Latest News

We now have some t-shirts and postcards for sale on our website. Go to our FOR SALE page.

We now have shops on Spreadshirt and Shirtcity for those in the UK and Europe. Both these shops are based in Europe so the postage will be cheaper than in the Cafe Press shops, which are based in the US. However, they both also have a smaller range of products than Cafe Press and are generally more expensive.

We had hoped to be able to get the pieces on eBay before Christmas but that's now not going to be possible.  Look out for news of the auction in the New Year.

At our first evening group, held in the Rag Tag n Textile workshop in Broadford Industrial Estate on Tuesdays from 6.30 - 9 pm, Alison, Fiona and Nan made a start on sorting out the pieces for the auction.

There are many pieces ready for sale but there are also many smaller pieces sewn together for lengths for the bridge which would be better suited sewn into patchwork blankets or even more exciting pieces, like evening shrugs or bags, cushion covers and handbags! A few of the pieces need repaired after the battering from the wind but, thankfully, none is badly damaged.

On Tuesday evenings we'll be concentrating on getting these pieces ready for the eBay auction, so if you'd like to come along and help, all are welcome!

We held our first knitting group today in the Broadford Hotel lounge, sitting on comfy sofas, chatting and drinking tea and coffee.  It was a very relaxing afternoon, a real change of pace from Stitches on the Bridge!

Everyone is welcome, just come along on Thursday afternoons between 1 pm and 4 pm.

The Loch Court Knitting Group's Aberdeen scarf was found today by Kyle Police, near a shed very close to the Police Station. It was first seen last night, so we have no idea how long it has been there.  It's wet and soggy but seemingly otherwise in ok condition. The Police are going to dry it off for us(!) and we should get it back on Monday, once it's been photographed and catalogued!

I'm a wee bitty late in reporting this here but the Aberdeen scarf, knitted by the Loch Court Knitting Group, was stolen from the bridge on Sunday night / Monday morning. 

You can see the cut cable ties lying on the ground.

It caught the imagination of the news reporters:

The Press & Journal Article no1

The Press & Journal Article no2

The Scotsman

UK Handknitting News

Broadcasts

Photos (continually updated)

Hi-Arts

The Scotsman

The Press & Journal

What a great day we had at Kyleakin Village Hall on Saturday!  The place was positively TEAMING with people from 2 pm onwards - many many more than we expected. Lots of people stayed to knit and crochet. The stars of the day were Bob and Nell McIntyre from Paisley who were a big hit with their Tunisian crochet and finger knitting.

A great day was had by all - so much knitting and crocheting, young and old, boys and girls, men and women, lots of interest in our little exhibition and everyone's stories, which we printed out and had available to read. Hot stovies from Kyle Youth Cafe and a very tuneful ceilidh before the Big Field Blues Band kicked off for a rocking evening.

The knitting and crochet were so popular that they continued right up to the end of the evening. We even had to persuade the knitters to come into the hall to listen to the band! Some of us showed that you can knit AND dance at the same time! Between us all we knitted ENORMOUS lengths of giant links for the bridge. Ross McKerlich heroically volunteered to put the links up on the bridge on Sunday for us.

The pieces on the bridge were spectacular on Saturday, all billowed out in the wind, straining at their moorings - we've been totally amazed that none have broken free.  On the way back home at midnight, the weather was still and the knitting lay flat and looked positively odd, compared to the beautiful billowing of earlier today! Fiona's spectacular landscape and night sky panel twinkled beautifully in the dark along with its flashing lighthouse, thanks to friend Thomas' solar powered electrics.

It's all very satisfying and we've been very gratified by the huge amount of interest shown locally.  An enormous vote of thanks to all the volunteers who helped put the pieces on the bridge yesterday and who staffed the cafe this afternoon and the door this evening.

Sunday is a day off before all the pieces come down on Monday afternoon.

Click here.

We were blessed with lovely clear and dry weather (it's now raining as I type!) and putting the pieces on the bridge was a joy with all that fresh air, the views and the craic!  It looks AMAZING!! In spite of one lane on the bridge being closed and traffic lights in place, we had loads of encouragement from passing traffic.  And volunteers Fiona Stewart and her husband Mark, all the way from Massachusetts!

There'll be coverage on both BBC and STV news programmes tonight. I'm off to capture them so I can put them up here!

Alison

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Listen for us on Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland around 8 am and the Fred McAuley show around 10.30 am.

BBC Scotland TV will be filming on the bridge tomorrow (23rd) too.

Wonder if we'll get any sleep tonight!

STV news filmed us in Broadford today.  They'll also be filming on Friday morning while we put the pieces on the bridge.  It should be broadcast at 1.45 pm and 6 pm on Friday 23 October.

We've had a lot of publicity this week - so much that we haven't been able to keep track of it!  We've been informed of the following mentions (though none of the team managed to catch any of them):

The Scotsman

BBC News Highlands and Islands

STV

BBC Radio Scotland

BBC Reporting Scotland

The West Highland Free Press have also published an article.

There's certainly a feeling of things approaching a climax!

We were filmed and interviewed in Broadford yesterday (Tuesday 6 October).  We should be included in the BBC Alba programme An La (news) tonight at 8 pm.  Hope you can watch!

Jana Komankova from the Czech Republic knits for and blogs about Stitches.

Bette's story on Craftzine

Daily Express editorial

Daily Express article

Daily Star

Press & Journal

NHS workers knit to stay healthy

Thanks to Fiona Clarke, Senior Health Promotion Specialist, with NHS Highland, for this!  She's also been interviewed by BBC Radio Scotland about it.

Also in Dornie Hall, at the Caledon concert, Alison was presented with two scarves and two rectangles, knitted by one of the band members' wife and their neighbour.

Fiona's Stitch Club at Auchtertyre Primary School starts up again.

Stitches was included in the Lochalsh Arts Fair at Dornie Hall, where we displayed 4 of our more picturesque pieces. We provided tea and coffees on 4 days to help raise funds for Stitches.  Alison also knitted with her giant needles for a couple of days.

Fiona's husband, Jamie, has made some huge needles for Alison. They are 7 cm in diameter and made out of blackboard rollers.  Alison is hoping to knit a long piece for the causeway out of strips of old sheets.

A group of ladies from Loch Court in Aberdeen have been working with Margaret Stewart, Community Arts Officer with Aberdeen Council, to create an Aberdeen Football Club scarf - all of 14 feet long!  They have been featured in the regional newspaper, the Press & Journal, along with football player Tommy Wright.

We've had a distinct summer lull, with folk on holiday, so have nothing to report.  More news due soon though, so watch this space!