3rd Monthly Social Knit In at Bankstown Library happened on Monday

So I'm a little late posting this post as I went to the group on Monday, so I should have done it by now!

The third Social Knit In was a great success, with about 10 people showing up, including many people that had previously attended. Some leave early and some come late ... Maybe next time we'll need a bigger room?

I have two photos for you from the meeting, one of  Jann's bed socks, her "souvenir" from her recent trip to Paris since our last meeting. Two shops she went to while there are Chat' Laine (a wool shop, for wool), and Ultramod Mercerie (like a haberdashery, for a row counter, which wasn't available at the wool shop). The bed socks are the result of her knitting.

The other wonderful thing Jann did while in Paris was have a cooking lesson with Susan Loomis, the author of a French cookery book called Tarte Tatin (which is available at Padstow Library). Details of how to book a similiar lesson are here should you find yourself planning a trip to Paris!

Jann enjoyed the lesson immensely and immediately came back and purchased for herself a new set of saucepans with copper bottoms and said her cooking has never tasted so good!

This lovely lady has been a knitter all her life and tells me she has patterns older than her daughter still! She and her daughter have been to the last two meetings. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from people who have spent a lifetime loving knitting. One of the jewels from this day was winding your frogged (unravelled) yarn around an upside down laundry basket into skeins. We also discussed microwave steaming frogged yarn to get the kinks out. I'm not sure how this works, so Google!

Another lady had recently  returned from a cruise that looked a little like this one with P&O, with her daughter and was knitting a scarf in a pattern I had previously written out for her for a scarf I was wearing at a meeting previously of my own design.

Another lady told us how she had recently completed the total sorting of her craft room including the cataloging of her stamps, making the use of them much easier and more effective. I voted we should go on an excursion to her house to see this for ourselves, always eager to check out someone else's craft storage.

Anyway, I truly enjoyed the meeting, even meeting with some at Lincraft after the group to show them of the secret spot where I had found the Patons Shadow Tweed wool I was wearing in my scarf, recently purchased at the 50% off sale!

2nd Social Knit In at Bankstown Library Completed

All new faces, with a few from last month having forewarned that they would be on holidays for this session and back in October. At this rate, we will be moving to a bigger room next month!!

Jann, the librarian and facilitator brought in her comfort rug to share and I took a photo for the blog.

Each patch of colour is of significance for where she bought it during various world travels and employment.

Jann spent some time in Japan teaching English and the cream wool is from there, as are her trusty Clover brand bamboo knitting needles. The green wool is from Trieste in Italy, where she had the pleasure of being a bridesmaid, there was also red wool purchased in Oxford Street, London and blue wools purchased in Paris.

This is the best kind of souvenir to bring back from any holiday! Useful.

Jann said that the rug had also been a comfort rug to her mother when she nursed her to her death.

Also at the meeting were a mother and daughter who related stories of their migration to Australia as 10 pound Poms, sponsored by a family member. These were hard times, where they camped at Belmore for 8 months and the only assistance they got was an allowance to buy 2nd rate corrugated iron to build a temporary shed on their block at Georges Hall.

There was also a lady who had emigrated from Poland with her husband after the 2nd World War with him working as a surveyor on the Snowy Mountains Electricity Scheme and she discussed the difficulties of acclimatising to the Australian diet, including having to explain to her butcher that she wanted beef liver, as she had eaten in her old country by drawing a sketch of a person and indicating where the organ was. For some reason, my mind kept thinking of the Australian mini series The Far Country (1986) by George Miller, that starred Michael York and Sigrid Thornton. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091034/

I was finishing off a square for Wrap With Love and also knitting another "My Friend Kylie is Not a Singing Budgie Scarf" for another friend Kylie who is turning 40 very shortly in another colourway, which will remain a "Surprise" and also showed somebody how to do a cable.

While it is interesting to go to knitting groups and knit, it isn't always about the knitting, the stories are interesting too, Bankstown being a diverse mix of people!

Next Bankstown Library Social Knit In

Is next Monday, 6th September commencing at 10.00 am.

Bring your knitting and come and join us.

For more details press the Label below and follow the links!

Inaugural Social Knit In Bankstown Library Complete

Today I went to the inaugural Social Knit In at Bankstown Library with a group of about 8 of us, all of mixed ages, facilitated by a librarian.

There was one lady knitting premmie baby beanies, one knitting her granddaughter's dolly a dress to go with her granddaughter's cardigan, another knitting her granddaughter a beautiful cardigan with some fancy Noro wool, that looked a little like this ...Noro, the librarian facilitator knitting her beautiful cat cuddle mats with a rainbow of yarns and colours and lots of talk.

There was talk of places people had been over the weekend, and in the past and places where people are going in the future, from Paris with cooking lessons, to Gunning and historical tours, to Katoomba and meeting with the same friends every year for the past forty(?) or so.

Did I mention we got FREE Tim Tams? Yummy.

The next social knit in with be the 6th of September, so jot it down and if you are this way, join us!

Social Knit In @ Bankstown City Council, starting August 9

 I went to Bankstown City Library today and discovered that they are commencing a social knitting group, starting on Monday, 9th of August.

Date

Mondays 9 August, 6 September, 11 October, 8 November, 6 December 2010

Time

10:00am - 12:00pm

Cost

Bring your own supplies and start knitting. i.e own needles, pattern and yarn (Lincraft isn't far away ...)

Location

Seminar Room, Level 2 Bankstown Library, 62 The Mall, Bankstown. 

Contact

Bankstown City Council Library Information Page.

For those not in the know, Bankstown is a municipal area in the south western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia! Come join us!!