If you’d like to become one of our Knitting Buddies, get in touch with Anne at the usual address and here are a few details. Our volunteers give help and advice to beginners or those returning to machine knitting after a long break. If travelling distances are not too great, they may even sit with you whilst you develop some basic knitting skills. Knitting Buddies are not trained professionals, so please don’t take advantage of their generosity by overloading them with your queries and remember also not to ask for or expect the impossible! It’s a free service for our readers and we ask you to keep your calls short. If you need comprehensive advice, simply make arrangements to call back at a time that’s convenient.
News
Festival of Quilts
From 20th to 23rd August 2009 at the NEC Birmingham, over 250 companies will be selling masses of hard-to-find patchwork and quilting supplies. The Quilt Academy programme includes over 75 Masterclasses, workshops and lectures and the Quick & Easy workshops provide another 160 sessions for beginners. With over 1,000 quilts on display, The Festival of Quilts is a stunning visual feast. Book now and save money on advance tickets and here are contact details for more information.
The Festival of Quilts, Creative Exhibitions Ltd, 8 Greenwich Quay, London SE8 3EY.
Tel 020 8692 2299
Website www.twistedthread.com
Mid-summmer nights and shows
A couple of weeks ago I was thrilled to receive an e-mail from Susan Guagliumi. As you’ll read on Page 6, she’s back in print with Hand Manipulated Stitches for Machine Knitters. It’s one of the best source books of all times for machine knitting and I have one of the original hardback editions. It seems that Bond USA had the reprint rights for the book back in 2001 and it came to Susan’s attention two or three years ago that it was out of print. Bond USA was acquired by a very big outfit, but they only bought the assets. The original film was lost, so Susan spent months re-assembling photos and drawings and putting the book back together again. It was a huge amount of work and she’s republished through Book Surge, an arm of Amazon.com. She’s also had the video switched over to DVD. If you didn’t buy the book the first time round, then it really is one not to be missed. My hardback version is 210 x 260 mm and has 250 pages crammed with masses of ideas. This is the only book you’ll ever need on a desert island with your machine and a stash of yarn, I promise! I spent many happy hours with Susan when lots of us visited the States in the heyday years of machine knitting. It was around the time of the Bramwell Expos and I also joined in the fun with Susan and lots of American knitters and tutors at Camp Tuckanitslip. Her e-mails have brought back many happy memories for me and I hope we can meet up again.
I’m finishing this issue a little earlier than usual, because I’m having a few days off to go back up North. One of the reasons is to check out an alternative venue for Machine Knitting LIVE! in Bury. For a few years now, parking has been difficult and there’s been no room available for us to have talks. Things are looking very promising and I’ll let you know how I get on next time. When you read this, Machine Knitting LIVE! at Croydon will be just round the corner, so do come and join us for a lovely day out.
Fibrefest
Over 100 stalls offer a wide range of high quality fibres, yarns, textiles and textile craft equipment. There are workshops and seminars on weaving, spinning, sock machines and knitting including Sasha Kagan lecturing on knit and crochet techniques. There’s free entry to Coldharbour Mill working wool museum with over 200 years of textile history. Visitors can sit, knit, chat and exchange ideas and admire animals that produce fibre such as sheep, goats and alpacas. Advance ticket prices start at £6.50 for one day for adults with children under 14 at £5.50. There are further savings for weekend tickets. For more information and to buy tickets contact Fibrefest, PO Box 8, Lynton, North Devon EX35 6WY.
Tel 01598-752490 or 01884-841442
E-mail info@fibrefest.co.uk
Website www.fibrefest.co.uk
Knitchicks
The book provides readers with all the information they need to hand knit, as well as customising and designing their own sweaters. Beginners will love the straightforward patterns with comprehensive explanations and for more advanced knitters, the book teaches how a sweater is constructed, so they can take that knowledge beyond simply knitting a pattern exactly as given. Publisher David & Charles Edition paperback ISBN 978-1-60061-096-7 Size 279 x 216 mm Illustrations 200 colour Pages 144 Price £14.99 For stockists, buy online from www.rucraft.co.uk or call the customer hotline on 0844-880 5851
David & Charles, Brunel House, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 4PU
Website www.davidandcharles.co.uk
machine knitters day
A whole day dedicated to knitting on 21 July 2009
from 9.30am to 4pm.
The cost £10 including tea/coffee and a light lunch.
The venue is Crowhurst Village Hall,
Crowhurst Lane,
Nr Lingfield,
Surrey RH8 9NT
Bring your knitting machine,yarn ,one item you have made plus any information you would like to share.
To let us know you are coming:
email:- creativity@hallowesprojects.co.uk
Looking forward to seeing you.
Guild Event
This will be followed on Saturday 11th July from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm by A Day with Ruth Lee and the cost this time is £5. Uppingham Yarns are also attending. Both days are to be held at Wilnecote Parish Hall, Watling Street (old A5), Wilnecote, Tamworth, Staffordshire B77 5AD. Drinks will be provided but bring your own lunch. Cheques made payable to the Guild of Machine Knitters Ltd and please enclose an sae. For information and tickets contact Lidia Higson at 54 Main Road, Wigginton, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 9DZ. Tel 01827-63992 or e-mail lidia.higson@btinternet.com
Uppingham Summer School
On Monday and Tuesday you’ll make a small garment including hems, shaping with tools and holding position, plus neckbands, making up and so on. Basics are there for beginners and more experienced knitters can try intarsia and cables. Wednesday and Thursday will be two days of ribber work including setting up, basic ribs, buttonholes, shaping and knitting a variety of ribbed fabrics including jacquard. Beginners and those who want to can continue with the project from Tuesday if they choose. As every machine can produce a variety of lace fabrics, Friday will be a lace day covering as many variations of machine knitted lace as possible.
Further details are available from:
Uppingham Summer School, 34 Stockerston Road, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9UD
Tel 01572-820800
Website www.uppinghamsummerschool.co.uk
Knit ‘n’ Natter
Our guest speakers are Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer of Woolly Thoughts. Each year we like to support a charity through knitting and this year the club members decided that they would like to knit Trauma Teddies. CSV have sent me a hand knitting pattern but I do remember that there was a machine knitting pattern in your magazine some years ago. Please can you help? I will send you details of other exhibitors and details of how to buy tickets a little nearer the time. Meanwhile if anyone has any queries they are welcome to contact me by e-mail at pat@banyardsmith.freeserve.co.uk or telephone 01788-822091.
Kind regards from
Pat Banyard Smith
It’s Ewenique
As our club has such good knitters, help is always on hand for the less experienced. We had ten members at the week including our one male member, who is a very experienced knitter. I took along my cousin as a guest and everyone made her very welcome. I’m going to attach a couple of photographs and hope this will inspire other clubs to try it.
Members of the Ewenique club meet every second and fourth Monday of the month at The Folk Hall in New Earswick at either 1.45 pm if we’re having a guest speaker or 2.00 pm if one of our own members is going to do a demonstration for us. We arrange two of the knitting weeks each year in the spring and autumn. If any readers live in the area and would like to join us, we’d be very pleased to welcome them. The contact for the club is Mrs Greta Morton our Secretary and her phone number is 01423-860923 or e-mail themortons@talktalk.com.
Thanks very much Anne and best wishes.
Hannah Ward, York