Everything is aligned up with the needles and the two machines. What I need is someone to show me how to use it properly as I’m getting very frustrated with it. I don’t know if there are any clubs in my area, but I’ve never heard of any. I live in Cornwall and wonder if you can help at all? Thank you for reading this.
Cheers
Barbara Adendorff
Redruth, Cornwall
Hope you can help and thanks for a great magazine and kind regards from Irene Patten
Anne
Thank you
Susan Johnson
Anne
I still find understanding some words difficult, such as drop the stitch and reform for garter stitch. Maybe in a future magazine you could do a glossary of what these words actually mean to those, like me, starting again. It was the wonderful patterns in your magazine that have prompted me to buy a second hand chunky knitting machine as well and I am eagerly awaiting its delivery. My daughter has now started knitting for her children on a basic Knitmaster machine and I’ve also started buying your magazine for her.
Thank you for all the hard work you put into your magazines, it’s really appreciated.
Sandra Price
Many of you ask repeatedly for inspiration and I hope we can provide it this month. There’s an amazing Andy Holden exhibit at the Tate until 10th April and I can’t wait to go into London to see it. Yes, your eyes aren’t playing tricks : there’s machine knitting at Tate Britain! Andy broke a Knitmaster and Silver Reed machine before seriously injuring a Brother chunky during his epic knit-in. The result is absolutely awesome and I’ll include a feature in the next couple of days.
I’ve had more inspiration on from the next generation of Oz knitwear designers. Tony Bennett has sent us some great examples of their work and not one of them had any experience with machine knitting at the start of their year. Tony was a tutor at his local college and I wish he was over here to share his undoubted talent with us. Interestingly, lots of the yarn the students used was from Yeoman so we can replicate some of the ideas.
For those of you who like to attend workshops with eminent names in machine knitting, I need to mention that there’s a rare opportunity to work with Iris Bishop on an individual basis from July 19th to 23rd. It’s hands on and you’ll experiment with single and double bed fabrics, in preparation for textiles and garments. It’s for Japanese machines only, but single or double bed. Places are strictly limited and for more details please call 01270-628414.
Good luck with your endeavours and happy knitting.
Anne
Any suggestions you could offer would be most welcome to help them get off to a good start and perhaps attract more members. Glenys ends by saying ‘I do hope you can help as we really don’t know what we’re doing’. If you run a successful club, do please get in touch.
Hello Anne
I started Shades of Cashmere in August 1997, with about five kilos of Pure Cashmere, two kilos of Cashmere Blends stock and one pattern. All the stock was kept in a spare bedroom and it grew from there into a barn, which many times was full to the rafters with boxes of the most lovely yarns in almost every colour and blend available. Over twelve years later, my how it has grown. Now, after many thousands of kilos of Pure Cashmere and Cashmere Blends, many patterns and quite a few exhibitions, I’m ready for a rest, so it’s retirement for me! With two grandchildren this past two years and two more expected in January, I don’t suppose I’ll have much of a rest, but I will thoroughly enjoy helping out. At last I may get some time to myself to actually get my knitting machine out and use it more often!
I’ve enjoyed running this business, meeting new people and making several friends through the years and had quite a few good weekends away with either Diana, Iris (my mum) or Wendy. Special thanks to them all for the help and support they gave me through the good times and bad. I’ll miss the contact I’ve had with many knitters both machine and hand, plus all the conversations over the phone – ‘knit chats’ as I call them. However, now it’s time to move on. There’s still just a very small amount of yarn remaining and I’d advise a phone call or e-mail to check availability of yarn and postage options and prices before ordering. Some patterns also remain, not many and not all of which have been in Machine Knitting Monthly magazine – although past issues do contain many of them and I’m sure some of them are still available from you, Anne.
So after 12 years of successful trading, Shades of Cashmere is finally closing down. Thank you so much for all your custom during the last 12 years. I feel I’ve made many good friends with customers during that time and will miss the contact with everyone, but it’s time for me to take a break. I’ll continue to sell off the yarn until all of it is sold. So stock up now with some of the best quality yarns you can buy, ready for the coming months of knitting and perhaps for some lovely knitted presents. Happy knitting!
Jane Woodward
She’s been able to help Joyce White (down the road in Bushey) get back to machine knitting and would welcome anyone who used to be a member or would like to return. New faces are especially welcome and for more details call Elaine on 020-8863 7000.
The pattern is available on its own or free with the yarn purchase. Pattern M59 (for machine knitters) or H59 (hand) is a short, sideways knitted jacket in Cashmere and Wool. The yarn is available in nine shades : White, Turquoise 22, Lavender 59, Pink 56, Purple 58, Bright Red 03, Dark Chestnut 30, Melange (Light Beige) 41 and Green 16.
MKM Special offer until 31 Jan 2010
The jacket requires 250g of Nina Miklin Cashmere & Wool yarn blend.
Regular yarn price £47 for 350g of yarn.
Pattern price £3.50 each (M59 for machine knitting or H59 for hand knitting).
Great saving £29.90 for the yarn and either a hand or machine knitting pattern.
Postage
For the pattern only, there’s free postage anywhere if it’s sent as an e-mail attachment.
By post UK 30p, overseas £1
Yarn and pattern Add £2.50 for one 250g cone to UK addresses and add £4 for one 250g cone overseas.
TO ORDER
The yarn and/or pattern can be ordered by post direct from Nina. Don’t forget to include your full name and address plus telephone number and the shade you’d like if you’re ordering yarn. Please enclose a Sterling cheque made payable to Nina A Miklin or send the usual credit card details to Nina Miklin, PO Box 32503, London W3 8GD.
Tel 020 8740 3599
I also had the pleasure of taking with me a watercolour painting of Joan and her grand-daughter. It had been copied from the photo of the two of them in October 2009 on page 59. I know you’ll all remember Ruth Cox. When she retired from Pippin Designs, Ruth took up painting as a hobby and I asked her if she’d accept a commission to copy the photo for me. It was absolutely lovely, so it went with me and I was delighted that Joan loved it. It’s to be framed to fill just the right size gap on one of Joan’s walls. Now I need to nudge Ruth’s son Chris into action, because it would be nice to have his cartoons in the magazine again.
My other good news came as a result of Glenys Taylor’s plea for help in the December issue (Clubline, page 10). Joyce Monks has run a very successful club in Warrington for 37 years and she’s offered to be a new Knitting Buddy. Joyce wrote a very useful and popular series on setting up a club from scratch and running it. It was first published in World of Knitting and I’m sure the ideas might help Glenys and others wanting to start a small group. Some of the suggestions may also be useful for giving existing clubs a new lease of life. We’ll bring Joyce’s articles up-to-date and start the series next time. Clubline will therefore take on a new look but please continue to send in your club news, because we’ll include it elsewhere in the magazine.
Now all that remains is for me to join everyone at MKM in sending you the compliments of the season and wishing you a very happy New Year.
Anne