The project was inspired by crafters from our Spins and Needles nights, who developed the idea of putting together knitted squares to make a blanket to sell/auction for charity. A few of us have been enlisting the help of visitors and family to knit or crochet squares for the blanket. They started as a standard 13 cm square, but with different yarns and tensions, they are quite individual. We currently have 10cm-14cm squares. We have taken inspiration from the recent Unravelled exhibition at the Barbican to run with these individual squares and use embroidery and stitches to put them together onto one washable blanket.
This is an excellent opportunity to showcase and teach knitting and crochet to our neighbourhood children during the summer holiday. If you can get acrylic double knit yarn and 4 mm knitting needles, bring them to the pub and we can learn to knit/crochet together. We have some yarn and needles you can borrow if you wish.
Joy knitting another square at Spins and Needles
If you want to do things in your own time, knit or crochet acrylic squares in approximately 10-13 cm squares and bring them to the pub. We are deciding if we should store them in a box/bottle or on a clothes line. What do you think?
Here is a video to help you cast on and a video on how to knit, which is the stitch we are primarily using. Advanced crafters are welcome to use their favourite knit or crochet stitch patterns. We can start to put them together when school starts in September.
If you are left handed, you can learn to cast on using this video. The same series can show you how to knit.
We have been using Happy Berry Crochet to crochet letters, and Dream a Little Bigger to complete some quick and easy crochet squares. There are lots of free resources on the internet for inspiration.
If you have any questions or suggestions, do email us or just pop into the pub on a Spins and Needles Tuesday.
September Update
Our crafters at Spins & Needles nights have been busy working their needles over the past few months making the knitted or crochet squares for our charity blanket, along with a few donated squares from friends and family too.
We now have almost enough squares and on Tuesday night we planned the layout of the blanket, square by square, before pinning them to start the final stage of hand sewing each square in place.
For the first time we can start to see what the finished blanket will look like, each individual square brings colour and character to what we hope will be a special and certainly a one-of-a-kind creation; “very demure, very mindful” it is not!
We will raffle the blanket on 22nd December, with proceeds going towards food vouchers for children in Tottenham schools. You can buy raffle tickets in person from the pub or a committee member for £2.00 and be in the running for the blanket, along with other prizes including £100 cash, £50 bar tab, a meal for two and a luxury hamper.
Two of our newest recruits at Spins and Needles
