The Knitter

Juliet’s blog – A Northern Lights iPad cover

Judy Darley — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Juliet Bernard, editor of The Knitter, shares the satisfaction of personalising a knitting pattern.

When I came back from my amazing Arena tour to see the Northern lights last year I had almost finished the bag project that Debbie Abrahams had designed especially for participants of the knitting cruise. It was so lovely, but I didn’t really need a bag and because it was knitted in Rowan Tweed I knew it would look good if I felted it.

The Knitter Issue 42 - on sale until 20 March 2012

Judy Darley — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

To brighten your days, this issue of The Knitter magazine marks the launch of our spring collections as we look forward to nature waking up again. We are also working with some very exciting new designers, and in future issues we will bring you patterns from two of the most respected names in Japanese knitting, Mitsuharu Hirose and Hitomi Shida.

Closer to home, editor Juliet was lucky enough to spend some time with the Scandinavian design duo Arne and Carlos: “I admit feeling a bit star-struck when I met these two amazing knitters, but they were so kind and generous, and their enthusiasm for knitting is very inspiring.”

Successful Yarn Substitution in Cable Knits: Sleeve Workings

Judy Darley — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Building on the basics provided in our previous yarn substitution masterclass, in this series Belinda Boaden explains how to swap yarns in a more complex pattern. This feature was originally published in its entirety in The Knitter issue 40.

We're using the example of Amanda Crawford’s Sedgemoor from issue 12 (shown left. This pattern is available to buy from theMakingSpot.com), originally knitted in Debbie Bliss Fez on 4.5mm needles with a given tension of 26 stitches to 10cm measured ‘over pattern’. We’re going to look at substituting Rowan's Alpaca Chunky yarn, which is much chunkier than the Fez when knitted up.

In previous postings we looked at how initial swatches can ensure a successful start, and how to work out how many stitches you need in your new garment. This time we examine how sleeve workings can help to ensure you end up with a successful garment.

Working out the width of the sleeve bottom using the 26sts / 10cm tension from the original (Fez) cast-on stitches of 94 gives a width of 36cm, which seems a little wide looking at the photograph.

Stash Fine Yarns Workshops for 2012

Judy Darley — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Stash Fine Yarns in Chester have finalised their workshop list for 2012, and there are some fab knitting workshops to choose from. All the classes are led by Beryl Weir, who has experience of teaching a range of fibre arts, including dyeing, spinning, weaving, knitting and felting.

All workshops will be held at Stash and run from 10.30 till 4.00. The cost is £40 including drinks and cakes/biscuits, and participants receive a 10% discount off all purchases on the day.

Friday 24 February 2012 : Freeform knitting & crochet

For those who know the basic knitting & crochet stitches, Bee will show you how to combine the two to create interesting textures and shapes which you can then use to cover bags or create garments.

Knit hexipuffs for a charity challenge

Judy Darley — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Inspired by exquisite Beekeeper’s Quilt design by Stephanie Dosen of Tiny Owl Knits, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and The Sheep Shop are calling for knitters to get involved in the Beekeeper Quilt Challenge.

The aim is to make a kingsize quilt out of ‘hexipuffs’ – little hexagon-shaped puffs of knitting, stuffed and sewn together in a honeycomb pattern. Sarah Clark, owner of The Sheep Shop in Cambridgeshire, says: “About 1,400 hexipuffs are needed for a kingsize quilt, so it will be a real community project to make this retro objet d’art!”

Juliet’s blog – Knitting my own little multicoloured flock

Judy Darley — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Juliet Bernard, editor of The Knitter, tries one of Kate Davies' delicious patterns.

You know that when Kate Davies puts a new pattern up it is going to be fantastic and Rams and Yowes is no exception. Kate has taken the elements she used in her Sheep Heid hat and turned them into a blanket using Jamieson & Smith yarn.

Restricting myself to stashbusting for the whole of last year seems to have had a lasting effect on me, so although I’m now back to buying yarn again, I knew this project offered the perfect opportunity for some stash diving.

I had enough Rowan Scottish Tweed left to do this project so, although the colours weren’t quite as Kate’s original, I got stuck in. Sure there would be blue and orange sheep but I think they look quite sweet.

British Alpaca Futurity 2012 takes over the NEC this March

Judy Darley — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

If you can’t get to London Olympia for the Stitch & Craft Show this March, we have a suggestion for you. We’ll be busy helping to look after the Knitting Zone, but if you can’t drop by to say hi, and you happen to be in the Birmingham area on the weekend of Friday March 16 and Saturday March 17, why not pop into British Alpaca Futurity 2012?

Last time we visited the NEC is was for Clothes Show 2011, but this event promises some cuter participants!

Over 300 of the sweet-faced creatures will be making an appearance, and with seminars, displays and demonstrations there will be plenty of opportunities to see what can be created with the super-soft, ultra-cosy alpaca yarn.

Successful Yarn Substitution in Cable Knits: Stitch Counts

Judy Darley — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Building on the basics provided in our previous yarn substitution masterclass series, in this series Belinda Boaden explains how to swap yarns in a more complex pattern. This feature was originally published in its entirety in The Knitter issue 40. Last time we looked at how initial swatches can ensure a successful yarn substitution. This time we’ll go through stitch counts and how you can work out how many stitches you need in your new garment.

To work out how many stitches we need in our new garment, first measure the width of your individual cable panels:

So we can see that cable panel B (16 sts including the two twisted sts either side of it) measures 11cm, panel C (10 sts) is 7.5cm and 10 sts of the Twisted Rib are 7cm, making each 2-st section average out at 1.4cm(7/10x2=1.4).

Light up your home with woollens

Judy Darley — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

We’re loving woolly home accessories at the moment, from the stunning X-Factor blanket by Kaffe Fassett that appears in The Knitter issue 41 (on sale in shops till 21 Feb), to the knitted furnishings and lights by Pudelskern.

At the moment we’re seriously coveting the tangled tactile joy of Woozily, a curious scribble of a lamp that’s made up of ‘multiple layers of one twining woollen thread.’

Many of the designs have a curious anthropomorphic feel, so in a way they're ideal ultra-housetrained pets as well as practical, chic home accessories!

The fact Pudelskern use pure wool yarns sourced from Alpine sheep just makes us love this range even more.

Great British Yarns guest blog post: Workshops for knitters

Judy Darley — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Sharon from Great British Yarns tells us all about the knitting workshops they have planned this spring.

Spring is such an exciting time of year, filled with possibilities for new growth on the trees and plants around us, as well as in ourselves. This spring Great British Yarn are completely focused on the idea of developing new skills, with lots of great workshops on the agenda.

Firstly, we have a workshop on colour knitting with Mary Henderson scheduled for Saturday 03 March from 10.30 to 4pm. Mary Henderson has had her designs published in The Knitter, so she really knows what she’s doing, and she will be covering Fair Isle and colour work.

Juliet’s blog - Fireside knits

Judy Darley — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Many of you may already have come across a pattern called Fireside Sweater by Amber Allison. It is a fantastic aran knit with the most beautiful choice of cables that wind up the front.

Very cleverly Amber has incorporated the button holes in between the cables at the front. These then continue up the garment to make a lovely high standing collar. On the back, at the yoke, the cables drift apart to give a really lovely detail for the collar to sit against. Cameron Diaz wore a cream version of this design in the film Holiday, so the jumper even has celebrity status!

Design your own knitting patterns with Fiona Morris

Judy Darley — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

If you’ve ever fancied getting to grips with designing knitting patterns, Fiona Morris’ upcoming residential workshop at at Urchfont Manor (pictured left), near Devizes, might be just the thing. From Friday 9 March-Sunday 11th March 2012 the knitwear designer and tutor will guide you through the steps of creating a successful knittingpattern.

The course begins with a delicious dinner on the Friday evening and ends with a sumptuous lunch on the Sunday, ensuring this weekend will be about indulgence as well as learning. The fact that the manor is set in such a tranquil rural area certainly helps!

The Knitter Issue 20 Errata

Judy Darley — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:07:28 GMT

In the pattern for the Sweetwater Wrap that appeared in The Knitter issue 20 (June 2010)

Rows 5 and 21 should read:

K1, *K1, yfwd, skpo, yfwd, S2kpo, yfwd, K2tog, yfwd; rep from * to last st, K1.

NOT

The Knitter Issue 35 Errata

Judy Darley — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:04:55 GMT

We have some errata for Issue 35.

In the Langdale pattern by Lily France there is an error for sizes 10, 12 and 14.

Row 2 of the texture pattern on the shoulders should read as follows:

Row 2 (WS): P1, (P2, K2) to last st, P1.

Successful Yarn Substitution in Cable Knits: Initial Swatches

Judy Darley — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Building on the basics provided in our previous yarn substitution masterclass series, Belinda Boaden explains how to swap yarns in a more complex pattern. This feature was originally published in its entirety in The Knitter issue 40.

In this knitting masterclass we’ll consider substituting yarns when a cabled pattern is involved. This can involve quite complex reworking of designs.

We’ll be looking at Amanda Crawford’s Sedgemoor from issue 12 (shown left. This pattern is available to buy from theMakingSpot.com), originally knitted in Debbie Bliss Fez on 4.5mm needles with a given tension of 26 stitches to 10cm measured ‘over pattern’. We’re going to look at substituting Rowan's Alpaca Chunky yarn, which is much chunkier than the Fez when knitted up.

Crochet to help the Donkey Sanctuary

Judy Darley — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

We’re always on the look out for worthy causes we can utilise our craft skills for, and a recent call for help from the Donkey Sanctuary was too heartfelt to ignore. The Devon-based charity works to help donkeys across the world, prevent cruelty and neglect as well as providing new homes for ill-treated donkeys in 29 countries worldwide.

A while back we left you know they were seeking knitted donkeys to sell in their online shop www.donkeyworld.org.uk and at the visitor centre in Devon, and while these are still eagerly received to help raise funds, the latest craze is for crocheted donkey-themed wares!

Marian Gumbrell, The Donkey Sanctuary's Community Fundraising Manager, says: "Due to the overwhelming success of our knitted donkey patterns we wanted to make sure that that there were projects available for crochet enthusiasts as well. The new mobile phone socks, pocket tissue holders, donkey keyrings and bag charms will help to raise valuable funds for The Donkey Sanctuary's work around the world, and we hope they will raise a smile or two as well."

The Knitter Issue 32 Errata

Judy Darley — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:25:56 GMT

We've had some errata from Rowan for a pattern of theirs that we ran in The Knitter issue 32.

For the Banana Wrap shawl row 5 should read as follows:: Sl 1, K1, psso, K1, yfwd, sl 1, K1, psso, K5, K2tog, yfwd, *K2, K2tog, yfwd, K1, yfwd, sl 1, K1, psso, K2, yfwd, sl 1, K1, psso, K5, K2tog, yfwd, rep from * to last 3 sts, K1, K2tog

Stitch & Craft 2012 invites you to try knitting in miniature!

Judy Darley — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

We love a quirky knitting challenge, and the idea of knitting a mini village definitely fits into the unusual knits category. The Stitch & Craft Show 2012 is less than six weeks away, and this year you’re being invited to get involved by helping to ‘knit the nation’ with a unique knitting competition.

Our sister title Simply Knitting has posted three free knitting patterns for you to use to knit a house, knit a car or knit a woman.

These are fun designs with a jaunty air, and the patterns are straightforward enough for any knitter to follow. We particularly like the carefree woman, who clearly loves to feel the wind in her hair!

Juliet’s blog - A woolly present from America

Judy Darley — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Juliet Bernard, editor of The Knitter, drools over some lovely yarn from America.

My dear and lovely friend Phyllis brought me yarn when she visited recently. She knows how I starved thoughout my stashbusting year and thought that I should experience a truly great American yarn called Loft.

I blogged about this a couple of weeks ago, but love it so much I just wanted to say a bit more. Brooklyn Tweed is a great designer, end of, but his insight into what makes a good yarn is extraordinary and his eye for colour, well you have to see for yourself.

Deramores Guest blog: Join Deramores and Rowan Yarns in a KnitAlong

Judy Darley — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Amy Last from Deramores invites you to join the online yarn superstore's first ever knit along.

Get involved with Deramore's first ever KnitAlong this February! The online knitting superstore has teamed up with Rowan Yarns to bring you an exclusive FREE Lazy Lace Snood pattern by the talented Jemma Weston that you won’t find anywhere else!

Surf the online craft world with confidence!

Judy Darley — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Over the past few years the internet has become a hub for crafters, providing access to inspiration, products and crucial advice, as well as the enjoyment of communities crammed with likeminded people at the likes of Ravelry, not to mention the possibility of making money via your craft skills via sites such as Etsy,

But there’s so many options it can be a bit daunting. Fortunately new bookazine Craft & Click bookazine tackles exactly this topic, to help you get the most from your online crafting experience!

Promising to help you take your first steps online, connect with other crafters, shop safely on the internet and start blogging and selling, Craft & Click has all your online needs coveredm whether you already surf for fun, or don’t even own a computer.

Cucumberpatch guest blog post: Spring fever hits as new season yarns arrive!

Judy Darley — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Daniel from Cumberpatch shares the excitement of new season yarns and summer knits to look forward to.

There’s so much to look forward to this year already. Hanne Falkenberg has just re-launched all of her Summer kit designs with a wonderful new yarn called Sofistica (pictured below), which is an Italian 60% Cotton, 40% Linen yarn available in lots of lovely colours.

The Sofistica yarn was used in the 'Steps' kit offer we did with The Knitter late in 2011. The summer kits re-launched with the new yarn include Blues, Konfetti, ZikZak, Summertime (pictured left) and Lido, so take your pick!

This is also that time of year when all of the new Spring/Summer yarns arrive. So far we have received the new Rowan 51 magazine, Kidsilk Haze Stripe and Studio 25 booklet. We will also have all of the new Rowan yarns arriving during the first week in February, including Summer spum, Creative Linen and Wool Cotton 4ply.

In Debbie Bliss we have just received the new existing summer yarn colours and new yarn Rialto Lace with a pattern book with some lovely Summer Designs.

Knitting holidays on the horizon

Judy Darley — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

This time of year always makes us start daydreaming about holidays – blue skies, sunshine and lots of time to knit! Last November Juliet’s blog entries from the Arctic Circle courtesy of Arena Travel made us realise how easily knitting and holidaying can be combined. Fortunately there are plenty for you to choose from in 2012!

It’s a way off, but in November 2012 you can take the same trip Juliet went on last autumn, and join Jane Crowfoot on an Arctic Circle cruise. Arena Travel are also running knitting holidays in Florence with Debbie Abrahams and Jane Crowfoot in June, as well as to the Shetland Isles - the perfect place to brush up on your knitting skills while enjoying the islands' scenery.

Juliet’s blog – Nuts about felting

Judy Darley — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Juliet Bernard, editor of The Knitter, confesses all about her growing obsession with felting.

I am becoming increasingly obsessed by felting. I mean the deliberate kind rather than the terrible accident that shrinks your favourite jumper to the size of a teddy bear garment – very upsetting.

You need to choose a yarn with animal fibres in because it is the combination of hot water and agitation that causes the fibres to swell up and catch on each other to make felt.

Save up to 40% with The Knitter's January sale!

Judy Darley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

There are still a few days of January left, and with this being the toughest month of the year, why not brighten up someone’s day with a gift subscription to The Knitter?

Alternatively get one for yourself and get your New Year’s Knitting Resolutions off to a fab start!

Whether you live in the UK or overseas you can take advantage of our fab January sale.

You can buy a subscription for as little as £11.69 (taken by quarterly Direct Debit) – that’s a 40% saving! You just need to go to our website http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/stitch-craft and quote offer code TKNW16.