We hosted another great night at the Kniterary Nights last night. We think we may have scared a number of members away with thoughts of an evening spent in competition, but all who turned out had a blast!
The first event was Speed Knitting. Each contestant was instructed to cast-on 20 stitches, then to knit a single row. Then with the timer armed for one minute, we raced to complete a row...with Jenn finishing first handily!
The second event was Blind Knitting. Rather than use blindfolds, we trusted the honour and integrity of everyone (as well as Kelly's referring abilities) and simply closed our eyes. Using the same piece from the first event, we all tried to blindly complete another row, which is far more difficult than it sounds! But again, Jenn beat us all hands-down!
Continuing, yet again, with the same piece of knitting, we turned the blind knitting up a notch and placed our hands behind our backs to try Derriere Tricoter, not only without our eyes, but also with contorted arms. Not a single person disconnected their shoulder joints, but Jenn seemed to be an old hand at these amazing games!
For our fourth, and final event, we paired up and tried our hands at Tandem Knitting. With one person holding the left needle and their partner holding the right needle, our pairs tried to speed their way to a finished row. Partners who both knit in the same style (Continental or English) may have thought they had the upper-hand, but everyone found their own rhythm. True to form...Jenn clearly showed us that in her case the left hand really DOES know what the right hand is doing!
We had some great prizes, including a Bee Knitting Nancy, lots of yarn, a selection of chocolate and treats. A huge thank you to two local businesses who generously donated gift certificates for our competition. First, the UK Shoppe in the Market Plaza (a great selection of UK imported foods and gifts....check them out before their Easter stock is gone!), and from By the Bridge on Water Street (a fantastic lunch restaurant specializing in healthy and delicious sandwiches, soups and salads!).
Next Month
After a quick discussion, Kelly and Monica decided that in the spirit of spring cleaning, the Kniterary Society would host a destash party. Clean out your closets, bins, baskets and bags of stash, decide with which yarns you are willing to part. We will buy and sell yarn at a $1 per ball or skein...all proceeds from the evening will go to CrossRoads Shelter in Peterborough.
CrossRoads is a shelter run by the YWCA that helps women and children in emergency situations. The Elegant Spider knitting group, and the Kniterary Society have contributed to this worthwhile cause in the past, and we encourage you to check out their website for more information on donating to their cause. You can give in many ways (money, time, sponsoring a family and more), but we particularly like their Wish List which is a list of practical items of which they are always in need.
World Wide Knit in Public Day
For ten years, knitters around the world have come out of their living rooms in June in order to spread the word and love of knitting to those in public spaces. In Peterborough, we have participated each year by knitting in many places around the downtown core during World Wide Knit in Public Week. We have knit on the benches of Hunter Street, in the shade of trees in Del Crary Park, and even in the hideaway space of Millennium Park.
This year, the organization has narrowed the focus to one day, Saturday June 13, although they encourage everyone to keep up the celebration for ten days to honour this anniversary. In Peterborough, we wanted to find a central location that still offered us high visibility, so that we could share our passion with as many passersby as possible. Management at Peterborough Square has kindly agreed to let us
