Top tips for warm weather knitting

Summer knitting or crochet is a big area for debate. Some people put aside their yarnie projects for the summer, for others of us that just isn’t something we’d contemplate. The UK Hand Knitting team definitely falls in to the latter camp, so we’ve been gathering tips of warm weather crafting. Project size Keep it…

Your best knitting advice

We recently asked on social media for the best knitting advice you’ve ever been given. Here is a selection of your replies that we think other people might find useful. If you can knit and purl, you can complete any pattern. Rebecca Field Always plan to learn from your mistakes. Mistakes will make your project…

Using UKHKA Patterns

Our pattern collection is an important part of our work. The designs are created and donated by our member companies to help us raise money that can then be directed into projects to support knitting and crochet – including campaigns, the website and the free teaching we organise at large yarn shows.   The patterns…

Wrangling your yarn stash part 2 – tracking

We recently posted about ways to store your yarn but if you have a large stash it can be difficult to remember what is in it or where you have safely placed that particularly beautiful purchase. Regardless of whether you have gone down the ziplock bag, shelving or storage unit option, you need a tracking…

Wrangling your yarn stash part 1

Yarn stashes can creep up on you. You don’t mean to have a large collection of yarn but a number of things happen such as: Having yarn left over from a project and putting it away because it will come in useful another time (especially if you like the yarn a lot) Buying a yarn…

Finding the perfect summer cardie

The lovely warm weather over Easter started the UK Hand Knitting team thinking about summer cardigans. These are such a useful item in a warm weather wardrobe. Something that looks good with a range of clothing, that isn’t too warm but is comfortable when a breeze strikes up or the sun goes down and is…

Our patterns are now available through our website

For many years the UK Hand Knitting member companies have been producing knitting patterns to help support the work of the organisation promoting knitting and crochet. The patterns are available as printed leaflets through yarn shops but we know that many of you often look for patterns online. So we have updated our website to…

Time to support your local yarn shop

A good yarn shop is a fabulous thing. Some of us seek them out wherever we go in the UK or abroad. Beautifully displayed yarn, informed and informative staff (when travelling they can be a great resource on local yarn) a chance to see new patterns that might otherwise pass us by, and other knitters…

Transitional yarns for this spring

While some of us will wear knitted garments all year round it is important to find the right type of yarns for each season. Over the next few months we are likely to a have a mix of chilly days and those moments when you might just want a cardigan to pull on to go…

Knitting and Crochet in Art

There is often a debate about what creative activities are art and what are craft. Some people arbitrarily draw lines that put knitting and crochet strictly in the craft category. But as photography has proved, some pursuits can be both depending on how they are used. We’ve been on the look out for art projects…