Sneak peak

Just to get some more interest.....

Here's just a sample of some images from the finished project. Please feel free to take them and show them around.

All the best,

Laurie.

Hi folks - we now have the calendar available for you lovely people to buy. Visit www.theknittingnoras.co.uk to buy online via paypal. You can also order the calendar on there and pay by cheque/postal order.

Remember - all the money we raise is going to The Christie - so the more we sell, the better it is for them - please remember us when you're thinking of pressies to fill up those Christmas stockings, and give someone you like a lovely knitting themed treat!!!

xxx

We're a Bit Excited!!! Calendar Launch This Friday!!!

Well, after months of hard work and excitement - this week we will finally be taking delivery of Naked Knitting Calendar 2010. Yes folks, we'll finally be getting hard copies of it, in our actual hands, and what a feast for the eyes it will be!

On Thursday I will be hot-footing it to London for our Official Launch at I Knit Weekender http://www.iknitlondon.com/iknitweekender.html - so if you are going to be there come and say hello, and be one of the first to see it!

On my return there'll be lots of behind the scenes activity getting it ready to go on sale, via the website on Friday 18th September. We'll also be scooting about delivering copies to local stockists, and will give details of where it's available on this blog and on our website: www.theknittingnoras.co.uk

So not long to go now!!!!

The big Shoot

Laurie, Lisa and I arrived at Photolink just before 10am. We had been lucky enough to get use of the Parish Rooms. There was a lot to do, moving equipment and props in and getting the main studio ready. Julian, the studio manager was so helpful. He had put the heating on to warm the building up for us, helped with moving equipment and supplied us with fresh juice, milk and all manner of other refreshments. He even raided one of the other studios for some posh cookies.

Rigging the studio takes time and as we were trying to get a lot done in a short period, it was important to be ready before any of the models arrived. Lisa and I went to collect some extra lights from Calumet, a professional photographic equipment supplier. They had kindly agreed to loan us some lights for free for the day.

Then we got the unfortunate news that a client needed the studio from 3:30, cutting or time by 3 hours. This meant that we would have to stick to our original shot list and would not have the time to play with ideas. It would also mean that two of the models would not be able to make it. The final, final shoot, for Adam and Francesca will take place at the weekend.

Deb, Jan, Jacky, Linda and Bev arrived at different times to allow us to set up the lighting for each different person. Jacky was surprised that Laurie took so few photos. With a static pose, professional photographers do not click away 'hoping' to get the right shot, they know what they want and stop when they've got it. Before the digital age, when negatives or even glass plates were used, photographs were carefully composed and only one or two were taken. It is different if there is movement and it can take many attempts to get just the right swing in the cloth, swirl of hair and expression from the model. There are some hilarious shots of me to prove this. You never know, we may even do an out-takes gallery once the calendar is on sale.

Just as we were about to start loading the car, a camera man from Granada Television appeared. We were graciously given a little longer to set up a mock shoot and be filmed and interviewed. We don't know when this footage will be aired, but we'll let you know as soon as we do. We were promised a DVD as well, which I'm sure will find it's way onto You Tube.

It was a fantastic and successful shoot which would not have been possible without everyone's generosity, enthusiasm and time.

We were very tired by the time we got home, but very satisfied with a great day's work.

A Shoot in Manchester

So, tomorrow is the day of our last and biggest shoot. All is ready in the props, knitting and crochet department, so we can concentrate on creating some fabulous images.

We have been given a studio at Photolink in Manchester for the whole day. We don't know which studio yet, but they are all wonderful. A customer has reserved two studios, as they are not sure which will best suit their needs. We get the one they don't choose.

Thursday and Friday will be spent sorting images and getting them to Nel, our graphic designer. He's used to tight deadlines and will have the production sorted for us as quickly as he can.

I will try to document the day with some photos, so you can see what we get up to.

Printing Funds

As hinted in the last post, we have been given an amazing donation towards our printing costs. It will make a big difference as we approach our final shoot and preparations for printing.

James Litchfield is the Managing Director of LCM Wealth Management Ltd and he has donated a fabulous £1500 to the calendar. Wow!

These funds will be put into use very soon. We are hoping to launch the calendar in London in mid September (more news on that soon :-) which means we will have to get everything done in the next week or so.

We have a top graphic designer from Manchester who has offered to design the layout of the calender for us. He's used to tight deadlines, so we've no worries there.

One for the girls!

Hello avid naked knitting blog readers!

I thought it was about time we posted a bit of knitting male nakedness on here. This is a shot of the lovely Sean - a fairly new Knitting Nora (or Norman?).

This is a PR shot so won't be appearing on the calender, but the plan is for Sean to be appearing on a month, so if you like what you see, you'll definately be wanting to buy one won't you?

That being the case, to secure a copy of the calender please do pop along to our website http://www.theknittingnoras.co.uk/ to register your interest. If you go to the Naked Calender page, there is a form on there where you can leave your details and reserve a copy of the calender (which we expect to be available from the middle of September).

No payment is required yet - so what's stopping you? It's also a great help to us in terms of knowing how many calenders to print!

That's enough waffle from me, I'll let you get back to the serious knitting photograph I posted for you....enjoy!!

Raising Funds

We have been very touched by how generous people are with their time and energy. One aspect of the calender that needs cold hard cash, is the printing. Deb decided to start the ball rolling and held a Knit In at her home, with yarn swishing, raffles and donated goodies to buy. You can read all about it here on Jan's blog.

It was a fantastic effort and everyone had a lovely evening.

Jan has been crocheting for donations, Jen has been sewing bags and things to sell, Bev held a raffle at work, lots of people are making cup cakes to sell. It's fantastic.

Some The Noras travelled down to Coventry for Ravelry Day. Deb came back with wonderful news. She had been promoting the calender and met someone who was willing to sponsor us. In return for their logo on the calender they offered a large sum of money towards the printing costs. This was awesome news indeed. Well done Deb.

Once we have the funds in our coffers, I will tell you all about it.

More donations :-)

Debbie at DT Crafts very kindly dyes up some special yarn for one of the calendar shots. We needed a fair quantity and she was happy to do more if we needed it.

It was taken to Jan who worked her magic with a crochet hook and created this beautiful fabric. It isn't finished in this shot, but you can read more about it on Jan's blog. We are extremely grateful for all her hard work as this was a very big project.

Noras on Film

Well, we may have ended up on the cutting room floor, but the production company were kind enough to send us copies of our clips. Many thanks to Bev and Sal for getting them up on You Tube.

You can see the first clip here and the second here.

Watch Us

Set your alarms and  recorders for;

The Calendar Girls, 10 Years On

BBC 1

9 pm

Thursday 4th June 2009

If you can't catch it then, it should also be available on BBC iplayer.

BBC

Yesterday a crew from the BBC joined us for a photo shoot and a Knit Out. The Beeb is producing a documentary about The Calendar Girls, 10 Years On and we are going to be in it. This is fantastic promotion for us as the programme will be aired nationally.

We had a fantastic turn out at the studio. Once again the gallery opened their doors and welcomed us all in. Deb, Jan, Bev, Linda, Francesca, Adam, Lisa and I donned our dressing gowns, for modesty and practiced posing for the camera.

The crew, a camera man, sound guy and producer, took great care to film our busy hands and wonderful creations as well as us posing. Most of us were asked questions on camera and we were all filmed happily chatting and knitting, or crocheting while we waited our turn. Jan's hook was never still and she made great progress on her latest project. Deb finished one piece and was busy casting on a second and Bev's huge snugly wrap continued to grow. 

We will post exact details of when the programme is to be shown, once they have been confirmed.

The Word is Spreading

The word is out! We are being featured in many knitting magazines and there are more to come. 

Rowan devote a whole page of May 09's newsletter, giving us a very detailed write up.

We have been nominated as 'Charity of the month'  in Let's Knit. They say we are 'going the full monty'.

Knitting's heading was 'Get Your Knit Off!' and called us a group of 'feisty females'.

We are from 'the naughty north' in Simply Knitting

We are very grateful for the coverage in these magazines and look forward to articles when the calendar is on it's way.

Pr shot

Not a bad start eh?

Well done Lisa, Bev and Vicky.

All the best,

Laurie.

Second PR Shoot

With all the media interest we have been getting, we thought we needed a few more publicity shots. Rivington Park Creative Centre were very generous again and let us use the studio once more.

This time, Lisa and I were joined by Bev and Sean. Yes, our first male model!  We had about 3 hours in the studio. We tried some more adventurous lighting and made the most of the space.

Here is the studio before we settled in.

Laurie set up the lights and we spread out our knitted and crocheted props.

There was stuff everywhere!

Then we set to work and had a very successful shoot.

No photos to show just yet...

The Nora's get the first viewing tonight at the Blundell Arms Knit Out.

Drop by tomorrow and there will be some gorgeous 'naked knitting' shots for you to see!

Donations Part 7

Rowan were very generous too. The photos show just one ball of each of the colours we received. This yarn has a metallic strand shot through it to give it sparkle. It's called 'Soft Lux' and is indeed soft. A lot of this yarn is already being knitted into something amazing for the calendar. It's going to look fabulous. Thank you Rowan.

Heaps of Wool

This wonderful pile of skeins and balls was donated by Jamieson & Smith Shetland Wool Brokers. They are 2 ply lace weight pure wool and show just some of the array of colours available. There are already plans for some of this yarn, but those are secret for now! Thank you for this generous gift.

And Another!

Debbie, also known as Skein Queen, sent us a luxurious skein of '4 ply plus' yarn called Elegance. It is a  blend of merino, bamboo, silk and nylon in a wonderful colour called 'Lantern Parade'. This soft yarn with it's subtle sheen could become a scarf, shawl, gloves or socks. Thank you Debbie, we love it.

More Donations :-)

From Ruth at Black Cat Fibres, we have received three skeins of BFL Aran in a warm, rich red. What shall we make with these? There is 498 meters of wooly goodness to create with. Thank you Ruth, it's lovely.

Donations Part 3

These vibrant, zingy skeins were donated by Laal Bear. There is enough sock yarn here to make a snazzy pair of socks. Thank you so much Ursula for these bright, happy skeins. 

Donations part 2

This wonderful yarn was hand spun by Woolforbrains.  It's soft and squishy with a subtle graduation of colour. Caroline plied two shades of pink alongside a deep red. There are 350 yards in two skeins. Thank you  Woolforbrains for your donation and kind wishes.

Donations

A short while ago, requests for donations of yarn and knitting notions were sent out to many UK suppliers. There has been a generous response and some wonderful yarns have arrived in the Noras' letter boxes. 

These are either going to be used to create props for the calendar or as part of the backdrop. We have a few ideas for any goodies that are left after the calendar is completed, which will go towards increasing the monies raised.

The yarn above is 3000 meters of Infinity Silk Lace from Fyberspates. The colour is Lagoon and some of this skein is destined to be combined with wire and beads. Many thanks to Jeni for letting us select the yarn we required for a particular image.

The Word is Out!

On the morning of Thursday 19th March The Knitting Noras were invited along to Channel M to talk about the Naked Knitting 2010 project.

It was a bright and sunny morning, Jan, Bev and Lisa were appearing on the show, and Eadaoin and Beck accompanied them for moral support and general noseying.

Staff and presenters at the studios gave us a very warm welcome and it was an interesting experience for all of us. View the interview here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0wzyHg7FIc to see how Ladybird Murphy the Sock Monkey stole the show! Thanks to Channel M for such an enjoyable experience, in particular for the much needed coffees, and for making a special effort for Beck (age 9), showing him how the cameras worked and other, behind the scenes action!

We've also been on BBC Radio Manchester this week - Jen and Bev can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR47Bo6gf7M Check out the picture of Linda with her knitted breasts!

We've also been on Radio 2, and as soon as our experts behind the scenes (errr....Sal, help?) get on to it, we'll post details of that also.

So watch out people, we're everywhere, The Knitting Noras - coming soon to a TV/Radio/Park Bench near you!

Our First Shoot

We had a wonderful afternoon at the Rivington Park Creative Centre, for our first shoot. 

As you can see can see we're not revealing much yet! 

This was a shoot for some publicity photos and we only did a few. There is an individual 'knitting' shot of Lisa, Francesca and I and this group pose. We did an awful lot of laughing, a little dancing and even a bit of knitting. 

For the main shoot when we want to do the majority of the photos, we will need a much bigger studio. Laurie is going to investigate some possibilities in Manchester. We are aiming to do that in a couple of months, which gives us plenty of time to source and make props. 

We will probably do some more mini shoots for PR material and photos for here and the website. The actual calendar shots will remain secret until the launch.

Models

We are on our way!

The studio is booked.

The photographer is ready... for anything!

But are we?

Here are some tips for those of us who will be whipping off their kit;

Don't Panic!

Have a 'pamper' a day or so before.

Wear lose clothing to the shoot. as we don't want any unsightly marks.

Bring a dressing gown and slippers.

Remember any props you may already have. Shawls, scarves, hats, gloves, socks, wraps, blankets and any other knitted or crocheted items can be used to cover a multitude of things!

And of course, bring a WIP to keep you occupied or even to pose behind ;-)

So....... who's ready for Monday 2nd March?

The Knitting Noras Have Lost a Very Special Friend

The founder member of The Knitting Noras was Sarah Richards. She has been very ill with breast cancer recently, and this was one of the reasons we were doing calender and the proceeds being given to a cancer charity. Sadly Sarah lost her brave battle yesterday on the morning of Friday 13th February. Needless to say all the Noras are very sad, and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this time. It makes our efforts all the more poignant I guess. Here are a few pictures of Sarah enjoying herself at this years' Larmer Tree Festival, where she taught many people to knit, kept us all laughing, and generally had a jolly good time. We were so lucky to know this wonderful lady. One of my fellow Noras sent me this today in an email: "Just hope... that she's sitting comfortably on a big fluffy cloud now, knitting more big fluffy clouds from some fabulous stash. With a beer in her hand and a big chunk of vegan cake." I hope so too. Lisa x

Where did we begin?

Lisa and I have enjoyed a game of 'extreme knitting' for a few years now, not really competeting, just enjoying the challenge.  Each of us trying to find the weirdest or funniest place to take out our pins.  I'm fairly certain that Lisa has out done me in the strangest place category. 

We have shinned up trees and scaffolding, sat on lions, sat with darleks and dinosaurs, knitted in the tub and in transparent canoes, rocked in hammocks and climbed down rocks in quarries.

 This lead us to the theme of naked knitting.  

At this month's Knitting Noras monthly Knit Out, the ideas for naked knitting were in much abundance. Everyone was indeed inspired. There was much merriment and laughter. We had lots of great ideas for poses, locations and props and also for themes. We did get a little carried away with some very silly ideas too. I did wonder what the other customers in the cafe made of us.

So, at the moment we are gathering and refining our ideas. Do you have a knitting/crochet/yarn/spinning related idea for our calendar? Do we feature a fiber or colour a month? Could we be knitting naked in the great outdoors?  Do we go for the glamourous film star look?

 

Everyone seems very keen........

...on the idea of getting their kit off! Well, not everyone, but suffice to say we have been overwhelmed by the offers of people willing to take part by being on the calender. Well done girls.......and boys!

Just to illustrate exactly how keen we are - one of our Knitting Noras couldn't wait and got at it straight away. Here is a picture of our lovely Jan to brighten your day.

If you want to send a picture of your naked knitting (all in the best possible taste of course) for publishing here please send to: stormina_teacup@hotmail.co.uk

What's it all about!

To have fun.

To be creative.

To raise money for a great cause.

We have been 'extreme' knitting for a few years, laughing as we tried to outdo each other with outrageous places to knit. A series of 'naked' knitting pictures was discussed many times. The thought grew to a calendar, when we were inspired by the fabulous WI ladies in their naked calendar.

So, here we are at the beginning of our foray. 

Please join us on this adventure, it's going to be great.

The mighty Naked Knitting project for 2010!

Madness!

The fun starts here.