How to Knit by Stitches and Hos, Illustration by Ben Javens

I have become increasingly fascinated with the myriad of techniques and styles that can be used to produce the 2 basic knitting stitches knit and purl. Hold your wool in your right or left hand? Wrap your wool around clockwise or anticlockwise? Where do these techniques and styles come from? Most, if not all of these techniques are not ‘visible’ in the knitting produced. Why is this? I understand that knitters are basically doing the same thing but why don’t these differences show? In other craft disciplines slight changes to technique are visible in the finished product.

What factors lead to a knitter using one technique or method over another? Are they geographical? Inherited? Stylistic? Historical?

Over the next few months I intend to look into these questions. The first thing I’m going to do is to film knitter’s hands whilst they knit to see the what differences there are in technique and style. I’ll also ask some questions about how and where they learnt to knit to see if can spot any patterns.

So if you see me at our next hootenanny wielding my smartphone at knitters hands you’ll know why.

Our next hootenanny is on Tuesday 28 May from 7:30pm at Hare and Hounds

All of the pompoms have now been installed as part of our Festive Knit Up in the back bar at Hare and Hounds

Make sure you go & take a closer peek over the holidays.

We’re having a pompom party.  Come get your stitch on and help us make pompoms to decorate Stitches and Hos HQ, Hare and Hounds for the festive season.

Sounds to stitch to provided by Dorian Wood (aka Pete Prescription)

Wool and needles provided.  All are welcome – you don’t even have to be good

Tuesday 27 November. 7:30pm onwards, Hare and Hounds, Birmingham.

I’m very pleased to announce our next project here at Stitches and Hos ‘Festive Knit Up’.

We will be decorating Stitches and Hos HQ the back bar of Hare and Hounds pub for the festive season. As ever I am looking for people to help with the knitting.  You will need to be able to follow a pattern and knit to a given size and gauge.  All wool will be provided.  If you are interested in taking part please get in touch info@stitchesandhos.co.uk

We will also be holding a pompom party at our next monthly hootenanny on Tuesday 27 November.  There’s a Facebook event thingy here and I’ll put up the details in the next blog post.

Right then, back to my knitting

Last week Stitches and Hos created a window installation as part of Unique in Birmingham, a project designed to improve the street scene around the city centre’s shopping area.  9 finalists have been selected and each one given an empty shop unit window to create an installation on the theme Unique in Birmingham.

Our window ‘A Knitted Harvest’, is a celebration of the Birmingham Bull Ring Markets. The markets are a fantastic resource for makers and keen cooks like myself or for those just looking for a retail experience outside of the high street. 

Our window is located in Burlington Arcade off New Street and will be in place until the end of the year.  You can also walk the trail and visit all 9 windows by downloading a map here

A big thanks to Helen, Lilith and Venetia for helping to knit and crochet all of the items.  Another big thanks to Lauren for fabricating the market stall and to the ever wonderful Katja Ogrin for taking photos. Here are some images of the finished piece.

Well we’ve had a really busy summer here at Stitches and Hos.  Our Olympic knit graffiti project K2TOG saw the columns of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery covered in six colours to celebrate the arrival and stay of the Jamaican and American Olympic teams to Birmingham.

The project was a huge success with over 400 people knitting panels which were then sewn together to cover the museum.

At the moment we are preparing for our next project A Knitted Harvest.  We are producing a knitted market stall for the Unique in Birmingham project.  More details on that soon.

In the meantime don’t forget that it’s our monthly knitting hootenanny this Tuesday (30th October).  So why not come get your stitch on from 7:30pm, back bar, Hare and Hounds, Birmingham

We have some leftover wool from K2TOG for sale.  If you are interested get in touch via email.

Artesano Aran in Strathy (cream/white) 50% wool 50% alpaca

5 x 100g skeins which are wound into cakes.  100g £5 plus postage

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Artesano Aran in Wester (red) 50% wool 50% alpaca

2 x 100g skeins which are wound into cakes. 100g £5 plus postage

18 x 100g skeins which have been knitted once, frogged and wound into cakes.

100g £3.50 plus postage

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Artesano Superwash Merino in Sea Blue 100% merino wool

27 x 50g balls.  50g £2.50 plus postage

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Artesano Superwash Merino in Black 100% merino wool

17 x 50g balls. 50g £2.50 plus postage

I am looking for volunteers to help stitch together panels for our Olympic knit graffiti project K2TOG.  We will be working from our project pop up shop located in the Pavilions.

You will need to have good basic sewing skills. All materials will be provided.  There will, of course be tea biscuits and our eternal grattitude.

If you have any availability between 1-15 July please contact info@stitchesandhos.co.uk

Are you a knitting champion?

Stitches and Hos invite knitters of all ages and abilities to take part in their knitting pentathlon. Come to our K2TOG pop up shop on Saturday 16 June to battle for woolly glory.

Events are:

Fastest cast on, pompom put, 300 stitch row, fastest skein wind and knitting marathon

Entry to knitting pentathlon is £1 per person.

Saturday 16 June 2-5pm, K2TOG pop up shop, Pavilions Birmingham.

For details of how to find the shop please visit here

Stitches and Hos canvas tote bags.  Only £6.50 + P&P

Perfect for keeping your latest knitting project and plans for world domination.

You can buy online here or from our pop up shop locatd in Pavilions Birmingham.  You can find details of our shop here