The NEW Thick & Easy Wool Yarn

We are pleased to have it back in stock after such a long wait, the new Thick & Easy Wool Yarn has finally arrived. Anxiously we have been waiting to see the new colours and knit up a few samples. We would like to present to you, the new:

Thick & Easy Wool Yarn
100% pure wool yarn
Supplied in 100g hanks
Length approx. 110m / 100g
Recommended needle size: 6 - 7mm
Tension: 14 sts x 20 sts

Here are our first 11 colour choices for you:
Papaya Whip, Eggshell Beige, Olive Drab Green, Seal Brown, Cherry Red, Chilli Red, Cashmere Rose, Aubergine Purple, Teal Blue, Blue Black and Panther Black.

Colours from left top: Seal Brown, Eggshell Beige, Olive Drab Green, Papaya Whip,
Teal Blue and Blue Black

Patterns available for the Thick & Easy Wool Yarn:

Eve Hat and Wrist Warmer, a beautiful set for girls, enhanced with flowers and embellished with heart buttons. Girls love special gifts and the new colour range of the Thick & Easy offers you a lovely choice. Watch out for a new version in the new Thick & Easy Wool Yarn. Pictures and pattern description are available on our past blog post about Eve.

Eve Hat and Wrist Warmer knitted in Thick & Easy Wool Yarn
Aubergine Purple, Papaya Whip and Cashmere Rose.

Samuel's Waistcoat, this sleeveless waistcoat with V-neck finish and a cord to tie is perfect to keep the little heart warm. Very quick and easy to knit, pattern ranges from 4 - 11 years. Read more about Samuel's Waistcoat here

Samuel's Waistcoat knitted in Panther Black Thick & Easy Wool Yarn.

 

World Cup Scarf, using White Natural Wool Yarn and Black Thick & Easy. You could go for a colour combination of Eggshell Beige for the main scarf and make the Black stripes in Cashmere Rose, Cherry Red, Teal Blue and Aubergine Purple. Want to find out more about the pattern, click here to read the previous blog about it.

Purple Velvet Wrist Warmer, originally using the Kolibri Wool Yarn. Our new yarn alternative is the Thick & Easy Wool Yarn. Two years ago in November we had a blog about this pattern, click here to read it.

Giant Christmas Mitten, originally knitted in our super chunky Merino Wool Yarn, as alternative for a smaller version it can be knitted in the Thick & Easy. We also had a past blog about the Giant Christmas Mitten

Giant Christmas Mitten knitted in Thick & Easy Wool Yarn
Cherry Red and Papaya Whip.

Cable Nation, originally designed in the Kolibri Wool yarn, however also perfect to be knitted in the new colours of the Thick & Easy for a more settled version. You can read our previous blog about the Cable Nation here.

Triology Scarf, another one of our favourites! Choose 3 colours of Thick & Easy, for example: Olive Drab Green, Papaya Whip and Blue Teal. The scarf is knitted in 3 panels, which are joined on one side and left loose on the other.

Twist and Shout Cowl, this was designed to be thick and warm. Here you could make a more elegant version in the Thick & Easy Wool Yarn, just keep going a little longer to get the same length. For pictures of Twist and Shout click here.

The new Thick & Easy is our Product of the Month for December and this month we are offering you a 100g hank for only £5.92. That's 25% off the original price!

And if that is not enough, today until the end of December we will give you one of the patterns above for free with every purchase of Thick & Easy Wool Yarn.
Simply add the yarns to your basket check out your order and let us know which pattern you have chosen to receive.

With a beautiful stitch definition, it is very easy and quick to knit up. Currently only available in a limited stock range until the new dye lot is ready to arrive in the shop. Shop now with 25% off the Thick & Easy and a FREE pattern on top!

Seal Brown, Cashmere Rose, Cherry Red, Aubergine Purple,
Olive Drab Green, Eggshell Beige, Blue Black, Teal Blue and Papaya Whip

Links to this blog:

Thick & Easy Wool Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/106-thick-easy-yarn

Patterns available from knitshop.co.uk: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/161-knitshop-pattern

Product of the month: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/content/17-product-of-the-month

Last-minute gifts for knitters

Stuck for what to buy a knitting or crochet fan this Christmas? knitshop.co.uk is at hand to help you choose a gift your creative friend or family member is bound to love.

We’ve got some simply irresistible yarns in the softest natural fibres – it’s all exclusive to knitshop.co.uk as we only sell our own yarns.

Velvet Purple knitted in our beautiful and colourful Kolibri Wool Yarn.

Our bestseller is Kolibri, a fairly chunky yarn that comes in 10 fantastic mixed shades and is sold in 100g skeins. One or two skeins of Kolibri is plenty for making a hat, scarf or pair of gloves or mittens. Check out our downloadable PDF patterns you can gift alongside this cosy yarn.

Eve Skater Set a downloadable pdf
knitted in Thick & Easy Wool Yarn

As well as our own pattern selection, we stock lots of books and magazines filled with patterns, techniques and ideas for needlecraft fans to savour. Vintage fans will be delighted to receive the Vintage Gifts To Knit book by queen of vintage Susan Crawford. It’s currently on special offer for just £11.20 rather than the usual £14. Those are ideal stocking fillers for your loved ones!

We’ve also got our own vintage cotton yarn, Coquette, which we produced in partnership with Susan. You’ll find lots of patterns for this yarn in the knitshop.co.uk pattern library including the easy to knit Reo Wrist Warmer.

REO Wrist Warmer knitted in Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn

For a truly luxurious gift, consider our newly introduced Angora Soft Yarn. This snow-white yarn is simply the softest yarn available and is ideal for keeping a loved one wrapped up warm and for small heirloom knits. Our Angora Soft Yarn is ethically produced and is sure to be treasured by anyone receiving it.

Our brand new and absolutely gorgeous Angora Soft Yarn.

Knitters and crocheters can never have too many accessories and we offer a full range of circular, double- and single-pointed needles and crochet hooks. We stock felting needles and felting kits too.

We’ve just added a trio of oversized Addi knitting needles to our accessories range. These 12mm, 15mm and 25mm needles are used for super chunky knits, cost around £10 each and are great fun to use. Pair them with a bag of Merino Wool Tops and give them to a friend who either loves to make giant knits or who likes to spin or felt yarn. A 1kg Mixed Merino Bag contains four different shades while the Assorted Merino Tops Bag includes 20 shades.

Addi Knitting Needles now available online
at www.knitshop.co.uk.
visit the shop to find your sizes!

If you prefer to make your own gifts and are short on time you can also adventure into needle felting and try your hands on one of our Needle Felting Kits to make your own gifts this Christmas. Available are Flower, Butterfly, Jewellery - Necklace or Bracelet and a Felted Fairy.

Red Christmas Fairy Angel
now available as a kit to purchase from knitshop.co.uk

Last posting for Christmas is Saturday 20th December. After that we can’t guarantee your gifts will arrive on time. Our boutique outlet store is open this Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11am until 4pm where you can buy, browse or collect your orders. If you live outside London, a knitshop.co.uk gift voucher may be a more suitable gift. These are available in £20 and £40 denominations and can be used to buy items from our shop or to pay for one of our creative workshops.

If you’d like to give a knitting or crochet-related gift, feel free to call us for ideas and advice on 020 7099 8864 or email info@knitshop.co.uk.  

Links to this blog:
Addi knitting needles http://www.knitshop.co.uk/334-addi-knitting-needles

Angora Soft Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/333-angora-yarn

Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/323-coquette-vintage-cotton

Felting Kits: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/143-felting-kits

Kolibri Wool Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/176-kolibri-yarn

knitshop.co.uk Bookshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/166-book-shop

Knitting and Crochet Accessories: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/62-knitting-accessories
knitshop.co.uk Workshops: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/156-workshops
knitshop.co.uk Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/81-knitting-yarn

knitshop.co.uk Patterns: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/161-knitshop-pattern

knitshop.co.uk Gift Voucher: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/188-gift-voucher

Merino Wool Tops:
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/merino-tops/2755-assorted-merino-bag.html

Merino Wool Tops 1kg Mixed Bag: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/merino-tops/2594-mixed-merino-bag.html

Workshops & Activities October

Knitshop.co.uk October workshops

knitshop.co.uk has some brilliant workshops coming up this month. Some of them will help build your confidence with knitting and crochet if you’re a beginner; others help you take your craft to the next level with creative projects that might just turn into very popular gifts. We’re talking cute amigurumi creatures, knitting in the round and that perennial favourite, the granny square.

Amigurumi is the Japanese term for a quirky stuffed toy, usually crocheted, but sometimes knitted. Amigurumi make great gifts and are really fun to make and can easily be customised to make them unique. knitshop.co.uk’s Amigurumi Crochet Workshop on 24 October introduces the basic crochet techniques needed to create amigurumi figures and gives you a choice of objects to make, from bears, frogs and monkeys to mice and zebras. Be warned, amigurumi is not the sort of creation you make just one of. Our workshop could be the start of a whole collection. 

choose one one pattern from these cute Amigurumi
to work during these crochet class.

The two-hour amigurumi class is ideal if you’re already a crocheter. If you’ve not yet mastered hooking with yarn, our Crochet For Beginners workshop on 10 October is an obvious introduction. We’ll supply everything you need to know and get you started with your first project. We’ll show you how to make a coaster or crochet a flower and give you the pattern to take home to complete it.

However, we’re sure you’ll soon be hooked and keen to make your first granny square. That’s where our Crochet A Granny Square class on 17 October comes in. These charming squares are a crochet classic and the foundation for many a crocheted garment, bag or blanket. 

our kids workshops are back this autumn half term!

We’ve got some great knitting workshops this month too. We’re running both a Beginner’s Knitting class for adults and our Swing The Needles kids’ class on Saturday 25 October. These start with first principles but are also suitable to attend if you’ve tried to learn to knit and need some expert pointers. If you’re midway through a project, meanwhile, and have got into a pickle, book yourself in to our free end of month Knitting SOS class and let us help you unravel your mistakes and get back on track.

If you can confidently knit and purl, it’s time to expand your repertoire of techniques with our Knitting In The Round class. Here, you’ll learn how to use a circular needle and how to make seam-free garments such as a pair of wristwarmers. Knitting and not having to sew up seams afterwards will be a revelation! 

learn to make beautiful wrist warmers,
a hat or even socks this autumn at knitshop.co.uk

All knitshop.co.uk classes run from 11am to 1pm in our boutique outlet shop on Lee High Road, midway between Lewisham and Blackheath. Adult classes are £15 each, while kids’ classes are £10. Under 16s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Our tutors are fully qualified and are experienced knitters, crocheters and designers and are happy to provide advice on projects you may wish to work on during your class. Patterns and refreshments are provided. Post-workshop support is provided by phone or email.

To book a workshop, please follow the relevant web link and choose ‘self-pickup’ at the online checkout. 

 

Special Promotion - book our Saturday workshops in October now until 10th October for only £7 per class. 

learn to make quick & easy gifts for your loved ones.

Links to this blog:

October workshops: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/250-october

Amigurumi Crochet workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2333-amigurumi-crochet.html

Beginners’ Knitting workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3104-beginners-knitting-workshop.html

Crochet For Beginners workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2150-10-october-crochet.html

Crochet Granny Squares workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3092-12-jan-granny-squares-crochet.html

Crochet Patterns and Charts workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3094-12-jan-granny-squares-crochet.html

Children’s Crochet workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3099-free-sos-clinic.html

Children’s Knitting workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3107-swing-the-needles.html

Knitting In The Round workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3103-knitting-in-the-round.html

Knitting SOS workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3099-free-sos-clinic.html

Lacet Wrist Warmers pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2701-lacet.html

Eve Skater Girl Hat and Wrist Warmer Set

What young girl doesn’t imagine herself as an ice princess gliding across the rink? We’ve come up with a gorgeous skater girl set that will make her look the part too. Eve is a pretty hat and wrist warmer set trimmed with flowers. We think the flowers give the matching accessories set a chic vintage feel. 

Eve Skater Girl Hat and Wrist Warmer Set.
A matching set for fashionable girls!

Eve is knitted in three complimentary shades of knitshop.co.uk’s Thick And Easy yarn. We chose Aubergine, Dusky Pink and Beige, but there are plenty of shades to choose from in this popular chunky yarn range. Alternative colours recommended by Julieta would be Denim Blue, Light Blue and White. 

Julieta's daughter Alina is modeling this gorgeous set
and is clearly enjoying wearing it!

The hat is knitted in the round in moss and stocking stitch on an 8mm needles. The hat fits 10-to-15-year-olds and has a circumference of 50 to 53cm (19.5 to 21in), so an 40cm circular needle is ideal. The instructions are clearly written, but when knitting in the round, we always recommend using a stitch marker to indicate the start and end of each round.

The hat is finished off with two crochet flowers.
Alternatively you could use a large wooden button or a knitted flower.

For the wrist warmer, you work a moss stitch cuff to create a snug effect and continue with a simple lace pattern. It's stretchiness means the wrist warmers should fit anyone from the age of 10 to a small size adult hand. 

The hat and wrist warmer are finished off with a flower on each wrist and a larger matching one on the hat. These are made using a 5mm or 6mm crochet hook. You’ll need three medium to large buttons in contrasting colours to form the centre of the flowers and attach them to your knitted accessories. 

We’ve included instructions for two sizes of crocheted flower, but you could just as easily knit a flower. There’s a free Knitted Rose pattern you can download from knitshop.co.uk’s Patterns section. For something different, you could even make felted flowers using the designs in Just Pansies, one of the printed pattern featured in the knitshop.co.uk Pattern section. 

A matching set for a stylish girl!

Eve was designed by knitshop.co.uk founder Julieta Brandao and is suitable for both beginner and intermediate knitters. As with all of our patterns, we provide email and phone pattern support. 

If you’re new to knitting in the round, Eve is an excellent first project. We’re running a workshop on Knitting In The Round at our Lee Green Boutique Outlet on Saturday 11 January, should you need a hand getting started. 

Links to this blog:

Eve Hat And Wrist Warmer pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2929-eve-hat-wrist-warmer.html

Thick And Easy yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/106-thick-easy-yarn

Aubergine Thick And Easy Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/thick-easy-yarn/1773-aubergine-thick-easy.html

Beige Thick And Easy Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/thick-easy-yarn/482-beige-thick-easy.html

Dusky Pink Thick And Easy Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/thick-easy-yarn/1772-dusky-rose-thick-easy.html

8mm double-pointed needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/bamboo-dpn/1550-bamboo-knitting-needles-8mm.html

6mm crochet hook: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/bamboo-crochet-hook/1627-6mm-bamboo-crochet-hook.html

Knitting In The Round workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2914-9-july-knitting.html

Knitted Rose pattern (free): http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2145-knitted-roses.html

Knitshop.co.uk Patterns: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/161-knitshop-pattern

Knitshop.co.uk Bookshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/140-patterns-magazines-books

Just Pansies felted flowers book: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/patterns-magazines-books/1153-just-pansies.html