Thick & Easy Stitch Patterns

Last week more Thick & Easy Yarn arrived in store, fabulous new spring colours are now available.

The Thick & Easy Yarn is now available in the following colours:
Candy Apple Red, Chilli Red, Cherry Red, Signal Yellow, Orange Poppy, Cashmere Rose, Rose Pink, Aubergine Purple, Wool White, Eggshell Beige, Cinnamon, Seal Brown, Anthracite, Panther Black, Blue Black, Teal Blue, Capri Blue, Olive Drab Green, Mint & Papaya Whip.

Colours from top left: Signal Yellow, Wool White, Capri Blue,
Poppy Orange, Mint, Rose Pink, Anthracite & Teal Blue.

Below you will find pictures of knitted swatches using different stitch patterns in the Thick & Easy Yarn. All swatches are made using 8mm Bamboo Knitting Needles.

The first swatch is made using the colour Cherry Red, the stitch pattern is called "Sandstorm".

Sandstorm Cable Stitch in the colour Cherry Red.

The second swatch is made using the colour Papaya Whip. A plait cable stitch pattern that would look nice when making hats or cardigans.

Plait Cable Stitch in the colour Papaya Whip.

The third swatch is again knitted in the colour Cherry Red. It is using 3 different stitch pattern through the swatch. Starting with a "Ridged Lace", in the middle of the swatch is a "Woven Stitch" and on the top "Grass Stitch".

From top down: Grass Stitch, Woven Stitch
and Ridged Lace Stitch in the colour Cherry Red.

The next swatch is using the Mint Thick & Easy Wool Yarn, it starts with an "Alternative Dot Stitch" in the middle is a "Loose Lattice Lace" and on top "Lace and Seed Stitch"

Stitch Pattern from top down: Lace and Seed Stitch, Loose Lattice Lace
and Alternative Dot Stitch in the colour Mint Thick & Easy Wool Yarn

The last swatch are Woven Circles, using the Thick & Easy Wool Yarn is made in the colour Aubergine Purple.

Woven Circle Stitch Pattern knitted in Aubergine Purple Thick & Easy Wool Yarn.

You can download all the above stitch pattern from the knitshop.co.uk pattern section. A stitch pattern is available to you at GBP 1.00 per stitch pattern, and some of them can be downloaded for free.

Anthracite & Wool White Thick & Easy Wool Yarn.

Thick & Easy Wool Yarn has a few pattern available to download, you can read here about some previous blogs we have had about "The New Thick & Easy Yarn" arriving in store. The pattern EVE Hat and Wrist Warmer Set and Samuel's Waistcoat.

Eve Hat and Wrist Warmer Set knitted in Thick & Easy Wool Yarn.

Links to this blog:

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

Stitch Pattern to download: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/344-stitch-pattern

Blog about The NEW Thick & Easy: http://knitshopcouk.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/the-new-thick-easy-wool-yarn.html

Eve Hat & Wrist Warmer Set: http://knitshopcouk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/eve-skater-girl-hat-and-wrist-warmer-set.html

Samuel's Waistcoat: http://knitshopcouk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/samuels-waistcoat-smartbut-snug-top-for.html

 

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

Giant Christmas Mitten re-knitted

Today we are pleased to present to you our new version of the Christmas Mitten. The pattern was originally designed by Julieta Brandao in the super chunky Merino Wool Yarn Roving. However, we now have an updated version for you, using the brand new Thick & Easy Wool Yarn.

Giant Christmas Mitten, knitted in Merino Wool Yarn Roving
and Thick & Easy Wool Yarn.

Basically you knit the Christmas Mitten from the same pattern, using the Thick & Easy colours: Chilli Red and Olive Drab Green or Cherry Red and Papaya Whip.

The Christmas Mitten is knitted in the round and grafting is used to finish off the mitten. The knitting is done in a basic 1x1 rib to start with, and the rest is simple stocking stitch in the round.

Giant Christmas Mitten
knitted in Cherry Red and Papaya Whip

Using a 6-8mm needle, depending on your tension. For loose knitters we recommend a 6mm, or for tighter knitters we would recommend you use an 8mm circular needle, alternative you can use the longer version of the double pointed needles.

Thick & Easy Wool Yarn
colours from left to right: Seal Brown, Eggshell Beige,
Olive Drab Green, Papaya Whip, Blue Teal and Blue Black.

You will need two hanks, 1 per colour and you will easily get 3 mittens out of two hanks of Thick & Easy Yarn.The yarn is currently on offer for £5.92 / 100g hank. The pattern you can download for free this month from our website @knitshop.co.uk.If you are interested to read more about the original Giant Mitten, visit our previous blog post here: http://knitshopcouk.blogspot.bg/2013/12/giant-christmas-mittens-to-stash.html#uds-search-results

Christmas Mitten, perfect as stocking for your little ones.

For any questions, pattern help or instructions you can contact the shop on (UK +44) 020 7099 8864 or email us through the website, click here to open the contact us form.


Links to this blog:

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

Giant Christmas Mitten Pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2919-giant-mitten.html

Knitting Needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/274-knitting-crochet-accessories

Cable Nation Scarf Pattern

Do the twist with knitshop.co.uk’s Cable Nation scarf pattern

Looking for a new project to get stuck into and perhaps learn a new knitting technique as you go? knitshop.co.uk tutor Marcia Hamilton’s exclusive Cable Nation scarf pattern is a great addition to our pattern library and ideal for honing your cable knitting skills. Most of the pattern is created using knit and purl stitches, with a single cable running down the centre of the scarf.

Cable Nation Pattern knitted in Kolibri Wool Yarn

Cable Nation knits up quickly on 6mm knitting needles with the edging finished off using a 6mm crochet hook. If you don’t have a cable needle you can use your crochet hook to hold the stitches when working the cable pattern. If you don’t crochet, you can easily make the scarf lay flat by blocking it once you’ve finished knitting it.

A great scarf to keep you warm and still look smart!

You’ll need around 100-150m of chunky or aran weight yarn to make this scarf, so it’s also a great project if you’ve got a single skein of yarn. Marcia designed this chunky pattern for knitshop.co.uk’s popular Kolibri Wool Yarn. The contrasting yellow and turquoise shades in this variegated pure wool yarn are really striking.  

To show off the cables to full effect you might prefer a solid colour. The natural shades of our Alpaca Quito yarn would be a good choice. Alpaca yarn is very soft and will feel very snug.

cable knit of Cable Nation.
For a more elegant look use Mohair Silk or pure Silk Yarn.

You could also make the Cable Nation scarf in knitshop.co.uk’s Thick And Easy Yarn or our Natural Wool Tweed – you’ll need 7mm or 8mm needles.

Our Mohair Silk Yarn or Mulberry Silk Twist range is a great choice if you want a slightly narrower, more elegant and less bulky scarf. A single 250m skein would make a satisfyingly long scarf to envelop you. 

The Cable Nation scarf pattern costs £2.50 and is available as a PDF download from our online pattern library. If you get stuck with any of the techniques in our patterns, we’re always happy to give you a hand. Just email us or, if you live locally, come along to one of our free monthly SOS workshops. Held on the last Friday of each month, these where you can drop in and get help with projects you’ve started but can’t complete.

As with all our workshops, you need to book a place in advance by following the link and selecting ‘self pick-up’ at the checkout. Workshops take place at our boutique outlet at 326 Lee High Road, SE13 5PJ from 11am to 1pm. 


Links to this blog:

knitshop.co.uk patterns: www.knitshop.co.uk/161-knitshop-pattern

Alpaca Quito Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/179-alpaca-quito

Cable Nation Scarf pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/3250-cable-nation.html

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

knitshop.co.uk workshops: www.knitshop.co.uk/156-workshops

Knitting and Crochet SOS, 27 March: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2980-free-sos-clinic.html

Knitting and Crochet SOS, 24 April: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3245-free-sos-clinic.html

Simply Wool Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/126-simply-wool-yarn

Turquoise-Yellow Kolibri Wool Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/kolibri-yarn/1287-turquoise-yellow-kolibri.html

6mm knitting needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1349-6mm-23cm-sp-bamboo.html

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

7.5mm knitting needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1606-bamboo-knitting-needles-7-5mm.html

Products of the Month February

Roses are red… and are so our February deals

We love February. It’s the most romantic month of the year and also marks the start of the shift away from forbidding winter to the new shoots of spring. We’re still wrapping up warm, but already thinking of places to visit and longer walks to enjoy with our nearest and dearest.

In fact, because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, we’ve had a rummage through our yarns and come up with 10 fabulous red yarns you can use to get creative and show off your affections. And to encourage you in your romantic endeavours, we’re giving you 15 percent off any of these 10 red yarns throughout the month of February.

Lacet Wrist Warmer in Dark Red
as seen in the Knitting Magazine.

If you want to make something snug to keep your loved one cosy, how about knitting a pair of Lacet Wrist Warmers in Bright Red Mulberry Silk Merino Wool Yarn? You’ll need just a single skein of yarn and a set of 4mm double-pointed needles.


Your sweetheart is also certain to love a gift of snug wristwarmers made from a skein of our popular multi-coloured Kolibri Wool Yarn. Using 5mm dpns or a circular needle, you’ll be able to impress them with a pair of fabulous Velvet Wrist Warmers knitted in Red Berry Kolibri Yarn combining lace and cabled panels.

Wrist warmers are ideal for this time of year when it’s getting warmer but still a bit chilly. Another great way to cover up is with a lightweight Ladder Stitch Scarf knitted in knitshop.co.uk’s Cotton Linen Blend Yarn. Make one in Carnation Red from a single 100g skein.

For a cosy and soft scarf, opt for a couple of skeins of Red Cotton Plied Wool yarn. This luxurious yarn is warm and lightweight and looks wonderful when used to knit simple but bold patterns. For example, you could use it to create a k4 p4 rib pattern on 4.5mm needles.

If you really want to make your loved one feel special you could knit or crochet a bouquet of roses using our Flame Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn or another fine yarn such as Red Mulberry Silk Plied Yarn. You can download the flower pattern for free and just need a pair of 2.5mm or 3mm needles to knit them on.


All the yarns we’ve mentioned above are included in our February Product of the Month promotion, which means you get 15 percent off. For the full list of red yarns included in this deal, see the links at the bottom of the page.



Links to this blog:

knitshop.co.uk: http://www.knitshop.co.uk

Bright Red Mulberry / Merino Yarn
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/silk-wool-blend/849-bright-red-mulberry-merino.html

Carnation Red Cotton/Linen Blend Yarn
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/cotton-linen-blend/139-red-cotton-linen.html


Dark Red Wool Yarn "Tundra"
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/tundra/1839-red-tundra.html


Flame Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/coquette-vintage-cotton/2764-flame-coquette.html

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

Lacet Wrist Warmers pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/29-silk-wool-blend

Ladder Stitch Scarf pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2702-ladder-stitch-scarf-pattern.html


Pincushion Protea Red-Orange Feather Silk Yarn
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/feather-silk-yarn/46-pincushion-protea-red-orange.html


Purple Velvet Wrist Warners pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2896-purple-velvet.html

Red-Berry Mix Wool Yarn "Kolibri"
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/kolibri-yarn/626-red-berry-kolibri.html



Red Cotton Plied Wool Yarn
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/cotton-wool-yarn/1304-red-cotton-wool.html


Red Merino Wool Yarn/Roving
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/wool-roving-yarn/1655-red-roving.html

Red Mulberry Silk Plied Yarn
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/mulberry-silk-twist/856-red-plied-silk.html


Red Wool Yarn "Thick & Easy"
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/thick-easy-yarn/425-red-thick-easy.html


Scarlet Red Crochet Cotton Thread
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/cotton-wool-yarn/1304-red-cotton-wool.html


Scarlet Red Merino Wool
Tops http://www.knitshop.co.uk/merino-tops/2343-scaelet-red-merino-tops.html


Tomato Red Pure Cotton DK
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/dk-cotton/2100-tomato-red-cotton-dk.html

2.5mm bamboo needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/bamboo-needles/1603-2mm-sp-bamboo5.html

3mm bamboo knitting needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1547-bamboo-knitting-needles-375mm.html

5mm double-pointed needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1486-bamboo-knitting-needles-5mm.html

5mm circular needles (40cm): http://www.knitshop.co.uk/circular-needles/1883-5mm-40cm-bamboo-circulars.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

Samuel’s Waistcoat – a smart but snug top for kids of all ages

Exclusive knitshop.co.uk pattern to download

Samuel’sWaistcoat is a fast-to-knit chunky top that’s perfect for autumn and looks great on boys and girls of all ages. It’s made using our popular Thick & Easy Yarn and will fit kids aged four to 11.

knitshop.co.uk owner Julieta originally designed the pattern for her daughter when she was four years old and has recently made her another version now she’s nine.

The pattern mainly uses rib stitch (alternating knit and purl stitches), with some easy shaping. It’s a one-piece knit that only needs to be sewn at the sides. You knit the front of the waistcoat first and then continue knitting the fronts without casting off. This makes for a smooth shoulder line. Since you can’t knit the left front and right front at once, you simply slip the stitches from one side of the neck on to a stitch holder until you’re ready to use them. You can even slip the spare stitches on to the cord of a circular needle – they’ll be kept safe by needles on either end.

Samuel's Waistcoat knitted in Black Thick & Easy Yarn
using 9mm needles

The waistcoat has a cord to secure it at the waist. We clearly explain how to make the cord and whenever you should knit two stitches together to make holes to thread the cord through.

To make Samuel’s Waistcoat you need just three 100g balls of knitshop.co.uk Thick & Easy Yarn, costing just £17.70. There’s a choice of eight solid shades including burgundy, light blue, forest green, a soft grey, beige, white, bright green and orange.

For an alternative look, you could also knit Samuel’sWaistcoat in our Handspun Wool Yarn, which we used in the multi-coloured version of the pattern. This yarn is currently available in either variegated Burgundy or Mango shades. Handspun Wool Yarn is usually used with slightly smaller needles, but can also be used with the 9mm needles we recommend for this pattern. 
 

If you’re using an alternative yarn to the one in the pattern we suggest you knit a tension square first (see this wiki link for details of how to make one). A tension square is used to check that the needle size you select takes a certain number of stitches and rows to knit a standard size 10cm x 10cm square when knitting in stocking stitch.

Thick & Easy Yarn knits to a tension of 10 stitches over 19 rows on 9mm needles. Change to a larger or smaller needle if your tension square needs more or less stitches than this. Since Samuel’sWaistcoat is a loose-fitting garment (and kids grow so fast), don’t worry too much if your tension is a stitch or two different from ours.

scan me for a 15% discount on Thick & Easy Wool Yarn!

scan me for an exclusive 15% discount
when you purchase the Thick & Easy Wool Yarn from knitshop.co.uk

Links to this blog:

Samuel’s Waistcoat pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2838-samuels-waistcoat.html?utm_source=Samuel&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=samuel

Thick And Easy Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/106-thick-easy-yarn?utm_source=Samuel&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=samuel

9mm bamboo needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1352-bamboo-knitting-needles-9mm.html

9mm circular bamboo needle: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1755-9mm-100cm-bamboo-circulars.html

Instructions for how to knit a tension square: http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Tension-in-Knitting

Football World Cup Scarf

Football World Cup Scarf Pattern – show your team support

Calling all sports fans: knitshop.co.uk has designed a scarf just for you. Just knit it in your team’s colours (or put in a request from your favourite knitter for a Football Scarf and be sure to remind them which team is yours).

Even if you don’t follow a particular team, it’s impossible not to appreciate the two-tone design of the Football Scarf pattern – its hexagons look just like those on a match ball.

Knitted from knitshop.co.uk’s Thick and Easy Wool Yarn and Natural Wool Tweed Yarn the incredibly cosy Football World Cup Scarf is made from pure wool and knits up on 7mm needles. There’s a choice of 23 colours, so you’re bound to find one in your team colours. You’ll need 100g. For the white sections of the scarf, you’ll need 200g of Natural Wool yarn or white Alpaca Quito Yarn.

The Football World Cup Scarf uses stocking stitch throughout, so you simply need to know how to knit and purl. The clearly written instructions indicate exactly where you need to change from the main colour to the shade you’ve chosen for the ball. And since this is a scarf, you don’t need to worry about tension. The scarf should end up around 190cm long – plenty for wrapping round your neck and tucking into your jacket. If it ends up a little longer or a little shorter, it won’t really matter.

Wrap the Football Scarf around your neck as you sit on the terraces waiting for your team to score and you’ll barely notice the icy winds. When the ball hits the back of the net, no one will be in any doubt which team you support.

Armchair football fans, this pattern’s for you, too. You can be knitting away while Hanson and Motty provide their half-time match analysis or while the mid-fielders are wasting time passing the ball to each other. If you’re a fast knitter, this extra-chunky scarf might even be knitted by the end of extra time!

Look out for some delicious new colours of Wool Tweed Yarn being listed at the knitshop.co.uk from 10 April!

Links to this blog:

Knitshop.co.uk Football Scarf pattern
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/1669-world-cup-scarf.html

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

knitshop.co.uk white Natural Wool Yarn
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/natural-wool/1831-white-natural-wool.html

knitshop.co.uk white Alpaca Quito Yarn
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/alpaca-yarn/78-white-quito.html

7mm Bamboo Needles
http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1605-bamboo-knitting-needles-7mm.html

Spring is in the Air

Colour Palette for your Spring Projects

As the snow drops and daffodils emerge from the frozen earth the knitshop.co.uk is looking ahead at spring and summer trends. Whatever you are planning on knitting and crocheting in the months to come, make sure you choose the right colours to make an impression.

We've been researching the latest trends, delving deep into books, magazines and trend conferences and we propose this springs' knitting colour trends.

Tangerine

Deep oranges, tangerines and intense yellows will be a pivitol colour theme in all knitwear. This will be an ideal tone to inject in between contrasting colours. The bright orange Thick & Easy offered by the knitshop.co.uk is ideal for injecting stripes of colour into your work.

Sun-yellows and golds

Add some brightness and boldness into your knits with some intense yellows and mustard golds. Luxurious and glamorous, this Mulberry Silk Merino Wool yarn in sun yellow is stunning and beautiful knitted up.

Lilacs and mauves

Majestic mauves and delicate lilacs will make for beautiful block coloured knits. We just love this wine red Chinese silk, bold and full of character

Cabaret

Similarly, this rich dark purple Chinese silk is stunning and majestic. A wine filled cabaret colour perfect for jumpers, gloves, sock and more

Navy Blue Indigo

A classic, Navy Blue is always a great colour to use an all knits. Rich and traditional Navy Blue is winner.

This light weight Mulberry Silk yarn is a great yarn for luxurious spring and summer garments. Or this Steel Blue cotton Dk is an interesting twist on indigo blue

Greens

Green is a difficult tone to choose, it can be a little off putting if not the correct shade. But this leaf green cotton 4 ply is simply attractive and intriguing. Great for striping and edging.

Teal

One of my favourites is an intense teal green/blue. The knitshop.co.uk offers a gorgeous choice of teals to choose from

A beautiful turquoise Simply Wool and this fabulous teal Mulberry Silk Merino Wool and again, another Chinese silk

Oyster

This rather unique shade is sumptuous, we can't get enough of this and if you're keen to use a new original shade this Spring then this is the one cotton 4ply mercerised in oyster or this antique gold, luxurious and unique antique gold Chinese Silk

Whatever colour you choose this spring - keep knitting and please send us your stunning results for our customer gallery!
Lots of Happy Knitting - Julieta and the knitshop.co.uk Team

Links to this post:
Thick & Easy bright orange
Mulberry Silk / Merino Wool Yarn sun yellow
Chinese Silk wine red
Chinese Silk dark purple
Mulberry Silk Yarn navy blue
Cotton DK Yarn steel blue
Cotton 4ply mercerised leaf green
Cotton 4ply mercerised oyster