Somehow, it’s mid-November! Where I am, twinkle lights have started appearing in the town square and festive music is playing in the shops. I don’t know about you, but usually, the holiday season sneaks up on me a bit. This year though, I’m determined to make my preparations early, so I can avoid any Covid-Brexit-posting stress and enjoy a relaxed lead up to the holidays. To help you with your own holiday prep, we’ve put together a special “Gifts for Knitters” section of the online shop.
Read moreQuadra Cowl
How many rainbow FOs (finished objects) is too many? I’m asking for a friend…
Just kidding, we all know the answer to that: you can never have too many rainbows! Well, I can’t anyway. Can’t stop, won’t stop knitting rainbows!
Read moreLong-Tail Cast On, But Make It Stretchy (Video Tutorial)
Hands up, who here has used the long-tail cast on? If you’re anything like me, the long-tail cast on is something you use a LOT. It’s fast, it’s stable, it’s fairly flexible. There’s a lot to love about a long-tail cast on! But … there’s the odd occasion it can let you down. Give you an edge that’s a little too firm or a little too tight. In those situations, what is a knitter to do?
Read moreNo End In Sight (Russian Join Video Tutorial)
Does anyone like to weave in ends? Some people must enjoy it … find it calming and meditative, a nice moment where you reflect on what your hands have created and officially finish off the project (well, until you block it). I would like to be the kind of knitter who could really find joy in weaving in ends. But I am not. I am the kind of knitter who will leave a finished object in a pile for weeks, just because I can’t face the ends. Or do a quick and poor job of securing my ends, threatening to ruin a perfectly nice hand knit in my impatience to be done. The Russian Join is a perfect solution to these problems.
Read moreShetland Trader Book Three: The Accessories + KAL IS LIVE!
Our Shetland Trader Book 3 KAL kicks off today, and we couldn’t be more excited! Two months of hanging out with Gudrun Johnston, knitting some breathtaking designs, learning and enjoying one another’s company … and of course, some really juicy prizes. More on all that in a second, but first, let’s have a whistle stop tour through the accessories that feature in Shetland Trader Book Three. These would be perfect if you’d love to join in the KAL fun, but don’t want to commit to a garment … and a great opportunity to try skills on a smaller skill and make something nice for yourself, or your handmade gift pile!
Read moreShetland Trader Book Three: The Dresses
Have you ever fancied a knitted dress? If so, you’re in luck! Gudrun Johnston’s newest book, The Shetland Trader Book Three: Heritage, features not one, not two, but three stunning knitted frocks. Like all the patterns in this knockout book, the dresses marry 1970s aesthetic with modern sensibilities for beautiful and highly wearable pieces. And each dress features some different Shetland knitting techniques to try! I’m willing to bet that, even if you don’t think your wardrobe needs a dress, once you see these, you’ll change your mind. The designs are just. so. good. Shall we have a peek?
Read moreMake It Modular! (Confident Knitting Video Tutorial)
Have you seen Emily K. Williams October Confident Knitting design yet? It’s the stunning Findhorn Wrap, an Anni Albers-inspired stole that makes use of textured rectangles of different colours to achieve it’s dramatic effect. And it’s all made possible by modular knitting!
Read moreFindhorn Wrap + Modular Knitting
It’s time to welcome the last of Autumn’s Confident Knitting patterns, the Findhorn Wrap by Emily K. Williams! This modern, striking stole gives us the chance to try out modular knitting, this month’s headline technique, and also contains a bonus tutorial for joining superwash or otherwise slick yarns.
Read moreThere's More Than One Way To Knit A Sweater
A few years ago, I came across an article suggesting some kinder replacements for common sayings that are, when you think about them, pretty violent. Things like killing two birds with one stone, or there being more than one way to skin a cat. The article proposed vegetable-based alternatives (“more than one way to peel a potato” is the one that stuck in my head). At the time I think I had a chuckle and moved on, but it obviously stuck with me, and I occasionally find myself almost drawing on one of those well-worn phrases then deciding that actually, it’s not quite fit for my purposes. Read on to see where this is going…
Read moreTalking to Strangers About my Socks
Adventures of the Rainbow.
How many times have strangers commented on your socks?
If we weren’t all knitters this would be a very odd question, I know! But bear with me…
I now have a few pairs of long, hand-knitted socks that give me enormous pleasure. They were incredibly fun to knit, and now that they are done, I am getting a huge amount of joy from wearing them. But it’s not only me that gets joy from my hand-knitted socks…
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