There are times when the role of knitting editor seems more akin to detective when readers contact me about lost or damaged patterns.
Just last week Norma e-mailed me from Sweden with a heartfelt plea “Please can you help me? I came to Sweden last week for an extended stay. In my luggage I have the yarn, the cable needle and the knitting needles, but no pattern!”
Fortunately after some more correspondence and a bit more detail, I was able to find the missing pattern a lovely cardigan we featured in a recent Special.
Earlier that same week Niki contacted me via Facebook telling us her mum is knitting a jacket following a pattern we published recently but their puppy had chewed the bottom of the page and several rows were missing. Again, because Niki was able to give me an issue date, we managed to send a copy out to her mum.
Mission: Impossible?
Sometimes the task seems impossible. An Australian visitor phoned up in despair, she had ordered yarn to knit one of our designs, had it delivered to a relative in the UK but had forgotten to pack the pattern in her suitcase.
The description wasn’t the best a vest (waistcoat) in a chunky yarn but we didn’t know which; possible one button maybe not; brown or maybe a heathery, creamy Scottish colour l was about to throw in the towel when she remembered one more thing, the mail order company we had quoted. Bingo! Our “recent” pattern was from November 12, 2010 and once again a holidaying reader could get on with her knitting.
Sometimes I am asked for patterns from some time ago that have been used to the point of disintegration but, unfortunately, I am usually unable to help. We simply do not have the resources to go back years to find patterns, nor the means to copy them properly. So if you do have a pattern you particularly like, keep it in a safe place especially if you have a dog that likes to chew!
Did you know it’s Yarn Shop Day on April 27? Read all about this great initiative to promote the country’s valuable yarn shops.
