It has been fascinating to see the amazing range of patterns that people have worked on during our Boost Your Knitting knitalongs this year. There are well over 500 projects on Ravelry that have been tagged boostyourknitting and although many of them are projects from our books, there are plenty that simply use the techniques covered in the series.
Read moreMarvellous Marlisle
What could be better than a new technique that was actually not new at all? What on earth am I talking about?! Well the chances are that marlisle is just that for many of you… If you already know how to knit and purl, and you’ve done stranded colourwork before, then the components of marlisle will all be familiar to you. So this month you don’t actually have to learn anything new – rather you are putting together the skills you already have, in a new way. Marvellous!
Read moreMarlisle Magic with the Sooper Sweater
We’re welcoming November around these parts with the release of our ninth (!) Boost Your Knitting pattern, the Sooper Sweater, designed by Anna Maltz. This totally charming child’s jumper features Anna’s well-loved marlisle technique, which combines holding two yarns together (marling) with stranded colourwork (or Fair Isle) to create bold motifs that feature three colour/texture combinations in a single row. Cool!
Read moreOn the Subject of Emergency Knitting...
Isn’t it funny how things sometimes happen in an order such that it feels like it was somehow pre-destined? Last week I blogged about how much I had missed having a simple sock project in my handbag, and how important it is for me to always have some knitting to hand.
Read moreBoost Your Knitting: The Designers
Are you ready?
We are beyond excited by the stellar list of designers who have contributed patterns to Boost Your Knitting: Another Year of Techniques. These are the people whose patterns I turn to for fun knitting. They have all contributed to my knitting knowledge, and I am thrilled to be sharing their creations with you!
Read moreOn the needles
As I mentioned last week, much of what I'm knitting at the moment needs to stay under wraps for a while longer, which doesn't make for exciting chat here on the blog. But I do have a few projects that have advanced somewhat since my last round up of projects. If you click on any of the images in this post, it will take you to my Ravelry pages, where you will find needle and yarn information and all the cool technical details you may require!
Read moreI've Always Wanted To Make A.......
Is there something you’ve always wanted to make, or perhaps a technique you’ve always wanted to try, but have never had the courage to give it a go? What if there was someone else doing the same thing at the same time so you could muddle through together?
Jen has always wanted to make a Pinglewin.
Through November, we’re challenging you to dig out the discarded, the never started, or the vague notion that never materialised into a plan and make something. It doesn’t have to be knitted (whisper that bit quietly), nor should you feel the pressure to finish a project inside a month. The aim is to get you going, even if you end up discarding the project again, although I hope you won’t. There will be a randomly selected prizewinner at the beginning of December.
If I've piqued your interest, there's a Ravelry thread set up for this MAL (it's for making, not just knitting) so you can let everyone know what you'd like to do before the start of November. The idea is that you're not working on your own, but that you'll find someone else with a desire to do something similar so that you can buddy up and cheerlead each other.
So if you’ve never tried stranded colourwork, but always wanted to, or if you have an unopened sewing pattern bought in a fit of optimism, now is the time to say so. I’m sure you won’t be alone.
Please tag your projects #alwayswantedtomake and post to the thread what you’ve always wanted to make. Obviously you shouldn’t set up a Ravelry project page for things that aren’t yarn related, but do post lots of photos on the thread.