I have had thoughts about decreases going round in my head for a few weeks now. Today I’ve finally had time to sit down and try to shepherd them into some kind of order…
Read moreTutorial Round-up: Stranded Colourwork
It’s been so exciting to see some really stunning versions of Janette Budge’s triumph of a toque, the Variance Hat, coming off the needles. Quite a few folks have tackled this as a first colourwork project, which is brilliant to see! Even though Janette’s design features eight shades of J&S 2ply Jumper Weight, you never use more than two colours on any given row, making it a very approachable introduction to colourwork (and one that is sure to wow your knitting and non-knitting friends alike).
Read moreVariance Hat + Catching Floats in Stranded Colourwork
Happy release day! April showers were in short supply in our neck of the woods. If you too are still waiting for May flowers, never fear, today’s Confident Knitting pattern is bloomin’ marvellous. Take a gander at this spring-y beauty, the Variance Hat by Shetland designer extraordinaire, Janette Budge!
Read moreSwatching for Stranded Colourwork Projects
When Jen mentioned she was thinking of doing some kits for Gudrun Johnston’s Yokey Dokey sweater (Ravelry link), I jumped at the chance to do some swatching! I, ahem, don’t always swatch for colourwork projects — but I always should! It’s important to not only check that those colours that you think are going to look ah-mazing together actually work in the pattern, but also, of course, to check your tension against that of the pattern. Read on for my tips on swatching for stranded colourwork…
Read moreDaydreaming About Sock Knitting...
What do you do when you are working like crazy, knitting samples for a new collection*, but all you actually want to be doing is knitting glorious socks?
The answer is to pull beautiful skeins of sock yarn off the shelves and daydream about fabulous colour combinations of course!
Read moreHaving fun with colour
Knitting is fun, isn’t it?!
I am having one of those joyful periods where all of my projects are so exciting that I can barely put them down long enough to eat, let alone to clean the bathroom or go to work!
Read moreThe Marangoni Hat and Joining In Yarns
It’s a new month, so time to welcome the next Boost Your Knitting pattern, designer, and technique! Meet the Marangoni Hat, designed by colourwork aficionado Tori Seierstad! Are you ready to learn some really handy techniques for managing yarns this month?
Read moreHow to choose colours for stranded colourwork (a video tutorial)
I don’t know about you, but I look forward to the release of the Boost Your Knitting video tutorials each month. Watching Jen’s kind and calm explanations is the next best thing to having your really talented knitting friend come over and help you work out a tricky bit of your pattern. And in this month’s video tutorial, we get double the fun: two knitting mates to help us build confidence in translating everyday sights and objects into beautiful stranded colourwork motifs.
Read moreBoost Your Knitting: The Techniques
Have I mentioned recently how much I absolutely love enabling knitters to learn new techniques? That feeling of breaking it down into achievable chunks, leading people through the process, and watching them achieve more than they thought possible is almost as intoxicating as the thrill of learning something new. I can’t wait to help you to Boost Your Knitting!
Read moreChoosing my colours for Oorik
I'm popping in today, as I've been making great progress on my knitting projects. I've cast off a heap of things in the last few weeks, which means that I'm all set to be casting on for my Oorik tank top, bang on schedule, next week. I'm hoping that a few of you will be joining us in the final official monthly knitalong* for A Year of Techniques. Sobs. I can't believe we're there already!
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