The internet is full of strange and wonderful things on a scale we couldn't have imagined twenty years ago.

One entertaining and crafty project is One Million Giraffes – or, more accurately, 301,551 giraffes and counting.

It's a simple project which has taken off in an amazing way.

"My friend, Jørgen, doesn't believe I can collect one million giraffes by 2011. I'm gonna prove him wrong," says Ola Helland, a web designer from Norway on her site.

As well as the pictures of giraffes, Ola also writes a blog about the project, including her 'Giraffe of the day' photo – a great way to test the waters before delving in.

The only sad thing about this project is a shortage of knit and crochet giraffes! We haven't looked through all the photos (apparently we have a magazine to get out!) but so far we've only found one knit giraffe. Do let us know if you add your own – or spot any more!

Quirky and knitted are two of our favourite things so we're big fans of the whodunnknit, the knitting blog of Deadly Knitshade, a knitter with a superhero-style background charting her transformation from "mild-mannered London-dweller" into a "lone wool-hungry wolf whose knits aren’t content with lurking in the shadows".

The blog is a record of her public knits, fascinating, charming and spooky by turns...

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. 

Whether you're giving it away or keeping it forever, sewing a label into your handknit garments is a good idea – which is probably why we get asked about them quite a lot!

JJ Cash specialise in name tapes of all kinds, and you can customise them to say anything you like from 'made with love' to 'handwash only'. They also take orders over the phone and online, so we recommend them fairly regularly.

However, we've just discovered these super-cute labels from Leafcutter Designs – and while they're not customisable or perhaps as practical, we definitely think they're a fun alternative.

Our 2010 Knitter's Calendar was your gift with Simply Knitting issue 59 (on sale from 10 September 2009).

We've been thrilled to hear from everyone who is knitting one of the patterns and are sorry to say there's a mistake in the July - Fascinator pattern.

In this design, row 9 should read: P3, *k2tog tbl, K2, k2tog, P3; rep from * to end.

Today is the UN International Day of Peace. The UN General Assembly has declared 21 September to be a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. Ideally, conflicts of all sizes around the world should be paused today, giving everyone a day of rest – and perhaps sowing a seed of trust which might grow into a more lasting peace.

Clearly, we haven't reached that ideal world yet, and it can be hard to figure out what to do to help. We've come up with three simple ideas. They may seem small, but remember: everything gets made one stitch at a time – and as we know all too well, projects won't knit themselves.

Tell them why. This year, the UN has set up a campaign called We Must Disarm, and is collecting reasons to disarm from around the world. Add your reason here.

Speak up! Visit the Amnesty International website and send a quick email to help protect human rights and demand that Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is respected: "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

Cast on. Knit a Trauma Teddy and donate it to comfort children in difficult situations.

As an example of how one tiny stitch after another can build up into something wonderful, visit the Peace Fleece site and read their story of a knitting company which is "helping historic enemies cooperate and prosper through trade".

We'd love to go on a massive yarn crawl, visiting shops across the USA. Helping keep our dream alive is the Della Q blog team who are visiting yarn and fabric shops across the country as part of their job – and posting photos on their blog, for those of us stuck at home.

The Della Q business is focussed on knitting and sewing. They sell gorgeous knitting bags, beautiful fabrics and other tempting things – which is why they get to visit all these fab shops.

The blog is a less formal side of the business, with posts about their hometown of Seattle, fabric, knitting and shop visits. It's quite new, so there's not much in the archives, but it's a site well worth watching – particularly if you've got friends or relatives across the pond...

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. 

Inverness town centre has been painted red – with yarn. To celebrate the rejuvination of the city's Old Town, artists have created a number of yarn-related works in public spaces. The celebration ran from 8-13 September and included other sculptures and live music events.

While it seems that some feel the money could have been better spent elsewhere, it's clear that the event has generate quite a lot of media attention – and it's interesting to note that we're not the only ones focussing on the knitted aspect!

While 28 artists were involved in creating works and events ranging from graffitti to dance, it's the knitted gravestone cosy, part of the 'Yarnbombing' installation, which has attracted the most attention.

The BBC reported the event as: Artists' work spins town a yarn, and the Times Online went with a similar headline: Artists spin Inverness a yarn. Both describe the project, but don't go into much detail – the BBC report is well worth a look, as it's the only article we've found which actually uses a photo of the churchyard. However, it's also the shortest piece, so to find out more about the controversy it's best to visit the Times Online or the local Inverness Courier.

The website of the Inverness Courier covered the event, with a report titled Art event organisers still to reveal costs and an opinion piece titled Indulgent or a waste of money – the answer seems to be 'both', and both pieces take a fairly negative view of the work.

With criticism from the public and councillors alike, none of the articles are unreservedly positive about the event, and it does raise a very interesting question: given that there's a recession on, should councils still be spending public money on art?

My personal view is yes – although I have a sneaking suspicion that there would have been less criticism of the event if it had involved something more macho than yarn. So perhaps the question should be: given that there's a recession on, should councils still be spending public money on yarn?

Using colour well is a bugbear for many knitters. Luckily there are tools available to help those of us without a natural aptitude for put things together beautifully.

One really useful tool is the Random Stripe Generator created by Caitlin at Biscuits & Jam. With a few clicks you can add your colours, choose the width of the stripes you want – all the same, or varying – and create a unique stripe pattern. Don't like it? Refresh the page and a new pattern will be created.

It's a great way to play with colours and the balance of colour before casting on. You can also find out what balance of stripes you like – all the same width? Thin ones and fat ones? – without needing to knit through dozens of test swatches.

The RSG is easy to use and as an added bonus it also generates a written description of the stripes which is easy to print out and follow when you've found the right combination.

Because the stripes are randomly generated, you need to save any combinations you particularly like as you won't be able to recreate them.

The October issue of Simply Knitting is winging its way to shops around the world – and this one is packed full of knits! We've got more Quick & Easy Knits in our new section and a 2010 knitter's calendar with 12 fab patterns for you to knit!


Click for a larger image.

Autumn is here and despite the sunshine, there's a nip in the air. It's time to start thinking about winter woollies – and we've got a bumper harvest for you, this issue, with over 30 patterns to choose from.

Cast on a cosy knit for yourself or your partner. We've got two gorgeous knits for women, a casual cable jumper shown on the cover and a stunning Kidsilk lace top and for men we've got a classic cable in pure wool.

We've also got plenty of quick knits and accessories so if you've been wondering what gifts to knit this Christmas, look no further. We've got a beautiful matinee coat for toddlers and a lovely floral scarf to tempt you.

We've also got a new section, and the second edition of Quick & Easy Knits is packed with 11 patterns you can start and finish in a weekend – ideal for a last-minute gift!


Click for a larger image.

With Halloween just around the corner, we've got a collection of sweet and spooky knits for you to make – and if you're thinking a bit further ahead, you'll find a couple of great gifts to knit too.

We've got two great gifts for you this month: a chic long coat from Artesano and our fabulous 2010 Knitter's Calendar.


Click for a larger image.

The calendar is packed with 12 designs for every season, from bright spring treats for the home to a Christmas stocking to hang by the fire.

Other great things to look out for in issue 59 include: 

• Explore Charles Darwin's curio cabinet – in knitted form.
• innocent's Big Knit needs your help – enter our hat competition!
  
• A collection of UFOs (unfinished objects) gets a new lease of life.
  

And don't miss any of your usual favourites: we've gathered gorgeous new yarns, reviewed great pattern books and got our experts to answer your knitting questions.

Find out a bit more about the design process at independent knitwear designer Derya Davenport's blog, Laylock.

As well as new designs which pop up regularly, the blog contains beautiful photos, knitting tips and book recommendations.

This is a blog which focusses on the nicer things in life, but Derya's posts give the subjects a depth which makes them thoroughly interesting reading.

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. 

Looking for a shop near you? Off on holiday and want to pick up a woolly souvenir? Check out our Yarn Shops series and find a fab place to indulge your hobby.

Download our Simply Knitting Shopping Spotlight: Yorkshire & Lincolnshire (pdf)

This document is available to download as a PDF document. It won’t open unless you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program from the Adobe website for free. If you have Acrobat Reader and it’s still not working, try right-clicking the link and clicking “save as”. Save the document onto your computer – make sure you can find it again! – and try opening it from there.

Looking for a shop near you? Off on holiday and want to pick up a woolly souvenir? Check out our Yarn Shops series and find a fab place to indulge your hobby. We've updated our listing for the Midlands, so these shops are all there, waiting for you, right now!

Download our Simply Knitting Shopping Spotlight: Midlands (pdf)

This document is available to download as a PDF document. It won’t open unless you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program from the Adobe website for free. If you have Acrobat Reader and it’s still not working, try right-clicking the link and clicking “save as”. Save the document onto your computer – make sure you can find it again! – and try opening it from there.

Looking for a shop near you? Off on holiday and want to pick up a woolly souvenir? Check out our Yarn Shops series and find a fab place to indulge your hobby.

Download our Simply Knitting Shopping Spotlight: South East (pdf)

This document is available to download as a PDF document. It won’t open unless you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program from the Adobe website for free. If you have Acrobat Reader and it’s still not working, try right-clicking the link and clicking “save as”. Save the document onto your computer – make sure you can find it again! – and try opening it from there.

Looking for a shop near you? Off on holiday and want to pick up a woolly souvenir? Check out our Yarn Shops series and find a fab place to indulge your hobby.

Download our Simply Knitting Shopping Spotlight: North East & Cumbria (pdf)

This document is available to download as a PDF document. It won’t open unless you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program from the Adobe website for free. If you have Acrobat Reader and it’s still not working, try right-clicking the link and clicking “save as”. Save the document onto your computer – make sure you can find it again! – and try opening it from there.

Looking for a shop near you? Off on holiday and want to pick up a woolly souvenir? Check out our Yarn Shops series and find a fab place to indulge your hobby.

Download our Simply Knitting Shopping Spotlight: Scotland (pdf)

This document is available to download as a PDF document. It won’t open unless you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program from the Adobe website for free. If you have Acrobat Reader and it’s still not working, try right-clicking the link and clicking “save as”. Save the document onto your computer – make sure you can find it again! – and try opening it from there.

Use crochet to darn your clothes: Craft Stylish explains how to fix a hole with crochet.

Make do and mend – if you've got an old jumper, pair of jeans or t-shirt which had developed a hole then this is a great way to repair the damage while still keeping the item looking fairly smart.

The example uses fairly thick yarn in a different shade, but you could try to match the colour of your garment more closely.

It's also a great way to dress up a tired old knit. Cut out any stains or bobbly patches, and cover your jumper with splashes of colour, like giant polka dots.

You could also use the technique to reclaim a favourite piece of fabric – such as a design on the front of an outgrown t-shirt – and turn it into something useful, such as a cushion cover or even another t-shirt.

Knitting needles could be classed as weapons under new laws, reports the Dunfermline Press.

The Scottish Government has introduced a new scheme which will require businesses to get a licence to sell items with sharp edges or points.

The Dunfermline Press article has reactions from several critics and is an interesting read.

The commentators seem to think that calling knitting needles sharp or dangerous shows how ludicrous and extreme the scheme is, but as knitters we are already accustomed to our tools being classed as dangerous weapons – they're on the 'no fly' list, tucked away in a back room in many charity shops and banned in a few hospitals and work places.

Simply Knitting issue 59 hits the shops on Thursday 10 September 2009. Enter our great giveaways and competitions by using the links below.

King Cole yarn and pattern giveaway, page 6
Udderly Smooth set giveaway, page 10
Sirdar Peru yarn giveaway, page 12
Natural Dye Studio scarf kit giveaway, page 66
Knitting holiday competition, page 68
Prize crossword, page 94
Prize sudoku, page 94

Updated 07/09/09 to add Natural Dye Studio giveaway.

The Silk Blend is the yarn on the right, and that's the one I knitted with. It's a single-twist yarn with a beautiful sheen that really brings out the stitches, so I found even a strongly-variegated colourway like this could handle a more intricate pattern than I'd usually use with it. Despite not being plied, it's still quite strong, and doesn't pull apart easily in the way some single ply-yarns do. It knitted up as a DK when I used it.

I have been warned that the yarn can felt, but so far have not worn (or washed) my scarf, so cannot comment on that. I do have qualms about the more expensive yarns, but in this case you really are getting what you pay for and I would happily buy it for making another project, it really is that lovely. If you're looking for something sumptuous for a shawl or wrap, Silk Blend would be a good choice.

In the current financial climate, a bit of good news is always welcome so we were thrilled to hear of a yarn shop that's not only ticking along just fine, but even expanding.

After ten years in Preston, Abakhan are relocating to a new premises with double the floor space – and, more importantly four times as much yarn, giving them space to bring in new brands and lines.



The new Abakhan store opens on Monday 7 September 2009 at Corporation Street Retail Park, Preston PR1 2UQ and there will be a special opening ceremony attended by the mayor of Preston on Wednesday 9 September as well as celebratory special offers and demonstrations.

As well as yarn, the shop stocks fabric, homewares and has added a new craft section with card making, papercraft, pats.

If you can't make it to Preston, you can shop with Abakhan online. 

Does your yarn shop have some good news? Email us – we'd love to hear from you.