Time for a Christmas knitting reality check

The decorations are going up, there are Christmas songs wherever you go and we're all writing lists. So it's time to take a last look at your gift knitting or crochet plans and checking you are still on track. How many gifts do you still have on your list to make? How big is each…

Ask the Yarn Doctors: What are the best increases and decreases?

When you are deciding on which increases and decreases to use, it often depends where and on what sort of project you are using them. The simplest increase is to make a stitch by putting the yarn over your needle before working your next stitch – we’ve all done it by mistake when learning. The…

Recycled and recovered yarns

If you have decided to be more environmentally aware in 2022, it is worth your while looking at yarns that include recycled fibres. UK Hand Knitting members have started including these types of yarns in their ranges because they too want to reduce their environmental impact. Here are a few yarns you might want to…

Knitting for kids in cotton

At this time of year, knitters are often looking for smaller projects or ones using cotton. You can combine both by knitting kids clothes in cotton. And you end up with colourful, hardwearing garments – so everyone is a winner. We’ve picked out a few patterns to inspire you Dungarees and Dress in Rico Baby…

The right method can revolutionise sewing up your knitting

We’ve noticed quite a few knitters commenting that although they have done lots of knitting over the past two or three months, they don’t have many finished objects. This turn out to be because they hate sewing up. When we ask why people detest sewing so much, some people say they find it boring but…

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…

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…

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…

Good knitting on TV and in the movies

Do you wince when you see someone "acting" knitting or crochet in a TV show or movie? A needle or hook is stabbed randomly at a piece that up to that point has been beautifully produced by someone who knows what they are doing. The random stabbing is accompanied by some yarn pulling or waving,…

Get creative and help Innocent’s Big Knit collect a record two million hats

This year’s The Big Knit, from Innocent, is calling knitters, crafters and creators to submit their weird and wonderful woolly designs, to make it the biggest ever. The campaign run by Innocent, the smoothie company, raises money for Age UK by asking knitters and crocheters to create hats for the drink bottle. For every bottle…