Oxford-based knitter Sarah has been blogging at All Fingers and Thumbs since 2006. Three years on, her blog is a fun place to visit with a great mix of knitting, craft and travel photos.

We're usually all about the yarn, but we've been enjoying the updates relating to Sarah's recent trip to the USA – and not just the shots of her newly aquired stash! As well as tagging along virtually on Sarah's visits to yarn shops, it's great to see different skylines, autumn colours and scenery as it can all be very inspiring, for both knitting and holiday planning!

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 62 hits the shops on Thursday 3 December 2009. Enter our great giveaways and competitions by using the links below.

Rico Baby knitting kit giveaway, page 6
Sirdar yarn pack giveaway, page 10
Birmingham or Glasgow show tickets giveaway, page 12 – You can enter both show tickets giveaways, if you're happy to travel, but you'll have to click each link and enter separately.
Prize crossword, page 94
Prize sudoku, page 94

Sadie Ramm and the Knit Happens knitting group of Newbury are running a sponsored knitathon in conjunction with Park House School, Newbury. The event, being held on 15 December, 5pm - 8pm, is to raise money for the Meningitis Research Foundation, and in particular to support Steve Cullen, who's aiming to raise £4,000 for the charity.

Steve is going to be taking a husky trek across Norway, and the knitters are helping by being sponsored to knit squares to turn into blankets, which will then be donated to the Dolphin Ward at the Royal Berks Hospital in Reading. If you can knit squares and raise sponsorship money or donate spare yarn or needles, email us and we'll pass your contact details on to Sadie. You can also sponsor Steve directly.

They're not cheap, but how could we resist boots with an aran pattern? Ugg Knitted Boots come in a range of knit fabrics and mean we can now have two layers of knits keeping our toes toasty!

Miriam McDonald Simply Knitting's Production Editor

We all like different types of knitting and yarn. It often fascinates me how different people choose different projects: Jen from The Knitter has folksy-intellectual tastes, combining a love of traditional knitting skills with one for unusual techniques and unusual construction, Elizabeth's knits are often offbeat and hip, using bright colours to dramatic effect, and I'm a bit costumey, veering between Victorian bedjackets, Viking-style cabling, glittery yarn and - YES - fun fur.

Okay, of the people mentioned, I'm the one who's most likely to take flak for my tastes, fun fur being universally derided, but you do see a lot of negativity about other people's knits all over the place, online and off. Some people hate toys, some people hate acrylic, some people find lace knitting a horrible faff to produce something they'd never wear... but other people love all these things. What gives person A the right to make person B feel miserable about their knitting? Nothing. Many knitters are limited by finances, too; not everyone can afford to knit a jumper from £5-a-ball yarn, so sneering at people's yarn choices could also, unwittingly, be sneering at someone simply because they earn less, which is a pretty horrible thing to do. We are all doing this for fun, after all. All the negative comments do is remove a chunk of the joy from something that should be joyful for all of us.

Let's spread the knitting love. Let's all tell other people what we like about their knitting. (And if you can't possibly say anything nice about the fun fur, might I suggest the weather as an alternative topic?)

Purlesque, the Liverpool knitting group that released a naughty calendar last year, has a new project for you to help with. As part of the NICE Festival, Liverpool's celebration of Scandinavia and all things northern European), Purlesque are creating a knitted winter garden at the Bluecoat Centre. If you can knit a white square, knit or crochet a snowflake or make a white pom-pon, they'd love you to send it to them, or you can go to the Bluecoat Centre on the 28th or 29th November and take your yarncraft in person. They'll be asking people to try fingerknitting on the days, and of course you can make more snowflakes and squares while you're there.

It's hoped that the garden will stay up for a couple of weeks after it's been built, so if you're in Liverpool in the first fortnight in December, do drop by the Bluecoat Centre and take a look!

Miriam McDonald Simply Knitting's Production Editor

I've been thinking a bit about seams lately. (Oh, what an interesting life...)

Anyway, yes, they may be dull to most people, but they definitely have their place. My thinking was prompted by a knitted whimsy I was making from scratch for a swap, and I planned for it to have an egg-shaped body. Knitted in sock yarn, it appeared obvious that the sensible thing to do was to knit it in the round... only then it made stuffing a lot harder, as the item would have to be stuffed partway through the knitting. I gave in, ripped back my knitting, and started working back and forth on two needles.

Looking at some of the lovely winter-weight items we have coming in for Simply Knitting and The Knitter, seams are really useful on chunky garments. When a garment is especially heavy, the seams add firmness, helping it maintain its shape. (I'm thinking of my didn't-check-the-tension giant cotton cardi here!) If you've spent a lot of time and money knitting a coat, the last thing you want is for it to drag out of shape within a few wearings. It's true than on lightweight or delicate garments it can be quicker, easier and more logical to knit in the round, and socks with seams are far less popular than seamless ones, but I do think seams are required for some projects.

Seams can be boring to sew, I won't deny that, although I'm finding that with mattress stitch and grafting, I am learning to enjoy creating invisible seams that don't detract at all from the outside of the garment, enjoying the rhythm of the sewing and the coming together of the pieces.

How about you? Love seams or hate them?

Recording the adventures of a large and funky knitting group, the Stitch and Bitch London blog is great fun to visit – and might inspire you to take your own group further!

The group meets at different locations around London every week, giving them the chance to visit lots of pubs – or abandon the pub entirely when an exciting and unusual venue crops up.

Those of faint heart should look away now – readers with strong nerves (who don't mind broken needles!) click through to read about their Halloween meeting at the Hunterian Museum – the museum at the Royal College of Surgeons...

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.  

Knitting is in the news again, as Mark Thomas joins the guerrilla knitters.

In an article for The Observer, activist and comedian Mark Thomas describes a late-night guerrilla knitting mission to cover a well-known Docklands artwork with yarn.

Guerilla knitting is an unsual activity for a non-knitter to find themselves a part of, and it's clear that Mark is approaching it from a different angle. There's plenty about the still of the very small hours, but nothing about the creation of the knitted panels – all the actual knitting has happened off stage.

Nonetheless, it's great to have his perspective on the subject, and we're confident that Londoners will have looked at The Curlicue in a new light as a result.

Mark was working with Perri Lewis who is part of a team of guerrilla knitters. You can find out more about their escapades at Knit The City.

This is embarrassing because it's one of mine! There's a typo in line 9 of the main part of the scarf. It should read:

Row 9 (K2, K2tog, yf, K3, K2tog, YF, K4, yf, skpo, K2)

It currently has a 5 instead of the final 2. Hopefully if you're knitting it you'll have worked out how the pattern actually works as the progression of holes is very regular. It was a transcription error when I copied it up from my notebook, I am very sorry for this.

Thank you to the nice lady who rang in to query it and was so friendly about the mistake.

I'm a massive fan of Little Cotton Rabbits' blog, and especially Julie's adorable knitted toys. There's something about them that really brings home how precious childhood can be - they're just adorable. If you ever need a handknitted toy at short notice, do look at Julie's Etsy shop to see what she's got in stock. Anyway, I've just seen that there's a calendar available featuring some of the knitted toys, so if you're looking for a yarn-themed 2010 calendar and love cute things, you might like the calendar. It would certainly inspire you in your toy knitting. (I'm in awe of the making up myself. I'm all about seams right now. But that's a post for another day!)

This November, when you put the kettle on with friends, why not think about joining the St John Ambulance Big Tea Cosy fundraising challenge?

It's really easy – all you need is a tin to collect donations from your fellow tea-drinkers, but you can make it more exciting if you want to: cup cake decorating, sponsored sock knitting or a raffle, to list just a few ideas.

St John Ambulance is the first aid charity: from responding to accidents to providing support at events to training first aiders in schools and workplaces they're doing their bit to make the world a safer place – and they need your support.



When it comes to providing life-saving training and equipment every penny helps, so whether it's just you and a friend, your whole knitting group or half the office, your tea party can make a difference.

As though knitting and tea weren't already a perfect match, the folks at St John Ambulance have provided a set of fab free patterns for cakes and treats, as well as a classic tea cosy.

You can make some to sell, have a sponsored knitalong or perhaps whip up a few gifts and donate the money you would have spent to charity.

Got any other good ideas? Having a tea party? Please let us know in the comments!

Updated 17 Nov 09 to fix broken link. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Sometimes we like blogs that ramble, sometimes we like blogs that are all about the yarn, all the time. Despite the name, The A.D.D. Knitter blog is quite tightly yarn focused, with updates about projects, festivals and new stash.

Of course, real life does creep in sometimes too, but we love scrolling through the inspiring photos of yarn and hand knits.

One of our favourite things about this blog is that most of the knits are modelled – flat shots may be included, but you always get a better idea of how a garment's going to look when you see it on – and it's great to see a blogger who is happy to show off her own hard work by wearing it herself.

We've had a request for more UK knitting and crochet blogs in this slot so if you read – or write – a great British blog we haven't featured, please do tell us or leave a link in the comments and you might see it here next Friday.  

Sewing and knitting go beautifully together, from lining a hat to whipping up a project bag to keep your half-finished sock safe.

Whether you're an expert looking for some quick makes or buying your first packet of needles, our new one-off magazine The Essential Guide to Sewing has something for you. Its 132 pages are packed with projects to inspire you, including plenty of fast-to-finish makes that even beginners can tackle with very little, or even no, sewing experience.


Click for a larger image.

The Essential Guide to Sewing was co-edited by our own Debora Bradley, so there are plenty of projects which can help brighten up you knitting kit. One of our favourites is the shopper shown below.



It's really simple to make, doesn't use much fabric, and is ideal for carrying your knitting around – or sorting out your craft space, by bagging up each ongoing and potential project in its own breathable, reuseable bag.

The Essential Guide to Sewing is packed with 54 projects for all the family, from this adorable baby hat to fab table decorations to a pet basket.

We’ve made sure crafters with busy lifestyles can get great results from simple makes. Full of great ideas for your home, and for friends and family, there are lots of projects that’ll make great gifts for Christmas, as well as treats for you.  For those with a little more time to devote, there are more in-depth ideas to get stuck into, including a cupcake apron and a beautiful quilted purse from Cath Kidston.

We want to make sewing easy and fun, so the Guide includes lots of useful tips and clear how-to walkthroughs and a Getting Started section to help beginners stitch with confidence.

Look out for technical advice and tips, designer secrets, book reviews, best buys, and a beginner’s guide to machine sewing, and interviews with top designers such as Linda Barker and Amy Butler.

The Essential Guide to Sewing is on sale now priced £9.95 in Sainsbury’s, Borders and WHSmith. You can also buy online at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk or call 0844 848 2852 to have it delivered direct to your door.

If you've ever knit a pair of gorgeous mittens only to find that they're not quite warm enough, then we've got the perfect tip for you.

Orata who blogs at Feather and Fan has designed a clever way make mittens warmer and explains it in her post Retrofit your mitts! (Afterthought thrums).

If you haven't heard of thrums, they're a clever way to make really, really cosy mittens. Essentially, you knit pieces of unspun wool into your mittens, creating a pretty pattern on the outside and a super-warm wooly nest on the inside.

As Orata demonstrates, you can add thrums to mittens even after you've knit them by simply hooking the thrums through the floats. It's an ingenious way to combine a gorgeous mitten pattern with real warmth.

Orata walks you through the process in a clear way, illustrated with plenty of photos. She starts by explaining how traditional thrums work, then moving on to her modification.

Errata for Issue 12 of The Knitter including Sedgemoor, Trivelino and Bamburg. ...

Spud & Chloe are a cute cartoon sheep and a little girl. It's also the name of a new yarn from the folks at Blue Sky Alpacas – and fab blog.

As you'd expect from folks who create gorgeous yarns for a living, the Spud & Chloe blog is packed with good ideas. We love the Old-Fashioned Yarn Dolls – a cute and easy-to-make toy or a tree decoration which even little kids can get to grips with – and there are lots of other fun patterns to try.

The yarn, website and blog are all quite new but there's plenty to see and it's all yarn, yarn, yarn!

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 December issue of Simply Knitting is winging its way to shops around the country today! We've got more Quick & Easy Knits in our new section and our handy knitter's diary is our gift to help you stay organised!

Note: Postal strikes are slowing things down so if you're a subscriber and your issue hasn't arrived yet, please be patient – they were sent out on time and it's out of our hands now!


Click for a larger image.

Our December issue is packed with festive knits for the whole family. We've got four Christmas jumpers for you to knit – for men and women, girls and boys and for the littlest ones, we've got a fab baby Santa hat in our Quick & Easy Knits section.

We've also got lots of great gifts for you to knit including stylish driving gloves and a vibrant Christmas stocking and our new section, Quick & Easy Knits, is back and is packed with 12 speedy festive knits.


Click for a larger image.

We've got cute mittens and super-quick key rings, cosy socks, fab decorations for your Christmas table – and lots more!

Alan Dart has been busy, and has created a beautiful 'Nutcracker', from the popular ballet of the same name. Our 'Brave Hero' is beautifully detailed from his cap to his boots and comes with a knitted base which helps him stand upright – but he can easily be removed for storage or playing!



He's a great addition to your festive decorations, but if you're already looking ahead to the new year, then this month's gift will be right up your alley.

We've designed a fab Knitter's Diary to help you stay organised in 2010. It's about the size of a cheque book, so it's perfect to slip into your handbag or knitting bag.



Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the on sale dates for Simply Knitting listed in the diary are no longer correct. However, the 'Next Month' page will always have the right date, and if you subscribe to our free email newsletter (click on the purple button top left) you'll get a sneak preview and the on sale date straight to your inbox every month.

Other great things to look out for in issue 61 include: 

• Rachel Matthews finds out how a knitted bench is helping communities.
• Brave shoppers at Ally Pally show us what's inside their bags.
  
• We catch up with the 'Knitting at Neros' knitting club in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
  

And don't miss any of your usual favourites: our experts answer your questions, we've got great new yarns for you to try and our prize crossword and sudoku to test your skills.

Yarn is taking over! We've even had a tip off from one of our 'cousins', Imagine FX magazine, to say that one of their number has been spotted wearing a crochet beard.

Apparently, Matt Boyce (who draws comic strips for Imagine FX) has suddenly gone clean shaven, and his partner, Sara Noble, isn't quite as taken with the change as he is so has crocheted him a replacement beard.

We can't quite find the words to describe his new look but until we see it on the catwalks, at least he'll be easy to find in a crowd!

Sara also teaches textile crafts including knitting and crochet at Hornsey and Coombes Croft Libraries, Haringey, North London, and there's also a 'Knitter Natter' club so if you're in the area, check it out!

I'm really excited as Janel Laidman's new book The Enchanted Sole arrived in the office today. Janel was kind enough to agree to be our interviewee in 'On The Needles' in issue 61. I feel very cheeky when I email designers – why would they want to talk to me?, I ask myself – but I loved the designs from Janel's first book, The Eclectic Sole and really wanted to include her on our interviewee list. I was quite surprised how little-known she is in the UK, as her Rivendell sock design is very popular, but it seemed that people at the work knitting group weren't familiar with her patterns. Now I have a book to show them, and it's been signed!

You can see some of the designs from The Enchanted Sole here. One of my favourite patterns isn't shown here, Firebird, which has swirling colourwork feathers down the leg, with the chart and yarn main colour and contrast colour reversed for the second sock so the socks are perfect mirror images of one another. Naiad will probably be the first pair I make, though.

All this makes me think about knitting books. We see a lot of knitting books here in the Simply Knitting office, and the interesting thing to me is which ones we buy for ourselves, having seen so many of the books available. Elizabeth and I both have volumes of the Harmony Guides stitch libraries. It's easy enough to knit a simple sock, but add a pattern from one of the Harmony Guides and the sock is much more fun to knit and interesting to wear. My husband gave me Sharon Brant's Ultimate Knitting Bible for Christmas. We'd had it as a subs gift, and it was so useful I wanted a copy of my own for home. If I need to know anything from a decrease method to an unusual cast-on to professional shaping, it's in there. Elizabeth bought Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn by Carol Sulcolski after reviewing it; what she really liked about it was the range of innovative techniques used in the designs. And everyone – really, everyone on Simply Knitting AND The Knitter – loves Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby. The office copy has vanished again, it's the second one we've had. I'm going to buy my own and lock it away at home and never, ever lend it out!

The thing I enjoy the inspirations behind the patterns in The Enchanted Sole. Yes, I'm a sucker for anything with a story behind it, and I'd probably knit the Lothlorien socks no matter what. (Tolkien, you say? Tolkien SOCKS? I must have the pattern!) What really makes a book a must-buy, though, is the use the buyer gets out of it and I'll knit plenty of these designs, which is what's really exciting for me about it.

Do you have a favourite knitting book? Old or new, tell us which one you'd hate to be without.