Okay, so I know it’s June. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, mittens are probably the last thing on your mind. Especially when those mittens are knitted with that woolliest of woolly wools, Lettlopi. But let me make the case for knitting the Trinket Mittens in summer to you. They’re small. They’re fast. They’re fun. They’ll get your creative juices flowing. And, come autumn, you can pull them out with the satisfaction of the Very Prepared. And of course, for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, High Mitten Season is fast approaching! I’ve knitted two pairs of Mary Jane Mucklestone’s Trinket Mittens (so far), so today, I’m bringing you some of the tips and tricks I’ve garnered over four fabulous mittens!
Read moreReport from the Field (Guide)
Friends, it all started innocently enough, with a scarf cast on. I had a few balls of Lopi and the newest MDK Field Guide, and the Destination Scarf was going to do double duty as a tutorial sample and a bit of relaxing telly knitting.
Read moreMDK Field Guide No. 17: Lopi is Here!
Are you ready for an adventure? Travel might still be a bit of a distant dream, but hey, we’ve got our knitting needles to transport us! Fresh off the press and piled high in the online shop, we’ve got a little book that’s your ticket to an Icelandic knitting adventure: Modern Daily Field Guide No. 17: Lopi .
Read moreMore Patterns for Experimenting with Colour
The Skystone Armwarmers, designed by Felicity (Felix) Ford as August’s featured Boost Your Knitting pattern, are the perfect canvas for practicing this month’s technique, choosing colours for stranded colourwork. The pattern calls for three background and five foreground shades of Jamieson & Smith 2ply Jumperweight, giving you lots of room to capture the subtleties of your inspiration source — be it a bouquet of flowers, a mossy headstone, or a towering mountain! But if you’re casting around for more patterns to bring your newfound confidence in choosing colours too, here are a few ideas!
Read moreThe final three: afterthoughts, colour dominance, and nail-biting steeks
The final three A Year of Techniques projects for winter were all about demystifying techniques that some knitters find particularly intimidating.
Read moreGoldilocks and the Three* Vests
Today I'm handing over the reins of the blog to Alix Pearson. Alix is one of the moderators in our Ravelry group, and is a fount of knowledge on both stranded knitting and adjusting patterns for fit. I have long admired her beautiful stranded vests, so today she is going to share some helpful tips on making your own. Over to you, Alix!
Read moreOorik Tank Top KAL
Have you chosen your pattern? Found some yarn? Swatched? It must be time to kick off the final Year of Techniques knitalong, and this is a great one! I know SO many knitters who are fabulously accomplished, and yet haven't tried cutting a steek in their knitting. There's a fundamental feeling that taking your scissors to something you've spent so long knitting must be a bad idea, but honestly, with the right yarn (and this is KEY), it's a piece of cake.
Read moreChoosing my colours for Oorik
I'm popping in today, as I've been making great progress on my knitting projects. I've cast off a heap of things in the last few weeks, which means that I'm all set to be casting on for my Oorik tank top, bang on schedule, next week. I'm hoping that a few of you will be joining us in the final official monthly knitalong* for A Year of Techniques. Sobs. I can't believe we're there already!
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 moreThe Designers
Jim and I are so happy to finally be able to share what we've been up to... Image © Jesse Wild
Is it Wednesday already? This week has flown by, and it's finally time to share with you the list of designers from all over the world, who have contributed to our new book, A Year of Techniques. To say that we are enjoying working with them all doesn't really cover it. This is a dream line up for me - these are the designers whose work I turn to when I want to cast on something new. We really hope that you will enjoy their creations as much as we do. Jim and I spent many hours on the sofa, chatting about who we wanted to work with, and how we wanted our book to be, and the time has finally come to share all our plans. We can't wait to be knitting along with you from March!
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