A little snatch at Autumn

As the British Autumn approaches fast, the leaves turn gold and the skies darken we all feel pleased to have a lovely project to be getting on with, keeping us warm and look forward to what the new season will inspire us with.

Le Rouge

This season's on trend colours are deep crimson, mauves, violets, peaches and reds. Coming together these colours will make for a warm autumn colour palette. I love this alpaca yarn in crimson. It's the ideal colour of the season. Warm colour matched with a warm texture, this is all you need to complete an autumn project. Alpaca Fino Yarn in pink.

One of our popular yarns in-store is this dark purple Chinese silk, the colour and sheen create a wonderful yarn that when knitted is sumptuous to all senses! Try using a dash of this lilac to smooth between the warmer colours. 100% this is soft to the touch and even used alone in a project, this is a wonderful colour to work with and one that is always popular from season to season. knitshop's Simply wool yarn.

This mulberry merino is perfect. A stunning shade, soft and easy to knit and crochet with, this yarn is a winner with me and represents the crimson colour palette perfectly.

The Canary

Other colours to also look out for are the blacks and greys with a splash of canary yellow to liven the palette. The mustard and grey linen blend is a great example of the palette trend, however I would add a darker grey or black for further contrast and impact. This zesty canary yellow alpaca is simply perfect to add a stripe of colour to projects.

For a touch of texture and dramatic effect, why not try the mohair in yellow. This yarn when knitted up will have a beautiful fluffy texture and the tiny yellow fibres will blend and merge into the black and grey dispersing and giving a wonderful subtle finish.

This mulberry silk silver would be a perfect match to the above yellows, and a gorgeous yarn to knit with. This is ideal for winter aran knits and more.

Indigo and you

But watch out for teals, indigos and greens as these will be taken us through from winter into spring. Again the cotton linen blend the knitshop.co.uk offer is ideal as the palette is already created for you. The subtle mix in teal and indigo dye knits-up wonderfully giving the fabric a shadow and depth that is beautiful. I also like the denim blue Chinese silk. I like the raw feel of the yarn and the slightly washed out look you would get with denim-wear. I find this yarn very inspiring and look forward to use it in future projects.

If you are looking for a merino wool, then look no further than this blazing neon blue. This is a statement colour, but definitely one worth using for your fashion projects as this is this winters must have sparkler! However, if this is a little too bright, then perhaps try the denim merino.

Gold

A classic British colour palette is always a safe bet, browns, golds, and creams. Of course the knitshop.co.uk have plenty to offer here too when it comes to yarns. Again the Chinese silk really stands out colour-wise. This gold is stunning, it has the right shine to it and is a little more unique than most browns and golds sold at the moment

This deep brown is really representative of the season and not to be missed out on if you are planning to use autumn shades. The softness of the merino wool will make your project lovely and easy to knit up and most importantly wonderfully soft.

Finally this antique gold mulberry silk will complete your palette or is perfect to be used as a single colour in your projects. Ideal for vintage patterns, the parchment colour is original.

 

Links to this post:
Autumn Half Term Activities

Alpaca Fino Yarn, pink

Chinese Silk Yarn

Simply Wool Yarn

Mulberry Silk/Merino Wool Yarn

Cotton Linen blend yarn

Mohair Silk Yarn in yellow

Mulberry Silk silver

Autumn Half Term Activities

Leaves are falling and its getting pretty cold outside. We at knitshop.co.uk have put together a fantastic new training program this autumn. For one week only we are bringing back our most popular kids workshops during half term week, great new autumn, winter and Christmas workshops have been added to the schedule. 

Swing The Needles and Let Get Hooked
Friday 28th October and Saturday 29th October, 11am - 1pm

Two hours of knitting and crochet, dedicated to teaching creative minds how to finger knit and crochet. All materials are provided and each student is encouraged to knit or crochet something to take home with them. We held our first 'Swing the Needles' course on Wednesday and it was a resounding success with many students desperate to carry on finger knitting!

All children's workshops are priced at £10 for two hours. We welcome a second child at half price making this a brilliant activity to keep the children entertained. All students under 18 must attend with a parent or guardian, who can also take part in the knitting fun!

Felting Jewellery Workshop

Saturday 29th October, 3pm - 5pm

Our jewellery design workshop is available to all skill levels and are a great new skill to learn this autumn to create some unique and inspired jewellery. Participants will be shown the techniques of achieving three dimensional felted pieces perfect to create beads or sculptural shapes for decorative jewellery.

Taught by Julieta, the course includes all the materials necessary for the two hour workshop as well as a project to take home and keep you inspired and creative. The workshop is available to be booked online for just £19.00.

Felted Necklace

Knitting and Crochet Workshops

every Friday and Saturday 11am - 1pm

Our regular knitting and crochet sessions are running as usual this half term week. Want to learn to crochet, refresh your knitting skills or simply enjoy good company - visit our Boutique Outlet every Friday and Saturday from 11am and join the fun. Remember to book your place to get the discounted pre-booked rate, book now online or call 020 8144 4523.

Knitting and Crochet short term Courses
New knitting and crochet courses have started last week, however there is still time to join the course for 3 or 6 weeks. Whether you are wanting to learn to knit or crochet, or simply improve your skills, these is the right course for you. Designed to build up on your skills and confidence, the tutor helps you every stitch of the project to reach your goal. Read more about our especially designed short term courses in this blog. 
To book your place visit the online shop or call 020 8144 4523. 

Result of a Crochet Granny Square Workshop

What ever you up to this autumn, be sure to reserve your space at knitshop.co.uk to improve your crafting skills and give your loved ones great handmade gifts this Christmas!


Happy Halloween!

Links to this post
Book Workshops online
Workshop Schedule overview
Short term courses blog

Pictures Alexandra Palace 2011

This year knitshop.co.uk was located in the great hall, stand D15 of the Alexandra Palace Knitting & Stitching Show. It was a very busy show once again and we had nearly everything happening to our stand.... Dont you just love the challenges of the 11th hour... One of our tables collapsed on Thursday morning, about 1 hour before show opening, which brought down with it shelves and all other props on it. If that was not enough, one of the side walls of our stand began to give in at the same time! Disaster! In an hour of such urgency - a good team shines - and we pulled it off for which I say thanks to my girls! We pulled together and managed to get it all sorted so finally the stand looked great to meet our valued customers. Here are some pictures....

Needle Felting Demonstration

Wet Felted Flower from Julieta's Felting Class

knitshop.co.uk Stand D15

knitshop.co.uk Stand D15

Merino Wool Tops - one of our best sellers!

Real sheep's fleece

sweety yarn shop!

 

 

 

Cotton 4ply mercerised - a show stopper!

What we displayed on the show along with all the classes we did - in case you liked it so much and wanted to continue enriching your skills or if you did not manage to get in our workshops or to our stand you can compensate by visiting us in our High Street Boutique Outlet in South East London - Between Lewisham and Greenwich. We have some extra workshops coming up and spaces are filling up quickly so please dont forget to call in and reserve your space or if you were adventurous you can always book on our secure website (get clicking below)! Here is a reminder of this weeks workshops:

Crochet A Snowflake - Friday 14th Oct, 11am
Free Knitting & Crochet Taster Session - Friday 14th Oct, 1.30pm
Knitted Flower Corsage - Saturday 15th Oct, 11am
Free Knitting & Crochet Taster Session - Saturday 15th Oct, 1.30pm
Autumn Felting Workshop - Saturday 15th Oct, 3pm

Prices start from FREE for a 1-hour session... Book now to secure your space. Check on-line @ www.knitshop.co.uk, call us on 020 8144 4523 or email through the contact us form.(the free sessions are currently only available in-store, by email enquiry or by phone).

Happy Knitting!

Links to this post:
Workshop Schedule
Contact us form

Knitshop.co.uk at the Knitting and Stitch Show

It's that time of year again, when knitters across the globe flock to Alexandra Palace to take part in the Knitting and Stitch show. And of course, what would the Knitting and Stitch show be without knitshop.co.uk?
 
The team are getting ready for another busy four days on the stand and we've put in place a few treats for our followers.
 
Knitshop.co.uk will be located on stand D15 in the main hall. Make sure you make your way through the crowds to meet the team, and if this was not enough of a treat we are offering a 15% discount on everything on the stand (not including discounted products).
 
We'll be selling everything from yarn to magazines, patterns and needles. We'll have a variety of home-knitted garments on display to get you inspired and do not miss our new cotton 4ply. Available in many colours suitable for this Autumn and Winter be sure to pick a few hanks of the cotton 4ply. The teal and royal blue are a particular favourite as these are bang-on-trend this season.
http://knitshop.co.uk/4ply-cotton/1931-green-cotton-4ply.html
 
 
From Thursday the 6th of October 2011 until Sunday 9th, the Knitting and Stitch show will welcome knitters, crocheters, felters and more through the doors.
 
As you may well know from previous visits the show includes a variety of stands displaying and selling anything and everything linked to knitting and creative disciplines. This year there will be shibori dyeing, jewellery-making and card-making added to a fun-packed and busy schedule.
 
As always a host of activities will also be available and there's always the cafe's to sit and have a quick knit at.
 
There is also a dedicated exhibition space, featuring leading artists and groups recent work. This creative space is always a favourite amongst visitors and always worth a visit. From textile designers to fine artists and graduates, the work is always of the highest standard and pushing new boundaries in the world of knit and stitch. I can't wait to see what work will be featured this year.
 
After your checklist has been exhausted of things to do and see at the Knitting and Stitch show, make sure you have popped-by our stand. We'll be bring new stock out through-out the day and the weekend so there will always be something new to see and various special offers will be happening so do not miss-out
 
The Knitting and Stitch Show
London Alexandria Palace
01473 320407 Tickets
 
knitshop.co.uk
Stand D15  in the main hall – see you there!
 
 
 
 
 

Stitch-up for the National Knitting Week 2011

For the past 6 years, national knitting week has been a week dedicated to promoting, encouraging, involving and socialising for knitters. Knitting Magazine set up this week in 2005 and since then it has been going from strength to strength with companies such as ourselves putting on events and embracing knitting, crochet and more. Celebs are seen with needles in their hands and Adrian Chiles has taken up the topic for his new series of That Sunday Night Show on ITV.

This year National Knitting Week will be celebrated in-store, at the Lee Green Boutique, between October 1^st and 15^th. In honour of National Knitting Week 2011, knitshop.co.uk are offering free workshops, tutorials and surgery sessions to one and all. From the 13^th to the 15^th of October the knitshop.co.uk team are taking on people young and old, of all knitting abilities and will be setting projects through the workshops to teach new skills to all attendees.

Make sure you book your free place at these workshops as they fill-up quick. Workshops will be held between 1.30 and 2.30pm every afternoon. Contact the team online, by phone or in person for more information or to book your place.

Individual tutorials and surgeries will encourage and help knitters through their personal projects and hopefully inspire people to bring projects out of the closet and get stuck back into knitting.

The Workshops, tutorials and surgeries will be held at the knitshop.co.uk boutique in Lee Green where attendees can immerse themselves into the world of knit, pick up some new project patterns, inspiring yarns and the latest in knitting needles.

Additionally, Julieta and the knitshop.co.uk team will be holding a knitting marathon. Make sure your fingers are nimble and brace yourselves for a week-long chase with knit and pearl stitches hopefully not running loose. The knitting marathon will begin on the 13th of October at 11am, be sure not to miss the beginning of this historical day. The knitshop.co.uk, and any knitters willing to embrace this challenge, will be knitting continually throughout the week and at least until the 15^th of October, but who knows, it's a marathon therefore there is no set finish date!

Alongside the knitting marathon there will be a competition with fantastic prizes worth £50, whoever will knit the longest will win themselves a fabulous yarn, runners up will also get prizes and everyone involved will have helped knit throughout this exciting period. Be sure to visit the knitshop.co.uk Boutique Outlet in Lee Green between 13th and 15th October 2011 to be part of this fantastic event!

Address: 326 Lee High Road, Lee Green, London, SE13 5PJ

Get yourself, your children, your friends, your family down to this fantastic event as 2011's National Knitting Week will be spectacular.

Get Knitting!

Knitting, Crochet and Felting Workshops
National Knitting Week 2011
That Sunday Night Show ITV
Knitting Magazine
knitshop.co.uk Boutique Outlet in Lee Green

Jigsaw Puzzle - Intarsia Knitting

Take-on Intarsia - Think of intarsia as a jigsaw puzzle, several pieces are fitted together. These pieces can be of varying colour and materials, and in fact this makes intarsia more interesting. The knitted pieces can be of different knitting techniques, even different weight yarns the mix and match possibilities are endless.

Intarsia is different to multi-coloured knitting techniques such as Fair isle and Double Knitting as there can only be one 'active' colour when working and the different yarns are not carried across the back of the knit they are left 'hanging'.

The best example of intarsia is argyle socks usually with a diamond knit pattern of varying colours. Intarsia is also common for jumpers with knitted patterns and designs.

Hand Knitting with intarsia - what you will need:
Standard needles
Various coloured yarns
experienced in basic stitches including knit and purl
Bobbins

The bobbins are used to keep the 'inactive' yarn to one side, they resemble sewing machine bobbins but are much larger, however these intarsia bobbins can snap tight to keep the yarn from unwinding, especially useful when you drop one and you have to go chasing after it!

Knitting
The knitter will begin knitting their pattern, when a colour change is required the new colour is brought in from underneath the old colour strand and continues to knit. Just like with regular knitting, when you turn your knitting around, just continue as normal and change the colour when desired remembering to bring the new colour up from underneath the old. This should prevent holes.

Intarsia patterns can be as simple as vertical stripes, changing the colour in the exact same place every row. A great example is this Vest pattern published by knitshop.co.uk

They can become more complicated with geometrical shapes and even more complicated with designs of various shapes. However these can be calculated a little like a 'paint by number' project, except you knit by number. Intarsia patterns are given as charts which have little squares where a pattern or design are displayed. Remember to read the pattern from the lower right upwards.

For more information about intarsia knitting why not join us for our Colour Knitting workshops. Saturday 24th September Julieta will be teaching intarsia as well as fair isle knitting. This workshop will be repeated on October 1st. The two hour workshop will provide students with all materials and the class of 8 students maximum will mean a one-to-one teaching can be provided.

Machine Knitting with Intarsia
For all you machine knitters we've included a small segment on knitting by machine with intarsia - what you will need:
knitting machine
Intarsia carriage
Various coloured yarns

Knitting
The intarsia carriage resembles a normal machine knitting carriage, however this helps the knitter 'hold' the needles that do not require the colour you are using as well as change the colour and not create a hole.

The knitter will bring forward the needles that will be 'held' and will knit across the needles that are not 'held'. The knitter will adjust the needles when they need to change colour. However it is important to pull back the needles you have been knitting on before knitting across with the new colour. It is also advised to put plenty of weight on the segments being knitted.

The intarsia helps the segments merge creating one knitted fabric unlike if you were to use the holding technique which is restrictive for this type of knitting.

With machine knitting intarsia you have the added benefits of using punch cards to create interesting patterns.



Links to this post: 
Pattern from knitshop.co.uk
Needles and other knitting accessories
Knitting and crochet yarns
Workshops and courses

 

Get Inspired This Summer

Finally the sun managed to break through the clouds in time for the summer holidays. If you are still looking for kids activities, check out our Summer Holidays Kids Workshops. If you are looking for a light summer project for yourself, here at the knitshop, we've put together a few ideas to inspire you and help you have a smooth summer knitting.

• Learn to knit

A little time off can be ideal to learn to knit or pick up a new skill like felting or crochet. The knitshop.co.uk provides various courses and workshops across the summer which are ideal for beginners, or we offer books that will help you learn the basics to the best stitch techniques. These are great for going away or when you need to keep an eye on the children

• Visiting the knitshop.co.uk

Online and in-store we have plenty of special offers, gorgeous yarns, high quality materials, unique patterns and interesting courses to entice any keen knitter, to instil a little inspiration and provide the best yarns to create your masterpiece.

• Courses and workshops

The knitshop.co.uk have included a variety of 6 week and 2 hour workshops available to anyone interested in knitting, crochet or felting. We have even included children's specials. For example, on the 5th August Julieta from the Knitshop.co.uk will be hosting a Learn to Crochet Coloured Granny Squares Workshop. 

• Grab a Magazine

We all love a glossy magazine, grab a knitting magazine from the knitshop for ideas, inspiration, yarn reviews and the latest gossip of the happenings in the knit world. Mollie Makes suggests ways to making crochet simpler and Knitting Magazine includes a variety of knitting patterns for you to turn your hand to. They include everything from a small project to something that may take up your entire holiday! Read the latest yarn reviews about knitshop.co.uk in the recent Inside Crochet. 

• Joan Crawford

Download your knit, crochet and felting patterns from the knitshop.co.uk. Joan Crawford is a new knitting pattern available to knitshop.co.uk the online shop and is the perfect project to get stuck into this summer to create the perfect autumn jumper with style and vintage class. 

• Try something new

Be bold and try something new this summer. Ever knitted in the round? Get yourself some bamboo circular knitting needles and knit up some socks, arm warmers or something different! Try felting. Felt some floral decorations to add to your knitted fashion or go one step further and make some felted beads to create necklaces and more!

There is lots of potential for crafters of all ages this summer so take a look at the site and start a project. Julieta and knitshop.co.uk team are here for any advice, hiccups or more and remember to book your places in advance for any workshops or courses to get started on your new skills.

Good luck and happy knitting! 

Useful Links

Magazines - to browse and purchase

Joan Crawford Pattern

Patterns available at knitshop.co.uk

Felting Courses and Workshops

Kids Workshops & activities