Earlier this month we wrote an entry about Ed Jenkins, who hand-makes wooden knitting needles. His wife, Wanda, has posted a video of Ed on her blog, and it's very impressive to watch him work.
This week, however, we're getting a bit more hands on and we've found you a tutorial which shows you how to make your own knitting needles using items which should be easy to find at craft and hardware stores – you might have to visit one of each though!
We can't promise results as good at Ed's, but if you follow knitwear designer, Dawn Adcock's instructions, you'll soon have a custom made pair of pins. Perfect if you want a particularly long or short pair of needles.
Friday May 30, 2008 Make your own knitting needles
Wednesday May 28, 2008 Knits for your tiny vikings
Who would have thought? Thanks to the clever folks at CraftBits, you can now knit a viking baby hat to go with the adorable baby viking jumper we featured in issue 42 of Simply Knitting. (It's in the shops now, if you haven't got yours yet!)
Buzzy Bootees, issue 42
If you're knitting the Buzzy Bootees by Kirstie McLeod on page 53-4 of Simply Knitting issue 42, you may have noticed that something doesn't quite add up in the section headed "Both Bootees". There are two mistakes in each of the first two lines. They should read:
Next row Join yarn B and P5, yarn A P15, yarn B P5.
Next row Yarn B K10, yarn A K5, yarn B K10.
Next row Join yarn B and P5, yarn A P15, yarn B P5.
Next row Yarn B K10, yarn A K5, yarn B K10.
Tuesday May 27, 2008 How to knit backwards
Tension is so important, but have you ever wondered what to do if your knit and purl rows are coming out at different tensions? Well, you could knit with a pair of different sized needles – one 4mm and one 4.5mm, for example, or you could take a leaf out of the book of innovative blogger Sarah, from Bella Knitting and teach yourself to knit backwards.
If you don't like turning your work at the end of every row when knitting narrow pieces of stocking stitch – for example, entrelac – then this is a great technique to learn, although it does take a bit of puzzling out.
As an added bonus, have a look at the links on the right hand side of the page for some great free patterns.
If you don't like turning your work at the end of every row when knitting narrow pieces of stocking stitch – for example, entrelac – then this is a great technique to learn, although it does take a bit of puzzling out.
As an added bonus, have a look at the links on the right hand side of the page for some great free patterns.
Catch A Sailor's Fancy
We mentioned the Sailors' Society's 'Catch A Sailor's Fancy' competition in issue 41 of Simply Knitting. The idea is simple: you simply have to make a hat that no self-respecting sailor would ever wear. Pink? Flowery? Impractically large? The choice is yours, but the hat does have to be well made. There are several categories that hats can win in, including 'Small Fry', for hats made by children under 10 years old, 'Made with Mum' for hats made by two generations together, 'Most Beautiful' and, of course, a Supreme Champion. The winner in each category will win a hamper from Coats Crafts.
If you're planning to enter the competition, you need to register your interest in entering (but not send in your hat) by the 30th May, so get your entry form and return it before you start knitting! Entry forms and further details can be obtained by writing to Catch A Sailor's Fancy, 8 Greenwich Quay, London SE8 3EY.
If you're planning to enter the competition, you need to register your interest in entering (but not send in your hat) by the 30th May, so get your entry form and return it before you start knitting! Entry forms and further details can be obtained by writing to Catch A Sailor's Fancy, 8 Greenwich Quay, London SE8 3EY.
Thursday May 22, 2008 Simply Knitting issue 42 on sale today!
The June issue of Simply
Knitting hits the shops today packed with loads of great
knits to keep your needles busy all summer long. As the great British
summer is notoriously changeable, we've got a hot pink halter neck to
show off your tanned shoulders – and two lacy cardigans for when it's not
quite so warm, one knit with fun cables, the other crocheted lace in trendy citrus shades!
Click for a larger image.
We've also got the second part of Alan Dart's mouse circus. Don't forget: you need both issue 41 and 42 to knit the circus, as issue 42 does not contain the basic mouse pattern we printed in issue 41. If you missed issue 41, you can order it from MyFavouriteMagazines or by calling 0844 848 1602, while stocks last.
We're gearing up for Father's Day here at Simply Knitting, with a felted laptop bag and a cool and casual summer tank top, perfect for dad. We're not forgetting our little boys either, with a cute Viking jumper for todders and sweet bee themed baby bootees. We've also got a lovely soft woollen cushion with a pretty flower detail.
Other great things to look out for include:
Click for a larger image.
We've also got the second part of Alan Dart's mouse circus. Don't forget: you need both issue 41 and 42 to knit the circus, as issue 42 does not contain the basic mouse pattern we printed in issue 41. If you missed issue 41, you can order it from MyFavouriteMagazines or by calling 0844 848 1602, while stocks last.
We're gearing up for Father's Day here at Simply Knitting, with a felted laptop bag and a cool and casual summer tank top, perfect for dad. We're not forgetting our little boys either, with a cute Viking jumper for todders and sweet bee themed baby bootees. We've also got a lovely soft woollen cushion with a pretty flower detail.
Other great things to look out for include:
- Our report on Wonderwool Wales
- Sit and knit – without the backache.
- Loads of ways to use your three free wooden buttons!
Wednesday May 21, 2008 Knit for charity - in public
When it's sunny there's nothing we like better than spending our lunch hour in down by the river, knitting away in the sunshine. We're not the only ones, and World Wide Knit in Public Day on Saturday 14 June is set to be a stormer this year. There are already several events listed for the UK and we've just had some news in from a KIP event in another sunny place.
South African based Elle Yarns are encouraging local knitters to get out their pins in public – and to do it for a good cause. As well as working to raise funds and awareness by encouraging people to knit squares for a local breast cancer charity, they're also giving away a free pattern for a pretty pink knitted hat, designed specially for cancer patients.
It's simple to knit, making it perfect for a busy Knitting In Public event and once you've finished it you can either keep it or donate it. To download yours, all you have to do is sign up to their free Knitters Club and you'll find it among the 46 free patterns currently available.
If you're wondering where to donate your hat, contact the oncology or customer services department at your local hospital.
South African based Elle Yarns are encouraging local knitters to get out their pins in public – and to do it for a good cause. As well as working to raise funds and awareness by encouraging people to knit squares for a local breast cancer charity, they're also giving away a free pattern for a pretty pink knitted hat, designed specially for cancer patients.
It's simple to knit, making it perfect for a busy Knitting In Public event and once you've finished it you can either keep it or donate it. To download yours, all you have to do is sign up to their free Knitters Club and you'll find it among the 46 free patterns currently available.
If you're wondering where to donate your hat, contact the oncology or customer services department at your local hospital.
Tuesday May 20, 2008 Knitting and textile courses at West Dean College, Sussex
When we heard that Brandon Mably was teaching a course at West Dean College in Sussex, and decided to find out a bit more about what's on offer – and there's a lot!
Brandon's one-day workshop on 24 June is entitled Colour in Design, and will draw on his own marvellous sense of colour and design, as well as all those useful hints he's picked up from working with Kaffe Fassett for so many years.
West Dean is also offering a broad range of short courses from spinning to felt making through beginners knitting, colour work and texture and jewellry. They also offer longer textile courses, right up to MA level and courses in a range of other disciplines. The only downside is that it's a bit far to commute from Bath, but there's always the summer schools – perhaps a bit of blacksmithing would liven up the office?
Brandon's one-day workshop on 24 June is entitled Colour in Design, and will draw on his own marvellous sense of colour and design, as well as all those useful hints he's picked up from working with Kaffe Fassett for so many years.
West Dean is also offering a broad range of short courses from spinning to felt making through beginners knitting, colour work and texture and jewellry. They also offer longer textile courses, right up to MA level and courses in a range of other disciplines. The only downside is that it's a bit far to commute from Bath, but there's always the summer schools – perhaps a bit of blacksmithing would liven up the office?
Crossword, issue 43
We've misprinted a square on the crossword grid in issue 43. Clue one down should be seven letters - the sixth square should be white, not black. This won't affect the prize word.
Monday May 19, 2008 Lana Grossa – going out with a sale
We were sorry to hear that Lana Grossa are going to stop distributing their yarns in the UK. They do some great stuff, and it's sad to see it go.
Of course, it isn't all bad news – the fab folks at the Knitting Hut have responded by having a massive sale which starts tomorrow, Tuesday 20 May.
All their Lana Grossa yarns will be 50% off and there are lots of other things on sale – plus you'll get free UK postage on orders over £20! A great excuse to shop online if you can't make it to the shop at Woburn Sands in person.
Of course, it isn't all bad news – the fab folks at the Knitting Hut have responded by having a massive sale which starts tomorrow, Tuesday 20 May.
All their Lana Grossa yarns will be 50% off and there are lots of other things on sale – plus you'll get free UK postage on orders over £20! A great excuse to shop online if you can't make it to the shop at Woburn Sands in person.
Friday May 16, 2008 Letters, illuminated by knitting
In the old days, when books were copied out by hand, scribes used to do gorgeous pictures for the first letter of the paragraph or the chapter. It's a technique which can turn a tax bill into a work of art, and it's always a treat to find it in a modern book, so we were thrilled to stumble across Knitting Letters: A to Z. As well as gorgeous pieces of Fair Isle knitting, the author is also in the process of building an abecedarium of knitted letters. Wondering what that is? We were too, so click through to find out more.
We'd love to have an A-Z of knitted letters on our blog, so if you've designed one or know of a free online pattern we could link to, leave us a comment or drop us an email!
We'd love to have an A-Z of knitted letters on our blog, so if you've designed one or know of a free online pattern we could link to, leave us a comment or drop us an email!
Issue 42 giveaways and competitions
Simply Knitting issue 42 hits the shops on Thursday 22 May. Enter our great giveaways and competitions by using the links below.
Abakhan knitting goodie bag giveaway, page 14
Mission Falls Hudson knitting kit giveaway, page 14
Rosarios 4 Sole Latte milk yarn giveaway, page 14
HipKnits handpainted yarn giveaway, page 14
King Cole Welcome Baby DK yarn and pattern competition, page 52
Prize crossword, page 63
Note: We've misprinted a square on the crossword grid in issue 43. Clue one down should be seven letters - the sixth square should be white, not black. This won't affect the prize word.
We've changed our competition forms to make them easier to use. Leave us a comment to let us know what you think or email us with your view.
Abakhan knitting goodie bag giveaway, page 14
Mission Falls Hudson knitting kit giveaway, page 14
Rosarios 4 Sole Latte milk yarn giveaway, page 14
HipKnits handpainted yarn giveaway, page 14
King Cole Welcome Baby DK yarn and pattern competition, page 52
Prize crossword, page 63
Note: We've misprinted a square on the crossword grid in issue 43. Clue one down should be seven letters - the sixth square should be white, not black. This won't affect the prize word.
We've changed our competition forms to make them easier to use. Leave us a comment to let us know what you think or email us with your view.
Thursday May 15, 2008 Knitted eyeballs - the perfect cat toy?
It's not a cat hat, but if you want to give visitors a turn and entertain your pet at the same time, why not knit an eyeball for them to play with?
Wednesday May 14, 2008 Pets and knitwear: match made in heaven or hell?
Cats love yarn. Greetings cards say so, adverts say so, and hundreds of photos on Flickr say so (here are a few in Knits and Kitties). My parent's cat says so, although I think, if forced to choose, she'd take the needles over the yarn as I tend to sit on the sofa and wiggle them, which makes them more fun to attack.
But should you combine your love of knitting and your love for your pet? Do you dress your cats in hats, dogs in coats, snakes on socks?
But should you combine your love of knitting and your love for your pet? Do you dress your cats in hats, dogs in coats, snakes on socks?
Monday May 12, 2008 Lace patterns from 1897
Lace knitter Cindy Moore has been recharting and updating the stitch patterns in the out of copyright 1897 work The Art of Knitting, making them easy to use for modern knitters. Many of the charts are available on her website and now you can also order her calendar with lace stitches or send a friend a pretty lace pattern card with the instructions for how to knit the lace printed on the back. Add some yarn and you've got a lovely scarf kit – the perfect gift for a knitting friend!
Friday May 09, 2008 Nifty KNIFTAs: Knitting In Film And Television Awards
Rummage through your shelves, head down to the video rental place or just switch on the telly because IKnit London needs your eagle eyes to nominate knitting scenes for the KNIFTAs, the Knitting In Film And Television Awards.
You can nominate scenes in three categories:
On the one hand, as our editor, Debora points out, it's beautifully symbolic of her inner conflict: the marriage she's heading for is as unlikely to fit as the jumper. On the other hand, as Kirstie, our technical editor puts it, the actual knitting is really bad – but Audrey clearly knows how to handle her needles. We're torn.
We'd probably have to sit down and watch the film again to really settle it, but in the mean time IKnit have got a few other suggestions for your weekend knit-movie viewing – and so have we.
My favourite knitting scene is at the end of The Addams Family, votes production editor Mim. The whole family are out in the graveyard playing and Gomez says "What more could we ask for?" and Morticia holds up a tiny, three-legged babygrow she's been knitting. It's the perfect end to the film.
I'd like a Weasley jumper from the Harry Potter films, says Ali, our dep art ed. Mrs Weasley's always knitting and I'm a big fan.
Personally, I prefer Sylvester Stallone in Demolition Man – a bloke who can save the world and knit you a jumper in an evening? Bring it on!
You can nominate scenes in three categories:
- Worst knitting/crochet/craft scene
- Best knitting/crochet/craft scene
- Best knitwear
On the one hand, as our editor, Debora points out, it's beautifully symbolic of her inner conflict: the marriage she's heading for is as unlikely to fit as the jumper. On the other hand, as Kirstie, our technical editor puts it, the actual knitting is really bad – but Audrey clearly knows how to handle her needles. We're torn.
We'd probably have to sit down and watch the film again to really settle it, but in the mean time IKnit have got a few other suggestions for your weekend knit-movie viewing – and so have we.
My favourite knitting scene is at the end of The Addams Family, votes production editor Mim. The whole family are out in the graveyard playing and Gomez says "What more could we ask for?" and Morticia holds up a tiny, three-legged babygrow she's been knitting. It's the perfect end to the film.
I'd like a Weasley jumper from the Harry Potter films, says Ali, our dep art ed. Mrs Weasley's always knitting and I'm a big fan.
Personally, I prefer Sylvester Stallone in Demolition Man – a bloke who can save the world and knit you a jumper in an evening? Bring it on!
The infamous Harry Potter sock yarn
By now you may have seen plenty about a possible Harry Potter sock yarn. While the yarn was announced at a recent trade fair in Cologne, any pictures that you will have seen of the stand are of mock-up balls – the yarns used on the stand were existing ones from Opal's range wrapped in sample ball bands. We spoke to a number of people involved with the yarn, and the colourways for the Harry Potter yarns had, as of last week, still to be approved by Warner Brothers, and no-one was releasing any details of the officially planned colours. This may come as a relief to anyone who was wondering why Hedwig appeared to have her own yarn but Hermione did not.
I'm hoping for a nice yellow-and-black Hufflepuff yarn myself, as it's my favourite house and they're my old university colours too. Are there any colours you'd especially like to see? Hogwarts house colours? Chudley Cannons orange? Crookshanks variegated gingers?
I'm hoping for a nice yellow-and-black Hufflepuff yarn myself, as it's my favourite house and they're my old university colours too. Are there any colours you'd especially like to see? Hogwarts house colours? Chudley Cannons orange? Crookshanks variegated gingers?
Thursday May 08, 2008 First make your needle
Have you ever wondered how a knitting needle is made? We have!
Fortunately, Ed Jenkins, an American who makes lovely wooden knitting needles and crochet hooks, is married to Wanda, who has a blog. And a video camera. This happy combination means you can now watch Ed making one of his needles.
Have you ever wanted to watch Ed as he turns a needle? Wanda asks readers on her blog. It’s really quite fascinating, but also dangerous. The stick of wood is turning at a very high revolution and it doesn’t take much to launch one into space.
Read the full story in Wanda's post "To Make a Knitting Needle" or skip straight to the needle making video on YouTube.
Fortunately, Ed Jenkins, an American who makes lovely wooden knitting needles and crochet hooks, is married to Wanda, who has a blog. And a video camera. This happy combination means you can now watch Ed making one of his needles.
Have you ever wanted to watch Ed as he turns a needle? Wanda asks readers on her blog. It’s really quite fascinating, but also dangerous. The stick of wood is turning at a very high revolution and it doesn’t take much to launch one into space.
Read the full story in Wanda's post "To Make a Knitting Needle" or skip straight to the needle making video on YouTube.
Shades and substitutions
We've a gorgeous toy pattern coming up in issue 43 - Alan's come up trumps again - and it's made me think about alterations. Now, I won't spoil the surprise by telling you much about the toy, but I will say that I'm contemplating a radical change in colours. One of the things that surprised me when I first started work on Simply Knitting was that companies doing the reader offers were keen to know not just what yarn a project used, but what colour we were photographing it in. Even though most firms offer discounts off any colour of the yarn used in a project, it seems that many people prefer to use not just the specified yarn, but the exact same colour too.
I can understand people being nervous about swapping one yarn for another. I've done it and got it wrong myself. (I failed to take into account the fact that cotton, which I'd decided to use, was heavier than wool, so I didn't buy enough yarn and had to order more from a different dye lot, and then I was too lazy to make a tension square and so ended up with a giant cardigan that easily covers my fingertips! It was definitely 'a learning experience'.) However, the fact that people don't tend to try the other colours still baffles me a bit.
So, do you try to make patterns in the colours they're shown in in the magazine? If we did a cardigan in a colour you hated, would it automatically put you off that pattern? Have you ever started something because you liked the colour only to discover you hated the design? And - because we're having a question avalanche here! - are you more likely to try a different colour if you see the balls of yarn before you see the patterns available for that yarn?
I can understand people being nervous about swapping one yarn for another. I've done it and got it wrong myself. (I failed to take into account the fact that cotton, which I'd decided to use, was heavier than wool, so I didn't buy enough yarn and had to order more from a different dye lot, and then I was too lazy to make a tension square and so ended up with a giant cardigan that easily covers my fingertips! It was definitely 'a learning experience'.) However, the fact that people don't tend to try the other colours still baffles me a bit.
So, do you try to make patterns in the colours they're shown in in the magazine? If we did a cardigan in a colour you hated, would it automatically put you off that pattern? Have you ever started something because you liked the colour only to discover you hated the design? And - because we're having a question avalanche here! - are you more likely to try a different colour if you see the balls of yarn before you see the patterns available for that yarn?
Tuesday May 06, 2008 Calling all clubs!
This is a quick reminder to all club organisers who list their knitting clubs in our Loop section: don't forget to update us if your club contact details change, and please let us know if you no longer wish for your club to be listed.
Here on Simply Knitting, we love clubs - we even have our own one every Wednesday lunchtime. It's great to sit down with a gang of fellow stitchers for a bit of laughing, lots of chatting and plenty of knitting. We print a large list of clubs in our 'In The Loop' section each issue, so if you're not a club organiser and you fancy relaxing alongside some fellow knitters, being inspired by them or even getting some help with a new technique, look up your local club and see if you can join!
Here on Simply Knitting, we love clubs - we even have our own one every Wednesday lunchtime. It's great to sit down with a gang of fellow stitchers for a bit of laughing, lots of chatting and plenty of knitting. We print a large list of clubs in our 'In The Loop' section each issue, so if you're not a club organiser and you fancy relaxing alongside some fellow knitters, being inspired by them or even getting some help with a new technique, look up your local club and see if you can join!
