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Follow Jen and Jim's many knitting and craft adventures, including expert knitting tips, tutorials and book reviews, with bonus quilting and other crafty content.
Stitch markers are one of the most useful tools in knitting. Whether you're keeping track of shaping elements in a garment, or establishing a lace pattern, these simple rings, or even just a loop of waste yarn, can instantly make a pattern more straightforward.
The video below is the second in our Something New to Learn About Lace series, and explains how to use stitch markers to keep track of your lace knitting.
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I love a big cosy triangular shawl! And I love designing in green. So perhaps it's no surprise that I designs a big cosy green triangular shawl for Something New to Learn About Lace...
Read moreIt was probably inevitable, but because I finally have time to knit for me, I've got over-excited and my RSI has flared up. It has left me feeling rather glum, as knitting is my main self-care activity, and I'm a bit at sea as to how to recharge myself without it. I haven't had any significant RSI since we became parents (mostly because my knitting time was cut so drastically), so I think I shall have to find some complex, subtitled, Scandinavian dramas on Netflix that I would normally struggle to knit and watch at the same time!
In the meantime, here's what I got up to...
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Today we are kicking off our series of how-to videos that accompany Something New to Learn About Lace. The first video takes you through working a yarn over – which is the basis of most lace patterning. The video starts with working a yarn over between two knits, and then between two purls, before moving on to working yarn overs between and knit and a purl, and finally between a purl and a knit.
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Knitting-designer-genius comes in different guises. Martina Behm's Nissolia shawl, that I'm revealing today, embodies her signature simple but clever approach. Martina is definitely a knitting-designer-genius.
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Would you like a light scarf to wear on a summer evening? The weather is warm, but the sun has gone down and a little something around your shoulders just makes all the difference. Or perhaps you're looking for your next knitting project, and fancy trying your hand at lace? Donna Smith's Aphaca scarf is the first pattern in our new book, Something New to Learn About Lace.
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Our new book, Something New to Learn About Lace goes on sale for pre-orders today! Something New to Learn About Lace is the second book in our Something New to Learn series – small books to help you to grow your knitting skills, accompanied by detailed photo tutorials, video tutorials online, as well as beautiful knitting patterns.
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Edging detail from Lucy Hague's Pleione blanket design. Image © Jesse Wild.
I’ve finished my Areto hat, so I’m looking for my next cabled project, and Lucy Hague’s designs are top of my wish list.
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I've been making progress on my Alonzo socks.
My needles have been busy, but it's been a while since I posted any knitting updates over here. We have limited time during the school day to get work done, and the priority over the last few months has been to get the first two books in our Something New to Learn series written and published, launching our yarn range, oh and attending Edinburgh Yarn Festival to both teach and sell. Written out like that, the start of 2018 seems like the craziest plan I've ever seen. Anyhow, both books are done, the yarn is out there and EYF is feeling like a distant memory, which means the I've been getting back to some non-work knitting, and finally have some time to chat about it.
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This works equally well in the round, or working flat.
Never lose track of rounds or rows with this handy trick.
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