The Knitter Sample Issue

ARTISAN YARNS THE BORDER MILL • JOHN ARBON • THE FIBRE CO • BLACKER

Masterclass Get to grips with three tubular cast-ons

MARY HENDERSON 8

VINTAGE JUMPER

T

FAIR ISLE

PA

GE P ULLO

U

Jennie Atkinson

LACE PANEL TOP Sarah Hatton

INTRICATE SOCKS Jane Burns

THE

COLLECTION Beautiful ways with lace and colour for your spring wardrobe

Plus...

BEST OF BRITISH Sheepfold’s mission to promote our rare breeds

Create • Knit • Enjoy

52 8

71

Meadow THE

COLLECTION

38 Patterns 8 EMMA VINING Sukie Round-necked cardigan with decorative stripes

25

25 SARAH HATTON Bodmin Classic hooded cable cardigan for children 38 SARAH HATTON Red Clover Lace-panelled jumper with a draping cowl neckline

59

43 JANE BURNS Wood Millet Top-down socks adorned with a leafy lace pattern

The Knitter 04 Issue 123

46 JENNIE ATKINSON Coltsfoot Vintage-style lace top 52 ANNIKEN ALLIS Tor Grass Triangular lace shawl 59 BERGERE DE FRANCE Corrèze Colourwork yoked sweater 71 LISA RICHARDSON Delft Intricate intarsia cardigan PLUS MARY HENDERSON Mairead Pretty Fair Isle tank top

Contents

46

43

MARY HENDERSON 8

30

63

T

FAIR ISLE

PA

GE P ULLO

Good reads

Expertise

Plus...

14 THE KNITTER LOVES News and diary dates from the knitting world

32 YARN REVIEWS The latest yarn releases, tested and rated

22 SUBSCRIBE UK Subscribe now and choose your Knit Pro needle set!

30 SHEEPFOLD The dynamic duo working to promote British sheep breeds

34 BOOK REVIEWS Our favourite knitting books

78 SUBSCRIBE OVERSEAS International subscribers save up to 70%

63 SPIN CITY Discover a vibrant range of yarns, tools and fibres 82 EMMA VINING A passion for art and history inspires this creative designer

66 MASTERCLASS Explore three different tubular cast-on methods 81 INFORMATION Essential abbreviations, pattern corrections and stockist details

U

79 NEXT MONTH A sneak peek at what’s inside Issue 124 80 BACK ISSUES How to access the patterns in The Knitter’s archives

Subscribe digitally at www.theyarnloop.com/magazine/the-knitter/digital

The Knitter 05 Issue 123

Don’t miss an issue!

Make sure you receive every issue of The Knitter – delivered direct to your door.

TURN TO PAGE 22 FOR GREAT SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS

THE MEADOW COLLECTION

Jennie Atkinson

COLTSFOOT Combining a lace pattern with stripes of colour produces an attractive fabric on this vintage-style batwing top

The Knitter 46 Issue 123

The top is knitted in two pieces, then seamed along the shoulders

…ideas, websites, patterns, events, inspiration and more!

CALMING MOODS Create lightweight, easy-to-wear garments for spring with the latest pattern book from Kim Hargreaves. Called Calm, it offers a capsule collection of 12 feminine projects.

There’s a mix of crisp cables and softer draping knits, and Kim has designed them to be go-to garments for everyday wear.

They use Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze, Summerlite, Handknit Cotton and Softyak yarns, in a colour palette of soft greens and white.

The projects include pretty cabled cardigans - both fitted, and loose and flowing - and a high-neck cable and rib sweater.

There are floaty vests, a racer-back tank and a cap-sleeved cable cardigan, plus gauzy, oversized jumpers and cardigans with a modern look, knitted in Kidsilk Haze. £10.95 from www.kimhargreaves.co.uk

Cool knits Rowan’s new Denim Lace is a recycled denim yarn that’s perfect for textured spring projects Find the yarn and pattern collection at www.knitrowan.com

FLOWER POWER Love to knit with hand-dyed yarn? Then you can help to support the Flower Power Fund, which is raising money for the Marie Curie charity. Set up by knitter and doctor Sarah Holmes, the fund has teamed up with 12 indie dyers in the UK, who will each be producing a limited-edition yarn and giving a donation for every skein sold to Marie Curie. The special yarns include Snowdrop from Norah George Yarns, and Hellebore from Down Sheepy Lane. www.facebook.com/FlowerPowerFund/

John Arbon is opening up

The capsule collection features pretty cables and looser fabrics in mohair, cotton and yak yarns

his North Devon mill to visitors on the weekend of 19-20 May - pop along to take a tour of the vintage mill machinery (booking required), treat yourself to luxurious yarns, tops and socks, and enjoy tea and cake with John and Juliet! www.jarbon.com 01598 752490

The Knitter 14 Issue 123

Subscribe now at TheYarnLoop.com

MODERN SCOTTISH KNITS

NEW BOOKS Our pick of the best pattern collections and e-books MAKO COTTON

by Quail Studio for Rowan Selects The Quail Studio design team brings its cool, contemporary style to Rowan’s seasonal Mako Cotton yarn. Its book of eight women’s projects for relaxed daywear includes an off-the-shoulder sweater, a longline mesh cardigan, a sporty camisole vest and ballerina cardigan, and a jumper with a dramatic, deep V-back. £5, Rowan

200 STITCH PATTERNS FOR BABY BLANKETS Jan Eaton If you’re planning to make a special blanket for a new arrival, you can find ideas for beautiful stitch patterns in this new edition of Jan Eaton’s popular book. It offers a huge choice of mix-and-match block designs and pretty edgings, each accompanied by a swatch photo and instructions. It will give you a chance to be creative, by experimenting with colour and texture to create something truly unique. £10.99, Search Press

INTERPRETATIONS VOL. 5

The West Highland Way

by Kate Davies The shapes, textures and colours of Scotland’s West Highland Way have been captured in Kate Davies’ latest project. It’s a spectacular collection filled with fascinating stitch patterns and colour combinations.

As you’d expect, there’s plenty of stranded colourwork, such as the ‘Còinneach’ yoked cardigan, inspired by a hill at Loch Lomond.

‘The Shieling’ blanket features a thistle motif, while four seasonal colourways are suggested for the ‘Craigallan’ hat and mittens.

Always inventive, Kate has been playing with new garment shapes, such as the ‘Rowchoish’ wrap/cardigan, and the ‘Strathendrick’ tunic, which combines vintage colourwork with a contemporary silhouette.

Other beautiful designs include a structured, cabled T-shirt called ‘Stronachlachar’, and the dramatic ‘Electric Village’ wrap. The book also contains essays and photography that bring the West Highland Way to life. £30. www.katedaviesdesigns.com

The Knitter 15 Issue 123

Joji Locatelli and Veera Välimäki The dynamic design duo of Joji Locatelli and Veera Välimäki bring us the latest instalment of their pattern series, and it’s packed with projects that are sophisticated yet comfortable, featuring stunning stitch patterns and thoughtful details. The elegant construction of the bias-knit ‘Glacier Tunic’ and the gorgeous fabric of the ‘Indigo’ jumper and ‘Tree Seeker’ wrap are stand-out designs for us. We also love the asymmetric, flattering summer top, and Joji’s graphic shawl.

22, http://bit.ly/intvol5

Deborah Helmke

Blaise

Bring beauty into your winter wardrobe with this feminine lace and cable jumper The Knitter

Issue 118

Blaise

Lace panels appear down the centre front and along the raglans

Herdwick Crookabeck Farm Mary Bell produces yarn from this iconic Lakeland breed, as well as from her Red Fox Sheep and angora goats, as Rachel Atkinson discovers protective barrier against the elements, shedding water like a raincoat… wool dries quickly after a storm, and this is how these sheep survive the fells in winter.”

There are no fell rights at Crookabeck, so Mary’s sheep live in fields round the house rather than grazing up on the higher slopes. “I suppose I spoil them,” she muses, “but they are quiet with a docile nature, they’re easy to handle, and are ideal for smallholders.”

Natural beauty Lambs are born black with white ears, before their legs and faces gradually turn white over the first year. When initially shorn at 15 months old, the fleece is a chocolate brown colour, then all subsequent fleeces are grey.

In addition to the Herdwick sheep and angora goats, Mary keeps a couple of Red Fox sheep, a Bavarian breed (see The Knitter issue 108). She has fleeces from her neighbour’s flock – the only one in the UK – spun into a unique yarn which is a beautiful light cinnamon colour.

On the British wool industry, Mary would like to see “change by giving farmers more flexibility to use their own wool”, which the majority of shepherds don’t have. “More Herdwick wool could be spun by promoting the wider uses it is already put to - carpets, weaving, tweed, felting and insulation.”

Crookabeck Herdwick, Angora and Red Fox yarns are available online at www.crookabeck.co.uk, or by calling 017684 82742. Visitors are also welcome at the farm shop in Patterdale, and can meet the animals who produce the yarns.

The Knitter 44 Issue 113

TRIED & TESTED Herdwick wool is at the ‘rustic’ end of the yarn scale and easy to dismiss, but in the right hands it spins into a bouncy wool with a soft handle. Its unique charm, however, is the natural colour; a complex melange of greys, from charcoal, through steel, into light silver give the yarn its character and produce a knitted fabric with movement and texture. This fabric felts well, making it ideal for bags, cushions, baskets and containers, but left as a knitted fabric it makes superb, very warm outer-garments or hardwearing rugs.

Suggested patterns to try in this yarn: the ‘Cabled Jacket’ from The Knitter issue 102; the ‘Bayswater Bag’ from issue 86; or the ‘Kilim-Style Rug’ from Black Cat Designs on Ravelry (http://bit.ly/bckilim).

YARN AND SWATCH IMAGES © RACHEL ATKINSON; PORTRAIT OF MARY AND HERDWICK © SUSAN CHILD PHOTOGRAPHY; OTHER IMAGES © MARY BELL

WITH ITS grey fleece and white smiling face, the Herdwick is one of the most instantly recognisable British sheep breeds. Native to The Lake District, where they graze the fells and fields, Herdwicks have grown in popularity over recent years via the books and social media feeds of ‘Herdy Shepherd’, James Rebanks. I spoke to Lake District shepherdess and wool producer Mary Bell of Crookabeck Farm, who came to sheep farming via another characterful creature: the angora goat.

“My first angora goats flew from Canada to Heathrow in 1990. I had previously kept dairy goats, but instantly fell in love with the angoras as soon as I saw them. They produce beautiful mohair fleeces and have to be shorn twice a year as the fleece grows 2.5cm per month.” Mary explains that the location of Crookabeck Farm on a busy Patterdale footpath meant that passing walkers and visitors loved seeing the goats, and “wanted to take home a bit of their mohair” - and so the woolly farm shop opened.

Grazing alongside the goats is Mary’s flock of Herdwick sheep, which she describes as a sturdy, hardy, dual-purpose breed. “They produce uniquely flavoured lamb and mutton and coarse grey wool,” she says. An average fleece weighs 1.5-2kg, and the staple length is 15-20cm, making it ideal for spinning.

Herdwick wool has unique durability qualities. It consists of four types of fibre; wool, guard hair, kemp and heterotypic hairs. Mary explains that this combination of fibres forms “an insulating and

THEY’RE HARDY YET QUIET AND DOCILE, AND ARE AN IDEAL BREED FOR SMALLHOLDERS

1

Herdwick lambs are born black

3

4

2 1 + 2 The beautiful natural colours of Herdwick fleece include charcoal, brown and silver 3 Mary sells aran-weight yarn spun from her Herdwick fleeces 4 She also keeps the Bavarian Red Fox sheep breed on her farm, along with angora goats

Herdwick wool drapes well, and is good for felting

Herdwicks are known for their ‘friendly’ faces

Amanda Jones

Hampstead

Indulge your love of stitch pattern and colour with this beautiful lace and brioche shawl

Amanda Jones

Borage These pretty socks are garlanded with flower-like clusters and lace stitches

The Knitter

Issue 113

S WA T C H E S S HOW N A C T UA L SIZE

New yarns We’ve tested the latest wool, cotton, cashmere, silk, linen and bamboo blends for your spring-summer knitting projects Easy care

STYLECRAFT

WEST YORKSHIRE SPINNERS

Linen Drape

Bo Peep Luxury Baby 4ply

Shade pictured Cranberry (3908) Ball weight/length 100g/185m Needle size 4mm (UK 8/US 6) Tension 22 sts and 28 rows to 10cm Fibre content 70% viscose, 30% linen Care Machine wash 30°C RRP £4.80 Contact 01484 848435 www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk

Shade pictured Tinman Ball weight/length 50g/200m Needle size 3.25mm (UK 10/US 3) Tension 28 sts and 36 rows to 10cm Fibre content 52% Falkland wool, 48% nylon Care Machine wash 40°C RRP £3.99 Contact 01535 664500 www.wyspinners.com

With its cool, breathable feel and swinging drape, Linen Drape will be an excellent yarn for your warm weather knits. There are eight shades in the palette, including neutrals and brighter tones, all with a subtle lustre that gives life and interest to the fabric. Stylecraft’s pattern support features an attractive range of summer tops and cardigans for women.

The new 4ply version of Bo Peep is a great choice for baby knits.

There are seven pastel solids complemented by four variegated colourways, which will work together perfectly in stripes and colourwork. The knitted fabric feels wonderfully light, and next-to-skin soft. West Yorkshire Spinners offers a book of 10 sweet patterns for babies and toddlers using Bo Peep 4ply

The Knitter 32 Issue 123

Subscribe now at TheYarnLoop.com

Reviews

16 tonal h u es

ROWAN

SUBLIME

Cotton Cashmere

Isla

Shade pictured Morning Sky (221) Ball weight/length 50g/125m Needle size 4mm (UK 8/US 6) Tension 20 sts and 28 rows to 10cm Fibre content 85% cotton, 15% cashmere Care Machine wash 30°C RRP £8.75 Contact 01484 950630 www.knitrowan.com

Shade pictured Saffron (620) Skein weight/length 100g/220m Needle size 4mm (UK 8/US 6) Tension 22 sts and 28 rows to 10cm Fibre content 50% cotton, 50% bamboo sourced viscose Care Machine wash 40°C RRP £8.47 Contact 01924 369666 www.sublimeyarns.com

This new lightweight yarn feels extra special with the addition of luxurious cashmere. Stitch definition is excellent, making this a perfect yarn for summer textures and lacy panels.

The colour collection features 16 beautiful muted, tonal shades, which are slightly heathered to give a lovely depth of tone.

Rowan offers a range of gorgeous women’s designs in this yarn.

Sublime’s new DK yarn blends cotton and bamboo to give a cool, smooth feel and fantastic drape. The multi-strand spin gives excellent stitch definition. There are 10 shades in the palette, including juicy brights and cool neutrals. Find 14 summery patterns for women in The first Sublime Isla design book, which has cool T-shirt shapes and colourful jumpers.

RICO DESIGN

SCHEEPJES

Essentials Cotton Silk Cashmere

Woolly Whirl

Shade pictured Pink (004) Ball weight/length 50g/130m Needle size 4mm (UK 8/US 6) Tension 21 sts and 26 rows to 10cm Fibre content 75% cotton, 15% silk, 10% cashmere Care Hand wash RRP £6.99 Contact www.rico-design.co.uk

Shade pictured Kiwi Drizzle (473) Cake weight/length 215g/1000m Needle size 3.5-4mm (UK 10-8/US 4-6) Tension 22 sts and 33 rows to 10cm on 4mm Fibre content 70% cotton, 30% wool Care Machine wash 40°C RRP £24.50 Contact www.scheepjes.com

Rico’s new DK-weight yarn is a luxurious blend of fibres, giving a super-soft touch and a smooth glide through the fingers as you knit. The fabric knits up with well defined stitches softened by a delicate halo. There are eight understated shades in the palette, all with a subtle glow thanks to the silk content. Rico offer a choice of feminine designs in this yarn.

With its mix of wool and cotton, this whirl of a yarn cake will create shawls and wraps to suit all seasons. The fabric is light and airy on bigger needles, and very soft to the touch. The four shades give long colour blocks, full of complementary and tonal changes. And with a full kilometre in each cake, just one cake should be enough for a dramatic, enveloping knit!

The Knitter 33 Issue 123

Rosee Woodland

Sigga Soft and pretty, this yoked jumper is based on Icelandic lopapeysa styles The Knitter

Issue 106

Sigga Colourwork yoke uses bright, contrasting hues

Pat Menchini

Blencathra A trellis and cable design creates a ruggedly handsome fabric on this comfortable sweater for men

The Knitter

Issue 105

F E AT U R E

PLAY SCHOOL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FERGUS FORD

Felicity Ford is teaching knitters how to have fun with colour through her wonderful Stranded Colourwork Playbook FELICITY FORD started a quiet revolution with the publication of her Stranded Colourwork Sourcebook in 2014. This small, unassuming book caught the imagination of knitters all around the world, thanks to its KNITSONIK system, which demonstrated how to create our own unique patterns by observing the world around us.

Many knitters were motivated to capture elements from their day-to-day lives through the medium of knitting, and they shared their successes and stories through social media. For the sequel to her first book, Felicity has in turn been inspired by their ideas, collaborating with other

knitters to share ways of applying patterns found in daily life to celebratory hand knits.

The Stranded Colourwork Playbook has projects for knitted correspondence, personalised bunting, cowls and shawls, all designed to offer blank canvasses for our imaginations. We chatted with Felicity aka Felix - about her latest joyous project.

How did it feel to learn that knitters all over the world have been embracing the ideas you’d set out in your first book, the Stranded Colourwork Sourcebook?

“It’s humbling, joyous and exciting all at once. The Sourcebook was written to be a useful and enabling prompt, but you can never predict where people will take the ideas it contains! For example, Helen’s

The Knitter 37 Issue 125

glorious dry-stone wall-inspired waistcoat; Tabea’s fresh and bright sneaker-themed swatch; Judith’s sophisticated vest celebrating special editions of Jane Austen novels… these are just some of the projects that immediately spring to mind when I think about what people have done using the KNITSONIK system, and they are each as unique and creative as their makers. It’s a strange and humbling feeling to imagine I played a tiny role in their production!

“Likewise, it has been beautiful and inspiring to watch the amazing work of Muriel (France) and Yumi (Japan) develop over time. Their Knitted Correspondence project is extremely joyful; they make a small swatch every month commemorating a special thing, place or moment, and

Lisa Richardson

Bassey Make an impact in this cropped jumper with chic beaded shoulders

The Knitter

Issue 102

Bassey The jumper has batwing sleeves and a cropped body

KNITTING FROM THE CENTRE OUT Faye Perriam-Reed explores three different circular cast-on techniques to try on your next centre-out shawl or hat project CIRCULAR SHAWLS, toys and hats are just a few of the projects that might require a circular cast-on technique. In crochet, working from the centre out is considered the norm - the humble granny square, for example, might be the perfect beginner’s project. However, in knitting, we have a tendency to work from the outside in.

There are a few different methods to cast on from the inside of a circle, and they all produce slightly different results and are of varying levels of fiddliness! The three I’ve explored here are the most common techniques. They will give a few different options, depending on your preferences - the first uses a crochet hook, the second uses a knitting needle, and the third begins from an i-cord. Although the first two might seem a bit tricky at first, they do become much easier with practice!

For all three examples, I cast on six stitches and increased six stitches evenly on every alternative round, closing the loop shut after about ten rounds of knitting.

DISAPPEARING LOOP CAST ON This is my favourite cast-on of the three - I’m a fan of the long-tail cast-on, and this feels like it flows nicely, alternating yarnovers with catching the working yarn through the loop. The result is a neat join with little bulk, and a very satisfying loop-closure when you pull the tail!

1 Make a loop over your left forefinger with the yarn, letting the tail fall to the left at the front of the loop, and taking the working yarn over your middle finger.

Hold the loop shut with your thumb and forefinger.

2 Turn your left hand to face away from you and slip the knitting needle behind the working yarn from bottom to top to create a yarnover.

3 Keeping the needle where it is, twist your left hand back around to face you, creating a loop on the needle. This is your first stitch.

4 Take the needle under the two loops on your forefinger from right to left.…

5 …and pick up the working yarn by taking the needle over it, then pulling the

5

working yarn down and through the loop on to the needle (6).

7 This time, take the needle under the working yarn from front to back to create a yarnover.

8 Repeat steps 4-7 until the required number of stitches are on the needle.

To begin knitting in the round, transfer the stitches on to a set of DPNs or circular needles, and arrange to work in the round.

Tighten the loop after a few rounds.

1

6

About our expert Faye Perriam-Reed is a designer and the technical of The Knitter and Simply Knitting. She enjoys exploring how different knitting techniques can be used to achieve neater results.

The Knitter 68 Issue 122

Subscribe now at TheYarnLoop.com

Masterclass

EMILY OCKER’S CAST ON Emily Ocker’s Circular Cast-on is probably the most common of all the circular cast-on techniques, and one that you might have tried already if you have made any toys or circular shawls. If you’re a crocheter, this will look familiar, as it can be seen as the knitting equivalent of a crochet Magic Loop (not to be confused with magic loop knitting).

1 Make a loop with your yarn, with the tail end of the yarn going over the top of the loop and over to the right.

2 Hold the loop closed with your left hand and keeping hold of the tail in your right hand, insert a crochet hook slightly smaller than the needles you will be knitting with into the loop and under the working yarn, catching hold of the yarn and bringing it through the loop.

3 Take the hook over the loop and under the working yarn, catching the yarn and bringing it through the loop on the hook.

You might find you need to gently pull down on the loop with your forefinger and thumb to help pull the new loop through.

Draw to close, to create one stitch.

4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the required number of stitches are on the hook.

To knit in the round, transfer the stitches on to a set of DPNs or circular needles, and arrange to work in the round. Tighten the loop after a few rounds.

1

2

3

4

Emily Ocker’s cast-on is almost invisible when the loop is closed

Ruth Morris’s ‘Sampler Shawl’ from Issue 89 uses Emily Ocker’s method

2

3

7

8

4

Pulling the tail closes up the loop, and results in a neat, flat finish

The Knitter 69 Issue 122

Ju et Bernard

Ziggy Squared The most luxurious yarn makes this cowl a real treat to knit and wear The Knitter

Issue 108

Interview MY I N SPI RAT I O N

Nathan Taylor The ‘Sockmatician’ has a playful and innovative approach to colourwork knitting NATHAN TAYLOR is an actor and knitwear designer who publishes his exciting socks, scarves and accessories under the name Sockmatician.

He is passionate about double-knitting, and teaches workshops on the technique around the UK. Who inspired you to take up knitting?

“When I was about eight, my sister was given a kit to make a Pink Panther toy.

I always wanted to do whatever she did, so my mum gave me some thin, dark green yarn, and some big fat needles, and I set about knitting what essentially became a dark green string vest, vaguely shaped like the Pink Panther. I still have him to this day. Fast-forward to seven years ago, and my two friends, Sam and Julie, both keen knitters themselves, bullied me for about six months to take it up, as they felt it was the sort of thing that would appeal to the way my brain works. How right they were!”

Do you have a favourite artist, writer, poet or musician who inspires you?

My all-time favourite music act is ABBA. The craftsmanship in each and every one of their songs is like nothing else, and the progression of their music from 1972 to 1982 is a constant reminder and inspiration to keep evolving, keep pushing yourself, while all the while remaining true to who you are. I even quoted The Winner Takes It All when I sang my vows to my husband during our wedding ceremony.”

Which designer has most inspired you?

“I have very rarely knitted the work of other designers - I started designing my own patterns right at the beginning of my adult knitting life, and as such, I have had to forge my own path. There are designers whose ethos I respect: Stephen West, for making gender-neutral patterns trendy and accessible to the masses; Alasdair

‘Paganino Cowl’ has gradient colourwork

Post-Quinn and Lucy Neatby for their work in the field of double-knitting, Nancy Marchant for her pioneering work in brioche, and Cookie A, for opening my eyes to thinking outside the box when putting together patterns for socks.”

Tell us about the colours, landscapes or architecture that inspire your work.

The big inspiration for me when designing is architecture. For example, the large double-knitted shawl I designed for Vogue Knitting, ‘42nd and Lexington’, was inspired by the graceful shapes of New York City’s Chrysler Building. I also take inspiration from different aspects of architecture, such as the pattern on my ‘W12 8QT’ scarf, which was taken from a mosaic wall in the gentlemen’s bathrooms at the Westfield Centre in London.”

What fibres do you love to work with?

“My heart lies mostly with alpaca. I love the unctuousness of it, the smooth handle, and the fuzzy warmth it brings to the fabric. A close second, for very different reasons, would be Bluefaced Leicester.

The more I work with this sturdy yarn, the more I fall for the bounce in the fibres, the crispness of its stitch definition, and the strength it gives to your work.”

1

2 ‘Il Burato’ is a sumptuous scarf worked in double knitting

1 ‘Twisted Soul Socks’ is typical of Nathan’s radical approach to sock construction 2 This double-knit scarf is called ‘W12 8QT’3 Nathan admires the designs of Alasdair Post-Quinn 4 ABBA is his favourite band 5 ‘Remember Cowl’ has a reversible pattern of poppies

3

Which design from your portfolio are you most proud of, or is most special to you?

“I’m very proud of the Sockmatician’s Toe-Ups recipe, which is a simple formula to help you create toe-up socks with a heel-flap and gusset construction, from ANY yarn/needle/knitter combination. It’s like magic! It succinctly brings together my love of socks, and my love of mathematics.

Other than that, I would say my ‘Sanquhar Scarf’, which blends facets of the traditional black-and-white stranded gloves with a new technique (double-knitting).”

Discover Nathan’s patterns at www.sockmatician.com

The Knitter 82 Issue 119

4

5