It’s competition time and we’ve some exciting news to share with you all.
From the 31st July to the 2nd September King Cole is running a competition using its Raffia yarn. There’s a prize each for the UK, the USA and ROW worth £50 – three prize packs in total.
The competition is being run through Facebook and Instagram with entries being submitted via these platforms. However if you know of anyone who would like to enter who doesn’t have access to these platforms please send all entries to roland.parker@kingcole.com.
It’s an excellent opportunity to see what the knitting community can produce with this quirky yarn and how countries differ in their submissions. King Cole can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Most of the punchcards that come with the colour changer are
ready for Fair Isle. I find it’s useful to remember that if you think you might
want to use an ordinary Fair Isle card with the colour changer, it saves a lot
of hassle if you punch another card in reverse. If you want to use a reversed
card for normal Fair Isle, you need to swap
the main and contrast yarns over in the ordinary sinker plate. I’m a punchcard
knitter but yes, I do know that on electronic machines you just have to use the
colour reverse lever to make a Fair Isle
pattern suitable for using with the colour changer. Best wishes, Lisa
I’ve just had fun and games using my colour changer for the
first time in years. So, here’s a tip if you’re working with three colours rather
than four. I left the fourth roller empty and accidentally pressed the button
by mistake. With no yarn in it every single stitch dropped, so you can imagine
the language! Now I’ll always thread it up with yarn. However, it needs to be a
strong contrast or, as I did first time, you’ll knit away in the wrong colour!
I now always thread it up with a colour such as black against pale shades, so I
notice at once if I select the wrong feed accidentally. My theory is that it’s much
better to unpick a wrong colour, instead of having all the dratted knitting
falling off the machine. I’m now a little older and wiser! Kind regards, Margaret
Here’s a tip I think Joan Lafferty passed on years ago and I
always use it. When you get near the end of a cone of yarn and you’re not sure if
the new one is an exact match, use the old and new yarns one row at a time alternately
and you’ll not notice the changeover. Best wishes, Irene
New subscription If you select a new subscription, it will start with the September 2019 magazine, to be mailed out to subscribers on Thursday 1st August. If you’d like to start with this August issue, you need to order a Subscription Bundle.
Subscription bundle If you select a subscription bundle, it will start with our current August 2019 magazine and we’ll send you a copy straight away. Your magazine will then be mailed direct from the printer on the first Thursday of each month and the September 2019 issue goes out to subscribers on Thursday 1st August.
The next Makers Market brings Scottish craft and creativity to new and exciting levels. There will be stunning photography and portraits to brighten up your home and even doggy bandannas to brighten up your dog! You can find ceramic yarn holders, homemade cakes and chutneys, beautiful metal-worked jewellery and more!
New Lanark Visitor Centre is at New Lanark Mills, Lanark, South Lanarkshire ML11 9DB. The Makers Market is a brand NEW market and will continue throughout the Summer on the following weekends – 27th & 28th July and the 10th & 11th August, showcasing the best of hand-made products from across Scotland in the Exhibition Gallery from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.
When visiting the Markers Market, take a moment to visit the award winning visitor attraction and you can step back in time and rediscover life of this working mill village. Following on from this, explore the industrial heritage, pick up a gift in the Mill Shop, have breakfast or lunch in the Mill Café or New Lanark Mill Hotel Restaurant, enjoy dinner, play in the park or simply take a seat by the waterwheel and soak up the history of this magnificent 18th century cotton mill village.
To find out more about the Makers Market at New Lanark World Heritage Site, click here.
I’ve never liked sewing on neckbands and saw this method in MKM years ago, so it might help someone coming back to machine knitting who may not remember it. First do a cut and sew neck and leave the left shoulder open. Set the ribber up and using the same number of stitches needed for the neckband, knit something like ten rows at Tension 7 or some 1×1 rib in a bit of waste yarn. Transfer all stitches to the main bed and knit a few more rows. Knit a row with a nylon cord then one row at Tension 10 with main yarn and one row at Tension 6. Take it all off on waste yarn, still with the ribber comb in place.
Hang the neckline on the empty needles, push the
knitting behind the latches and then put the neckband stitches in the hooks. Carefully
push the needles back through the neckline and I usually knit another row at
Tension 4 or 5. Change to rib, add weights to the ribber comb and knit the rows
required. Leave the ribber set on P and with the stitches in place on the
ribber, move it to H. Knit the rows needed at Tension 3/3. Transfer stitches to
the main bed then remove the ribber comb and pick up the first row you knitted at
Tension 10. Put the stitches into the hooks, but make sure you leave the other
stitches behind the latches. Take all the needles back, then remove the cord
and waste yarn and latch off. It seems a lot of messing about, but it’s easier
than writing it down and a lot neater than backstitching through the open loops.
Over the years I’ve learnt such a lot from the magazine and what goes around,
comes around. Thanks for all you do, Anne. Best wishes, Chris
Here in the South East and unlike last year, our green and pleasant land was definitely fact and not fiction in June. We needed the much-wanted rain to hammer down but, in the hope that we may have something of a summer after the blazing heatwave at the end of July, I’ve included some pretty tops this time. However, if summer doesn’t materialise, remember that lacy tops look equally stunning for the party season, which will be here before we can turn around! A fine thread of Lurex or shiny metallic makes no difference to the tension and adds a lovely sparkle to many yarns. Call Uppingham Yarns on 01572-823747 or Yeoman Yarns on 0116-240 4464 to ask what they have on offer.
This month we welcome back Heidi Cleary, who has been absent from our pages for too long. She’s still knitting for all the tiny tots in her life and this month’s striped sweater is an ideal stash buster. Heidi almost always uses acrylic double knitting for her kids’ knits. There’s a huge colour choice, it’s hard-wearing, machine-washable and dries in next-to-no-time. She simply sets the tension dial as far round as it will go on her standard gauge machine and opens up the tension on the mast. Her garter carriage loves it and I remember Hilary’s mum, the late Barbara Belton at Busy Bee, also loving Forsell Shamal DK for many of her designs. By the way, the half price offer on Forsell yarns continues at Silver Viscount and there are still stocks of lovely colours. If you’re looking for something special, visit the website at http://www.silverviscount.co.uk or give Jackie or Rosie a call on 01933-311888 and they’ll let you know what’s currently available.
DesignaKnit enthusiasts will love Claire Newberry’s new feature on Page 52 and Part 2 follows next month. Fay Butcher shares her Passap pattern for a pretty baby cape and I’m sure you’ll want to re-discover your love of Artika Designs. Linda has been producing her booklets for more years than I care to remember and they’re absolutely packed with masses of stitch pattern diagrams, colour variations and design ideas. There’s a special offer for all our readers on Page 54 and overseas knitters are not left out. Simply email Linda at artika@compuserve.com and she’ll look after you personally.
I’ve a great Autumn of knitting lined up for you with exclusive features and patterns from our craft leaders Susan Guagliumi and Nina Miklin together with popular favourites Helen Lewis and Karin Rogalski. Until next time, happy knitting.
NEXT ISSUE
September 2019Subscription copies sent out Thursday 1st August
On 10th August, from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, V V Rouleaux will be at The Makery in bath with Sewisfaction and their fabrics to hold a pop-up shop. There will be a selection of £5 workshops all day long and V V Rouleaux will also have lots going on, including goodie-bags with every purchase. Oh, and there will be cake! The Makery is at Beau Nash House, 19 Union Passage, Bath, North East Somerset BA1 1RD or call 01225-581888.
Our cover design is a pretty cropped cardigan in King Cole Giza Cotton 4-ply. There’s a similar sweater design, both are easy to knit and for a large size range. We’ve a selection of ten designs and we include details for converting our patterns for knitting on standard gauge machines. If your summer knitted wardrobe needs a new zest for life, a cool citrus hue will instantly add a fresh new flavour says Sally-Ann Carroll and Bill King reminds us that tape yarns make a little effort go a long way. Fay Butcher shares an easy pattern for E6000 and Duo machines and we refurbish an old chair in a splendid Artika tartan. You’ll also want to catch up with Linda Jackson and rediscover your love of Artika Designs with our great reader offer. Claire Newberry shows us how to design a motif in DesignaKnit and then put it into a repeat and we always include news, books and fashion plus great reader savings on new craft books from Search Press.
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