The January 12th RAVELRY OUTING TO GET KNITTED

In the pic: the computer geek whose name I can't remember, (I'm not being rude: she had it written on her T-chirt!) but she was an architectural student, Rainie and Wyesue.

Was it really two whole weeks ago?

Before Christmas, I'd suggested to the monthly Bovey S'NB group that we have a winter outing - maybe to 'Get Knitted' in Bristol. This was met with general enthusiasm. I then posted the suggestion on the Ravelry WestCountry forum and before I knew it, the outing had become a RAVELRY outing!

Sue, the manager, promised us all CAKE and a 10%discount off all non sale goods. What more could a knitter ask for? Get Knitted is a converted supermarket with a huge range of yarn, plush pink sofas and glasstopped tables and help yourself to coffee and tea. (Shame there's no bar!)

That's Mytilus hiding her face with a bag, with Anniken (yarnaddictanni) laughing at her, and (Mynameis)Clare studying 'Victorian Lace Today' with intent.

A trainload of knitters joined us from London, and folk came from as far away as Nottingham and Cornwall - there were so many ideas flitting about, and lovely garments being worn and knitting on the needles, it was truly inspirational. Much stash was bought, much cake was eaten.


WyeSue brought her trusty spinning wheel along and was letting folk have a go as well as showing me how to navajo ply and SarahW was showing several youngsters how to use her beatifully light and delicate drop spindles. Woollywormhead was there sporting a lovely shaped bump (action shot to the left) - there were several copies of her new hat book, 'Going Straight' with probably the best illustrated sections on kichener stitch inside that I've yet to see, but she hadn't brought any extras to sell, mores the pity. I 'specially enjoyed meeting Quitecontrary (Mary) who is mutton jeff like me, and wears gorgeous purpley/blue coloured hearing aids - (not at all like the pink slugs that I've got, though I did impress her with the sparkly bits in my ear moulds!) and she got them from the NHS too...

That's Rain's lovely circular cardigan being displayed in a batman like fashion in the picture below - with Mary, quite contrary down in the right hand corner...




And off the top of my head there was also Mytilus, YarnaddictAnni, MyNameisClare, Ork, Noonahs (who I was pleased to meet as she was the generous sender of the Bluefaced Leicester sockyarn I got in a Ravelry swap), Robynn, Yogicknitter, Erqsome, Museinmeltdown, Knittingpixie, Rainie, TussahSilk, Angua, Cupoftea and Custard and Silk910 was also there, I think. From our S'NB there was Ruth, Kathryn and Chris who haven't made it on to Ravelry so go by their ordinary names. Apologies for anyone I've missed out and I know I didn't get round to talking to quite a few Ravellers.

I had put together a quiz - not that anyone needed entertaining, but in the unlikely event that conversation flagged...

GET KNITTED QUIZ
A mere 26 questions.

Ravelry

1) Name the pair who set it up.
2) As well as various groups which you can choose to join, there are main boards in the ‘forums’ section: Patterns
Yarns
For the Love of Ravelry
Needlework on the Net
And a) Scraps
b) Offcuts or
c) Remnants

3) Who or what is Bob?
4) Just when DID the two who made Ravelry start tinkering around with ideas and computer codes?
Was it a) January 2007
b) January 1997
c) January 2005

5) Just how many hits/page views per day does Ravelry clock up? (according to the Ravelry Blog entry on January 4th) is it
a) 100,500
b) 1.5 million
c) 5.5 million


Get Knitted

1) Before Christmas the team at Get Knitted posed a riddle: “What’s multi-coloured, eagerly awaited and comes from the other side of the Atlantic?”
It’s arrived, but what is it?
2) A fairy was getting plumper while the rest were trying not to. Who is expecting something pink and cuddly in the Spring?
3) Beginning of February, Penny Santer is running what kind of workshop?

People

1) “Schoolhouse Press was founded in 1959 by British-born masterknitter, Elizabeth Zimmermann, who wanted to supply handknitters with pure wool and circular needles (both a rarity in those days), as well as books, tools, and original designs. Elizabeth’s humour and unique approach to seamless garment construction gradually attracted followers through her semi-annual Newsletter, a steady stream of designs in magazines, two television series’ taped for PBS-TV, the annual summer Knitting Camp and publication of her four books. Elizabeth’s philosophy was received with glad cries by knitters who were eager to think for themselves and, through EPS (Elizabeth’s Percentage System) were able to achieve perfectly-fitted garments while applying their own ideas to their knitting.”
What’s the name of her daughter?
2) Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is better known as what, to knitting bloggers?
3) Who wrote the New York Times best seller “Stitch ‘n Bitch”?
4) What is the name of the former Bishop of Leicester who wrote “The History of Handknitting”? 5) Marit Guldseth Ernstad, born 1841, was known as “The mother of Selbu Knitting”. Selbu, in Norway, is renown for the knitting of what garment?
6) He’s just brought out a new book called “____ Knits Again” – the guy with the amazing sense of colour, who is he?
7) Of what is Amy R Singer the publisher/editor?

Techniques

1) What’s another name for the tension/gauge square of knitting that should be done before starting any knitted project?
2) “ 3 stitches on a double pointed needle (dpn). Knit those stitches – switch the needles in your hand without turning the work, and slide the stitches to the other end of the needle. With the yarn still hanging from the left of the work, knit across using your second dpn. Be sure to pull the yarn tight when you make your first stitch so that the fabric rolls in on itself.”
What has just been described?
3) Sewing over the top of knitting to imitate a knit stitch is called what, commonly?
4) A flat, slow growing fabric – sometimes called ‘plain knitting’ – all rows are knit (or purl) when you are knitting on two needles. What stitch is this?
5) Row 1: *K1, P1* continue to end of row.
Row 2: knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches of the previous row.
What stitch pattern will this make?
6) Colour knitting in which separate balls or bobbins of yarn are used for large blocks of colour and the yarn is not stranded across the back – sometimes also called picture knitting, collage, geometric or patchwork knitting. What is the common name for this technique?

General:

1) Angora yarn comes from what animal?
2) A tool used to aid skeining after spinning yarn. It is a rod which has bars each end, set at right angles to each other. What is this commonly known as?
3) What year was the Knitting and Crochet Guild of Great Britain established?
a) 1978
b) 1958
c) 1908
4) How would Americans refer to sock/4ply yarn?
5)On what piece of equipment would you find the ‘mother-of-all’?

And here are the Answers:

Ravelry: 1) Jess and Casey 2) c) Remnants
3)A Boston Terrier DOG 4) a) January 2007 5)b) 1.5 million

Get Knitted: 1)Knitpicks Harmony Options
2) Jules (and bump) 3) Wet and Dry Felting

People: 1) Meg Swansen 2) The Yarn Harlot
4) Debbie Stoller 4) Richard Rutt
5) mittens (or gloves) (the winning team also said jumpers, shawls etc etc and since their leader is from Norway I didn't argue!) (waves at YarnAddictAnni!)
6) Kaffe Fassett 7) Knitty.com

Techniques: 1) A Swatch 2) swiss darning
3) garter stitch 4) Moss or seed stitch
5)Intarsia
General: 1) the angora rabbit (lots of folk said 'goat'!) 2) Niddy Noddy
3) a)1978 4) superfine/fingering
5) a spinning wheel

And to finish, here's the recipe for Ginger Applecake that I brought along to share - I didn't eat any, (smug b****** that I am) because I'm off sugar (and caffeine and alcohol) for January after the excesses of Christmas and the New Year. Blimey, what self restraint!

Ginger Applecake can be served warm, with cream or custard, or cold and gloopy.

Ingredients:

175g/6oz self raising flour

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

76g/3oz caster sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

6-8tbs milk

1oz melted butter, cooled.

Topping: 500g/1 lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly

juice of 1 lemon

75g/3oz demerara sugar (I've used raw cane or molasses sugar)

1tsp ground ginger

50g/2oz melted butter.

Method:

Sift the flour into a bowl with the ginger, baking powder and salt. Stir in the caster sugar. Add the egg and 6 tbs milk and the melted butter and beat to a soft dropping consistency, adding more milk if the mixture is too stiff. Set aside.

Topping: Put the thinly sliced apple wedges in a bowl with the lemon juice, demerara sugar and ginger. Fold gently to mix (I usually just use my fingers for this - verrry gloopy).

Now put the cake mixture into the bottom of a well greased 35x20cm/12x8" swiss roll tin and level the surface. Arrange the apple wedges prettily on top - overlapping and layering in rows so it looks like those posh french tarts (no euphemism intended). Pour over any liquid left in the bowl then drizzle the melted butter over the top of that.

Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (200 degrees C/400 degrees F/gas mark 6) for 35 minutes until the apples are golden brown on top (or singed black if you're as scatty as me - it still tasted good!). Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Cut into wedges or squares - freezes well.

I usually double the recipe and bake it in a roasting tin.

Courtesy of the 'Seasonal Freezer Cookbook' by Jeni Wright et al, Octopus books.