Every nook and cranny has been turned into a storeroom. However, Paul is confident that stocks will reduce once the museum opens from Wednesday to Sunday each week from the beginning of April. In the past, local companies have donated end of run yarn and whilst gratefully received, this has tended to be in just one or two colours. One huge bonus of readers’ yarn is that it’s come in every colour of the rainbow. This means that each area looks vibrant and exciting and the museum has sprung to life. More details from museum manager Paul Baker, Framework Knitters Museum, Chapel Street, Ruddington, Nottingham NG11 6HE.
Tel 0115-984 6914
Email Rfwk-Mus@btconnect.com
Cosy toes
I think your filing system might be somewhat better than mine so I wonder if you could help. Thanks and best wishes Phil Jackson
Here are a couple of patterns to knit with any 4-ply oddments, Phil.
BED SOCKS
Version 1
Push 39 Ns at centre of machine to WP with extra N at right. Using MY, cast on by hand. Set RC at 000. Using MT, K 50 rows. Dec 1 st at each end of every 10th row until 29 sts rem. RC shows 100.
* Shape heel ** Set carriage to hold. Push 1 N at carriage end to HP on next 16 rows. Push 1 inside N at opposite end to carriage from HP to UWP on next 16 rows **.
Sole K 60 rows. Adjust length at this stage, if required.
Shape toe Work as given for heel from ** to **.
Instep K 60 rows. Adjust length at this stage, if required. Place marker at each end *. K 100 rows. Push Ns to UWP. Lay yarn over Ns and K by hand taking Ns down to NWP, then cast off with a latch tool or work a loose cast off.
Version 2
Push 38 Ns at centre of machine to WP. Push every 3rd N back to NWP. Using MY, cast on by hand. Set RC at 000. Using MT, K 1 row. Using MT-1, K 39 rows. Push empty Ns from NWP to WP. Make a hem by placing loops from cast on edge evenly along the row. Inc 1 st at right edge. 39 sts. Set RC at 000. Using MT, K 10 rows. Dec 1 st at each end of every 10th row until 29 sts rem. RC shows 60. Work as for Version 1 from * to *. K 60 rows. Transfer every 3rd st on to adjacent N. Push empty Ns to NWP. Push Ns from WP to UWP. Weave in nylon cord, under and over Ns as a marker. Using MT-1, K 40 rows. Push empty Ns from NWP to WP. Make a hem by placing loops of marked row evenly along the row. Using MT+3, K 1 row. Push Ns to UWP. Lay yarn over Ns and K by hand taking Ns down to NWP, then cast off with a latch tool or work a loose cast off.
Making up Join foot and side seams, matching markers to sides of heel.
Successful year
We also held our AGM in March. Following a very successful advertising campaign we recruited six new members and we’re still receiving enquiries from other interested people. We’ve had several visiting speakers who’ve enriched our knowledge and experiences as well as generating much enthusiasm and confidence to try new techniques. Some members have made cardigans and blankets for the prem baby unit and bed socks, shawls and blankets for the elderly patients at The Royal United Hospital in Bath. Members also made vests for the ‘Fish and Chip’ babies in Africa. At the last count we’d over 50 vests with still more coming in. We’d some very interesting and informative ‘show and tell’ sessions. Members admired some lovely examples of work and we shared lots of tips, techniques and ideas.
We’d a lovely Christmas party and a good response to the Christmas theme competition. It was won by Sue Moore, who’d knitted a Christmas cake and finished it beautifully. We also agreed the programme for our coming year.
9th June Colour selection and co-ordination.
14th July Show and tell.
11th August Using the colour changer plus cut and sew Fair Isle.
8th September Show and tell.
12th October Crochet techniques and edgings.
10th November Intarsia.
8th December Show and tell, then preparing for the Christmas challenge!
12th January Christmas party and group competition judging.
9th February Scarves and gloves.
I’d like to pass on my grateful thanks to everyone for everything they’ve done to make this year such a success, but single out Bob Milsom, husband of club member Gill Milsom. Bob has kindly produced, without charge, a beautifully illustrated programme leaflet for the club along with a lovely information leaflet which he’s laminated for local advertising and distribution. After three month’s absence due to illness, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again and hope to have completed a delayed Christmas present for my husband to show them! Many thanks for all your hard work, Anne and we look forward to receiving the next edition of MKM. Best wishes, Pat Hames
Members of Keynsham MKC meet on the second Monday of the month at Sterling Way Community Centre in Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1DF from 2.00 to 4.00 pm. For more details please contact Margaret Marsh (Chair) on 0117-986 5559 or Pat Hames (Secretary) on 01454-322553.
Take a bow
It’s such an encouraging, informative and helpful publication and I’ve no idea how you manage to come up with something new each month and for many years at that. The January issue was full of projects to keep us going well into 2014. I just loved the doggie draught excluder and the hottie water bottle cover with the panda on it. With a young granddaughter, the hats for little ones will keep me knitting until her birthday in mid-January. Very good to hear that the Malawi appeal has been so well supported – I’m assuming that we can continue to make the hats? Looking forward to hearing more news on that. Thanks too for the info on Action Aid, what a wonderful idea; there are so many good people out there! And how we all agree with Margaret Robbie re postal prices, it almost seems like they don’t want us to send parcels. We also have to send everything tracked as one thing which wasn’t went astray and it all adds to the cost. No more of the moaning, have an exciting and healthy 2014. With love and thanks from the far, far North, Barbara Curd
Side by side
When you’re writing up doing this sort of neck in the magazine, you almost always tell us to sew two rows of stitching around the neck before we cut out the shape. I know there’s nothing new under the sun and this won’t be original, but I always do just one row on my sewing machine, but with a double needle. It works a treat! Best regards, Ann Levington
Beginner’s please
I’ve managed to get started and thought I was going great guns, but when I get to row 18 or 19 and whilst taking the carriage back from left to right, it’s taking the stitches off! Why? Please help me as I’m getting so frustrated! Thanks so much in anticipation. Kind regards, Angie Cliffe
Your enthusiasm is probably running away with you, Angie. The first two things that spring to mind are that you don’t have the correct tension on the yarn, so it’s forming loops at the edge of the knitting. This is probably the most common cause of dropped stitches. The second thought is that the carriage needs to clear the knitting completely before you push it across for the next row. Make sure it clears the last working needle by about 2 to 3 cm. You know when this has happened, because you’ll hear a faint ‘click’. If you go to the other extreme and take the carriage too far over, more yarn than required will come through the yarn brake. Again, this destroys the yarn tension and can cause loops and dropped stitches at the edge of the work. You may well find that the solution to your problem is simply to slow down!
Fallen Angel
It is on Page 27 and the recommended yarns are Yeoman Supersheen and Yeoman Cannele Fine Crêpe. I cannot find Yeoman Cannele Fine Crêpe anywhere. Is this the correct name of the yarn or do you know which yarn I could substitute? Best regards, Maryse Ellensburg from Amsterdam
We definitely hit the spot with our Angel Falls design on Page 27 of the April issue, Maryse. How did we know? Both the office and Yeoman’s phone lines rang non stop with knitters wondering which yarn to use. We spoke to the designer and are confident that you need two ends of Yeoman Fine Crêpe and one end of Yeoman Supersheen to knit this popular design.
Look At Life
Joan taught me machine knitting at evening classes over 25 years ago and was involved with the local machine-knitting club until she moved to the southwest. She was always full of tales at club meetings and when I used to buy MKM, her article was usually the first one I read. She has such an easy writing style and the content is always interesting or amusing, or both. I still meet up regularly each month with two friends I made at Joan’s evening classes, although both of them have given up knitting over the years.
I’m busy clearing my workshop so I can get to my trusty old Brother 836 machine and discovering patterns and books, I’d long forgotten. I’ve a stack of your magazines starting from the 80s, so I’ve plenty of reading to do and I look forward to starting on the machine very soon, especially on cold wet days! After all these years it’s good to see that MKM still has plenty of variety and is a good ‘read’. I look forward to the next issues that I will be purchasing. With kind regards, Jean Cox
Take your pick
Could I pass on that I’ve found this really useful tool for designing knitwear and thought you might like to include it in the next issue. It’s an online tool for picking colours and seeing what they will look like in a stripe pattern. It really is great! www.biscuitsandjam.com/stripe_maker.php Kind regards, Jayne Edwards
Crafter’s Market
This will be my fourth year and we now get holidaymakers coming over specially to see us. I’ve sold over 25 chunky ponchos and still have a stock of ten left, which I’m hoping will sell next year. I’ve also designed a jumper, which is easy to knit and has many variations of patterns. So far, I’ve sold at least 30 of them with about six now left in stock. They’re very quick and easy to knit, so I’ll send you the pattern when I’ve a spare minute. I’m sure readers will be interested in the pattern. I got a lot of pleasure out of knitting it because it gave me the opportunity to try out different punchcards.
I tell all the visitors to the stall about Machine Knitting Monthly, when they ask how I manage to knit so many things in such a short space of time. It’s hard to believe but, in 12 months, I’ve knitted 216 items including jumpers, cardigans, ponchos, scarves, mobile phone and kindle pouches. My friend Ann and I have also knitted lovely evening shrugs by hand whilst sitting in the Gazebo, so we never stop.
At present I’m writing the pattern for a scarf, which I’ve aptly named ‘Keyhole’ because of its shape. A friend of mine was knitting a much smaller version on fine needles from a pattern, which, I believe, came from America. I decided to incorporate my own version and do a chunky one, which has enabled me to use up lots of my little spare bits of yarn too. So far, I’ve knitted 12 for my Crafter Market in the Spring. I’ll send the pattern as well and, in the meantime, here are a couple of photos of the chunky version. The scarf can also be adapted for the standard gauge machine as a smaller version, but obviously more rows will need to be knitted. However, it’s easy enough to work out the desired size.
Over the years I’ve acquired lots of unwanted knitting machines and just recently I’ve been selling some of them which, in turn, gives me some spending money for more wool! Best wishes to you all and I’ll write the patterns as soon as I can. Kindest regards, Linda Collins