Tom Baker doll

Here's my new Doctor Who doll! Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor, scarf-wearing hero of my 1970s childhood.

He's wearing his trademark scarf, which I knitted using vintage 1970s yarn from deep in the depths of my yarn stash. You know you sometimes inherit ancient bits and pieces of yarn from friends and relatives? Hang onto it, this is what it's useful for.

I made his curly hair from alpaca wool, which holds a curl beautifully and looks pretty much like the Tom Baker mop in both colour and texture.

Tom Baker is currently for sale in my Etsy shop and I have also made another Matt Smith doll, also for sale. More Timelords to come!

Stroll for Solidarity

 The phone box in Worthing's Styne Gardens has been given a fantastic knitted makeover by Worthing and Arun Mind and Blueprint 22. It's all wrapped up in shades of blue and white in honour of the Stroll 4 Solidarity, a 5k seafront walk taking place this Sunday,  23rd September 2012.

There were people crossing over the road from the seafront and  peering through the phonebox windows at all the little knitted flowers inside. It's really worth a look if you're in Worthing town centre over the coming week.

The Stroll 4 Solidarity starts at 10.30am on Sunday. "Everyone’s invited to go along and take part, regardless of their age or physical ability. There will be markers and marshalls along the route so that you can tailor the distance as required.  Show your support by getting some exercise in the great outdoors which is good for your emotional wellbeing." It's free to join in and show your support of this vital local charity, but if you want to get sponsorship, that would be even better, and you can download a sponsorship form here.

Once the display is over, the knitted cosy will be taken down and turned in blankets for the homeless.

 Just goes to show, graffiti knitting can be fun and help good causes at the same time.

David Bowie doll

 Here's the first of my new doll designs for the autumn: say hello to this David Bowie doll, created from my own pattern. He's approximately 11 inches long and is based on the Diamond Dogs cover.

I was inspired to knit him because I have been knitting Doctor Who dolls over the summer and it struck me one afternoon, while listening to Bowie and knitting Matt Smith, that during his prime, Bowie was actually a sort of Time Lord. He regenerated into something completely different every few years, with Ziggy Bowie being as different from Let's Dance Bowie as Patrick Troughton is as different from Peter Davison. Everyone has their favourite incarnation. (Sylvester McCoy would probably be Tin Machine. You have to be a rather dedicated fan to like either).

If you'd like to give this rock Time Lord a home, he is currently lounging around my Etsy shop.

Oh yes - one bonus feature of this doll is that if you want to have a knitted version of the pre-censorship album art, you can put Mr Bowie's tail between his legs and you have an anatomically correct dog. If you know what I mean...

Worthing Knit and Natters

Worthing may be a small and sleepy Sussex town, but blimey, there's a lot of crafty things going on. Here's a list of groups meeting up for coffee, knitting, sewing and general socialising in Worthing at the moment. Listings are organised according to the day of the week. Contact the organisers to check events are running before packing up your needles and heading out. Have I missed out anyone? Hope not. Let me know if I have!

Hook Knit and Sip, 2nd Monday of the month, 10.30am - 12.30pm at St Paul's

"Coffee or Tea, Crochet or Knit, the choice is yours!" This small group has only recently started - mostly crochet beginners but knitters welcome too! Pop over to Facebook and say hello to Magscraft for more info.  St Paul's Centre, 55b Chapel Road, Worthing BN11 1EE.

Knit and Natter, every Tuesday evening 7pm - 9pm at The Wool Bar

A very, very popular meet-up at Worthing's spiritual home of knitting, The Wool Bar. "Bring your current project, meet others, relax and enjoy the company, as we put the world to rights!" It can get rather busy, warns Caroline. The Wool Bar, 15 Warwick Street, Worthing  BN11 3DF

Knit and Natter at Worthing Library, 1st Wednesday of the month 10 - 11.30am
"Come to the Library to meet new people and share your craft creations."
Worthing Library, Richmond Road, Worthing BN11 1HD

Seabelles Knit and Natter "This year we are meeting the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Thomas A Becket pub in Worthing 7 – 9pm. It's lots of fun and you are more than welcome to bring crochet, sewing or even just turn up for a natter, glass of wine and some inspiration." You can check the dates here on the Seabelles blog.

Meet and Make, every Thursday morning, 10am - 12pm at Coast

A lovely, chilled mix of crafters of all ages. Of course I'm going to say that because I help organise this one. Come along and say hello to a friendly and supportive group of knitters, crocheters, cross stitchers and crafters. Whatever craft you can bring to Coast is most welcome! We're usually stitching away at the big table downstairs. Every Thursday apart from school holidays (we used to meet on Tuesday but have changed dates). Photo of Chi Chi Revolver by uber-blogger Ivy Arch. Coast Cafe, Beach Parade, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2ES

Make and Munch, last Thursday of the month at Green Cuisine.

"Once a month a group called Make n' Munch gets together to be creative, learn new skills (eg knitting, crochet, pumpkin carving, drawing, card making, sewing etc), and complete various community projects. Open to "ladies of any age who like craft, art and being creative." Make and Munch is organised by Storm Ministries, the people behind that beautiful garden full of yarnbombing in Union Place. Green Cuisine, 37 Rowlands Road, Worthing, BN11 3JJ

Worthing Renaissance WI meet at the Scout Hut in Anglesea Road. "Our first aim is to create a new and exciting group for women who wish to talk, learn, share, create, help local projects, have fun... and enjoy the occasional tipple, a nice hot cuppa and of course cake!" They meet on the last Thursday of every month at 8pm.

Meet and Make at Broadwater Library, every Friday, 10.45am -12pm
"People can bring in their own craft projects, which could include knitting, quilting, painting or model making, or come and find inspiration for a new one. The sessions are a great opportunity for people to share their skills and socialise. There is also a selection of craft books available for people to browse and borrow."
Broadwater Library, Dominion Road, Broadwater, Worthing BN14 8JL

Durrington Knit and Natter at Durrington Library, 1st Friday of the month, 11am - 1pm

"Do you enjoy knitting, crochet, cross stitch, embroidery or any other kind of stitching? Would you be interested in meeting like minded people sharing knowledge, or nattering about your stitching?"

Durrington Library, Salvington Road, Worthing  BN13 2JD

Worthing Women's Institute also run monthly lunch clubs and craft groups - contact them for more details.

There's also often local groups looking for knitters to get involved with various charity projects. Caroline at The Wool Bar often organises charity knits, so get in touch with her to see what's going on. Transition Town Worthing's Reskilling group have knitted blankets for Worthing Churches Homeless Project in the past and sometimes run knit and natters and workshops.

Hope that's enough Worthing knitting to keep you busy for a while!