Somehow, it’s mid-November! Where I am, twinkle lights have started appearing in the town square and festive music is playing in the shops. I don’t know about you, but usually, the holiday season sneaks up on me a bit. This year though, I’m determined to make my preparations early, so I can avoid any Covid-Brexit-posting stress and enjoy a relaxed lead up to the holidays. To help you with your own holiday prep, we’ve put together a special “Gifts for Knitters” section of the online shop.
Read moreA Look at Our Books: A Year of Techniques + Boost Your Knitting
If you’re subscribed to our newsletter or frequent our forum, The Knitalong Hub, you’ll know that we’re working really hard behind the scenes preparing for the launch of our newest project. We cannot wait to tell you all about in a very short time. But while we wait, I thought it might be nice to have a peek into our two flagship books, A Year of Techniques and Boost Your Knitting. I call them books, but really they’re more than that … they’re self-contained programmes carefully designed to help you sharpen your knitting skills. So while there’s beautiful patterns by talented designers, to be sure, there are also in-depth, stepwise photo tutorials + video tutorials that will teach you new techniques. Our mission is to empower knitters to unlock their full knitting potential, and these books are really at the heart of that endeavour.
Read moreBaby Knits to Stretch Your Knitting Skills
My finished Sooper Sweater, knit in shades Strawberry and Sky of Something to Knit With 4ply.
I recently finished the Sooper Sweater from Boost Your Knitting which got me thinking about how useful baby knits are for learning and perfecting new techniques. Like (grown up) accessory patterns, they are small enough to be achievable quickly — a perfect canvas on which to try new skills. Today, I’m taking a look at other baby knits that are great for learning new skills.
Read moreKnitting: Boosted!
Well that was fun!
Twelve months, three hats, two sets of hand warmers, two pairs of socks, one child’s sweater, a cowl, a scarf, a shawl, and one delightful bunny later, our Boost Your Knitting knitalongs have, somehow, come to an end … today we’re peeking back at what’s happened over the past twelve months!
Read moreAn Interview with Ella Austin
The final Boost Your Knitting design comes to us from Ella Austin. Ella’s design, Brunny the Bunny, showcases how to properly finish knitted toys. Ella has numerous gorgeous toy designs under her belt, as well as a wider portfolio that celebrates color and texture — her book, the Beginner’s Guide to Colourwork Knitting, was released last spring. A few months ago, Ella was kind enough to answer a few questions about her design process and share some great tips for finishing knitted toys (hint: even she has to occasionally try, try again!)
Read moreThree Techniques for Terrific Toys
Knitted toys can make for fun and cheeky companions, and they really come to life with good finishing. Today, we have a trio of tutorials to give you confidence in making up your toys!
Read moreBrunny the Bunny and Finishing Techniques for Toy Knitting
Oh how I love a cute knitted toy!
But I’ll be honest, I had never been very confident about getting my finished toy to look its best, until I met Ella Austin’s fantastic designs. Ella helped me to overcome my fear of finishing toys, and this month’s project includes lots of hints and tips so that you too can create a polished-looking bunny!
Read moreA chat with Wendy D. Johnson
Today, we bring you an interview with Boost Your Knitting designer Wendy D. Johnson. Wendy is a prolific knitter and designer who has a penchant for toe up socks — she’s written two books on the subject, Socks From the Toe Up and Toe-Up Socks for Everybody. Her Boost Your Knitting design, the Alcedo Socks, are a highly wearable and quick to knit pair of toe-up socks that teach this month’s featured technique, toe up sock gussets! Wendy was kind enough to answer some questions a few months ago about her design and what she loves about sock knitting!
Read moreHow to Work a Toe-Up Gusset Heel
Sock construction is endlessly fascinating to me. That you can choose from which end of the sock you start at (or even somewhere in the middle!), as well as selecting from myriad heel options means that there should be a well-fitting sock for everyone.
I generally knit socks from the cuff down, simply because that’s how I learned to knit socks, and I can make that sock, to fit me well, without having to look up a pattern. However, there are times when working from the toe-up is preferable:
With a new to me yarn, I can guesstimate the needles to use and then increase until the sock fits me
When the yarn is special and I want to use as much as possible
Just for a change!
This month’s Boost Your Knitting technique is a toe-up heel with a gusset. A gusset is a series of increases that gives more space at the upper foot, and the construction used in Wendy D. Johnson’s cute Alcedo Socks is nifty, since it avoids any need to pick up stitches.
Read moreThe Alcedo Socks and Toe-Up Socks with a Gusset
It’s hard to believe, but it’s time to dive into the penultimate Boost Your Knitting project! Here are the Alcedo Socks, designed by sock knitter extraordinaire Wendy D. Johnson. These deliciously textured socks will be teaching us how to work a gusset when knitting a toe-up sock!
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