wonderful churches, a characteristcally managed landscape and the birth of the Despite all of this, we stll have a glorious industrial revoluton. wealth of over 70 natve breeds of sheep and there are several smaller specialised The frst knitng machine was invented in Britsh wool spinning mills, which produce 1589 by , who was refused a wonderful yarns. The great variety of Britsh patent for it by Elizabeth I, no doubt advised sheep produces wool suited to many uses, so by the craf guilds, on the grounds it might feeces for knitng can be selected to achieve put hand kniters out of work. The principles not just sofness but other atributes, such of this machine remain to as durability, natural colour, sttch defniton this day and Lee managed to get a patent or drape. in France. The following tables summarise 30 breeds Later in the 17th and 18th centuries, we most ofen found in yarns, and their developed spinning and weaving machines atributes and suitability for diferent and moved the cotage industry into mills projects. This is a simplifed version of the in towns. Meanwhile we also encouraged tables found in my book Pure Wool, which the farming of sheep for wool in the then are also available for download from the colonies of New Zealand and website at Blacker Yarns, www. Australia. This was probably just thenaturalfbre.co.uk/sites/ as well, as the growing need of default/fles/fles/NFC%20 our industrial towns for meat led Wool%20Charts(1).pdf. to the ‘improvement’ of sheep by p. 28 SlipKnot 166 SlipKnot 166 p. 29 p. 30 SlipKnot 166 Some of these breeds are rare or endangered, so working with their wool helps their future, and also the handle of a wool or yarn does not necessarily correspond directly with the thickness of the fbres in terms of micron count. Some fner fbres may not always have a sof handle in the yarn, while other coarser or mixed fbres may feel sofer. Also, depending on the capabilites of the equipment at any partcular mill, it may not be possible to spin pure the wool of some breeds, partcularly coarse longer wools, and they may need to be mixed with other wool to hold the yarn together.

In summary: • For bulk and warmth: Black Welsh Mountain, North Ronaldsay, Manx Loaghtan, Ryeland, Shetland, Norfolk Horn • For drape and sheen: Cotswold, Gotland, Blue-faced Leicester, Wensleydale, Teeswater, Leicester Longwool • Individual characteristc breeds: Herdwick, Hebridean, Galway, Romney, Castlemilk Moorit • Good general purpose: Jacob, Mule (though can be very variable by defniton as a cross-bred)

It is also possible to make excellent strong weaving warps, craf twine for macramé work and strong rug wool from some of the stronger breeds. And of course, stronger yarns are more durable – merino is good for bed socks but not for walking socks, when Jacob would be much beter!

SlipKnot 166 p. 31 Branch Reports Compiled by Anne Scahill. Bedfordshire Central London The Four Seasons theme for Fibre East was Central London Branch created by using both new pieces and some had two meetngs last treasured items from previous displays, quarter. In October we supplied by members and friends. The enjoyed a talk from display was connected by leaves of many the Guild’s own Emma colours running through the four sectons. Vining on her creatve process as a designer. The display included Maypole Mice, She showed us how her designs take shape Dafodils, Beach Huts, Footprints in the Sand, from inital inspiraton in the landscape War Memorial garden, Fungus jewelry purse, or built environment to the knited Christmas cakes and a Snow Queen. In the interpretaton. Emma brought a lovely array centre of these was a four seasons pizza! It of samples featuring her trademark intricate was most encouraging that several young cables and we all enjoyed seeing them up ladies were taught to knit and went away close and discussing with her how she had happily with a ball of yarn and needles. constructed them. Many of the local groups have been In November we had a more informal producing items for charites such as bonnets session, focussing on our Christmas projects. and blankets for Luton and Dunstable There was an opportunity to make knited or Hospital baby unit, and items to sell for the crocheted reindeer and baubles or just ‘knit Helipad appeal. and nater’ with our own projects, fuelled by Local members have organised various festve mulled wine and mince pies! events, including a knitng cruise last year Anne Scahill and Sheringham 2020. We are busy making plans for our Regional Day on 2 May 2020 Hampshire Fleet Knitng Club when Alison Ellen will be our guest speaker. Fleet Knitng Club Full details will be on the events page of the meets monthly in website as soon as all of the workshops are Court Moor School confrmed. in Fleet. Each month Helen Nulty has a theme. In October the theme was knitng and

p. 32 SlipKnot 166 crochet magazines. Members brought along show us, including some from Shetland, copies of their favourite magazines and knited professionally and collected by we compared and discussed the diferent Patons & Baldwins in the 1950s. Maureen styles, formats and paterns. The variety of also showed an old BBC TV flm, with a magazines extended to French and Japanese youthful David Atenborough visitng Fair editons. On Saturday 19 October the club Isle as though it were somewhere foreign put together a whole school room display of and exotc. hand knitng, machine knitng and crochet Our December meetng, in the week before for Machine Knitng Live at Bournemouth. Christmas, was a ‘bit of a do’, with drinks We were delighted by the ooohs and and nibbles and an exchange of handmade interestng questons from the show visitors. Christmas tree decoratons. The gif The theme for November was making 3D swap was a new venture for us, and very objects from squares and rectangles, as a successful. Members had made tny socks, method to use up old gauge swatches and baubles, a crocheted snowfake, a reindeer test squares. The creatons included fsh, head, and more – I’m sure it will be repeated cats and snowmen. The December meetng next year. was our annual charity and Christmas Barbara Smith celebraton. Members shared hats to give to charity, and Bobby Bears for the local Police Lancashire Weir Force, whilst enjoying Christmas nibbles and We have been extremely busy over the past a glass of non-alcoholic fzzy grape juice. few weeks since becoming a branch of the Sally Kentfield Knitng & Crochet Guild. Our projects have included trafc light baby hats for The Royal Huddersfeld Oldham Maternity Unit; baby hats for St Our October meetng followed shortly Mary’s Hospital Manchester; trauma teddies afer I had been to Shetland Wool Week, for our local fre service; baby clothes and and I gave a talk about the week, including blankets for babies in Uganda; and blankets the practcalites of getng to Shetland for the homeless. In additon we have and atending Wool Week events. And at supplied knited and crocheted poppies least two people who heard the talk are which were sold in aid of the Royal Britsh now planning to go to Shetland in 2020. Legion. In November, Maureen brought some Fair A couple of trips out have brightened what Isle knitwear from the Guild Collecton to has otherwise been a dull and rather wet

SlipKnot 166 p. 33 Branch Reports continued

few months in our area. October found us supported us over the year. at Black Sheep Wools in Warrington, whilst In March we will be the December meant a trip out to the Knitng University of Lincoln Lambing Day at the and Sttching show in Harrogate. Ah: Riseholme Campus with buntng. heaven! However, the highlight of the last Julie Hulme few months came completely out of the blue when we were nominated and chosen to be North Norfolk Kniters fnalists in the Rossendale Community Group Awards. We didn’t win, but to be chosen Our last meetng of the year was on 10 as a fnalist out of 120 nominatons was December when we spent more tme eatng quite an achievement for a group that has mince pies and shortbread and drinking only been functoning for a year. We were cofee laced with brandy than we did on delighted and very, very proud. knitng! But the needles and hooks were stll employed and most members were Glynis Page busy fnishing things for Christmas presents. Lincoln Pauline wore the mohair cardigan that she had started in November’s meetng and Sue Our October and November meetngs have wore a beautful Rowan coat that we had been social evenings where we have worked watched progress through the months. on a variety of projects from Halloween decoratons to Christmas items. Over the year, we gained more members and it is always a delight to see the things that We had a very successful afernoon at our people are making, ofen designing their own local Festve Market, raising over £250 for or altering and adaptng an existng patern. Guild funds. We handed out lots of leafets People are becoming more confdent at about our meetngs and the Guild, so this now and will soon be able to manage hopefully raised our profle locally. without my advice. I hope so as we are In December we celebrated Christmas planning to move this year, indeed, we may and our third anniversary. Linda had put already have done so by the tme you read together a knitng- and crochet-based quiz this. But I will start another branch as soon which she said was easy but we all agreed as we are setled and hope that some of the it was tricky, especially if you were only a members will be able to get to it while others kniter or crocheter and not both! Well done will carry on the original one. to our quiz winner Toni! We enjoyed festve nibbles and made good progress on our Rita Taylor individual projects. Thanks to everyone who

p. 34 SlipKnot 166 Northamptonshire and explaining unfamiliar techniques to each other invariably happens. For example, The highlight of the last quarter of 2019 I talked through how my top-down yoked was our Open Evening in November when sweater was constructed (so now feel I need our group celebrated its 150th meetng. We to get that fnished – and wear it – by the have not been a KCG branch throughout that next meetng!) tme, nevertheless an excuse to celebrate Elspeth May is always welcome. The evening gave local people in Crick (the village where we meet) South West London a chance to see what we get up to. Former members of the Knit & Nater group were The Branch, based in Kingston upon especially welcome. Tea and cofee along Thames, contnues to thrive with new with delicious home bakes were provided to members joining us last year, including everyone and we ran a rafe from which we one from the Middlesex Machine Kniters shall make a small donaton to KCG. Many of who meet in Hounslow (see Slipknot 165, the rafe prizes had been made by branch page 28). A few SW London members members and they included a fne lacy scarf atended a very interestng talk by Fiona in mohair, atractve sewn bags made by the Morris at the Hounslow group. The topic patchworkers amongst us, together with was Surface Decoraton – a résumé of crochet and knited mitens, patchwork yarn a number of diferent techniques for ‘bowls’ and other donated prizes. One or two of our visitors brought along their own work- embellishing hand and machine knitng. in-progress knitng and others were happy The techniques would also be useful in to sit and chat. With luck, we may get one or decoratng crocheted items. two new members for the branch as a result Members contnue to atend a range of of this event. yarn festvals both locally and further At our other meetngs, we all contnued afeld, including Unravel and Yarndale. I with our many projects, grandchildren not atended the Perth Yarn Festval which unexpectedly featuring as the intended I can recommend if you are ever in recipients quite ofen. (Well, Christmas Perthshire in September. was on its way.) Sara showed us her very beautful knited heirloom shawl and she Our end of year meetng included a fun plans to take on another challenge this quiz on ‘Do you Know your Guild?’ and year. Seeing and admiring what we are each a rafe. making is an important part of each meetng Mary Gordon

SlipKnot 166 p. 35 Branch Reports continued Knitters Westbury Woollies Machine Knitng Club in 1625 Salisbury We are very happy to have joined with the Lesley O’Connell Edwards Knitng and Crochet Guild, and look forward considers a 17th-century to having some KCG Members join our Club. scheme to train the poor to knit. All are most welcome. The civic authorites in early modern Since we started back in September we England were very keen to ensure that have been busy. Our frst meetng included the poor had the means to support speaker, Erica Thompson, who showed us themselves, so that they were not idle the ins (and not many outs) of steaming and thus both a burden on the local poor and pressing knitng, something most of rate and also a source of potental unrest. us are a bit wary of doing . We had a coach This meant that the authorites ofen to Bournemouth for the knitng show in established initatves to provide the poor October which was very much enjoyed by all. Though mainly for machine kniters, it did with work and/or with training. include hand knitng yarns and accessories. One such happened in Salisbury in Several of us went to Craf 4 Crafers at 1625. It was initally intended to provide Shepton Mallet later in the month. Quilts for the training of children in various were on display in the CowShed as usual and trades, including knitng: the city was were quite spectacular. Even non-quilters to contribute each week from the poor can appreciate the work that goes into them. funds six (old) pence (two and a half Unfortunately there were very few wool stands as this clashed with another event. pence in today’s money) towards their maintenance. However, the survey of the Our October meetng saw us doing ‘cut poor and their masters in the city made and sew’, hopefully giving a few more the courage to take to their knitng, later in the year shows that the scheme and November was butonholes, when we included adults as well. concentrated on diagonal butonholes, not Eighteen trainees were spread across something usually tried. We closed this nine masters. All but two of the masters year with our traditonal Christmas party, are described simply as ‘kniter’. Thomas including a quiz, nibbles and hot fruit punch Tychborne is described as ‘kniter of (non-alcoholic of course). We are looking worsted’, suggestng his products were forward to another busy year. Do come and join us. beter quality as worsted was a fner and more expensive yarn. Thomas Turner is Pat Brain listed as ‘spinner and kniter of worsted’. p. 36 SlipKnot 166 He had the most knitng trainees, two kniters: three are described as ‘wife’, adults and two children, and also was but we are not given the marital status of Knitters training a 19-year old spinner. Five of the 60-year-old Edyth Pavye, who is the oldest masters were women: three are simply trainee, and received twelve pence. Thirty- in 1625 Salisbury described as ‘wife of’, although we are two-year-old Susan Harryson was allowed given the frst name of the fourth. The ‘to atend her children’ as well as receiving other lady is called Goodwife Fortune, eight pence. so she might be a widow or simply Roger Knighte’s wife had three eight-year- unmarried. She is the only master who old girls to train. Interestngly, though, was paid for her teaching – and that was a she was enttled to the work of only one mere two pence a week. In four instances, of the girls, and one wonders what was the trainer received the trainee’s work, done with the work of the other two. John which they presumably sold on. This Poter, aged 10, is the only boy listed and suggests that the trainees were capable of he was being trained by Thomas Prewit’s producing saleable quality work. There is wife, as was Eleanor Mayse, aged 14. The no indicaton as to what the trainees were survey notes that he worked at home with learning to knit, although it is very likely his mother and earned four pence weekly, that some at least were knitng stockings. and it seems he did not receive anything Four of the trainees were adult women from the city funds. Eleanor also seems while the remaining fourteen were to have received nothing from the city, children, eleven of whom were aged but she earned only three pence weekly between six and ten. Six of these children and Mrs Prewit was to have her work for received sixpence a week from the city, a year. and the fathers of a further two received Although there is a preponderance of six pence weekly. On several occasions children amongst the trainees, it shows it is noted that the children were only anyone of any age could be trained to knit. to receive six pence weekly for a year. Master kniters themselves were both It might be the city authorites felt they male and female, although would have been trained by then and the survey does not detail would be capable of earning sufcient their standing in the town. from knitng not to need support, or Further details are in Paul maybe they would have been seen as Slack’s Poverty and Policy being old enough either to be apprentced inTudor and Stuart or be sent into service. England (Wiltshire We have no informaton as to how the Record Society XXI, trainees were allocated to their masters. 1975). The adults were all trained by the male SlipKnot 166 p. 37 Shipston Woolly Weekend and Wool Fair WHAT’S – 23rd to 25th May, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. ON Leeds Wool Festval – 6th June, Leeds Spring 2020 Industrial Museum, Canal Road, Leeds LS12 2QF. Contact 0113 378 3173. Contact details are shown below for those Fibre Rocks – 6th to 7th June, The Fibre without internet access. Full details of all these Lounge, Bexhill-on-Sea. events are on our website at www.kcguild. org.uk/events. If no phone details are listed, it The Wool Monty – 13th to 14th June, FlyDSA means that contact is only online. Arena, Broughton Lane, Shefeld S9 2DF. Worstead Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Cornwoolly – 15th March, Cornwall College, Dyers Woolly Weekend – 20th to 21st June, Trevenson Road, Pool, Cornwall, TR15 3RD. Dilham, Norfolk, NR28 9PT. Contact 07555 Yorkshire Yarn Fest – 21st March, White 600 218. Syke Fields at White Syke Farm, Sand Huton, Woolfest 2020 – 26th to 27th June, YO41 1LN. Mitchell’s Lakeland Livestock Centre, Spring into Wool – 18th to 19th April, Cockermouth, Cumbria CA13 0QQ. Contact Leeds Grammar School, Alwoodley Gates, 016974 78707. Harrogate Road, Leeds LS17 8GS. Contact If anyone is planning to visit Aberdeen Nick on 07741 452295. Yarnfest in 2020, please be aware that it has Wonderwool – 25th to 26th April, Royal been cancelled and they hope it will resume Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, Powys. in 2021. Contact 01938 820 495. Buxton Wool Gathering – 9th to 10th May, Contributions to Buxton Pavilion Gardens, St John’s Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6BE. Slipknot The Cornish Fibre Festval – 9th to 10th Slipknot is your magazine, and May, Royal Cornwall Showground Exhibiton contributons from all members of the Centre, Whitecross, Wadebridge PL27 7JE. Guild are very welcome. While the copy Wool@J13 – 16th to 17th May, Lower deadline for the next issue is shown Drayton Farm, Penkridge, Staford ST19 4RE. below, items can be sent in at any tme. Contact 01785 330757 or 07717 036213. A page is approximately 360 words; the maximum limit for an artcle is 720 words. Festwool to Pop-up at the Herts Please send text fles as a Word document County Show – 23rd to 24th May, at and illustratons as a separate the Hertordshire County Show, The fle; if this is not practcal, then Showground, Dunstable Road, Redbourn, contact the editor to arrange an Herts AL3 7PT. alternatve.

Slipknot 167: Copy date 31/03/20

p. 38 SlipKnot 166 Did you know? Compiled by Lesley O’Connell Edwards. Photographer Joseph Ford and kniter Nina Dodds have been noted for their project Knited Camoufage, in which they created bespoke jumpers that literally blend into their surroundings. These range from those that mimic bus seats and foor tles to a dog’s coat that imitated a hedge. A book of photographs of the project is now available, and can be bought from: www.hoxtonminipress.com/products/ invisible-jumpers. The Doulton Flock has produced a limited- editon book to showcase its rare breed Border Leicester yarn. Enttled The First Yorkshire Moors Collecton, it has a range of accessories, including a wonderful pair of mitens with a cable cuf and a two- colour design of hares boxing under the moon. It is available from the Flock via their website: www.doultonborderleicesteryarn.com. Sheep of Many Colours is a collecton of colourwork charts for twenty diferent natve Britsh breeds of sheep, including Jacob, Swaledale and Manx Loaghtan. It costs £9.50 and is available from: www.sheepfold.co.uk. Afer ffeen years running and developing Blacker Yarns and the Natural Fibre Company, Sue Blacker has passed the baton to new owners, Graham Higgins and Colin Spencer Halsey. Colin has been working with the business since April 2019, and initally Sue will be contnuing on a part-tme basis to help with the transiton.

Image lef from Blacker Yarns

SlipKnotSlipKnot 166165p. 39 Masham Sheep Fair, Carole and Colin Wareing – p. 6

Inspired Minds, Debbie Abrahams – p. 8

Britsh Wool, Sue Blacker – p. 28 Double flet crochet, Dianne Chan – p. 23

Issue 166 March 2020