Dear Readers

Dear Readers

It seems a while since I was ‘back in the saddle’ bringing you a monthly update and my news this month has to be that Neville Bramwell has passed away. Yes there are tears, but ‘happy tears’ that he lived to his 92nd year and was alert and lucid almost to the end. He slipped away peacefully with his children Alison, Tony and Peter by his side.

I often went to Bramwell’s offices in Clitheroe, while they were there for ten years, but everything took off when they moved to a huge warehouse in Altham, Lancashire. It was opened by the late Mary Weaver, a long-term friend from the 1970s. Back then Mary had written an article about using three ends of 2/30s high bulk acrylic. She’d bought a few odd cones (on which they lost money!) and suggested to Neville that if he could produce something similar as a single strand on a 500g cone, it would sell. After many visits to Weaverknits at Sutton-on-Hone in Kent, Bramwell’s Fine 4-ply was launched around 1972/73.

The company went on to develop other finer and fancier yarns such as Duo Magic, Hobby and Artistic. Mary was a fellow pioneer in the knitting machine industry. She visited Japan, learned the language and translated many of the machine knitting books and patterns. Mary Weaver’s Machine Knitting Technology, known as the ‘bible’ to many machine knitters, was one of the best-selling books. Bramwell would order five to ten thousand at a time!

The Altham factory had 30,000 square feet and employed 32 people. Bramwell had 808 retail customers in the UK, with a distributor each in Belfast and Dublin. It’s probably hard for newbies to know that in the heyday, machine knitters had the choice of 84 shades in Acrylic 4-ply. A carton held 24 cones and a forty-foot container held 800 cartons. As fast as they could pack the orders, forty-foot containers were shipped to Canada, both Perth and Sydney in Australia and Russia.

Over the years, Mary and her husband Alan became great friends to Neville and his family. Neville told me he always had a great admiration for Mary’s determination and business awareness. He was always grateful for the great trading years they enjoyed together.

So it now really is the end of an era as we say bye-bye to Neville. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed a long and happy friendship with him. I’ll miss his cheery calls, when we’d chat for hours about life and the industry. My heart, though, is filled with joy as I remember the funny stories he would share. Rest in peace, Neville, knowing your contribution to domestic machine knitting was huge. I send my sincere condolences to all his family and anyone who knew him.

NEXT ISSUE April 2025

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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!

Dear Readers

This month our knitting news stretches across the country, from Fair Isle in the Shetlands to St. Ives in Cornwall. We’re happy to remind residents in Cornwall that they can buy an annual £10 pass for unlimited year-round entry to Tate St. Ives, the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. This year’s Winter Festival takes place at Tate St Ives on the 23rd and 24th November from 10.00am to 4.00pm and celebrates people of all ages coming together creatively. At the heart of the Festival, local choirs will be singing carols in the galleries. There’s a discounted entry cost of just £1 and it’s free for under 18s. Full contact details are in Clubline on Page 10.

            Our news from the far North is that designer Marie Bruhat, who we showcased in Spotlight in the June 2021 magazine, has a new online Academy. Her designs have always embraced the authentic style of Fair Isle, but she’s given them a modern twist on her Silver Reed punchcard machine. Marie works with over 80 colours of fine Shetland wool, which is spun and dyed on mainland Shetland. Marie will show us every aspect of knitting Fair Isle and the course is exclusively available on the Machine Knit Community. As part of joining the Academy, you get three months’ free access to the MKC, where you can make the most of all the other MKC content. There are live presentations, classes and a video vault of all previous events, with more videos than you’ll have time to watch in three months! I’ve been speaking with Nic at the MKC and Marie, to bring you a Spotlight feature about this new venture next month. In the meantime, Clubline on Page 10 has more details.

            There really is a lot going on in the machine knitting world right now and perhaps it won’t be too long before our craft is back on TV again. The hand-knitters are leading the way with a new Channel 4 series (see Newsline on Page 6) to join The Great British Bake Off and The Great British Sewing Bee. Next month I’ll look back at a wonderful holiday and wedding this year and look forward to a New Year filled with exciting things in machine knitting. Until then, knit happy!

NEXT ISSUE January 2025

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Dear Readers

We’ve just returned from holiday and I’ve had to hit the ground running to finish this issue on time. So, news and photos of our holiday will have to wait!

Whilst I was away, I received one important item and I don’t want it to slip through the net. So let me tell you that a short course starts on the City Campus of Nottingham Trent University on 12th October. Called ‘Domestic Machine Knitting For Beginners’, it will run on a Saturday from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm for two weeks. It’s beginner level, no experience is required and the cost is £295. You’ll also have full use of the University’s modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software during the course. Brother or Silver Reed machines are provided, or you can take your own machine if you prefer. This course offers intensive instruction on domestic knitting machines. It will introduce you to thinking creatively about using a machine at home or at work and will focus on producing work with a contemporary perspective. It’s ideal for anyone just starting out, or returning to machine knitting after a break. You may know a young person showing lots of interest in our craft, such as a student or graduate looking to add machine knitting to their CV and portfolio. Anyone over the age of 18 interested in textiles and crafts and considering investing in a domestic machine will be very welcome. Please pass on the word and visit www.ntu.ac.uk for full details.

This month we’ve a treat for everyone with DesignaKnit 9. Our special feature takes you through all the stages of making a stitch pattern. So, if you’ve dithered about using this amazing software, turn to Page 49 and take a deep breath… your adventure is about to begin! Follow the step-by-step guide and, I promise, you’ll soon have the confidence to create your own patterns.

Finally, if you knit for tiny tots, head for your stash and have a trial run at Carole Dunkerley’s cute baby cardigan, hat and bootees on Page 52. I’ve included a sneak peek of next month’s adaptation to turn it into a fabulous Christmas outfit. Until next time, knit happy!

NEXT ISSUE December 2024

Subscription copies sent out Thursday 7th November

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Dear Readers

Have we had summer? It seems to have been and gone without many of us noticing! To come back down to earth with a bump, Iris Rowe reminds us that October is here, with her seasonal Hallowe’en pumpkins and Nic Corrigan has held her second Machine Knitting Retreat in the heart of the Pennines. On Page 10, we join the MKC behind the scenes at their recent 6-day workshop holiday. To help and support MKM readers with their machine knitting, Nic has given us a very special offer. The Community opens its doors for new members just three times a year, but membership of the Machine Knit Community is available to MKM readers immediately, as well as a one-month free trial. Two exclusive on-line Zoom classes are also included in the offer, but you need to hurry. The first is Victoria Salmon’s live class on the 11th September on Plated Ribs. You’ve a little more time before the first of two Bill King classes on Double Bed Jacquard. His first class, on the 25th September, will cover the basic mechanics and method. There are no strings attached. All you have to do is head for https://tinyurl.com/MKMFREE and register before the free trial offer expires on the 6th October. There’s more to discover on Pages 11 and 19 and I’m wholeheartedly supportive of Nic and the Machine Knit Community.

In Dear Anne on Page 12, I’m very happy to thank Ann Wallington for finding the original design Carole Dunkerley adapted for her pop-up dolls’ pattern last month. I’m equally grateful to Carole for further adapting it, so we can make a start on some ‘seasonal’ knitting soon. Yes, it’s that time of the year again!

Finally, I need to let you know I’ll be on holiday for a chunk of September. Neil and I are going away for a couple of weeks, but not before I’ve finished the November magazine! It’s for a very special and happy occasion and there may even be a photo or two, but you’ll have to wait until the December issue to discover what we’ll be doing. Until then, knit happy!

NEXT ISSUE November 2024

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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

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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

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Dear Readers

As Spring approaches I’ve some news to share, which will bring sadness to the many knitters she’s helped over the years. Alison Lee, known especially to past members of the Guild of Machine Knitters, has to give up machine knitting completely. If you were a lone machine knitter, often uncertain about what to do, you kept Alison’s phone number close at hand. She ran the Guild Helpline and dealt with a huge number of assorted knitting queries and problems. She ran classes at Cherry Willingham and often helped out on the Guild stand at knitting shows. She’s had serious health problems for many years and was hopeful that recent surgery would improve the quality of her life. Sadly this hasn’t happened and she’s now quite severely incapacitated. Like others in a similar situation, she can no longer knit and will have to drastically downsize. We send her our sincere thanks for all she’s done to help and promote machine knitting, along with our best wishes and hopes for as smooth and as easy a transition of her circumstances as is possible.

Patricia Dadson has also been in touch to let us know that the very well-known Knitaholics has had to close down. With Patricia at the helm, the club has had 23 really successful years with regular workshops, outings and speakers. Over the years, Romford was also the home of many popular knitting shows. A lot of clubs have found themselves in a similar position, with falling numbers and rising costs. However, all is not lost because the remaining members have amalgamated with the Knit ‘n’ Natter group at North Romford Community Centre. Now the days are getting longer, why not give Patricia a call to renew past friendships. The group meets on alternate Tuesday afternoons, with on-site parking. If you’d like an update or more details, please give Patricia a call on 07806-765876.

Finally, I’ve heard from his wife Janice that Alan Hunt has passed away. Alan was known to all old hands for his Hush Knit Yarns, especially Fine French Crêpe. He was also the man who brought us the Nottingham Show at Harvey Hadden Sports Centre each April and Just Knitting at Thornbury Leisure Centre in September. Alan had been suffering with ill health for some time and, sadly, his heart eventually failed. Rest in peace, Alan and we send our sincere condolences to Janice, their family and many friends.

I still hugely enjoy machine knitting and putting the magazine together, so do please join me next month. We’ll reach another milestone in the magazine’s life as the April issue celebrates the 38th birthday of MKM.

NEXT ISSUE April 2024

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