Simply Knitting issue 94 hits shops today and is chock-full of exciting knitting patterns!

The UK will really be putting on a show this summer, and what’s more, it’s one that everyone can take part in. We know many people have big plans to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and come July everyone can get involved with the drama of the Olympics – next issue we’ll have some fun knits to celebrate the skills of athletes, past and present, for you to make – whether you managed to get tickets or not!

This month is all about red white and blue, not just in a patriotic sense, but also a nautical sense, with Sarah Hatton’s stylish striped cardigan on page 12 and Sublime’s cool skull set for young pirates on page 21!

For something almost lighter than air, try Kirstie McLeod’s seam-free top in King Cole baby alpaca.

For something quirkier, look out for our Owl fingerless mitts by Amanda Jones (pictured below), and Alan Dart’s groovy troll.

There's nothing quite like making something for someone and finding out they love it literally to bits.

While many knitters knit for all sorts of occasions, there seems to be a big focus on Christmas knitting. We'd love to know which holidays, festivals or occasions you'll be knitting for next year – and if there are any you'd never knit for at all!

If you've ever knit a pair of gorgeous mittens only to find that they're not quite warm enough, then we've got the perfect tip for you.

Orata who blogs at Feather and Fan has designed a clever way make mittens warmer and explains it in her post Retrofit your mitts! (Afterthought thrums).

If you haven't heard of thrums, they're a clever way to make really, really cosy mittens. Essentially, you knit pieces of unspun wool into your mittens, creating a pretty pattern on the outside and a super-warm wooly nest on the inside.

As Orata demonstrates, you can add thrums to mittens even after you've knit them by simply hooking the thrums through the floats. It's an ingenious way to combine a gorgeous mitten pattern with real warmth.

Orata walks you through the process in a clear way, illustrated with plenty of photos. She starts by explaining how traditional thrums work, then moving on to her modification.

So you've counted down the days until you have to give your gifts, make a list or perhaps written out a schedule – but what are you actually going to do until the big day? We've got lots of fun ideas that might help – or hinder – your gift knitting progress.

Help
Go yarn shopping at a show! We’re all going to the Knitting & Stitching show at Alexandra Palace.
Ally Pally’s a great place to pick up all sorts of knitting bits. We’ll
be sewing up blankets on the Macmillan Stand – and for a small
charitable donation, we’ll turn your skeins into neat balls, too.
Doubly helpful!

Hinder

Using colour well is a bugbear for many knitters. Luckily there are tools available to help those of us without a natural aptitude for put things together beautifully.

One really useful tool is the
Random Stripe Generator created by Caitlin at Biscuits & Jam. With a few clicks you can add your colours, choose the width of the stripes you want – all the same, or varying – and create a unique stripe pattern. Don't like it? Refresh the page and a new pattern will be created.

Use crochet to darn your clothes: Craft Stylish explains how to fix a hole with crochet.

Make do and mend – if you've got an old jumper, pair of jeans or t-shirt which had developed a hole then this is a great way to repair the damage while still keeping the item looking fairly smart.

The example uses fairly thick yarn in a different shade, but you could try to match the colour of your garment more closely.

It's also a great way to dress up a tired old knit. Cut out any stains or bobbly patches, and cover your jumper with splashes of colour, like giant polka dots.

Just as you change your clothes to suit the season, you'll probably want to change your knitting style too. Here are our 10 top tips for successful summer knitting.

1. Choose the right fibre
While the Great British Summer kindly allows us plenty of days when a lap full of wool is comforting rather than stifling, if you're going abroad or enjoying a sunny spell, you'll probably want to choose a different fibre – and not just because cotton, linen, soya, bamboo and the like are cooler on the hands.

I'm a knitter in distress and I need your advice: how do you avoid second sock syndrome?

You know, that feeling when you've knit to the end of the first sock (or sleeve or mitten) and that feels like plenty: you've got to the end of the pattern and cast off, so it's done, right?

Unfortunately, one isn't a finished, wearable project. How do you inspire yourself to cast on the second? I've got three single socks and a fingerless glove all waiting for mates – I need to find a way to make them more interesting than casting on something new!

It's too late to knit both at once on two circular needles or Magic Loop. It's a technique I favour – as long as I'm not changing the pattern. The only thing worse than frogging one half-finished sock is frogging two half-finished socks!

If your home's full of gorgeous yarn and there are more patterns you'd like to make than you can knit in a year – or ten! – then there's only one thing for it: learn to knit faster!

They may look like something you'd find in a Christmas cracker, but point protectors like these ones from Prym can save you hours of frustration and hundreds of pounds.

Of course, this is assuming that you usually spend hundreds of pounds on a handbag, but even if your budget is somewhat lower it's still rather frustrating to find a sharp needle poking through your favourite bag or lost in a newly made hole in the lining.

And, of course, when needles get lost, knitting gets loose and you quickly find yourself watching TV at 2am while you try to untangle your keys without snarling or snagging your lace.

Point protectors won't keep your knitting from getting caught in your keys (but we've got suggestions for how to sort that out, too) but they will keep your stitches on the needles and the points, well, protected.