Total Film's 10 Wonderful Knitted Movie Characters isn't quite what we expected to find on the movie news and reviews site, but we love it. Flick through the gallery to see more characters (mainly from horror flicks, it has to be said) given the knitted treatment by Hannah Simpson.

For more of the same quirky knitting style, check out Hannah's blog, The Adventures of Cakeyvoice or visit her Etsy shop, Cakeyvoice, where you can buy her knitted characters and related items.

Fans of classic British radio soap, The Archers, won't have missed Lynda Snell's growing interest in spinning and knitting the fleece from her two llamas, Constanza and Wolfgang. With the teaser for tonight's show saying simply "Lynda works on her social network" fans on Ravelry are hoping that Lynda will dive into the online world of social knit-working with a mention of the site.

Will you be listening in? Let us know what you think in the comments!

"An adulterated, neglected anti-icon has infected the globe. Lets reclaim its potential as a structure, through individual creativity and local production, through a global community," begins Yuvinia Yuhadi in the 'About' section of her website, The Knitted Chairs.

"You know the chair I’m talking about," she continues, and we do: it's white or sometimes green, rickety, stackable and plastic, and quite destinctive, if you look at it twice, which we rarely do. Chairs like this are found all over the world, creeping into holiday snaps and wedding photos, lurking in basements and garages and doing duty in all sorts of ways.

Turning this emblem of mass production into a unique and handcrafted item is a definite challenge. Yuvinia's blog is devoted to creating unique knitted cosies for these plain chairs, and chronicles her expeditions with her own flock of dressed chairs, as well as showcasing chairs dressed by other crafters.

As knitters, we find the project fascinating and in many ways it's a great symbol of modern creative knitting. Western mod cons like central heating, rain coats and mass production have ousted knitting from its traditional role. Our lives – like plastic chairs – are perfectly servicable without knitting, but risk suffering from a certain bland sameness. One way to break the mold is to pick up sticks and string, get creative and add an extra dimension of colour and cosiness to your chair – or your life!

Sporadically updated, the blog is well worth adding to your list as the creations showcased are varied and interesting.

You might even have a chair or two of your own and whether they're lurking in some forgotten corner or doing sterling duty in all weathers, they could probably do with a fresh look for the new season.

Yuvinia has created two free patterns for chair covers which are available to download from The Knitted Chairs blog.

Links to the patterns are in a grey box on the right hand side. To see the second pattern, click the down arrow at the bottom of the box. Click on the title to start the download, which is a PDF.

Something for crochet fans this week, with a new blog on the scene: ValliesKids.

In her first few months of blogging, Valerie has already posted several fun and practical crochet designs – and one knitting pattern, which let you create your own version of the garments her kids wear.

Focussing on makes for her kids and days spent playing outdoors, this is a fun blog for anyone with kids to entertain during the summer holidays – or nieces and nephews to crochet for.

Read a great blog? Write a great blog? Tell us what it is and why you like it, and you might see it here next Friday. 

Eagle-eyed reader Mary Fairbank has spotted that the chart for the shawl has been 'flipped' so it's the mirror image of what it should be. Work it in reverse and you'll find that the shaping works correctly.

Well done, Mary!

No, I'm not giving away dandelions. They're all that's holding my lawn together. Anna, the designer of the awesome toys over at Mochimochi Land, has a free knitted dandelion pattern on her blog.

Anna also sells patterns for larger toys. If you've never seen Anna's designs before, they're all very cute, although some are also slightly sinister. Stackable Cats and Pile-able Pups? Cute. Sleepy Snake? Also cute. Sleepy Snake eating Mischievous Mouse (one toy fits inside the other)? Just a tad sinister, but I like that! In fact, Sleepy Snake and Mischievous Mouse show off another great feature of many Mochimochi Land toys; they are interactive. You can push some inside each other, flip one or two inside out to reveal something else, and others are designed for stacking. When you're knitting toys for a child, it's always important to consider how much fun they'll be to play with (as a child I had some on which the arms and legs were stitched to the body; needless to say they were my least favourite knitted toys because they just weren't fun). Mochimochi Land's patterns are definitely fun to play with.

Elizabeth's away on holiday this week (she set a couple of features to upload automatically) so you get the dubious 'treat' of me rambling to you again. I've been a busy bee and have been finishing off knitting projects in my spare time, so of course I've taken on a new load of things that are making me wonder what on earth I was thinking of.

I'm on Ravelry* and have signed up for a couple of swaps. Have you ever joined in a swap? Swaps are great. A whole bunch of people sign up to swap on a theme - Favourite Films, say, or Local Yarn. An administrator then tells each person who to send a parcel to, and in most cases you get a parcel from someone different, so if I were sending a parcel to Debora, she might be sending a parcel to Elizabeth. Usually in a swap you include something knitted or handmade in some way plus other things your swap recipient might like, and people post to a message board saying what they do and do not like. I try to include something involving yarn from the UK if I'm sending things overseas, because getting something foreign and exotic is always a real treat, and it doesn't have to be expensive, just something the swapper can't buy in their country. (And yes, I do buy the yarn myself – no scrounging from work.)

Like a numpty, I signed up for two swaps at once. None of this 'stagger them sensibly', no sirree. And I am a slo-o-o-ow knitter. While my friend Elle is racing through her plan to knit 52 pairs of socks in a year, I struggle to complete one pair in a month. Still, hunting for patterns has been really good fun, especially as I'm looking for something that is quick enough to knit in time and that the recipient will (hopefully) like too. If it busts a bit of stash, so much the better. And at some point in September, I should get a couple of nice surprises myself!



*I will NOT answer work-related PMs on Ravelry - email me at Simply Knitting so my bosses have a record of all interactions, please! It's not me being mean, it just means that I can be more organised at helping you, especially if whatever you're contacting me about is something I need to pass on to another person.

Our sister magazine, The Knitter has joined forces with top designers and Macmillan Cancer Support – and now they need your help to create amazing blankets to bring comfort to cancer patients.

"Macmillan Cancer Support is our charity of the year," says Juliet Bernard, editor of The Knitter. "They do an amazing job for people who are living with cancer and many of our families will have been helped by their services.

"So important is this charity to us at The Knitter that we are launching a Nationwide campaign called the Macmillan Comfort Blanket in association with the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on 25th September and supported by Rowan."

As knitters, this is an easy charity to support. All you need to do is gather your friends and family together for a knit and natter at a Coffee Morning, and knit some squares.

"We are asking knitters all over the  UK to knit 20x20cm squares," says Juliet. "40 squares make a Comfort Blanket, 8 squares long by 5 squares wide. Each Comfort Blanket we make will be given to somebody who is living with cancer so the more blankets we knit, the more people we benefit."

Top designers including Debbie Bliss, Alice Starmore, Meg Swansen, Kaffe Fassett, Marie Wallin and Kim Hargreaves have designed squares for the campaign which will be available to download from the Macmillan website. Find out more and download the first square today.

It's so easy to help

If you'd like to support this campaign, it just takes 3 simple steps:

1. Invite your friends round for a knit and natter. (Squares are great for new knitters!)
   
2. Log on to the Macmillan website to register your coffee morning and download your free patterns. (You can also call 0845 602 1246 quoting NA3 to register your coffee morning.)
3. Send your completed blanket to: The Knitter Macmillan Comfort Blanket, Future Publishing Ltd, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2BW or drop it off with us at The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexander Palace.

Please help us to spread the word

"Our target is 100 blankets, that’s 4,000 squares and we are planning lots of exciting news between now and October so do keep an eye on our Ravelry group, the Macmillan and the Rowan sites," says Juliet. "We will also be Tweeting regularly from the Twitter name TheKnitterMag so please do re-tweet to your followers."

It's worth mentioning the campaign to non-knitters. Squares are really easy to knit, and a donation, whether it's time or money, means a lot – remember: every penny helps.

A cancer diagnosis is never easy to hear, but knowing you have support can help. "Think how much it would mean to you – the gift of a Comfort Blanket – knowing there are people out there you have never met who stand by your side lending you strength," says Juliet.

We know you'll do a great job and we hope you'll enjoy knitting the squares with your friends. So from everyone at Simply Knitting, The Knitter and Macmillan, we'd like to say THANK YOU! for your support.

Beads 2 Buy offers more than just beads, and they are giving away two places on their knitting and craft workshops to readers of the Simply Knitting website.

The two lucky winners will each be able to choose which of the workshops available they want to attend. Workshops include knitting, beading, quilting and sewing. The workshops will take place in Farnhill, North Yorkshire on Saturdays and last from 10am-4pm.

All ages are welcome, adults and children.

Materials will be provided (please ask for details when you book your workshop), as will some refreshments. Participants are asked to bring a packed lunch.

For more information or to book a place call 01535 630216 or 07790 375817 or email rita@palfreyman.org.uk

To enter the competition, click the link below and fill in the form using the keyword 'Beads2Socks'.

Enter the Beads 2 Buy sock knitting workshop giveaway.

This competition closes 1 August 2009 so don't delay!

Designer, knitter and blogger Rebecca Danger's speciality is cute and quirky toys. As well as two free patterns, Rebecca has designed a range of cute toys which she sells through her blog. We love her doggie patterns and fans of pugs and dashunds (the two breeds she's tackled so far) will definitely fall in love.

'Bunny Nuggets', one of her free patterns, is an ideal beginner's knit – but they like to travel in herds, she says, so be warned you might find yourself knitting more than one!

Rebecca updates regularly with news on her developing business (fascinating for anyone thinking of trying the same thing!) gorgeous patterns she's found and pictures of her pugs, the inspiration for her first puppy pattern.

Relatively new to the design world, she's turning out adorable knits at a good rate, so don't forget to check back for her latest knit!

Read a great blog? Write a great blog? Tell us what it is and why you like it, and you might see it here next Friday. 

The August issue of Simply Knitting is winging its way to shops all over the UK today!


Click for a larger image.

We're loving the hot weather and have loads of great summer knits for you.

If you're heading for the beach, our fab stripey beach bag and stylish cover up are great additions to your wardrobe. The cover up uses both knitting and crochet to stunning effect.

We've got great knits for city breaks and days in the park too. For special occasions, our elegant jumper with lace and beads (on cover) and fabulous lace shawl are just the ticket and little ones will look pretty as a picture in our sweet toddler's dress.

During the school holidays, rainy days take on a whole new meaning so we've got a special feature on crafting with kids, packed with tips and ideas.

Teach your kids to knit using our two simple patterns, one for a bag and one for a hat and our easy walkthroughs.

We've got two great gifts for you this month: a man's jumper pattern and our fabulous embellishment pack.



To help you use the velvet ribbon and over 200 beads in the pack, we've got six quick knits for you to embellish, including a cupcake, napkin ring and head scarf.

We're not the only ones thinking of summer – Alan is clearly dreaming of a holiday in the sun and has created Alan Dart's Hamster Hula Band!


Here are just two of the band. As you can see, the patterns are incredibly detailed and incredibly cute!

Other great things to look out for in issue 57 include:   

• We report back on UK Ravelry Day.
  
• The Wollescote Knitters tell us about knitting for premature babies.
• What's it like on an alpaca farm? We find out.
  

And don't miss any of your usual favourites: we've reviewed ribbon yarns, uncovered fab events and asked the experts for top tips.

Knitting – and our own Rachael Matthews – are in the news again, this time with a piece in the Guardian entitled 'Amid the economic rubble, a revolution is being knitted'.

It's an interesting read. While it remains to be seen if the economic downturn has actually been a boon to the craft industry, we've certainly seen a lot more articles about how great it is to stay home with your knitting or make all your gifts out of cereal boxes than usual.

So what do you think? Are people crafting more? And what does it mean? Are we returning to the good old days of the arts and crafts movement with increasing respect for the artisan labour and distaining the mass-produced way of life? Or is it just a fad which will vanish once the economy picks up and people have more money to spend on entertaining themselves?

Apologies for the late running of this blog review – we had some technical troubles on Friday. This one's worth the wait though!



Photographer and knitter, Gale Zucker shows of some of her work in both disciplines on her blog, She Shoots Sheep Shots.

Gale is a professional photographer, and her gorgeous shots take centre stage here – but there's plenty of knitting to read about, too!

With a clear focus on fibre – from sheep to yarn – browsing Gale's archive is both beautiful and interesting, and her expertise shines through, making this a great place to study what makes a good shot as well as picking up tips from her occasional posts on the subject.

Read a great blog? Write a great blog? Tell us what it is and why you like it, and you might see it here next Friday. 

Simply Knitting issue 57 hits the shops on Thursday 16 July 2009. Enter our great giveaways and competitions by using the links below.

Kitglobal mittens kit giveaway, page 6
Anchor yarn and pattern giveaway, page 10
Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts show tickets giveaway, page 12
          Exeter
          Cardiff
Prize crossword, page 94
Prize sudoku, page 94

UPDATED:
Kids' craft kits  giveaway, page 51
Rowan workshop giveaway, page 51
Apologies for missing these two extra giveaways off and thanks to the readers who emailed to let us know.

You've probably heard of the Angel of the North, the 200 tonne sculpture which overlooks the M1 near Newcastle, but have you heard about artist Antony Gormley's latest project, One & Other?

It's a living art project where members of the public have been invited to stand on the fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square for an hour. Every hour, a new person steps up, day and night for 100 days.

Each person can do whatever they like – as long as it's legal – while on the plinth, and we were delighted to hear that several knitters have signed up, so there will be some clicking needles as the project progresses.

Joy McMillan, the dyeing hands behind Knitting Goddess yarn, is one of the yarnie folk involved. She'll be on the plinth on Thursday 6th August, from 3am to 4am, and plans to spend the time re-skeining her handyed yarn.

And it's not just any yarn – Joy is creating a special, one-off sock yarn featuring the eleven colours of the London Underground lines.

Joy hopes to raise awareness and money for the Mirasol Project and will be adding the skeins she re-skeins to other goodies to create 10 fab prizes.

Each ticket costs £5 and all proceeds will go to the Mirasol Project to establish a boarding house for children in a remote, fibre-producing region of Peru to provide support children of alpaca shepherds by providing health care, meals and education support.

Find out more about Joy's project or make a donation at Giving Through Knitting.

One & Other started on 6 July and runs to 14 October 2009. You can visit the living art work at any time, day or night, or watch the live feed online. Several other knitters are involved and a list is growing in the Woolly Thoughts group on Ravelry.

If you haven't been keeping up with Harper's Bazaar, you might not have spotted this rather charming cardigan pattern designed by Paul Smith. While a ready-made Paul Smith cardigan might easily set you back over a hundred pounds, this one can be yours with just a bit of elbow grease – and a rummage in your stash for suitable colours.



Unusually, the design is shown only in sketch form – straight from the designer's sketch pad, perhaps? – so it may be a little tricky to imagine how it would look on, but the bright colours, toned down with black and white make for a fun statement piece which is also very wearable.

Click the image above to visit the Harper's Bazaar website where you can print out the pattern. When it's gone, it's gone so print out your copy today to avoid disappointment.

This is not a Simply Knitting pattern. It is not hosted on our site so we cannot supply it or answer queries about it. If you have any problems or questions about the pattern, please contact Harper's Bazaar.

We're huge fans of Franklin Habit, the man behind The Panopticon knitting blog, It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons, the Guys with Yarn Calendar (sadly sold out, but back next year) and more. His blog is a mix of personal knitting stories (including disasters and tips, naturally), knitting cartoons and more in depth posts, with frequent interjections from Dolores. (Who's Dolores?)

Franklin's blog is deliberately written with a sense of humour and is regularly laugh-out-loud funny, no mean feat, as this writer can attest. As a knitter who likes a challenge, Franklin regularly finds himself in a pickle of one sort or another, which he blogs about with humour and grace, giving his readers a sense of the living craft he practises as well as a parade of exquisite finished objects.

He's just posted an interview Dolores has conducted with Kristen Rengren, author of Vintage Baby Knits, a collection of over 40 patterns, updated for the modern knitter and the modern baby, which is a great introduction to his site, Dolores' attitude and Kristen's book. All of which we rather like, so click through to 'Fleece to Face with Kristen Rengren' and enjoy – just don't blame us if you start reading his archives and get tea in your keyboard!

Read a great blog? Write a great blog? Tell us what it is and why you like it, and you might see it here next Friday. 

We've had a couple of calls from readers about the Rico Design Bonus Pattern and the Luxe Lace socks. We're thrilled that you're knitting our patterns and apologise for the following mistakes.

Rico Design Bonus Pattern
The stitch count is wrong after the armhole shaping and should read:

Shape armhole
With RS facing, cast off 3 sts at beg of next row, then 2 st at beg of foll alt row. [88 (86) sts]
Cast off 1 st at beg of 3 (4) foll alt row. [82 (86) sts]
When back meas 20¾ (22)in, 53 (56)cm, cast off.

The collar should read K1, P1 rib, not K2, P2.

Luxe Lace Socks
Round 1 should read *K4, P3 to keep the rib at the top in line with the rest of the pattern.

There is also an abbreviation missing from the side bar. If you haven't come across p2sso before, it means 'pass 2 slip stitches over'.

To clarify, therefore, the instruction 'sl 2 together, K1, p2sso' is not a misprint: slip two stitches at the same time (as though to k2tog), knit the following stitch then pass the two slipped stitches over the stitch just knit. This creates the vertical decrease in the lace pattern.

On a personal note, as this is my first sock pattern for the magazine, I'm thrilled people are knitting it! I hope the mistakes don't prevent you from enjoying it.

Elizabeth

RaptorKrafts are having a special yarn sale this weekend, 4-5 July 2009. The sale includes 30% off all yarn which isn't already on sale – including special orders, paid for on the day and online orders.

Visit the shop in person or go online to browse their range of Sirdar yarns, fabric, jewellery and items for the home.

To raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care, the shop will be selling speciality tea bags and cakes this weekend, too, so make sure you drop in!

Visit Raptor Krafts in person at The Heath, St Ives Road, Woodhurst, Cambridgeshire, PE28 3BT from 10:30-17:00, seven days a week. For more information, call 01487 840011 or 07778 302074 or email info@raptorkrafts.co.uk

After a gruelling seven-hour trek from Bath, Jen (technical editor on The Knitter) and I finally made it to Woolfest – and immediately forgot how tired we were!

Fuelled by yarn fumes and the chance to meet face-to-face people we'd been emailling for months, we quickly perked up and started systematically looking around the dozens of stalls.

We found lots of amazing things (some of which will definitely be appearing in a magazine near you!) and chatted to loads of great people.

As a first reaction, though, I just have to say the show was absolutely fabulous, better than last year, if that's possible.

Working in an office full of yarn, you might think it would be easy to go to a wool festival and not buy anything. You'd be wrong. I reckon it's hard for any knitter to go to a show like Woolfest and not buy anything, but I'm pretty pleased with my haul (rather limited due to having to carry everything back on the train!)

This year, my have-to-have finds were a skein of sock yarn from Wild Fire Fibres and some pretty stitch markers from Daniela Kloppman's stand, Felt Studio UK. (Can't find them on her site but there's lots of lush handspun to oggle.)

I'm sure there are great things I missed, so do tell – what's in your shopping bag from Woolfest? Bonus points if you can link to pictures or the shop's site. (There's a bit of room left in my yarn budget, I'm sure!)

Happy knitting!

Elizabeth