Members – Kāpiti Arts and Crafts

Congratulations from Kāpiti Arts and Crafts Society to Vivien Adams, trophy winner in this year’s NZ Machine Knitter’s Society (NZMKS) competition.

Vivien won the Novice Cup in the 2021 competition which is part of the NZMKS festival, held this year in Stratford. The Machine Knitter’s Society includes members from Australia as well as New Zealand.

To win the cup, entrants have to enter four items: Baby, Adult, Non-garment, and competitor’s own choice. Entries are judged on presentation, fabric and seaming, finishing, design and degree of difficulty. The person who has the most points wins the trophy.

(“Novice” means the member hasn’t entered or won previous competitions, not that they’re a beginning knitter.)

You can see Vivien’s prize-winning work in Kāpiti Gallery’s “Fabulous Fibre” Exhibition in June; it will showcase the work of Kāpiti Arts and Crafts Society spinners, weavers, knitters, fibre artists and felters. Most of the work on display will be for sale.

Vivien, who is a member of Kāpiti Arts and Crafts’ Spinning, Weaving and Knitting group, is also newsletter editor for the NZ Machine Knitter’s Society, and her wonderful children’s knitwear is available through the Kāpiti Arts and Crafts Shop in Raumati Village.

As well as highlighting Vivien’s award-winning creations, the “Fabulous Fibre” exhibition will include traditional kete and other work by our guest artist, basket weaver Mary Moon from Ōtaki. Mary will be at the Gallery on Sundays during the exhibition, demonstrating basket weaving.

Fabulous Fibre exhibition and sale of work – Thursday 3rd to Sunday 27th June 2021

Kāpiti Gallery, 192 Matai Road, Raumati Beach.

Gallery opening hours: 10.00 am to 3.00 pm Thursday to Sunday

Group visits can be arranged outside these hours by contacting the gallery manager.

Kapiti Arts and Crafts Society member, Carol Prockter, was a winner at the NZ Doll Federation convention, with her beautiful Beatrix Potter themed doll. Carol, who belongs to the Dolls ‘n Bears group, was a winner at the Convention in Hamilton in September 2019.

Baby Doll 2

As Carol’s theme was Beatrix Potter, the doll’s knitted toys are Jemima Puddleduck & Mrs Tiggywinkle, and Peter Rabbit is embroidered on her blanket. The lining of her carry basket also features Beatrix Potter characters. She is sitting on a hand knitted cushion with her knitted blanket next to her.

The reproduction porcelain doll is a German baby doll originally made by Kämmer & Reinhardt from years 1912 to 1928+. Carol poured her from a mould taken from a K*R 122 antique doll. She has sleepy eyes and a wobbly tongue.

Her clothes, with the exception of the material petticoat, are hand-knitted in 1 ply wool from a baby knitting pattern called “Princess Marina Layette” printed in the Australian Women’s Weekly of the early 1950s. Because the wool and needles were so fine, Carol reduced the full size baby pattern with modifications, to fit her doll.