Since finding out we wouldn't have a workshop space at the festival, I've been thinking about quiet workshops that can take place at the back of the music tent. We don't have a budget for any materials, we don't have workshop space, but I figured that if I put a shoutout on facebook the universe may well sort the rest out!
Petra Wood very kindly volunteered to be a collection point for wool & knitting or crochet needle donations at her work base, Aardvark's Wholefoods in 6 Llamas Street, Carmarthen:
Thanks Petra.
Than Sarah Passmore contacted me to ask if she could help. She is now chasing everyone's ideas regarding materials sponsorship. She has emailed local and national businesses. In exchange for their wool and needles we will put their logo on our flier and write about them here on the blog ... so fingers crossed! Sarah will give us an update at the end of next week as to how it's going.
Thanks Sarah
Then I put a shout out to find people who would be prepared to oversee the Knitting Rhythms table at the 2 day festival: knitters and sewers who can support and give advice ...
get other knitters started.
One of the people to respond was
Deputy Mayoress of Llanelli,
Ruth Ferris- Price who put me in touch with
Michelle Williams.
Michelle runs a business Shelbyart which aims to give: Creative Mentoring used for Personal Improvement with a holistic and inclusive approach. Mentoring through creativity .
Michelle contacted me and kindly offered to organise 3 women from her groups who would come in to represent Shelbyart and share with leading the Knitting Rhythms table.
Thanks Michelle
So then I put a shout out for ideas from people as to what we would do with the knitted pieces.
There were lots of suggestions but we wanted it to be something intergenerational, giving, useful, woman focussed ....
So we have gone for the fabulous suggestion by Maj Ikle to do Baby Blankets.
This will be good for the starters and less experienced knitters who can knit squares that more experienced seastresses will sew together.
Thanks Maj
CW13 Baby Blankets will be donated to
The Young Mums Projects in South Wales.
CW13: Keeping our children warm
For the more experienced knitters, we will be looking at contributing to Age UK with the Innocent Smoothie Campaign THE BIG KNIT
For the past nine years Big Knit supporters have knitted millions of little woolly hats for Innocent smoothies, with money from every bottle sold going towards supporting older people during the chilly winter months.
Since they started they've raised over £1 million.
25p from every hatted bottle sold goes straight to Age UK to help older people keep warm and well for winter.
So stretch out those fingers, get your needles out and untangle that wool.
It's time to get your knit on.
We will also make flowers at the table, knitted, crochet'd or sewn. This will be led for us by the lovely Sam Collins who has been 'growing'
Blodeuwedd's Cloak for us since The Story Telling Event last February, then at CW12.
The cloak will come to this year's Story Event in April and then through to CW13 in August ...
it will then carry forward to next year's events ... this way a little bit of each event is carried forward into the next ...
Thanks Sam
Thanks a million to all the people who have contacted me this week to offer to help by donating materials, to those who are excited about knitting at the festival, and those who are giving of their time to help me organise it.
I'm quite taken aback about how excited people are about knitting! I had no idea! Maybe we should have a knitting festival next year!!
Now, that's an idea!!
Meanwhile, there are other knitting events happening in Carmarthenshire. Thought I'd mention here that Lynda Lumb is organising a 'Knit Against Nuclear Weapons' Event on 31st July, This is the facebook link to the Event page if you would like more details:
