Dear Readers
Autumn is a busy time of year, as we settle down to some serious knitting. With perfect timing King Cole, Nina Miklin, Uppingham and Yeoman remind us to reach for some wool this month. By now we know that Pure Merino is exceptionally soft and we’ll all need to keep warm in the coming months. As you read through the magazine, we’ve included contact details so do check it out.
You’ll notice I’ve included a message from HMRC on Page 8 and it’s not a scam. All those years ago, lots of us in the UK were paid child allowance and we took a break from fulltime employment to look after our children. It seems a mistake was made with many of our National Insurance (NI) records and they’re trying to put things right. Home Responsibilities Protection(HRP) was automatically applied to the NI records of those who claimed Child Benefit between 1978 and 2010 and included their NI number in their claim. However, people who claimed Child Benefit before May 2000 didn’t have to include their NI number on their claim, so may not have HRP on their NI record. It’s worth checking eligibility, as it could have a significant financial benefit for a huge number of women and their pensions, including me! We can also claim by post and the print and post form can be downloaded at GOV.UK. If you’ve no computer access, call the NI helpline and ask them to send you a paper copy. The number is 0300-200 3500 and there’s also extra support available online.
We’ve a slightly different look on our letters page this month. Years ago we were all pleased to discover a new technique or knit something lovely and pass on the joy we had from machine knitting. Times have certainly changed and so have our letters. Things are being shared on social media, but sources of old techniques are falling by the wayside. There are no longer boxes of old magazines to rummage through at shows and books are being thrown away. The excellent technique books published by Brother, Knitmaster and Toyota are also disappearing fast. Some of you are struggling and we still have many resource files. So if there’s something you’d like to know, do please ask and we’ll do all we can to help. Until next month, knit happy!
NEXT ISSUE December 2025
Subscription copies sent out Thursday 6th November
On sale Thursday 9th October
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