Dear Readers
The Nottingham Show is now over and it’s time for reflection. A lot of hard work went into organising it and I was exhausted when I got home, but having had a most enjoyable day. My main concern now is was whether it was right to go ahead with it. When Alan and I booked the venue a year ago, no building works were in the frame. We knew about the refurbishment at Harvey Hadden, but it was a surprise to learn subsequently that chunks of West Park would also be re-built. Work started months ago and we were confident that everything would be finished by Easter.

The panic button was pressed when the builders working on it went into administration at the beginning of this year. The centre lost valuable weeks, first reeling from the news and then finding a suitable firm prepared to pick up the pieces and complete the works. As recently as March, we still hoped to have the café area open upstairs, but it was not to be. As the date moved closer, my dilemma was whether to go ahead or cancel at very short notice. I could have contacted all the exhibitors and everyone with advance tickets, but I’d no idea who planned to come on the day. (As it turned out, many visitors had made long journeys.) The choice was either to do the best we possibly could, or leave you to arrive to see a note on the door to say that the show had been cancelled. Judging by the amazing attendance, my guess is that this option would have left many of you extremely cross.

Having sorted out a room for the talks, an area to sit down to eat and catering facilities in reception, I decided to go ahead. Compared with recent years the attendance was fabulous, but it meant that there was a queue for refreshments and we needed more seating. West Park management and staff have asked me to pass on their sincere apologies. They hope they can welcome us back next year, with all the building fully operational.

Alan searched exhaustively in the area to find an alternative to Harvey Hadden and West Park was the only suitable venue. Therefore there’s little point in me chasing my tail to find anywhere else, so we have to use a fully refurbished West Park or end the show. I’ve arranged to go back to Nottingham to see the centre when it’s completely finished. Those of you who spoke to Alan will know that he suffered a mild stroke last November. He’s made a good recovery, but there’s no possibility that he can take the show back to Harvey Hadden. I’ve also got to decide whether it would be a better option for me just to publish and edit the magazine each month, rather than try to keep the flag flying for machine knitting and organise the Bournemouth and Nottingham shows. I’ll let you all know when I’ve come to a decision.

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I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our very active and thriving knitting club.

We meet every second Friday of the month at Seaford Baptist Church at 2.00 pm. We often have speakers with hints and tips and next month (on May 10th) we have Sue Castro
giving a demo on punch lace. Any new member would be most welcome to our friendly group. Thank you.

Dear readers
There's a great new venue for this year's Nottingham Machine Knitting Show and it's the West Park Leisure Centre in Wilsthorpe Road, Long Eaton, Derbyshire NG10 4AA. The show is this Sunday 14th April and those who’ve attended before know that there’s plenty of room, ample car parking, catering facilities and easy access. It’s just 1½ miles from Junction 25 on the M1, the best remaining show for machine knitters in the North of England and one that shouldn’t be missed. Tickets will be available on the door and the cost is £6. Exhibitors include Andee Knits, Anne Baker with her Karabee Designs, Arnold Bennett, Iris Bishop, Sue Booth, Busy Bee, Sue Castro, Elaine Cater, Clair Crowston, Framework Knitters Museum, Guild of Machine Knitters, B Hague & Co, David Hampson, Beryl Jarvis, Wendy Piper with Knits 'n' Bits, Ann Matthews and Mapperly Machine Knitting Club, Metropolitan, Nina Miklin, Fiona Morris, Jo Newton, Nottinghamshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers & Dyers, Maureen Saunders, Erica Thomson, Uppingham Yarns, Alice Wolfe and Machine Knitting Monthly.

Now I must pay tribute to three friends of machine knitting who have passed away. Many of you will remember Doris Coutts as a founder member of the Sandown Club on the Isle of Wight and a regular contributor to both To & Fro and MKM. Her knowledge of machine knitting was immense. A founder member of Perth Knitting Club has also died. Peggy Rourke was an Area Representative for the Scottish Machine Knitters and she will be hugely missed. Finally, we remember Eileen Langford, Treasurer of the Guild of Machine Knitters, who has also died. Eileen played an important role in the Guild and, together with Peggy and Doris, they will all be greatly missed. We send our sincere condolences to members of their families, as well as their many friends.

Tony Bennett is coming over to the UK later this year and he’ll stop off at Metropolitan to open this year’s Dream Week on 2nd September. He’ll then return a couple of weeks later on 16th September for a week of hand’s-on tuition. Last year Tony was awarded WA Wool Designer of the Year and he’s lectured to fashion and textile design students at Perth’s Western Australian Central Institute of Technology. He’s run Dormani Designs for almost 20 years and gives talks about machine knitting as well as fashion trends. He also runs workshops for machine knitters. He’s travelled extensively in Australia and across to New Zealand, sharing his creativity, flair and expertise with many machine knitters. He fits in regular Down Under reports for us and it will be a pleasure to meet him in September.
Inevitably places are limited, so please book as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.

My other news is that Carol Hocknell and I have made a diary date to repeat our very successful At Home at Metropolitan. The date is 6th October 2013 from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm and again places are strictly limited. As last time, we’ll arrange demonstrations throughout the day, provide a Ploughman’s Lunch and Cream Tea and we’ll print further details as they develop. Having accepted the kind invitation to teach at Dream Week in September, help to run our At Home in October and keep the flag flying for Alan Hunt’s Nottingham Show on 14th April, my year is filling up fast. Until next month, happy knitting!

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Carbery Machine Knitting Club, Christchurch, Dorset

Dear Anne
Carbery Machine Knitting Club now meet monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. The venue is St George's Church Hall in Jumpers Road, Christchurch

Dear readers
I don’t go on holiday very often and I’d high hopes for some late autumn sunshine in Tuscany.

I’ve been to Italy before, but never to Florence and I very much looked forward to my week away. It’s a glorious time of year, but unfortunately the sun had shone from clear blue skies the week before. It drizzled when we arrived, poured down all week and I threw my umbrella in the bin at the airport as it collapsed for the last time. In the anticipated sight-seeing trek to visit the museums and churches, I spotted something amazing. The windows of almost every fashion shop in the city centre were filled with knitwear. If it hadn’t been so wet I could have jotted down hundreds of ideas, all of which had been machine-knitted in the first place. There was layer upon layer of fine knitting teamed with chunky tops and knitted scarves were everywhere. It was truly a machine knitter’s paradise.

When I got back, I looked at a number of boutiques selling knitwear on the Internet and was frankly staggered at the prices some folk are prepared to pay. It made me realise even more the huge potential our machines have to offer. I don’t think I’ve spent so long looking at women’s knitted fashion since I was at college and it might not have attracted my attention so much if the weather had been kinder. Taking shelter from the rain became essential and, after all, there’s a limit to the number of frescos and paintings of the Madonna and Child any one person can take in! All of us stick to the well-trodden path of patterns and styles we know, because they’re familiar old friends that won’t let us down. Nevertheless, it costs nothing to go window shopping and we don’t need to go as far afield as Italy because our own High Streets are filled with knitting. Perhaps the exercise to walk off the seasonal excess may also fill us with lots of fresh ideas for some inspirational knitting?

We probably need to avoid the January sales but, when the windows fill with the new season’s knitting, we can glean lots of ideas. Sally-Ann sets us on the right path each month with her up-to-date trends and colours, so we’ve no excuse. Let the New Year be filled with resolutions that we’ll all make a list of ‘must knits’ for 2013 – and knit them! Now all that remains is to send my very best wishes and sincere hopes for a happy and peaceful New Year, filled with good health and good fortune for us all.

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