No, it's not a new channel (although we wish it was!). Crochet TV is a masterpiece by Swedish craft blogger, Inger C. Apparently she's also created a life-size ATM machine, but it didn't hold up as well! We're still very impressed...

Charity knitting group Loving Hands has had great success in knitting breasts to help with breastfeeding demonstrations for young mothers and to raise money for breast cancer charities. Inspired by one group member's 'Betty Boob', a knitted breast with a face on, the charity is launching a 'Pimp My Boob' competition. All you have to do is knit a breast and decorate it. Baby products manufacturer Tommee Tippee has donated a prize, which will go to the maker of the best-decorated knitted breast, and after the competition, the breasts will be auctioned off to make money for breast cancer charities.

Betty Boob was the inspiration, and one Loving Hands member is making 'Boob Marley'. What next, we wonder? George Breast? DD Ramone? The mind boggles, but we'd love to hear what you made if you enter!

Margaret Oomen, blogger at Resurrection Fern, is taking summer crafting to a new level: out into the garden and beyond and mixing fibre and nature to make rock babies and acorn necklaces. Do try this at home – the results are stunning.

We get a fair few phonecalls in the Simply Knitting office, and many of our readers tell us that they're disabled. I've been pondering knitting and disability a lot lately, partly because a friend from university with acquired brain injuries has recently learned to knit, and another friend has had a baby born with oxygen starvation.

If you're a regular Simply Knitting reader, you'll know all about Stitchlinks, which supports knitters and other stitchers who are isolated by circumstance and illness. Betsan, who founded Stitchlinks, is now doing research into the therapeutic benefits of knitting and looking at how it helps people with long-term health problems and disabilities. Because it uses both hands and is repetitive, there's the possibility that it actually helps forge connections within the brain, which would help people who'd had strokes or some other brain-damaging illness. Of course, the research is in its infancy and we'll have to wait for the results to come out to know for sure if knitting has any definite physical effect, but the thought that something as simple as two sticks and some string could make a concrete difference to serious health problems is a thrilling one.

The benefits of knitting are more than purely physical, though. There's the pleasure of making something beautiful and of being able to spend time on something enjoyable. If you join a knitting group or an online group like Stitchlinks or even Ravelry there's a social aspect to knitting as it encourages people to socialise and enjoy their hobby together, which can help people with conditions like depression as well as those whose lack of mobility can leave them feeling lonely and unable to get out and see people as much as they'd like. Many disabled knitters are incredibly generous people: having knitted for their families and friends, they also knit for various charities, helping everyone from premature babies to the elderly as well as benefitting themselves from a fulfilling hobby.

Some disabled knitters have to overcome great obstacles to enjoy their hobby, whether it's using something to hold their needles if they have arthritis, say, or, as in the case of my friend, using an abacus to keep track of rows because conventional row counters are too small and fiddly. One reader who phoned us explained that since her stroke she's concentrated on making very small items as they're not too heavy. I find myself wondering how blind knitters choose yarns, not the textures but the colours, and how easy it is to get braille patterns. If you're a disabled knitter, what do you find helpful? And is there a gadget or item that you wish existed, or was more common, to help you with your hobby?

If you're thinking about knitting Quinn's gorgeous Hat Attack hat pattern from page 97 of issue 43, then please note that there's a mistake in the first "note". We printed:

Note: The main body of this hat is knit in a P2, K2, P1, K2, P1 rib pattern.

That final P1 should not be there!  It should actually read:

Note: The main body of this hat is knit in a P2, K2, P1, K2 rib pattern.

The hat uses an unusual rib pattern, and it's important to get it right from the cast on otherwise it's rather frustrating!

To find out more about Hat Attack 2, the second round of this excellent online knitting contest which launches in September, visit the Hat Attack website or check out their group on Ravelry.

Adam Ant sang that and, well, he ought to have known. That said, I don't quite believe him, so I won't be putting my name forward to be one of the thousands of people occupying the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square as part of Anthony Gormley's installation. Nonetheless, the thought of the plinth being occupied by a succession of knitters is quite appealing.

If you've missed all the hoo-hah, basically artist Anthony Gormley has been chosen to exhibit on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square, which nowadays is one of the country's most important modern art showcases. Gormley's idea is to have members of the public up there for one hour each, as a snapshot of modern Britain. It's a great idea, and I hope it gets all sorts of people up there: old, young, fat, thin, disabled, all colours, all faiths – in short, a bit of every group. Even the ones I'm not especially fond of (certain political parties...), because, agree with them or not, they too are part of our society.

It'd be fantastic to see a knitter or two on the plinth, especially if that knitter was making something really beautiful that would make the people who looked at him or her think again about knitting, or take a new look at our fantastic regional wools. If you volunteer for the plinth and take your knitting with you, we'd love to hear about your experiences!

The July issue of Simply Knitting hits the shops today, just in time for the good weather we're sure is heading our way! It's full of fun projects to start knitting today, and don't forget – even if you can't take your needles on the plane, you can always take your favourite magazine.


Click for a larger image.

This issue is packed with luxurious summer knits, from our pretty Fair Isle top by Louisa Harding to luxurious but practical silk socks. We've also got a gorgeous textured tank top by Ruth Maddock,

Summer is a great time for small, light projects. We've got a cool summer curtain for you to crochet, and a DS Lite case to protect your favourite games while you're out and about. You can also cast on with Debbie Tomkies and learn to knit lace – it's delicate, lightweight and absolutely stunning!

We haven't forgotten the little ones this summer either, so we've got a pretty flowery cardigan for little girls and Alan Dart's gorgeous tooth fairy to will bring a smile to any child's face – loose tooth or no!

 

Other great things to look out for include:   

• We're going behind the scenes at Lantern Moon.
  
• Find out about Hat Attack – an international knitting tournament!
  
• Free handy 4mm bamboo needles!
  

And don't miss any of your usual favourites. Our news pages are packed this issue (we've even got news about a new Alan Dart pattern you can knit for charity), our experts are on hand to answer your tricky questions and we've got some fab lacy stitches in our stitch library

Looking for a knit that's so cute it could kill? Try this pattern for knitted bacteria from loxosceles.org

They'll make a fun gift for any friends working in medicine, studying the sciences or with a macabre sense of humour. (I admit to the latter.) Note that the pattern is written for US needles and yarn, so you'll need to translate them to their British equivalents.

We've seen a few medical knits around, but the most impressive has to be a complete knitted digestive system, pancreas, appendix and all. It'd make an entertaining novelty scarf for Halloween, that's for sure!

Run out of yarn? Call for a Chinese takeaway...

It's gorgeous, but will I wear it?

It's a question I ask myself all the time when I'm shopping for clothes, but not so often when I'm deciding what to knit next. I'm drawn to patterns because I want to knit them, and rarely think about what will happen afterwards.

That's been fine while I've been knitting small things, like socks (can't go wrong with socks) but I'm looking around for my next big project, and am finding a bit of a gap between what I want to knit and what I want to wear.

Saved by the Polyvore

Polyvore is a fun new site which lets you pick and mix items from online stores to create your own collages. So for example, I've taken this central image of Capri by Sarah Hatton from Rowan Magazine 42 as my inspiration. It's a cute cardigan – and one I'd definitely wear – but I'm not a big fan of the gingham skirt they've teamed it with. A rockier t-shirt and a pair of jeans, like this outfit on the left, would look great with it, and is right up my street. I'd love to finish it off with a Majolica Vase bag from the Noni spring 2006 collection, and perhaps some cute earrings... (in case I ever get up the nerve to get my ears pierced) or perhaps a red sundress and heels... It's at this point that I started daydreaming, which is so easy to do with all the clothes in all the online shops in the world to choose from. And if something isn't available in Polyvore's database, just click your way through to the shops you love and add things straight from their site.

A girl can dream, can't she?

Shh! Don't tell our editor, but Polyvore is also really good fun for creating a dream wardrobe. As you might have guessed, I've got a bit of a thing for Noni bags. I haven't decided which one to knit yet though, and being able to create complimentary outfits with clothes I don't own (yet!) isn't making it any easier to choose. This pretty purple one is Nine to Nine from the spring 2006 evening collection, and should you take a fancy to any of the other items – this purple brolly, for example – you can just click through and Polyvore will link you straight back to the original shop which sells it.



Polyvore is packed with gorgeous clothes, but you have to look a bit harder for pretty yarns. As you can use images from shops all over the web, it's a great way to play around with palettes of colours, buttons, clasps and so on.

I rather like this Bergere de France top, but not in that shade. Navy, perhaps – or lime green, for a hotter piece... A quick look got me two images of the yarn in the colours I like, and then I spent a few minutes exploring the colours.


It's really rather addictive, and as you can have a go without even logging in (we love that!) why not show us your creations?

Elizabeth brought a bedspread she's been working on into the office this morning. It's HUGE! I once knitted the 'Bideford' jacket from Colinette's West Country book on circular needles, and that was heavy enough for me. That said, the bedspread is extremely nice... I wonder if Elizabeth will miss it if I smuggle it home? It's made from Sirdar Bonus Chunky in shades of blue and white. For the last few weeks she's also been working on a pair of socks in Natural Dye Studio Dazzle DK - and if you ever wonder whether we make patterns from the magazine ourselves, they're the Sweet Feet socks from issue 40.

While we don't get to knit in office hours (apart from Kirstie), most of the SK team knit at home for fun. Deb is currently working on a very cute gift for Tanya, who used to work on Simply Knitting and who has just had a baby. I won't say too much about it in case Tan ever reads the blog, but Deb is using Rowan Cotton Glace.

I've also got a baby project on the go, and I'd better finish it sharpish as it needs to be finished in time to give to a baby on Sunday! It's a woolly hat with bear ears, and I'm using Sirdar Snuggly Bubbly. I really like Snuggly Bubbly because it's very soft and has an interesting texture, plus it washes well. I'm also halfway through my second pair of Feet First (issue 39) socks. My mum liked my red pair so much that she asked for a pair in yellow. I put the socks to one side while I worked on the baby hat. Then I have to finish my jade green Louisa Harding jumper and start issue 39's cover project... so many knits, so little time!

So, what are you making? Has the sock bug bitten you as badly as it's bitten us?

World Wide Knitting in Public Day is tomorrow, Saturday 14 June, so in case you're hesitating here are ten good reasons to get your pins out in public, whether it's solo, with a friend or with your whole knitting group.

1. Always want more time to knit? Use these odd moments on the bus or in the doctor's waiting room to full advantage.
2. Multitask. Women used to knit while watching their kids, but you can also knit while chatting to a friend, watching a football match or even at a music festival.
3. No tasks. People are less likely to ask you to do things when you're knitting – although you can always volunteer.
4. Take your mind off it. If you find crowded trains or your morning bus trip stressful or boring, a pair of silk and cashmere lace socks will take your mind off it in the nicest way.
   
5. "I used to knit..." You'll hear this one a lot – and seeing you knit, might encourage dormant – or brand new – knitters to take up their pins.
6. "Wow, that's gorgeous. You're so clever to have made that!" We hope you'll hear this one a lot too!
   
7. Meet new people. With all the knitters out and about tomorrow, you might find enough stitchers to start a group.
   
8. Something to talk about. It's suprising, but all kinds of people are fascinated by knitting, and have memories of doing it at school, or watching their mum or granny knit.
9. "Is that a sock I see before me?" Having your needles out in public makes it a lot easier for fellow knitters to spot each other.
   
10. Let people know you knit. Now they'll know what to get you for your birthday – or who to call when they unearth a stash of silk in their attic. (Hey, we can dream, can't we?)

And, of course, it's rather a nice way to enjoy your favourite hobby – particularly when it's sunny, and you can find a spread out a blanket in the park, grab a table at a pavement cafe or meet some friends in a pub garden.

Simply Knitting issue 43 hits the shops on Thursday 19 June. Enter our great giveaways and competitions by using the links below.

Rowan Kidsilk Haze giveaway, page 12 Where it says password, it should be keyword. Sorry!
Blue Sky Alpacas dyed cotton giveaway, page 12
Natural Dye Studio sock club membership giveaway, page 12
Ashford Knitter's Loom giveaway, page 12
Sirdar Just Soya yarn and pattern competition, page 61
Prize crossword, page 72

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.

If you're thinking of taking your knitting on an airplane this summer, our advice has so far been: don't. Security personel get to decide what's a hazard and what isn't, and we don't want to play roulette with our treasured pins – never mind the risk of dropped stitches when your needles suddenly get confiscated!

But enterprising knitter Natalie Fergie has discovered a solution we'd be proud to support: knit without the needles. How? Well, having a rummage for things which are a) allowed on airplanes and b) regularly sized and pointy led her to knitting with pencils. They make quite chunky needles, it seems, so she's using pencil roving to make her very pretty bag. Sharpen at both ends, and voila! instant, airplane-safe DPNs.

Recognise the name? Natalie is best known for producing stunning hand-dyed yarns and roving from her base in Edinburgh. Visit the Yarn Yard to see her regular colours and her latest gorgeous experiments.

Father's Day is this Sunday, and it's a great chance to celebrate all the great dads out there. It's a bit late to cast on a sweater, but there's always a one-hour hat, or a knitted or crocheted tie – or even a bow tie!

Now there's a gift that's a little different... 

If you find traditional crochet hooks uncomfortable, we've got two suggestions for you today. The first is that next time you buy a new hook, you invest in one of these gorgeous Clover Soft Touch crochet hooks. Their wide handles are comfortable and easy to use, and they come in sizes from 0.5-6.0mm.

 
To find a stockist near you, visit Viridian Trading or EQS.

But if, like us, you've already got a stash of hooks, and would like to convert them not chuck them, then read Get a Handle on your Crochet Hooks by Linda Permann, over at CraftStylish where she suggests several ways to make hooking more comfortable.

What are you doing for World Wide Knit in Public Day? It's this weekend - Saturday 14 June, to be precise - so it's probably time to start thinking about it. If you fancy meeting up with some like-minded knitters, there are KIPs listed on the WWKIP Day site in locations as, well, local (to Simply Knitting HQ at least!) as Bristol or as far flung as Anchorage, Alaska.

Alternatively, if – like most of the Simply Knitting team – you're planning on spending the weekend with non-knitters, you could resolve to get your pins out in public anyway. Whether it's at the pub, on the bus or in the queue at the supermarket, it's easy to raise a little bit of awareness of knitting, to say: we're here, we knit, and we're cool!

Here's a fun gadget you can use to show your online friends how busy your needles have been.

Sign up to KnitMeter (it's free) and enter each of your projects. Then just update the total (perhaps as you finish each ball of yarn?) and it will automatically calculate how many meters (or feet, or miles) you've knitted.

As you can enter each project seperately, and indicate whether it's active or not, it's also a handy way of keeping track of how far you are through things. We think it would be particularly handy for gifts and other knits with a deadline!

If you've signed up for one, please do post yours in the comments. Let's see how busy you've all been!

It's not an 'Oops' as such, but we've had a few phonecalls from readers confused by the pattern repeats in issue 42's Cream Caramel cardigan. Here's what you should be working on for the first dozen rows after you've finished the ribbing:

Row 1: Pattern 1 foundation row (P5, K4), Pattern 2 row 1 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 foundation row (K4, P5).
This is the only time you need to do the foundation row for patterns 1 & 3.
Row 2: Pattern 1 row 1, Pattern 2 row 2 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 1. (As this is an even-numbered row, you'll be starting with pattern 3, then 2, then 1.)
Row 3: Pattern 1 row 2, Pattern 2 row 3 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 2.
Row 4: Pattern 1 row 3, Pattern 2 row 4 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 3. (As this is an even-numbered row, you'll be starting with pattern 3, then 2, then 1.)
Row 5: Pattern 1 row 4, Pattern 2 row 5 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 4.
Row 6: Pattern 1 row 1, Pattern 2 row 6 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 1. (As this is an even-numbered row, you'll be starting with pattern 3, then 2, then 1.)
Row 7: Pattern 1 row 2, Pattern 2 row 1 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 2.
Row 8: Pattern 1 row 3, Pattern 2 row 2 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 3. (As this is an even-numbered row, you'll be starting with pattern 3, then 2, then 1.)
Row 9: Pattern 1 row 4, Pattern 2 row 3 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 4.
Row 10: Pattern 1 row 1, Pattern 2 row 4 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 1. (As this is an even-numbered row, you'll be starting with pattern 3, then 2, then 1.)
Row 11: Pattern 1 row 2, Pattern 2 row 5 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 2.
Row 12: Pattern 1 row 3, Pattern 2 row 6 as many times as your size requires, Pattern 3 row 3. (As this is an even-numbered row, you'll be starting with pattern 3, then 2, then 1.)

By this point you should be able to see the pattern clearly - keep working in the pattern until the front panel you're working on reaches 7 1/2 inches (19cm), ending with RS facing, and then you can start the shapings.

Sunny days are perfect for al fresco socks. A petite project like sock knitting is ideal for slipping into your pocket, ready for you to work on at any time, anywhere. But what do you do with your stitch markers and the like?

Glasses cases - the hard sort - make great sock knitting kit boxes. One day in the office, Elizabeth suggested using a glasses case to hold small knitting items. It seemed a good idea, so when I went on holiday I took a specs case containing my DPNs (a Specsavers hard case is the perfect length for a set of sock needles), a cable needle (one of the blue plastic ones given away with Simply Knitting a couple of years ago; it still sees regular use), stitch markers, a bit of yarn for provisional cast-ons for toe up socks and even a short pattern (the Colinette Jitterbug ball band).

My 'sock box' is now an indispensable part of my knitting kit. It's beautifully portable, and keeps all those fiddly little items together where they won't be lost. Give it a go!