  We use an explicit isomorphism from the representation ring of the quantum
group U_q(sl(N)) to the Homfly skein of the annulus, to determine an element of
the skein which is the image of the mth Adams operator, \psi_m, on the
fundamental representation, c_1. This element is a linear combination of m very
simple m-string braids. Using this skein element, we show that the Vassiliev
invariant of degree n in the power series expansion of the U_q(sl(N)) quantum
invariant of a knot coloured by \psi_m(c_1) is the canonical Vassiliev
invariant with weight system W_n\psi_m^{(n)} where W_n is the weight system for
the Vassiliev invariant of degree n in the expansion of the quantum invariant
of the knot coloured by c_1 and \psi_m^{(n)} is the Adams operator on n-chord
diagrams defined by Bar-Natan.
