Hello and welcome to your December Confident Knitting tutorial! Today we’re sharing a really clever cast on that sets you up beautifully for the brim of Gudrun Johnston’s Stellar Hat, December’s Confident Knitting pattern. I have to say, I really love techniques like this. Low effort to learn, great for so many situations… but also, I’m willing to guess, a novel method for many of our readers. It’s a really fantastic cast on to have in your metaphorical back pocket: it’s the long-tail and German twisted cast on for rib!
Read moreStellar Hat + Long-Tail and German Twisted Cast On for Ribbing
It’s December, and winter has well and truly arrived in the UK — we’ve even had a dusting of snow! So it feels very appropriate to be kicking off the winter quarter of Confident Knitting this week, starting with Gudrun Johnston’s Stellar Hat.
Read moreBooks for Beginners
It seems hardly a week goes by at the moment without a news item on the uptick in interest in crafts like knitting. Over the last 18 months, so many people have found or returned to knitting … what a wonderful thing! We often get asked to suggest books suited to beginners, and today we’ve collected those recommendations together. So if you are learning to knit and looking for help, or have a loved one who is, this post is for you!
Read moreTechnique-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 is a designer based in the Scottish highlands with a penchant for designs 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!
Read moreThe Best Gifts for Knitters
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 moreNo End In Sight (Russian Join Video Tutorial)
Does anyone like to weave in ends? Some people must enjoy it … find it calming and meditative, a nice moment where you reflect on what your hands have created and officially finish off the project (well, until you block it). I would like to be the kind of knitter who could really find joy in weaving in ends. But I am not. I am the kind of knitter who will leave a finished object in a pile for weeks, just because I can’t face the ends. Or do a quick and poor job of securing my ends, threatening to ruin a perfectly nice hand knit in my impatience to be done. The Russian Join is a perfect solution to these problems.
Read moreMake It Modular! (Confident Knitting Video Tutorial)
Have you seen Emily K. Williams October Confident Knitting design yet? It’s the stunning Findhorn Wrap, an Anni Albers-inspired stole that makes use of textured rectangles of different colours to achieve it’s dramatic effect. And it’s all made possible by modular knitting!
Read moreFindhorn Wrap + Modular Knitting
It’s time to welcome the last of Autumn’s Confident Knitting patterns, the Findhorn Wrap by Emily K. Williams! This modern, striking stole gives us the chance to try out modular knitting, this month’s headline technique, and also contains a bonus tutorial for joining superwash or otherwise slick yarns.
Read moreThree Reasons To Love the Hey BrownBerry Podcast
Chances are, if you’re a fan of knitting podcasts, you already watch Confident Knitting designer Marceline Smith’s popular Hey BrownBerry show — she’s been podcasting for five years! But perhaps you’ve not dived into the (vast) podcast waters. Or maybe, like me, you rarely get a moment to enjoy a knitting podcast and, when you do, don’t know where to begin … there are just so many! No matter the reason, if you’ve not checked out the Hey BrownBerry podcast recently or ever, I’m going to suggest you rectify that immediately. Here’s why!
Read moreThe Magic of Mosaic Knitting (Video Tutorial)
Earlier this week, we shared the alternating cable cast on that provides the perfect start for Marceline Smith’s Terrain Mitts! Once you’ve knitted that ribbed cuff, it’s time for the main event … ever-so-clever mosaic knitting that gives the mitt’s body its distinctive pattern!
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