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The UK’s No.1 for patterns Embrace natural fibres in your patterns A eee 1 a ae , “a ie bl wi tt af s rit” Pr mi a & ee es i % ‘i 4 a wer 9 all nasil a" i ¥ "thy %, a i if ad a, a . % «1 5 eee ht hy fi ty 4 ae find th REN lia rita tata Ra ay SEPIIIEE i ya AW every pattern ISSUE 144 UKE7.99 7720 44> eee he ah A Inspire STEP-BY-STEPS * PERFECT PATTERNS # EXPERT ADVICE create 4 974 WINNER ry S © BRITISH © KNITTING & CROCHET BRITISH WOOL >» AWARDS & Blend Bal WELCOME Lal 1 1 | | ga om —™~ ea = = ViVi A1TP?OM OA ' in L\ \ J | | \ ...to the Natural Delights issue of Knit Now! This month, we’re bringing you patterns in our favourite natural fibres — creating our own garments and accessories is always better than the fast-fashion alternatives, but we can go even further to help the environment by making the conscious choice to knit in natural fibre. So, this issue we've created patterns in natural yarn from our favourite brands — we think you'll love them! We've also got a brilliant feature from British Wool starting on page 26, where the organisation explains whether the breed of sheep matters when you’re choosing which yarn to knit with. There are so many reasons to buy British yarn, not least being the fact that it reduces your carbon footprint when the yarn you’re buying hasn’t had to travel thousands of miles to get to your needles! This issue, we’re also giving you a set of knitter’s pins, which are an indispensable part of a knitter’s toolkit! Whether you’re using them to hold pieces in place before you start seaming, or to help you block your finished makes, everyone needs pins! We’ve also teamed up with our friends at Bergere de France to bring you a book of lovely knits for children. There’s plenty to keep you busy this month, | hope you enjoy it! Happy knitting! [email protected] Follow us online for daily knitting inspiration @ Knit Now magazine knitnow © Knit Now Magazine © @KnitNowMagazine = OUR PROMISES ; FOR WOOL J E rye CAMPAIGN [ORS F www.craftworld.com 3 On the cover Upland jumper by Evelyn Siatra, page 10 Modelled here by Myah from Industry Models 4 www.craftworld.com Hh Great Reads 8 Ask the Experts Your knitting queries, answered British Wool talks us through whether the breed of sheep matters when you’re choosing yarn to knit with 52 A-Z of stitch patterns We've put together an AZ list of some of our favourite stitches, as well as some new patterns to try! Editor Kayleigh talks us through her to-knit list CONTENTS FREE KnitPro Zing deluxe set worth £50 when you subscribe Regulars All the latest knitting news 58 CraftWorld Pattern Picks Try these inspiring FREE patterns What’s going on in your yarn community 77 Shop, Save & Win The best offers, just for you Essential knitting knowledge 80 Coming Next Issue A sneak peek of issue 145 www.craftworld.com 5 fabulous fleeces Six months from announcing its ‘Farm to Yarn’ Clapdale Wool Project, Glencroft has launched a fully traceable hand-knitted yarn, made in Yorkshire. This incredible movement takes wool from farms within a five-mile radius that would end up in landfill and makes it into gorgeous Yorkshire-made yarn. Brand owner Edward Sexton says, “We wanted to show how it is possible to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their fleeces, as well as creating ha I W N ’ i ’ a circular economy by giving 10% of all profits from the H eres our guide to what S finished yarn and products back to them. We also wanted exciting in kn itting rig ht now to work with and promote the breeds on our doorstep, regardless of what they were, and explain the processes and costs to consumers so they can buy an authentic, traceable product that will stand the test of time.” 4} Find out more at www.glencroftcountrywear.co.uk 7 4 PROMMIOR 7 1 | SOEDRLAAaDEE CENTER Fleurig huis BREIEN, PUMCHEN EN HAKEN WRC s. Com 6 www.craftworld.com -KAITT ZO meno MAX We absolutely love the beautiful baby yarns created by the talented team at Stylecraft, and now they are available in more shades! Fans of Bambino Prints will be thrilled to hear that this gorgeous yarn will now be available in Yo-Yo, Spinning Top and Puzzle. Wondersoft Merry Go Round DK will now be available in two new stunning shades of Cocktail and Summer Pudding. You will be spoilt for choice when making adorable garments and accessories for your little one. www-.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk Stylecraft Fnac = ‘KNITTED >. -A sNVLD s NIM4, RK =, | FRIENDS ies “ate he By Louise Crowther £16.99 David & Charles After the success of Knitted Animal Friends, Louise Crowther is back with the incredible Knitted Wild Animal Friends. The book is packed with 40 knitted patterns, including those for a zebra in dungarees, an elephant in a tutu, a lion in jeans anda tiger in a party dress. These charming patterns are full of character and beautiful details, making each wild animal friend completely unique. The book uses step-by-step photography and clear instructions showing how to construct your new animal friends and their lovely outfits. Louise also explains how to follow charts for the colour work details and step-by-step tutorials for any special stitches. www.craftworld.com 7 KNITTING NEWS Ask the EXPERTS This month, our team is answering your colourwork questions } F My stranded knitting never looks as good as | see in books and magazines. What am | doing wrong? ‘ | ¥ y Michelle says... Stranded knitting (often known as Fair Isle) is a wonderful technique, but it does have some pitfalls. The most common one | find is twisting your yarn — with this method, where you carry two strands of yarn along the back of your work, you should aim to always carry one yarn above and one yarn below. This is unlike intarsia or picture knitting, which is worked in large blocks of colour and you must twist your yarn at each colour change. You could try holding one yarn in your right hand and one in your left — it takes some getting used to, but many knitters find this easier. If you look at the wrong side of your work, it should look as neat as the right side. Please could you give me some advice on proper tensioning in Fair Isle? Kate says... When I’ve worked with knitters in the past, there are three common problems with Fair Isle tension. First up — if your floats (the strands of yarn at the back of your work) are too tight, your work will pucker. To keep them loose, do not let your stitches bunch up on your RH needle — every 10 stitches or so, stretch them out. The other easy fix is twisting your yarns. In intarsia (where you work big blocks of colour) we’re taught to twist our yarns at each colour change to prevent holes from appearing — this is not true for stranded colourwork. In stranded knits, | always carry the MC above and the CC below and do not allow the two strands to twist. The final fix takes a bit more work — if your tension is still uneven, experiment with finding a more comfortable and consistent way to hold your two yarns. If you’re uncomfortable, this often translates to tight tension and if the movement of your hands is inconsistent, this can lead to uneven tension. WEST a YORKSHIRE} SPINNERS"? 8 www.craftworld.com * cine ene a SE EE eee EEE ’ In association with ASK THE EXPERTS “I’ve been reading about how to choose a good colour scheme. What is the difference between ‘analogous’ and ‘complementary’ colours? Kayleigh says... ‘Analogous’ colours sit together on the colour wheel. Think of them as a colour family, colours you would naturally associate with each other. They may also be described as harmonious colours. For example, brown/red/ orange/yellow are harmonious colours; turquoise/blue/pink/ purple is another example. When put together, analogous colours blend more softly, there is usually no striking contrast between them and they can be used comfortably in almost any proportion. They are easy on the eye. Complementary colours, on the other hand, are those which sit opposite one another on the colour wheel. So, for example, purple and golden yellow are complementary colours; blue and orange are also complementaries, as are green and red. These colours may also be described as ‘contrasting’ colours. Complementary colours are often best used in differing proportions: A hint of yellow to accent a purple Knit in colour A (yellow) to first colour change. Don’t cut off this colour, leave at the back of the work. Join in the new colour B (red) by inserting the RH needle into the next st on the LH needle and looping it over the RH needle. You don’t need to tie a knot. Make sure you leave a tail (LOcm or so) of B for sewing in later. Repeat steps 1-2, introducing a new bobbin (or butterfly) of yarn at each colour change, to the end of the row. There will be several bobbins dangling behind the work, one for each colour change. Even if a colour is used more than once in the row, a separate bobbin is used. For large sections, it is possible to keep the yarn. Turn and, leaving the bobbins at the front, purl the next row. When you reach a colour change, twist the old and new yarns by holding both yarns at the front of the work and taking the new yarn (red) from front to back beneath the old (yellow) yarn. Draw up the old reared, sheared & spun IN BRITAIN is often better than an equal amount of each. They are the colours that interact to make a colour scheme ‘pop’. and new to keep stitches even. Purl in the new colour to the next colour change. Repeat for each colour change. On the next (knit) row, keep the bobbins at the back of the work. At each colour change, bring the yarn to be used next from back to front, under the old yarn. Holding the old yarn quite firmly beneath and behind the new yarn, knit the next stitch in the new colour, drawing up the two yarns to prevent a hole. Repeat for each colour change. For a new colour, follow Step 2. When a section of colour is complete (remember this may be over a number of rows), cut off the yarn, leaving enough yarn (around 10-15cm) to allow the end to be neatly woven in later. Any excess can be cut off after weaving in, but tails that are too short may cause the work to unravel and stitches to become loose. You may find (as here) that there are a lot of ends! To tidy up the ends, thread the cut yarn onto a darning needle and, at the back of the work, carefully weave threads in and out of neighbouring stitches. Where possible, weave into stitches of the same colour to avoid threads showing through. Check the stitch shape is not distorted or too loose as you work. OF Pr .. www.craftworld.com 9 eer. ae z te ae. ie neipocdived at , a lg he 10 = www.craftworld.com