Back In Burnley Crocheting Tea Cosies

I spent another great day accompanying Rachael with her Art Yarn Burnley Knitting project. The idea is to get the people of Burnley interested in making tea cosies for the wonderful collection of tea pots that are going on display at Towneley Hall Burnley.The other part of the project is to teach anyone who wants to learn the skills of knitting and crochet so that hopefully they can then pass on their skills to someone else. It was a very good day today after a slow wet miserable start. Quite a few people came in who were interested in the project and Rachael held an ongoing class for pupils for most of the day.

The ladies who came enjoyed it so much that not only are they going to call back in for further lessons but they are talking of organising their own knit club when Rachael's project has finished. This is a great outcome as Rachael's aim is to spread the word and encourage people in to doing more crafts. The conversation has been very inspiring today and everyone coming into the shop has expressed their interest in doing something like this. Everyone remarked on how it was reviving the community spirit and the older ladies were reminiscing about their mothers teaching them to knit and the make do and mend era during and just after the war. Quite a few had knitted in the past but let their skills lapse so we were encouraging them to take up the needle and hook once again.

One of the ladies works with people with Alzheimer's and was interested in the surveys that we were discussing that have been done. The surveys suggest that doing a craft can help lessen the onset of this disease. It's something to do with concentration, counting and using the frontal lobe which keeps the brain stimulated. She said that when she has learned to knit she will carry it forward to her patients and see if the ones who could knit before the disease hit can remember how to knit and if they can it would give them something of interest to do.

I managed to finish off the multi coloured crocheted tea cosy that I started yesterday. The pattern is a free pattern from Ravelry if you are interested but I can't remember it's name. Possibly Scalloped tea Cosy. Rachael sewed it together and designed it's rather natty top knot. I have knitted another very plain garter stitch tea cosy and passed it over to Rachael to do the finishing touches. Rachael is the artist and has more ideas on how to decorate them. I don't mind doing the plain bits and leaving her the twiddly bits. I have started another crocheted tea cosy today but only managed to do an inch or so before we realized that we had run well over the time for closing. We practically had to throw the ladies out as they were all having such a good time I think they would have stayed all evening if they could.

I am going up tomorrow for a few hours and Rachael will have more help as Marie, another of the King's Arms knitters, is coming as well. I hope that we have as jolly a day as today. I think that it all went very well despite the rainy weather. Although I am not teaching anyone I think that the sight of people knitting and crocheting is inspiring and they come in for a closer look to find out what we are doing.

Hopefully we will convert more Burnley residents into the art of knitting and crocheting tomorrow. I think that they could definitely do with forming a Knit and Natter group in Burnley. Judging by the interest today I think they will soon find many interested members. Knit clubs are all about swapping information, Teaching your skills to others less experienced, encouragement when novice knitters need some, and it's social event that all ages can take part in. It's great to know that if there is something on a pattern that you don't understand then someone with a bit more knowledge can point you in the right direction. It's soul destroying when you are learning a new craft and have no-one to ask and only books to learn from.