Wednesday, August 7

Product of the Month August


A Stitch in Time Volume I - new edition now available

If you’re an admirer of vintage clothes and patterns, you’ll absolutely adore Susan Crawford’s fantastic books A Stitch in Time. They have just been republished with updated yarns and even more detailed instructions about how to create your own vintage knits.

In the five years since A Stitch in Time Volume I was published, vintage knitwear fans have taken this book to their bosoms. It’s become a bible for needlecrafters keen to reproduce the fashions, colours and fit of the clothes of the early 20th century. In fact, the first three print runs quickly sold out. Now, however, A Stitch in Time Volume I is back and is available as an ebook with updated patterns designed for the very latest yarns.

A Stitch In Time Vol 1
by Susan Crawford and Jane Waller

Garments featured in this wonderful homage to knitwear from 1920 to 1949 include the beautifully detailed Rose Jumper which is finished with a row of matching roses along the botton of the yoke, and heavily textured tops such as It Cannot Fail To Please.

A Stitch In Time Volume I features 59 divine items of clothing that flatter the shape of any woman and Susan has updated the original patterns to work with today’s yarns. You can view the full gallery of patterns on this Flickr web page.

Light and Lovely - Coquette Vintage Cotton
in Spearmint and Sapphire

Susan’s genius is her attention to detail. Even the names of each garment evoke the period from which they’re taken. For effortless beachside glamour who could resist Sea-Waves And Sunny Days Ahead – a modest but neatly fitted bathing suit? 

Several of the designs are perfect to be made in  Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn, the 100 percent mercerised cotton yarn Susan launched in conjunction with knitshop.co.uk this spring. Coquette’s vintage credentials include the feel of the yarn, the 13 shades Susan chose to match her vintage knitwear and crochet designs and the traditional method of winding the yarn. It even has a centre pull just like the yarns 1940s knitters would have used. 

 
Call of the Sea - Coquette Vintage Cotton
in Sapphire and Snow

A Stitch in Time Volume I New Edition costs £20 for the complete ebook. Alternatively, you can buy selected patterns from the book direct from knitshop.co.uk. The patterns available to be used with Coquette Vintage Cotton: 

The Call of the Sea
Sea Waves and Sunny Days Ahead
A Dashing Little Swim Suit
Knitter’s Delight
Light and Lovely
Here are the latest accessories 
Knit These Slim-Line Undies

Each of these patterns can be knitted using knitshop.co.uk Vintage Cotton Yarn on 2.75mm to 3.75mm needles or crochet hooks. For more information about when each pattern will be available contact info@knitshop.co.uk.

Knitter's Delight
Coquette Vintage Cotton in Oyster

Links to this blog:



Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn: www.knitshop.co.uk/323-coquette-vintage-cotton



Susan Crawford Vintage: www.susancrawfordvintage.com


Saturday, August 3

Knitting and crochet workshops this August


knitshop.co.uk offers a full range of knitting and crochet classes at our Boutique Outlet shop at 326 Lee High Road, Lee Green. During the summer we are holding beginner knitting and crochet classes for kids every Friday and well as several classes aimed at boosting the confidence of new knitters.

The Swing The Needles class from 11am to 1pm is held every Friday in August and is ideal for under-18s keen to experiment with either knitting or crochet. The two-hour Swing The Needles class introduces kids to what may become a lifelong skill. Handmade items are a real source of pride for their creator and we love introducing youngsters to this fantastic form of creativity.

Participants learn how to hold the needles and yarn and how to cast on and create their first stitches. Depending on preference and aptitude, attendees can elect to learn the basics of crochet instead. Here, we’ll show you how to hold the crochet hook and how to make your first double crochets and chains. 
 
Kids Felting Workshop at the Boutique Outlet

The class is suitable for children from five upwards too. As an alternative to knitting younger children can be shown finger-knitting. Note that youngsters will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Refreshments and all the equipment needed are provided. Kids classes cost £10. 

Kids Knitting Workshop at the Boutique Outlet

 

Improve your knitting
Many of today’s adult knitters learnt as children or teens and continued to knit, or learned when they were young and have rediscovered their passion for these crafts.

If you’re new to knitting or are picking it up again as a skill you learned years ago, you might like to try one of the knitting classes we’re running that are aimed at nearly-new knitters.

In particular, the class on 9 August Learn to Read a Pattern will be invaluable. Here, we’ll talk you through the terms that are used in knitting and the techniques you’ll need to master in order to follow a pattern. We’ll use a simple knitted flower pattern as an example and give you the pattern and yarn to take home afterwards so you can complete the project in your own time. We offer email and phone support should you have any queries. 

Knitting Workshop at Manor House Park

Knitting isn’t just about squares and oblongs – if you want to make clothes, you’ll need to know how to shape your knitting to fit the wearer. To do this, you need to be able to decrease and increase stitches. Our class on Friday 16 August is devoted to Decreasing and Increasing. There are lots of ways of making extra stitches or reducing the number of stitches on a row. We’ll show you the most common methods and also explain when to use one particular technique rather than another so your knitting ends up smooth and without any holes.

Finally, on Friday 23 August we’re holding a general class Improve Your Knitting Skills. Here we’ll let you into some tricks of the trade and help you gain confidence when taking on more complex projects and trying techniques such as knitting on double-pointed needles or trying new stitches. If you’ve got a project you’re keen to try or one that’s in progress, bring it along for advice on how to tackle it. You might like to try one of our patterns or knit something from one of the magazines or books we sell.

Knitting Workshop at the Boutique Outlet on Lee High Road

As with all our classes, Improve Your Knitting is held between 11am and 1pm with no more than eight participants per class. Classes cost £15 each. Full instructions and materials will be provided and we offer email and phone support afterwards.



Links to this blog:

Swing The Needles kids’ class 9 August: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2807-swing-the-needles.html

Swing The Needles kids’ class 16 August: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2808-swing-the-needles.html

Swing The Needles kids’ class 23 August: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2809-swing-the-needles.html

Learn To Read A Knitting Pattern class 9 August: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2811-12-jan-granny-squares-crochet.html




Knitshop.co.uk bookshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/166-book-shop

Knitshop.co.uk magazines: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/163-magazines