AIDS quilt on show

 UK AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT GOES ON SHOW IN TATE MODERN’S TURBINE HALL

From today until 16 June 2025, Tate Modern’s visitors have a rare opportunity to see the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt. Begun around 1989, this vast work consists of 42 quilts and 23 individual panels which represent 384 individuals affected by HIV and AIDS. Laid out in a grid across the entire floor of the Turbine Hall, echoing how it has previously been shown outdoors, it continues to raise awareness of the ongoing AIDS pandemic.

The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is one chapter of the largest community art project in the world. It began in the USA in 1985, when American activist Cleve Jones started inviting people to create textile panels to commemorate the friends, family and loved ones they lost to AIDS. These individual panels were sewn together to create larger quilts, which were then shown outdoors as a form of protest to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. In the late 1980s, Scottish activist Alastair Hume visited San Francisco, where he witnessed an early display of the quilt. When Hume returned home to Edinburgh, he began coordinating the creation and display of a UK version, as many others did around the world. One of its largest public showings was the ‘Quilts of Love’ display in June 1994 at Hyde Park Corner, London, presenting selected panels from the US and the UK, alongside sections created by fashion designers.

UK AIDS Memorial Quilt

12–16 June 2025

Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG

Admission is free

More information at tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

Follow @Tate

Readings of the names featured in the Quilt will take place in the Turbine Hall from 11:00-12:15 and 14:00-15:15 on Saturday 14 June 2025, opened with a poem from Bakita Kasadha.

July 2025 (Issue 330) with Alison Dupernex & Bill King

The summer cardigan on our full-colour July 2025 cover has a great size range (from 82-127cm, 32-50in) and is in our mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines including a pretty kid’s bolero from Anne Baker’s Karabee Collection. Alison Dupernex is an invaluable support and her stunning Fair Isle design uses lots of oddments of different yarns and colours. Bill King creates some intricate diagonal effects with eye-catching samples and after her retirement, Susan Guagliumi’s expertise lives on in the Machine Knit Community, the new custodians of Susan’s invaluable online content. Joan Lafferty gives everyone the courage to use their charting device and we’ve an interesting look at punch lace together with all the usual advice, news and reviews.

NEW DIGITAL VERSION From the January 2025 issue, you can now buy the digital version of the magazine. Just head for the SHOP and select either the hardcopy or downloadable option. The downloadable magazine is just £4 (sterling) for each issue and available straight away. It saves the huge expense and wait for overseas postage, so check it out NOW!

July update

Dear Readers

There’s been lots going on this month and I’ve very much enjoyed chatting to many of you. One of my first calls was from Sue Castro, who was busy doing some late spring cleaning. She’d found a news sheet dated 1871, thought I’d be interested and sent it to me. I was just as spellbound. It was clear the person writing it knew lots about locomotives, but found it hard to both understand and explain how a circular sock machine might work. I think you’ll also be fascinated and it will surely bring your daily chores to a halt for the day!

Jean Pugh from Whitfield MKC in Dover has kept in touch for most of this year, as she’s a volunteer at the East Kent Mencap ScrapStore. You’ll read in Clubline that she’s teaching machine knitting to people with a learning disability, learning difficulty or autism. She’s using a Brother Convertible she borrowed from a friend and it’s an essential part of her teaching. Thanks to Jean’s dedication her students have grown their creativity, gained confidence and developed invaluable skills. However, it’s not easy for many of them, as they don’t have the best dexterity and eyesight. We all know that mid-gauge and chunky machines make it easier to see the needles and move the stitches. So, if your knitting room has one too many machines and your stash would benefit from downsizing, please consider a donation to this very worthy cause. An old chunky machine would be wonderful, or something newer such as an LK150. Jean could then use DK, Aran weight and chunky yarn, as it’s much easier to see the stitches and handle the knitting. If you’ve odds and ends of thicker yarns in your stash, she’d use every inch of it.

Although East Kent Mencap is affiliated to National Mencap, they’re independently registered, governed and self-financed. So if you’d like to support Jean and her splendid work, please make donations directly to East Kent Mencap at Foresters Hall, Meeting Street, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 9RT. Call 01843-808964 for details, or visit www.eastkentmencap.co.uk

Stop press As this issue goes to the printer, I pass on the sad news that Ann Brown has died. Older machine knitters will remember her Posh Frocks designs and, I’m sure, join me in sending our condolences to her family and friends.

NEXT ISSUE August 2025

Subscription copies sent out Thursday 3rd July

On sale Thursday 10th July

Ask your newsagent to reserve a copy or order a subscription NOW!

High quality digital version

NEW DIGITAL VERSION From the January 2025 issue, you can now buy the digital version of the magazine. New high quality downloads of January, February, March, April, May, June and July 2025 are also available. Just head for the SHOP and select either the hardcopy or downloadable option. The downloadable magazine is just £4 (sterling) for each issue and available straight away. It saves the huge expense and wait for overseas postage, so make sure you have a good Wi-Fi connection and check it out NOW at machineknittingmonthly.net/shop/

Pest control

Hi Anne

I thought I’d just pass on a quick word to someone who would sympathise and, more importantly, let others know. I have the moth! I’ve had to check all my cones and throw out anything slightly suspect. Strangely they didn’t seem to go for oiled wool and neither have they a taste for any of my Nina Miklin yarns. (I’m sure she’ll be pleased to hear!) It’s a lesson to be learnt by all and there is still a place for annual spring cleaning! Everyone needs to be checking. As I’ve not been knitting, it never even crossed my mind to do anything as tedious as inspecting my stash for any unwanted friends. Do please let your readers know, Anne and best wishes, Sue

Old friends

Hi Anne

My MKM downloaded on the first attempt this morning, so there was no ironing done this morning! It was just like meeting up with an old friend. We emigrated from London to New Zealand in 2010 and MKM is very hard to find here, so I was very happy to hear that you’ve gone digital. You won’t remember me, because you were surrounded by happy knitters at a Knit & Stitch event in London. I won a free MKM magazine from your stall about 25 years ago and have still got it. That started my journey into a lifetime of clubs, workshops and wonderful new friends. Thank you again Anne and all good wishes, Ann

Beware, it’s a scam!

Dear Anne

Last week we were parked on the access road to a local car park when an officially-dressed man approached us. He told us that as of three days ago the rules had changed and we had to register my Blue Badge to park there. As we hadn’t done so, we must pay £2 at the car park ticket machine so he could cancel a pending fine. Advised by the ‘official’ my husband went to the machine and it swallowed his card. The man asked me to try a different card, which also disappeared into the machine. We then went to move our car. Very soon after a large amount of cash was stolen from each of our bank accounts. Please warn your readers, in case there’s a similar scam in their area. The man was very plausible and it never crossed our minds to grasp what he was doing. Thank you Anne for letting others know and sending you best wishes. (Full name and address supplied.)

I’ve known our reader for a very long time and, together with her husband, they’ve always been exceptionally vigilant and taken every possible care. They were terribly upset to discover they’d been scammed. There was also the added worry of losing their cards along with a lot of money. Additionally, they’d to wait several days for both banks to investigate. In due course it was concluded they were telling the truth, had indeed been robbed and were reimbursed by their banks. They’d not had their Blue Badge for long, so were unsure of all the requirements. Our reader asked me to tell you about her dreadful experience, hoping it may save just one of you from suffering the pain of what’s happened to them.

Grey skies?

Hello Anne

In the February 2025 issue and the pattern for ‘Blue Skies’ on Page 22, only Chart A is shown. I can find no chart for Punch Tuck Rib B. Please help and many thanks, Marjory

Thanks for asking Marjorie, but you only need one card. As you’ll read, it’s the carriage settings that change the pattern.

Free and easy

Hi Anne

I purchased the only e-issue available that had the last segment of the Bill King series on using Knit Leader devices. I am a newer machine knitter and want to learn all I can about the Knit Leader. Is there any way to buy a pdf of the rest of the Bill King series of articles on this topic? Ordering the hard copy issues to be mailed to the USA is prohibitive in cost for me. Also at some point will you be offering electronic subscriptions of your fine magazine? Thank you, Mary

Thanks for asking Mary and the first good news is that a downloadable issue has been available each month since January 2025. It’s high quality and a big file so you need a good Wi-Fi connection.

I’m sorry but you’re mistaken in thinking that the Knit Leader feature was by Bill King. It was written by Ruth Horrocks and if you’ve not come across her before, she’s a Ballroom and Latin dance teacher. She’s also a professional dressmaker and makes competition dresses. It’s why her online shop is on her dance website. Visit athertondancecentre.com, click on Cachet and then follow the link to ruthhorrocksdesigns.co.uk and click on Charting. Ruth has a free download available. It shows you how to create your own basic pattern from your own individual measurements, then how to create tension swatches and use the measurements obtained. You’ll also find a wide selection of her machine knitting designs and techniques. They’re all popular and really lovely.

New hard copy subscriptions

NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS Our magazines are mailed to subscribers on the first Thursday of the preceding month, so our July 2025 issue went out on Thursday 5th June. You’ll find full details of the July magazine in the shop.

If you’d like a new hard copy subscription, it will start with our August magazine. No money is taken with your order and August will be mailed out to subscribers on Thursday 3rd July.

If you’d like to start with an earlier magazine, please buy it as a back issue and you’ll find lots of choice in our shop.

NEW DIGITAL VERSION From the January 2025 issue, you can now buy the digital version of the magazine. Just head for the SHOP and select either the hardcopy or downloadable option. The downloadable magazine is just £4 (sterling) for each issue and available straight away. It saves the huge expense and wait for overseas postage, so check it out NOW at machineknittingmonthly.net/shop/ Please note that, as yet, we don’t have a digital subscription available.