The mornings have turned crisper, and we are rummaging for gloves and scarves before we leave for the school run, so what could be better to be knitting than a cosy cabled scarf?
Read moreOctober: Ruschia knitalong
Welcome, welcome! Another month is on us, and October is all about short-row shaping. We are working on Woolly Wormhead's brilliantly cosy Ruschia Hat, which uses a provisional cast on (the crochet method that we met in August on the Little Tern blanket) and garter stitch grafting (which we mastered last month!), as well as introducing us to either German Short Rows or the wrap and turn method.
Read moreOorik tank top by Mary Jane Mucklestone
The fantabulous Mary Jane Mucklestone has created our final design for A Year of Techniques: the Oorik tank top.
Oorik (meaning small person in Shetland dialect) is a Fair Isle tank top (US vest) knitting completely in the round. The arm and neck openings are created with steeks, thus allowing you to always be working with the right side of the fabric facing you. This makes it easier to avoid mistakes in the colourwork, and there's no purling to do in the Fair Isle section.
Read moreHedera Helix - warm socks for December
I've never been in a charity calendar (and never will), but for the purposes of A Year of Techniques, I'm Mr December. The combination of the deep green colour of the yarn we chose for the project and the tangled cable pattern made me think of the ivy that grew up the side of our shed many years ago. Hedera Helix, the Latin name for ivy, seemed apt.
Read moreNovember's design: Yellow Wagtail scarf by Sarah Hatton
I can't believe we're now three-quarters of the way through the patterns from A Year of Techniques! It's been such brilliant fun, and we are so looking forward to seeing everybody's projects popping up on Ravelry and Instagram! Thank you all!
By November the weather will have turned cooler, and we'll be reaching for warm and cosy knitting projects. Sarah Hatton's Yellow Wagtail scarf couldn't be a better match for this time of year!
Read moreRevealing the Ruschia hat by Woolly Wormhead
I've long been a huge fan of Woolly Wormhead's A-MAZING hat designs. A browse through my Ravelry projects reveals that I've knitted 8 of her hats over the years, and I can safely say that there will be MANY more in the future. So I was absolutely delighted when Woolly agreed to create a design for A Year of Techniques, and here is Ruschia:
Read moreIntroducing Martina Behm's Wood Warbler cowl
We have had the exciting phone call to say our books are on their way, so we're into the final countdown until parcels start landing on doormats around the world in September. The complete eBook will be uploaded to our shop and Ravelry on 6th September, when we will also be launching the September pattern video tutorial at Mason-Dixon Knitting. To pass the time between now and then, we're going to reveal a pattern a day this week, starting with our cover design: the Wood Warbler cowl by the wonderful Martina Behm.
Read morePresenting the Little Tern blanket and two provisional cast ons...
Welcome to August! This year is just flying by, and I'm still pinching myself that it's so much fun. A Year of Techniques has been a massive project for us, but now that the proofs are about to go to press I'm feeling a little sad that this is the last monthly pattern release! The anticipation each month has been brilliant. When we post the next pattern photos it will be the end of the month and we'll be on the countdown to the release of the whole book. There are still so many things to share...
So on to this month's pattern, which is an absolute stunner. Tin Can Knits have (again!) knocked it out of the park with a beautiful, beautiful blanket: Little Tern
Read moreJune in review
This month was all about knitted-on edgings, but as ever there has been plenty of discussion beyond the technique, in particular how to get the perfect finish and fit. Here's a brief guide form a selection of the projects completed recently.
Read moreJuly: It's all about the socks!
I remember clearly casting on for my first pair of socks. I was sitting on a sofa at Get Knitted, on a meet-up with a group of knitters from all over the UK, on a morning in January 2008. I worked through that first sock, but it never got a pair as I knitted the first so tightly it wouldn't fit my foot! Since then I have made countless pairs, gradually understanding the construction in more detail, and now I can happily pick up needles and yarn and set off on a sock adventure without requiring a pattern. It is my hope that working through the heel turn tutorial on this month's pattern will set you off on that same adventure.
Read more