Debbie Bliss' new knitting club - anyone joined this?

[Marina]

Just wondered. Free kit any good? Worth the money?

And have realised that a lot of Known Mn Knitters are not online Fridays so must remember to bump on Monday!

Haven't heard of it Marina, do you have any info on it? I'd be interested in finding out more!

Here you go Dingle. I had her old website bookmarked and when I went to check it out today I saw the new site and the new club.
I'm already a Rowan member, are you?
(And a subscriber to Knitting Magazine, oh dear )
Debbie Bliss

Oh Marina, I wish I hadn't looked!

TBH I haven't done much knitting since having the children. My dd has SNs and I replaced knitting with cardmaking- I could at least envisage a finished result. Unlike the many half knitted jumpers I had around the house.
I have promised myself to use the supply of wool hoarded up in the loft before buying any more!
...but I sorted some out last week and I SO badly what to go out spending on some nice new wools!
I was looking through my pattern books, but I didn't have the right wool, in the right colour..
So I had to take second best!
I have a few of her books the site looks good, first time I've really looked at it TBH. But I don't know that I would go for the club. Not because it doesn't look good, but I have just subscribed to various cardmaking offers!

Well, I am planning on signing up I guess Dingle, so I will be very happy to share vicariously. Sorry you don't get much time for knitting these days - I commute by train and it is much easier to knit than to do cards or x-stitch in that environment

If anyone's interested (prob not here actually since you're knitters!) I have some garments my mum made for DD using Rowan patterns and yarn.

I'd have to dig them out and photo them but willing to do that if anyone is interested in buying them for their daughter.

What great timing! I am working on my first ever baby jumper. I made a few ill-shaped jumpers about 10 years ago. I knit my DD (my first) a blankie when I was pregnant and she still is using at 14 months.
Anyway, I'm still learning... any recommendations for a good pattern/learning book?

Hi Marina Hi Dingle

I had just been looking at this, spooky! I think if the "free" kit was something I wanted to knit I wouldn't hesitate, but I wouldn't wear a beret and cravat, nice though they look, so £24 seems a bit steep on that basis. I haven't been in Rowan International for a year or so either because I didn't like the gift and because I haven't liked the last two pattern books either . If I like the new one I will probably join. Do you ever go to the Rowanettes get togethers at liberty Marina? They sound quite good.

Have either of you seen the new Debbie Bliss yarn, Maya? I saw some in JL and have been drooling ever since. V.v. expensive though.

Mommy2Ro, there are a couple of good Debbie Bliss learn to knit books. I also quite like Stitch n Bitch -it has quite good instructions in it, but some fairly off-the-wall patterns! Let me know if you want links to any of them.

Mummy2Ro, check out the Debbie Bliss link Marina did. In the books section there's an easy baby knit book, don't know what it's like though, just noticed early!

Thanks for the recommendations. The Debbie Bliss books with the kids stuff look adorable. My sis in the states in a member of a stich-n-bitch group - says it's a blast.

Also, see the mention of JL for yarn. Anyone know of sources for nice yarn in North London? I'm in Islington and haven't found anything in walking distance (hate dragging 14 month old on tube...)

I buy mine online, Mummy2Ro, from these lovely friendly people .
I have also heard good reports of Laughing Hens - it's a good site all round whereas Kangaroo is just an excellent shop.
Hopefully this thread will trundle on til Monday, when bundle, a North London knitter, will see it - she may know of a yarn shop local to you.
Definitely second Tamum's recommendation of the Debbie Bliss learn to knit book, I've had some good patterns and techniques out of that (also a former crap knitter who has hit her (limited) stride as a parent!).
I don't get down to Liberty sadly, Tamum, and wish I had the time to I bought my wedding dress there (nb not knitted) and love that shop so much. Do you have a group going in Edinburgh?
Am trying to persuade fellow Southsider knitter MI to set up a Stitch'n'Bitch Zone 4 Coven but she says she has to start knitting something first. What an excuse...
SueW, hi. You were being looked for on Missing Mumsnetters the other day! How is dd? How is life generally?

The Southsiders coven sounds like a good idea Marina, and I'm sure MI will start something soon There are a couple of SnB groups in Edinburgh but I have yet to make it to one. They meet in slightly smoky bars though which is a bit off-putting. If you and MI start one maybe I could make a guest appearance some time

Mummy2Ro, Stitch and Bitch is here and one of the good Debbie bliss books is here . Good luck- I would second Marina's recommendations for online purchases. I haven't used Laughing Hens but people on a Yahoo group I belong to have raved about it, and the shop owner posts on there too and seems very nice. Get Knitted is good too and has some unusual yarns that are hard to get here like Lorna's Laces. Yes, I know sorry, way to much information......

You could be Our Friend in the North, Tamum! Just think of all the knitting possible on a four-hour train journey...

I was being looked for - wow I'll have to go and look for it.

Mum's a big Rowan fan and this year will be taking DD with her on a knitting weekend to that place in Yorkshire I can't remember off the top of my head.

I wish I could get into knitting, it might get me away from the computer.

DD is very well Marina and life is pretty good at the moment.

Marina could my mother adopt you? I have seriously let her down in the knitting stages. She too gets Knitting Magazine and insists on talking knitting to me starting each conversation with the phrase 'Now I know you don't know what I'm talking about but bear with me...'!

Did you know you can get 10% off at Kangaroo if you are a member of the Knitting and Crocheting Guild?

Holmfirth, SueW I'll be interested to hear how your dd likes it!

gem, if you can't beat em join em

What do you think of Knitting magazine Marina? I've bought them all so far but gave up with this recent one. I haven't knitted anything from any of them yet- there are just so many uninspiring patterns unfortunately, although the little features are quite interesting, and I love the ads!

'Fraid not. Left handed and not really motivated. Why bother when there's a willing knitter in the family?

Incidentally, my mother moans about the patterns in the magazine too. They are rather odd (again, I have been made to discuss them!) - who knits them?

Being a left-hander is no excuse Gem your technique will encourage elderly female strangers on trains to come up to you and a) sympathise b) tell you where you're going wrong
But I'm sure I'd have not knitted half so much if I had a willing knitter anywhere else in my family either!
I am starting to have grave doubts about Knitting Magazine. From a groovy Stitch'n'Bitch felted bag pattern to that love-heart bedecked nightmare in just five issues is a major decline in my view. Like Junior, though, its classified section has opened up a world of small niche suppliers of quirky/quality wools etc, so basically I read it for the ads. Cast Off/Rowanettes/Laughing Hens-type knitting it definitely ain't.
Mummy2Ro mentioned it - how come knitting in America is popular and trendy and supports lots of good designers and wool manufacturers, not to mention social knitting? Why do we just have Rowan, Debbie Bliss and Colinette?

Just got DD down for a nap and read up. THanks for recommendations for online yarn/wool resources. I bought kneedles for the little cardigan I just finished for DD from Laughing Hens. They arrived quickly and were cutely wrapped. Kind of nice. Like a gift for myself! Anyway, now i have to find buttons to finish off cardie! Will look at hens and get knitted for buttons and maybe inspiration for another project. THanks.

I am a rather awkward looking ,left-handed knitter. I do knit right handed, but I hold my needles funny! More like you would to crochet (not that I can crochet! I rest my left needle on my tummy and do all the work with my right. Have had no problems at all with this except, that I needed very long arms when I was pregnant!]grin]

Dingle! A lot of us left-handers here, maybe we are trying to give all those dismissive/impatient needlework teachers their comeuppance years down the line...

Resurrecting an old thread here.....

DD went to Holmfirth and had a great weekend. An article appeared about the workshop later in the Daily Express but DD didn't get a mention.

She made a felted bag which was much admired at the WI craft tent at the Derbyshore County Show yesterday.

Marina, you'll be pleasantly surprised I'm sure to hear I have ordered some Rowan wool today.... DD and I are going into making felted bags as custom birthday pressies for her friends

The Holmfirth weekend sounds good.

If anyone is still wondering about the Debbie Bliss club, I can recommend the alpaca silk you get when joining. I wouldn't make or wear a beret either, but you could always use it towards a different project, eg I made Lara from the Alpaca Silk book - a lovely cardigan jacket.