The Knitter

Mary Henderson Mary is passionate about traditional Scottish knitting patterns, and is much admired for her intricate Fair Isle designs and delicate lace. This month, she brings us a lovely hat and cowl set with a colour palette inspired by heather, which is on p47. Sarah Hatton Sarah honed her skills as part of Rowan’s in-house design team, and she is now an independent designer who creates patterns for magazines and yarn brands. Her ‘Magda’ scarf on p29 combines cables, texture and a contemporary shape. Emma Vining Emma is known for her exquisite, unique stitch patterns, many of which have been influenced by urban environments and historical artefacts. Her latest sweater design takes inspiration from origami, and is the star of our special supplement. Lucy George Having been mentored by…

JENNIE ATKINSON Celsiana INTERESTING DESIGN details on this sweater from Jennie Atkinson include a buttoned opening along the left raglan, a high ribbed collar, and pockets. Bands of clove stitch above the hems and cuffs add texture. Jennie’s design is knitted in a machine-washable wool from Cygnet, which comes in 26 vintage colours. SIZE YARN Cygnet Pure Wool Superwash DK (DK weight; 100% superwash wool; 104m/114yds per 50g ball) NEEDLES & ACCESSORIES 4mm (UK 8/US 6) circular needles, 80cm long Set of 4mm (UK 8/US 6) doublepointed needles (DPNs) 1 pair 5mm (UK 6/US 8) knitting needles Stitch markers Stitch holders 11 (10:11:10:11) x 20mm buttons TENSION 21.5 sts and 30 rows to 10cm over st st using 4mm needles YARN STOCKISTS Cygnet 01274 743374 www.cygnetyarns.com For general abbreviations, see…

SUPER SOCKS SockInTosh is a brand-new online store set up especially for sock knitters, which stocks a wide selection of exciting sock yarns, knitting needles and accessories. It’s the new venture from James of Mc Intosh, who wanted to offer a one-stop shop for sock knitting fans. The site allows you to choose your sock yarns by weight - 4ply, 6ply and 8ply - as well as by fibre and by style, including solid, striping, variegated, hand-dyed and neon. There’s a huge choice of yarns from Lang, Opal, Symfonie and Viridian (639 different options at the time of writing!), along with double-pointed needles, flexible DPNs, circular needles and needle sets from Addi, KnitPro, Clover and Seeknit. www.knitmcintosh.com - Readers can get enjoy 10% off all purchases from SockInTosh! Use the…

Yak fibre is known for its exquisite softness, indulgent warmth and durability, and King Cole has used it to develop a delicious new blend of 85% Merino wool and 15% yak, called Luxury Yak. It knits to a DK-weight, and comes in 12 vibrant colours. Accompanying the new yarn is a beautiful pattern collection for women designed by Jenny Watson, called KC Collection Three -Luxury Yak. The 13 garment projects and 22 accessories combine modern shapes with vintage-inspired details and elegant stitch patterns. Projects include a collared jumper with a deep V-neck and lace details, neat tank tops and relaxed cardigans, a sideways-knit poncho with buttoned sleeves, socks, hats and homewares, and a range of striped and colourwork tops and cardigans showcasing the jewel-like hues of Luxury Yak. Find stockist…

TRAILS & VALLEYS by Lindsey Fowler Enjoy the great outdoors with this collection of knits for the whole family. There are rugged sweaters, a cardigan and a vest, plus hats, a headband and a kerchief, colourwork socks, cosy mitts and a cowl, and an Andean-style colourwork hat with earflaps. The ‘Cabin Games’ hap shawl has a textured grid pattern that doubles up as a checkers board! €33.50 (digital book), Laine Publishing VICTORIAN HOUSECATS TO KNIT by Sara Elizabeth Kellner This utterly charming book from Sara Elizabeth Kellner takes us on a tour of an imaginary Victorian house, introducing us to the 20 cats living there. Knit yourself a wonderfully realistic Persian or Manx, a snoozing fireplace tabby or a carriage house cat ready to pounce - each cat is incredibly…

Knitting kits make a nice treat for yourself or a gift for a knitting friend, and we have been exploring the lovely range of kits available from Mackenzie’s Farm Shop on Shetland. Each kit uses Aister ‘oo’ yarn, which is spun from the wool of Shetland sheep raised on the Mackenzie family croft near Cunningsburgh. Aister ‘oo’ is impressively soft and comes in a wide range of colours inspired by Shetland plants and landscapes. We’ve been making the ‘Danny’s Hat’ kit, a stranded colourwork design for children which comes in green and pink colourway options. This beanie has a colourful corrugated rib brim, traditional Fair Isle motifs, and is finished with a pompom. Instructions on the printed pattern are clear and easy to follow, with large charts. Kits containing the…