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Sneak peek behind the scenes of our April shoot

On Thursday we held our April shoot, for which we had decided (sensibly) not to gamble on the British weather and hold a shoot that could be both inside and outside, weather permitting. Good job we did too. Did you see the hail? And yet there were flashes of sunshine, that lovely wintery soft yellow light, that made some of the pics so beautiful they couldn't have looked better if we'd planned it.

The shoot was held at a gorgeous B&B in West Sussex, close to Midhurst www.woolbedingcottage.co.uk with exposed red brick, lots of light, a fabulous kitchen and a lovely open log fire which was kept on all day much to our delight (and relief!).

This is where we were hiding out when the rain hit.

I often just lounge around in doorways at home looking this good, don't you?

Welcome to THE jumper of Spring/Summer12, cricket sweaters will be everywhere, trust us!

Directing from the bed, Editor Emma and Hair&Make up Jeni get seduced by the B&B's hospitality.

The afternoon sunlight infused everything with a soft, nostalgic feeling. How lovely.

Hope you enjoy it when it's out, 15th March!

Sneak peek of February issue on sale 19 January

February is an odd month. It's cold, dark and short. My birthday is in February and nobody ever feels like celebrating, least of all me. So we decided what everybody needs this Feb is a bit of frivolous fun in the face of the doom and gloom. Don't let the darkness get you down, dress up in fabulous, flirty, feminine knits with a fun fifties vibe!

We are lucky to be based near Brighton, which is a veritable mine of interesting and quirky places to use as photo shoot locations. This shoot was held at JB's Diner (www.jbsdiner.co.uk) on the seafront, a brilliant American themed diner (albeit covered in Christmas decorations at the time of the shoot).

This cute cap sleeved shirt can be dressed up with a pencil skirt or down with peddle pushers for a retro ladylike look. A skinny belt adds a chic touch.

This flared jumper, knitted in Sublime Lustrous Extrafine Merino, has a lovely sheen and the flared edge and cuffs gives it a fun girly feel.

This gorgeous cardigan by Debble Bliss has the most beautiful puffed sleeves that taper down into an exaggerated rib cuff. It's a simply style with impeccable details that looks sophisticated and will make you feel (and look) a million dollars.

Also in this issue

Angora sequin motif cardi

Off the shoulder 50s style top

Draped jacket

Lace ankle socks

Feature – Is pattern writing a dying art?

Spotlight on – Knitwear for men

Weekend knits – pretty romanticprojects from Sarah Hazell

FREE voucher booklet AND Cozy Collection pattern book. 5 accessories including 2 brand new pre-publication patterns!

And as always, we bring you the best news, reviews, books, tips, styles and prizes in your favourite Knitting magazine.

Sneak behind-the-scenes pics of our March shoot(s) Part 2

Day 2 of our epic March shoot was the 'Modern brights' story; bright, fun, fashionable knits, some of them a little 'out there' or in eye-popping colours. Don't worry if this sounds a little crazy for you, a lot of it is in the styling and look of a shoot and you'll find it all actually very wearable.

This shoot was a very cold day, tucked up in our studio. I left Editor Emma and photographic assistant Ricky to wrestle with the wallpaper on the backing boards and concentrated on making fresh coffee and handing out croissants. As soon as model Chloe had her hair and make up done and actually put the garments on the shoot came alive – the camera seriously loves her!

We had fun trying to find the background that would best make the garment stand out. This combination sort of hits in you in the eye as you go past, it looks incredible in the finished photos (one of the ones I'm rooting for cover!)

Ugh, my lighting is so bad on my camera phone here (upgrade due next month for a certain snazzy brand new version!) but you can still see the amazing dip stitch technique used on this awesome jumper.

This boxy rib jumper is another contender for cover. You can't really see the colour as the lighting is so dull (so the flash works properly for the ACTUAL photographer) but it's a gorgeous mustardy lime green and has a fabulous Audrey Hepburn shape to it.

We managed to get through about 17 garments that day, which is a loooooooooong day – and then Emma and I had to traipse off to our work Christmas party! Amazingly, the wonderful Jeni, our Hair&Make up guru, didn't exit as fast as possible but actually stayed and did our hair and make up for the ball! (OK, I mean, pub).

So after 2 long and exhausting days (you wouldn't think so but we really do work hard on these photo shoots!), we had two shoots in the can, both so utterly different from each other and both looking gorgeous. And now that we are putting together the gallery spreads and can see everything in its entirety we are so pleased with how they have turned out. We think you'll love them too. And there's so many patterns! We haven't even begun to mention to the 20+ mens, kids, baby and home knits we also have going in.

Crikey, this is one issue you don't want to miss!

Sneak behind-the-scenes pics of our March shoot(s) Part 1

Working on our March issue on the run up to Christmas is always quite mad as we lose so much time between Christmas and New Year. Now add into the mix our March 2012 issue is our 100th issue. And we've decided to go crazy and have 50 extra pages so we can bring you a whopping 50 patterns. And then we had to add another 16 pages because we couldn't fit everything we wanted to give you into just 150 pages. So now we are working on a bumper 166 page 100th issue with 50 fantastic patterns. Have we bitten off more than we can chew? Of course not, because we are Super-Team Knitting and when we put our minds to doing something awesome then awesome it will be.

Because we are featuring so many patterns we decided to do two stories for our gallery, a bit of something for everyone, if you like. This meant two solid days of long full day photo shoots but it was definitely worth it. Not only do they look utterly gorgeous, but they look totally different too.

The first, 'Timeless Classics', was shot at the most incredible antique furniture shop www.augustus-brandt-antiques.co.uk/ in Petworth, West Sussex (if you know Petworth then you know this is where the other half live – and shop!).

The chairs alone at this table cost £2,000 each.

It did have the most incredible natural light though.

Model Joelle was actually a perfect English rose. (And yes that's me snapping away in the mirror.)

I was too afraid to ask how much this sofa cost, but it was beautiful. Emma Varnam's Mary-Jane top isn't bad too eh?

This was an entire room of chandeliers. Just wait until you see the final photograph.

This was a very calm, elegant shoot with knits for women who like classic shapes and styles, neutral colours and pretty details. Even though the actual shoot was like running riot in our own giant dolls house, I think we managed to make it look quite grown up!

Part 2 – the 'Modern Brights' shoot is on its way!

Sneak peek of January issue on sale 22 December

It's very strange planning and executing an issue all about post-festive recovering when we have yet to actually have the festive period but we think we've done a pretty good job of delivering exactly what you'll need come January. Full of snuggly, comfortable, (forgiving!) and warm winter knits in a soft, cool palette this issue is very calm and approachable.

The gallery was shot on location at a lovely country house in the Sussex countryside, resplendent with squishy sofas, cute puppy, lovely old shire horse, two fluffy cats and a kitchen most of us would dream of. Team Knitting nearly moved in. That is a life we could get used to!

Judy Furlong's gorgeous Boyfriend cardigan is not only a great classic, with its stitch detail and neutral shade, but it's also incredibly on-trend as mixed stitches and slouchy 'boyfriend' sized garments were seen up and down the catwalks for A/W11.

This oversize shrug by Sian Brown is so soft and warm. Knitted in Debbie Bliss's Paloma, a chunky yet light chainette yarn, it is perfect for snuggling in – and hiding a multitude of sins! (also turns out it's very good for puppy-smuggling)

For days when you need to look smart but also want to be comfortable, Martin Storey's sweater dress ticks both boxes. The exaggerated neck takes eyes away from anywhere you might not want to direct attention to post-Christmas and the intarsia motif will have people too impressed to judge anyway!

Also in this issue

Chunky brioche coat

Lacy hooded scarf

Wavy eyelet sweater

Snowflake sweater

Profile – Where's Me Jumper? A brilliant entrepreneurial knitting business

Spotlight on – Boy meets girl

Weekend knits – cute winter accessories from Sarah Hazell

FREE Winter warmers supplement

And as always, we bring you the best news, reviews, books, tips, styles and prizes in your favourite Knitting magazine.

Sneak peek behind the scenes of our February shoot

February can be quite a miserable month (not for me, my birthday is in Feb and next year I turn the big 3-0!), it's cold, dark and miserable usually and by then everyone is thoroughly fed up with winter. So we decided to make our Feb issue bright, colourful and fun! We love doing retro themes, locations, styling and hair and make up can all be quite 'out there'. For this issue we've gone 50s fun – luckily in Brighton, American diners seem to pop up all over the place so we held our shoot at the fabulous JB's Diner www.jbsdiner.co.uk which they generously lent us for a morning.

Check out how cool it is! Might have to photo shop a few Christmas decorations out though.

Loved the memorabilia on the walls!

A very subtle sneak peek at the knitwear.

Quick game of pool anyone? Yeah we work really hard for you guys.

Yum yum proper milkshakes made with ice cream, cream, sprinkles and all sorts of yummy things!

Hair and make-up Jeni couldn't resist diving in!

Model Linn started to really get into character. Maybe it was the sugar?

Awwww all gone.

So that's your sneak peek. Hope you love it when it's out, we had so much fun shooting it!

12 Days of Christmas festive giveaway!

Happy Christmas everyone! Do we have a gift for you!

We are having our own '12 days of Christmas' festive give away, with a prize to be won everyday, starting yesterday for the first 12 days of December. And yes we know technically the 12 days of Christmas starts on Christmas day into January, but we're starting now to try and get you in the festive spirit! 'Tis the season of good will and all that.

This competition is running across Twitter, Facebook and Ravelry and each day we will tell you what you have to do to enter, be it tell us a festive joke or share a Christmas tradition or memory with us, and we'll choose the best one and send them a treat! So don't forget to check Twitter, Facebook or Ravelry every day to see what you can win!

We have gorgeous stitch markers, books, bags and all sorts to give away, check some of them out below.

Sneak peek of Christmas issue on sale 24 November

So you know it's Christmas when the Coca Cola ad is on TV, you've got emotional about John Lewis and whatever haunting song they are using to advertise their festive wares this year (and wondering why your family never acts like that) and the Christmas issue of Knitting hits the shops!

In the midst of all the madness, the tinsel and tacky decorations, ugly Christmas sweaters never to be worn and knitted Christmas elves that should never see the light of day, sits the calm elegance of our Christmas issue. Swathed in icy blues and silver with a hint of sparkle and dash of dramatic scarlet, this is Christmas for grown ups.

The Luxury shrug by Suzie Lee, knitted in Debbie Bliss Andes, a silk/alpaca mix and Debbie Bliss Angel, a mohair yarn, with pretty lace and pearl bead edging is a lovely cover up over a cute dress for many a Christmas party.

Love by Marie Wallin is an incredibly flattering top that sucks you in in the right places and drapes beautifully at the front. Great for the office Christmas party!

Sparkle on Christmas morning in this lovely sequined sweater by Pat Menchini. Relaxed and chic at the same time, you'll be comfortable and look fabulous in all the photos!.

Also in this issue

EXCLUSIVE Swedish Fairisle cardigan by Martin Storey

EXCLUSIVE Dogtooth scarf by Erika Knight

Silver jacket

Drawstring kimono

Cabled coat and hat

Designer profile – Meet Rose Sharp

Technique – How to add a twist to cables

FREE Family knits supplement

And as always, we bring you the best news, reviews, books, tips, styles and prizes in your favourite Knitting magazine.

Sneak peek behind the scenes of our cosy January photo shoot

So, in magazineland Christmas is over apparently, New Year done and dusted and we've moved on to the R, R&R (recovery, relaxation and recuperation) of January, which, of course, equals SNUGGLY KNITS!

Now in real time it's barely half way through November and I'm getting excited every time I see a chocolate reindeer in Tesco and am rubbing my hands in anticipation of the first mulled wine of the season, so I'm not ready to move past the holiday season just yet. But since snuggly knits work just as well in the dark, drizzly and damp days of November, it wasn't hard to suspend reality – especially in the gorgeous house we did our shoot in. The animal menagerie also helped, with Murray the horse, Millie the puppy, and the very fluffy cats James and Edith the cushion (she really might as well have been a cushion, she didn't move all day!) helping make the day rather fun.

Murray was so gentle and lovely he probably could have walked all around Beth's house and not done any damage but I thought it best to put myself in between him and the apples on Beth's gorgeous wooden kitchen table, just in case.

He wasn't the slightest bit fazed by Millie squaring up to him, wanting to play, even when she was swinging off his tail, literally! Patience of a saint.

It may have been a drizzly day but the light shows up amazingly in photographs so we couldn't resist doing a couple outside.

Though of course we all hurried back inside by the radiators rather quickly. Luckily we still got the amazing light through the windows.

And Millie finally exhausted herself out enough to be in a photograph we actually wanted her in rather than running into every shot because she is a playful 13 week old puppy. How cute is she though?!

There are some truly gorgeous, wintery knits to snuggle into in this issue, the problem is going to be waiting until 22nd December (when Jan 98 goes on sale) to get them!

FREE crochet spider finger puppet pattern!

Happy Halloween everyone! We're feeling very festive so our gift to you today is this happy little fella!

This eensy weensy little crocheted spider is a finger puppet and comes with his own spout to crawl out of. He'll (we've decided he's a he) only take a few minutes to make and will help anyone get in the Halloween spirit!

To get your free downloadable pattern just go to the 'Free patterns' section at the top of the Homepage and there he is, ready and waiting!

Hope you all have a deliciously spoooooky weekend!

Sneak peek behind the scenes of our semi-snowy Xmas shoot

It's quite hard to get into the Christmas mood when October is having a last hurrah and throwing 30 degrees sunshine at us, like it was the day we painted the studio with its snowy forest scene. Now of course it is much colder, it is easier to imagine that one day, in the not too distant future, Christmas will actually be upon us for real, and not just in the crazy magazine land faux timeline.

In fact, we got a bit excited and went faux snow overboard. Editor Emma was ordering snow-in-a-can off the internet whilst I went off on a mission to Fabricland to discover which weight of quilt wadding would make the best snow blanket (much to the bemusement of the girls working that day), which turned into a shop-wide discussion. As the day of the shoot got nearer, the fact that the snow-in-a-can had not yet arrived was starting to become a worry. In fact, to cut a long story short, it didn't arrive on the Friday of the shoot but twice the amount Emma actually ordered turned up Monday...and Wednesday! So now we have more faux snow than we know what to do with, but it will get used, oh yes, it will get used.

Anyway, on to the behind-the-scenes peeks, just a couple I'm afraid, but enough to get an idea of the shoot I think...

Editor Emma makes herself useful while model Louisa plays peek-a-boo.

Deputy Ed Katy (that's me!) pretends to fix an outfit but really just wants to stand in the snow blanket.

A mixture of silvery/pale blue garments gave an ethereal wintery feel while stronger red garments standing out against the pale snow scene gave a more fairytale 'Red riding hood' feel. Trust us, the end results are amazing!

Sneak peek of December issue on sale 27 October

The Dec issue has just arrived in the office, and I have to say, we are totally loving it. When an issue comes together and ends up looking just how you wanted it to, with elements of looking even better than you could have imagined, you can't help feeling incredibly pleased and proud.

This is the issue with the incredibly windy shoot on top of the cliff and on the beach in 40mph winds. The photos ended up looking amazing, like a perfect cold and crisp sunny winter's day, much like today, though thankfully at the time it wasn't as cold!

Hope you like it as much as we do!

This beautifully shaped kidsilk haze shrug, designed by Sarah Hatton in the palest of blue grey, is so delicate and pretty you'll be dying to wear it to all your festive parties. Everyone will ask you where you got it from. Expect the compliments to keep on coming!

This gorgeous cover up is deceptively simple in it's design, the pretty buttons creating the arm shaping. But Jeanette Sloan knows her beading and combined with the delicate lace stitch and the little beaded loops at the cuffs, this shrug is all about the detail.

Alison Robson is a master of lace and this vintage blouse inspired gorgeous lace top, with 3/4 sleeves and little puff shoulders, is incredibly flattering. You'll be turning heads wherever you go!

Also in this issue

EXCLUSIVE Martin Storey Beaded evening top

EXCLUSIVE Silk kimono

EXCLUSIVE Fairisle shoulder snood

Christmas knits – Advent calendar, cute Christmas stocking, star and snowflake bunting

Socktopus AKA Alice Yu talks about her new sock book (we have an exclusive pattern from it in our Gifts supp!)

Designer profile – meet Lu Flux

Techniques – Peacock Tale lace and Short row lace

And don't miss our FREE 40 page 'Knits to Gift' supplement – 54 fabulous gift ideas and 20 EXTRA patterns for women, men, kids, babies, the home and even your pets!

What we saw at the Knitting & Stitching Show

Phew, Ally Pally is always a whirlwind show. So many people, so many stands, so much to see and do, and never enough space to do it in! Unfortunately that usually means taking a camera with lots of good intentions and never having enough time to do the show justice. I did manage to sneak a few though, so I thought I'd share them with you.

This is the lovely Emily Peacock and Jessica Aldred, signing their book Adventures in Needlework on our stand. They were ever so impressed with their miniature book cover badges, which were in fact, incredibly cute.

Whilst on a visit to the lovely Komal on the Collins and Brown book stand we saw this, which made us laugh. I expect there will be many and varied olympic themed knitting books coming out over the next year, but Knitlympics is the first we've seen, and the knitted Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett with their arms around each other (inspired by that photo) makes us smile – especially as, due to insider knowledge, we know exactly what they said to each other at that moment when the iconic picture was taken.

This year was the 10th anniversary of the Knitted Textile Awards, sponsored by us and the UKHKA. Every year the quality, imagination and originality of the textile students seems to just get better and better – making the judging harder and harder! We will have a full report of the winners of the Knitted Textile Awards 2011 to bring you soon but for now, here is a look at some of the fascinating entries.

Over all winner Katie Jones from the Royal College of Art, impressed with her hand knitting and crocheting.

These animal inspired knits by Hannah Taylor, also of the Royal College of Art, sure caught everyone's attention.

This jacket, by Montana Williamson, is knitted from recycled tape ribbon.

We all thought this was just the most beautiful dress, by Victoria Campbell of the Royal College of Art. I'd definitely wear it to a fabulously glamorous party!

We met so many lovely people this year, managed to put many faces to names we come across all the time and even got a couple of exclusives that we can't share with you just yet,even though we are dying to (hint: they involve new yarns! new books! new collaborations!). You'll just have to wait and see.

Knitting and Stitching Show schedule of designers/authors

We have some very exciting designers and authors on the GMC/Knitting stand at the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace Thurs 6th - Sun 9th October so come and say hello!

If you want to sign up to a Make&Take with Nicky Epstein then come to our stand ASAP and sign up as it's on a first come first serve basis. All materials supplied and the lovely Nicky to chat to and share in her incredible wealth of knitting knowledge. You know you want to!

Thursday 6th Oct

11am-12pm Nicky Epstein Knitting SOS and book signing

12pm Doris Chan (author of Crochet Lace Innovations and others) book signing

2pm Jamie Chalmers (PUSH Stitchery) book signing

3-5pm Nicky Epstein Knitting SOS and book signing

Friday 7th Oct

10.30-11.15am Jamie Chalmers (PUSH Stitchery) book signing

11.15am-12pm Nicky Epstein Knitting SOS and book signing

12-1pm Sian Brown (author of The Knitted Home) book signing

2-3.30pm Nicky Epstein Make&Take

3.30-4.30pm Tina Barrett (author of Knitted Dinosaurs) book signing

Saturday 8th Oct

10.30-11.30am Emily Peacock and Jessica Aldred (authors of Adventures in Needlework) book signing

11.30am-1pm Nicky Epstein Knitting SOS and book signing

2-3.30pm Emily Peacock and Jessica Aldred (authors of Adventures in Needlework) book signing

3.45-5pm Josephine Wan and Lan-Anh Bui (authors of Crochet Bakemono) book signing

Sunday 9th Oct

10.30-11.30am Nicky Epstein book signing

12-1pm Doris Chan (author of Crochet Lace Innovations and others) book signing

2-3.30pm Nicky Epstein Make &Take

Sneak peek of November issue on sale 29 September

Coming up with a theme for each issue is important when putting together a complete mag every four weeks. Knowing a theme helps us decide on a colour scheme, what the main gallery shoot will look like, what kind of garments we want in that issue and and how the patterns, features and look of the whole thing fits in together. It also means we have a very clear idea of how that issue is different from the one before it, and the one after it – after 13 issues a year, you need a defining memory of each issue otherwise they all start turning into one!

Sometime a theme is obvious and seasonal – you can't really escape from high summer, the first signs of spring after a long winter, the lovely start of autumn and colder days and of course, Christmas. Other times an issue is free to have any theme we fancy and as we get inspiration from literally everywhere, anything goes! November is a month crying out for chunky, snuggly knits, wrapping up warm whilst still enjoying a few daylight hours and the rich fiery colours of autumn. So last spring, when we saw Tribal prints and colours emerging as a trend for autumn we knew it would make a fantastic November issue.

Inspired by bright colours, geometric prints and interesting motifs we went to town on this issue. Festooning our shoot with wild animal prints and feathers was great but it was important to get the balance right so you, dear reader, could enjoy the tribal vibe but see the actual garment for what it is as well. We had a lot of fun with this issue (as did our designers!), with all the jazzy bright colours and energy cheering us up during the last drizzly days of summer so we hope you love it as much as we do!

This chic and flattering roll neck is in SMC Select's lovely Tweed Deluxe using two colours to create that textured look. (you can also win the yarn to knit this garment in the Nov issue so if you're rather partial to it, don't forget to enter!)

This is the first time Kyoko Nakayoshi (of Cotton and Cloud) has designed for us and we just loved the ethnic beading detail of the yoke. When you look closely you can see all the different bead colours.

Martin Storey went to town with his intarsia on this top and it took a while to choose a combination from so many colours. Luckily we included different colour variations in our Style File for this month so you can see just how different you can make it look.

Also in this issue

FREE Little Knits Rowan supplement (5 patterns for kids)

EXCLUSIVE Tribal chunky coat by Nicky Epstein

EXCLUSIVE Felted vibrant tote bag by Jeanette Sloan

Weekend Knits – lace snood, cushion, bag and cute owl toy

WIN – 5 copies of Socktopus by Alice Yu to give away

And as always, we bring you the best news, reviews, books, tips, styles and prizes in your favourite Knitting magazine.

Sneak peek behind the scenes of our (rather windy) Dec shoot

Last week was our Dec issue photo shoot (and yes, we know it's very early, but we have an extra 13th Christmas issue to squeeze in to our 12 months!) and so we decided since we didn't want to go down the Christmas route just yet we would go for an icy, wintery look instead. We're very lucky to live on the south coast with Sussex's white cliffs and pebble beaches, and on days when it's grey skies and seas it looks so fantastically moody and atmospheric.

Unfortunately, it was also blowing a gale that day. The high winds we've had recently? Yep we were on top of a cliff for that. The things we do for you! (or, the ideas we come up with *shakes head*)

Want to see how windy it was? This is Editor Emma and photographer Laurel trying to gauge the light.

And poor model Amber, I think hair&make up guru Jeni was the only thing stopping her from blowing away!

But, despite the wind, it didn't rain and the light played ball. Moody and atmospheric? We've got it in spades.

And the pics (and knits!), if we do say so ourselves, look gorgeous.

Sneaky behind the scenes pics of our Nov shoot!

As crazy as it may seem, in magazine world time is different. The year seems to speed up and before you know it, it's August and we're doing our November issue shoot for the issue that will go on sale end of September. This means you have to already know what everyone is going to want to knit, and what trends are going to be prevalent, by the time this issue hits the shops.

Luckily we have excellent sources for trend spotting and had great fun coming up with the themes to inspire the garments commissioned, styling for the main gallery etc for the autumn/winter months. And for our November issue, trust us, this theme is going to be everywhere come autumn. November is...Tribal! Think chunky knits in vibrant palettes: Aztec turquoise, Navajo reds and oranges, rich earthy browns, animal print and feathers.

So anyway, without giving too much away whilst hopefully giving a tantalising peek at what is to come, here are a couple of candid shots from behind the scenes or our recent photo shoot.

Editor Emma gets stuck in assembling the fantastic backdrops. What do you mean zebra is not classy?

Model Tammy rocking' her feathers in front of the much more subdued leopard print.

Setting up the shot. All it needs is someone in a lounge suit and Barry White playing in the background. Possibly a lava lamp.

Ahhh, that's better. More 'at one with nature', less 'boudoir chic'.

So even though it's currently August, the September issue is still in the shops and you still have the beautifully ethereal October issue to come, there's nothing wrong with getting excited about the colder months, right? It's when knitwear comes into it's own. And goes a little wild!

Sneaky behind the scenes sneak peek of Oct shoot

A couple of weeks ago, in my excitement at discovering how to load photos onto twitter, I shared this behind-the-scenes pic of our Oct issue shoot with our Twitter followers. And then, in my excitement about conquering this new kids' technology, I forgot to share it with the rest of you, oops!

So, here is a sneaky little visual to pique your interest and give you an idea of what to expect in our gorgeously autumnal October issue. Enjoy!

Spotted on holiday

The lovely Norman, who is the designer for another of our magazines with whom we share an office, has just come back from a few days away with his wife in Paris and look what he saw!

He seemed pretty pleased with himself that he could, when his wife enquired what it was, knowledgeably nod his head and inform her it was guerilla knitting.

See, there are advantages to sharing an office with us. We're culturally and socially up to date and on trend!

Sneak peek of September issue on sale 4 August

The September issue

Having all but given up on the idea of having the long hot August we conjured up for our August shoot, in stark contrast, this month we would like to present ‘The September issue’.

The inspiration for this issue was taken from last year’s documentary of the same name, which took a rare look behind the scenes at US Vogue, as they put together their ultimate fashion issue of the year, the September issue. Editor Anna Wintour was simply fabulous as the icy matriarch at the helm of the title. Making snap decisions, clicking her beautifully manicured fingers and generally fulfilling her role as most influential figure in fashion, it has to be said …she was a tough act to follow!

But, not one to be easily put off (even when I should know better) this month I took my not-so-polished self out onto the streets of Brighton to find some fashionable locations and ended up in the New England district. Not quite New York I admit, but nonetheless, with a bit of vision, and a bit more post -production magic, Team Knitting would like to present their September issue.

This sweater by Grace Melville is bang on trend if you want to venture down the fashionista route…or simply stylish if your days of skinny jeans and biker boots are behind you!

Sublime are great at combining simple designs with interesting shapes, and this cardigan does exactly that.

I just love everything about this design. Fiona Morris has created this unusual bias knit sweater which comes complete with an informative how-to… so there’s no excuse not to brush up on your techniques.

Also in this issue:

· FREE 5 GORGEOUS SEW-IN LABELS PLUS DISCOUNT VOUCHER BOOKLET

· Weekend Knits. Four fabulous quick knit projects for you and your home

· Judy Furlong Tweed jacket

· Bergere boys sweater

· Silver envelope clutch

· Fashion forecast

· Campaign for wool 2011

And as always, we bring you the best news, reviews, books, tips, styles and prizes in your favourite Knitting magazine.

The visual feast that was Knit Nation

So last weekend was the second Knit Nation show at Imperial college, London, and I think we can safely say it was just as successful as last year and it's looking likely that this fantastic little show will be a yearly event as its popularity grows.

As media sponsors we got a lovely great stand right by the front door. This is mid-set up.

The companies that exhibit in the Market Place are handpicked by Alice and Cookie so not only is it an honour to be chosen but it makes for the most incredible visual feast for the lucky knitters who visited.

On the Friday evening preview the queue was out the door. Of course the minute the doors opened there was a stampede towards the amazingly colourful Wollmeise yarn on the Loop stand. This is why we love it. Just check out the shades!

Talking of shades, check out the incredible range from Renaissance Dyeing!

The lovely Jeanette Sloan (aka Ask Jeanette) had a stand too showing off her lovely yarn and designs. Unfortunately her brand new colours didn't arrive in time for the show so be sure to check out her website for when they do at www.jeanettesloandesign.com

We met the lovely Kari-Helene and Tracey of Purl Alpaca Designs (modelling their own designs, of course) too. In fact they gave me a beautiful pair of soft, creamy, glamorous alpaca wristwarmers to wear as I went round.You can find out more about them in our designer profile on them in our September issue!

On the Saturday morning everyone was surprised and delighted to find little presents had been left on each stand by Alice and Cookie as a gesture of appreciation. Look at the lovely Knit Nation mugs we got.

And last but not least. We've had 'Best in Show: Knit your own dog' but now, look out for Best in Show: Knit your own cat' (published by Collins & Brown). Oh yes, the cats are not happy to sit back and watch the dogs get all the glory so check these little sneak peeks out!

All in all it really was a great show with fantastic people and we had a blast. We highly recommend it so if you didn't make it this year make sure you don't miss it next year!

Designers of the future

Last Wednesday Emma and I went up to the Islington Business Centre for the New Designers exhibition, a showcase of the very best graduates from design-based degree courses. The knitwear is always fantastic, imaginative and it's a great place to recruit entrants to the Knitted Textile Awards helmed by both Knitting magazine and the UK Handknitting Association (UKHKA).

We met up with Chris and Geraldine from the UKHKA and the lovely Fiona Ross, Senior Lecturer for Fashion Textiles at Bucks Uni and one of the judges of the Knitted Textile Awards, who proudly showed us around her student's work. (from l-r: Fiona Ross, Knitting Editor Emma Kennedy, Chris Kingdom and Geraldine Curtis of the UKHKA)

We also met the lovely Georgie Troon, our very first subject of our new 'One to watch' series first featured in our July issue.

The knitwear and knitted textiles were fascinating. From the weird...

...to the wonderful...

...and my personal favourite, retro knitckers!

It was a really interesting day, we met lots of great designers and as ever were impressed by the quality of design and execution by these young people. If you want to find out more about the Knitted Textile Awards go to www.ukhandknitting.com where you can also find out all about entering, the prize is £1000!

Sneak peek of August issue on sale 7 July

So, we told you all about behind the scenes of this fabulous 'glamping' themed photo shoot, at the lovely Canfields Farm in West Sussex, in a previous blog – and here it finally is!

July is often though of as 'high summer' when the excitement of sunshine and bare legs hits its peak, whereas August is a bit calmer, a bit more easy breezy. Maybe you're off on your hols, maybe you're happy to just lounge in your garden, there is more of a care free feeling about August. Which is why, instead of having a model in 6in platforms bronzed and buffed, lying by a pool, we have the wonderful backdrop of the most glam rustic camping you can imagine and the lovely relaxed Leo showing off our knits.

This looks like a simple summer tank top but Pat Menchini's interestingly shaped sleeves gives it that something extra that will make people look again.

The on-trend tie front of this lovely summery stripes top from Rowan gives it an edge.

This fantastic cabled 'coatigan' with matching snood is an exclusive design especially for us by the fantastic designer Jo Storie. You can also read our 'designer profile' on Jo and marvel at some of the places she has worked!

Also in this issue:

Louisa Harding's Belle cardigan

Lime Lacy sweater by Amanda Jones

Festival waistcoat by Sian Brown

Kilim floor cushion by Jeanette Sloan (and your chance to win the yarn to knit it!)

New regular – Weekend Knits. Stylish stash projects by Sarah Hazell

Technical how tos – Neat edgings and intarsia outlines

FREE Beautiful bags supplement

And of course the best news, reviews, books, yarns, tips and prizes you can find in your favourite Knitting magazine!

The Big Knit

It's that time of year again, when Innocent smoothies launch their 'Big Knit' campaign and donate the proceeds to Age UK to help keep older people warm through the winter. This is where you (and your needles) come in. If you haven't seen the fabulous knitted hats that Innocent's little bottles sport each year then check out below for some of the wonderfully imaginative headgear you have created in previous years.

All you have to do is knit a little hat and send it in to the following address by 14 October 2011:

The Big Knit, Innocent Ltd, Fruit Towers, 342 Ladbroke Grove, London W10 5BU

This year they are aiming for a massive 650,000, with 25p from the sale of each bottle going directly to Age UK. For instructions on knitting plus beginners and advanced patterns, pics of previous hats and more information visit www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/bigknit

Very small sneak peek at September shoot

This is only a very small sneak peek to whet your appetite for our September issue, as frankly the week of the shoot I was suffering from acute laryngitis, completely lost my voice and wasn't very on it so only remembered to take one pic, oops!

It's in response to people wanting to know what we meant on Twitter by 'something we haven't really done before'. It may not be very much to go on and it's only a tiny weeny sneak peek, but I will leave you with a word, the theme in fact....

....Urban.

Sneak peek of July issue on sale 9 June

The July issue has landed in the office and with it it has come the sun (a lovely 22 degrees currently), a warm soft breeze and a wish to be outside enjoying the pursuits captured in this month's photo shoot.

The day of the shoot couldn't have been more perfect (I'm still trying to get rid of the strap marks!), which was a major relief because it was the first shoot I've ever done on my own as Editor Emma was off having adventures in Australia at the time, and I was so determined to have an 'English summer's day' theme, I actually had no back up plan in case it rained (though technically that could be still be a typical English summer's day, right?).

With as many traditional English sporting goods as we could borrow (think cricket, bowling and croquet), the first half of the shoot was spent playing games, trying to look sporty and pretty at the same time and laughing at (South African) model Chelsea's way of holding a croquet mallet whilst avoiding the small children running around the park determined to get in shot.

This cute lace dress by Amanda Jones is in the most fantastic coral colour – trust us, this the most flattering shade ever.

The second half of the shoot was based around afternoon tea in the park, with more of a romantic, tranquil feel and ladylike garments. And, of course, avoiding the curious onlookers who kept photographing our table laden with afternoon tea, strawberries and cupcakes, not realising they were in our shot!

This lacy scallop top by Pat Menchini looks so elegant you could easily wear it for evening engagements too.

This cardigan is so cute everyone in our office tried it on the minute it arrived. It's the perfect balance between vintage chich and modern cute.

Also in this issue:

Exclusive Martin Storey Diamond jacket

Eyelet and beading angora wrap

Ladies cricket sweater

Picot and pinwheel crochet table cloth

Erika Knight stash project tea cosy

New series – One to watch: Georgie Troon (up coming designers of the future!

Designer profile – Meet Olga Buraya-Kefelian

Technical how tos – Faux pockets and bobbles

FREE Summer socks supplement

Plus BONUS Artesano cable shrug pattern

And of course the best news, reviews, books, yarns, tips and prizes you can find in your favourite Knitting magazine!

Behind the scenes of our August shoot

Yesterday we spent the day at the beautiful Canfields Farm in Rudgwick, West Sussex, for our gorgeous 'glamping' August shoot. Canfields Farm is one of Feather Down Farm Day's listed farm sites that host the fabulous Feather Down camping, or should we say 'GLAMping' huts. All the farms are different, and Canfields couldn't have been nicer. Run by the lovely Sarah and Tim Bargman, we rocked up to a beautiful sunny day, big smiles and an announcement they would also be putting on lunch – beef stew – cooked over the outside fire using their own organic beef. We liked them very much.

This was the most practical way of transporting equipment to the campsite. No divas here, as Editor Emma proves, we all mucked in!

We made lots of friends of the farm...

This lady seemed very interested in me (I think she could smell my fear, I'm scared of cows!)

Isn't this the coolest place to camp in ever? It sleeps 2 adults and up to 4 kids! There's a wood burning stove! A flushing toilet! Deckchairs, picnic benches, camp fire cauldrons for cooking and an outside pizza/roasting oven!

Rolling up the sides to get plenty of light. Namibian model Leo said it reminded her of houses in Africa. We loved the amazing candlabra hanging over the dining table, this place must be so pretty at night!

Lunch bubbling away and the smell of wood burning...yum.

We all sat down for a lovely lunch. Being vegetarian I didn't eat the stew, but I did get to sample the local bread, butter and cheese from the neighbouring farm all sold from Canfield's farm shop. We were even joined by Tim's parents, Peter and Erica, who have been farming here for 50 years (Tim was even born on the farm!). It was fascinating to hear about the amazing produce they sell from their own organic beef and veal to the award winning 'Best Wine in the World' Denbies Rose!

After a lovely lunch break it was straight back to hard work to wrap up the shoot.

This was such a lovely place to spend the day, we definitely recommend it. If you would like to find out more visit www.featherdown.co.uk/farms/canfields.php or Canfield Farm's own website www.rudgwickorganic.co.uk. You can also call Tim and Sarah on 01403 823773 or email any queries to sarahbargman@live.co.uk

We can't wait for you to see how fabulous the garments looked in this amazing setting but before we count our chickens (they were at the farm too!) you'll have to wait for July's issue to come out first. Good things come to those who wait!

What we saw at the weekend � UPDATED!

Check out this amazing knitted Brighton Pavilion spotted by Assistant Ed Kelly in the North Laine in Brighton at the weekend.

Brightening up the window of Temptation cafe on Gardner St this summer, we're not sure if this fabulous tribute to our iconic monument was knitted by owner Peter (the sign says he is a 'slightly mad knitter'!) but whoever did it, we're impressed. Ha, it's so 'Brighton'!

AMENDED!

Aha, we found out that it was Peter, the owner, who knitted the fab Pavilion. We even managed to nab a quick Q&Q with the multi-talented man, right here!

Q. Introduce yourself...

A. I'm Peter Allinson, 41, from Brighton. I'm the owner of the Temptation Cafe, 56 Gardner Street, Brighton, BN1 1UN. We've been open for nearly 2 years and focus on local Sussex foods. I've been knitting for years (on and off) and when we opened I made some tea cosies as decorative items to have around the cafe. They have been a real hit and people now come in and demand their favourite one, want to constantly buy them and try and wear them on their heads in photos. They are all a bit individual and a bit of a surprise for customers.

Q. How did the knitted Pavillion come about?

A. Last year I created a range of Christmas Sussex hampers and made a set of knitted hamsters to promote them hanging in the window. When the summer came we created picnic hampers and therefore had picnic hamsters with them, sitting in deck chairs, and I knitted a replica of Brighton Pier to go with them. I was challenged by customers to knit the pavilion and it started from there. I made the pattern up as I went along (surprisingly no-one had made a pattern for the pavilion!) starting with a large box shape and then adding to it with domes, balconies and trellaces. I also sewed the seagulls that are flying above it – silent ones that don't squawk at 5am!

Q. How long will it be on show?

A. All summer this year.

Q. We hear you've knitted some pretty impressive previous endeavours...

A. As above - Brighton Pier and a set of ever changing hamsters. I was responsible for the guerilla knitting in Brighton around Max Miller's legs in Pavilion Gardens as part of last year's white night festival too.

Q. Future knitting plans! What's next for the window display?

A. Who knows! I'm thinking of doing the seafront or the downs – something very Brighton.

If you want to check out the lovely Temptation Cafe visit www.brightontemptation.com

Sneak peek of June issue on sale 12 May

The June issue has just arrived in the office, and coupled with the glorious sunshine outside, everything is feeling very summery. We shot the gallery at the end of March when the weather had just changed from miserable grey and cloudy to beautiful, warm and sunny, which was lucky for the model as they are usually modeling a garment months before that kind of garment is required, weather-wise, and so often end up trying to quell their shivers and smile valiantly for the camera. Not so on this shoot, I even managed to get some sunbathing in!

The key to clothing around this time of year, when the weather is unpredictable to say the least, lies in layering, which was the thinking behind our commisioning for this issue. Lovely cardigans and jackets to layer over tops and dresses and pretty vests and tops that can be worn under something slightly warmer if the need arises.

This gorgeous cardigan was designed exclusively for us by Martin Storey. Perfect for the wedding season coming up!

The boxy, retro shape of this jacket is so stylish and flattering. Team it with a flirty skirt or capri pants for 50's summer feel.

This light, cool camisole, knitted in Sublime Baby Silk and Bamboo, is so pretty and will make you feel instantly summery.

Also in this issue

Waterfall lace frill top

Ruffle neck cardigan

New series - A week in the life: Heather Webb, biodiversity officer and co-founder of The Nude Ewe

The Purl of Belguim – behind the scenes of Europe's largest knitwear exhibition

Technical article - Knitting garments with steeks plus Fairisle vest pattern

FREE tape measure

And of course the best news, reviews, books, yarns, tips and prizes you can find in your favourite Knitting magazine!

Sneak peek of May issue on sale 14 April

Today the long-awaited, beautiful sunshine is streaming through our window and the BBC confidently informs us it will reach the dizzy heights of 20 degrees this afternoon. We are very excited by this and are already looking forward to summer wardrobes, brighter clothing and, after all those long months of dreary energy-sucking weather, some fun!

The May issue has just landed in the office and it fits our mood perfectly – bright, colourful and a bit cheeky (cocktails in the afternoon?). We've been wanting to do a cocktail theme for a while and decided the tricky transitional month of May would be perfect for some colourful, mood-lifting garments;

Bold cocktail dresses worn bare-legged for the brave, with tights for the practical!

Frivolous frills worn with attitude creates a striking look.

Gold detail gives a glam edge to pretty tops.

Also in this issue

Lime lace sleeved mohair tunic

Fuchsia kimono cardigan

Erika Knight stash project – mohair leg warmers

Feature on the rise and power of knitting imagery in big brand campaigns

The return of Gallery Garment techniques!

FREE Rowan and Patons new summer knits supplement

And of course, the latest news, reviews, yarns and prizes to keep you up to date, all in the yur favourite knitting magazine!

Knitting magazine App!

Check us out! We are now available to download as an App from the iTunes store for your iPhone/iPad or from www.pocketmags.com for Androids and other smart phones.

Oooh, pretty!

The App is £1.79 to download and you get your first issue free (current or back issues)! After that you can buy single issues, back issues, 6 or 12 month subscriptions for fantastic deals. We've been playing with the iPad today and it looks fabulous – so clear and glossy. You can zoom in and out, scroll along pages and read the text and patterns perfectly.

And look how cool it looks!

Behind the scene of our June issue

It's hard to believe, after our fourth consecutive Dickensian fog day in Lewes, that only a week ago it was sunny, warm, wear a t-shirt weather. The evenings may be lighter, we wouldn't know. So to remind us that it was sunny once, and will be again soon (according to Chris Evans it's going to be a BBQ summer!) here is a sneak peek from behind the scenes of our gloriously sunny June shoot that thankfully we did last week, to get us, and you, in the mood.

This is where I was sunbathing!

Look at the blue sky!

And this little fella provided hours of entertainment...

...and cuddles! New Ed's letter pic, I think.

So fingers crossed the sun comes back soon – at least in time for our July shoot!

Rabbits and toadstools and daffodils, oh my!

Look what we found running around the gardens at Knitting HQ!

Having conquered the beast that is casting on, Assistant Ed Kat has been been having a dabble in other woolly based crafts, this time, needle felting!

Says Kat, "Two hours of messing about with the fluffy wool tops and the vicious looking needle I was well and truly hooked!"

Aren't they the cutest things ever?!

Sneak peek of April issue on sale 17 March

Our April issue goes on sale on Thursday and we've had super feedback from everyone that has seen it at Knitting HQ so far! It's tricky for knitwear, the transitional, seasonal months where your not sure if you should already be making summer stuff but it's still cold enough to wear your Nordic jumper.

A mixture of garments that can be worn on their own, as cover ups or layered are key, and we've got a great mix designs like that this month, all styled with a gorgeous 1930's twist and photographed on the Golden Arrow Pullman carriage on loan from the Bluebell Railway. Marple, Poirot, eat your heart out!

This Martin Storey kidsilk cover up is so floaty and elegant!

Both the Round yoke sweater and driving gloves ooze old style glamour.

Turn heads in this gorgeous purple dogtooth skirt.

Also in this issue

Nicky Epstein Fairy Leaves Shrug Duo

Fiona Morris 'Changing a stitch pattern' technique and Wavy Lace cardigan

Alison Pierce Simplon Cape

Jeanette Sloan Orient Doctor's bag

Passion for the Past – Meet Lise-Lotte Lystrup, author, knitter, business woman

Spotlight on: Retro ladylike knits

FREE toy pattern supplement – so cute!

And of course the best news, reviews, books, yarns, tips and prizes you can find in your favourite Knitting magazine!

WIN a copy of Knit Your Own Royal Wedding!

By now you can't have missed the wave of kitsch craft memorabilia taking over the UK in aid of the up coming Royal Wedding, and riding the top of that wave is Fiona Goble's Knit Your Own Royal Wedding published by Ivy Press (www.ivypress.co.uk). It's been on Radio 2 twice with both Chris Evans and Simon Mayo, featured in every magazine with the Sunday papers at the weekend and has taken the internet by storm.

Seeing as we share our lovely Sussex market town with Ivy Press, they have generously given us 4 copies to give away and we have decided to have a bit of fun by holding a caption contest!

All you have to do to win a copy is send us your best caption for the above picture and we'll pick and post here our favourite four. Your caption can be funny, poignant, from Will's, Kate's or even the footmen's perspective, anything goes! You can send as many captions as you want, and if you live outside the UK, don't worry, you can share in the fun and enter too!

Just email your caption(s) to knittingcomps@thegmcgroup.com with 'Royal Wedding Caption contest' in the subject title (don't forget to include your name and address!) by 1st April. We'll make sure you get your copy before the big day!

Kat's first knitting!

Congratulations and hurrah to Acting Assistant Ed Kat, who has finally managed to finish more than one line of knitting without throwing up her hands in utter bewilderment. To be fair, she is left-handed, and even with the best intentions most 'learn to knit' books/videos/well-meaning people do not take that in to consideration first off, assuming you are right handed. On a recent trip home though, her mum (like all good mums) took her to task and now she's off!

Always one to encourage, I asked her what she is making and this is how the conversation went.

Katy: Ooh how exciting, what's it going to be?

Kat: A square.

Katy: ...?

Kat: Or a rectangle.

Katy: ...you could frame it?

Kat: Or a dog blanket.

Katy: ...

So we wait with baited breath for it to reveal itself, and until then, congratulations Kat, we knew you could do it!

This is the best thing EVER!!

This is the best press release EVER!!

I blogged not long ago about the new book Knit Your Own Royal Wedding, published by Ivy Press. Well now Ivy Press have put out their official press release for it...in a knitted stop motion video featuring, yep, the knitted Royal Family! The Archbishop, a couple of loose corgis and a breakdancing man servant also feature, but the whole thing is so worth it to watch the Queen lead the conga and Wills and Kate kiss at the end!

WATCH IT HERE NOW! www.ivypress.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=11534

Royal wedding fever

If you have Royal Wedding fever and you haven't found an outlet yet, Great British Yarns are holding a competition to design and knit or crochet a 'suitable and appropriate' (their words not mine! The mind boggles at inappropriate...) item for the Royal Wedding and send it in to them for your chance to win lots of lovely prizes, including first prize – a £50 voucher to be redeemed at Great British Yarns!

All items will also be auctioned off to raise money for charity, so that's nice too.

To find out more check out Great British Yarns website for rules and Debi Birkin's awesome crown! www.greatbritishyarns.co.uk

Use your head!

A while ago Jeanette Sloan, our wonderful 'Ask Jeanette' guru told us about a project she had been involved with to create knitted props for an advert campaign for the Scottish government, the aim being to highlight the importance of insulating houses to conserve heat. No probs, she though. Ha ha.

One bobble hat for an entire house, one phone and ten knitted numbers later...

Well head over to Jeanette's blog http://jeanettesloan.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/my-first-tv-ad/ to find out what happened, trust me, it's worth it – the final advert is utterly brilliant!

Sneak peek of March issue on sale 17 February

Our March issue goes on sale next week, and I don't know about you, but just looking at the cover makes it feel like winter can't last forever and spring is just around the corner. It's so light and bright and fun, it's like a breath of fresh air pushing the dark, gloomy, rainy days of Jan and Feb into the past. OK, I might have got a bit lyrical here, but hands up who is so over the lack of sun, or even daylight hours, already!

March is also our bi-annual fashion issue as we have the hot trend report right off the catwalk for S/S11 and whether you know it or not, those trends trickle right down into our every day lives influencing anything from the new colour palettes of existing yarns to the pattern collections by knitwear designers for this summer. Want to know what you'll be knitting over the next few months? Get this issue and find out!

And of course, fashion lead us to our inspiration for this month: Springtime in Paris. Parisienne stlye is so recogniseable; simple silhouettes, chic tailoring, bold colours and undeniably stylish.

This fitted bolero manages to be both really cute and sharply tailored.

Judy Furlong's beautifully tailored jacket and beret stays on the right side of matching creating an instant ensemble.

Never underestimate the power of a well-fitting simple white shirt! Dressed up or down, it will make any outfit look effortlessly chic.

And if you were wondering where we got the fantastic background from, no it is not a piece of Brighton street art, it is courtesy of our very own editor, Emma, who in a former life used to be a decorative painter, and her artist friend Stephen Crowther and will adorn our studio walls forever more.

Also in this issue:

Fashion Forecast S/S11

A Tale of One City - Knitting across the Channel, checking out the knit scene in Paris

Erika Knight stash project - pom pom beret

Spotlight on...Monochrome knits

Parisienne sweater by Origin Bergere de France

Daisy and drop leaf lace scarf by Amanda Jones

Classic Breton top

Yarn review - all the new season yarns!

Brand new season Sirdar and Sublime pattern supplement

And of course the best news, reviews, books, yarns, tips and prizes you can find in the most stylish knitting magazine in the UK! (of course we think that, but it's what you tell us too!)

THIS is amazing!

The madness has started...

www.ivypress.co.uk/product/?pid=60455

Online is where it's at

We're getting all technological here at Knitting (about time you may say, but I'm pretending I can't hear you) so not only can we be found on Twitter and Facebook but you can email competition and giveaway entries to us too!

If you haven't already seen us, we can be found on Twitter at @KnittingMag. We will be tweeting what we're up to and would love to hear from you too. Assistant Ed Kat set us up a few months ago now, but this week, after months of studiously ignoring anything that requires you to use the word 'tweet' I joined in the fun...and I'm slightly hooked. Cyber stalking the likes of everyone from Perri Lewis to Stephen Fry in the name of work can make hours fly by...

Check us out on Facebook as well (just search for Knitting Magazine) where we'll be updating info, on sale dates, future content, announcing competitions and asking what you're up to. 'Like' us and we'll love you!

And finally, in the name of saving money (save on those stamps!) as well as being technological, you can now enter our competitions and giveaways via email. Just put the issue number and prize in the subject title and include your name and contact details in the email body and send to knittingcomps@thegmcgroup.com.

It's true, online is where it's at!

WIN a pair of tickets to Unravel!

The nice folks at Unravel have given us a pair of weekend tickets to giveaway to their wonderful festival of knitting held on 26-27 February at Farnham Maltings.

UNRAVEL – Farnham Malting's popular festival of knitting, hand spun yarns, talks, workshops and more – returns for a third year on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 February 2011. What’s more, readers can win a pair of weekend tickets worth £18.

The Farnham Maltings is once again transformed for the weekend into a woollen wonderland with something for everyone. Hear a range of talks, see demonstrations, take part in workshops, purchase yarn, buttons and other accessories, solve your knitting quandaries at our knitting surgery and, new this year, watch our UNRAVEL fashion show where designers can present their creations on the catwalk.

To enter the competition email knittingcomps@thegmcgroup.com before 18th February and tell us what event is new at UNRAVEL this year, along with your name, address and contact details. Be sure to include “unravel 2011” in the subject line. The winner will be chosen at random.

Weekend tickets are worth £9 each or £12 on the door. Day tickets are £6 in advance or £8 on the door. Winners of this giveaway will receive two full weekend tickets absolutely free*

To find out more about UNRAVEL 2011 visit www.farnhammaltings.com or call the Box Office on 01252 745444 to book tickets.

*Terms and Conditions: Tickets subject to availability. Valid from Sat 26th– Sun 27th February 2011, not to be used in conjunction with any other offer, the editor’s decision on the winning entry will be final

Win for your opinion!

We want to know what you think of Knitting magazine. It's a new year, is there anything you want to see more of? Less of? Have you come across someone or something you think would make a great profile or feature? Is there a technique you're dying to try? We have done another online survey, this time much more content specific, and we want to know what you think!

It should only take about 5 mins and you will automatically be entered into our prize draw to win one of the gorgeous Hiya Hiya Interchangeable Needles sets in a pretty brocade case (worth £48!) that Brownberry Yarns (www.brownberryyarns.co.uk) have generously donated as a prize.

To enter just click on the ‘survey’ box at the top right hand of this page which will take you straight to the survey. We want to know what you think and what you want so be honest!

Sneak peek of February issue on sale 20 January

When we orginally discussed a theme for our February issue we weren't so keen to go down the romantic route, it's pretty cliched, and people can get pretty cynical about the mass-marketed, money-spinning creation that is Valentine's Day. We shuddered at the idea of 'his 'n hers' jumpers (which you just know is going to crop up somewhere), heart motifs adorning the most unlikely of objects and knitted cherubs? Well, they're just not our bag, baby.

But then we bucked up. Who were we kidding, we're Knitting magazine, there's no chance of crass cliched hearts and flowers and small fat babies blowing trumpets, it's just not in our nature to be anything other than stylish and fabulous, and if we want to do romance it will beautiful and stylish with probably just right the touch of vintage glamour.

Inspired by 'An Affair to remember', the gallery this month has a wistful, dreamy feel and features, quite frankly, an inordinate amount of lace. Good thing we have included a stitch library of lace stitches, '6 of the best' lace yarns and featured how to get lace into your knitting after being inspired by the new lace trend on the catwalk in 'Spotlight on...' in this issue too!

This pretty bed jacket is for those of us who feel a pair of Uggs and a hoodie just won't cut it. Not even at home. Ever.

The elegant waterfall cardigan hides a multitude of sins whilst also being simultaniuosly vintage inspired glamour and currently fashionable. Wish I looked like this mooching about at home.

This cute lace leaf pattern is in Sirdar's brand new Simply Recycled yarn and is perfect for layering in winter and then baring a hint of skin when the sun finally comes out.

Of course, this issue is not all lace and romance, it also includes:

Knitting in the Wings – Discover how back stage knitting is all the rage in this feature article

How-to: Reversible rib cables technique and button shrug pattern

The BEAUTIFUL Rowan Daydream pattern on our cover

The results of Bliss's Tiny Togs for Tiny Tots campaign

Boudoir make up purse and hanger stash project

FREE 2011 Holidays & Course Guide

And of course the best news, reviews, books, yarns, tips and prizes you can find in your one-of-a-kind Knitting magazine. Happy Valentine's Day? Nah. Happy Knitting!

Sneak Peek of January issue on sale 23 December

Happy New Year from Team Knitting!

The first day back in the office was never going to be a particularly happy and sprightly affair after all this relaxing and eating and general non-working we've been doing over the festive period, but luckily we were eased into it by the belated birthday celebrations of our designer, Claire, whose birthday falls on New Year's Eve. Although, all feelings of righteousness for having a salmon salad for lunch were undone by the birthday cupcakes for afternoon tea. Oh well, start as you mean to go on I guess.

It's nice to feel reconciled for once with the time of year and the issue on sale, but it's the new year and January issue 85 is in the shops. Every magazine I've flicked through in the last week has some kind of variations on a theme of 'New year, new you!' and since it is actually very apt, so have we. Our gallery this month encourages you to try something new, whether it's travel or trying a new hobby. And, of course you have to look fabulous doing them.

This cute Sirdar top is perfect for layering whilst it's still cold, but leaves your arms free for new toys...

If you've decided to spend more time outdoors this year, whether its growing your own veg or just walking more, there's no reason you can't look great doing it!

For a splash of bright colour, this stripey jumper does wonders for brightening the spirit.

Also in this issue:

Knitted Textile Awards – the designers to watch

Passion to Profit – meet people who have turned their love of knitting into their business

Spotlight on – motif knitting

A guide to designing your own motifs

Exclusive boy's and girl's star and snowflake sweaters

FREE 'Man and boy' design supplement

Start your New Year with Knitting!

It's Christmas!

It's the first of December, we've got Christmas tunes on the radio and it's snowing so I'm feeling incredibly festive. In fact, we've just gone a bit mad and decorated the Knitting office with anything festive featured in our December and Christmas issues. Recognise the wreath? That's our door to our office and I think the rest of our building are feeling quite jealous every time they pass it.

We have also strung up our two Christmas cards we have received so far. Yep, two, but It is only the first after all, plenty of time for the hordes to pour in!

Look, here is our proof it's snowing in supposedly sunny southern Brighton.

So, from the whole team we would like to say Merry Christmas to everyone and wish those of you knitting gifts this year good luck and we hope your recipients show the right level of enthusiasm on receiving them! Now go and get some mulled wine. I am...

Sneak peek of Christmas issue on sale 25 November

Okay, it's nearly the end of November, am I allowed to get excited about Christmas yet? When we were putting together the December and Christmas issues I was determined not to get too excited in case I burnt out and got sick of it all before it had even begun. Even when I was decorating the Christmas tree for this shoot for our cool, calm, serene Christmas gallery (as opposed to the chaos we all experience instead) I had to keep reminding myself it was all pretend. I had to keep reminding Emma too because I think she took quite a fancy to our lovely house and pale and peaceful Christmas set up (she has 3 teenage boys so never going to happen at home). We hope you like the calm radiating from this issue too. There's still time to whip up something lovely for someone appreciative and pop it under the tree, or forget everyone else, grab a mug of mulled cider and kick back and relax with this festive issue.

This gorgeous hooded jacket by Susan Crawford is made in the softest Jamie Possum yarn. It's warm, soft, luxurious, just wait until you touch it...

(No possums are killed for this yarn and it's WWF approved!)

This lovely Martin Storey jumper is on trend with it's Nordic motif and so snuggly you too will want to curl up with your copy of It's a Wonderful Life. I can't wait to watch mine!

Though of course, Christmas is a time for partying up the festivities too and who doesn't love a bit of sparkle?

Also in this issue:

I finally get to tell my story of my trip to Iceland, to the first Loops Nordic Knitting festival

We meet designer Helene Magnusson and learn of her love of all things Icelandic

Our 'Spotlight on' looks at all that glitters

Make our gorgeous Christmas wreath and cute baubles

FREE wooden buttons - paint them, dye them, varnish them!

And of course the best news, reviews, books, yarns, tips and prizes you can find in a knitting magazine. Merry Christmas!

Sneak peek of December issue on sale 28 October

It's strange trying to get your head around December and Christmas when you're putting together an issue in September, so as we have a special Christmas issue next month we decided to not go too all out festive in this issue, although we still wanted a glamorous theme with lots of knits you can wear to Christmas parties or to keep you snug and stylish.

We're very lucky in Brighton to have the gorgeous Theatre Royal, with its red velvet and dark wood, and they generously allowed us to do our photo shoot there for our 'Theatrical glamour' shoot. There were so many fantastic props, like the performance time clock and the old show posters, that got us all in the mood, got our model feeling like and actress and made the shoot have a wonderful old vintage glamour feel. We hope you like it!

This gorgeous frill neck jacket in Mirasol Sulka is sophisticated and has an old Hollywood style feel to it. We knew straight away it would make our cover.

Opera gloves are always great at making you feel dressed up and this cashmere/angora/lambs wool blend pair are so soft and warm too!

Everyone was really getting into role here! That's Candice, our fab hair & makeup guru posing as a journalist, while Laura models the stylish Rowena top from Rowen.

Also this month:

We did manage to get in a couple of Christmas patterns, for those of you chomping at the bit – look out for the lovely Christmas stockings from Debbie Bliss's lovely book A Knitter's Year, and some exclusive pretty Christmas socks by Tina Barrett

Spotlight on the Nordic motif trend, trust us, it's huge!

We meet Melanie Porter, knitwear design with a difference. If you ever thought recovering furniture was dull you HAVE to see her amazing creations

More glamorous patterns including a floaty mohair cloak, lace snood and a show-stopping gold kelly bag

The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide. Full of lovely things that every knitter wants, we're also giving you the chance to win the items in it!

Really you can think of this issue as an early Christmas present.

Sneak peek of November issue on sale 30 September

When we went scouting for locations for our November shoot, which we were determined to do outside while we still could before being relegated to inside shoots for the next few months, we had the amazing luck of coming across the beautiful gypsy caravan that you will see in our gallery. We were originally scouting for a barn for a sort of barn dance theme (hence the gingham, denim shirt etc). When we saw the caravan, and got permission to use it from the very generous person who was already allowing us to use their barn and field, however, we decided to incorporate into the shoot. Now, we are all in agreement, the caravan makes the shoot. It gives it a whimsical holiday feel that shows even though the colder and darker months are soon upon us, you can still enjoy being outside – wearing warm knits of course!

So here are the knits!

This beautiful Daisy cardigan was designed exclusively for us by Martin Storey. We think the colours are so lovely and autumnal

Another exclusive, this time by Sarah Hatton, the pretty Sweetheart cardi

Barney was much amused by his stick on the shoot, not so much by what he was wearing, but we think he looks adorable!

Also don't miss this month:

Explore the knitting cottage industry as we talk to the brands reviving the 'granny knitting power'

Knit Nation – we review the success that was the new show on the block

Fitted denim 'cowgirl' shirt

high neck 'pucker' cable jumper

Design a hat competition

Spotlight on: patchwork knits

And, of course, the best reviews of the latest books, yarns and products to hit the shops that you need to know about!

London FashionWeek S/S11

I was up at London Fashion Week the other week with the girls from sister mag, Making Jewellery, to check out the key trends for Spring/Summer 2011. Knitwear wasn't a major feature, obviously, for that time of year but trends filter down in the forms of shape and colour too so I wanted to see what we could look forward to come next year.

It looks like both the 60's and 70's are going to be a big influence with dreamy, ethereal colours and shapes as well as retro prints and bright colours. Mark Fast introduced tassels and fringing in bright splashes of colour to his cobweb crochet dresses and Craig Lawrence did floor length with raw seams and a pale palette. There was a hint of metallics and many pretty delicate flowers. Should be interesting to see how this translates into yarns!

New Making magazine launching!

Introducing...Making magazine!

If you haven't heard yet, the publishers of Knitting are launching a new modern craft magazine for the home and family, called Making. On sale Thursday 16 September, this new magazine is full of projects, using different crafts and techniques, from knitting and crochet to papercrafts, baking, sewing, ceramics, jewellery making...you get the idea! The current trend for handmade crafts and the 'Make do and mend' ethos championed by fabulous people like Kirstie Allsop and her sumptuous TV show 'Homemade homes' is alive and well, and we're not talking wonky clay ashtrays here – in the first issue alone you can learn how to make luxurious bathbombs and body lotions, re-upholster a chair and learn some fancy techniques for icing cupcakes. With Christmas coming up you can be inspired to make all sorts of lovely handmade, and perhaps most importantly, personal gifts too.

Making is available at all major newsagents and supermarkets for just £4.99. You can save 50% off the cover price with the introductory offer of subscribing for 12 months too! To find out more hop over to their website www.makingmagazine.com. They especially want to hear from you about what you would like to see in the magazine!

Sneak peek of October issue on sale 2 September

Well, there's a definite nip in the air, and the evenings are getting shorter so autumn is just round the corner, and you know what, I'm ready for it. I love autumn; the rich colours, the abundance of British fruit ripe for the picking (I made a blackberry and apple cake just the other day from Sussex hedgerow goods and the products of a friend's garden), and that lovely golden sunlight you get in the afternoons.

It was a beautiful day for our shoot for this month, set in an apple orchard on a lovely estate on the Sussex Downs, and our two models made everything look effortlessly romantic and nostalgic. Here's a sneak peek at the rustic colours and warmer knits you can expect from this issue...

Norah Gaughan designed this beautiful yoke detailed sweater just for us! Fabulous colour too.

Everyone fell in love with this Rowan jumper, the soft palette and the fluffy haze from the Kidsilk Aura made us just want to snuggle up to it.

We also wanted to snuggle up to this...

We're really pleased with this issue. It has great garments, a distinct autumnal feel and some meaty articles. It also has these, so don't miss it!

For the Love of Lowie – Meet Bronwyn Lowenthal of handknit label Lowie, plus exclusive 'pocket scarf' pattern from her brand new book

Reading your knitting – Learn how to never lose your place again

Exclusive Sarah Hatton Kimono sweater

'Greengage' fairisle fitted sweater

Design a scarf competition

And, of course, the best reviews of the latest books and yarns to hit the shops now!

Knitting & Stitching Show 2010 Author Schedule

Here it is, the official schedule of authors/designers who will be signing books on the Knitting stand (G14) at the K&S show at Ally Pally this October. The Knitting editorial team will be on and off the stand (lots of schmoozing to be done, you see) so come and say hello!

Adventures in Iceland!

Woo hoo, I finally can tell you about my amazing trip to Iceland that I went on about a month ago! Well, I can't tell you everything because there will be a full write up in the mag in our December issue, but I can share with you a few sneak peeks at what I got up to and what I saw and how on earth I ended up there in the first place.

Introducing...ICELAND! The land of THIS...

...and THIS...

Check out the beautiful Nordic jumper...sigh...if they hadn't cost approx £90 I would have had one myself...

We were invited, about a week before the event, to fly to Reykjavik to cover the country's first Nordic Knitting festival – a week long festival of events including workshops, lectures, markets, art exhibitions, quizzes and knit graffiti, unbelievably, never before witnessed in Iceland, a country with a rich cultural heritage of knitting! As it was a 'Nordic' knitting festival, not just an Icelandic one, this also meant involving people from Sweden, Norway and Finland to name just a few.

I took along my friend Amy, a budding photographer who jumped at an all-expenses paid trip to the land of hot springs, geysers and lopi and off we went, without really any idea what to expect at all. Do they speak English? Is it as expensive as people say? Is the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa as fabulous as it looks in the guide book? The answer to all those questions is...YES. So here we go, a tantalising peek at my trip...

This is the lovely Ilmur Gísladóttir who works at Nordic House Cultural Centre. She not only invited us to the festival but organised the whole thing.

(Random Icelandic fact: Everyone is listed in the phone book by their first names as ALL women's surnames are named after their father's first name ie Gisladottir means literally daughter of Gisla. If she had been a boy she would have been Gislasson)

This is Amy and me just hanging out. Everything in Iceland is so freakishly big! Just kidding, it was a sculpture outside the Nordic House. It's also about 11pm at night – June is one of the months of the Midnight Sun and it never got darker than this. Ever.

There was a fantastic soft sculpture art exhibition. Check out these felted 'seal pelts'.

And these gruesome insects!

Ah yes, and me in the infamous City of Stitches by Isabel Berglund.

Smile for the camera at all costs. I think I look quite casual considering just how HEAVY this yarn jacket is.

Well, that's all I'm going to share I think for the moment as I need to save some of it for the article, but I wanted to share a little bit with our readers because, frankly, I WENT TO ICELAND – how cool is that?!

FREE strawberry pattern now available to download!

As mentioned on our News page in our August on issue, if you are looking at getting involved with Breast Cancer Care's summer campaign, Strawberry Tea, Libby Tomey, of Libby T Designs has very generously donated her knitted strawberry pattern to download free from this website.

Available for the duration of our August issue being on sale, just go to the FREE PATTERNS section located at the top of the main web page and you will find it. Good luck with your events and let us know how they go!

Sneak peek of August issue on sale 8 July

I love how exotic our gorgeous model, Anara, looks on the cover of our August issue. With all the rich jewel colours of this month's garments, Anara's dark and striking looks and the beautiful flowers, fabrics and glassware used in the shoot, you would think the photo shoot took place in the heat of Marrakech not the English countryside.

To get your imagination working overtime, here's a sneak peek of what you can expect...

This beautiful lace shawl, by Anniken Allis, adds a hint of mystery and femininity without covering up too much.

Floaty, delicate kidsilk haze will make you feel romantic as you stroll around your summer garden

Or turn up the heat in this fiery coloured bell-sleeved cardigan

This issue is also packed with fantastic features like our new Fashion Forecast A/W10, looking at inspiration from the catwalk to discover the trends in knitwear for the coming season, and our look at The North Circular, the knitwear label set up by supermodels Lily Cole and Katherine Poulton.

Also in this issue

- Swiss darning masterclass

- More stash than cash – Erika Knight makes a summer slouch hat

- Gorgeous socks design supplement

And sadly, this month will have our last Purl About Town column for while as Laura Parkinson takes a much needed break after sharing with us the struggles of her newborn baby, Florence, who has spent the first few months of her life in Great Ormond Street Hospital. Thankfully we can now share with you that Laura and Florence are both now at home.

Next month, craft writer and blogger Perri Lewis takes the reins for a new series, Out and about with Perri, so that's something to look forward to.

As always, don't forget to let us know what you think of everything on the forums!

Graduate Fashion Week

Last week Emma and I managed to get up to Earls Court for our first visit to Graduate Fashion Week – where the cream of British fashion and textile degree course students show their collections with the hope of being snapped up and starting their dream career in the industry.

It was here, last year, that Grace Melville showed her 'David Attenborough' sweater dress and got snapped up by Rowan. Now she is already on her second studio collection for them.

(yes this pic is a little blurry, I just wanted to prove we really were there. And that I need a new camera to capture all of the glamorous shindigs!)

We saw some amazing knitwear in the exhibition hall and had invitations to Kingston's catwalk show, which was fantastic – as professional as any of those we saw at London Fashion Week. My favourite designs were the one's pictured below by David Stoneman-Merret, whose chunky, sparkly men's knits included an all-in-one green diamond pyjama thing, a HUGE black sparkling floor length cardigan and a pink and white flowery jumper with sequins. And of course the crazy sock/scarf things they had on their heads.

We failed a bit on the celeb-spotting (Vivienne Westwood had just left when we arrived) but we did bump into Hilary Alexander, fashion writer and director of The Telegraph, in the press area, who seemed to think she might know us. We smiled winningly back. And my exciting 'spot' was seeing Susie Bubble of brilliant style blog http://stylebubble.typepad.com.

She looked up and smiled when I nudged Emma. Note: must be cooler next time.

I love going to these things, surrounded people who are passionate and inspired (and inspiring!) about design, textiles, knitwear, fashion and supporting homegrown talent. We will do a proper review of the exciting new crop of knitwear designers to keep an eye on in our September issue, so don't forget to check that out when it comes out!

Sneak peek of July issue on sale 10 June

It's so nice to have a really summery issue about to hit the news stands and for it to actually be hot and sunny in real time too! So many issues are put together with a lot of imagination when it comes to seasons – think putting together the Dec issue and thinking about Christmas, cold and snow, when it's actually September and still summery and warm (I've even come back from a holiday in St Tropez lazing by a pool, and gone straight into a Christmas issue).

Knitting in the summer can be controversial as lots of people think of thick wool and warm jumpers when they think of knitting. The truth is, summer months are excellent for making light summery garments, little and quick projects, gifts or getting a head start on your Christmas presents, and there are lots of lovely light weight yarns out there – cotton, linen and bamboo springing to mind straight away.

So, here's a sneak peek of our Lazy Days of Summer gallery...

This lacy Gedifra cover up can be worn on the beach in the day or as a sophisticated jacket at night. Erika Knight's flower headband can also be worn as a belt too!

Coral is THE colour of the summer and this cute vest with flattering rib waist is a great everyday top.

Every girl wants to look gorgeous for a party and this lovely butterfly print shrug by Rowan is perfect for English Roses.

Also in this issue

– Meet colourful Norwegian designer Fam Irvoll

– New Erika Knight series 'More Stash than Cash'

– A good old yarn - your winning knitting stories

– Toys to Knit and Love pattern supplement

Don't forget to let us know what you think of this issue in our forums!

For your entertainment

There's nothing like a national catastrophe to bring out the warped British sense of humour – and these definitely made me giggle. I give you...Knitted Political Finger Puppets! Or as RUBBISH magazine, whose limited edition finger puppets these are, say, Give politics the finger. Apparently they are guaranteed 'NOT to pull the wool over your eyes'.

It's good to see knitters wielding their needles as political activism tools (I think we can all agree the point here is to mock, rather than admire). Re-enact the election with your own desired outcome...

Good bye Mr Brown

New BFFs Dave and Nick

And because I actually live in the Brighton constituency who now have an official Green Party MP...

...Hello Caroline

These limited edition finger puppets are £10 each and are available from www.rubbishmagshop.com

Sneak peek of June issue on sale 13 May

Well our June issue is in the office, and we're quite excited to see what you think of it. We tried something a little different this month...June is...The Real Issue!

What started out as a 'wouldn't it be fun if we did this...' idea in the office actually came to fruition this month as we decided to give over the design reigns to a group of real women, with the aim to show when it comes to knitwear, fashion, dressing for your age and body shape, what real women really want.

Our group of gorgeous women relished the chance to design a knit they felt would best show off their good bits, while hiding the not-so-good bits (oh we all have them, this we have learned!) and we followed them the whole way, from meeting designer Sian Brown to discuss their ideas (and then meeting pattern writer Penny Hill to point out the practicalities – zebra print is pretty hard in knitwear!) through to getting hair and make-up done for our final photo shoot, in our 'Behind the scenes' feature. Get a glimpse into how the magazine process works!

We hope you like this departure from our normal routine. It's good to shake things up a little every now and then!

Introducing Rhona; blonde, gorgeous, quite busty. A statement collar draws the eye to where you want people to look. Ahem, up here Mister.

Meet Liz; classy and classic. A beautiful textured top, fitted to give the illusion of curves, with the always-flattering 3/4 length sleeves (the dignified way of flashing the flash)

Ah lovely Aline; good things come in small packages. Neutral colours allow natural dark colouring to shine. Attract the eye with sexy neck and shoulder details whilst super long sleeves are both lengthening and slimming.

Also, don't miss in this issue...

– Meet American knitwear designer Norah Gaughan and try out her her gorgous Bright Star throw

– How to knit frills, try it out on our cute retro apron pattern (then go and make cup cakes).

– Sailor stripe beach bag

– Design competition winners patterns

And the best news, reviews and product round ups on the market.

Knitting adventures up north Part 2

Part 2 Sirdar

So, our adventures with Sirdar began with the aforementioned gorgeous village pub and outrageously expensive food. We met Caroline and Sue from Sirdar in a tiny little village surrounded by beautiful Yorkshire stone (I know I keep going on about how lovely Yorkshire is but I'm a south coast girl through and through and wasn't expected to be quite so taken with anything this far north!), green fields and an endless sky. We had a look at the menu, took a couple of gulps, then decided this was what work expenses were for and we'd just have to 'take one for the team'. Oh, it's a tough life.

The next day was our official visit to Sirdar headquarters in Wakefield. Of course we got lost. But this time I mean really lost. 45 minutes of driving round the hell that is the one way system in Wakefield city centre lost. I couldn't believe my trusted iPhone Sat Nav was failing us and was mightily relieved when Caroline told us later that their post goes directly to the main post office, which was the postcode provided and so the one my poor Sat Nav was trying to take us to. It was with relief we eventually arrived at Sirdar headquarters, looming at us from behind huge iron gates, or like Emma put it, like Thunderbirds HQ on Tracey Island. It wouldn't have surprised us if a rocket suddenly appeared out the top.

(For such a big place, as demonstrated by our tour of the yarn storing warehouse, yarn send out warehouse, design room and knitting up area, we were impressed by how the company does seem to be like a big family, with everybody from managers to fork-lift truck drivers jumping into the factory floor to help pack exhibition equipment and stock)

Sirdar's press room, like their photo shoots and colour palettes, is a centre of calm, a zen setting in cream.

All of the new yarns, their patterns and selected garments modeled on mannequins were on display around the room and we took them all in at a leisurely pace, with many anecdotes about behind the scenes of photo shoots (freezing temperatures on a mountainside in Tenerife standing in for hot and sunny mid-west America) and information on how and why new yarns have come into being (from trends at Piti Filatti to best sellers).

Sirdar always do great kids patterns, from cool and trendy modern styles (that loop style jacket has been seen in Topshop!)

...to gorgeously retro vintage styling (check out the boy's ski sweater, how cool?!)

But my favourite was the batwing-style jumper in new yarn Indie, which has a gorgeous, almost unpredictable colour change in varying widths, and some fantastic colourways (can you see the limey mustard green and pink in the background?)

The big roll necks and bat-wing sleeves are going to be big this A/W, and with the deep waist ribbing, are very flattering.

And over at Sublime, big chunky knits in wide, sculptural ribs and exaggerated collars were held in by skinny belts, giving a flattering silhouette.

The trends for this coming season are definitely textured knits with at least one stand out feature – wide ribs, 3D bobbles, with an emphasis on either huge collars, roll necks or sleeves (note, try just one textured stitch with one stand-out feature or it might become more am-dram costume than sartorial statement).

And, again, colour. This A/W we will not be fading into the background succumbing to the shorter days and darker nights, but making ourselves feel good with bright pops of clashing colour and random self-striping.

I'm looking forward to it already!

A bit sheepish...

Ooops. Apologies to those of you who are trying to claim your free book by joining up to our forum. Our rebooted website, with new free patterns, up to date yarn reviews and downloadable how-tos is designed to go live on 13 May, our News Stand on sale date. Yep, we forgot about you lovely, loyal subscribers, who, for your loyalty, get the magazine a week early. Sorry! xxx

Knitting adventures up north Part 1

After being invited by Rowan to their A/W10 Press Day up at the mill in Holmfirth, Emma and I decided to visit Sirdar whilst we were in their neck of the woods, and so began a three-day, fun-filled, Sat Nav-reliant trip to Yorkshire. (no seriously, without the Sat Nav we would have been done for)

Part 1 Rowan

It all began with picking up Erika Knight, who was hitching a ride up with us as she was actually presenting the Rowan Press day, and five hours later (having planned world domination and discovered how AMAZING the Sat Nav and google earth on my new iPhone are) arriving at our hotel to the sounds of silence, the odd sheep baaing and this view. Not bad huh?

The next morning we were off to the mill. Somehow on a supposed 7-minute journey we got lost. (This will become a recurring theme)

What a gorgeous place to go to work to every day. You can't see it but the stream is trickling away just behind me.

It's lovely inside too, with wooden floors, exposed brick walls and garments exhibited everywhere...

...which Emma couldn't resist trying on. Brand new Gedifra! Texture is going to be BIG this Autumn.

The tea and biscuits never stopped flowing and it was great to meet some of the other knitting magazines' representatives. The presentation by Erika was great. Trends for this A/W – cables (huge sculptural ones), shoulders and sleeves get interesting, texture is going to be quite out there, and colour, lots of it (the more clashing the better). You heard it here first!

Sneak peek of these textured yarns I speak of...

We got to try them all out too!

The press day was finished off with a wonderfully funny catwalk show modeled by varying-levels-of-enthusiasm members of staff...

...and a nice goodie bag to take home!

Well, I can tell you, Rowan won't disappoint come Autumn. I think they translated the catwalk trends into beautiful, wearable garments incredibly well. And with 4 new Rowan yarns, 5 Gedifra, new Regia and Patons, you won't know where to start come the new season.

After an unsuccessful attempt to find the picturesque town of Hebden Bridge (interesting fact no.1 home of Alan Dart, no. 2 self-proclaimed lesbian capital of Britain, no.3 outstandingly pretty) we got lost (told you, recurring theme) and went back to our hotel.

We finished off the evening in a gorgeous village pub, eating outrageously expensive food and being amused by young, enthusiastically camp waiters with broad Yorkshire accents. But that was with Sirdar so will be continued tomorrow in Part 2 Sirdar...

Novice Knits launch party

Last night, in the name of knitting, supporting our friend and, let's face it, wine, Emma and I went to Erika Knight's launch of Novice Knits, her new Knit 'n' natter/ how to knit course held in a lovely little pub in Brighton.

(On a side note, I think Emma and I are spending waaay too much time together as our timing is becoming so in sync. Example: I turned up 15 minutes late wondering how I was going to apologise for my tardiness seeing as I lived about 3 roads away, only to find Emma outside the pub hurriedly parking up too).

What we weren't expecting, although I don't know why not since Erika doesn't do things by halves, was a room packed with tables laden with baskets overflowing with yarn and needles, tasty snacks liberally scattered, mannequins with some of Erika's latest offerings from her new book Simple Knits, a positive library of Erika's back catalogue (some 20 books) and about 20 people spilling out into the corridor, all eager to get started.

(Hmm, pic's a bit blurry. I'm blaming the iPhone and the G&T. We were in a pub after all)

After an introduction from Erika, who explained how the Novice Knits class would pan out and talked about some of the techniques and projects she'll be covering over the next few weeks we were allowed to jump into which ever treat she had set up for us. There were three options: extreme knitting on the sofa, a gorgeous flower pot cover pattern to follow or learn to finger knit. Emma and I opted for the last one because a) we'd never done it before, and b) we thought it would be easy. Ha, famous last words.

This is effectively what we did in about 2 hours.

Yep finger knitting, tricky little bugger, to begin with at least. We were totally put to shame by someone's 8 year old daughter who ran rings around us, or at least managed to loop, scarf-like, around her neck about 4 times.

It was a fun night, ideal for beginners who will benefit from Erika's advice and know-how, whilst also being a great way of gaining confidence by being in the presence of others who are willingly in the same boat as you.

Seeing as it really is only about three roads away from where I live, I'm sure I'll be popping my head in from time to time too.

Novice Knits with Erika Knight is held every Wednesday, 7pm to 10pm at The Farm Tavern, Farm Road, Brighton BN3 14B.

It's raining gems

Whilst whiling away a sunny afternoon at work, stuck at my desk, I was reading Clare Kelly's blog (see previous post) and came across one of the cutest pieces of wool-related jewellery ever (sometimes, they don't work so much). Check out the lovely 'English Summer' necklace from The Wool Room http://www.thewoolroom.com/

It may be a sunny April now but the good old British weather likes to keep us on our toes, and if the clouds really were this fluffy and it rained gem stones would we really complain?

Take a break with a blog

I love a good blog. You can while away the hours peering at snapshots of other people's lives and what they are up to. You can learn loads, be inspired or get a serious case of the green-eyed monster. Whatever it is, sometimes it sure does beat working.

Clare Kelly, features writer for Knitting and freelance journalist with a healthy leaning towards craft, has set up a new blog with interviews, photos and whatever else she has been up to or has caught her eye. You can check it out here...

http://passthepattern.tumblr.com/

As far as I'm concerned, if it has pictures of knitted objects on, I'm working Guv, honestly!

Sneak peek of May issue on sale 15 April

The May issue has just arrived in the office and we are so pleased with it, it may be our best issue ever! Yes, yes I know that's a bold statement, but just look at the pictures below. And check out the front cover! There are so many knitting mags on the market now we wanted to try something different to show we're not the same, and different this is. We think it looks good enough to eat!

It's always fun coming up with themes to tie an issue together, and this one was inspired by the WI. Every weekend it seems, one of the Sunday papers' glossy magazines are extolling the virtues of 'make do and mend', featuring glamorous young women who gave up their jobs to open their own cupcake business and telling us how knitting is the new 'X'. The rise in modern WIs, like the Shoreditch Sisters, has made it cool again, in a slightly kitsch, retro way. And yet, when you read Laura Parkinson's fascinating article 'WI Controversial', you'll see that the ethos, ideals and camaraderie of these new groups are actually the same ones that the WI has always stood by.

We hope you enjoy the gallery as much as we did putting it together. There are some classic quotes from 1950s Home Economics books to help you get in the right frame of mind...

The boat neck, perhaps the most flattering neck shape of all.

Beautiful mohair...sigh...Her hair is awesome too.

Match your lipstick with the trim and you're good to go.

Also, don't miss

– WI: The changing face of the Women's Institute

– A life in design: Meet designer Marion Foale

– An introduction to Fairisle

– Design a bag competition

– Home Knits supplement featuring 5 exclusive designs by Martin Storey and 3 other gorgeous Rowan projects

Don't forget to let us know what you think about this issue on our forums!

A lovely distraction

I've just come across the lovely Milkweed Project in the USA and thought I would share it with you on this grey, drizzly afternoon, as my attention wanders away from the office and onto dreamier things (well OK, the internet).

The Milkweed Project is a collaborative artwork "intended to capture the essence of a milkweed pod; its soft, ethereal beauty and its importance to the natural world" (see what I mean about the nice dreamy bit).

Contributed to by several hundred artists in the form of knitted, crocheted, felted and woven pieces, The Milkweed Project is about "our connection to one another, to nature, to the past, present and future."

To find out more and check out the quite beautiful looking sculpture click here http://sticksandstitches.squarespace.com/

Knitted Character

Hi everyone,

Re. the Knitted Character that we flagged up in our March issue ‘coming next month’ page…

Unfortunately we were dealing with a company who turned out not to be who they claimed to be at all, and in fact did not to have any rights to the Harry Hill Knitted Character whatsoever.

Luckily we were alerted to this by the real production company, albeit on the day we went to print, with less than three hours to go, so we had to pull the whole feature.

However, we are now in touch with the correct bodies, who have been very helpful and are happy to run the feature in a later issue to tie in with their new series.

We are very sorry to have caused any inconvenience and I hope this helps anyone else who is wondering where the little rascal is.

Emma

You can teach an old alpaca new tricks

I was driving into work this morning, listening to the radio, and on the Chris Evans show Moira Stewart and Johnny Saunders were playing the usual headlines game. I was intrigued by one story which appeared to be about a surfing alpaca, so when I got to work I googled the surfing alpaca, as you do.

It turns out a 44 year old Peruvian surfer has spent years teaching a variety of animals – including a dog, cat, parrot and hamster – to surf with him on his longboard. He has now managed to teach his pet alpaca, Pisco, to stay on his surfboard, though the animal has to wear a life jacket as their long hair tends to drag them down in water. I was surprised by how zen Pisco seemed to be about the whole thing as I didn't think alpacas liked water. Maybe he has the whole surfer's philosophy down too.

To see Pisco, the surfing alpaca, in action click on the link below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmxFDrYRAv0

Sneak peek of April issue on sale 18 March

Our April issue has just arrived in the office and boy are we pleased with it!

With a new wider format and redesign of your favourite pages, we think it looks great. Let us know what you think over on the forums or by emailing Assistant Ed Emma W on emmaw@thegmcgroup.com.

Today the theme of April showers seems very apt (it's raining again in Lewes). Spring can be such a tricky time weather-wise, what to wear, what to wear? We think bright colours, fun stripes and clothes that make you feel happy whatever the weather!

Sublime's Striped Hetty instantly cheers up any outfit

Wellie socks make the inevitable rain more fun. You'll actually be hoping you get to wear them!

On those gloomy days be dark and dramatic with this glamorous cable cape

And don't miss

- Supply & Demand: Delve into the world of yarn development

- You get what you pay for: don't skimp on your skeins

- Cute Easter egg cozy projects

- Part 2 of colour grading technique

And all the usual news, reviews and tips you don't want to miss out on!

London Fashion Week!

Emma K and I managed to wangle a couple of tickets to the first day of London Fashion Week AW10 a week ago, our very first Fashion Week experience! Look at how cool we look lounging.

After successfully sidestepping the hurdle of what on earth one wears to London Fashion Week (surprisingly undressy apart from the obvious one or two leopard print, shoulder pad and hair extension-wearing fashionistas oozing attention deficit and muttering 'photograph me!'), we found ourselves on a train at 7.30am on our way to the very first catwalk show of the day, Paul Costelloe.

I loved the rockabilly edge and the Dolly Parton soundtrack!

Straight after this was the official launch with British Fashion Council chief Harold Tilman and Prime Minister's wife, Sarah Brown, who held a moving minute silence for Alexander McQueen.

One wall was dedicated to the late designer, with people posting moving messages among photographs of his seminal fashion moments.

We grabbed a quick glass of champagne (it's 10am here!) and a bite to eat in the incredibly accommodating press area...

...before heading off to the Caroline Charles catwalk show, all glitzy evening wear and equestrian chic.

Later we visited the Estethica exhibition, housing the ready to wear collections of brands such as Makepiece, Izzy Lane and The North Circular (knitting grannies in attendance at their stand). Ethically sourced and British made is going to be huge this year!

It was such a fun and tiring day, we got a great insight into how Fashion Week works, and can't wait for SS11 in September, Mark Fast and Louise Goldin here I come. And Christoper Kane, Vivienne Westwood, Roland Mouret, Mathew Williamson...

Animated fun in Scotland

Check out this lovely animated video titled Life Behind the Scenes by David Shrigley, for knitwear kings Pringle of Scotland, it made me smile on a grey afternoon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoiW5-uA3_E

My first hat!

Ta da!

So here is me in my hat, inspired by Editor Emma and hers.

I started it on Tues night, completing all the rib edging and straight stocking stitch before I ran out of yarn, then got some more and finished it off last night.

Okay, it's a little small for my taste and makes me look like the one in The Monkees who always wore his hat rolled up so it perched on his head, but it's my first hat and I'm pleased with myself. I absolutely love the colour of the yarn I used (Stylecraft Signature Chunky in Peacock) so now I know the basics I am going to alter the pattern slightly to make a bigger woolly hat.

In fact I'm planning it already!

When will I knit again?

I have to confess, I haven't actually knitted in a while. With one thing and another (being made homeless and having to find somewhere to live, as well as cover former Deputy Ed Emma's four-month sick leave on the run up to Christmas), I haven't had time, and now I think it has been too long. But I have been inspired. By Editor Emma in fact.

As I trudged into work this morning through the hail and sleet (I wish I was kidding) without either umbrella or hat (I was SURE they were in my car) I came across Emma swanning about in a gorgeous new little blue hat, which she had actually just whipped up at the weekend. On closer inspection it is knitted from Knitglobal's amazing luxury alpaca, which if you haven't touched yet you haven't lived, from an Erika Knight pattern I know we have in the office somewhere. Right, I want one.

What, this old thing?

So I have the pattern, I have some Stylecraft Signature chunky in the beautiful Peacock that I am in love with at the moment and I have a relatively appointment free week ahead. It only took Emma an evening and may take me a little more, but hey, if she can do it, so can I!

Watch this space!

Missing chart for Russian Doll cardigan issue 73

The missing chart for the cute girl's Russian Doll cardigan is now up on our Corrections section of the Forum.

They are also available printed in colour. If you would like one just let us know, with your full contact details, and we will send it to you.

Apologies all round!

Sneak peek of February issue on sale 21 January!

For our February issue we tried to steer clear of anything too romantic, schmultzy and Valentine-y, it's such a cliche in the magazine world when everyone has the same theme and we just didn't fancy eyelash yarn heart shaped iPod covers. Instead we got inspired by vintage looks and the inspirational women of the the Land Girls Army of the Second World War. Much more classy. It turns out this was a pretty romantic time and the fashions and trends reflected this. They may not have had much to work with, but the chic timeless style that came out of this period when you had to make the most of what you had, is none the less romantic, hopefull and glamorous in the face of adversity.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the garments featuring in this month's gorgeous gallery from our photo shoot that took place at the amazing Weald and Downland Museum in West Sussex (you wouldn't know it chucked it down all day on the shoot!).

This beautiful bell-sleeved top is from Susan Crawford's A Stitch in Time

Houndstooth never goes out of style

Martin Story knows vintage styles are rocking right now.

Don't miss also in this issue

- We meet American designer Annie Modesitt

- Why we love vintage

- Knit 1 Below technique and vertical stripes jacket

- Holiday, workshop and courses guide 2010

Only in Knitting!

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year everyone!

The first week back after the lovely Christmas break has been a bit of a funny one, with Sussex under inches of snow and the trusty British public transport system stumped. What is this cold, white stuff? So if the weather is insisting we don't go outside but stay in bed, who are we to argue?

On the other hand, 2010 is going to bring lots of exciting changes to Knitting. We think it is just going to get better and better and we're sure you'll agree, so here's to a fantastic New Year!

Love

The Knitting team

K71 Cover Garment � important info

Hi All.

It has just come to our attention that the Wendy Paris mohair yarn used for the Luxury Mohair Sweater on the cover of this month’s Knitting (issue 71), has in fact been discontinued. Unfortunately we were not informed that it had actually been discontinued back in March of this year when we ordered the yarn for this project in September nor when we checked it’s availability for when the issue goes on sale (as we do with all yarns for each issue). We were assured they had plenty in stock and there would be no problem.

Obviously this is not now the case and we are doing all we can to find alternative yarns for those who want to knit this lovely wintry sweater. Wendy have suggested that there may be stockists out there who have some of the Paris Mohair left, and to call them on 01943 872264 where they will endeavour to tell you your nearest stockist with the yarn. Alternatively they are suggesting Wendy Allegra as an alternative.

Sian Brown, the designer of the sweater, has looked into this and has suggested the following yarns as possible substitutes: Rowan Kidsilk Aura, colour Terracotta 772 or Capricorn Chunky in either Terracotta or Rust. Both these fall within the tension range of the Paris Mohair.

I appreciate this is deeply frustrating for those of you who want to knit this, as it is too for us. I hope this early notification helps people and we would like to apologise for the inconvenience this may cause any of you.

Emma Kennedy, Editor

And the Knitting Team

My first knitting workshop

I went to my first knitting workshop on Friday!

As the assistant editor, and a newbie knitter, it seems to be my job to be sent off on random tasks, test driving various things and dutifully writing up my often unintentionally funny adventures. So off I set on Friday morning, into the drizzle with the intention of finding Sue Culligan's cute little yarn shop Kangaroo, in the deepest, darkest Sussex countryside, to partake in a lace, circular knitting workshop held by Debbie Abrahams.

I ended up having a great fun day, not necessarily successful, knitting wise, as I didn't get past round 3 (I'm sure if Debbie hadn't had to keep ripping back my mistakes as shown below I would have been on round 20 by the end of the day but alas it was not to be) but good fun all the same. You can read my full write up in our February issue, in our fantastic 2010 Holidays and Courses Guide, coming soon!

Debbie Abrahams, patiently working away on my unfortunate attempt at lace knitting. Definitely harder than it looks...

Ta da! My finished product of 5 hours hard concentration. Hmm.

Sneek peek of Christmas issue on sale 26 November!

Holidays are coming...

OK, the Coca-Cola ads are on TV and the beautiful girl in the M&S ads is slinking around in her underwear while Twiggy is looking fab at 50, it's officially Christmas!

Our aim this month was to combine a love of stylish festive knits with the need for warmth, in one fabulous gallery.

This cute matching set of beanie, scarf and gauntlets makes a great gift set, knit one in every colour for your friends!

You don't have to go down the pashmina route with your strappy dress, turn heads with the Cross Your Heart kimono

For brisk walks in the snow (we can wish!), lunch out or festive shopping trips, be effortlessly stylish with this on-trend military-inspired jacket

PLUS

- Cute Christmas decorations – Hanging doves, Felted star wreath, Festive table runner and place mats set

- Luxury mohair sweater

- Girl's bright winter coat

- Jared Flood, American knit designer and Brooklyn blogger

- New technique: Reversible knitting

- Cable how-to

- FREE CABLE NEEDLES

December issue, on sale NOW!

It's October, it's unseasonably warm, and we haven't had Halloween or Bonfire Night yet, but it's never too early to start your knitting for Christmas!

Our December issue is on sale now, with lots of Winter knits to get you in the mood to curl up by your fireplace (or radiator) and get out the chunky yarn.

This gorgeous pompom sweater, by one of our new designers, will get you feeling wintery warm instantly.

Want to be warm but still stylish? Channel Chanel in this sexy little Sublime number.

Exclusively designed for us by the lovely Louisa Harding, this Frost hat and Skater scarf will make a lovely gift set, if you can bear to part with it.

With lots more fantastic winter knits, plus our amazing free Essential Gift Guide, we have everything you need to kick start Christmas.

We're on Electric Sheep!

If you haven't come across the lovely Katie from Hoxton Handmade's new podcast Electric Sheep you should definitely check it out. Smart, funny, whimsical, topical, she writes essays, is a roving reporter (now that she has her swanky new microphone recorder) and we met her at the Fifteen knitting kit launch.

You can hear Katie talking to Emma, myself and Lauren (Deadly Knitshade) of S&B London here!

http://www.hoxtonhandmade.com/

Ooooh, we're famous!

Out of the kitchen...on to the needle?

You might have heard by now that Fifteen, the Jamie Oliver initiated restaurant that trains young apprentice chefs, is launching a limited edition knitting kit in time for Christmas, the yarn coming from the wool of the Elwy Valley lamb used in the restaurant.

Well, Emma and I got exclusively invited up for the official launch of the kit at Fifteen's flagship restaurant on Wednesday, for an evening of fun, food and knitting, held in conjunction with Stitch and Bitch London.

The place was kitted (knitted?) out beautifully with each place set with a small skein of the wool, a set of lovely Subabul wooden knitting needles sourced and provided by The Little Knitting Company (Ruth gave us a pair to take away and they're lovely, as is her gorgeous tiny baby Will, who she brought with her) and some starter patterns.

Can you guess where Emma and I sat?

There was some great food; fennel cooked in chilli, baked figs with blue cheese, crusty salt and rosemary bread and the most delicious (and rich!) chocolate brownies. We may have gone up for seconds...

Then followed an evening of getting to know other knitters, trying out the yarn, chatting about how the idea of the kit came about and occasionally filling our wine glasses.

Say cheeeeeeese

We ended up with the lovely and inspiring Lauren, one of the original Stitchettes, on our table who suggested we all knitted a square and put it together to create a piece of knit grafitti and tag Fifteen, as you can see here!

Lauren in action. I wonder how long it will stay up here?

Sigh, the things we do in the name of work, I tell you it's a tough life...

Katy

K&S Show at Ally Pally, did you go?

Hi everyone,

Wow the K&S show at Ally Pally was busy this year! I was only up for the Saturday and it was like information overload everywhere I turned.

It was great to see Nicky Epstein again, and her lovely husband. Nicky is always good for a laugh and was telling me about some upcoming books she’s got in production for the coming year.

It was the first time I’ve ever met Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton, who was really nice and interesting, and Erika Knight, who is wickedly funny and incredibly creative.

We saw Rowan’s presentation of new yarns and patterns for SS/10 and throughout the rest of the show picked up all sorts of interesting yarn and goodies to show you in the mag. And the Student Textile Awards this year were the best I’ve ever seen.

We were also incredibly sad to hear about the untimely death of Melody Griffiths, knitting author, editor and designer, who sadly passed away early last week.

We’ll bring you a show write up in the Winter issue, on sale 26 November, with plenty of pics of us schmoozing, and since I was armed with my own camera, anything colourful that caught my eye.

Did you go to the show? Did you see us? Tell us what you thought!

Katy

Designer schedule UPDATE

Hi everyone,

Due to the authors’ own schedules there has been some rescheduling for signings and demonstrations on the Knitting stand G14 at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in a couple of weeks. Not many changes so don’t worry! And on a plus note, we’ve also added Sue Parker, author of Felted Bags to the line-up for Saturday!

New updated and non-changing schedule

Thurs:

10.30am – 11.30am Nicky Epstein

12pm – 1pm Debbie Bliss

2pm – 3pm Nicky Epstein

Fri:

10.30am – 11.30am Nicky Epstein

12pm – 1pm Debbie Bliss

2pm – 3pm Nicky Epstein

3pm – 4pm Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton

Sat:

10.30am – 11.30am Nicky Epstein

11am – 12pm Sue Parker

12pm – 1pm Debbie Bliss

2pm – 3pm Nicky Epstein

3pm – 4pm Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton

Sun:

10.30am – 12pm Nicky Epstein

Hope to see you all there!

Sneak peek of November issue on sale 1 October

Okay so we may be currently experiencing a mini Indian summer (well in lovely sunny Sussex at least) but there has definitely been a slight nip in the air lately, which has got us in the office talking about wonderful autumn vegetables like swedes and parsnips, roasted or in warming soups, and the fact that this summer’s warm and damp weather seems to have resulted in the perfect condition for the heavily laden hedgerows now crammed with blackberries, sloes, redcurrants and the like (I have already made blackberry chutney and sloe and bramley apple jelly, giving them time to settle so they will be perfect by Christmas).

It seems everyone is either growing their own veggies or harvesting local fruit at the moment, very ‘make do and mend’. In fact it was Editor Emma K’s allotment we used for the photo shoot for our November issue. Erika Knight told her that knitting and gardening went well together and, judging by our gorgeous gallery, she wasn’t wrong! Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store for you in the November edition, hitting the shelves 1st October.

This stunning scarf had us all oohing and ahhing when it came into the office. It’s super long, super soft and your friends will be super envious!

Exclusively for Knitting, Erika Knight has created this lovely vintage looking little cardigan, perfect for sipping tea in the garden on a sunny afternoon

Brandon Mably has brought his distinctive design skills to Knitting with this exclusive folklore coat that will keep you warm and stylish (Sienna Miller was recently seen in a similar one!)

Plus

- We meet ethical fashion designer Izzy Lane

- Catch up with the latest news from the Mirasol Project

- Give a how-to guide to smocking, included a cute and simple pattern for beaded gauntlets (great xmas presents!)

- Don't miss our stylish men's knits supplement with garments men will actually wear!

Now this is what I call a challenge!

If you haven't heard about this yet then check it out! We just got sent this link by Nicky herself who thinks this is hilarious.

http://knittingontopoftheworldknitathon.typepad.com/

A knitter/blogger in America has announced she will be knitting every single one of the 50 patterns in Nicky Epstein's Knitting on Top of the World, one at a time, in order and blogging about it for anyone who wants to follow her journey. Anyone who has seen Nicky's book knows it's not exactly a book of 20 ipod covers, they are challenging knits!

Inspired by the recent film Julie and Julia, starring Meryl Steep and Amy Adams, based on an American writer's decision to cook every singly recipe in Julia Child's seminal cook book in one year, blogging about her adventures as she went, this is the knitting world's version, so keep your eyes peeled for a film version in the future!

Two go to I Knit

Back in the office after a lovely weekend, Katy and I are oohing and aaahing over a bag of gorgeous new yarns acquired � for work needs only, you understand � from Saturday's visit to the I Knit show. We met early Saturday morning to catch the fast train to London armed with Saturday's Guardian and their free copy of 'Jackie' magazine circa 1974. Katy giggled over it, unaware until that moment of its existence, where as I on the other hand remembered the exact issue! How could I forget David Essex clutching a heart of roses?

Arriving at I Knit, we were delighted to see so many familiar faces and enjoyed meeting lots of new ones � many of whom I hope to be featuring in the magazine over the next few months, so keep watching this space.

Tom and Jenny from Artesano showed us some of their lovely new designs and also gave us their brand new yarn 'Silk Embrace', to take away with us. We also met up with Laura 'Purl Princess' Parkinson (and bump!) with her Mum, and Michele Matheson, armed with camera, who will be providing a full write up in our December issue.

We also had a chance to meet Spencer Hannah, co-founder the Herdy Company www.herdy.co.uk and I treated myself to a new office mug. Check out their website to see what they are about.

And so it went on until it was time to take our leave, enjoy a cold glass of wine in the late September sun and hop back on the train � all knitted out!

We're off to I Knit!

We're going to I Knit Weekend tomorrow! Well Editor, Emma K and I are going anyway. We don't have a stand, but we will be free-styling, schmoozing and chatting to everyone we come across so if you see us, come and say hi!

National Knitting Week

Hi,

The website is finally all set up for you to register your Knitting Events for National Knitting Week 2009.
All you need to do is click on the Events logo and it will take you straight through to the page.
Last year we had a fantastic selection and a huge variety of events. So don't be shy, shout about your plans and let everybody know what you're up to!

Good morning campers!

Hello folks,

Well here I am back at the Knitting base after a rather windswept and rain-drenched long weekend in North Wales but despite the weather, we still had a great time! The husband dragged me out of bed at 4.20am and we set off at the crack of dawn to pick up my sister and her man. We had just zoomed off up the A23 and turned on the radio only to hear the weather report say, "...so there'll be warm, sunny spells across the country with the exception of Wales, where there will be heavy rain over the region." Apart from being slightly breezy, it was fine when we arrived at the campsite though and we had a lovely double pitch in a nice, secluded field. We were blown away by the scenery around us and I've honestly never seen so many sheep!

Highlights of the trip included Sis and I resorting to scouring the clothes in a Woolworths-style shop in the nearby town, trying to find half-decent outfits to wear when the other-halves announced they wanted to go to the pub and watch the football (we'd only bought our scruffy jeans and t-shirts with us), tasty barbeques with local Welsh produce and our very own private nightclub which consisted of our flimsy gazebo, a small battery-operated lantern and our iPods blasting out the tunes through portable speakers.

By Sunday though, the weather had taken its toll and we managed a quick breakfast huddled in the rain before deciding to come home a day early. Needless to say, my cashmere scarf-in-the-making didn't emerge from my knitting bag all weekend. Better luck next time, eh?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we're all busy getting the November issue off to print. There are some gorgeous projects in store which will be straight on your must-knit list for autumn. For now though, it's time to grab yourself the October issue. Hip hip hooray, it's out today!

That Friday feeling

Hi there,

Well at just after 4 on a quiet Friday afternoon, I have officially reached that friday feeling and looking forward to an evening in with the fiance and a glass of wine.

Having been left alone in the office today, apart from one other designer who works on another of our magazines I felt the need to bring myself up to date with the rest of the ladies and let loose my first blog. Having felt left out as the others take on the technical world of blogging I decided a username and password were all I needed to get me going. Oooo the fun you can have when the others are away. I have had to do it all today, answer calls check emails oh and the small matter of work as we are speedily working towards the deadline for our November issue.

With Editor Emma in the Lake District, Deputy Ed Emma off camping down to what looks like a wet weekend camping in Wales and Assistant Katy off, I was left to my own devices. I think I have done all I was supposed to, and I even cleaned the office, not that anyone will probably notice for the amount of yarn around, still its tidy for me.

Still from the Designer of Knitting have a lovely bank holiday weekend, I hear the sun is supposed to shine, so here's to that large glass of wine with the better half and a lovely weekend.

Ooooo I'm now an official blogger!!!

Claire