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!

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.

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!