Dear Anne
You mentioning ‘golden oldies’ last month brought a smile to my face. Back in the day, didn’t we all show off when we shared something new! I picked up the tip to use one of the plastic boxes they use for packing peaches. All the odds and ends go into it, it sits at the back of the machine and it’s easy to spot something at the bottom through the clear sides. You need, though, to stop it walking off the table as you knit and dumping the contents on the floor. As long as you don’t have an electronic machine, pop a magnet inside the plastic box and place it against the machine. It will stay put until you want to remove it. I think it was mentioned at one of the old To & Fro ‘At Home’ days, when I also learned to keep my peg bag close to the machine. Sprung clothes pegs have a multitude of uses, especially if you’re knitting intarsia or stripes with cut-off ends. The short ends dangling down have a habit of catching in the moving parts under the carriage and causing one almighty jam. Weight the end with a clothes peg and it remains safely out of the way instead of you grinding to a halt halfway across a row! Happy memories, Margaret
