Okay so we may be currently experiencing a mini Indian summer (well in lovely sunny Sussex at least) but there has definitely been a slight nip in the air lately, which has got us in the office talking about wonderful autumn vegetables like swedes and parsnips, roasted or in warming soups, and the fact that this summer’s warm and damp weather seems to have resulted in the perfect condition for the heavily laden hedgerows now crammed with blackberries, sloes, redcurrants and the like (I have already made blackberry chutney and sloe and bramley apple jelly, giving them time to settle so they will be perfect by Christmas).

It seems everyone is either growing their own veggies or harvesting local fruit at the moment, very ‘make do and mend’. In fact it was Editor Emma K’s allotment we used for the photo shoot for our November issue. Erika Knight told her that knitting and gardening went well together and, judging by our gorgeous gallery, she wasn’t wrong! Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store for you in the November edition, hitting the shelves 1st October.

This stunning scarf had us all oohing and ahhing when it came into the office. It’s super long, super soft and your friends will be super envious!





Exclusively for Knitting, Erika Knight has created this lovely vintage looking little cardigan, perfect for sipping tea in the garden on a sunny afternoon





Brandon Mably has brought his distinctive design skills to Knitting with this exclusive folklore coat that will keep you warm and stylish (Sienna Miller was recently seen in a similar one!)





Plus

- We meet ethical fashion designer Izzy Lane

- Catch up with the latest news from the Mirasol Project

- Give a how-to guide to smocking, included a cute and simple pattern for beaded gauntlets (great xmas presents!)

- Don't miss our stylish men's knits supplement with garments men will actually wear!

If you haven't heard about this yet then check it out! We just got sent this link by Nicky herself who thinks this is hilarious.

http://knittingontopoftheworldknitathon.typepad.com/

A knitter/blogger in America has announced she will be knitting every single one of the 50 patterns in Nicky Epstein's Knitting on Top of the World, one at a time, in order and blogging about it for anyone who wants to follow her journey. Anyone who has seen Nicky's book knows it's not exactly a book of 20 ipod covers, they are challenging knits!

Inspired by the recent film Julie and Julia, starring Meryl Steep and Amy Adams, based on an American writer's decision to cook every singly recipe in Julia Child's seminal cook book in one year, blogging about her adventures as she went, this is the knitting world's version, so keep your eyes peeled for a film version in the future!

Back in the office after a lovely weekend, Katy and I are oohing and aaahing over a bag of gorgeous new yarns acquired – for work needs only, you understand – from Saturday's visit to the I Knit show. We met early Saturday morning to catch the fast train to London armed with Saturday's Guardian and their free copy of 'Jackie' magazine circa 1974. Katy giggled over it, unaware until that moment of its existence, where as I on the other hand remembered the exact issue! How could I forget David Essex clutching a heart of roses?

Arriving at I Knit, we were delighted to see so many familiar faces and enjoyed meeting lots of new ones – many of whom I hope to be featuring in the magazine over the next few months, so keep watching this space.

Tom and Jenny from Artesano showed us some of their lovely new designs and also gave us their brand new yarn 'Silk Embrace', to take away with us. We also met up with Laura 'Purl Princess' Parkinson (and bump!) with her Mum, and Michele Matheson, armed with camera, who will be providing a full write up in our December issue.

We also had a chance to meet Spencer Hannah, co-founder the Herdy Company www.herdy.co.uk and I treated myself to a new office mug. Check out their website to see what they are about.

And so it went on until it was time to take our leave, enjoy a cold glass of wine in the late September sun and hop back on the train – all knitted out!

We're going to I Knit Weekend tomorrow! Well Editor, Emma K and I are going anyway. We don't have a stand, but we will be free-styling, schmoozing and chatting to everyone we come across so if you see us, come and say hi!

Hi,

The website is finally all set up for you to register your Knitting Events for National Knitting Week 2009.
All you need to do is click on the Events logo and it will take you straight through to the page.
Last year we had a fantastic selection and a huge variety of events. So don't be shy, shout about your plans and let everybody know what you're up to!

Hello folks,

Well here I am back at the Knitting base after a rather windswept and rain-drenched long weekend in North Wales but despite the weather, we still had a great time! The husband dragged me out of bed at 4.20am and we set off at the crack of dawn to pick up my sister and her man. We had just zoomed off up the A23 and turned on the radio only to hear the weather report say, "...so there'll be warm, sunny spells across the country with the exception of Wales, where there will be heavy rain over the region." Apart from being slightly breezy, it was fine when we arrived at the campsite though and we had a lovely double pitch in a nice, secluded field. We were blown away by the scenery around us and I've honestly never seen so many sheep!

Highlights of the trip included Sis and I resorting to scouring the clothes in a Woolworths-style shop in the nearby town, trying to find half-decent outfits to wear when the other-halves announced they wanted to go to the pub and watch the football (we'd only bought our scruffy jeans and t-shirts with us), tasty barbeques with local Welsh produce and our very own private nightclub which consisted of our flimsy gazebo, a small battery-operated lantern and our iPods blasting out the tunes through portable speakers.

By Sunday though, the weather had taken its toll and we managed a quick breakfast huddled in the rain before deciding to come home a day early. Needless to say, my cashmere scarf-in-the-making didn't emerge from my knitting bag all weekend. Better luck next time, eh?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we're all busy getting the November issue off to print. There are some gorgeous projects in store which will be straight on your must-knit list for autumn. For now though, it's time to grab yourself the October issue. Hip hip hooray, it's out today!