Hello

I found this site via Martin Lewis's site - www.moneysavingexpert.com

There are a group of people there, the Wooligans, who introduced me to knitting all over again!

I used to knit for a hand-knits stall at our local church. Several of us older ladies used to make really cheap jumpers, cardigans etc for babies, toddlers and children. We'd try to sell them at the annual church bazaar, but we found that - especially in the last couple of years we did it, the mid-1990s - even though they were so cheap, often cheaper than the cost of wool, nobody wanted them. Babies wear jeans from day one, we were told, bigger children don't play out and even if they do, they want sweat-shirts with logos, etc etc. One lady had been doing it for years, she used to start knitting as soon as one Christmas bazaar was over in time for the next one. She was so upset. She took 2 suitcases of knitted things home with her, the local Fire Service were running charity trips out to Bosnia and were glad of anything for people who'd had their houses burned over their heads. So all the things we'd made went there.

Reading about kids who need school jumpers so they can attend school - I am ashamed of the women who used to come to that Christmas bazaar who told me they didn't want hand-knits for their kids, even when they were so cheap.

I was brought up by my aunt who couldn't walk - polio - but her hands were never still. Sewing, knitting, crocheting, glove-making, mending, you name it. In the last 5 years of her life, up to her death in 1995, she'd had a stroke so could only use one hand i.e. one limb out of the 4. The last thing she was doing on the day she died was knitting vests for kids in Somalia. She'd jam the knitting needle under her useless left arm and knit with her right.

I'm now knitting for the local SCBU, Southend University Hospital. I've done some of the little stretchy hats and a knitted wrap with hood. I've just bought 250 gm of Baby Aran and I'd like to do a baby blanket with it, but it must be simple! Mrs Moneypenny has suggested this one:

using 4mm needles cast on 108 stitches
knit 9 rows (garter stitch)
change to 6mm needles and start pattern
every row is knit 1 (yfwd K2tog to end) the last stitch is knit.
once your work is 22 inches long change back to 4mm needles do another 9 rows of knit (garter stitch) and cast off.

Will Baby Aran do for this, do you think?

Best wishes to all, and I am sooooooo glad that people DO still knit, and that there are people out there who want what we can make for them.

Hello Margrete and welcome to the forum. What a marathon intro. you have typed out, you must be used to the keyboard It happens to be one of my favourite pastimes, typing. I learned when I was 13 to touch type and have enjoyed it ever since. Anyway, its great to have another stalwart knitter on board (your Aunt sounds to have been the same) I'm sure Lou will tell you that if you knit it, she can use it Dot

Thank you for the welcome.

I am at the opposite end of the British Isles from you, in a little old market town called Rochford in Essex, which has almost been taken over by the sprawling neighbour, Southend on Sea.

It's not very nice weather, the annual airshow was rained off on Monday, then last night we had a humongous thunder-storm which woke us up. It hasn't been so wet during the day today, but grey, overcast and windy. This is supposed to be summer!

Hello...we had that thunderstorm here in Norwich too!!! I was awake half the night, could have made myself useful and got out the knitting....

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Ilona

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Welcome Margrete

Pleased to meet you. I was sorry to read that people didn't want to buy your hand made items and I think it is a sad reflection on what the world has become. However, whatever you make will certainly be used by Lou and her great team. You will find everyone really friendly and helpful and the forum can be pretty addictive. I live in Hampshire and the weather has been really dreadful this week. Nothing but rain, although the sun is shining today. I think our friends in Scotland have been having a better spell of weather.

Happy knitting!

Molly

Welcome Margrete. I'm not that far from you - I live in East Sussex but used to live in Kent - not far from the Dartford Tunnel. I have only recently taken up crocheting garments having made doilies, tablecoths and blankets before. Nigel and I have no children so we are obviously out of touch - I never realised, before joining here, that handknits were "not in fashion". Glad we've got people who are thankful for them. You keep on going....we'll definitely have them here!

Your Aunt sounded such a wonderful person. What courage and conviction. When I'm feeling pathetic, I'll think of her knitting with one arm and that'll buck me up!

Thanks to all for the kind words and encouragement.

Lorraine, I know Dartford quite well. The land around the Dartford Tunnel used to be rented by my late first husband's uncles. After the First World War they used to do market-gardening around there. How it has changed since then!

There are so many things to make and only one pair of hands....I could have done hours and hours of knitting over the last few years! I'm glad there is still a need for these age-old skills.