Hyacinth, a visually impaired knitter from Acton – Londoner #27

Introducing Hyacinth, one of my visually impaired Hand Knitting students, who is subject 27 of the fabulous 1000 Londoners film project.

She is 1 of 3 visually impaired knitting students that I currently teach at South Thames College, Tooting Broadway. The courses are Adult Education and not therapy, so they are open to all.

Hyacinth couldn’t knit at all when she started, but she had heard about another visually impaired student, Felicity, who is a bit of a star knitter and so wanted to give it a go herself. I enrolled Hyacinth on the course for the advanced knitters to give her plenty of support from more experienced knitters, including Felicity.

She fitted in perfectly – her enthusiasm and quick sense of humour soon made her a very popular member of the class. She also got started very quickly, taking instruction from my spoken words and you can see her first garment, a Paddington Bear-style jacket, in the film. You can also see some of Felicity’s exquisite work at 2:06 in the film. Felicity was too shy to be featured in the film, but she’s very proud that her beautiful silk/mohair cardigan has been given a wonderful close-up!

I couldn’t be more proud of them – Hyacinth’s journey to class involves a bus, a train and the tube to Tooting Broadway. She normally makes the journey on her own, she’s rarely late and always arrives with a smile. She’s a real inspiration to others on the course.

An Evening with…..

Streatham WI

About twelve months ago I received an email enquiry from the Secretary of the Streatham WI in South London, who was compiling a list of speakers for the 2014 meetings.  I accepted the invitation to speak at a meeting, mainly because the members had voted for a talk on Crochet, which is one of my design specialisms and a subject that I’m passionate about, but also because I was intrigued to find out more about this long-established women’s movement post “Calendar Girls”.

Crochet has been much maligned over recent decades, mainly down to its association with badly made Granny Squares worked in bright, synthetic yarns and joined to make misshapen tops and blankets. I was pleased therefore to be offered the opportunity to assure the WI that there’s so much more to this wonderful craft than the aforementioned Granny Square motif.

Crochet is a very versatile textile form and it’s currently seeing a renaissance with young British designers like Sibling producing quirky, stunning designs, which fill top fashion pages and the catwalk alike.  Recently, designer Henry Holland paid homage to the humble Granny Square motif by digitally printing it onto fine jersey fabric to produce a collection of fun bodycon dresses and leggings. Although purists might bulk at the idea of Crochet as a printed pattern repeat, this collection also helped to revive the interest in the craft.

Digital printing aside, it’s also fun to make your own Crochet pieces and it’s relatively easy to learn ….. in a small group. My meeting with the WI was confirmed and the group requested a talk followed by a workshop, where they wanted to have a go at learning some stitches. The realisation soon set in of what I’d let myself in for – not only was Crochet going through a renaissance, but so was the WI movement. I was informed that there are regularly 60 attendees at the Streatham meetings ….. and they all wanted to “have a go” at Crochet!

The warm welcome that I received from the Streatham WI was amazing. The age range immediately struck me; from late teens to late 80s; some were mums and daughters with grandchildren in arms. It took me back to my childhood, when as a 9 year old I would sit at the back of the WI meetings attended by my mum and I’d busy myself with Crochet and Hand Knitting. Many decades on, now I was offered a seat at the front of the proceedings and a glass of wine – although tempting, I declined the latter as there was still a matter of tutoring 60 women in the art of Crochet!

My talk on Irish Crochet was well received and the fine Crochet lace samples I passed around were much admired. There was a lot of interest in my work in progress, which demonstrated how Irish Crochet motifs are made as separate items, then pinned to a backing sheet before being joined using a simple Crochet netting stitch (see photo) This technique, which was devised to replicate fine Venetian lace, was introduced to villagers by Irish nuns in 1845 as a cottage industry to provide a source of income during the potato blight. It’s popularity as a highly sought after lace product peaked in the 1880’s with much of the work being exported to the USA, where San Francisco became a major distribution centre until the 1906 earthquake.

Once I’d seduced everyone with what can be achieved with Crochet, then came the micro-teach! Looking around the group, fortunately and unexpectedly I spotted some familiar faces – fortuitously there were three members that happened to be former students of mine (it’s a small world!), along with some others that looked like they knew what they were doing, so the workshop was looking to be a lot less daunting.  It was great fun – with an experienced Crocheter on each table armed with instructions to make a simple Irish Crochet leaf, my role became that of a “speed dater” – flitting from table to table answering questions and conducting small group demos (glass of wine in hand!)

In 90 minutes I’m pleased to say that many learned the necessary stitches to complete a leaf and overall there was a real sense of achievement.

It was an evening to remember, Streatham WI.

Happy Hooking x

How to Knit Cables Part 2: Rib Cable – k1p1 TV

Hand knitting designer, author and lecturer Ruth Herring demonstrates how to knit different Cable stitches. In part 2, learn how to work Ribbed Cable stitches; T5KPB (5st rib cable to Right) and T5KPF (5st rib cable to Left). Both are featured in the pattern Cable Rib Hat with Ears and are knitted using a cable needle.

How to Knit Increases Part 1: M1, M1P – k1p1 TV

Hand knitting designer, author and lecturer Ruth Herring demonstrates how to work increases using the M1 and M1P stitch methods. The neatest way to work increases, these stitches can be worked anywhere within a knitted piece. Perfect for producing neat sleeve shaping or fully-fashioned fitted garments like socks. Check out our Toe Up Sock patterns Cabled Ankle Socks and Stripey Socks.

How to Knit Decrease Stitches Part 1: skpo, k2tog, p2tog, p2togtbl – k1p1TV

Hand knitting designer, author and lecturer Ruth Herring demonstrates how to work decreases using the skpo, k2tog, p2tog and p2togtbl stitch methods. K2tog and p2tog are used when the decreased stitches are to lean to the right and skpo and p2togtbl to lean to the left. The demonstration will help you to identify the best stitches to use for your garment shaping to create a neat and professional finish.

“What a great, succint video. Thanks so much, I understood the P2togtbl perfectly.”

How to Crochet Edgings Part 1: Crab stitch – k1p1 TV

Hand knitting and crochet designer, author and lecturer Ruth Herring demonstrates how to work Crochet edgings. In part 1, learn how to work Crab stitch crochet. Crab stitch is a useful stitch to master as it can be used for producing a professional finish for both crochet and hand knitting projects. The stitch is essentially working Double Crochet (US Single Crochet) stitches in a backwards direction along the last row. The resulting edge has a lovely braided look.

How to Knit Toe Up Socks using Magic Loop Part 1: Knit the Toe

Hand knitting designer, author and lecturer Ruth Herring demonstrates how to knit Toe Up Socks using the Magic Loop method. In part 1, learn how to begin at the toe, set up the Magic Loop and increase in the round to produce a neat toe section. For patterns using this technique, check out Cabled Short Ankle Socks and Toe Up Stripey Socks with Embroidery in the patterns section.

“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Your tutorial on starting toe up socks is A LOT easier then the multiple others I have seen. The next pair of socks I will make will be toe up!!!! Again thank you SO MUCH for making and posting this video!!!!!!”
“Wow, I’ve been looking at tutorials re: sock knitting, this just makes so much more sense. Thanks for sharing.”

 

How to Knit Cables Part 1- k1p1 TV

Hand knitting designer, author and lecturer Ruth Herring demonstrates how to knit different Cable stitches. In part 1, learn how to Cable to the Right (C6B or 6-st RC) and Cable to the Left (C6F or 6-st LC) using a cable needle. Both cables are featured in the Cabled Hat and Arm Warmers Set and the Cabled Short Ankle Socks.