Starting up

Any suggestions you could offer would be most welcome to help them get off to a good start and perhaps attract more members. Glenys ends by saying ‘I do hope you can help as we really don’t know what we’re doing’. If you run a successful club, do please get in touch.

Hi
I’ve been looking for a machine knitting club since resurrecting my machine after 12 years. I’m interested to know if your club is now up and running and where it is situated?
Petalmum
2012-01-09 12:32:24

brother 950i

I have just bought a second hand brother 950i, I am unable to operate the ribber, the carriage is sticking when the needles pass through, any ideas,

Hi
I’m in no way an expert – but as I’m going through the same process of trying to set up a ribber for the first time with my Brother 950 – I thought I would pass on what I’ve learnt so far.

1) Check your sponge bar on the 950. Make sure there is no “give” on the needles ie. they don’t bounce up an down when you press down on them.

2) Check the alignment of the needles on the main bed and the ribber so that they are directly opposite each other when the swing knob is set to 5 and the pitch lever is set to P for pitch.
3)Check the height of the gap between the ribber and the main bed.

For points 2) and 3) the manual that comes with the ribber is not much use. There is a good article on ebay reviews about adjusting brother ribbers along with photos (http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/KNITTING-MACHINES-PART-2-ADJUSTING-A-BROTHER-RIBBER_W0QQugidZ10000000006613323). There is also an excellent article by Anne Croucher in the Yahoo group KnittingMachines on how to adjust a Brother ribber.

Hope this is of help
Good luck
Marjie

mrs.ferret
2010-01-07 22:09:28
Hi
I’m in no way an expert – but as I’m going through the same process of trying to set up a ribber for the first time with my Brother 950 – I thought I would pass on what I’ve learnt so far.

1) Check your sponge bar on the 950. Make sure there is no “give” on the needles ie. they don’t bounce up an down when you press down on them.

2) Check the alignment of the needles on the main bed and the ribber so that they are directly opposite each other when the swing knob is set to 5 and the pitch lever is set to P for pitch.
3)Check the height of the gap between the ribber and the main bed.

For points 2) and 3) the manual that comes with the ribber is not much use. There is a good article on ebay reviews about adjusting brother ribbers along with photos (http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/KNITTING-MACHINES-PART-2-ADJUSTING-A-BROTHER-RIBBER_W0QQugidZ10000000006613323). There is also an excellent article by Anne Croucher in the Yahoo group KnittingMachines on how to adjust a Brother ribber.

Hope this is of help
Good luck
Marjie

mrs.ferret
2010-01-07 22:09:28

Happy Harrow

She’s been able to help Joyce White (down the road in Bushey) get back to machine knitting and would welcome anyone who used to be a member or would like to return. New faces are especially welcome and for more details call Elaine on 020-8863 7000.

Shades of Cashmere closing down

Hello Anne
I started Shades of Cashmere in August 1997, with about five kilos of Pure Cashmere, two kilos of Cashmere Blends stock and one pattern. All the stock was kept in a spare bedroom and it grew from there into a barn, which many times was full to the rafters with boxes of the most lovely yarns in almost every colour and blend available. Over twelve years later, my how it has grown. Now, after many thousands of kilos of Pure Cashmere and Cashmere Blends, many patterns and quite a few exhibitions, I’m ready for a rest, so it’s retirement for me! With two grandchildren this past two years and two more expected in January, I don’t suppose I’ll have much of a rest, but I will thoroughly enjoy helping out. At last I may get some time to myself to actually get my knitting machine out and use it more often!

I’ve enjoyed running this business, meeting new people and making several friends through the years and had quite a few good weekends away with either Diana, Iris (my mum) or Wendy. Special thanks to them all for the help and support they gave me through the good times and bad. I’ll miss the contact I’ve had with many knitters both machine and hand, plus all the conversations over the phone – ‘knit chats’ as I call them. However, now it’s time to move on. There’s still just a very small amount of yarn remaining and I’d advise a phone call or e-mail to check availability of yarn and postage options and prices before ordering. Some patterns also remain, not many and not all of which have been in Machine Knitting Monthly magazine – although past issues do contain many of them and I’m sure some of them are still available from you, Anne.

So after 12 years of successful trading, Shades of Cashmere is finally closing down. Thank you so much for all your custom during the last 12 years. I feel I’ve made many good friends with customers during that time and will miss the contact with everyone, but it’s time for me to take a break. I’ll continue to sell off the yarn until all of it is sold. So stock up now with some of the best quality yarns you can buy, ready for the coming months of knitting and perhaps for some lovely knitted presents. Happy knitting!
Jane Woodward

New from Nina Miklin

The pattern is available on its own or free with the yarn purchase. Pattern M59 (for machine knitters) or H59 (hand) is a short, sideways knitted jacket in Cashmere and Wool. The yarn is available in nine shades : White, Turquoise 22, Lavender 59, Pink 56, Purple 58, Bright Red 03, Dark Chestnut 30, Melange (Light Beige) 41 and Green 16.

MKM Special offer until 31 Jan 2010
The jacket requires 250g of Nina Miklin Cashmere & Wool yarn blend.
Regular yarn price £47 for 350g of yarn.
Pattern price £3.50 each (M59 for machine knitting or H59 for hand knitting).
Great saving £29.90 for the yarn and either a hand or machine knitting pattern.

Postage
For the pattern only, there’s free postage anywhere if it’s sent as an e-mail attachment.
By post UK 30p, overseas £1
Yarn and pattern Add £2.50 for one 250g cone to UK addresses and add £4 for one 250g cone overseas.

TO ORDER
The yarn and/or pattern can be ordered by post direct from Nina. Don’t forget to include your full name and address plus telephone number and the shade you’d like if you’re ordering yarn. Please enclose a Sterling cheque made payable to Nina A Miklin or send the usual credit card details to Nina Miklin, PO Box 32503, London W3 8GD.

Tel 020 8740 3599

Help please

monthly meetings, friendship and lots more. Thankfully I discovered a paper shop with your magazine. Unfortunately it is closing and so my subscription is in the post. I have made some wonderful contacts in Scotland who have been ever so helpful. For example my Brother electronic ‘died’ even though I had a proper adaptor, but with the help of Jill Baillie and Frances Murray from the Scottish Machine Knitters I was able to borrow a standard punchcard machine. Happiness reigns!

“However I do need help again. I was knitting a jumper from one of the magazines and thought I had the whole cone. I must have used a small amount so I’m looking for Bramwell 4 ply colour Viola – just enough to do part of a sleeve. Of course I’d be willing to pay for the yarn and the mailing. I really enjoy your magazine and look forward to its arrival every month.”” Please email us if you’ve any of the Bramwell yarn she needs.”

Hi Christine

Re: “Does anybody know whether an SRP60 carriage will work on the needlebed of an SRP50?”

Angelica’s Yarn Store website shows a Silver Reed ‘What fits what’ compatibility chart.

The link is http://www.yarn-store.com/silver_reed_studio_what_fits_what.html

Regards, Valerie

Veridian
2011-09-30 20:23:59
Thank you very much Valerie, that has answered my question.
Kind regards, Christine.
chrism44
2011-10-10 19:12:11

New courses

You’re just in time for Festive Flowers & Floral Decorations (5th December) to fill your house with wonderful arrangements in time for Christmas. You’ll complete two different festive floral decorations including door wreaths, garlands and mantelpiece and table arrangements and the tutors are both experienced florists. For more information, contact:

West Dean College, West Dean, near Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0QZ
Tel 01243-811301
E-mail enquiries@westdean.org.uk
Website www.westdean.org.uk

Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting

Scotland’s Fair Isle is celebrated the world over for its distinctive, stranded-colour knitting and Alice Starmore is famous for her expertise in designing and instructing knitters in this appealing regional tradition. This volume is profusely illustrated with colour photographs, plus drawings and charts that illustrate the art’s history, patterns and techniques. The book is a reprint of The Taunton Press Inc, Newtown, Connecticut, 1988 edition and an absolute ‘must have’ if you didn’t buy a copy the first time round. It’s a fabulous bible for every knitter, by hand or machine. There are masses of charts and colourways to keep all knitters busy on a desert island for ever.

ISBN 10 0-486-47218-3
ISBN 13 978-0-486-47218-8
Pages 208 Size 275 x 210 mm
Dover Publications, 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501-3852, USA
Website www.doverpublications.com

Projects for Christmas

I also had the pleasure of taking with me a watercolour painting of Joan and her grand-daughter. It had been copied from the photo of the two of them in October 2009 on page 59. I know you’ll all remember Ruth Cox. When she retired from Pippin Designs, Ruth took up painting as a hobby and I asked her if she’d accept a commission to copy the photo for me. It was absolutely lovely, so it went with me and I was delighted that Joan loved it. It’s to be framed to fill just the right size gap on one of Joan’s walls. Now I need to nudge Ruth’s son Chris into action, because it would be nice to have his cartoons in the magazine again.

My other good news came as a result of Glenys Taylor’s plea for help in the December issue (Clubline, page 10). Joyce Monks has run a very successful club in Warrington for 37 years and she’s offered to be a new Knitting Buddy. Joyce wrote a very useful and popular series on setting up a club from scratch and running it. It was first published in World of Knitting and I’m sure the ideas might help Glenys and others wanting to start a small group. Some of the suggestions may also be useful for giving existing clubs a new lease of life. We’ll bring Joyce’s articles up-to-date and start the series next time. Clubline will therefore take on a new look but please continue to send in your club news, because we’ll include it elsewhere in the magazine.

Now all that remains is for me to join everyone at MKM in sending you the compliments of the season and wishing you a very happy New Year.

Circular yoke for children

Hi,

I’m hoping to knit a sweater with a Fair Isle yoke for my 4 year old daughter. I’m using a Silver Reed machine with a punchcard function and ribber. I have an adult pattern for machine knitting (from Machine Knitting Monthly 1991) which I would like to adapt to her size. I have no clue how to revise the pattern and the yoke in order to make the pattern work for a smaller size. Any suggestions or tips on how to do this or where to find a pattern?

Thanks…

Hello Mariatherese

I know it is rather a long time since you posted your query but I have just found that Kathleen Kinder has Circular Yoke Patterns in her book “A Resource Book Pattern Supplement”. She has drawn blocks for the Knitradar based on a raglan sleeve pattern. Perhaps it would be possible for you to adapt a raglan pattern if you do not have this book.
To shape the yoke she suggests three decrease rows in between the bands of pattern. To do this she recommends decreasing evenly along the row then removing the knitting on waste yarn. Rehang the stitches on to fewer needles – it’s easier when you have already done the decreases then knit the next section.

I hope this helps a bit.

Regards
Sue.

Sue P
2010-05-24 18:40:37
Hello Mariatherese

I know it is rather a long time since you posted your query but I have just found that Kathleen Kinder has Circular Yoke Patterns in her book “A Resource Book Pattern Supplement”. She has drawn blocks for the Knitradar based on a raglan sleeve pattern. Perhaps it would be possible for you to adapt a raglan pattern if you do not have this book.
To shape the yoke she suggests three decrease rows in between the bands of pattern. To do this she recommends decreasing evenly along the row then removing the knitting on waste yarn. Rehang the stitches on to fewer needles – it’s easier when you have already done the decreases then knit the next section.

I hope this helps a bit.

Regards
Sue.

Sue P
2010-05-24 18:40:37