Technique-Forward Designs from Emily K. Williams

It’s been really fun seeing folks’ Findhorn Wraps grow block by block, strip by strip! The design is the brainchild of the talented Emily K. Williams and is her first design for an Arnall-Culliford publication.

Emily K. Williams Findhorn Wrap, for Confident Knitting. Photo © Jesse Wild.

Emily K. Williams is a designer based in the Scottish highlands with a penchant for patterns that are innovative and technique-forward, making her a perfect fit for Confident Knitting. I couldn’t have been happier when she agreed to come on board for the project! Perhaps you, like me, have dreamt of knitting an Arrina, a beautiful allover colourwork sweater with a modern boxy shape, inspired by the British coast?

We can’t get enough of this design and its beautiful variations. Photo © Emily K. Williams.

In fact, Emily has multiple sweater patterns I would love to add to my handmade wardrobe. Wilkhaven is another allover colourwork stunner while Canisp is a striped beauty with an unusual construction.

Wilkhaven (left) and Canisp (right). Photos © Emily K Williams.

Emily has also designed a really wide range of accessories with lots of opportunities to try a new or favourite technique. I love the look of the Monar Shawl and Stoer Shawl, two unique designs that use short rows to to pack a real punch.

Monar Shawl (left) and Stoer Shawl (right). Photos © Emily K. Williams.

Emily also has a range of cleverly constructed hats that involve an intriguing twist at the crown that I’d love to try out!

Roisinis (left) is a textured hat that also doubles as a cowl (!), while Trondra (right) features that distinctive crown with a geometric colourwork pattern. Photos © Emily K. Williams.

Or, if you like the look of Emily’s colourwork jumpers but want to start with a smaller project, her Torbreck Hat is a real beauty!

Classic motifs in tonal colours. Yum! Photo © Emily K. Williams.

This only scratches the surface of Emily’s design portfolio, so do have a deeper dive over on her website. Also, if you don’t follow her already, I highly checking out her feed on Instagram where she is flutterbyknits. It features not only her beautiful designs, but also really lovely photos of her life in the Highlands — I love living vicariously through her wild swimming and biking exploits!

Findhorn Wrap detail. Photo © Jesse Wild.

And of course if you’d like cast on for Emily’s Findhorn Wrap, well, come on in, the water’s fine! It’s an excellent introduction to modular knitting and also the perfect opportunity for honing your Russian join skills. You can get your copy of Confident Knitting in the online shop, which includes 12 patterns from 12 awesome designers like Emily, featuring twelve techniques to expand your knitting repertoire. Each pattern is accompanied by photo tutorials and supported by video tutorials on our website. You can grab a handy Confident Knitting Autumn kit with all the yarn you’ll need for the wrap (as well as the September and October patterns), or peruse the Socks Yeah! 4ply options on our website. You’ll need two skeins each of two colours, and one skein each of three additional shades to achieve a colour distribution akin to Emily’s original.