Meet alternate Tuesday afternoons
2.00 pm – 4.00 pm in the Foyer at the front of
Palace Avenue Methodist Church, Paignton. TQ3 3EQ
Next
meeting -
Click on the images below to see a larger picture
Card Making
Well this was some meeting. 13 of us met and made cards, a
pom-pom cat, knitted and crocheted. 2 gents joined us today
which was a real surprise and Tina started to teach one to knit
as she was trying hard to master knitting on a circular needle!
Paul made a cat from a pom-pom kit and it was great to welcome
Barbara’s daughter and grand-daughter.
Ideas buzzed around the table and conversation was non-stop.
Crafting certainly brings people together especially as we can
all help someone else and learn too.
January 10th – Happy New Year
After a Christmas that was busy for some and quieter
for others we have started the new year knitting away on
all sorts of projects. From matinee coats and
scarves to the Teddy Bears Picnic (well done Nan, let’s
have a photo soon) and Grumps.
Grump was a mis-knit that turned into
a cross little fellow with a charm all of it’s own.
He now has many cousins all ready to hold their own
personalised little banners. Ideas for his banners
to be
emailed to Susan but no rude ones please!
Party time.
Well we ended off 2011 in party mode, sharing some festive nibbles and lots of chat. Of course it goes without saying that most of us were knitting or cross-stitching. Why is it that crafters can’t just sit? They have to be busy ‘doing’ all the time.
Just this week Susan has had a letter published in Craftseller magazine with photos of the these bags and some tea cosies, and Knit Today magazine is advertising Cabbage Patch Crafters on it’s website.
We have lots of plans for next year. For a start we are challenging ourselves to depict a child's story book, poem or nursery rhyme in knitting, sewing, papier mache, paper, card or any other medium. The only restrictions are size. The finished item must not measure more than 12” x 12” x 12” but could be much smaller. Already I know that pipe cleaners have been bought to start a ‘Magic Faraway Tree’, and another crafter has just knitted and stuffed a Peter Rabbit. We have until Easter to finish the project.
And to anyone reading this page
* A Very Happy Christmas and a Creative 2012 *
Phew!
It has been frantic the last couple of weeks. The garden sold and we were able to purchase 2 community gardens, tools for a farmer, a bushel of seeds and 2 chicken breeding programmes, through Action Aid, for folk in various developing countries. Amazing result and we are just thrilled. Let’s hope the young lady receiving it as a Christmas present is equally pleased.
We sold lots of goods over the three events and just this week had another try with a stall at a church coffee morning. All told we have been able to donate £21.50 to the Alzheimer’s Society (50% of takings at Exmouth), £200 to church, together with the £81 raised at the bazaar.
It really is time to rest and have a cuppa and wait to see what Santa brings this year.
Oh Dear!
The garden didn’t sell. We had several bids but not high enough to reach our reserve. BUT we did have lots of wonderful and complimentary comments from as far afield as UK, USA and Germany. It is now listed on www.folksy.com.
The future looks bright, as they say. We have 3 events in late November
24th November 10.00 am – 4.00 pm a stall in the front of the church (outside if it’s dry)
26th November 10.00 am – 1.30 pm, a stall at the Church Bazaar, in the Hall
29th November 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm, a stall at a mini Craft Fair at Pegasus Court, Exmouth
So it’s all needles clicking as we try to fill the stalls and fulfil the orders we are receiving.
“FOR SALE”
Our garden was listed on eBay with all 100% of proceeds going to World Vision UK. This meant that eBay would waive 100% fees as this was a charity listing. We hoped that we would have sold the garden so that World Vision could have bought some chickens, tools and seeds and community gardens for those struggling to make a living.
Over the last month we have welcomed 2 new crafters, Tina and Anne, and have been very busy making goods for the upcoming craft stall on 24th November, and Bazaar on 26th November.
Tuesday 27th September – Hats!!
A week ago I suggested to the other ‘Cabbages’
that we might like to partake in the Innocent Drink
Company ‘Big Knit’. This meant knitting some little hats
to fit drinks bottles. Each bottle wearing a hat that is
sold in Sainsbury’s and Boots during 2 weeks in November
will raise 25p for Age UK. (More details on
www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/bigknit ). I passed a hat
pattern to several people and by this Tuesday we had 225
hats and counting. Say no more. I’ll give the final
total next week. (See below)
Final total 360!!
Tuesday 14 September 2011 - What a Birthday present!
The garden is finished and was a fitting ‘present’ to
celebrate our 1st Birthday. And what a good first year. Over the
last 12 months we have knitted, sewn and created in many ways to
produce goods for sale, and it amazes me that the total raised
tops £600. Donations have been sent to Action for Children,
Methodist Home Missions and Help for Heroes as well as Palace
Avenue Methodist Church, besides having stalls at the church
bazaars.
But much more important that any money has been the friends we
have welcomed to the group and the contacts they have made with
other members of church. Our joint project of ‘The Knitted
Garden’ has been great fun and we are trying to hold back before
plunging into the next ‘big knit’. As they say ‘Watch this
space’.
Oh and does anyone out
there want to buy a 72” by 18” mature garden with living
accommodation and livestock?
Tuesday 30th August – All in the garden is growing.
Yes the knitted garden is nearly finished and ready to be on display for the Church Harvest Festival on September 18th. One or 2 little creatures have taken up residence and the fruit and veg is growing nicely. And just maybe by our next meeting some people will be in the garden with watering can and flowerpots.
In the meantime Susan seems to think Christmas is on its way, as you can see from the picture!
.... and the garden is growing. New inhabitants are slugs, a snail and a spider!
This week, for the first time, we had two children join us. Susan’s grandchildren made some key rings from a kit, and started making pom-poms for trees. Later in the week at home James and Emma finished several trees for the garden and another 12 keyrings for us to sell. But, as you can see in the photo, that is not all. The garden is growing with flowers and bushes, a palm tree and ‘Nan’s cottage’, flowerpots and some sad looking rhubarb. Sue is well away knitting veggies and designing a scarecrow, and hopefully by our next meeting we’ll have some ‘Bonnie’ flowers to plant.
We had a successful Bazumble and sold quite a few goods which was pleasing. It seemed quiet on the day but it’s great to know that Dammit Dolls are so popular! Since then we’ve had orders for 15 more.
But now we are all working together to ‘knit a garden’. Hopefully by mid-September and Harvest Festival the garden will be 6 feet x 16 inches and cover a church window sill. We have great ideas from plants, a cottage, a wood, flower beds to a watering can with robin and of course a cabbage patch. Watch this space to see how the garden grows.
5th July and I’m speechless.
Today the other 3 crafters brought so many
goodies for our stall at the Church Bazumble (Bazaar & Jumble
Sale) that I am speechless. There are many happy bags, a
shoulder bag, pairs of baby bootees, baby dress, hats,
dishcloths, slippers, Dammit dolls and the star of the show a
‘cheeky monkey’. All so beautifully knitted and so colourful.
What more can I say than ‘Well done’ and ‘thank you so much’.
Oh and in case you’re wondering Bonnie did buy cakes on the way
home last time!!
Want to see what we did from January to June 2011? >>>
June 21st – Winter – already?
Sue joined us today for the first time. It was
great to welcome another new crafter and I’m sure she is going
to bring lots of ideas to the group.
Here we are at the longest day in the year and
today we received lots of winter goodies. Is that because it’s
turned chilly or we are preparing in advance? Bonnie brought
lots of tissue packet covers, Nan had made another blanket,
Jenny gave us 2 pairs of leg warmers and 2 pairs of mittens and
Susan had finished Julia’s hot water bottle cover.
Nan and Susan had made loads of cakes for
Julia’s class, don’t they look yummy? Looking at all these made
our mouths water and we only just resisted a visit to the local
bakers. Mind you I think Bonnie might have given in on the way
home!
June 7th – Picnics!
The Royals are now on their holidays and been all tucked up for storage in small, picnic style, basket. Not sure when they will see the light of day again.
Our numbers are small, so perhaps gardening and the picnics on the beach are taking priority, but that has not stopped Nan knitting a fabulous green and red blanket and a few flower brooches. Barbara has also been busy knitting a baby hat and mitts in a beautiful pink yarn. Susan, well she’s back to knitting plarn (cut up plastic bags) in an attempt to complete a waste bin.
However the future is cake shaped. Susan’s daughter, Julia, a teacher of 4 year olds, has commissioned the group to knit some cakes for her class. One husband has already suggested that our time would be better spent baking cakes not knitting them! Let’s hope Julia doesn’t find a book for knitted fruit and sandwiches or we could be busy for the rest of the year knitting for the class picnic.
Tuesday 27 April 2011
“Knitted Royal Wedding”
Trust the men to change their minds and turn up in different uniforms! This had been a real knitting challenge but the bigger challenge is where to put them now.
Wedding Fever
Back Row, from the left: Footman, Philip, Charles,
Kate, William, Harry, Corgi and Rowan
Front Row, from the left: Elizabeth II and Camilla.
Wedding Fever has hit the Cabbage Patch
The Queen and Duchess of Cornwall are still naked so could only show their faces today. Maybe by next time the Middletons will have put in an appearance, the Queen will be dressed and Camilla found her wig!
All these characters are from ‘Knit the Royal Wedding’ by Fiona Goble, see pattern page for more details. Well it’s feet up for the big day now. I wonder what they will be wearing?
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Well the rain did stay in Spain and this afternoon was a good sunny English Riviera afternoon. Mind you several of our number called in sick so just three of us met. Strange how the fewer we are the more we seem to knit, but we did miss the others.
Rosemary is now into leather work and produced key rings and a bookmark from a bag of oddments she had bought from one of the Cockington craft shops. This was in addition to knitting a scarf, Easter bunny and various other items. Susan on the other hand had several unfinished knitted things – a cowl that didn’t quite fit anyone and will have to be adapted; a cushion cover front in knobbly yarn and an unfinished cafetiere cosy. The good news is that the cosy got finished in time to make the photo – now it just needs a tall fat cafetiere to keep warm.
The rain in Spain
We had a great morning at the Bazumble (Bazaar and Jumble) on 12th March. Lots of craft leftovers were sold along with the recycled drinks mats. Mind you I think Bonnie now has a load of mats she might not know what to do with. Perhaps her kittens have a new toy or 5. Altogether we raised over £70 on the day (and £80 beforehand). Well done Cabbage Patchers.
I missed the
meeting on 15th. Hubbie and me were under umbrellas on
the top deck of an open topped Barcelona tourist bus,
seeing the sights accompanied by a commentary and loud
thunder! I did get to one big store though and searched
for the craft department. Yes there was some Debbie
Bliss and Rowan yarn as well as some bulk standard
acrylic but nothing too inspiring or different from
home, so that saved some euros.
Back home now in
the ‘sunny’ English Riviera hoping the rain will stay in
Spain.
01 March 2011
Yarn, yarn and plarn
Marion came to the group for the first time today. Unfortunately she didn’t bring her knitting and forgot her specs but she was great at tea-making. Later one of our church members brought us a huge bag of new yarn and Marion set to with a pair of needles to knit a small square as part of a cushion cover. Not the best idea as 2 strands of the 4 ply was needed to get the correct ply. I don’t think it’s that easy knitting with double yarn and no specs. It looks as if someone else will be finishing that square! So that’s the yarn, yarn.
What about the plarn? Susan had been buying from Amazon again (see the pattern page for details) and bought a book on recycling plastic bags to make ‘things’. The bag, when cut correctly, can be wound into a ball of – yes you’ve got it – plarn (plastic yarn). Two bread bags later and Susan had a small round cup mat. If you want more details on ‘how to’ then the answer is in the book or you can contact us through this web site. Now all she wants is 18 plain plastic bags the colours of the rainbow to make a waste bin.
15 February 2011
Chicks, chick and more chicks
A few weeks back a friend asked if we were going to make any Easter chicks. Hmmm? After an internet search a well remembered knitting pattern was found and printed out. Rosemary and Jessie set forth and today we were overwhelmed with chicks, each containing a Cadbury’s Cream Egg and beautifully wrapped and labelled. Not only chicks though, there were innumerable Easter Bunnies and a solitary Hippo!
Over tea and biscuits we worked out that the friend in question was due to buy the odd few, for hubbie, sons, daughter-in-law and 3 grandchildren, not forgetting herself and her sister. I wonder?
But the greatest joy of the day was welcoming Bonnie who had found us from our one single poster in a local craft shop, contacted us through this website and had the courage to join us group of oldies. Well done Bonnie, and welcome. Happy crocheting. Bonnie also told us she had made 2 ‘happy bags’ from the pattern page but knitted the bags instead of sewing. What a good idea.
18 January 2011
Show and tell
My husband was asking if other members of the group take their stuff to the meeting to show everyone. ‘Yes, of course,’ I replied, ‘we love to see what we are all making’. There was a long pause he commented ‘Like show and tell at school then?’ And yes, I guess he’s right but it is very inspiring to see what everyone is creating.
This week we tried Susan’s Cuttlebug machine and did some die cutting. Well, that was all fine and dandy until we tried to make the box that was supposed to have been cut and embossed. We couldn’t find the creases and then the little tabs tore off. But at least we tried and an hour later the 6 of us had made 2 tiny boxes between us. Perhaps embossing cards or cutting flat shapes is easier.
We have at last decided to pay a 50p sub each session.This will cover the cost of tea, coffee and biscuit and some extra should we want to buy anything for the group.
Before our next session 3 of us are off to Westpoint Arena in Exeter for ‘Crafts 4 Crafters’. This could be expensive if I don’t keep my hands firmly in my pockets. But we can bring any purchases and ideas to the next meeting for ‘Show and Tell’.
Cabbage
Patch Products
on sale at
Paignton (Palace Avenue) Methodist
Church Bazaar