The Knitter

World Wide Knit in Public day - starts 8th June

Kate — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:01:00 GMT

The annual World Wide Knit in Public days are approaching, kicking off on Saturday 8th June. So we'd love to help you promote any events you're holding, and share the details with other knitters.

World Wide Knit in Public Day started in 2005, thanks to Danielle Landes; she wanted to stop knitting being an often solitary activity, and bring it to the public's attention. Your neighbour or colleague could be a fellow knitter without you knowing!

Our top ten free patterns for summer

Kate — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:04:39 GMT

With patterns for ladies, teens, accessories and your home, we've gathered our favourite ten patterns for quick summer knits - and best of all, they're all free!

This pretty Simple lacy shrug by Sarah Hatton is perfect for spring and summer days when you want to wear strappy tops and dresses but still need an extra layer to cover up. It's knitted in one piece, with a simple geometric lace stitch, in the economical Patons Smoothie yarn. Sarah designed it to fit six sizes, from S (to fit bust 31-34 inches) up to XXXL (to fit bust 52-54 inches).

It's time for a strawberry tea - raise funds for Breast Cancer Care

Kate — Sun, 19 May 2013 13:50:35 GMT

Get together with friends and family this summer, and host a Strawberry Tea party for Breast Cancer Care. The charity’s Strawberry Tea campaign starts on 1st June - at any time until 31st August you can hold your party, and help raise money to support the 55,000 people diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK.

Masterclass - photographing your knits, part 3

Kate — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:22:07 GMT

In part one of this masterclass we covered setting up and lighting your photos, and part two explained how to adjust your camera's settings and take your photos. Now we'll look at how to edit your images for the best results.

Editing photos

If ever the weather refuses to clear long enough to allow a few good shots of an exciting new knitted project, or if the camera being used just isn’t allowing the clarity of shots that you need, there is another way to get the same result, as long as you have access to some photo manipulating software such as Adobe Photoshop. It is always a good idea to get a good, clear photograph without having to use photo editing to improve things, but when you are in a hurry, or there are dark, dull skies overhead, a little photographic wizardry can save having to put the photo shoot off until another day.

There are almost certainly many ways of achieving this same effect in photo editing software, but this way is one of the easiest.

Win a copy of our sister magazine, Handmade Summer!

Kate — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:30:17 GMT

With chapters on dining al fresco, summer celebrations, fete makes, and home decor, inside Handmade Summer you'll find 197 sunny ideas to make and buy, including a beach bag crocheted from jute twine, picnic recipes, a knitted beach cover-up, and crepe paper party decorations. For more details, or to order a copy with worldwide postage included, click here.

Sir Colin Davis - Juliet's blog

Kate — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:32:32 GMT

Juliet pays tribute to a world-class classical music conductor and avid knitter, Sir Colin Davis...

"The world of classical music recently lost one of its most creative and creatively generous conductors, Colin Davis. What you may not know is we also lost a champion knitter.

"He was the London Symphony Orchestra’s longest-serving conductor, and more recently, their president. Internationally he was celebrated for his interpretations of Sibelius, Mozart and Berlioz and was held in great affection by the orchestra, where his gentle style brought the best out of musicians young and old. There are so many tributes out there about his music, I thought we should also celebrate his craft.

Errata in The Knitter issue 58

Kate — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:58:27 GMT

We're sorry for any inconvenience, as we have discovered errata in two of the patterns in issue 58.

For the Sasha Kagan Hanami cardigan pattern, the row tension given is incorrect. The correct row tension is 38 rows.

There is also an errata in the Magnolia Tee, as the numbers given for the Actual Bust are incorrect. The correct numbers are:

79, 86.5, 94, 96.5, 101.5, 109, 116.5, 124 cm

31, 34, 37, 38, 40, 43, 46, 49 in.

Wednesday wonders - Father's Day gifts

Kate — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:20:04 GMT

Father's Day is just a month away - Sunday 16th June. So here are five of our best patterns you can knit up for him, ready for the big day...

Jane Burns' set of six Father's Day gifts consists of a flower pot cover, golf club cover, picture frame, notebook cover, mug hug, and this fun knitted bow tie. They're quick to knit, and sure to bring a smile to your Dad's face. You can download all six patterns for £2.99 by clicking here.

Woolfest 2013 - 28th and 29th June

Kate — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:41:34 GMT

Join the woolly fun at Woolfest, in Cumbria! Woolfest 2013 will be held on Friday 28th June from 10am-6pm, and Saturday 29th June from 10am-5pm.

Don't miss the one-off Sparkleduck show at The Sheep Shop

Kate — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:46:38 GMT

Heather Darvell, an indie dyer, is holding a one-of-a-kind trunk show at The Sheep Shop in Cambridge later this month. Her yarns, known as Sparkleduck, will be on show on Tuesday May 28th from 3.30pm – 7pm.

The yarns are hand-dyed in Heather's home, and they have vivid colours and fun names such as "Sunshine juice”.

Masterclass - photographing your knits part 2

Jenny Phin — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Here's the second part of Mimi Hill's masterclass on taking great photographs of your projects. In part 1, Mimi shared her tips on setting up and lighting, now read on to find out more about adjusting your camera's settings and taking your photos...

A happy Friday yarn launch!

Judy Darley — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:17:38 GMT

Happy Friday! The weekend is finally almost here, and to celebrate we’re sharing the news of a brand new yarn launch. Named Coquette, it’s collaboration between Julieta Brandao of Knitshop and the queen of vintage Susan Crawford.

A book for all seasons - Juliet's blog

Kate — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:21:22 GMT

Apart from my endless fascination with all things yarny, I have to admit to a chronic obsession with stationery, and more specifically, notebooks. I have a stack of beautiful books, from moleskins to individual books I have found on Etsy. Yum! So what could be better than actually learning how to make my own notebooks?

On Saturday a friend and I took a whole day workshop with the lovely Ken at The Creative Sanctuary in Hertford. I spent the whole day pinching myself with excitement. I’m not known for my neatness, so I was very worried I would get glue all over the place, but Ken’s little pack included a rag to wipe your hands on – absolutely essential kit for me.

The Knitter issue 58 is on sale today

Sophie — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:50:50 GMT

Issue 58 of The Knitter is on sale today! This issue is jam-packed full of inspiration to get you knitting for Spring! From the perfectly pink Magnolia tee on the cover to on-trend tendril socks, you're sure to find a project that you can't wait to get started! To have a flick through some of the projects, head over to The Making Spot.

Free patterns and classes just for you - guest blog post from Craftsy

Kate — Tue, 07 May 2013 08:15:03 GMT

Find your next knitting project!

Explore the best free and paid patterns from around the world in Craftsy’s Pattern Marketplace. Discover a wide range of designs, from chunky cardigans to chic handbags, adorable baby booties, and more. Then download your favorites in an easy to use high-quality PDF format, so you can get started right away. Browse the Craftsy Pattern Marketplace and support indie designers today!

Shades of Scottish yarns

Judy Darley — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

In issues 55 of The Knitter we featured these pretty Adelis wrist warmers by Carol Meldrum, inspired by traditional Norwegian motifs. This week issue 58 goes on sale, with a summery pattern for Carol's lacy Mairwen mitts. They both use gorgeous pure wool Albayarn by producer Barbara Henderson.

Barbara says: "I've called it 'Albayarn' because 'alba' is the old word for Scotland. It is lovely to knit with and softens up beautifully when knitted pieces are washed before sewing up."

Barbara’s shiny new website makes getting hold of their yarns easier than ever, so if you love the yarn used for either of Carol's glove designs, you can buy it direct from www.albayarn.com.

A history in stitches - knitting through the ages

Kate — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:07:08 GMT

Juliet Bernard talks to textile historian and designer Sandy Black about the fascinating past and exciting future of knitting...

Masterclass - photographing your knits

Kate — Sat, 04 May 2013 08:15:29 GMT

When we’re sharing photos of our knits, we all want to show them off in the best light. Mimi Hill explains how to do it...

The desire to photograph finished pieces of knitting is one that interests many knitters, whether to accurately record the details of a finished project for future use, to journal their progress, or to share with friends on blogs and websites.

Knitters are often first drawn to patterns and projects due to the beautifully styled photography which magazines such as The Knitter use to best show the details of their knitting patterns. But you do not need expensive cameras or any special equipment to achieve a highly attractive, professional result when capturing images of your finished knits, in progress projects, or new yarn acquisitions.

Spring cleaning - Juliet's blog

Kate — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:04:29 GMT

It must be because we have finally had some warmer weather but I have finally come out of my cave and had a great time this weekend, spring cleaning. In our house that usually means me rearranging my stash. I do now have a big bag of yarn to get rid of on eBay but I have also rediscovered a number of wonderful hanks that I had almost forgotten about. One of these is a fantastic Shetland single ply lace weight yarn from Garthenor which has a wonderfully comforting, sheepy smell. Gerard from I Knit London originally told me about this spinner of organic wool deep in the heart to of Wales.

Me and my alpacas - shearing and spinning

Kate — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:20:33 GMT

On Tuesday we spoke to Janet about her pet alpacas, and now we've got more details about shearing them and spinning from their fleeces...

TK: How much fleece do they produce?

Janet: The best quality fleece is from the back and sides - the blanket. This weighs around 1.2kg. Then there's all the second-quality fleece from the neck and legs; some of this could also be spun, and the rest I used for felting and stuffing pillows.

Wednesday wonders - crochet

Kate — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:27:21 GMT

If you haven't already caught the crochet bug, we think it's about time you gave it a try - we know you'll always love knitting, but crochet is a great addition to your repertoire! Here are our five favourite patterns available to download now from The Making Spot - including a free project.

This Cherry Blossom jacket by Debbie Tomkies is part of her 'How to crochet' series of designs, so it's ideal if you're new to crochet or fancy a simple project that you can quickly complete. The kimono-style looks adorable on either girls or boys, and you can download the pattern for just £1.99.

Me and my alpacas

Kate — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:50:02 GMT

We spent the day with Janet Markwell, who keeps two pet alpacas at her home in rural Staffordshire: Magic and Cory, both six-year-old males. We asked her to share more details about life with alpacas...

Get the exclusive subscribers pattern when you sign up to the Apple digital edition

Kate — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:12:43 GMT

We have some great news - if you subscribe to the digital edition of the magazine on Apple Newsstand, you'll now also receive the exclusive subscribers-only pattern in every issue. It starts with issue 58, which goes on sale on Wednesday 8th May, with this beautiful mitred squares scarf by Emma Vining.

Issue 58 is on sale from 8th May!

Kate — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:07:02 GMT

Fancy a sneaky peek at what's in-store in issue 58? It's on sale in 10 days, so here's a special preview of the cover...

Take care - repair... part 2

Kate — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:51:51 GMT

Following yesterday's feature on darning, here's Tom van Deijnen's tutorial on darning a hole...

This tutorial shows you how to do a traditional stocking darn. It is suitable for small holes and thinning areas around it.