Knitted Aladdin Sane raises funds for Land Aid

You may remember reading about Lisa Bentman's knitted nebula back in July 2011 - and now she's been hard at work again creating a mind-blowing hand-knitted portrait of David Bowie as Aladdin Sane! 

Win a huge prize bundle from Red Heart Yarns

We're so excited about our new competition this weekend - to celebrate the launch of their UK website, Red Heart yarns are giving away this huge collection of prizes, worth over £50!

Knit your own bra for Bosom Buddies!

Knit yourself a bra in aid of the Bosom Buddies breast cancer charity. For one week, starting on 1st July, the ladies of Black Sheep Wools will be wearing their knitted bras over their uniforms - whether they work in the Craft Barn, picking orders or in the offices! 

And now you can join them - the Sirdar pattern for the knitted bras is now available to buy online. The kit costs £4.19, and 50 pence from each pattern sold goes to the Bosom Buddies charity; it includes pattern 9911, and one ball of Hayfield Bonus Dk - shade 887 (enough to make a bra of any size). 

You can also donate to the girls' efforts on their fundraising page here, and monitor what they're up to through photos shared throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter and their blog.

 

Here are some of the girls wearing their bras - we particularly like the tasselled version!

Join the Royal Baby fever with Stylecraft

With just a few weeks until the Royal Baby's due date, Stylecraft have released a range of baby patterns to celebrate your own special new arrival. Knitted in Wondersoft DK and Wondersoft 4ply, the designs are three sets of hats, mittens and bootees, in sizes to fit newborns up to three-year-olds, and a baby sleeping bag and travel blanket for babies up to one year. 

Pay a visit to Get Knitted

If you're looking for a friendly, well-stocked Local Yarn Store and you're anywhere near Bristol, pay a visit to Get Knitted. It's a huge shop with free parking, and they offer a ‘Shop Loyalty Scheme’: for every £10 you spend you earn a point; when you reach 10 points you'll get a £10 voucher off your next purchase. As Get Knitted's Laura explains, "This has proved very successful, even though some people feel a little sheepish about how quickly their spend mounts up!" There's currently a great special offer too - a massive 40% off Clover Circular Knitting Needles.

 

Win Sirdar Taffeta yarn!

We have a fun new competition for you this weekend - six lucky readers will receive a 100g hank of Sirdar's Taffeta scarf yarn!

Correction in Simply Knitting 108

We're sorry, we have missed some of the pattern in the Festival Fave cardigan from Sirdar - here's the missing instructions for the Shape neck and Shape shoulder for the Left Front.

Knitting, drinking and charity!

TLKC Open DayKnit-ins and charity knits are among our favourite things, so we’re thrilled that The Little Knitting Company are combining the two yet again for their regular Summer Open Day.

In addition to giving you the perfect excuse to spend the day in friendly local pub The Horse and Jockey in Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire, you'll be able to pick up new knitting skills, while raising funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity and SSNAP (Support for the Sick Newborn and their Parents) based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. Plus you'll have the chance to enjoy the pub's menu of over 30 homemade ice cream flavours! 

Simply Knitting issue 108 is on sale now!

It's filled with stylish designs to suit every shape - as well as our cover star, Marie Wallin's colourblock sweater, you'll love the colourful cardigan from Sirdar and this retro-glam crochet collar by Kirstie McLeod.  Rosee Woodland's gorgeous Fair Isle tank top is perfect for summer: wear it alone in hot weather, or layer it up for cooler days. The repeating motifs make this a great project if you're new to the technique.   

Competitions in Simply Knitting issue 108

Win tickets to the Creative Crafts Show!

We have 10 pairs of tickets to the show, which takes place in Sandown Park, Esher from 5th to 7th September. For more details visit www.sccshows.co.uk 

Turn to page 7 in issue 108 to find this competition's keyword, and then to enter the competition click here.

Win tickets to the Weald of Kent Craft & Design Show!