Table Of ContentThe UK’s No.1 for patterns
Embrace natural fibres
in your patterns
A eee
1 a ae , “a
ie bl wi tt af s
rit” Pr mi a & ee es i %
‘i 4 a wer 9 all nasil a" i
¥ "thy %, a i if ad a, a .
% «1 5 eee ht hy fi ty 4
ae find th
REN lia rita tata Ra
ay SEPIIIEE i ya AW every pattern
ISSUE 144 UKE7.99
7720
44>
eee he ah A
Inspire
STEP-BY-STEPS * PERFECT PATTERNS # EXPERT ADVICE create 4
974
WINNER
ry S
© BRITISH ©
KNITTING
& CROCHET
BRITISH WOOL
>» AWARDS &
Blend Bal
WELCOME
Lal
1
1 | | ga om —™~ ea = =
ViVi A1TP?OM OA
' in L\ \ J | | \
...to the Natural Delights issue of Knit Now!
This month, we’re bringing you patterns in
our favourite natural fibres — creating our own
garments and accessories is always better than
the fast-fashion alternatives, but we can go even
further to help the environment by making the
conscious choice to knit in natural fibre. So, this
issue we've created patterns in natural yarn from
our favourite brands — we think you'll love them!
We've also got a brilliant feature from British
Wool starting on page 26, where the organisation
explains whether the breed of sheep matters
when you’re choosing which yarn to knit with.
There are so many reasons to buy British yarn,
not least being the fact that it reduces your
carbon footprint when the yarn you’re buying hasn’t had to travel thousands of
miles to get to your needles!
This issue, we’re also giving you a set of knitter’s pins, which are an indispensable
part of a knitter’s toolkit! Whether you’re using them to hold pieces in place before
you start seaming, or to help you block your finished makes, everyone needs pins!
We’ve also teamed up with our friends at Bergere de France to bring you a book of
lovely knits for children.
There’s plenty to keep you busy this month, | hope you enjoy it!
Happy knitting!
[email protected]
Follow us online for daily knitting inspiration
@ Knit Now magazine knitnow
© Knit Now Magazine © @KnitNowMagazine
= OUR PROMISES
; FOR WOOL J
E rye CAMPAIGN [ORS F
www.craftworld.com 3
On the cover
Upland jumper by Evelyn Siatra, page 10
Modelled here by Myah from Industry Models
4 www.craftworld.com
Hh
Great Reads
8 Ask the Experts
Your knitting queries, answered
British Wool talks us through
whether the breed of sheep
matters when you’re choosing
yarn to knit with
52 A-Z of stitch patterns
We've put together an AZ list of
some of our favourite stitches, as
well as some new patterns to try!
Editor Kayleigh talks us through
her to-knit list
CONTENTS
FREE KnitPro Zing
deluxe set worth £50
when you subscribe
Regulars
All the latest knitting news
58 CraftWorld
Pattern Picks
Try these inspiring FREE patterns
What’s going on in your
yarn community
77 Shop, Save & Win
The best offers, just for you
Essential knitting knowledge
80 Coming Next Issue
A sneak peek of issue 145
www.craftworld.com 5
fabulous fleeces
Six months from announcing its ‘Farm to Yarn’ Clapdale
Wool Project, Glencroft has launched a fully traceable
hand-knitted yarn, made in Yorkshire. This incredible
movement takes wool from farms within a five-mile radius
that would end up in landfill and makes it into gorgeous
Yorkshire-made yarn. Brand owner Edward Sexton says,
“We wanted to show how it is possible to ensure that
farmers get a fair price for their fleeces, as well as creating
ha
I
W
N
’ i ’ a circular economy by giving 10% of all profits from the
H eres our guide to what S finished yarn and products back to them. We also wanted
exciting in kn itting rig ht now to work with and promote the breeds on our doorstep,
regardless of what they were, and explain the processes
and costs to consumers so they can buy an authentic,
traceable product that will stand the test of time.”
4} Find out more at www.glencroftcountrywear.co.uk
7 4
PROMMIOR 7 1 | SOEDRLAAaDEE CENTER
Fleurig huis
BREIEN, PUMCHEN EN HAKEN
WRC s. Com
6 www.craftworld.com
-KAITT
ZO meno MAX
We absolutely love the
beautiful baby yarns created
by the talented team at
Stylecraft, and now they
are available in more
shades! Fans of Bambino
Prints will be thrilled to hear
that this gorgeous yarn will
now be available in Yo-Yo,
Spinning Top and Puzzle.
Wondersoft Merry Go Round
DK will now be available in
two new stunning shades
of Cocktail and Summer
Pudding. You will be spoilt
for choice when making
adorable garments and
accessories for your little one.
www-.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk
Stylecraft
Fnac
= ‘KNITTED >.
-A sNVLD s NIM4, RK
=, | FRIENDS ies
“ate he
By Louise Crowther £16.99
David & Charles
After the success of Knitted
Animal Friends, Louise
Crowther is back with the
incredible Knitted Wild Animal
Friends. The book is packed
with 40 knitted patterns,
including those for a zebra
in dungarees, an elephant in
a tutu, a lion in jeans anda
tiger in a party dress. These
charming patterns are full
of character and beautiful
details, making each wild
animal friend completely
unique. The book uses
step-by-step photography and
clear instructions showing
how to construct your new
animal friends and their
lovely outfits. Louise also
explains how to follow charts
for the colour work details
and step-by-step tutorials
for any special stitches.
www.craftworld.com 7
KNITTING NEWS
Ask the
EXPERTS
This month, our team is answering your colourwork questions
} F
My stranded knitting never looks as good as | see in
books and magazines. What am | doing wrong?
‘ |
¥ y
Michelle says...
Stranded knitting (often
known as Fair Isle) is a wonderful
technique, but it does have some
pitfalls. The most common one
| find is twisting your yarn — with
this method, where you carry
two strands of yarn along the
back of your work, you should aim to always carry
one yarn above and one yarn below. This is unlike
intarsia or picture knitting, which is worked in large
blocks of colour and you must twist your yarn at each
colour change. You could try holding one yarn in your
right hand and one in your left — it takes some
getting used to, but many knitters find this easier. If
you look at the wrong side of your work, it should
look as neat as the right side.
Please could you give me some advice on proper
tensioning in Fair Isle?
Kate says...
When I’ve worked with knitters in the
past, there are three common problems
with Fair Isle tension. First up — if your
floats (the strands of yarn at the back
of your work) are too tight, your work
will pucker. To keep them loose, do not
let your stitches bunch up on your RH
needle — every 10 stitches or so, stretch
them out. The other easy fix is twisting
your yarns. In intarsia (where you work big blocks of colour)
we’re taught to twist our yarns at each colour change to prevent
holes from appearing — this is not true for stranded colourwork.
In stranded knits, | always carry the MC above and the CC below
and do not allow the two strands to twist. The final fix takes a
bit more work — if your tension is still uneven, experiment with
finding a more comfortable and consistent way to hold your
two yarns. If you’re uncomfortable, this often translates to tight
tension and if the movement of your hands is inconsistent, this
can lead to uneven tension.
WEST a
YORKSHIRE}
SPINNERS"?
8 www.craftworld.com * cine ene a SE EE eee EEE ’
In association with
ASK THE EXPERTS
“I’ve been reading about how to choose a good colour
scheme. What is the difference between ‘analogous’
and ‘complementary’ colours?
Kayleigh says...
‘Analogous’ colours sit together on the colour wheel.
Think of them as a colour family, colours you would
naturally associate with each other. They may also be
described as harmonious colours. For example, brown/red/ orange/yellow
are harmonious colours; turquoise/blue/pink/ purple is another example.
When put together, analogous colours blend more softly, there is usually no
striking contrast between them and they can be used comfortably in almost
any proportion. They are easy on the eye. Complementary colours, on the
other hand, are those which sit opposite one another on the colour wheel.
So, for example, purple and golden yellow are complementary colours; blue
and orange are also complementaries, as are green and red. These colours
may also be described as ‘contrasting’ colours. Complementary colours are
often best used in differing proportions: A hint of yellow to accent a purple
Knit in colour A (yellow)
to first colour change. Don’t
cut off this colour, leave at the
back of the work. Join in the
new colour B (red) by inserting
the RH needle into the next st
on the LH needle and looping it
over the RH needle. You don’t
need to tie a knot. Make sure
you leave a tail (LOcm or so) of
B for sewing in later.
Repeat steps 1-2,
introducing a new bobbin (or
butterfly) of yarn at each colour
change, to the end of the row.
There will be several bobbins
dangling behind the work, one
for each colour change. Even
if a colour is used more than
once in the row, a separate
bobbin is used. For large
sections, it is possible to
keep the yarn.
Turn and, leaving the
bobbins at the front, purl the
next row. When you reach a
colour change, twist the old and
new yarns by holding both yarns
at the front of the work and
taking the new yarn (red) from
front to back beneath the old
(yellow) yarn. Draw up the old
reared, sheared & spun IN BRITAIN
is often better than an equal amount of each. They are the colours that
interact to make a colour scheme ‘pop’.
and new to keep stitches even.
Purl in the new colour to the
next colour change. Repeat for
each colour change.
On the next (knit) row,
keep the bobbins at the back
of the work. At each colour
change, bring the yarn to be
used next from back to front,
under the old yarn. Holding the
old yarn quite firmly beneath
and behind the new yarn, knit
the next stitch in the new
colour, drawing up the two yarns
to prevent a hole. Repeat for
each colour change. For a new
colour, follow Step 2.
When a section of
colour is complete (remember
this may be over a number of
rows), cut off the yarn, leaving
enough yarn (around 10-15cm)
to allow the end to be neatly
woven in later. Any excess can
be cut off after weaving in, but
tails that are too short may
cause the work to unravel and
stitches to become loose. You
may find (as here) that there
are a lot of ends!
To tidy up the ends,
thread the cut yarn onto a
darning needle and, at the
back of the work, carefully
weave threads in and out of
neighbouring stitches. Where
possible, weave into stitches
of the same colour to avoid
threads showing through.
Check the stitch shape is
not distorted or too loose as
you work.
OF Pr ..
www.craftworld.com 9
eer. ae z
te ae. ie
neipocdived at ,
a lg he
10 = www.craftworld.com
