www.jigsawknits.co.uk
Linda Irwin's brilliant knitting site (hand and machine). Patterns, haberdashery, ideas. As of early this year you can buy Artika machine knitting collections directly online from her site.

www.Daisyknits.com
Lora Kinnan's excellent U.S. Designer/knitter contact page is on her web site here. I was inspired by her pages and was prompted to emulate this idea here in the UK. (based in the U.S.)

Jo Newton's website for machine knitters
Jo specialises in motifs depicting animals - dogs and horses especially- and authentic sporting pictures available for 24st and 60st. She has an on-line catalogue on her site, and if you don't find what you want she accepts commissions at a very reasonable rate. (based in the U.K.) http://www.jonewton.co.uk

Erica Thomson's web page
Interesting website with resources for machine knitters. Erica's work often
combines knitting with sewing and she makes tassels on the knitting machine.
Erica's page includes a "for sale" section, and useful information on
estimating yarn quantities, which you can download. (based in the U.K.) http://www.erica.co.uk

Kerstin Michler's knitting website
This website is an Aladdin's cave of resources for knitters, with an amazingly comprehensive collection of links. Kerstin's site is in German, but even if you don't speak a word you should visit the knitting links page ("Die Strickmoden-Linkliste") which includes sites from all over the world (including from mainland Europe which you don't often find!) divided into patterns, yarns, finished products and more. I even found UK links which were new to me here! For assistance you can contact Kerstin who speaks perfect English : km@strickmoden.de (based in Germany) http://www.strickmoden.de

Steph Thornton's knitting website
Another treasure! A UK website with an American feel - full of useful links, supposedly for hand knitters but very useful for machine knitters as well. Useful review of UK online yarns suppliers, links to pages detailing difficult-to-find information such as an explanation of yarn counts. Worth a visit. Also a comprehensive quilting link list! http://www.stephthornton.co.uk/knitting/knitmain.htm

Needlesofsteel.org.uk
A website by Linda L and Jane H in the UK, set up as "a central resource for machine-knitting patterns and techniques". There is a huge bank of free machine knitting patterns a growing library of "know how" of techniques, machine maintenance, and an interesting "miscellaneous" section with other useful information. Well worth a visit if you are searching for some information or a pattern.

MK Designer
Margaret Parker's interesting site. In particular she has a section where you can download selected patterns and stitchpatterns free of charge. Note that though she kindly offers you the use of her talent and hard work her designs are still under copyright. Be respectful of her copypright terms. (As you may have guessed I am not a fan of copyright infringers!)

Knitting about.com
An excellent portal for knitting related information, mostly aimed at hand knitters but with a section for machine knitters as well, ( go to the "browse topics" link from the home page and "machine knitting is one of these). There are some very useful links to free patterns and and well illustrated demonstrations of instructions and techniques. The site has a much more knitter-friendly feel than previously and although ads for unrelated things will appear regularly, the site is definitely worth book-marking and visiting when in search of something.

 

Ann Kite Homeschool
For all of those knitters all over the world who email me with questions about machine knitting, or who ask me what to do to get started, Anne is the person who can help, via her series of teaching videos. If you can't find a teacher near you, this is the next best thing. www.annkitehomeschool.co.uk enquiries@annkitehomeschool.co.uk Based in the U.K.

Jessica Tromp's knitting site
Just discovered this absolute treasure! Comprehensive mine of information for hand and machine knitters with equally interesting sections on crochet and sewing and free patterns as well. Wonderful clear diagrams for machine knitters showing exactly how to do things every inch of the way, such as set up your needles for different ribs, which knobs to push in etc. Far better instructions than most knitting machine manuals!

The Woolworks
Well organized non-commercial resource for hand knitters. If you are looking for a pattern, try here on the "patterns" tab, leave messages and questions for other knitters, access links to other sites. This is where I direct people who ask me questions I can't answer or ask me for patterns I don't have!! http://www.woolworks.org

Bella Online
A knitting sub-section of Bella Online and now very professionally presented and comprehensive. Useful links, and informative knitting book reviews. Information about U.S. knitting magazines. www.bellaonline.com/about/Knitting

Designaknit Knitting Software Program
A wonderful program that I have been using for many years and which has been constantly expanding its capacities. (O.K., I'm biased!). I'm including this information as so many people e-mail me asking about knitting software. This program has various components for all of the aspects of designing and knitting a garment. It can be used successfully for all stitchbased crafts, but is essentially designed for machine knitting. The components include a stitch design facility where you can design your own knitted fabric design from scratch or scan an image in from a drawing etc., a garment design facility which allows you to produce a pattern for knitting your own garment either from a standard size, which you can tweak for your own measurements, or (if you have the professional version) you can produce a pattern for anything whose pieces you can draw (I did a car seat cover, once). If you are an "electronic" knitter you can transfer everything from your computer to your machine if you buy the appropriate cable for your machine or PPD. (You still have to knit it yourself, I hasten to add.)

The Softbyte website is more of a resource than an interesting site in its own right. You can download demos, obtain technical information, information about aspects of the program etc. www.softbyte.co.uk

Machine Knit  
A forum and information site for machine knitters.  This started off 10 years ago as “Machknit” a hobbyists meeting site and has kept going ever since.  Useful links page (called “resources”) with an interesting feature which lets you see information about the site as your mouse hovers over it – such as general info about the site and interestingly, how many hits each link has had.  FAQ section where users post helpful tips about aspects of knitting or knitting machines (“how to clean your machine” for example).  The free patterns page is a little limited and leaves something to be desired (photos, for example), but is still a useful resource to check up on. www.machine-knit.com

Library of handknitting stitches
Click on any stitch name and see a knitted swatch and instructions. Stitches nicely organised into different types of stitch (eg knits and purls, lace etc.) Barbara Breiters excellent site knittingonthenet.com has an impressive array of freebies - patterns, links to sources of knitting related clipart, and much more.

Base de Points (tricot a main)
Library of handknitting stitches with instructions in French

Roni Knutson's Canadian Machine Knitting Page
A mine of information and links to places where you can find out about aspects of machine knitting and information about different knitting machines - "help sheets, free patterns and links". A good place to start on a search for something as the site is compact, so you can see at a glance what is available. The site features a small set of free patterns.

Knitting help in French
Dépannage, manuels, cours de techniques de base, des petits ouvrages pour démarrer. astuces, liens

Comprehensive list of French knitting sites
Annuaire de sites consacrés au tricot

Getknitting.com
This site is equally good for machine and hand knitters and is invaluable for the sort of information you always need but can't remember where you put - size charts, metric conversion charts, needle size equivalences, working out how much yarn you will need for a project and so on. There are free patterns, helpsheets and hints and tips for both hand and machine knitting as well as pdf patterns you can purchase for immediate download. You can also sign up to receive a monthly email newsletter.

Knitting Pattern Central
A clearly presented informative site mostly for handknitters containing a wealth of information on all sorts of knitting topics. A large library of free patterns, knitting instructions, hints and tips, a stitch directory (listed by stictch names, rather than by photos. A true sharing of information.

 

Magazines do not typically have websites that provide the sort of informational resources that other specialist sites often do, although this is beginning to change. For obvious reasons the information available on these sites is usually information about how to contact the editor, purchase copies of the magazine or sign up for a subscription. For those who want to do just that, here are the beginnings of a list of publications

www.machineknittingmonthly.net

Machine Knitting Monthly is one of the UK's leading magazines for the craft, with patterns, articles etc. An easy-to-use website, which is relatively new and being improved all the time. Contains information about the magazine, a fledgling knitting links page, information about exhibitions etc.

Postal address: PO Box 1479, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 8DP

Contact Anne Smith on 01628 783080, email: rpa@surf3.net

knitwords.on.ca

Knitwords is the leading Canadian machine knitting magazine, with high quality presentation and packed with articles, patterns and instructions for machine knitting techniques you might not find elsewhere. Congratulations to Mary-Anne Oger for ensuring that this magazine website is user friendly and provides information of interest to knitters so that a visit is worthwhile. Try the well-illustrated hints and tips section.

Knit 'N Style Magazine Online

A U.S. magazine for hand knitters containing useful resources for knitters. As well as information about the magazine there is a useful links page including links to sites of interest to machine as well as hand knitters, a free pattern page with interesting downloadable pdf patterns with photos, a free charts page for handknitters (mostly lace, as of today - March 2009) and message board . Worth a visit. http://www.knitnstyle.com

Machine Knitters Source

A U.S. magazine for machine knitters containing an on-line version of the magazine and resources for machine knitters. http://www.mksource.com

In-Knitters

A new U.S. magazine for hand knitters containing an on-line version of the magazine and resources. http://www.inknitters.com

Vogue Knitting

The well-known and stylish U.S. magazine for hand knitters. http://www.vogueknitting.com

 

 

 

 

I have listed here the suppliers that I have used and been very satisfied with over the years. If you would like to recommend suppliers who you have used, email me with your comments.

Texere Yarns www.texere-yarns.co.uk

I have been using Texere for over 20 years (even though I am only 19!) and always go back to them because of their large range of supplies for different crafts, excellent friendly telephone assistance should you need it, efficient mail order service and reaonable prices. Although they cater for such a wide range of crafts, (hand and machine knitting, hand loom weaving, tapestryweaving, rug making, embroidery, tasselmaking, braid making,crocheting), there are always ranges of yarns for knitters at very good prices, although not necessarily repeatable.

Upppingham Yarns www.wools.co.uk

Another excellent company with a helpful, efficient mail-order service and very reasonable prices. They supply all types of industrial, specialist, exotic, unusual & standard yarns & wools for machine knitting, hand knitting & weaving, for home knitters, designers, colleges & students. I have used their French crepe range extensively for a number of years and can highly recommend it, both for the quality and the price. Different shades are available at different times and Uppingham will send you samples of the ones they currently have in stock, if you give them an idea of what you are looking for. The excellent prices reflect the fact that the yarns (left-overs from quality factory runs I understand) are not repeatable.

Jamieson & Smith www.shetland-wool-brokers.zetnet.co.uk

Jamieson & Smith have been supplying hand and machine knitters with top quality shetland wool by mail order for many years, supplying very fine yarns as well as the standard weights, and hanks as well as cones.

Yeoman's Yarns www.yeomanyarns.co.uk

Suppliers of top quality wool and cotton yarns (as well as mixtures)with an impressive colour range in the main ranges. Their website is very clear, easy to use, and good enough to order from.

Colinette Yarns www.colinette.com

Gorgeous multicoloured yarns, mainly for hand knitters. Worth visiting the website if you are not familiar with these rainbow yarns. The website however is all on a black background and you need to make many clicks through text-only menus to be able to see any of the yarns.

For another review of selected yarn suppliers in the UK see Steph Thornton's knitting website

This is a new link section, where my aim is to link to sites which include information about knitted textiles and knitted textile designers.

UK Textile Guide
This site is really, really offputting when you arrive with a huge promotional panel in the middle for unrelated things. However on each side of this panel there are some valuable links to hard-to-find lists of manufacturers, fabrics, trimmings, and services among other things and the site is based in the U.K
.www.textilesguide.co.uk

Cross Stitch Site
New UK based site for cross stitch patterns, kits and supplies
http://www.ooly.co.uk