On your marks... Get set... Go!

Here is the first pattern for A Year of Techniques! We hope that you will have a ball learning how to work helical stripes, while you make these handy armwarmers. Spring is starting to be in the air here in Somerset, and around the town there are signs of bulbs poking up through the soil. Hyacinths are among my favourite spring bulbs, and the shades of this incredible Zauberball seemed to match the pot I've had on my windowsill this month. Some mornings there is still a bit of a bite in the air while I'm on the school run, or sitting working at my desk, so my Hyacinthus armwarmers are getting plenty of use. Hyacinthus is the genus name for hyacinths - when I'm not browsing Somerset villages for pattern names, my horticulture and bird books come in handy!

Not all knitting techniques can be described as fun (p7tog, I'm looking at you here!), but that really is the word I would use to describe helical stripes. There's something so irresistibly pleasing about these stripes. The way that you never have to carry the yarn at the back, and the way that the stripes just magically happen almost defies explanation.

If you have already purchased a copy of A Year of Techniques, then check your inboxes for the pattern update email (either from our online shop, or from Ravelry). The new file includes both a photo tutorial on how to use helical stripes, as well as the pattern for these armwarmers. Over on Mason-Dixon Knitting you will find the first of our video tutorials, and you can enjoy me talking about how much I enjoy this knitting game of chase!

Knitalongs kick off today as well. We've got a shiny new thread set up in our Ravelry group (AYoT March Knitalong Helical Stripes), so do pop in and show us your project. The knitalong is open to any project that uses the helical stripe method, and not just my Hyacinthus armwarmers. We will be awarding prizes at the end of the month for anyone who has posted a photo of their project in progress to the thread. More details on the rules and the prizes can be found in the first post in that thread. There will also be knitalong action taking place over in The Lounge with the Mason-Dixon team! Take your pick, mix and match, the more the merrier!

I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone gets on with their armwarmers - I've got a new Zauberball sitting ready to be wound into two balls, as I thought I would try a variation on a theme, and add another stitch pattern into my stripes. The tutorial article includes some suggestions on ways to modify your helical stripes. I'll keep you posted with how I get on!

You can buy a print + ebook copy of A Year of Techniques for £19.99 plus shipping, or the ebook only version for just £19.99. Both products can be found in our shop on the Year of Techniques page.

Many thanks to my fabulous friend Sue McGovern, who kindly helped me with modelling for AYoT. And as always to Jesse Wild, our patient and clever photographer! All images in this post are © Jesse Wild.