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!

Spring has arrived and the parcels are arriving too ...

This parcel of flowers has been sent by Mrs K M Arthur of Poole, thank you!!



Patricia Medlicott from Hertfordshire has sent in this great box of veg for the garden -radish, beetroot, aubergine, squash, leeks, carrots....... many thanks Patricia

Valerie(left) showing Turkish student, Ayse, some English crochet patterns. Ayse is here studying English and has been coming to three of the knitting/crochet groups in Bournemouth to practice her English and share the love of stitch. She has shown us some very beautiful Turkish crochet/patterns that she has done. It has been lovely to meet with you Ayse and thank you for your crochet work on the lily pond. We have learnt from you too.




Spring primroses by Annette - Boscombe Resource Centre - sooo beautiful. Thank you!

These interesting mushroom and fungi have been sent in from Ireland from fibre artist Orla Breslin. I love the hyerbolic shapes of the fungi - started me off doing loads. They are made using the patterns from the Hyperbolic Coral Reef Project - really interesting shapes to make. Thank you Orla for you contributions!!

I took a group of adults with mixed disabilities to see the Crotchet Coral Reef Project at Salisbury Art Centre. Wonderful use of yarns, colours and textures, very inspiring!!


It is on until Feb 26th - free entry and would highly recommend a visit.
Interesting use of materials and knitted plastic bags etc.









The above wool has very generously been donated from Dingles/House of Fraser Department Store in Bournemouth. Thank you so much!

It was part of their window display a few months ago and I asked them if they would donate it to the project but didn't hear any more and had given up on getting it but Vale their lovely window dresser phoned this week to see we could have it. I went to collect it this morning and they have donated 3 large cardboard boxes, 5 large plastic bags of cones of wool in earth colours. Each cone weighs 8 oz. It will be really useful for the groups who are knitting a heathland garden, trees, baskets, earth areas. contact me if you group needs any.

This delightful bunch of flowers has been knitted by Juniper Centre in Christchurch - a group of adults with learning disability who can only knit squares. the whole of their garden is made from squares - paths, rockery, pond, lawn and earth and these flowers are just squares too. It looks great and everyone is working very hard to get it made.


News.....


Another busy fortnight - I went to see Wimbourne Yarnaholics who meet in King Head Pub Mondays, fortnightly. Creative bunch of ladies who knit and spin. They have a great idea for the project but not going to tell you as it will spoil the surprise.

On Wed I went to Corfe Castle group who meet every Wed at 9.45 in Village Hall - spinners, weavers, dyers, knitters, cross stitchers, patch workers and beaders. Very large and friendly group. They taught me to spin - technique needs a lot of work but got the basics - now want my own loom! Birthday coming up!

I have persuaded 2 more libraries to set up knitting groups - Westbourne and West Howe. Will give you the details when I have them.

Weymouth and Portland now have their own page on the Blog and I will publish their news as I get it.


Open Day now set as Thursday May 5th 10 - 4 with speeches at 11am. All welcome!

A rather cute gnome sent in by Jenny Richards. Thanks Jenny. A group at West Howe have done a pond so he can try and catch one of the knitted fishes in it. This exhibition is going to look so wonderful.

I have had so many enquiries from individuals and groups wanting to join in. We have well over 1,000 people working on this project now - I cant keep count anymore.


So, it has been another very busy few weeks and some days had enquires from 20 - 40 new people wanting to participate in the project! Slowing down a bit now so I can have time to knit again!

BBC Radio Solent visited us this week and did a recording of some of us knitting and talking about the project. It should be broadcast this week and they will email to let us know when.

I am going to Weymouth on Monday to help them set up their branch of the project. They have 100 people interested in knitting/crocheting for the garden and I think the idea is the make a fossil garden - sounds wonderful! They would like to whole exhibition to travel down to them in August and I think the work they are making will be put on a float for Weymouth Carnival.

Southbourne Library new knitting group has really taken off and has lots more enquires from people wanting to join in - so they may have to set up a second group to cope with the demand. At the moment it is alternate Tuesdays from 2 - 4pm.

A lovely lady called Val donated a big bag of wool to the project - thank you Val. She is clearing and selling her wool stash and was selling a little hand knitting machine which I bought. It is a children's one and makes tubes - grows very quickly - so will be good for the schools to use. Bit of a pain to thread up - haven't got the hang of it yet.

SnB group at All Fired Up Cafe who meet Thursdays nights at 8 - 10.00 are going to make work to cover a pergola/arch - roses, clematis etc. So I have to try and borrow a structure from a garden centre. Library have given us permission to use it and I would like it in the entrance hall so people can walk through it when the come in the doors.

Had a meeting with arts development and library last Monday just to talk through installation and layout. Will be a mammoth task!

A group from London called E11 knitters are going to make us a tree! Welcome ladies and thank you!!
A group from Soutbourne WI are going to knit us some vegetables.
Some hanging baskets been promised and a group from a senior living unit from Southbourne have joined us. Numbers participating increase daily.

Happy knitting!

oak trees, climbing roses, baskets, trugs and radio

Knitted radio sent in today by Jenny Richards - thanks Jenny it is wonderful!

Wow, what a very busy two weeks. Thanks to articles in Listed, January's issue of BH Life and Dorset Echo on Thursday 13th Jan I have been inundated with phone calls and emails from groups, families, individuals wanting to join in. Six new groups joined last week and 2 today! Most days about 30 people join in so we are now well over 1,000 knitters working on the garden.

Last week Redhill TWG joined us and are taking on one of the pillars in the entrance hall on the library with a knitted climbing rose.

Southbourne library held its first knitting group and 14 ladies came and will make work for the garden. Good to meet you all ladies.

I went to Oakmead College this morning and helped teach 30 girls to knit but they need more sessions. Some of them preferred to finger knit. They plan to turn one of the pillars into an oak tree with roots, leaves, wildlife. It should look wonderful.

Posters, fliers and collection boxes for wool have now gone out to all the libraries.

I did a live radio interview for BBC Solent on Wed 12th at 1.45 - it is still available to listen to on their website. They are coming to interview a number of knitters for a second programme on the project early next week.

The project has now linked with Bournemouth's councils Big Green Fortnight ( May 23rd - June 4th) so we have extended the exhibition for another week to allow children who have a half term holiday to come and see it.

Happy New Year everyone!

I spent a lazy Xmas by log fire doing some bits for the project.

It is now in full swing and growing steadily but it is a bit like winter as I won't see a lot of the work that is being made until it emerges into the light in the spring when it all comes together for the exhibition. Lots of people from Weymouth and Portland now want to join in so a big welcome to them!

We have a great article on Page 7 of this months Knit Today magazine and we have had a mention on Radio Solent!

I am going to see quite a few new groups of the next few weeks so will be meeting some new knitters/crocheters but will be doing items for the garden.

This week's jobs is to finish the wool collection boxes to go out into all the libraries in Bournemouth and to get leaflet design off to printers.

I am also investigating knitting podcasters to see if they will do a piece on the project.