NEW DIGITAL VERSION From the January 2025 issue, you can now buy the digital version of the magazine. New high quality downloads of January, February and March 2025 are also available. 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!
NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS Our magazines are mailed to subscribers on the first Thursday of the preceding month, so our April 2025 issue went out on Thursday 6th March. You’ll find full details of the April magazine in the shop.
If you’d like a new subscription, it will start with our May magazine. No money is taken with your order and May will be mailed out to subscribers on Thursday 3rd April.
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.
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! Please note that, as yet, we don’t have a digital subscription available.
The boxy jacket on our full-colour April 2025 issue is the perfect all-year-round cover-up and we’ve our usual mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines. We’ve a California Knit-In with Nic Corrigan and the Machine Knit Community and a knitted Easter wreath from Iris Rowe. Our patterns include a slip-on-and-go design from Alison Dupernex and a stylish Nina Miklin jacket in all-over tuck stitch. In Masterclass, Bill King inspires us to reach new dizzy heights, playing around with ideas, colours and yarn using swatching techniques and Irene Krieger shares her wonderful achievement from Australia. Our news of the month has to be Susan Guagliumi’s retirement and the new custodians of Susan’s invaluable online content from April 2025. As always, we’ve all the usual advice, news and reviews.
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
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
Subscription copies sent out Thursday 6th March
On sale Thursday 13th March
Ask your newsagent to reserve a copy NOW!
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!
The jazzy cover design on our full-colour March 2025 issue will brighten up any day and we’ve our usual mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines. Our patterns include one of Anne Baker’s Karabee designs with a lovely rolled edging and Clair Crowston returns with a design from her much-loved collection. We also have a man’s comfy crew-neck cardigan, with step-by-step diagrams to produce ‘magic cables’. In Masterclass, Bill King amazes us all, by producing cables on the machine without using transfer tools. We shine the spotlight on Werner Hafenbradl and Easy MachineKnitting. It’s an inspiring platform for both beginners and enthusiasts and readers can enjoy a month’s use of the website FREE! Marie Bruhat, a French knitwear designer living and working on the remote Scottish island of Fair Isle has a special reader offer for her new Fair Isle Academy. We’ve a pattern for knitting light and lacy scarves on a Passap and Joan Lafferty reminds us how to create thicker garments without using a chunky machine. Alison Dupernex and Susan Guagliumi (https://susan-guagliumi.teachable.com/) are a constant help and support and we’ve all the usual advice, news and reviews.
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!
The cosy cover design on our full-colour February 2025 issue has a comfy fit and high roll neck. We’ve our usual mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines. Our winter classics include five pairs of gloves and mittens in DK, ideally for the LK-150. Alison Dupernex brings us a feast of colour block throws and blankets, plus beautiful Fair Isle throws and cushions. In Masterclass, Bill King gives us inspiration to try something new and interesting with racking. . We shine the spotlight on Halyna Shemchuk, the journey of a Ukrainian machine knitter and Marie Bruhat, a French knitwear designer living and working on the remote Scottish island of Fair Isle has a special reader offer for her new Fair Isle Academy. Susan Guagliumi (https://susan-guagliumi.teachable.com/) is a constant help and support and we’ve all the usual advice, news and reviews.
The cover design on our full-colour January 2025 issue is a warm gilet, with lots of options for mix and match. We’ve our usual mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines. Our winter classics include a cosy chunky oversized cardigan, measuring 52 or 62 inches all round. In Masterclass, Bill King enjoys some partial knitting using a technique many of us will remember and it’s the final Part 4 of our mini series on Charting Devices. We shine the spotlight on Marie Bruhat, a French knitwear designer living and working on the remote Scottish island of Fair Isle. She’s launched a new Academy to teach the intricate craft of Fair Isle to a global audience and we’ve a special reader offer. Alison Dupernex and Susan Guagliumi (https://susan-guagliumi.teachable.com/) are our constant help and support and we’ve all the usual advice, news and reviews.
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
Subscription copies sent out Thursday 5th December
On sale Thursday 12th December
Ask your newsagent to reserve a copy or order a subscription NOW!
The cover design on our full-colour December 2024 issue is a beanie hat, cowl collar and matching gloves. We’ve our usual mix of patterns for standard, mid-gauge and chunky machines, including five big Christmas stockings to knit, along with a good selection of seasonal classics. Our highlight is Gold Star, your all-time favourite Bill King design. In Masterclass, Bill shares his Christmas Card offering for this year and we’ve included the promised baby Christmas outfit. We’ve festive pop-up dolls, an Iris Rowe Gingerbread Man to knit and the comfiest woman’s oversized sweater you’ll ever make, measuring 52 or 62 inches all round. We share ‘tricks of the trade’ in Part 3 of our mini series on Charting Devices and we’re still making waves in this month’s DesignaKnit Special using Stitch Designer’s Curve Tool. 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.
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
On sale Thursday 14th November
Ask your newsagent to reserve a copy or order a subscription NOW!