August fun day

On 10th August, from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, V V Rouleaux will be at The Makery in bath with Sewisfaction and their fabrics to hold a pop-up shop. There will be a selection of £5 workshops all day long and V V Rouleaux will also have lots going on, including goodie-bags with every purchase. Oh, and there will be cake! The Makery is at Beau Nash House, 19 Union Passage, Bath, North East Somerset BA1 1RD or call 01225-581888.

August 2019 – Current issue

Our cover design is a pretty cropped cardigan in King Cole Giza Cotton 4-ply. There’s a similar sweater design, both are easy to knit and for a large size range. We’ve a selection of ten designs and we include details for converting our patterns for knitting on standard gauge machine​s​. If your summer knitted wardrobe needs a new zest for life, a cool citrus hue will instantly add a fresh new flavour says Sally-Ann Carroll and Bill King reminds us that tape yarns make a little effort go a long way. Fay Butcher shares an easy pattern for E6000 and Duo machines and we refurbish an old chair in a splendid Artika tartan. You’ll also want to catch up with Linda Jackson and rediscover your love of Artika Designs with our great reader offer. Claire Newberry shows us how to design a motif in DesignaKnit and then put it into a repeat and we always ​include news, books and fashion plus great reader savings on new craft books from Search Press.

Taunton MK Workshop

Taunton Machine Knitting Club is holding a Knit-a-Long Workshop with Anne Lavene on Tuesday 20th August from 2.00 pm. There will be a shared meal where everyone brings something and an evening demo by Anne, finishing at around 9.00 pm. The cost is £20 for the day or £8 for the evening and five spaces are available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. For further details of what to bring and so on, contact Mary on 01823 442453.

Knit To Finish

Nina Miklin has a new design (M216) with a scallop trim featured in her new Book No. 4. Knitted in stocking stitch with plating gives a beautiful mottled effect. The fabric is compact, but very light. Most machines have a plating feeder and here’s a great opportunity to use it. The pattern is in four sizes from small to extra-large and suitable for standard gauge single bed machines at £5.40 for a printed version and £4.50 as a PDF email attachment. Book No. 4, with 39 colour pages, is £14.50 for a PDF download. Email Nina for more details or to order.

Special reader offer For a short while, the PDF pattern and yarn is available as a kit (£42) for MKM readers, to include 250g of Roma Extra Fine Merino Wool wound double in each of two colours, Shade 08 Black, Shade 17 Soft White plus 40g in contrast for the scallop trim. (The full shade range is on her website.) For lots more details or to order, write to Nina at PO Box 71930, London NW2 9QZ.

Tel 020-8455 1996

Email nina.miklin@virgin.net

Website www.exclusiveyarns.co.uk



Learn to machine knit


Learn how to use a machine and make your own knitwear in a four-hour, one-to-one lesson with designer Ria Burns. She’ll teach you the basics and talk about the different machines available. If you’ve a bit more experience, she can tailor a workshop to suit, such as punchcard pattern design. Workshops are in Ria’s studio at Bristol Textile Quarter at a date that’s convenient for you. Email hello@riaburns.co.uk for details. Bristol Textile Quarter is at Ground Floor, 1A Barton Road, St. Philips, Bristol BS2 0LF.

July 2019 Subscriptions

This is July 2019 and our current issue.

New subscription If you select a new subscription, it will start with the August 2019 magazine, to be mailed out to subscribers on Thursday 4th July. If you’d like to start with this July issue, you need to order a Subscription Bundle.

Subscription bundle If you select a subscription bundle, it will start with our current July 2019 magazine and we’ll send you a copy straight away. Your magazine will then be mailed direct from the printer on the first Thursday of each month and the August 2019 issue goes out to subscribers on Thursday 4th July.

June update

Dear Readers

On behalf of all the exhibitors, the first thing I’d like to do this month is thank everyone who supported the Nottingham Show this year. Our talks were popular and we’d a very enjoyable day. The staff looked after us well and, once again, The Olive Pot provided some excellent refreshments. Many visitors placed Wendy Piper in a dilemma, urging her to rethink her decision to close her business. Knits ‘n’ Bits has been well-liked by many machine knitters and it will be a blow for our craft to lose Wendy, so we sent her home with lots of thinking to do in the weeks ahead.

           Since last month, I’ve been in touch with Linda Jackson of Artika Designs. Reader Sheila Thody found a tatty chair in a local secondhand shop and, using her Brother 836 and a punchcard design from Artika Designs, she’s transformed it into a great piece of furniture. In the August issue we’ve full step-by-step instructions with photos to show you how Sheila renovated her chair. To encourage you to get going with home furnishings, Linda will offer a set of any three books chosen from Tartans Tweeds and Checks, Designs for Interiors, Fabric Weaves, Eastern Promise, Optical Illusions and Colourwash Fabrics. You can see all the designs in the collections on her website at www.Artika.co.uk so start looking now, to whet your appetite and take your machine knitting in a slightly different direction.

            Thinking about different things to do with our machines, we’ll also include an exclusive design from Tony Bennett of Dormani Yarns next month. Tony returns to the UK in September, to end the courses held at Metropolitan. This a the last opportunity to take part in a Tony Bennett course in the UK, so call 01270-628414 now or email metromachineknit@btconnect.com to ask if any places are still available. Sadly Carol and Mark have both suffered from serious health problems in recent times, which prevents them continuing to run Metropolitan. Tony’s visit is to be the final event and will bring Carol and Mark’s 30 years of trading to an end, on a special high note. Turn to Page 11 for full details of where to find Metropolitan and what’s still on offer. Do please support them, before their doors finally close in September.

           With summer on its way and much to tempt you next month, it’s time to ‘keep knitting’!

August 2019

Subscription copies will be sent out

Thursday 4th July

We’re officially on sale

Thursday 11th July

Ask your newsagent to

Reserve a copy now

July 2019 – Current issue

Our cover design is a pretty summer top in King Cole Opium. There’s a similar sweater design, both are easy to knit and cover a large size range from 72-76 cm (28-30 in) to 112-117 cm (44-46 in). We’ve 10 designs and a co-ordinating cardigan and sweater for Passap machines. As always, we include details for converting all our patterns for knitting on standard gauge machine​s​. Sally-Ann Carroll reminds us to add one or two key pieces to freshen up our summer wardrobe and Bill King has come up with a brand new basic pattern. Fay Butcher’s Passap knowledge will help anyone using a double bed machine and Tony Bennett uses up cone ends for a couple of fashion pieces. A new feature this month is to use a knitting machine for home comforts and you’ll love our easy blackout blind for the summer months. We always ​include news, books and fashion and have great reader savings on new craft books from Search Press.

June 2019 – Issue 257

Our cover design is one of two chic patterns, with or without sleeves, in 4-ply cotton. Both are easy to knit and cover a large size range from 71-76 cm (28-30 in) to 112-117 cm (44-46 in). We’ve 14 designs, with lots in 4-ply, and we include details for converting all our patterns for knitting on standard gauge machine​s​. Sally-Ann Carroll reminds us that floral prints are out in bloom and Bill King can already hear the purists ‘tutting – but let’s live with his great ideas. We welcome Fay Butcher from Sydney, Australia, as a new regular contributor and her expertise will help all Passap knitters. Joan Lafferty confesses all and we pass on ideas, tips and how to knit 3, 5 and 7 stitch cords in Dear Anne. We always ​include news, books and fashion and have great reader savings on new craft books from Search Press.

May 2019 – Issue 256

Our May 2019 cover design and short-sleeved version in this lovely summer yarn are easy to knit and cover a large size range from 71-76 cm (28-30 in) to 112-117 cm (44-46 in with the actual measurement 128 cm, 50¾ in). We’ve 15 designs and we also include instructions for converting all our patterns for knitting on standard gauge machine​s​. Iris Rowe introduces a new friend to the Toy Box, Sally-Ann Carroll reminds us to ‘think pink’ for spring and Bill King creates open fabrics on machines without a lace carriage. Karin Rogalski has designed some great hats to use up left-over yarn quickly and Helen Lewis helps newbies, step-by-step, to knit their first sweater. We’ve masses of ideas, top tips and golden oldies in Dear Anne and we always ​include news, books and fashion. We also have a special reader discount on new craft books from Search Press.