Letters

New for old sponge bar

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Hi Anne

I’ve just replaced the sponge bar on my Singer Model 120. After trial and error, I put a strand of 100% pure thick wool in the bar and pushed it in with a spatula. Then I put white glue on it and laid in another strand of wool. I just pressed with my fingers to make sure it glued on. You might have to repeat pressing with your fingers every two or three minutes for fifteen minutes. Use the same spatula to push both strands about one inch at beginning and end, so the wool doesn’t get caught in the needles. It worked for me! Best, Gisele

Love your lace

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Dear Anne

Here’s a tip about re-programming your punchcard machine if you’ve made a mistake when knitting a lace pattern. It’s always best to undo the whole block repeat of lace just knitted. This may mean putting several stitches that are on one needle back to their original place. Turn the punchcard back to where the last black curved arrow is on the card. It’s at this point you’d have worked, for example, ‘K 2 rows’ or similar. Look at the arrows on the left hand side of the card. By the black arrow is the red arrow, pointing to the right. Don’t lock the card, but carry on ‘lacing’ and you will be on the right row. The only time you do lock the card, when re-programming in lace, would be if the arrow was pointing to the right and the lace carriage was on the left. You’d next work one pass with the lace carriage and then release the card. Bye for now, Judith

Happy families

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Hello Anne

I’ve been a subscriber to MKM for many, many years. I am so pleased to read that you were given a Chairman’s Award from The Guild of Machine Knitters. Congratulations, you certainly deserve it and if there was an award to be given from all your MKM readers, I’m sure you would have had one years ago. I’m sorry to hear that the Machine Knitting LIVE! shows will be coming to an end next year, so I must really try to attend one, perhaps in Nottingham, as it’s such a lot of years since I’ve been able to visit one due to ill health. I do, of course, understand the reasons why and I also admire your dedication in continuing to run MKM as well as organising the shows and events all these years. It plays a large part in keeping all the knitters together as ‘one big happy family’.

I was also very sorry and sad to hear of the loss of Beryl Jarvis. As was previously mentioned, she was a very kind and helpful lady. I’d not actually met her, but had emailed back and forth when I contacted her to buy a copy of her ‘Love Your Brother KH970’ book. Beryl also gave me some time and advice on a problem I’d come across. I am sure she will be sadly missed in the knitting world. Thank you for keeping MKM going Anne. I do look forward to receiving my copy every month and look out for all the different patterns, books and news items. Kind regards, Jean

Bill King Patterns

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Dear Anne, I have been away from machine knitting for five years now, I’m very keen to get back after looking at the fabulous Bill King Designs on Ravelry.
I Have the Gold Star design from the Dec 2011 issue, but would very much like to make the One Piece in the Nov2012 issue. I do realise that these issues are sold out, please would it be possible to reprint them ? I’m sure they would be a huge hit!
Regards and thank you

Time for tea!

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It has been knitted with the help of my knitting group Needles & Chat which is based in Grays. We knitted and displayed it at High House for last year’s yarn bombing day and we’ve been asked to display it again by High House. As the summer develops we’ll be adding new items. It’s free to visit, there’s loads of free parking and it will be on display until the end of September 2016. By the way, I’ve started a knitting blog which is called getknittingkeepknitting.wordpress.com
Thanks a lot and see you at the Romford Show in September, Susan Burns

Needle position problem

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Any ideas please and thanks for any help you can give. Lorraine Frost

Hi Lorraine

Some machines have a setting for Intarsia which brings all the needles to position ‘D’. Make sure your carriage is set for Plain knitting. There may be a setting below the tension dial or levers at the front or side of the carriage which need moving. It depends which make and model your machine is.

Sue P
2016-06-24 07:47:51

Goodbye Joan

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I have enjoyed reading her articles over the years like, I expect, many others. She often brought a ray of sunshine to an otherwise dull day. Every time my MKM came through the door, it’s always been her page that I have gone to first. Even though over the years you have repeated some of her old articles, they were always so entertaining. I do hope that you will still publish more of her very funny stories. Kind regards, June

Using Brother chunky with ribber and Knit Leader

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When I try to use the long brackets that come with the machine to use with the Knit Leader, they hit the table due to angle of the machine with the ribber attached. I wondered if anyone has solved this problem? Unless the Knit Leader sits properly, the two trippers on the carriage don’t hit. Only one does, so the knitted piece is twice as long as it should be. Any suggestions would be truly helpful. Looking forward to the Bournemouth show, only a few miles from me, which is lovely. Thank you for any help. Kind regards, Jean

Old hat?

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I now have them wearing my knits with pride and here’s what I do. Using 4-ply I cast on in rib and knit three circular rows, two rows in rib, four rows in stocking stitch then four rows in rib. I adjust the depth depending on the size and style I’m knitting. This can be done with 1×1, 2×2 or any rib combination and I use this for sleeves, body and round neck. For some reason this makes all my knits ‘with it’ as they say. I’m happy as well because they keep their shape and give the rolled hem the ‘with it’ look my children like. Best wishes Noreen Parks