Keep calm and craft on!

Two full days of craft demos from Saturday 4th to Sunday 5th July 2020! Search Press will be partnering with ICHF to bring a virtual feast of great authors and inspirational projects to crafters and artists throughout the country with The Creative Craft Show LIVE weekend. While we can’t obviously meet in person as we’d all prefer, this online initiative is the next best thing to get everyone’s creative juices flowing.

Join in on 4th and 5th July for two full days of online craft demos, all hosted by the amazing Debbie Shore and Pretty Gets Gritty‘s Lynette Jasper! It’s completely free to watch and there will be over 16 hours of the best craft tutorials. Get ready to improve your existing skills and learn something new!

Some of the artists and crafters have provided equipment lists so you can craft along with them, or play back and craft at a later date. You can find these demo worksheets on the ICHF website. They’ll be adding to the list, so keep your eyes peeled!

There are two ways you can watch the live demos:-

1. Head over to the ICHF Facebook page @thecraftshows and watch live. You’ll be able to ask the demonstrators questions during the demo.

2. Watch on the ICHF website (www.ichfevents.co.uk) You won’t be able to see comments or ask questions but they’ll be streaming the feed and you can watch live on there.

Can you help?

Hello

I’m looking for a knitting machine repair shop or person in the West Berkshire area to repair my gorgeous, newly-acquired, bashed in the post Brother KH-881. Would anyone be able to help, please.

Thank you, Tracey

Help!

Can anyone tell me what is wrong with my Brother KR850? I’m knitting the band of a cardigan but the ribber keeps jamming up after I get so far – usually after I’ve made all the buttonholes. I must have tried six times, so please HELP. Thanks, Hazel

Thank you NHS

Iris Rowe has designed this rainbow for us to knit and hang in a window, to thank care workers in our area

PATTERN RATING * Easy to knit.

MACHINES This pattern is written for all standard gauge machines. Use a mid-gauge or chunky machine and thicker yarn for a larger version

MATERIALS Any suitable 4-ply yarn Small amounts in Lilac (L), Magenta (M), Blue (B), Green (G), Yellow (Y), Orange (O), Red (R).

MEASUREMENTS Height around 8 cm, 3¼ in. Width 32 cm, 12½ in.

TENSION No tension gauge is necessary. Iris used Tension Dial setting 5 as main tension (MT) throughout unless otherwise stated. The knitting needs to be tighter than for a garment.

ABBREVIATIONS For a list of abbreviations we use, please turn to page 62 in any magazine.

NOTES Iris used knit side of knitting as right side. ‘Thread off’ means break yarn, using a bodkin, thread end through stitches and release from machine. Always leave a long length of yarn when casting on and casting off to use for making up.

TO KNIT Push 21 Ns to WP. Lilac curve Using L make a woven or automatic closed edge cast on. Set RC at 000 and K to RC 015. Place a WY marker on centre N, then K to RC 025. Place a WY marker on centre N, then K to RC 035. Place a WY marker on centre N, then K to RC 045. Place a WY marker on centre N, then K to RC 055. Place a WY marker on centre N, then K to RC 070. Thread off.

Magenta curve Using M knit in the same way placing WY markers on rows 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60, then K to RC 080. Thread off.

Blue curve Using B, work in the same way placing WY markers on rows 25, 35, 45, 55 and 65, then K to RC 090. Thread off.

Green curve Using G, work in the same way placing WY markers on rows 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70, then K to RC 100. Thread off.

Yellow curve Using Y, work in the same way placing WY markers on rows 35, 45, 55, 65 and 75, then K to RC 110. Thread off.

Orange curve Using O, work in the same way placing WY markers on rows 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80, then K to RC 120. Thread off.

Red curve Using R, work in the same way placing WY markers on rows 45, 55, 65, 75 and 85, then K to RC 130. Thread off.

MAKING UP With right sides tog, pull up stitches at each end of tubes, secure then join seams. Turn right side out, making sure roll is even. Using a long piece of red yarn, make a large knot in one end Start at centre and thread lilac tube onto yarn followed by correct sequence of colours, removing WY no longer needed. Lay tubes on a flat surface and straighten out. Pull tubes together lightly then make a small stitch at top of red tube to hold in place. Fasten off on inside of tube. Repeat this process each side of centre join. Using a very long length of red yarn thread a bodkin with a double length. Make a large knot in the end. Thread through the tubes starting with lilac and keeping in line with last set of WY markers. At top of red tube make a small stitch, take yarn across to WY marker on the other side leaving a long loop at top of rainbow to hang it in place. Adjust length as required. Make a small stitch before threading yarn through each tube until you reach the bottom. Pull slightly and fasten off inside the tube. Hang in your window.

July 2020 new subscriptions

This is July 2020 and our latest issue

NEW SUBSCRIPTION If you select a new subscription, no money will be taken with your order and it will start next month with the August 2020 magazine, to be mailed out to subscribers on Thursday 2nd July. If you’d like to start with this July issue, you need to order a Subscription Bundle.

SUBSCRIPTION BUNDLE If you select a subscription bundle, you pay for our current July 2020 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 August 2020 issue goes out to subscribers on Thursday 2nd July.

Looking for a pattern

Hi – I’m looking for a pattern for 4/5 year old girls summer dress. I need it for a standard gauge Knitmaster 700 machine with a ribber and lace carriage. Could anyone help, please? Thanks, Sue

July 2020 (Issue 270)

Our cover design also has a V-neck version with a hood and we always tell you how to knit all our patterns on standard gauge machines. Sally-Ann Carroll brings us a bright and sunny summer and Bill King keeps the lockdown boredom at bay in Masterclass. By very popular demand, we’ve sold out of the original magazines, so Bill King’s Spider’s Web design is repeated in this issue! Lorna Roach uses jelly beans to add colour and life to her knitted socks and Karin Rogalski shows us how to knit our own face masks to match our knitted wardrobe. We’ve instructions for quick and easy head bands and back straps for front line workers and a rainbow to knit and hang in a window to say: “Thank you NHS”. We help each other through the lockdown and always include news and reviews, letters, club details and book offers with great savings from Search Press.

May 2020 update

Dear Readers

First of all, I hope my letter this month finds you as safe and as well as we are here. I’m fine, as are all the MKM contributors and everything is ticking over, albeit in a slightly different way than before. We all continue to be in lockdown, along with Susan in the States and Fay in Australia. Many of you have called to say how thrilled you’ve been that a number of companies who support our magazine are continuing to dispatch orders, so we’re all managing to keep things going. I’m indebted to the staff at King Cole, who have moved mountains to send us some of the vital things we need, to bring you this month’s magazine. So let me send a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone helping to keep the home fires burning.

One new thing which might be of interest is that Aldi now has a hobby and craft range, which can be ordered online. There’s lots to interest crafters such as threads for embroidery and tapestry, fat quarters for sewers, magnifying table lights and yarn for hand knitting. As you’d expect, prices are keen and www.aldi.co.uk/c/specialbuys/hobbies-and-crafts is the place to visit to check it out. As we all try to work our way through this lockdown, don’t forget that Hobbycraft always has a huge range of beginner step-by-step guides, crafting materials and lots of free downloads at www.hobbycraft.co.uk

Sally Butcher has written to tell us about her lockdown knitting and remind us about her Beginners Circle Facebook Group. If you’d find it of interest, email her at sally.butcher1@btinternet.com and she’ll let you have the details. We’ve also asked on our Clubline page if you’d let us know if you come across a new way to keep your members connected. We’ve had the sad news from Joy Hopkins that Carbery Machine Knitting Club in Christchurch is set to close, so it’s even more important to try to keep as much of our machine-knitting community going as possible. If you stay connected with virtual options such as Skype, WhatsApp and Zoom, please share. I’ve kept our website updated as much as possible, passing on requests such as knitting hearts for Covid-19 patients. Iris came to the rescue with a machine-knitted pattern and it’s in Dear Anne this month. Please email me with any ways you’ve found to keep in touch, such as the Long Buckby Machine Knitters special monthly newsletter. It’s posted on their website at www.longbuckbymk.com and available for everyone to access.

Next month we’ve a treat in store for you when we’ll be At Home with Lorna Roach in Australia. She’s sent us her step-by-step guide to dyeing yarn all the colours of the rainbow with jelly beans. Yes, we really are going to head for the kitchen and have some fun! Until next time, we’re still saying to each other… keep well and stay safe.

NEXT ISSUE

July 2020

Subscription copies sent out Thursday 4th June

On sale Thursday 11th June

Ask your newsagent to

Reserve a copy – see page 61

June 2020 new subscriptions

This is June 2020 and our latest issue

NEW SUBSCRIPTION If you select a new subscription, no money will be taken with your order and it will start next month with the July 2020 magazine, to be mailed out to subscribers on Thursday 4th June. If you’d like to start with this June issue, you need to order a Subscription Bundle.

SUBSCRIPTION BUNDLE If you select a subscription bundle, you pay for our current June 2020 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 July 2020 issue goes out to subscribers on Thursday 4th June.

June 2020 (Issue 269)

Our full-colour June 2020 issue is officially on sale. There’s never been an easier one-size stash buster than our cover design and we include step-by-step instructions for knitting it on standard, mid-gauge and chunky models. There are over 12 designs and we always tell you how to knit all our patterns on standard gauge machines. Sally-Ann Carroll shows us how to add a flounce or frill to lift our moral this summer and Bill King gives some old favourites a new look in Masterclass. Lidia Higson’s How To… article describes how to knit bands that fit and add buttonholes and Fay Butcher’s Passap Duo and E6000 feature explains how to knit designs in carpet stitch. We help each other through the lockdown and always include news and reviews, letters, club details and book offers with great savings from Search Press.