In praise of the lowly cowl

October 8, 2018 Jim Arnall-Culliford

Whisper it quietly - I own (and wear) a number of cowls. They might be simple, but they’re far from boring.

Something New to Learn About Helical Knitting

September 28, 2018 Jen Arnall-Culliford

SN2LA Helical Knitting cover image_lr.jpg

Intrigued by the idea of helical knitting? Have you knitted 1x1 helical stripes, but would like to know more about working more complex stripes? Would you like to know more about using helical stitch patterns? Or are you just keen to try something new in your knitting? Then this is the ebook for you!

Something New to Learn About Helical Knitting will be delivered as an ebook in four fortnightly chapters, with the first being released on Tuesday 9th October.

The fun to be had in knitting helically

September 26, 2018 Jen Arnall-Culliford

Whilst jogless stripes are the most well-known application of helical knitting, I have become captivated with other possibilities for helical stitch patterns. Working helically is just (in my humble opinion) a heap of fun. It’s satisfying and simple, and at the same time can create quite complex fabrics with a minimum of fuss.

Helical knitting is sometimes a solution to a problem, but in other situations it’s just an elegant approach to a stitch pattern.

On the naming of patterns...

September 25, 2018 Jen Arnall-Culliford

Jim and I love almost every aspect of running Arnall-Culliford Knitwear, but one of the tasks that we procrastinate the most is the naming of patterns. There are so many things to think about when you choose a pattern name. Has it been used before? Does it relate to the design in question? Is there a theme to the collection and does the name fit with the theme? And most importantly, does the name have unexpected connotations, both here in the UK and internationally? When I’m thinking about a pattern name I have learned the hard way to look it up on Google as well as Ravelry. I once worked on a collection where one of the patterns now shares a name with a cream used for a rather unspeakable ailment…

The Yarndale sweater - a sprint, not a marathon

September 24, 2018 Jim Arnall-Culliford

We’re nearly there in our race to finish a sweater before Yarndale. Oh, and the yarn’s pretty great too.

So what is helical knitting?

September 21, 2018 Jen Arnall-Culliford

When you knit in the round, you aren’t working discrete, complete rounds, in the same way as you would work a row in flat knitting. Your knitting isn’t a series of rings of stitches sat on top of each other. Instead, in each round you are working a complete circuit or 360° turn of a helix. This is important because it means that the first stitch in your round is not adjacent to the last stitch in your round. In normal knitting you work a single, complete spiral of stitches, where the last stitch of the previous round is adjacent to the first stitch of the next round. Helical knitting turns this on its head, and sets up multiple spirals all sitting on top of each other.

I'm spinning around

September 20, 2018 Jen Arnall-Culliford

I’ve been thinking about helical knitting.

A LOT.

I’ve been aware of helical knitting since I published my first pattern in June 2009 (Spiralling Socks, The Knitter, issue 7), and the sense of magic it inspires in me isn’t really matched by any other knitting technique. I am very partial to a neat tubular cast on, colourwork is a joy to do, and cables and lace make me feel clever, but helical knitting is just pure magic. The time finally came this year to sit down and explore it further. Much further.

How fast can we knit?

September 19, 2018 Jen Arnall-Culliford

Jim and I have embarked upon a slightly wild plan to knit a sweater before Yarndale. I have been lusting after a Telja sweater for some time. My lovely local yarn shop (Frome Yarn Collective) had a sample of another of Jennifer Steingass’s patterns in the window earlier in the year, and I walk past twice a day on the school run. Every time I saw the sweater I fell a little more in love with it.

Something to Knit With Aran

September 14, 2018 Jen Arnall-Culliford

Do you ever get so excited about yarn that you want to pile it up and roll around in it? Or is that just me? Ever since Something to Knit With Aran arrived in the office back in May (yes, we really do work a long way in advance to get things ready for you!), I’ve been resisting the temptation to tip it all out and make myself a yarn nest. This new yarn is just so delightfully and irresistibly squishy and I love it to bits.