knitshop.co.uk

Saturday, March 28

Create colourful Easter Eggs

Create colourful crocheted Easter egg decorations

If you’re anything like us, you’re always looking out for an excuse to decorate your home with attractive trinkets and homemade decorations.

Easter lends itself perfectly to a fun makeover. Along with chocolate eggs, fluffy rabbits, cute chicks, brightly-trimmed bonnets and fancy bows are all part of the Easter tradition. Baskets of pastel-coloured eggs – both edible and otherwise- are also a common Easter sight.

Coquette Crochet Easter Eggs.

knitshop.co.uk has a fun multi-coloured decorative Easter Egg pattern to crochet that you can download and start on straight away. We recommend making your eggs in either Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn or another cotton yarn such as Cotton 4ply Mercerised Yarn or Cotton DK Yarn. Although the yarns are nearly comparable in thickness, you’ll find the Pure Cotton DK Yarn version creates a slightly larger Easter egg. You’ll need a 2.5mm crochet hook if you’re using Coquette or Cotton 4ply Mercerised Yarn and a 3.5mm crochet hook if you’re making your eggs in Pure Cotton DK Yarn. You’ll also need some toy stuffing to create the egg shape.

Coquette Vintage Cotton in small 10g hanks for our Easter Egg Crochet Kit.
Colours from top down: Spearmint, Old Lace, Canary, Amethyst and Aquamarine.

As you can see from our photos of the finished eggs, they look particularly good in a combination of colours. We’ve put together an Easter Egg Decoration Crochet Kit containing the all-important pattern along with 10g (approx 25 metres) each of five complementary shades of Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn. The kit costs £9.95 and includes Amethyst, Aquamarine, Canary, Old Lace and Spearmint Coquette yarn. You’ll be able to make at least three Easter egg decorations using the kit. We usually sell the 10g skeins for £1.99 each, so by buying the Easter Egg Crochet Kit you’re essentially getting the pattern for free.

Crochet Easter Eggs in Cotton DK Yarn

If you’d prefer some tuition in making your homemade Easter egg decorations, just sign up for our Crochet An Easter Egg Decoration class on either Saturday 28 or Saturday 4April. The two-hour workshop takes place at our south-east London boutique shop from 11am to 1pm and costs £15. Follow the link for your chosen workshop and choose ‘self-pickup’ at checkout. These crochet classes are suitable for beginner and intermediate crocheters and cover basic techniques and stitches and pattern reading.

Easter Eggs made from Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn.
Colours: Spearmint, Old Lace, Amethyst, Canary and Aquamarine.

Links to this blog:

Easter Egg Crochet Pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2733-easter-egg.html

Easter Egg Decoration Crochet Kit: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/3252-easter-crochet-kit.html

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

Cotton 4ply Mercerised Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/129-4ply-cotton-mercerised

Crochet An Easter Decoration workshop, 21 March: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3233-crochet-easter-egg-decoration-workshop.html

Crochet An Easter Decoration workshop, 27 March: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3234-5-august.html

Last-Minute Easter Egg Decorations workshop, 4 April: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3249-5-august.html

Pure Cotton DK Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/92-dk-cotton

2.5mm crochet hook: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-crochet-accessories/2526-2mm-metal-hook.html

3.5mm crochet hook: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/metal-crochet-hook/1761-35mm-metal-hook.html

Wednesday, March 18

Crochet Daffodil for Marie Curie Cancer Care

March is the month that Spring finally arrives and a riot of colour erupts as daffodils, crocuses and other Spring bulbs burst into bloom. March is also the month that the wonderful charity Marie Curie Cancer Care holds its annual Daffodil Appeal fundraising event with this iconic flower as its symbol. Supporters are encouraged to sell the charity’s own daffodil buttonholes and to hold events to raise money. Selling handmade daffodils is an increasingly popular option.

Daffodil Crochet Pattern for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
All proceeds of this pattern will be donated to Marie Curie!

knitshop.co.uk is a keen supporter of Marie Curie Cancer Care and founder Julieta Brandao has created a Daffodil Crochet pattern especially to raise money for the charity. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and costs £3. The full £3 from each pattern sale goes directly to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

This Daffodil is crochet in Canary Coquette - also available as a kit,
includes pattern and yarn!

The pattern is designed for knitshop.co.uk’s Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn in Canary Yellow. We recommend using a 3mm crochet hook. You should be able to make at least four daffodils from each skein of Coquette yarn.

The Daffodil Crochet pattern is also available as a kit containing both the pattern and a ball of Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn for £7.95. If you buy the kit, knitshop.co.uk will donate a percentage of the proceeds from the yarn sale to Marie Curie Cancer Care as well as the £3 cost of the pattern.

Canary Yellow Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn.

Of course, daffodils are not always just one colour, so you could create a two-tone one by knitting the trumpet in Pumpkin Orange Coquette yarn. You could also try crocheting your daffodils in one of our other yarns. How about Sun Yellow Mulberry Silk Merino Yarn, perhaps contrasted with the Yellow or Light Yellow shades in the same yarn range?

Alternatively you can use our Mohair Silk Yarn or pure silk for a more
elegant version of the flower.

The Yellow and Orange shades in our Mulberry Silk Plied Yarn collection would also look fantastic. For either of these two alternative yarn choices you’ll need a slightly larger 3.5mm or 4mm crochet hook.

Finally, for a different effect, you could also try knitshop.co.uk’s Mohair Silk Yarn in Yellow.

Links to this blog:

Marie Curie Cancer Care: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk

Daffodil Appeal: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/get-involved/daffodil-appeal/blogs

Daffodil crochet pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/3028-daffodil.html

Daffodil crochet kit: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/3253-daffodil.html

3mm crochet hook: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/1635-3mm-metal-hook.html

3.5mm crochet hook: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/bamboo-crochet/1760-35mm-bamboo-hook.html

Canary Yellow Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/coquette-vintage-cotton/2765-canary-coquette.html

Orange Mulberry Silk Plied yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/mulberry-silk-twist/855-orange-plied-silk.html

Pumpkin Orange Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/coquette-vintage-cotton/2761-pumpkin-coquette.html

Light Yellow Mulberry Silk Merino yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/silk-wool-blend/827-light-yellow-mulberry-merino.html

Sun Yellow Mulberry Silk Merino yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/silk-wool-blend/829-sun-yellow-mulberry-merino.html

Yellow Mulberry Silk Merino yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/silk-wool-blend/828-yelllow-mulberry-merino.html

Yellow Mohair Silk yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/mohair-wool-yarn/1069-yellow-mohair.html

Yellow Mulberry Silk Plied yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/mulberry-silk-twist/1178-yellow-plied-silk.html

Monday, March 16

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.

Thursday, March 5

Classes this March

Knitting and crochet classes at knitshop.co.uk this March
Mothering Sunday gifts and Easter decorations feature heavily in our March knitting and crochet workshop programme. Our Knit A Mother’s Day Gift class on Saturday 14 March focuses on small knitted items that you can make in time for Mother’s Day. You have the choice of making a pair of wrist warmers, a flower corsage or fancy boot-toppers.

Knitted Rose - the perfect flowers for Mother's Day!

If crochet’s your thing, sign up for our Crochet A Mother’s Day Gift class on Friday 13 March. Here, we’ll give you a refresher lesson in crochet techniques (or teach you how to crochet) then let you apply what you’ve learnt while making flowers, wrist warmers or a coaster.

Crochet Daffodil, the perfect spring flower!

For something slightly different try our Tunisian Crochet workshop, which introduces a very firm, tight crochet technique that has elements of both knitting and crochet. It’s ideal for making hardwearing homewares.

Tunisian Crochet Workshop for a different type of crochet!

On Saturday 21 March and Friday 27 March we’ll be showing you how to Crochet An Easter Egg Decoration. The brightly-coloured orbs made a striking alternative to Easter chicks and flowers. The techniques used here are fairly easy to master, so these classes are fine for both beginner crocheters and those with some experience.

Crochet Easter Decoration - learn how to make your own.

If you’d prefer to learn the basics first and then on your own projects at a later date, our introduction to knitting and crochet workshops are just for you. The Beginner’s Crochet class on Friday 6 March takes you through holding the crochet hook and manipulating the crochet yarn, creating foundation chains and working your first crochet stitches. Master these elements and you’ll soon be able to crochet your first items.

If you want to make something both Spring-like and a potential Mother’s Day present, check out the Crochet Daffodil pattern in our pattern library. It’s easy to make and all the proceeds from the sale of the pattern go to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Workshop at the Boutique Outlet in Lee Green.

Don’t worry if you get in a pickle with the projects you start in our workshops. We offer plenty of post-workshop phone and email support and also hold free Knitting and Crochet SOS clinics at the end of each month where you can bring along a project and get advice on how to get it back on track. Just follow the link to book your place.

Some people love to make socks and can’t seem to stop making them once they learn how. Making socks involves specialist techniques such as turning a heel and grafting the toes, so we’ve split our Toe Up Sock Making workshop into two parts. You’ll also need to be confident at increasing and decreasing and at knitting in the round. Toe Up Sock Making Part I is on Saturday 21 March, with Sock Making part II the week after on Saturday 28 March.

Long knitted Socks and Boot Toppers are perfect for the changing seasons!

Finally, if you’re after a challenging new crochet project, why not join us for our Crochet A Lace Shawl class on 27 March where we’ll be using very fine crochet hooks and lace yarn to make a delicate wrap. We’ll give you a thorough grounding in how to read both European and American crochet patterns and help you with any crochet stitches you’ve not encountered before. As with all our classes, full support is provided, so you can embark on this rewarding crochet project with confidence.

All knitshop.co.uk workshops are taught by fully qualified tutors and are held in our south-east London boutique outlet at 326 Lee High Road, Lewisham SE13 5PJ. Classes last two hours and run from 11am to 1pm. Full instructions and materials are provided. To book a class just follow its link and choose ‘self pick-up’ at the checkout.

Links to this blog:

March workshops list: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/243-march

Beginner’s Crochet class: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2920-beginners-crochet-workshop.html

Crochet a Mother’s Day gift: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2985-crochet-mothers-day-gift.html

Crochet a Lace Shawl: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3049-lace-crochet-shawl.html

Crochet A Decorative Easter Egg: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3233-crochet-easter-egg-decoration-workshop.html

Crocheted daffodil pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/3028-daffodil.html

Knit A Mother’s Day gift: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2979-mothers-day-gift-knitting-workshop.html

Knitting For Beginners: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2017-07-mar-beginner-knitting-learn-workshop.html

Free Knitting SOS clinic: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2980-free-sos-clinic.html
Marie Curie Cancer Care: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk

Tunisian Crochet workshop, 20 March: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2924-beginners-tunisian-crochet-workshop.html

Toe-Up Sock Knitting workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2706-sock-knitting.html

Friday, February 20

Foxtail Curly Boa Scarf pattern

Here’s something really fun we’re sure you’ll love to knit. The latest addition to the knitshop.co.uk pattern library is a funky scarf you won’t be able to resist wrapping around yourself. It’s a simple pattern, so it’s a great project for fairly new knitters to try. The curls are created using short rows and by changing needle size part way through. You’ll also get plenty of practice with slip stitches!

Foxtail Curly Boa knitted in Orange Mohair Silk Yarn
Model: Alina Brandao

The Foxtail Curly Boa Scarf pattern was exclusively designed by knitshop.co.uk favourite Meg Crowther and is great fun to make. Gauge isn’t critical with this easy-to-knit pattern. It will work well with any 4ply or DK yarn.

Our version uses Mohair Silk Yarn – a wonderful combination of 70% mohair and 30% mulberry silk. We love the cheerful yellowy orange shade of Mohair Silk Yarn that Meg has used. It would also look great in lovely mellow yellow or in the fashionable dark grey. Each skein of this luxurious 4ply wool is 125m long. You’ll need five balls of it to make a really long version of the Foxtail Curly Boa scarf.

A fun and funky scarf that will keep you warm and cheerful.

For a different effect, take a look at the great variegated shades we stock including the striking Blue Tit Silk Lace Yarn. This comes in generous 250m skeins, so you’ll only need two or three skeins to knit an amazing multi-coloured curly boa.

If you prefer solid shades, there are plenty of Merino Wool Mulberry Silk Yarn options from the brightest of blues to the sunniest of yellows as well as lots of muted shades such as Dark Gold.

For a lighter option, check out our choice of Cotton Plied Wool Yarns. Perhaps the Blue-and Pink or Blue-Green shade will take your fancy. If you need any advice on a suitable choice of yarn or how much to buy, just drop us a line at info@knitshop.co.uk.

Mohair Silk Yarn in Blue, Red, Yellow, Brown and Rust Red.

As well as your chosen yarn you’ll need a pair of 3.5mm needles and a pair of 6mm needles.

Links to this blog:

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

Foxtail Curly Boa Scarf pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/3231-foxtail-curly-boa-pattern.html

Blue Tit Silk Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/164-silk-knitting-yarn

Blue Merino Wool Mulberry Silk Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/silk-wool-blend/838-blue-mulberry-merino.html

Dark Gold Merino Wool Mulberry Silk Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/silk-wool-blend/830-dark-gold-mulberry-merino.html

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

Mohair Silk Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/57-mohair-wool-yarn

Sun Yellow Mulberry Silk Merino Wool Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/silk-wool-blend/829-sun-yellow-mulberry-merino.html

Blue-Green Cotton Plied Wool Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/cotton-wool-yarn/1314-blue-green-cotton-wool.html

Blue-Pink Cotton Plied Wool Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/cotton-wool-yarn/1315-blue-pink-cotton-wool.html

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

3.5mm Bamboo Knitting Needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1694-bamboo-knitting-needles-35mm.html

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

Friday, February 13

Product of the Month February

Addi needles now available at knitshop.co.uk

A great pair of needles gives wings to a creative project. knitshop.co.uk has added the popular Addi range of needles to the expanding range of knitting and crochet accessories on offer. Better yet, Addi needles are February’s Product of the Month, which means we’re selling them at a special discount price. Until the end of February, you can buy any Addi needles for a 15% discount.

Addi Knitting Needles in various sizes and types available now
at knitshop.co.uk

Addi Needles are made in Germany and come in a range of materials including metal, aluminium and bamboo. The highly regarded Addi Turbo Circular range, which knitshop.co.uk is stocking, has extra-long gold tips for precision knitting and crochet. These make it much easier to work on complex patterns and fine yarns and because you can consistently pick up stitches using the fine needle point, you can also knit or crochet faster!

We’re already contemplating embarking on a sumptuous shawl made from the wonderful multi-coloured Blue Tit Silk Yarn with a little help from some 100cm-long 3mm Addi Circular Turbo needles. The generous connecting cable allows you to splay out the whole garment along their length with no danger of your stitches slipping off the end.

Blue Tit Silk Yarn - so fine it is best knitted with lace needles.

Circular needles are great for small knitting and crochet projects too. Choose 80cm Addi circular needles if you’re making children’s clothes or our smaller 40cm or 50cm bamboo circular needles if you’re making hats, toys or gloves. Circular needles are also a must if you’re making socks.

Our pattern library includes both fine lacy designs such as Lacet Wrist Warmers and Reo Wrist Warmers and chunkier ones such as Roving Wrist Warmers that use fast-to-knit 12mm Addi Circular Needles.

You’re also sure to love our Alina Kolibra Wool Hat which knits up on 4.5mm double-pointed needles using a single skein of knitshop.co.uk Kolibri Wool Yarn.

super fine needles for super fine knits!

knitshop.co.uk now stocks a huge range of needles from ultra-fine 1.75mm Addi Turbo Circular Needles right up to giant 25mm ones We offer a choice of cable lengths and materials including steel, aluminium, plastic and bamboo. Feel free to email us for advice on which needles would best suit your projects.

But we also love the giant needles for super chunky knits!

Thursday, February 5

Workshops at knitshop.co.uk in February

knitshop.co.uk has lined up an exciting selection of knitting and crochet classes in February. They range from self-contained workshops in which you create a specific item to classes focusing on particular techniques that you can apply to lots of different projects.

We kick off with an introduction to knitting in the round with our Knitted Wrist Warmers workshop on Friday 6th. Wrist warmers are a great first project to practice working with double-pointed needles – a technique recommended for anyone who dreams of making seam-free garments. They’re quick to knit and could make a thoughtful present – a gift for your Valentine, perhaps?

REO Wrist Warmer knitted in Coquette Vintage Cotton Yarn

On Saturday 7thand 14th we’re running introductory crochet classes. Here, you’ll learn the basics of this rewarding craft, from holding the hook and making a foundation chain to creating simple crocheted items. The 14th February crochet class, Let’s Get Hooked, is for children. Adult places are £15 while under-16s cost £10.

We’re also holding a Swing The Needles kids’ knitting class on Friday 13th February while our adults’ Learn To Knit workshop is on Friday 20th February.

Knitted Lace Shawl
New Pattern in Spice Nigella Seeds coming soon.

If you’re looking for a more ambitious project, our Crochet A Lace Shawl workshop on Friday 27th February could be just the thing. Making your own shawl is a major – and majorly rewarding – undertaking. Getting the initial setup correct is critical, which is where our expert tutoring comes in. We’ll provide a quiet and relaxed environment where you can fully concentrate. You need to be a confident crocheter to tackle a large project like this but our Crochet A Lace Shawl workshop will help build on your own previous experience.

For something more frivolous, try our Amigurumi Crochet workshop on Friday 21st February. Amigurumi is Japanese for cute knitted or crocheted toys. Using simple crochet techniques you’ll make quirky creatures that you can customise and bring to life by stitching on eyes, nose and mouth. This workshop is suitable for those new to crochet as well as anyone who has mastered the basics.

Boutique Outlet in Lee Green, come and join us for one of our workshops
on Friday's and Saturday's from 11am.

All knitshop.co.uk classes are taught by fully qualified, experienced needlecrafters. They take place from 11am to 1pm at our Lee Green boutique store. You’ll have a choice of projects to work on during your two-hour workshop and will be able to take it home along with instructions for completing your item. We offer both email and phone-based post-class support, so feel free to get in touch with any help you need.

We also run monthly SOS classes that are free to attend. The next SOS class is on Saturday 27th February. Please book a place using the online booking system so we don’t end up oversubscribed!

Links to this blog

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

Amigurumi Crochet workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2407-amigurumi-crochet.html

Crochet For Beginners: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2425-7-february-beginner-crochet.html

Crochet A Lace Shawl workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/3049-lace-crochet-shawl.html

Kids’ Crochet workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2408-14-february.html

Kids’ Knitting workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2698-swing-the-needles.html

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

Knitted Wrist Warmers workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/1995-6-feb-knitted-wrist-warmer.html

Learn To Knit workshop: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/workshops/2672-beginners-knitting-workshop.html