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Knitting Club Banned from Library for Being Too Loud

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no knittingThis sort of sounds like a story that would come from The Onion, but it’s true, far as I can tell: the Knit and Natter group in Cramlington, Northumberland, has been banned from meeting in the city’s new library because they take up too much room and are too loud.

The group of up to 30 women has to find a new home by the end of September. Organizers say they were never told they were too loud at the old library, and they’ve done good things while meeting there including knitting a Christmas tree for the library in 2011.

What do you think? Are knitters too loud to meet in a library, or are county councilors going too far?

[Photo, which has nothing to do with this story at all, from Flikr via Buzzfeed.]

Looking for more Christmas themed Knitting patterns? Check out some of our favorite Knitting patterns on Etsy and

These Christmas Knitting Pattern Books on Amazon

 

Comments

  1. Well, knitting needles are dangerous – they could poke out someone’s eye. Same way books are so dangerous because you could get a papercut…
    I went to a facility once where I wasn’t allowed to take in my knitting needles (size 20’s!!!) because I might use them to take drugs.
    I think the world has gone mad sometimes!

  2. Knitters may be too loud but they’ve been there a while so why ban them now? Maybe they can find a community room that will let them get together.

  3. What they didn’t like the clicking noise by all those knitting needles? That is really dumb call there.

  4. Many areas in the UK are facing libraries closing as councils try and cut costs………So craft clubs, childrens groups and mothers groups meeting in them enables a community library fit into the social life of its area.
    If a group stays in the library all day long it could be a nuisance for other users yes, but for goodness sake, meetings are what, a couple of hours?
    Leave them alone Northumberland Council!!

  5. We can’t really judge how disruptive they might be without being there. I must say, though, that we have a couple of rather small libraries in our area. When they put on any sort of lecture or kids program, they can’t help but present it to the whole library. There’s no escaping it. I guess the librarians figure drawing people into the library for an activity trumps the inconvenience to other patrons. Our big local library, fortunately, has both flexible community rooms for activities like knitting, and a quiet reading room for those who really need quiet. Oddly, they sometimes let a community group use it. Libraries are, first and foremost, for reading.
    I like the phrase “knit and natter” better than “stitch and bitch.” And my curiosity was piqued by the activity in aid of breastfeeding. Hard to picture.

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.