_KN17 (Page 01) Front cover_Kn 14/12/2012 11:45 Page 1
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_KN17 pp03 Welcome_pp 13/12/2012 14:48 Page 3
Welcome
From the EDITOR
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elcome to another inspiring issue of Knit Now. Now that we’ve all got our Christmas knitting out of the way, I think it’s definitely time to spoil ourselves with a little ‘me knitting’ – though that needn’t necessarily break the bank. One pattern that has really got my needles itching is Vanessa Mooncie’s Foxy hat (p.62) from her book of animal hats. Some of you may remember our interview with Vanessa a couple of months ago. Since we spoke to her, she’s published this new book and she’s very kindly let us print this pattern from it. If I had to pick a favourite from this issue (not that I like to play favourites), it would have to be Kath Glover’s Glamorgan stole (p.22), which uses a full skein of one of my favourite luxury yarns, Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace. When Kath dropped off her sample at the office I was absolutely blown away, I think it’s one of the most beautiful things we’ve ever published. For a quicker knit, I love our cover scarf too – Talboys by Miranda Jollie (p.66), which is lovely and snuggly in soft Merino yarn. Glamorgan is part of our first ever Design Collection – six pieces for a range of skill levels, all tied together by their use of geometric patterns. We shot these patterns at Victoria Baths in Manchester, which is an incredibly pretty building. If you’re in the area, do check to see if there are any open days at the Baths, it’s well worth a visit for the stunning stained glass alone – see www.victoriabaths.org.uk for details. I was particularly intrigued by Anni Howard’s design story, so I asked her to let us take a look inside her sketchbook (p.36), which I found fascinating. It’s so interesting to see all the thought that goes into the designs we publish!
W
Kate Heppell
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Wool of the Campaign for Proud supporters paignforwool.org
kate.heppell@practicalpublishing.co.uk
www.cam
e in this magazine us 100% of projects natural fibres er oth or wool
We asked our designers...
If you could invent the perfect yarn, what would it be? JACQUI HARDING
CHRISTINA WERGE
MIRANDA JOLLIE
Unicorn hair and fairy dust, obviously! Whatever it was made of, it wouldn’t tangle in the ball, would have the spring of wool, the sheen of silk and the drape of alpaca. And it would never pill and would somehow get better with washing.
I love wool and linen. So my perfect yarn would be made from both. The wool would add its warmth and softness and the linen extra breathability and crispness. Either its fibres have been dyed in different shades before spinning or it has been hand dyed for an amazing depth of colour. A girl can dream.
I love yarn and I love food – a huge part of the pleasure is appreciating the dedication and craftsmanship that has gone into them. My perfect yarn would have the same attributes as great ingredients – sustainable, local and created by someone who’s passionate about what they do.
Find us on the web: www.facebook.com/knitnow • twitter – @KnitNowMagazine • Ravelry – Knit-Now www.knitnowmagazine.co.uk
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_KN17 pp04-05 Contents_pp 14/12/2012 12:50 Page 4
Contents 24
Editorial Editor Kate Heppell Technical Editor Joeli Caparco Art Editor Craig Chubb Sub-Editors Sarah Adie, Becky Higgins, Justine Moran Editorial Assistant Hugh Metcalf Photography Dan Walmsley, Rachel Burgess
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Contributors Susan Ainslie, Amber Bertram, Loraine Birchall, Karen Burnett , Anna Elliott, Rachel Gibbs, Kath Glover, Jacqui Harding, Anni Howard, Miranda Jollie, Vanessa Mooncie, Kathleen Sperling, Rita Taylor, Teresa Tamayo, Debbie Tomkies, Trish Van Kuyk, Christina Werge, Anna Wilkinson, Emily Williams
Publishing & Advertising Group Sales Manager Kevin Edwards Advertising Co-ordinator Rachael Edmunds Financial Director Karen Battrick Marketing Executive Olivia Foster Operations Director Dave Cusick Managing Director Danny Bowler Chairman Robin Wilkinson
Subscription Enquiries
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Tel: 0844 561 1203
Distribution
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Newstrade – COMAG Magazine Distribution Craft Store Distribution Manager Georgina Murfin georgina.murfin@practicalpublishing.co.uk Craft Store Distribution Executive Jody Byron-Smith jody.byron-smith@practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 0844 826 4291 Magazine Order Amendments georgina.murfin@practicalpublishing.co.uk
Contact Practical Publishing International Ltd, Suite G2 St Christopher House, 217 Wellington Road South, Stockport SK2 6NG info@practicalpublishing.co.uk www.practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 0844 561 1202 Fax: 0161 474 6961 Knit Now is published by Practical Publishing International Ltd. All material © Practical Publishing International Ltd. The style and mark of Knit Now is used under licence from Craft Media Ltd. No material in whole or in part may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior written consent of Practical Publishing International Ltd. The publisher welcomes contributions from readers. All such contributions and submissions to the magazine are sent to and accepted by the publisher on the basis of a non-exclusive transferable worldwide licence unless otherwise agreed in writing prior to first publication. Such submissions are also subject to being used, reproduced, modified, published, edited, translated, distributed and displayed in any media or medium, or any form, format or forum now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose, in perpetuity. Knit Now (ISSN 2047-4911) Published by Practical Publishing International Ltd
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PATTERNS 22 Glamorgan stole Kath Glover 24 Pilkington cardigan Karen Burnett 26 Albayzín beret Teresa Tamayo 28 Tweedy cowl & gloves Anna Elliott 31 Vinoly beret Anni Howard 32 Regency socks Rachel Gibbs 40 Random Stripe sweater Anna Wilkinson 48 Helicinae hat Trish Van Kuyk 50 Stippling blanket Kathleen Sperling 54 Cloisters hottie cover Rita Taylor
56 Twisted cowl Jacqui Harding 58 Orange Flame e-reader cosy Susan Ainslie
62 Professor of Cunning Vanessa Mooncie
66 Talboys wrap Miranda Jollie 72 Tadpole romper & booties Amber Bertram
76 Dome hat & mitts Christina Werge 82 Annabella dress Loraine Birchall 87 Hap cardigan Emily Williams
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Contents REGULARS 6 The Grapevine: What’s new in knitting 7 The Diary: Essential dates for February 9 The Bookshelf: New knitting reads 10 The Inbox: Over to you 15 The Collection: Line and Form 36 The Sketchbook: Anni Howard 38 The Interview: Anna Wilkinson 44 The Hot list: Golden glow
45 Your Guide To: Double knitting 53 The Challenge: Herdywool 60 The Thread: Finding inspiration online 69 The Look: Cables 70 The Wishlist: Time for tea 80 The Review: Chicks that Knit 92 Know How: The basics 97 The Giveaway: Artesano
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ON THE COVER... Amy Rhodes for Boss Models wears Miranda Jollie’s Talboys wrap, featured on pg.66 Photography by Dan Walmsley
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_KN17 pp06-07 The Grapevine_pp 12/12/2012 20:31 Page 6
The Grapevine
© Angela Walker
The knitting world moves fast, so we’ve been keeping our ears to the ground to make sure you’re kept in the loop. If it’s new in knitting, you’ll find it here
UNRAVEL Back for its fifth year, Unravel, the international festival of knitting, returns to Farnham Maltings in Surrey for another weekend of events for knitting and crochet lovers. As well as the usual workshops, talks, demonstrations and opportunities for a bit of shopping, this year’s show also features ‘crochetdermy’ artist Shauna Richardson whose life-size, realistic crocheted animals went down a storm at last summer’s cultural Olympiad. As always, visitors have the chance to get some help with their knitting problems and enter their own creations in the Best in Show contest, so don’t forget your own projects. Unravel takes place on the 23rd – 24th of February, and you can save money by buying tickets in advance. Take a look at www.farnhammaltings.com for more information.
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THE ISLAND WOOL COMPANY Faroe jumpers have seen a renaissance in style of late, in no small part down to TV detective Sarah Lund from The Killing. It’s no wonder then that we’re excited by the launch of the Island Wool Company, a supplier of Faroese yarn and patterns, some of which haven’t been available in the UK before. Husband-and-wife team Daniel Rye and Fiona Parker have a deep love for the Faroe Islands (it’s where they met!) and they want to share it with the rest of the world. If you want to feel the Faroe love too, take a look at their range on www.islandwool.co.uk
_KN17 pp06-07 The Grapevine_pp 12/12/2012 20:31 Page 7
Inspiration KniT noW GOES DIGITAL our new website has launched and is now sitting pretty on the internet for your browsing pleasure. Head over to www.knitnowmag.co.uk to find all the good stuff you’ve come to expect from Knit Now and keep your inner knitter happy between issues of the magazine. We’ll be featuring all sorts on our new space on the web, so add it to your bookmark bar and pay us a visit every now and again to see what’s happening. Make sure you sign up for the newsletter while you’re there too, and you’ll be in with the chance to win one of five bundles of Crystal Palace Mochi Plus yarn worth £60, which you can use to knit up Kathleen Sperling’s Stippling baby blanket on p50.
THE DIARY What’s on in February 7th – 9th
Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts Load your stash with yarn and your project book with ideas at this huge Manchester event. www.ichf.co.uk
7th
Issue 18 of Knit Now on sale – don’t miss it!
16th
Wheel Spinning for Beginners Learn to spin your own yarn with Knit Now expert Debbie Tomkies in Manchester. www.purlcityyarns.com
19th
Knitting in the Round Learn the trick of knitting fingerless gloves in the round at Born to Knit in Salisbury. www.borntoknit.co.uk
23rd – 24th Unravel
Mrs Moon Patterns Mrs Moon Yarn and Haberdashery has launched a range of exclusive knitting patterns, which is handy if you’re looking for a stylish project to fill the postChristmas calm. These designs for scarves, throws and tops are named after local areas to the shop in South West London, but are also available on it website www.mrsmoon.co.uk for £3 each. We’re quite taken with this pretty Mortlake scarf and Osterly shawl, but if they’re not enough to whet your appetite, head over to the Mrs Moon blog where you’ll find a free pattern for a quick and easy pair of Montpellier mitts.
IN BRIEF… if there’s one thing we like more than a beautifully coloured yarn, it’s a beautifully coloured yarn with an amusingly named colourway. While Artificial Shrimp Cocktail, Too Much Absinthe and Cinnamon Roll Too Long in the oven may sound like strangely tempting jellybean flavours, they’re actually part of Dye for Yarn’s collection of silk and merino wool yarns. Take a look on www.dyeforyarn.etsy.com
Two days of knitted fun at the must-see knitting and crochet festival in Surrey. www.farnhammaltings.com
23rd
Fair Isle Knitting Get to grip with the basics of these popular designs at McAree Brothers in Stirling. www.mcadirect.com
Eden Arts has launched a new project to help stop our woods feeling so bare. The Woollen Woods is inviting the public to contribute wool craft birds, bats, insects, flowers and acorns to be installed in the woodlands of the Acorn Bank next April. You can make up your own, but free templates and patterns are available from www.canopyart.co.uk
www.knitnowmagazine.co.uk
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_KN17 pp09 The Bookshelf_pp 14/12/2012 12:37 Page 9
Inspiration
The Bookshelf We knitters need an endless well of inspiration – so it’s lucky that we have a constant stream of books to enjoy! Here are this month’s best releases stitch new YorK By Lauren O’Farrell there’s a bumper crop of quirky knitting books this month, but this is the one i’ve been waiting for – lauren’s one of my favourite ‘knitterly’ people and this book is just bursting with slightly ridiculous but GREAT totally awesome little projects, which FOR... transported me immediately to new A taste of the York and reminded me once again Big Apple that i really want to go back! i particularly love the woolly woody allen and the Blooming Bugs – designed to hang plants from lamp posts for a little guerrilla gardening. £14.99 from www.rucraft.co.uk
Knit Your own scotland
GREAT FOR... Putting a smile on your face
the woollY Prawn
By Jackie Holt & Ruth Bailey one of my favourite possessions is my knitted loch ness Monster, Gerti – and it looks like i might just be about to knit her a friend! we’re back to this side of the pond for another book of kooky characters – this time from scotland! From Bonnie Prince charlie and Billy connolly to bagpipes and tiny chocolate teacakes, this book has taken the essence of scotland and distilled it into 80 yarn-filled pages! £9.99 from www.blackandwhitepublishing.com
GREAT
By Sian Goulding & Jenny Every FOR... the final book in our little pile of Creating new quirky joy is just adorable. the knitters woolly Prawn was born from a mother and daughter’s search for beginner-friendly patterns that appealed to sian’s sense of fun, so she and her mum Jenny set about creating this collection of knitting and crochet patterns for beginners. the result is a really lovely little book with cute illustrations, clear photography and a really unique sense of fun! £9.99 from www.etsy.com/shop/ TheWoollyPrawn www.knitnowmagazine.co.uk
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_KN17 pp10-11 The inbox_pp 14/12/2012 12:33 Page 10
The Inbox
Over to you…
Ravelry GALLERY Way back in issue six, we brought you Woolly Wormhead’s Tangled River beanie. The designer is now selling the pattern to raise money for a cause close to her heart and Ravellers aplenty have got on board.
Knitting is nothing without sharing your passion, so it’s over to you. If you’d like to be featured on these pages next issue, we’d love to hear from you! Contact
knitnow
@KnitNowMagazine
STAR LETTER! Receives a £25 voucher from www.knittingwool andyarn.co.uk
Hi KNIT NOW! I loved the Miss Foxy pattern from Issue 12 and have knitted it for my great-niece Eliza. I am very happy with my finished foxy, although I don’t think that the skill level is beginner – I thought the sewing and making up were a bit complex and quite fiddly. I thoroughly enjoyed making this all the same and I hope Eliza will love it too. I am a subscriber to Knit Now and I think that it has a really good mix of projects, there is something for everyone and I find the schematic diagrams really helpful. Susie, London Hi Susie, Thanks so much for sending in this picture, she looks adorable! And thanks too for the feedback on the difficulty level, I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Kate
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Knit-Now
kate.heppell@practicalpublishing.co.uk
I ENJOY TAKING a knitting break with accessories and Knit Now has some fabulous accessories, but I also love knitting garments. So you may not be surprised to hear that I’m really excited you’ve decided to add a few garments to each issue. I’ve picked up issue 14 again and the Garden Gate vest in this issue is elegant and simple, both in style and construction. While I’m not a sock person, I have a fantastic idea for a cardigan or jumper using the Space Invader charts. Brilliant issue! Thank you for the inspiration. Keep up the super-great work! Cara, Manchester
User: PoofyBird Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton in Grey
Thanks, Cara – you’re so sweet! I hope you like this issue just as much. Kate User: teacosy Yarn: handu kainuunharmaslanka in Green
User: letsgoblue Yarn: Alina Shea Creations Smooshy Sheep in Moss