2021

August 2021 update

Dear Readers

This month, many of us around the world have had to endure temperatures we never imagined were possible, so you may think the heat has gone to my head when you see a pattern for fingerless gloves in Stash Box. In the UK, at least, the heatwave has subsided but winter in the southern hemisphere starts on 1st June and ends on the 31st August. It’s perhaps why the pattern on Page 37 has been the most requested in a long time and, before too long, we’ll also need it in the UK. The feature on Page 52 has also been a ‘hot’ topic of conversation amongst knitters using Japanese machines, who feel totally confused by our Passap Special articles. I’ve often included the quick table of lock conversions, but it’s time to explore the workings of Passap and Japanese machines more deeply. As you’ll see, it’s the first of three parts and the other two will follow on.

Plating is another mystery topic for many machine knitters and I giggled as I remembered Joan Lafferty arguing the toss about the spelling. Whether your manual calls it, ‘plating’ or ‘plaiting’, it’s all the same thing! We’ve an in-depth look at the technique for Brother and Silver Reed machines including the LK-150, together with the chance to try it out by knitting an easy gilet design from Alison Dupernex.

Many of you will know that I’ve been very close friends with Hilary at Busy Bee for most of the time she ran the business with her mum, Barbara. We’ve seen our children grow up together, but life has dealt Hilary and her family more than its fair share of knocks. Hilary lost her mum in April 2011, then decided to close Busy Bee Basics and retire in July 2017. Now, just a few years later, Hilary’s husband David has sadly died. In the heady days of machine knitting, David kept the home fires burning whilst Hilary and her mum travelled up and down the country from one show to another. He looked after their daughter Laura and saw her blossom into a wife and mother. We included photos of Laura and Liam’s wedding in our January 2019 magazine and they’ve been the happiest of families, especially since welcoming baby James into their lives. Hilary had Laura by her side at the hospital, as David slipped away peacefully. Their few short years of retirement together had been very happy and to lose him so soon has been a tragedy. Hilary, Laura and David’s remaining family and many friends are devastated and Hilary must now face the future on her own. There will be some consolation in sharing fond and loving memories with Laura, Liam and James as he grows up, of a loving husband, wonderful dad and grandad. Rest in peace David and we send our sincere condolences to Hilary, her family and all their friends at this very sad time.

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October 2021

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Location, location

Dear Anne

After getting back into knitting over lockdown, I’ve just upgraded and bought a ‘new to me’ electronic machine. I’ve never used one before, so reading the instruction manual has been an essential part of my learning curve. One instruction tells me to: “Knit another row when the sound ‘pee’ is emitted”, so my husband suggested I should move my machine a bit closer to the loo! Best wishes, Davina in Brighton

Pillow talk

Dear Anne

Old pillowcases are my favourite machine knitting accessory. I keep a grubby one as a ribber cover and a clean one to hold all my knitted garment pieces until I’m ready to put them together. Happy knitting, Sheila

Take note

Dear Anne

As the price of greetings cards seems to be going up and up, why not substitute with something practical that’s not necessarily for a knitting friend. I buy notebooks and often stick colourful things on the cover. A small book with colourful pictures of food is excellent to use for shopping lists and there will be a million times when a notebook will be essential for a machine knitter. Best wishes, Lynda

Chill out

Hello Anne

I hope this email finds you fit and well and thank you for the mention in the March edition of MKM. It’s brilliant of you and thanks also for the article on full needle ribs. I’m as indecisive as ever and know I’ll just have to try to do them. In the meantime, I’ve been asked to knit some mittens for children. It’s many years since I’ve done mittens and I can’t fully remember how the thumb was done. All the patterns now seem to be for hand knitting so is there any way you could help me again, please? Keep up the good work and many, many thanks, Marilyn

We surprised ourselves, Marilyn at just how long ago we may have published a straightforward pattern for children’s mittens, so here’s a stash box knit. Knit them on any standard gauge machine with a ribber or work ribs in mock rib. You’ll need an oddment of 3-ply wool or fine 4-ply plus safety pins and stitch holders. The tension is fairly tight, to keep the child’s hands nice and warm.

Measurements Length 16 [17.5, 19] cm, 6½ [7, 7½] in.

Tension 30 stitches and 44 rows to 10 cm, 4 in measured over stocking stitch with tension dial around 5.

RIGHT MITTEN With carriage at right and using MY, cast on 36 [40, 44] sts at centre of machine in 1×1 rib. K 5 tubular rows. Carriage is at right. Set machine for 1×1 rib knitting. Set RC at 000. Using MT-3/MT-3, K 24 rows. Transfer sts for st st. Set RC at 000. Using MT, K 2 rows. Shape sides by inc 1 st (2 sts in) at each end on next and every foll 4th row until there are 44 [48, 52] sts. K 3 rows. K 1 row extra for Left Mitten *.

** Thumb opening Using a length of WY, K 7 [8, 9] sts at extreme left as for a buttonhole. K 20 [24, 28] rows. Shape top Push 22 [24, 26] Ns at left to HP. Cont on rem sts. When shaping in HP, always take yarn round first inside N in HP to prevent a hole forming and push 1 N at opposite end to carriage to HP on next 10 [12, 14] rows. Break off yarn. Push Ns to HP. With carriage at left, push 22 [24, 26] Ns at left from HP to UWP. Push 1 N at opposite end to carriage to HP on next 10 [12, 14] rows. Break off yarn. Push all Ns from HP to UWP. K 1 row. Slip sts onto 2 stitch holders and graft. THUMB Place 7 [8, 9] st loops from thumb opening on 2 safety pins. Push 15 [17, 19] Ns to WP. With P side facing, replace sts from safety pins on to 7 [8, 9] Ns at each edge and pick up 1 st at centre. Using MY, K 18 [20, 22] rows. Break off yarn, leaving long end. Thread end through sts, release from machine, draw up sts and secure **.

LEFT MITTEN Work as for Right Mitten to * noting alteration in number of rows worked, then from ** to ** reversing shaping by reading right for left. Join side and thumb seams. Press.

Test strip

Dear Anne

I am in need of sponge strips for the sponge bars on my Toyota KS901 machine, plus Toyota KR506 ribber. Could it cause problems (size-wise) for my machines if I buy a different well-known or cheaper brand, or could the foam be unsuitable? As I wanted three, the cheaper ones look tempting but may be penny-wise, pound foolish. Would it therefore be best to purchase branded Toyota? I am at a loss what to do, as it is the first purchase for my machines so I would appreciate any advice you can offer. I managed to collect a lot of MKM from long ago and I love reading them, especially the tips and I am very keen to start knitting! Thank you, Marjorie

Thanks for writing Marjorie and Toyota machines are seriously obsolete, so there are no original branded Toyota sponge bars for sale. However, you can buy replacement needle retaining bars which will also fit Toyota or Brother machines from Uppingham Yarns and they’ll do the job for you. Call Uppingham on 01572-823747, write to them at 30 North Street East, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9QL and you’ll find details of sponge bars at www.wools.co.uk

July 2021 update

Dear Readers

I’ve spoken to many of you this month and there’s been lots of activity, but not much of it has involved sitting at a machine. It seems that knitting rooms are being turned back into bedrooms along with gardens and conservatories rearranged, to welcome family members not seen for a very long time. Everyone is really looking forward to meeting up again, but we usually give up our knitting rooms at Christmas, not in the summer! Right now, a lot of unused and unwanted tools and equipment needs a new home and most of us are reluctant to simply throw it away.

It’s a while since I mentioned them, so let me remind you about TWAM, short for Tools With A Mission. It’s a Christian charity that collects unwanted tools and equipment. Items are refurbished and sorted into kits that, today, go to five countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. They work in close partnership with local grassroots organisations. To get someone started, a knitting machine kit will include a machine, a bag of yarn, patterns, useful items and accessories. Similarly, a sewing machine kit will include either a manual, electric or treadle machine plus cottons, needles, zips, buttons and other haberdashery. There’s a constant need for things we no longer need that others would find incredibly useful. Why send tools not money? Simply because you’ve to keep sending money, but one tool kit can provide work and a sustainable livelihood for life.

TWAM has a national network of volunteer collectors, who will either pick tools up from you or act as a drop off point. There’s also an ongoing need for tools from gardens, garages and workshops plus computers and IT equipment. The list is comprehensive so visit the website to see what’s needed, find your nearest volunteer collector or refurbishment centre. The head office is at 2 Bailey Close, Hadleigh Road Industrial Estate, Ipswich, Suffolk IP2 0UD. They’re open Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 4.30 pm but with Covid restrictions in place, you must ring first. Their number is 01473-210220 or email post@twam.uk Instead of a trip to the tip, make TWAM your first port of call and help others to help themselves. Until next time, enjoy the sun when you see it, or be washed away by the rain as I am right now!

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September 2021

Subscription copies sent out Thursday 5th August

On sale Thursday 12th August

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August 2021 (Issue 283) with an Alison Dupernex Designer Special

Our full-colour August 2021 issue has a quick and easy summer top on the cover, in a new blend of 4-ply Bamboo and Cotton. We’ve our usual mix of designs and we always tell you how to knit all our patterns on standard gauge machines. This month, Designer Special shines the spotlight on Alison Dupernex and her great stash-buster design uses three shades of 4-ply cone ends. We’ve a quick and easy top for Passap machines, as well as showing you lots of ways to change the neckline on a Passap design. Iris Rowe knits the final animals to fill her Noah’s Ark. Susan Guagliumi has free downloads for everything you need for machine knitting and Nina Miklin’s cashmere yarn offer comes to an end. We take a comprehensive look at setting up and checking the alignment of a ribber and Sally Butcher shows Silver Reed and Knitmaster knitters how to knit Diana Sullivan’s Enchanted Edgings, specific to Brother machines. If any of your knits are looking tame, Sally-Ann Carroll has some great animal prints for you to roar into the autumn and we’re all asking how Bill King has made only selected needles rack across a row. There’s always lots of help and advice in Dear Anne plus news, reviews and club details for lots of ideas and inspiration.

Outworkers needed urgently


Editor Anne writes:-

I’ve been speaking to a knitwear designer who desperately needs some outworkers based in the UK. Until recently she had a wonderful small team of domestic machine knitters, but last year three of them retired after many years of happy knitting and a fourth is unable to knit at present, whilst recovering from a major illness.

She’d very much like to keep her business going, which she loves and adores. She arranges for work to be collected by a courier every couple of weeks or so and uses the same company to deliver yarn.

She has a large order to complete for the end of August and another for September, so there’s lots of urgent knitting to be done.

The shapes are plain and simple stocking stitch, or have a small amount of Fair Isle pattern. A standard gauge machine with patterning facility is a good start.

If you think you’d like to help, please email me with your name and address plus a phone number. I’ll pass on every response and the designer will contact you personally. You can then discuss everything in detail and hopefully, we can all rally round.

As a reminder, my email address is mail@machineknittingmonthly.net and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

June 2021 update

Dear Readers

It’s been a good month, as news begins to trickle through that clubs are planning to meet up again. The lockdown isn’t over, but we’re starting to see light shining at the end of a long dark tunnel. We’ve begun to add changes to our Clubs Directory, but it’s going to be a few months before the list will be anything like up-to-date. As soon as you’ve any news, do please let me know and I’ll update everything as quickly as I can.

 Last month’s Dream Machine feature has brought lots of response, as many of you want to knit a baby’s shawl. I’ve included one for Silver Reed, Brother and Toyota machines and you’ll find it in Dear Anne on Page 12. The centre square isn’t the problem, it’s how to shape the mitres at the corners of the border. There’s not much coned 3-ply white acrylic to be had these days, but Uppingham Yarns has a high bulk 1-ply acrylic in Optic White. It’s ideal for a baby’s shawl, as the yarn is soft and machine washable. This 1-ply 2/28 Nm yarn, also known as 2/30s, was previously on big 1265 gram cones and the 17,710 metres went a long way! We can now buy it on 250 or 500 gram cones. It’s been tried, tested and well-loved by machine knitters for years, so you can’t go wrong. Knit two strands together for a 3-ply thickness and three strands will make a lovely 4-ply fabric. There’s a huge colour range and you’ll find details on the website at www.wools.co.uk or call 01572-823747.

One of our two Designer Special patterns this month is from Beverley Ward, known to us all as the designer and name behind In-Ex. Beverley and I have been friends since the heady four-day Nationwide Shows. I remember visitors flocking to her stand for her latest patterns and one design in particular was a firm favourite. You’ll find it on Page 31 and I can guarantee that those of you who bought a Shadow Pleated Steaming Kit will be rummaging in your knitting room to dig it out. Sadly they’re no longer available, but using it will give Beverley’s lovely top a superb finish. I can’t thank her enough for sharing it with us and do catch up with her at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BeverleyWardDesigns

My final thank you this month is to our own, wonderful Bill King. He’s stretched his imagination and extended his iconic Gold Star top to give a longer, more draped silhouette. Tie it in any number of ways, or leave it to fall into graceful points. His design is on Page 41 and if you thought you knew how to knit cables, I guarantee that Bill’s Masterclass feature on Page 56 will open your eyes a little wider. With clubs starting up again, there’s growing confidence that our freedom to meet and mingle is set to return, so let’s all smile and knit happy!

NEXT ISSUE – August 2021

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