Public Engagement!!

Someone has yarn bombed us!
We found a knitted dog poo that someone has added to the garden! It looks quite real.
















Someone else (or maybe the same person) has repositioned the knitted clown with a bottle of bubbly and now he looks very drunk.



We have been asking people to write down their knitting stories and they are really interesting and often very funny. Lots of the stories are by men.






















































































































We have been running free knitting and crochet workshops on Saturdays from 1.30 - 3.30 and they have been a big success with 60 people last week.

We give them free needles and wool they can take away.

















We have been teaching the children finger knitting, french knitting, knitting and crochet.

The knitted garden is on TV

The knitted garden has been on TV 4 times already today on BBC1 on the Southern News Bulletin at 6.25, 6.55, 7.55 and 8.25. Only a 6 sec piece but good coverage/images and good information about numbers involved, venue, how long it is still on for.

Congratulations to all participants!!

BIG thanks to to the library and Arts Development Team for all their continuing support!

BBC filmed us today

The BBC came down and filmed the garden today and it should have been shown on South Today between 6.30 - 7.00.

I was stewarding at the library so couldn't see it so just waiting for BBC to upload it to I Player.
















Details from the Woodland Garden made by Boscombe Resource Centre

"Woodland Walk has taken over the Boscombe Resource centre for the last few months as it has grown from a small ideas into an elaborate pathway.

Adults working on the project have a range of abilities and the sharing of skills has brought people together to create this artwork".

Woodland walk

















Oakmead College West Howe Oak tree
year 11 students currently do a B.Tech in Textiles created this wonderful tree using a wide range of processes and materials including recycling jumpers, weaving, french knitting, finger knitting, batik, needle felting. knotting, plaiting....





















I did request carrots but didn't expect this many!






















Rockery by Carbery Machine Knitting Club, Christchurch

It was founded on the 3^rd of March 1981 making it 30 years old in March. The first meeting was held at the home of one the members in Carbery Avenue, Southbourne, Bournemouth. As member numbers increased the club moved to Community Halls in the Christchurch area.

By the late 1980s and early 1990s numbers were at the highest between 55 and 65 members. At the present time we have 17 members, one of whom is one from the original 1981 group.

Meetings are held fortnightly on Tuesday evenings 7pm to 9pm

At St George’s Church Hall Annex, Jumpers Road, Christchurch.

New members would be very welcome

Details from Rose Arch lent by B&Q and roses knitted by Stitch and Bitch group at All Fired Up Cafe, The Square, Bournemouth every Thursday night from 8pm.





































Picnic area from Weymouth groups who go under the umbrella title of Let's Make It who are also making make to create a knitted float for Weymouth carnival in August. Their knitted garden items will be part of their float.

14500 people have visited the knitted garden in the last 14 days

Just got the numbers today and the knitted garden has been seen by 14500 over the last 14 days.

The library has no knitting books left in stock and we had 50 people to our knitting/crochet workshops on Saturday.

We had an enquiry today from a women who would like to hire some of the knitted garden for her wedding in September!

Feature Group - K2 Knitters, Poundbury

I decided it would be good to feature one group each post and talk about their work and show photos.

Today I am doing the Greenman made by K2 Knitters of Poundbury, Dorset.

He is sitting outside the shed by the vegetable garden but we move him around quite a lot. He is currently reading a gardening book by Alan Titchmarsh but also reads green ecology books and romances and reads the racing page of newspapers. The library staff have talked about putting him in the men's loos, in the lift and using a computer.they will not allow him to have his feet on the table as he might encourage bad habits with the other library readers.

There are more photos, to follow, of him being made.
I am just doing a press release for the gardening magazines with him as the feature.

K2 Knitters

The group has been meeting for about a year. Some of Cath Coffin's jewellery students, whilst knitting with wire in her classes expressed a desire to have a knitting group, so she set up a group and waited to see who was interested. There are 6-8 others and us who regularly come come when they can. The meetings are held in our homes, rotating turns. The hostess provides tea and cakes! We are mixed ability and we can help beginners or those who need help. We usually knit our own things and this is the first group project we have got involved with.

They meet once a fortnight in GMT (after clocks go back), and once a month in BST (once clocks have gone forward,

Wednesday 1.30pm -4pm.

Contact details: cathcoffin@hotmail.com

The knitted garden is on BBC Dorset website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/dorset/

This beautiful honey pot bee hive was made by Iris Stone

















The arch was loaned by B&Q and the roses knitted by SnB group, Bournemouth





















Bird box made by Bournemouth University Students




















We ran some free knitting/crochet workshops today at the library to teach new skills to the people who are been inspired to knit by seeing our exhibition. We had about 50 people from 1.30 - 3.30 of all ages/gender/nationality and it was a great success and we will be there again the following 2 Saturdays - 21st and 28th May from 1.30 - 3.30, wool and needles provided.

Article in Echo

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9015249.A____wooled____garden_in_full_bloom/

It puts a huge smile on everyone's face and children do a little dance of joy when they see it

Added some more photos and will add some more later in the week




















The library staff have some beautiful items on their desks

















Details from the Teddy Bear's picnic

















A huge variety of vegetables has been made by participants

















Many of the trees have flowers and fruit on them





















This Beautiful standard rose from on of the ladies from Southbourne Library Knitting group















































Stunning hanging baskets made by a range of groups

























































The washing line of underwear from Wimborne Knitting group

















Perfect baggy bloomers in just the right shade of pink!





















Hand made vest




















Very saucy suspender belt















All knitted and crocheted by Wimborne Knitting Group

















Teddy Bear's Picnic by the ladies of St Aldeheim's Church Branksome

















The vegetable garden area is made by over 5 different groups.
The greenman is made by K2 Knitters Poundbury, Dorchester





















Oh, I think I made this one!

































The attention to detail and the skills used is amazing

















The pond above is a communal effort with some of it being made by West Howe knitters and some by Turkish student Ayse Dudu Durgut. Steffi from Red Tent Knitters in Boscombe made the wheelbarrow and the flowers inside it have been made by Kinson Methodist Church knittters, the stones by Mary from Boscombe Resource Centre.




















This stunning piece of freefrom crochet has been made by Danish knitter Lil George






























































What visitors to the library say is that what is so lovely is that you don't see everything at once. For example this little bird, made by student from Oakmead College, is hiding in the trees.