As the days get shorter it's always time to reach for the knitting needles - even if the light makes it a bit challenging at times!

I have lots of interesting projects on the boil - so I suppose I'd best get on with them!

Have fun with all your knitting.

I have at last managed to get round to producing the first video lesson - on "Making a Marker" which you'll find on the "Hints & Tips" page; hopefully  this will be the first of many, which I hope will be helpful to site visitors.

Also I have procured the services of a number of exciting new models, so we'll be busy photographing new knitting and weaving projects over the next few months for the site - once I emerge from my current round of commissions (and more about them later - but for the People's Friend fans, there IS good news to come).  It's a busy time - but that's always good news!

Knitting magazine's new format certainly hasn't been to everyone's taste - at least not from what many of you have been telling me. I suppose change is always difficult and we'll all have to see how things turn out in the the end - but please do remember that although I do contribute to the magazine, I'm not on the payroll, nor do I have any say in it. If you have any strong feelings - pro or con - perhaps you should let GMC know too; like me, I imagine they would be more than happy to get the feedback.

Have a great summer.

Delighted that you loved the cushions and cape so much; there's been quite a spin off from these, so look out for more designs in both of these yarns in 2007.

The weather has been so awful - what a great excuse to stay indoors and get on with our knitting!

I know I've been a bit slow getting some of my latest designs onto the site - but until they do appear, just email me if you have any queries. Do please keep your comments coming - it really is great to hear from you.

A huge thanks again for all your lovely comments.

So many of you have noted my apparent disappearance from the pages of Knitting magazine that I feel I really must respond.

The way commissions work is that they are submitted, approved and then sent in to the magazine on completion. It is then entirely up to Editors when they are published – and I’m glad I don’t have to juggle all the balls that they do to make that decision!

I try to plan ahead so that my designs could be published just as the fashion hits the scene but of course “the best laid plans of mice and men ………..”.     Rest assured that there are several designs in the offices of Knitting as we speak, awaiting a space in the magazine.

One is very “now” – and  hopefully it will appear soon – in a lovely current shade of a wool I was delighted to have discovered made by the Kilcarra mills in Donegal. At the time they were finalising plans to re-launch their hand-knitting yarns with Designer Yarns under the Debbie Bliss label. Do look out for it when it does become widely available – it is such good news to hear of mills reopening rather than closing which is so depressing!

There are many other designs in their yarn sitting on my desk waiting for me to get my needles going along with some lighter weight tops for the spring and summer. One top uses a yarn with a lovely sheen which will be big news this Spring if the forecasts are to be believed.    

Thanks also for your enthusiasm for the weaving. I am hoping to have more available through the online shop – but in the meantime if anything in particular interests you maybe you would like to drop me an e-mail.

Do please keep your comments rolling in- it really is so good to hear from you.

National Knitting Week (14th-21st) approaches - and this year I thought I'd give away an exclusive new design for a knitted dress - a quick knit in Sirdar Tuscany, which comes in a range of lovely colours - cosy and just the thing for the cooler days!

Let me know how you get on knitting it! 

Look out for the belt pattern to compliment it - in a forthcoming issue of "Knitting".

I suppose the biggest single bit of news was being given permission to use The House of Edgar range of Irish Tartan designs for my hand-woven stoles. I'm really pleased and proud to be licensed by the copyright owners (The House of Edgart, Macnaughton Holdings Ltd) - doing things properly really matters and there are far too many people prepared to just nick someone else's ideas and benefit from them.

Anyway - enough from me on my soap-box - have a wonderful autumn.

Spring at last! Thank you again for all your lovely comments and I am so glad you liked Luckenbooth. Sorry I have missed a few “Knitting” magazines (I feel pretty guilty about it after those last contributions to the guest book!!) but I have been very busy with weaving. The hand woven tartan stoles are proving very popular indeed and I have been developing two new lines: cushions and waistcoats.

Back on the subject of knitting, I am always interested to hear your preferences particularly with regard to complexity, yarn thickness, techniques and so forth and so please do keep the comments coming in. If you would prefer, you can always email me privately.

I am also trying to get a book of patterns written which hopefully will be available towards the end of the year.

I do hope you will like the next designs to be published in “Knitting” (the June issue as far as I know)- a plain top and lace shrug, both in Jamieson & Smith Shetland 2ply lace weight. This is much quicker and easier to knit up than the thickness suggests and the yardage makes it pretty economical. The shrug stitch is a Shetland lace pattern which does require a little special handling. It looks a little unpromising when first knitted, especially the “stepped” edges at the front but all this is evened out when you pin it out to shape. Anyway – that is a new technique for you to try out if you have not worked in Shetland lace before.

Meantime, best wishes and happy knitting!

Please do get in touch with me if you need any advice making up the patterns - I know it can be a bit daunting if you're new to a technique and I'd hate to think that you're looking at a pile of knotted knitting that you've thrown aside in frustration - and don't think I haven't been there!

Do please keep the comments coming  - it's absolutely brilliant to have heard from so many of you.

Take care 

It has been great  to have heard from so many people over the break and thanks for all the lovely comments that followed the profile of me that appeared in "Knitting" (though it is a bit odd reading about yourself like that!)

All the very best,

I am particularly curious to know if you have favourite yarn types - fine, chunky, quick knit, natural fibres - 'to name but a few'. There are so many exciting new yarns around in which I have designed some garments for next season but it is still a real joy to work with the classics. I do hope there is something for everyone in the upcoming collection.

I was interested to read a letter in 'Knitting' - Dec 05 edition, requesting more designs which are flattering to older ladies - fashionable but not too revealing. Do please let me have your comments about this and any other topic for that matter - all grist to the mill.

Wishing you great happiness over this festive season,

Monday 10th 

A quiet start to the Chat Room, but fun all the same.  Today, our friendly freelance photographer shared a few of his thoughts on the pressures of idealized female beauty and sympathized with the plight of real women who often seem to get over looked in the headlong rush of photo-fashion and I had a chance to reflect on the value of TV (and the media in general) on our lives. Roll on tomorrow!

Tuesday 11th 

Another interesting day on the chat room - especially this morning when I found myself completely involved in a discussion about fashion design in general. Now I'm looking forward to tomorrow's guests and seeing who turns up to meet them.

Wednesday 12th 

Today was really busy; this morning's sessions saw a whole range of topics being aired, from the availability of design courses, through organic wool to speculation as to the future course of the knitting revival, with really useful contributions from our guests - from experts to non-knitters, ranging from 16 to  ...well, a lot older!

This evening we were joined by our guest from NZ to discuss a series of handicraft issues, including dyeing, felting and a range of exciting yarns - together with an amazing new kind of loom they are about to launch. I had no idea that there were so many people interested in spinning and dyeing their own fleeces and it was great that a goodly number of them turned up at this time of night to talk about it!  This chat room has been a real eye-opener for me, I'm really enjoying it and been amazing to see just how many people have been prepared to come along and join in.

Thursday 13th

After the frenetic pace of yesterday, today seemed a little quiet! Some nice feedback came in about the chat room - its always nice to know things have been helpful, but especially so when it comes from as far apart as New Zealand and the New Forest! I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. 

Friday 14th

Wow - what a marathon chat-fest! My quarter-of-an-hour slot at 10am ran on and on, with only about five minutes to grab a quick coffee before Sirdar joined us all at 11.00 

The spirit of the day must have been infectious - David Rawson stayed chatting with us for nearly 30 minutes longer than his original hour-long schedule and everyone who dropped in was well pleased that he did! Topics covered ranged from his recent "Knitted Wedding" exploits, through the Sirdar sponsored production "The Hat" to the vagaries of the globalised yarn market and an awful lot in between. Some exciting new yarns coming from Sirdar - and a big interest in natural fibres - so look out for them in the shops shortly.  

Absolutely brilliant to have the chance to chat to someone of his calibre and thank you to all of you who were in the chat room for the lovely comments you made to me afterwards. I'm just so glad everyone involved got so much out of the experience!

What will the weekend hold?

Saturday 15th

Had some interesting discussions today and I'm planning one or two new product lines as a result, so - thanks for that - and keep your eyes out for new things coming into the site shop (hopefully) in plenty of time for Christmas!

Sunday 16th

So that's it; after all the mayhem and anticipation - it's all over! What can I say? I've been amazed at the numbers who were interested enough to join in the chat here and I hope that everyone involved got something out of the experience - I know I learned a lot from it.

Frenetic at times, and (thank goodness) quieter at others, I feel the chat room experience rather took over my life during the past week - and I found myself pondering the issues it raised long after I had logged off and left the air-waves to others. 

It has been a real eye-opener for me - at lots of different levels - and thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Sadly Tony Robinson has had to delay his slot due to unforeseen circumstances, but he is hoping very much to put in an appearance later in the week.

Looking at the guest book, there seems to have been a bit of warfare going on!  I did see the blog (see guest book) referred to - no one said being a designer was painless, but sometimes it is very hard to see the "competition" coming in for unfair criticism, so I have to agree with the general gist of the replies and thanks so much for the compliment. 

You really can't please ALL of the people, ALL of the time!

Take care and happy knitting!

PLEASE keep your comments coming, they are invaluable to me. If you would like to comment but do not wish to be published, you can always drop me an email – either way, it is fantastic that you take the time and trouble to write.

I am fascinated to hear which designs you have chosen to knit and it is particularly useful to know if you found the pattern easy to follow and if you were delighted with the results of your hard work.

In response to requests, I have written several patterns ‘in the round’ of late but would love to know how popular this method is with you. I ask because many of you have been glad of the flat knitting version of “James Brown’s gansey” and so I am curious to know your preferences.

National Knitting Week is fast approaching and I do hope to ‘see’ you in the chat room – is really should be fun. In answer to George (see guest book), yes of course boys are welcome! It is very heart warming to hear from all over the world and I shall try to poise the match sticks in my eyelids and be there for our NZ and USA friends! Incidentally, I will ‘kiss that Scottish soil’ (see guest book) for you with pleasure! The great thing about the internet of course is that you will be as much a part of the Chat Room in New Zealand as if you were logging on in the next room to me – and so let’s use it and make the most of the experience. After National Knitting Week the forum will still be here through this interactive page  – pretty exciting!

Among the new additions to the site you can expect to see over the next month are details of the two knitting kits and the two free patterns currently previewed together with the latest design to be published in Knitting’s November edition. Hope you enjoy them. 

Take care and happy knitting!