We’re pretty certain that lots of you have made plenty items for others this year – whether that be making items for charity appeals, yarn bombing your local area with rainbows or Christmas decorations or completing a mile-long gift list. But some people will still describe knitting something for yourself as selfish. We don’t agree… Continue reading Nothing wrong with “selfish” knitting (or crochet)
In the Red According to the catwalk reports and the fashion magazines one of the colours of this winter is going to be strong red. And it is certainly a Christmassy colour Red is a great colour choice for a time when we definitely need things that are cheery and positive. And depending on whether… Continue reading Into the red
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… Continue reading Knitting for kids in cotton
There is a lot of discussion about the moment about what we should aspire to do during lockdown. We are not suggesting you master advanced yoga techniques, learn Tibetan or write a Booker prize-worthy novel. However, we would like to suggest that it might be the time to make a tension square for each of… Continue reading What better time to do a tension square?
With the weather we’re having at this time of year, it is easy to get caught out and discover your lovely cosy knitted hat is nowhere to be found in a cold snap. This one of the many reasons we love chunky yarns – you can turn out a warm accessory or two in very… Continue reading Quick chunky knits
One of the topics our yarn doctors are asked about most is tension or gauge. Or rather, a lot of people ask why a project has come out bigger or smaller than expected – and the answer comes down to having the wrong tension. Any good pattern will tell you how many stitches and rows… Continue reading New tutorial: Getting your tension right
Each year a panel at colour experts Pantone selects the colour of the year. The idea is the shade is something they expect to see in design this year which also embodies the mood of the time. In recent years some of their colour choices have been a bit of a challenge to knitters and… Continue reading Classic Blue – the colour for 2020
Instead of going on a diet or setting yourself some extreme exercise challenges, have you thought about making some knitting or crochet new year resolutions. We have a few ideas: Learn a new technique. Choose a technique that would allow you to tackle a pattern you’ve always admired but didn’t feel you had the… Continue reading New Year Knitting Resolutions
A huge, huge thank you to everyone who donated hats to this year’s Commit To Knit appeal for hats for homelessness charities to distribute. Whether you are an individual who made us one hat or a knitting group that delivered massive bagfuls of hats to us at a show, we really appreciate each and every… Continue reading Thank you for all the hats
Have you ever knitted or crocheted your own Christmas decorations? These can be great stash busting projects (which, let’s face it, we all need once in a while!) as a lot of decorations are small items so don’t take much yarn to make. The larger projects on this list still don’t require a lot of… Continue reading Stashbusting Christmas decoration patterns
