Hi Folks,

Well! After 10 days of making up, we did it! Thanks to you all, our ‘Let’s Make It’ carnival float was a complete success, achieving 3 awards in the following categories’:

2^nd in Best community Float

Highly Commended (3^rd) in Procession teams favourite

Highly Commended (3^rd) in Most Topical Entry.

I hope you all got to see it, if not you’ll find some photos below.

A special thank you to all those who worked so very hard at the make-up sessions, to Travis Perkins who kindly supplied the structure materials and lorry, also Synergy(Weymouth & Portland Housing),Weymouth & Portland Council and Weymouth Harbour side Rotary for funding the project. Also thank you to Value house and Ricol Leisure for help with materials; And of course to our very patient driver on the day.

What an amazing journey we've had, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you all and hope to do so again in the future…..It doesn’t end here folks….We’ll be sending out details shortly of forthcoming projects……..so watch this space….

Me & some of the make up team with a few of the incredible items you have made........

One completed Sea themed panel.

A chorus of sunflowers

Lighthouse is nearly done...............

There obviously is no end to all your creative talent.........

In 1348 it is said that from a Ship docked on Weymouth Quay came rats responsible for spreading the Black Death to England. Come along to Weymouth Carnival and See our colony of knitted rats clambering up the front of our float.......

More knitted items... andWall panel for the garden

A Wall panel complete with snails.
A fully knitted sea panel......................................................

Completed Wall panels made from finger knitting by children at St Andrews and St Johns primary schools.

After an exciting creative workshop with Yr 2 Children attending St Andrews School, the children are now working incredibly hard, making brightly coloured wool chains by finger/thumb knitting.

Then using the Chains to collage a picture panel

For our carnival float.......

.................The children's first trial collage

......Experimenting with various designs

The final design progressing rapidly........SuchFun.....................looking amazing....

Thank you to you all for joining in the fun and making me so very welcome.

Molly Mermaid and Lobster Pot have been on their travels again. Lobster Pot and our first fishing net (made mostly from finger knitting) are now complete. Molly is

making good progress thanks to all the young people

who have helped (finger knit, crochet and plait), at Littlemoor Youth Club, Littlemoor Library and Southill Youth Club. Molly will continue on her travels until she’s complete, so keep a look out for

her.

The last few weeks have been lively with our final workshop at the Park Centre, where everyone is busy continuing with

their themes,( lighthouse, Rose Arch,sea,beach and more).

Thank you all for your continuing support. Just a reminder, there are some make

up sessions at the Park Centre on Sat July 30^th 10am -1pm and Mon 1^st Aug 3.15-5.15, So if anyone out there would like to give us a hand in making up some larger items please drop in.

Ladies at the YMCA Portland gave us a

warmwelcome and were keen to get started. By the end of the session we saw the birth of the lobster pot, eel, rat, flowers and seaweed (finger knitted from green plastic bags).

Thankyou to all for your amazing efforts, a mass of items have now been handed in. Thanks also to Fairways Court Craft Group for their creative pebbles, ladies at Swannery Court, Thursday Art Group(at Park Centre) and Littlemoor for all the incredible fun items you’ve made so far.

I’ve also had the opportunity to help out and share ideas at Westham Methodist Hall Carnival Club. Their float is themed around Noah’s Ark, and already they have completed some fabulous interesting items. I had such fun making some giant feathers from wire and Tutu netting that will help make up a bird of paradise costume. If you are interested in helping with their float, Carnival club is on Fridays 4pm – 6pm, all welcome.

Hi everyone, ‘Let’s make it’ has had another busy week, begining on Monday at the Park Centre workshop. Many attended and all got straight into making (and chatting of course) and started on a rose arch for the garden area of the float.

Thank you to all who handed in made items, red and white squares that will make up the light house, fish , seaweed deck chair and more.

Our giant ammonite is coming on too, one very young man is working extra hard

to complete.

Our lighthouse structure is almost complete

thanks to our community carpenter.

A Photographer from the Dorset Echo attended; hope you’ve all seen the article in the echo on Wednesday.

For the last few days I’ve been challenging my tiny craft sewing machine to help make up a life size mermaid, its poor little motor raced away & didn’t let me down, She’s now complete and ready to be adorned. This began at Littlemoor youth centre on Wed evening. Some young people learned how to finger knit and crochet using

strips of Bright coloured nylon netting to make up her scales and garland.

Others were busy braiding wool that will become mermaids beautiful locks.

She now has a nickname ‘Molly’ .

Some young chaps also got busy making a coffin for our Rat history section at the front of the float. Oh! I know it’s grim but fun too!

We’re hoping to continue working on these at the next workshop

Thursday we were at littlemoor library, where many local people showed interest in our project, and thank you to all who have taken on the challenge of knitting more fish and maybe a rat or two of various sizes.

I've had another busy week, which started with knitting an octopus from a bath mitt pattern and a couple of fish. After rescuing a dropped stitch or two, stuffing and giving them googly eyes, I think they turned out quite well! They certainly got the OK from all who attended my workshop at the Park Centre on Monday afternoon. I'd like to thank all who helped create the hive of activity that lasted all afternoon.

Individuals of all ages, from novice to more

experienced makers shared ideas and skills, some

chose wool and patterns to take home to try

whilst others stayed to chat, knit, crochet

and stitch.

This crab was made in speedy time and completed by the end of the workshop. It is created by cutting sections from a woollen jumper and stitching them around stencils which have been padded out a little to give more shape. The legs are cut from felted material.

This piece of sea weed was crocheted from spare wool and was also completed on the day.

I'm already looking forward to making with you all at the next workshop.

On Thursday the Park Centre Craft Group invited me to give a quick talk about the 'Let's Make it' project' and I'm delighted that many are now involved and busy knitting etc.

They kindly welcome any individuals who would like to go along to their group on Thursdays 10 - 12am to make items for the float.

The next Free workshop is on Mon 18th April at Park Community Centre, Chelmsford St, Weymouth. 3.15 - 5.15pm, All are welcome to come along and see what we're doing and/or join in the fun of creating.

The first weeks of 'LET'S MAKE IT' have been a huge success with many groups & individuals making great efforts and already completing items such as Punch & Judy, Rats, Flowers & more for the carnival float.

Thanks to all participants, the first set of workshops at Southill Day Centre, Fairways Court and Swannery Court have been great fun, we've been sharing ideas, rediscovering long lost skills and learning new ones. By knitting, French knitting, crocheting, building, cutting, glueing and much more, we have seen the birth of many new items to come. E.g. Jubilee Clock, Fossils, grass, sand,

Lighthouse, Sea, Shells and Rocks.

We are looking for more people of all ages to get involved and explore ideas and help make other items for the float or costumes to wear in the procession, e.g.mermaids.

Come on folks:' LET'S MAKE IT'