Dear Readers
I’m writing this in January when, I hope, the snow has finally gone. At one point we were snowed in, with treacherous conditions on the roads and pavements. I’ve never been so thankful for rain. One thing it did was remind me that we all need a selection of knits to keep us warm. Lots of thin layers are always the best, but Fair Isle sweaters are equally good because the floats across the back provide extra insulation.

We’re now looking forward to Machine Knitting LIVE! at Bournemouth on Saturday 6th March. The usual exhibitors will be there to bring you lots of goodies and inspiration and we look forward to welcoming some new faces this time. Full details are on page 13 and please call me at the office if you’d like to order advance tickets and save £1.

Many of you ask repeatedly for inspiration and I hope we can provide it this month. There’s an amazing Andy Holden exhibit at the Tate until 10th April and I can’t wait to go into London to see it. Yes, your eyes aren’t playing tricks – there’s machine knitting at Tate Britain! Andy broke a Knitmaster and Silver Reed machine before seriously injuring a Brother chunky during his epic knit-in. The result is absolutely awesome and I'll include a feature in the next couple of days.

I've had more inspiration on from the next generation of Oz knitwear designers. Tony Bennett has sent us some great examples of their work and not one of them had any experience with machine knitting at the start of their year. Tony was a tutor at his local college and I wish he was over here to share his undoubted talent with us. Interestingly, lots of the yarn the students used was from Yeoman so we can replicate some of the ideas.

For those of you who like to attend workshops with eminent names in machine knitting, I need to mention that there’s a rare opportunity to work with Iris Bishop on an individual basis from July 19th to 23rd. It’s hands on and you’ll experiment with single and double bed fabrics, in preparation for textiles and garments. It’s for Japanese machines only, but single or double bed. Places are strictly limited and for more details please call 01270-628414.

Good luck with your endeavours and happy knitting.
Anne