2024

September update

Dear Readers

A week or two ago I joined other ‘funeral fashionistas’ in respecting the wishes of our late Fashion Editor Sally-Ann Carroll. We gathered at her funeral, wearing a rainbow of bright colours, to celebrate her life. If a funeral could ever be called ‘happy’, this was one such occasion. As we went into the church, her sons had prepared the board that you’ll see on Page 14. It had us all smiling as we remembered our own favourite sayings. Shortly into the service and perhaps sensing the atmosphere of the sea of colour in front of him, the vicar said: “I know you’re in church, but you can clap”! Our tears of sadness turned into tears of joy and her sons treated us to a gleeful walk through the life of their amazing mother.

 Sally-Ann and I worked together for years before she started writing for the magazine. Back then we had a photo shoot each month and she soon became our permanent Fashion Stylist. She was always full of fun, extremely hard-working and could turn any ill-fitting jumper into something ‘very fashioney’. We talked through the idea of a feature showing how to combine an old knit with up-to-date styling, for an on-trend look that wouldn’t break the bank. She always had her finger on the pulse of current fashion and kept us up-to-date with the latest trends. She showed us how to give a jaded sweater a new lease of life, when we couldn’t bear to throw it away and told us when to dig out an old check skirt from the back of a wardrobe to be bang on trend. At first her feature didn’t go down at all well. ‘It’s taking up two pages that you could use for another pattern’ was a typical comment at the time, but we persevered. Gradually, she won us over and we all came to love her. The letter from June in Dear Anne is typical of the many tributes you’ve passed on and I’m most grateful that you’ve taken the time to express your sympathy.

We all pass on our sincerest condolences to her husband Mike, sons Toby and Sam and their families. Rest in peace Sally-Ann and your much-used (and loved!) quotes are on my office door. They’ll be a constant reminder of the fun and laughter you brought into all our lives.

NEXT ISSUE October 2024

Subscription copies sent out Thursday 5th September

On sale Thursday 12th September

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

September 2024 (Issue 318) with Bill King’s waterfall design

The cover design on our full-colour September 2024 issue is a short, boxy jacket with ribbed sleeves. We’ve our usual mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines, including a Carl Boyd man’s sweater. Our highlight is another Bill King design and this month it’s his seamless waterfall top. In Masterclass, Bill also reminds us to take a second look at our mistakes, as they often have the makings of something interesting. We’ve a great use for empty cones, turning them into pop-up dolls and we’re changing the sleeve shape of our personal fitting pattern in Part 6 of the Ruth Horrocks series. Alison Dupernex and Susan Guagliumi (https://susan-guagliumi.teachable.com/) are our constant help and support and we’ve all the usual help and advice, news and reviews.

New subscriptions

NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS Our magazines are mailed to subscribers on the first Thursday of the preceding month, so our September 2024 issue was mailed on Thursday 1st August.

If you’d like a monthly subscription to the magazine and order by or on 1st September, your subscription will start with the October 2024 magazine. You’ll find subscription details in our Shop.

Orders received on or after 2nd September will start with the November 2024 magazine. No money is taken with your order and November will be mailed out to subscribers on Thursday 3rd October.

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.

July update

Dear Readers

As I write, summer has arrived in the South East – well, for this week at least! We’ve baking hot temperatures and it’s far too hot to do anything, except grab a cool drink and find a shady spot. There’s a lovely story in Clubline about a knitting retreat Jane Harrisson organised for members of her Needles Of Steel knitting club in Rugby. She’s included lots of details and if you’d like to know more about her club, her live demo Zoom meetings or her free-to-join WhatsApp group, do turn to Page 10.

We’ve a selection of really interesting letters in Dear Anne this month and we’ve passed on some great information. Pauline has been a gem and she’s not the only reader to sing the praises of Sue Jalowiec at Knit It Now. It’s a tremendous group in America, sharing a real love of our craft. If you’ve a spare few minutes, find the online community at www.knititnow.com and the testimonials say it all.

I know that many of you love the Alison Dupernex designs we publish. So, it’s good to know that Uppingham Yarns has a fabulous range of Knoll 100% Pure New Wool. We all love Knoll Yarns and the quality Uppingham sells has the look and feel of Supersoft Shetland. There’s a gorgeous range of 35 solid and melange shades. Do check them out at www.wools.co.uk and as I’ve mentioned Alison, I’ll let you know that she’s enjoying making blankets and throws at the moment. As a result, she’s sent us some gorgeous new designs and they’re in the pipeline for our Autumn knitting. Do look out for them in the months to come. Thinking about the Autumn issues, Iris Rowe will have us knitting pumpkins for Hallowe’en and members of Barbara Fenton’s happy group at Longton MKC have turned their attention to upcycling empty yarn cones. Together with ideas from Carole Dunkerley, we’ll soon need to think about that popular event in December!

I now have to pass on the tremendously sad news I’ve just received. Our Fashion Editor, Sally-Ann Carroll, has died. We’d been devoted friends for forty years. All I’m able to do right now is pass on my sincerest condolences to her husband Mike, sons Toby and Sam and their families. Rest in peace Sally-Ann and your passing will leave a huge hole in the magazine and our lives.

NEXT ISSUE September 2024

Subscription copies sent out Thursday 1st August

On sale Thursday 8th August

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

August 2024 (Issue 318) with Bill King’s Spider’s Web design

The cover design on our full-colour August 2024 issue is a sun-kissed tee with a neat scoop neck and we’ve a summery mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines. Our highlight is Bill King’s very popular Spider’s Web design and Bill also shares an amazing ‘Wild Weaving’ technique he’s created for his Masterclass feature. Alison Dupernex and Susan Guagliumi (https://susan-guagliumi.teachable.com/) are our constant help and support. Joan Lafferty has some pressing matters to discuss and has to hunt for Postman Pat! This month we’re calculating and adding bands to our personal fitting pattern in Part 5 of a mini series with Ruth Horrocks and we’re also grafting knitting going up and down to a piece knitted sideways. We’ve all the usual help and advice, news and reviews and look back at Jane Harrisson’s Needles of Steel retreat. Her great website for all machine knitters is www.needlesofsteel.org.uk so check it out now!

Taylor Swift Songbook Trail

From Saturday 27th July to Sunday 8th September, celebrate Taylor Swift’s ground-breaking impact on the world stage and mark the success of her UK tour with a free trail at V&A South Kensington! Journey through Taylor’s career with 13 stops along the way, each showcasing a particular era of her music and prolific song writing.

Discover a selection of costumes on loan from Taylor Swift, from customised cowboy boots worn during her breakout success as a country singer in 2007 to the jet-black ruffled shoulder dress worn in the most recent music video for her single Fortnight from the critically adored album The Tortured Poets Department (2024). As well, see instruments, music awards, storyboards and previously unseen archival material that explores her childhood and recording legacy, many of which are on display for the first time.

June update

Dear Readers

There’s been lots going on this month and it all started with a deluge of requests for Bill King’s patterns. By the time I’d searched through the back issues from 2011 to 2021, it became obvious I needed to print them again. I’ve started with perhaps the most sought after, the All In One on Page 32 and new readers may wonder what all the fuss is about. So, let me say that every machine knitter can knit Bill’s top on any machine, in whatever yarn comes to hand. It’s a simple, classic and timeless design, that’s also very easy to knit. The only making up is threading the end of yarn back into the cords you knit at the start and finish. Spider’s Web is the next obvious choice and I’ll include it in August.

I’ve also had lots of calls and emails asking why we no longer include For Sale adverts at the back of the magazine. You’ll remember that everything faded away during the pandemic. We could no longer drive or collect machines and equipment from one another. No-one advertised, so there was little point in offering this free service. If you’d like it to return, you need to let me know and for word to spread, let’s say by the end of July. Please drop me a line or send an email, as the phone is often very busy. It’s always been a service for private sellers, not for those in business and that’s how it will remain if we reinstate it.

Another request from some of you is that we bring back Knitting Buddies. For new readers, it was also a free service of volunteers with a reasonable knowledge of machine knitting, that might be on one machine only. They gave help and advice over the phone to beginners, or those returning to machine knitting after a break. Sadly we’ve lost some former Knitting Buddies and others have retired. If you’d like to volunteer, please let me know, again by letter or email. I’m sure there will be a new team we can put together, for everyone’s benefit.

Finally I’ve been in touch with Soft Byte, to chat about the free trial that’s available for DesignaKnit. It’s something that’s always been offered, but not many people seem to realise it’s there. With the current financial climate as it is, you may well want to find out more and try before you buy. Claire Newberry is a DesignaKnit expert and she writes for us each month. So if you’d like to know more about this garment shaping and stitch pattern design program for hand and machine knitting, full details and a QR code are on Page 7. Until next month, knit happy.

NEXT ISSUE August 2024

Subscription copies sent out Thursday 4th July

On sale Thursday 11th July

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

July 2024 (Issue 318) with Bill King’s All-In-One design

The cover design on our full-colour July 2024 issue is a slouchy, relaxed-fit sweater with long drapey sleeves. This month we’ve a Carl Boyd man’s design that hasn’t been published before, along with our usual mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines. Our highlight is one of Bill King’s original ‘wedge’ tops knitted from the start of one cord to the end of the other. You’ll spot a photo of the top on the front cover. The only making-up is to sew the two ends back into the cord. Bill King also knits some intriguing but relatively easy fabrics in Masterclass. Alison Dupernex and Susan Guagliumi (https://susan-guagliumi.teachable.com/) are our constant help and support. We often see techniques we like, but discover they’re not for our machine, so try patterned tuck stitch on any machine including four needles tucking side by side! Joan Lafferty makes a welcome return and Claire Newberry (www.patreon.com) is back in her studio. This month we’re test knitting our personal fitting pattern in Part 4 of a mini series with Ruth Horrocks and we’ve all the usual help and advice, news and reviews.

Design competition

Blenheim Palace launches design competition to mark final month of Icons of British Fashion exhibition

Blenheim Palace is searching for the next generation of Icons of British Fashion, with the launch of a nationwide design competition, with their design visions showcased at Britain’s Greatest Palace. The launch of the fashion competition is in celebration of the biggest exhibition in the 300-year history of Blenheim Palace, Icons of British Fashion, which is open to the public until 30th June 2024.

​To enter, fashion students must register their interest to blenheim@cabcampaign.co.uk along with their portfolio by Wednesday 12th June 2024. A shortlist will then be invited to experience and take inspiration from Icons of British Fashion at Blenheim Palace.  The fashion students will then have three weeks to visit, sketch and submit their designs which have been inspired by the exhibition and the Palace itself by 30th June 2024. Entries will be judged by an esteemed panel including Kate Ballenger, Keeper of Palace & Collections at Blenheim Palace, fashion designers Alice Temperley and Lulu Guinness.

The winner will be announced in July and will receive an exclusive Icons of British Fashion prize, an afternoon tea for two as well as luxury lodge stay for four worth over £1,000. They will also have the opportunity to display their winning design in the Palace, and for it to be featured in a photoshoot for their portfolio. All entrants must currently be studying a degree or equivalent in fashion design, textiles or related subjects.

​Icons of British Fashion at Blenheim Palace features a display of renowned classic pieces, as well as never-before-seen looks by the late Dame Vivienne Westwood, Jean Muir, Terry de Havilland, Bruce Oldfield, Turnbull & Asser, Zandra Rhodes, Lulu Guinness, Barbour, Alice Temperley, Stella McCartney and Stephen Jones Millinery for Christian Dior. For more information about the exhibition visit and to book tickets visit,  www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events/icons-of-british-fashion/.

June 2024 (Issue 317) with Alison Dupernex and Bill King

The cover design on our full-colour June 2024 issue is a classic jumper with a modern-day look and we’ve our usual mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines. We’ve more classics this time including a much-requested Carl Boyd design and a man’s traditional slipover. Sporting classics never go out of fashion! All hands are on deck for Karin Rogalski’s gloves for sailors, which have a great Latex grip and we’ve the final band for the perfect flat edge from Dee Crew. Bill King makes Half Milano centre stage this month and his samples are amazingly easy and perfect in every way.  Alison Dupernex and Susan Guagliumi (https://susan-guagliumi.teachable.com/) are our constant help and support and Susan shares photos of her idea for using cone ends. (They’re definitely in a league of their own!) This month we’re making an accurate tension swatch for a personal fitting pattern in Part 3 of a mini series with Ruth Horrocks. Passap knitters aren’t forgotten, as Fay Butcher explains how to use the built-in Form shaping device in the E6000 and, as always, we’ve all the usual help and advice, news and reviews.