Cooey? Cooooooey? COOEEEEEEEY?!?!? Where on earth did she go? One minute she’s safely tucked into the front of every book in kit form and the next she’s been knitted and has flown out the window. If you have any idea where she is please let Knit the Pigeon know and in return there are yarny rewards!
So far we have had three lucky winners and there are seven more weeks to go!!!
How does it work?
Every single week for 10 weeks Cooey will flap off into London and land in a famous place.
Knit the Pigeon will put up three picture clues for you to guess where she ends up. A new image will be revealed on three different days with each a bit easier than one before.
What can you win?Knit the Pigeon have bagged a whole load of prizes from Coats Craft UK and All the Fun of the Fair. There’ll be a new hamper of prizes every single week. Coo!
How do I enter? Flutter over to www.knitthepigeon.com and fill out the form to enter. Terms and conditions on the website. You can enter where ever you live! Join in!
Please find Cooey before she gets lost and ends up in a pigeon pie!
To win one of five shiny hardback copies all you need to do is answer this taxing question:
Plarchie and ?
The Knit the City book cover features Plarchie, the handsome knitted squid, sitting on the lap of which famous scientific figure at the Natural History Museum?
A: Professor Brian Cox
B: Marie Curie
C: Charles Darwin
D: Dr Who
If you are already on the Stitch London mailing list drop us an email at winstuff@stitchLDN.com with:
• The subject line“Banksy wishes he could knit like KTC” (Please make sure you enter the right subject otherwise your entry might get missed)
• Answer A, B, C or D
• Your full name, address and any love messages you wish to pass on to Plarchie
• NEW MEMBERS: You need to join the mailing list here and then add the secret password, shown in green at the bottom right of your “A woolly welcome to Stitch London!” email, to your entry
If you’re not on the Stitch London mailing list you’ll need to join up.
Special Bonus Ravelry Extra: One lucky winner will get an extra prize of a Knit the City badge, fridge magnet and three knitting graffiti postcards by posting on Ravelry. Here’s what to do:
Leave a comment (you can favorite it too if you like)
Add the line: “I commented on (put pattern name here). My comment number is (put comment number shown in top right of comment on Comments page here).” to your competition email, along with the correct answer to the question.
As with most Stitch London competitions anyone can enter as long as they’re on our mailing list. Even if you live outside the UK. The deadline for the competition is 15 September at 8pm.
Competition rules: 1. One entry per person. 2. Competition ends 15 September 2011 at 8pm. 3. No cash alternatives. 4. Winners will be drawn from all correct answers, and sent the book via post or given a copy at a Stitch London meeting (where you can get it signed). 5. Competition open to everyone, including people outside London and the UK.
There really is nothing anyone can say that can make the madness of the last few nights make sense. We woke up in a disillusioned and beaten-up London today.
But rather than lock our doors Londoners are grabbing their brooms, pulling on their gardening gloves and getting out there to help the Riot Wombles clean up the capital. Hooray for Londoners!
Over in Tottenham they’re asking for clothing, bedding, toys and other suitable items for families made homeless. Drop off at the Homes for Haringey office: Apex House, 820 Seven Sisters Road N15.
In reply to all the footage being blasted at us from the news of burning buildings and a city gone mad, there’s this:
Kaja Marie says “My hope is that you will use this pattern, tweak it as you wish, and make hearts, loads of them: To remember what happened in Oslo and on Utøya or anywhere else where a little bit of love is needed. Pin it close to your heart, give to a friend or a stranger, let it out in the wild, as my graffiti knitting friend Deadly Knitshade would do, so that the heart can find whoever needs it. Knit it in any colour, with or without words, knit them and share them.”
Once the clean up is over and the knitting starts again I hope to see these little Lovedon hearts spreading the love.
If you have any tips on how to help London then please post them in the comments for others to see.
Keep calm, carry yarn and let’s get on with sorting out our city.
• GLOBAL: Knit a Floating Flutterguy and release him in your city • LOCAL: Join the Stitch London Stitch Crawl 2011 in four of London’s lovely spaces and stitch in the great outdoors. We’ll be graffiti knitting all the way too!
• LOCAL: Enter the Stitch Crawl Really Rather Marvellous Raffle to win fabulous prizes and raise money for Evelina Children’s Hospital London at the Stitch Crawl
Worldwide Knit in Public Day comes but once a year and this year it’s the 11th of June. The Stitch London Stitch Crawl rises from the depths of the Thames to stomp across the city once more.
What on earth is a Stitch Crawl? The Stitch Crawl (previously the Knit Crawl) is a day when you and your crafting proudly go out into the city and show yourself off. There’s sunshine, there’s cake, there’s hayfever-based sneezing, there are curious passers by and there are some of London’s loveliest sites. You can see last year’s Knit Crawl here. It rocked the London’s outdoor areas.
Is it just for knitting? This year it’s officially a Stitch Crawl. Any type of craft is welcome. Crochet, cross stitch, embroidery, sewing, juggling, squid wrestling. You name it. Any one and everyone is welcome from grown ups, to kids, to pets, to people who have never come to an event like this before.
When is it? This year it’s the 11th of June from 12pm till 6pm, with drinks after for the hardcore.
Where will it be? This year’s Knit Crawl is going green. We’re taking you on a journey through London’s wild green spaces. Four venues, four places to sit and stitch, four lots of places to win something woolly and wonderful in our Stitch Crawl raffle. See the website for venues.
What will it cost? The Stitch Crawl is free for anyone to join. Bring yourself, bring your knitting and bring your outdoorsy pioneer spirits. We’ll take you and your stitching tour you and your handmade won’t easily forget.
What can I win in your marvellous raffle? We’ll have prizes at each stop of the Stitch Crawl. So much fabulous fibre-based stuff! Wanna see? The list below will be added to as more prizes come in:
What’s it for? The Stitch Crawl promotes the lovely art of stitching. We also raise money for charity. This year we’re raising money for the Evelina Children’s Hospital London (a cause very close to Stitch London’s heart).
What if I can’t make it? You can knit in public where ever you are. Check out the Worldwide Knit in Public Day website for info on a public stitch near you or organise your own. Release one of our floating flutterguys where you are and send us pics!
Worldwide Knit in Public Day comes but once a year and this year it’s the 11th of June. The Stitch London Stitch Crawl rises from the depths of the Thames to stomp across the city once more.
What on earth is a Stitch Crawl? The Stitch Crawl (previously the Knit Crawl but we’re going multi-craft – crochet, sewing, crossstitch. All are welcome) is a day when you and your crafting proudly go out into the city and show yourself off. There’s sunshine, there’s cake, there’s hayfever-based sneezing, there are curious passers by, there’s graffiti knitting, and there are some of London’s loveliest sites. You can see last year’s Knit Crawl here. It rocked the London’s outdoor areas.
Want to know more? Hop over the Stitch London’s shiny website to see venues, prizes and to find answers to all your questions.
So us folks at Stitch London along with Knit the City‘s sneaky stitchers joined forces to bring the yarnstorm to one of Britain’s oldest knitwear companies, John Smedley.
The big event took place on October 11 at the John Smedley store on Brook Street. There was bubbly, there was wool, there was yarnstorming. Wanna see?
Each of our sneaky stitchers made a little piece of John Smedley history.
1784
Shorn-a the Dead conjured up the founding of the historic mill where the process of sheep to yarn to woolly jumper was first perfected.
From woolly creatures to woolly jumpers
Two smiling sheep
1784 saw the first record of the Lea Mills, historic mill building on the factory site for ‘spinning fine wools and cotton’.
1820s
The Fastener produced a finely dressed Victorian lady who was happy to tell the world that only the finest folks wore John Smedley underwear.
Only the finest ladies...
In the 1820s John Smedley installed the first knitting frames in a factory environment to knit underwear.
The company prospered in the Victorian era, in the heartland of the industrial revolution. It was one of the first factories,as they are known today and this era sees major further developments from Water wheel to electricity.
1920s
Yusuf Osman whipped up a waving washing line complete with flapping pairs of Smedley underwear blowing the wind.
Pants to any underwear that isn't Smedley
In the 1820s John Smedley installed the first knitting frames in a factory environment to knit underwear.
The company prospered in the Victorian era, in the heartland of the industrial revolution. It was one of the first factories,as they are known today and this era sees major further developments from Water wheel to electricity.
1960s
Marion Crick found her fibre inspiration in the 60s with a little vroom vroom on a handmade moped and an embroidered scene of mods modelling their Smedley threads.
Keen to keep up with the latest looks the guys decided to wear their newest Smedley gear to the new Mod club. Steve got the message slightly wrong.
In the 1960s John Smedley went from underwear to outerwear. They made the breakthrough from a heavy reliance on the production in underwear to more outerwear styles, particularly in the European and American markets, where the demand for smart ‘Sports wear’ look is strong.
1980s
Emma-Lee Yarwood gots her 80s on via the medium of fabric fabulousness with her New Romantic scene.
Fade to grey
In the 1980s the designers discovered the manufacturing capability of John Smedley. They collaborated with some of the world’s most famous designers, the likes of Katherine Hamnett, Vivienne Westwood, Commes des garcons, Paul Smith and Margaret Howell.
1990s
Deadly Knitshade turned her yarnstorm Japanese to show Smedley taking on the latest knitting machine technology from the Far East.
Robot knit knit knitting
In the 1990s John Smedley opened the flagship store at Brook street, started the web store, and installed the latest Japanese machines, capable of patterning garments and multi-stripes.
Fabric scraps take flight
The lovely Lady Loop put her needles to work on making a handmade hive and handsome Smedley fabric bugs and butterflies.
A Stitched Self fashion parade
And not forgetting the fashion parade of 11 of John Smedley’s most iconic items, including the Long Johns which the company invented!
The John Smedley Bridge
And last but by no means least the John Smedley factory bridge. This marvellous monster was created by The Fastener (with a little bit of help from Deadly Knitshade and Shorn-a the Dead) and is a tribute to the bridge on site at the real life Smedley factory. An astonishing work of fabric and inspiration.
The bridge in all its finery
Let the yarnstorm commence!
After admiring it all it was time to yarnstorm. And yarnstorm they did.
A yarnstormed window by Stitch London and Knit the City
The installation will be in the John Smedley window at their Brook Street store for the next two weeks. Go and see it!
Sneak peek six is from Deadly Knitshade who turns her yarnstorm Japanese.
Knit 101010100101 purl 10101001001010
In the 1990s John Smedley opened the flagship store at Brook street, started the web store, and installed the latest Japanese machines, capable of patterning garments and multi-stripes.
Sneak peek three is from Marion Crick who gets her 60s on with a little vroom vroom.
Ciao bella!
In the 1960s John Smedley went from underwear to outerwear. They made the breakthrough from a heavy reliance on the production in underwear to more outerwear styles, particularly in the European and American markets, where the demand for smart ‘Sports wear’ look is strong.
Sneak peek two is from Emma-Lee Yarwood who gets her 80s on via the medium of fabric fabulousness.
Smedley and a bit of sparkle
In the 1980s the designers discovered the manufacturing capability of John Smedley. They collaborated with some of the world’s most famous designers, the likes of Katherine Hamnett, Vivienne Westwood, Commes des garcons, Paul Smith and Margaret Howell.
How does it work?
There really is nothing anyone can say that can make the madness of the last few nights make sense. We woke up in a disillusioned and beaten-up London today.
