Wish list for the knitted garden.

Just an updated list of things we could still make for the garden if we have time/energy!!

• Cottage garden plants on stems with leaves 15- 18'' tall please
  
• Birds - lots as we have a large drop in the entrance hall that would be great for this,
• Pets – dog, cat
• Bike
• Frogs – got 2 already but more would be good - need some small ones
  
• Logs – with fungi on
• Lawnmower
• Garden tools
• Wendy house- probably not enough time to do this for this exhibition
  
• Fairytale garden area – fairies, gnomes etc
• Chickens – have 2 and need 1 more
• Adam and Eve - could be done in patch worked old jumpers
  
• Venus fly trap
• insects
• Bill and Ben and little weed
• large trug
• large brown areas for veg patch
  

If we do everything life size we won’t have to worry about the scale

New knitting group in Boscombe just started

The Red Tent ~ knit and knatter group

Every Thursday at 9.30 - 11.00 at Boscanova Cafe
650 Christchurch Rd, Bournemouth, Dorset BH1 4BP

A fun and creative knitting group has just been set up at Cafe Boscanova.

All abilities welcome - from beginners to experts!
We are happy to teach people how to knit.

Just drop in and join in.

Monday morning - sunshine and it is all happening in the garden....

Grapevine craft group at St Paul's Church, Throop - and yes you guessed right they are knitting and stitching a grapevine to entwine a pillar and they begin their craft meetings with prayers and end with the most amazing lunches ever! They need your unwanted green jumpers and purple wool.



Mole and mole hill sent in by the Rev Anne Bennett from South Shields.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d79q/episodes/player
This is a link to a radio programme about knitting and pain relief which was broadcast on Saturday but you can listen again to it on their website.


Charminster Library have a fun display of the work made by their readers for the knitted garden project including this great scarecrow and mice and LOTS of beautiful flowers.



I have just spent the morning at Oakmead College and the students are now doing incredibly well.

One student made this very textured bird's nest while other students made these very cute patchwork birds from old jumpers and buttons for eyes.


This image below is a close up of the surface texture of the tree.
It is looking truly magnificent now!!
Not sure how we are going to install it on the pillar - it is 8ft high and 5 ft wide.
Any suggestions!!

Boscombe Resource Centre - Wednesday Group

Knitting a woodland garden

Ceri 1st year Shadowing Student from Bournemouth University joined the Boscombe Resource centre group for the session. Ceri knitted some leaves even though she said her knitting skills were rusty!

Norma (below) started off with some french knitting to make a vine but found this frustrating and switched to conventional knitting and started a dry stone wall.

Not content with creating a tree and a stump using her 'Blue Peter' skills and lots of tape, Helen (below) launched into creating a bird table ready to accommodate some of the birds the group have completed.










Marion (below) was engrossed in french knitting, making vines and stems now the champion of this technique having started with a large round frame producing squares for flowers










Jo (below) continued to produce exquisite ivy leaves as well as french knitting vines to add around the tree trunks.










Annette added to her collection of beautiful flowers with daffodils, poppies and petunia's.




















Elizabeth highlighted her creativity with her variegated leaf collection.

Helen amused the group with stories of her mothers interest in the project and her re kindled interest in knitting, Helen was surprised by how quickly her knitting had grown, finding that after putting it down for a rest her mum had sneakily added a few rows. By Amanda Boenke

Working with Year 11 girls at Oakmead College who are turning one of the pillars in the library into an oak tree!

Every Monday morning from 8.30 - 10.30 and Tuesday mornings from 9.30 - 10.30 groups of 15 and 16 year old girls at Oakmead College are working hard to turn one of the pillars in the library into an oak tree. They are really using all their creative talents to explore creative methods to add texture to their tree..... some of their mums are making work for the garden too and grannies are passing on skills!

Exploring different ways to make leaves.
The one above is from a melted plastic bin bag with stitching on top. It has a great veined effect when held to the light.
The one below is a dead oak leaf encapsulated in laminate and then stitched on top with gold thread.

These leaves below have been made by needle felting and adding stitch on top.

The Year 11 students have to record their making process as part of their coursework.

Above is a sample of beautiful weaving that will become part of the finished tree.
Below is a detail of some creative knitting that will add texture to the tree bark.

Below is some very fine cord has been made by one of the girls to use to add texture to the tree bark and may get used to make some insects.

Below is details of the work done so far - lots of textures have been knitted and woven to be part of the bark of the tree. Finger knitting with chunky wool will be used to make knots in the tree bark. Buttons will be used to add detail too.

Below - The base bark of the tree has been made by using a patchwork of old jumpers, cut and stitched. On top of this will be a layer of vines, buttons, insects,knitting, french knitting, finger knitting which will add texture to the bark.


Below are some items ready for decorating the base of oak tree - lichens, fungi, poms poms

Below is needle felting a snail



Some more needle felting on images below.

Family knit and crochet workshops during the exhibtion

Blooming Marvellous is an intergenerational community project and a lot of skills are being passed down between participants as a natural process throughout the last 4 months.

To ensure that the project is reaching out to the youngest age group (and mums and dads) we will be running knit, crochet, french knitting (with various size looms) and finger knitting workshops throughout the exhibition.

These will be run at Bournemouth Library
in the Conversation Corner on the 1st floor
on Saturday May 14th, 21st and 28th from 1.30 - 3.30.

They are free, informal, and we will provide wool, patterns and knitting needles/crochet hooks for the workshops. On a drop in basis.

We hope you will make something to add to the knitted garden!