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Approaching Autumn

Published by louise

I think the seasons are beginning to shift…

…even though I have never particularly enjoyed the creeping darkness at this time of year – from long, light Shetland summer evenings to unending darkness in winter – I do love the colours that surround us in autumn. It’s such a short season, but so much happens to change the look of the world.

Leaves are transitioning – some are standing strong, while others have found the pavement already.

I adore the colours that seem to change, moment to moment.

Where there is green, it clings on in jewelled tones.

And while the autumn begins to encroach its golden fingers over the end of the “summer”, it officially brings scarf season!

Of course, I try and keep my thrapple covered most seasons and champion year round scarf-wear, but I do like to see people starting to emerge in woolly accessories.

I finally got my Ronaes shawl blocked and we snapped a couple of pics of it before I had to wrap it up for my friend’s birthday.

You may remember my post about the release of Karie Westermann’s Doggerland: I was eager to get my knitting hands on it and get going. Ronaes is a great project – of course, I am a sucker for garter stitch, but there was something about this project.

The pattern and the FO have a simplicity, but also a real touch of elegance. I also love the shape, long like a scarf with a nod towards the crescent shawl – the lovelyfella called it a sharf, which sounds simple, but definitely not elegant!

Of course, scarf season would not be anything without HAT season! While maybe not *quite* full-on hat season just yet, the one I wear is Woolly Wormhead’s Castiel, which I knit it in a looser gauge to get slouchier effect. (More on the wool in a later blog!)

You can buy Castiel in a collection called Hatopia, which is raising funds to save the Mutonia community where Woolly lives – not only is it home to many, it is also a work of art and forms the backdrop for all Woolly’s photo shoots.

If you are unaware of this cause, please do click on the link to find out more and you can directly help by buying the fantastic book, which is a limited edition – £7 from the £9 price-tag goes directly to fund-raising efforts.

And on the subject of donning woollens, even local scaffolding is getting wrapped in wool! I was really tickled by this, outside of Jamiesons of Shetland shop in Lerwick!

So, no, I do not like the transition from light to dark nor cherish the thought of leaving for work in a strange half-dark and watching the sky just wash out in the evenings. However, we are heavily compensated with the gradual change in our surroundings.

In Shetland, sometimes you are lucky to have an autumn – we can go from summer to the wilds of winter fairly quickly. Last year it seemed the leaves were on the sycamores one day and empty the next! And yes, I do have a tree in my garden, several in fact! Shetland is not completely without trees. We can live on a scantily tree-clad landscape and still appreciate the change in the seasons.

If it can stay mild for a short time you really can appreciate the loveliness of a Shetland hairst in all its brief glory.

The heather is burning with colour on the hills, which does tell us summer is on the way out, so dreaded creeping darkness aside, bring on the full “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”! Maybe that is why it is such a short season, so that we appreciate it all the more.

Colours of the landscape are very much in my mind now as I think about my next project…

What do you think about knitting when the seasons begin to change?

British Wool: Made by Ewe

Published by louise

One of the best things about this year of personal discovery into British wool – besides the wool itself – is meeting other people who also love British wool!

Linda from Made by Ewe got in touch recently to tell me all about her adventures in local fibre and as soon as I saw her delightful kits I knew that I had to ask her over to KnitBritish for a little visit.

Tell us a little bit about how Made by Ewe came into being.

I have been crafting ever since I was little. I remember the best birthday presents always being some kind of ‘things to make’ kit. Every year I decided people in the family had to have one home-made present as well as one shop bought present – the ultimate Christmas stress. My younger sister was treated to years of my attempts to recreate the lovely Jean Greenhowe dolls featured in the Women’s Weekly magazine – they were truly horrendous recreations but I enjoyed making them so much that I didn’t really notice if she didn’t like them!
I had a business for a few years in the early 1990’s designing handknitted children’s jumpers and then I didn’t really do much knitting again until 2010. I remember looking in the shops at the knitting kits available at the time and being disappointed by the quality of yarn included with the kits – mostly cheap and nasty acrylic, enough to put anyone off knitting for life! So I decided to create some kits of my own, using lovely pure British wool yarn. I put up a few for sale on etsy and was amazed when they started selling. I gradually designed more kits and set up the made by ewe website, blog, facebook page etc, and year on year the business continues to grow. I now supply a few shops too, which is very exciting, thinking of the kits sitting on shop shelves all over the country.

Your kits are really delightful and each definitely has its own unique character- where does your inspiration come from?

Inspiration from the kits comes from my subconscious. I think it must be a mixture of that childhood spent making things and cute things that appeal to me now. I also have a large collection of craft books dating from the 1940’s all through the 1970’s and 80’s to present day. I expect that leafing through the books from time to time sows seeds in my imagination that quietly grow into ideas.

The most popular kits are the Knit Your Own Sheep kits and I know that I spent a lot of time on holiday in Wales as a child picking sheep’s wool off barbed wire fences – such treasure and all for free too! I used to spin it on a drop spindle my Dad made me, dye it with plants from the garden and then knit it into suitable outlandish garments.
No doubt that influenced a general liking for sheep and the idea that their fleeces come off. Some of my customers have knit the entire range of sheep kits and they like them because the fleeces use different knitting stitches – cables, lace work etc – and they are small enough to practice the techniques without committing to a big project.

Everything inside the kit is truly British from stitches to stuffing. Tell us a bit about the breeds you use and how important it is to use British wool.

It is absolutely essential to me that all of the yarn in the kits is British. There is so much lovely yarn in this country, as you know, so why would you want to use anything else? I like to know that the yarn I buy is supporting British farmers. I also try to use as many other British things as possible – the stuffing is fleece from British sheep and the new tube packaging is made in Britain. The knitting needles are purchased from a British maker too.
The kits contain yarn from different breeds – mainly Shetland, Bluefaced Leicester, Gotland, Herdwick, Wensleydale at the moment. The Gotland wool is local to me, from a farm in Hampshire. I only have a small amount as it is quite expensive and it is very hard not to use it all up myself!

And you are also a partner in the Campaign for Wool, too!

The Campaign for Wool was set up by Prince Charles to raise the profile of wool as a natural, sustainable fibre. I wanted to be part of the Campaign as one of the main aims of Made By Ewe is to promote wool. I am an approved partner, which means that the CFW have reviewed the business and agreed that I can use their logo and feature on their list of partner websites. I feel very proud to feature their little green sheep on my packaging.

Finally, you have a lovely range of British yarns in your shop – do you have any favourites that you like to work with?
I have lots of favourites and, as I mentioned before, it is difficult keeping my mitts off the stock! The Erika Knight British Blue balls of yarn are so soft and squishy, and the beautiful colours in the Jillybean skeins make me want to unwind them and start knitting to see how they look when knitted up. The British Naturals is lovely and earthy and felts beautifully so I am having a lot of fun experimenting with that. I also have a special skein of Skein Queen 4ply sock yarn in autumny browns and golds secreted in my stash, which is waiting to be turned into a shawl during my summer holidays.

ooOOoo

The kits – featuring sheep, bunnies, owls, teddies or teacozies – have wide appeal for new knitters to more experienced and I just know that younger knitters – or recipients of the finished item – will love that they can change the sheep or bunny’s clothing. Scope to create more fleeces and clothes for them…in British wool, of course!

Thanks so much to Linda – her love for British wool is really inspiring. It is wonderful to see that home-grown fibre is being promoted and used in such a fantastic way in the kits, but don’t forget that everything in Linda’s shop is British!

I am coveting these lovely and exclusive needles!

The kits are priced from £5 to around £10 and yarns start from under £3. All of which confirms that which I have blogged about a few times before – you can get top quality British wool products which do not cost the earth!

Please do pop along the Made by Ewe shop: and you can also subscribe to Linda’s blog too. Like Linda, as a child I loved getting those kits for Christmas and this year I will definitely indulge in a bit of my own personal nostalgia and give some of Linda’s kits to my neblings!

Washable British Wool: Part 2

Published by louise

Yesterday, I was looking at British wool and blends which can be washed in the machine.
Well, the gentle spin has finished and the results are in… some surprising!

First out was Jarol British Aran.

Apologies for the difference in light, the top one is before and bottom one is washed. I am really pleased with how this has behaved – it didn’t need blocking, just pulled into shape. It hasn’t shrunk and the appearance has not changed. That halo has bloomed a little, so perhaps it will pill eventually, but a bit of bobbling can be sorted. It bears repeating that anything woolly will want to bobble a bit after continual wear and washing.
I am really happy with this – will definitely use it again.

The other pure, machine washable wool was less successful in the machine!

Do you remember I was so happy with the beautiful smooth, springy yarn with defined-stitches? The one I thought would wash really well…? Hmmm!
The ball band states machine wash in “not more than 30 degrees”, but I think you can see that machine washing at 30 has changed the appearance of this swatch.
It’s shrunk a little and the lovely definition has rather slumped into insignificance. It’s not quite felted, but it looks very different.
I have to say I am quite disappointed… I had a kids sweater queued up with this in mind, but I know the mummy won’t appreciate a yarn that will behave like this in the machine.
This British DK is still lovely and soft and worthy of any project – it feels really nice whilst working up, but I can now highly recommend hand washing a garment made from this yarn.

My star buy – Woolcraft 60% British wool aran performed beautifully! No shrinkage and a really fantastic bloom. The best bit is that because it is mostly wool it has a bit more of memory and stretch than other acrylic blends.
I am really pleased with this one and I think all the neblings will have something made out of this at Christmas! The only drawback is that it only comes in the one colour. However, given its 60 % wool I think it might take a bit of dye… Experimenting to come, me thinks!

The last wool – the mostly (as yet unconfirmed as 100%) acrylic which is described as a British wool acrylic blend did not change in the slightest. It didn’t soften either.
Reusable bags, dish cleaning cloths, maybe dolls clothes, but not suitable for anything worn next to the skin.

I have to say, it was quite difficult to find *British* wool with acrylic. There are a lot of acrylic blends out there – as Miss Jean Brodie would say, “for those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like” – and you cannot knock their ease of care and their appeal to the purse strings, but there are only a few using British wool in any degree.

We have more luck with the washable 100% wools – from bumper 500g balls of Wendy Traditional Aran, the Jarol recommended here, dreamy Artesano British Chunky, to pretty hand-dyed, superwash yarns – you can find a washable wool for most tastes, washing machine settings and price tags.

As I mentioned last time, most machine wash wools will recommended hand washing too. It is up to you whether you take the words “machine washable” on their merit. If you don’t already knit gauge squares and wash these swatches you may not find out how these wools behave in the machine
As well as testing swatches it is equally important to look at the laundry instructions. Some will say wash at 30 degrees, some a gentle 40 degree wash, some will state wash on the wool cycle and some are even suitable for the tumble drier. Do pay close attention to this because a wool that has been treated may indeed be machine washable, but the heat of a tumble drier could destroy the coating and cause the wool to felt. Also consider the acrylic in your wool too, if using a blend high settings in the tumble could cause the plastic in the fibre to change and dramatically change the look and feel of the fabric.

And what about that stained hat?
Well, you might not see it from the middle pic, but there is a slight coffee stain still there.

However, as I am a bit cynical, I am pleasantly surprised that 90% of all that mess came out at 30 degrees! I will wash it again and keep you posted.

Please do let me know of your favourite British washable wools and blends. I found there was a bit of a grey area for British wool/acrylic blends, but if you know of any others please let me know!

Washable British Wool: Part 1

Published by louise

When knitting for friends and loved ones it is often difficult to please all the people all of the time. The one thing I get asked for when knitting for others, particularly for kids, is, “can you make it in something I can put in the washing machine?”

Now, I am not a huge fan of acrylic wool – one reason for why shall become clear – but mainly I just prefer working with wool and the finished fabric wool produces. However, 100% wool can be difficult to care for and so I have been on the hunt for wool you can wash along with your usual load.

You may often see the term superwash when buying wool. This is a process – either an acid bath or a special coating – which stops the wool from being able to felt. Generally ball bands of such yarns will tell you to use a gentle wool cycle on your machine, but often many sellers of this type of treated yarn will advise hand-washing. I wonder if this is more to do with the hand-dyed nature of some wools, but it could also be that it is the nature of wool to full given enough heat and agitation.

So, right off the bat, we can safely assume that most machine-washable wool is not going to be organic. It has been treated, or is blended with a synthetic fibre. I say most, because recently I was assured that pure alpaca yarn can be washed in the machine too. Perhaps that is a test for another day, but right now I want to focus on those which state “machine washable” on the ball band.

As I write this, I have not washed any of the wools – these are the unwashed swatches and by the end of the blog they will be going in the machine!

The first wool I swatched up is Jarol British Aran. Spun at Yorkshire mill Laxtons, this is 100% Masham wool which comes in a healthy 100g/ 175 metre ball and costs around £6 It comes in a range of natural colours & marls.

First impressions: it is a soft yarn of two loosely spun plies, which is a little splicey when knitting, but the knitted fabric is lovely, drapey and has a slight lustre. It has a woolly halo, so I think when washed it may pil a little- but which pure wool doesn’t do this a bit? Coveting hats and scarves knit in this!

Another washable wool I found is a British DK from June Onigbanjo, which is pictured here in colourway fern. It is worsted spun, says suited to the machine’s 30 degree cycle and is priced £3 for a 50g/112 metre ball.

First impressions: a very impressive yarn. It knits up smoothly and has a lovely stitch definition. I think this one will wash very well.

After finding some pure wools it was also important to find wools that have been blended with acrylic. Now, I take my research on your behalf quite seriously. I emailed quite a few of the UK yarn manufacturers who produce acrylic wool to ask if any of their products contained British wool, or were spun in the UK…

…I am still awaiting replies! Whether they are too embarrassed to admit they have none or few yarns with British fibres or do not spin in the UK , or they have rubbish admin people (perish the thought!, says this admin gal) I don’t know, but I did find from internet searching a couple of wools which are acrylic and UK wool blends.

Woolcraft have a yarn which is 60% British wool – I think that is pretty unique, actually. Most blends have very small amounts of actual wool, so this was a real delight to find. A BUMPER 500g/1000 metre monster ball costs around £15. I bought mine on ebay, but there are several stockists if you look on the internet.

First impression: a very woolly feel. It’s soft and plump and, like the others knits with a really nice pronounced stitch. I am already imagining making some kids clothes with this wool.

Another “blend” I found was from an ebay shop Edge Fold Wools who buy their wool and wool blends direct from the mill. The one I chose is a DK, which was described as a British wool with acrylic. It cost £1.87 , comes in 50g cakes and is described as “not the softest wool”.

Firstly, let me say that when you buy from a seller on sites like Ebay remember to read the descriptions and if you have any questions then ask. I did email the seller to ask which British mill the wool comes from and if they knew the breed. I did not receive a reply. However I decided to try a wool anyway and chose one which hit the bases – machine washable, acrylic and wool blend. I was not sure from the description if the wool is British, the mill is British or both, but “British” was how the yarn was described.

First impressions: Scratchy! this is the kind of acrylic wool I do not like. The kind that hurts to knit with!

I am not sure what the wool to acrylic ratio is, but I am guessing there is very little wool in it. When I am not sure if a yarn is all wool I burn the end of the wool (BE CAREFUL OF FIRE, PLEASE!). If there is wool present it singes and there is a scent of burnt hair. When I burned this it melted entirely and smelled of plastic.

Still, the “British” part could refer to the mill, so I knit it up and we shall see the washed result later.

Again, I must say if you are buying wool from a seller and it has no band, or the details surrounding its origin are scant then do not be afraid to ask. Knitters are nothing if not discerning when it comes to what we knit with and I think we should be aware of where that comes from, if you are not happy with the information provided or you think the product is less than what it states then do make the seller aware of that. Sometimes the buyer is more discerning than the seller – not something I assert in this case, but if and when I get that reply, I will be sure to let you know the wool origins.

So…the swatches are now whirring in the machine…how’s this for live blogging?

I washed at 30 degrees as the bands suggest. I have lessened the spin cycle and I am using a name brand, non bio washing liquid.

But in addition to the swatches there is another item! Remember those washing powder ads, the ones with all the nasty stains on the clothing that the boffins are going to wash? To give the wool a real test, I knit up this hat in the Jarol – very hastily and with little care and then made a right mess of it (all for the purposes of getting a blog out…do forgive me!)

Will it get the stains out at 30 degrees… will the swatches survive the machine wash?

All this and more on the subject of washable wools next time!

In the Loop 3.5

Published by louise

Last week I had a really enjoyable couple of days at the In the Loop 3.5 Conference here in Shetland. I am not going to abstract the whole thing (I believe there will be a special edition on Textiles next year, which will do that for you), but I really wanted to share with you one or two of the stand out speakers.

Organised by the Knitting Reference Library at the University of Southampton, the theme of the conference was on making connections – knitting means more than one thing and we make connections to it in vast, myriad ways from fashion, art, design, style, historical, geographical, connections with time and space, emotional connections…the list is infinite.

It was so wonderful to see such a broad and varied list of speakers from academics, graduates, textile artists, designers and even non-textile orientated persons! Wonderful too was it to sit in the company of so many delegates most of whom were clicking away on their needles!

(although my Gillean hat didn’t grow too much, I was taking a few notes too!)

I was excited to hear from Sylvia Dow that she was commissioned to write a play for a Stellar Quines theatre project about knitting. Set in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, the play concentrates on female voices intertwined with a rich history in textiles as well as songs, tales and mythology. I loved that the backbone of Sylvia’s work and research came from setting up a knitting group in Hawick – bringing women together and hearing their own stories and connections with knitting.

As someone who detests the connotations of knitting as a granny hobby, or something easy or twee, I often think, “Yeah? Try deciphering a pattern, idiot *or insert chosen adjective here*”

Patterns definitely have their own language and that was the topic of Kandy Diamond’s paper. She had used the Knitting Reference Library to bring examples of how patterns had evolved over the decades – from The Lady’s Book of Knitting (1884 (and which can be viewed online here)), which had scant instructions indeed; through to the introduction of abbreviations for instructions, to the pattern sheets of the 70s and 80s with dense text and perhaps more onus on image than clearly set out information.

You can’t really mention patterns without thinking Elizabeth Zimmerman, who broke the mould with her conversational patterns – I just returned The Opinionated Knitter back to the library and her patterns sort of relax the eye when reading them!

Kandy’s research was really interesting showing that 70% of people she surveyed were often put off by pattern instructions. I have to say, that in the past many a pattern I have had to abandon or try to write out in a better format – thankfully my favourite designers do not have that problem… probably why they are my favourites!

so, yeah…you numpties who say knitting is for maiden aunts, knitting has a terminology that needs decoding – so until you can ktbl, yo, sl1, k1, PSSO, C4L or CDD you can bind right off, ok!

Another paper I really enjoyed was by Deryn Relph, a textile designer who has her finger on the pulse of colour and trend. Here she was looking at the inspiration behind the knitted home. We have seen so many knit-influenced designs for the home, from Fair Isle and knit-printed fabric in soft furnishings, to the wonderful cabled furniture of Claire Anne O’Brien.

Deryn’s own inspirations come from archive patterns of the 1970s and the vivid colours and groovy patterns are really wonderful – such a sense of nostalgia about them, but they would not look out of place in the most contemporary of homes. I particularly liked the examples from her Button Box collections, inspired by a precious treasure of her grandma’s buttons. I think when thinking about connections with knitting the mosts resonant for me is the connection to other people and emotional connections with who or what inspires you to create.

I have to say that the star speaker for me was Annemor Sundbø – I had happened upon her book, Knitting in Art, last year and I was really captivated by her story. After purchasing a ‘shoddy’ factory – where old woolens were recycled into mattress and duvet fillings – in the 80s near Kristiansand, Norway, Annemor found a precious treasure trove in the remnants of knitted garments found in the rag bins.

An expert on Norwegian knitting, Annemor uses her ragpile to unravel a cultural history and form a picture of the lives of the people who knitted and wore these garments, their inspirations and their history.

Annemor brought a wonderful array of examples from her rag pile and it was both one of the most amusing and interesting lectures of the whole conference.

I was also so impressed by the work of Winchester School of Art graduate Alex Pengelly, particularly her work using John Arbon British wool. Emily Watts also used British wool in her graduate collection, which was inspired by her interest in the fragments of garments of polar explorer’s clothing in museum collections: her images from a trip to Svalbard where also really powerful.

A really wonderful event and thanks to In the Loop and Hazel Hughson at Shetland Arts for organizing such a brilliant and inspiring event. I came out of there with a new idea beginning to take seed in my brain due to all those instances of knitting and connections…

…how many connections can you make in relation to your own knitting?

Ebb

Published by louise

Before showing you my newest favourite knitted garment, I know you are dying to know who won the contest for the Tin Can Knits ebook.

We draw winners old school at Casa KnitBritish!

My glamorous assistant drew from the hat

…..and the winner is……

Congrats Susan! I have passed on your details to Emily so you can get your e-book and start knitting your windswept socks!!

Thanks to everyone who commented – I was really interested to hear your favourite UK wools & dyers.

More wonderfulness to give away soon!

Today we went over to my mother-island to…visit my mother. After a nice lunch of (locally produced) sausages we dug out a couple of items that my knitting hands were itching to get a hold of: My Nannie’s jumper board and hank winder. Both are in need of a good clean and a bit of care, but I will blog on my wool-related heirlooms soon.

While we were there we took the chance (when the mist lifted and the drizzle stopped) to photograph Ebb, my version of Estuary, from the Handmade in the UK book.

I absolutely adore it. It is a little longer than the pattern as I went up a needle size – I am from Shetland – I need a shawl I can wrap around and around and around and this is it!

Just look at the depth of colour in the Old Maiden Aunt Corriedale! Truly beautiful. A beautiful pattern and a really lovely yarn: a soft “woolly” texture (I know! it *is* wool, but you guys know what I mean!) and colour that is so multi-faceted and mouthwatering.

I pinned out the pattern so that the ripples on the bottom undulate and there are peaks to the little waves along the top edge

I am already planning a second Estuary in a lustrous wool, like Titus – imagine the shine on the waves!

I am so happy with it, I shall even allow the double chin close up shot!

Hwaarl

Published by louise

I have become a bit of a square knitter. Not the boring kind of square…knitting is never boring!

I have been using up my odds and ends for squares and I have also been knitting squares for the Vivid Blanket.

When I received my first delivery from Foula Wool – neat little, springy, soft 25g cakes – they were just begging to be played with in a fun way. I also had a few other Shetland ends, from Jamieson & Smith and Shetland Organics – these weren’t really enough for much, but my imagination bubbled and so began Hwaarl, using a trinity of Shetland wools!

Taking my inspiration from the POP Blanket squares I made a few mods to make a larger squares (about 8.5 inches). I love the statement of the colourful original and I knew that the Shetland colours could provide a similar effect.

The Foula Wool has lovely characteristics and its a lovely plump yarn, but, of course, I appreciate all the wool in this project! Shetland wool is so deliciously sheepy and I adore the texture. The fact that all the wool was grown and sold in Shetland is also massively wonderful…truly local wonderfulness! You can read more about Foula Wool in a previous blog.
There is also a lovely short film of the Foula sheep being hand clipped. Check out the beautiful, natural colours!

(I have been to a few clips in my youth and I don’t recall such quiet, well behaved sheep!)

Being Shetland wool, it had to have a Shetland name. Hwaarl is the dialect word for that lovely curl of hair at the crown of the head, that’s a good symmetry, I think.

I was sure that I wanted the finished item – 9 squares stitched together – to be part of a cushion OR a wall hanging, one useful and decorative, one just decorative. I thought that I would have made up my mind by now, but I haven’t! Probably a good reason why I finished this ages ago, but haven’t posted a blog…. I was waiting to see if I made a firm decision!

I have made it into a wall hanging – thanks to a bit of driftwood – but that’s not to say it won’t be re-purposed in the future! The best thing about wool is that it is always re-customisable! I might hang it over the bed, or above my fireplace in the kitchen, but it may become a floor cushion yet!

I do like the boldness of the colour, texture and pattern combined – I like to hit all those bases! I got some bright dyed herdwick at woolfest – I think that would look good in a similar project (maybes a cushion, this time!)

As an aside, if you like the Pop Blanket and Tin Can Knits, I do have a little giveaway you might be interested in!

Handmade in the UK

Published by louise

Have I told you, I reeaalllllly love the designs from Tin Can Knits! I am sure might have mentioned it before, once or twice!

The Transatlantic duo have recently published Handmade in the UK, featuring 11 lacy designs by Emily Wessel.

I eagerly anticipated the e-book, but when the actual book dropped through the door last week I was thrilled and it’s has been pored over within an inch of its life.

If it’s TCK you know it’s going to be beautiful, stylish patterns, designed with a finger on the pulse of what knitters want to make AND wear! Add to that a collection designed entirely in British wool or by UK dyers and I feel like throwing a parade!

Inspired by her new home in Scotland and the great standard of local dyers and yarn producers – from Jamieson & Smith, Orkney Angora and Shilasdair, to Uncommon Thread, Juno Fibre Arts, Skein Queen and Old Maiden Aunt – Emily has selected yarns which perfectly accompany and show off her lace designs.

I have already knit two projects from the book and have two WIPs, too.

The Lush cardigan was a special pre-release from the book and I was keen to knit it up for a friend’s baby. I blogged about it here. The wool I used was BFL and a Corriedale & Alpaca blend. The sample from the book is made from yarn by Skein Queen and having seen the cardigan at the Edinburgh Yarn Fest I can confirm that the voluptuous
is a real delight.

I adored knitting the Loch Hat – it was really exciting to watch the pattern emerging. I hadn’t really used lace in a hat like this before and I am so pleased with the result. I decided to squirrel it away for a gift, but it was difficult not to keep it!

The wool I used was merino sport dyed by Helen of Ripples Crafts and I really believe this was a case of the yarn matching the pattern perfectly.
I will need to head back over to the website to get more for the matching mitts!

I have Estuary cast on at the moment and I am using yarn from the suggested yarn-dyer extraordinaire, Old Maiden Aunt! This is a 4ply UK bred Corriedale in the colourway Last Night’s Red Dress!

I will post project pics when blocked, but I think this is my favourite pattern from the book so far. Mostly because it challenges me a bit. I am not the greatest chart reader, but (like ALL these patterns) the pattern is set out beautifully in a really easy to understand way and I almost feel like each chart is a little lesson and then an achievement!
Again, watching the waves and ripples form is a joy to behold!

Another WIP (though a longer term one, I think) are Vivid blanket squares.
The version in the book is in fantastic rainbow colours from Jamieson & Smith and I have seen some lovely versions on Ravelry, particularly the version made by Alexa – Emily’s partner in design.

My British wool in this project has a nice story. My Besty told her aunt about my KnitBritish project and she sent me a massive bag of coloured mohair, spun at Blacker. She bought it on holiday – as she cannot resist a ball of yarn! – but had not knit with it yet and so must have thought my need was greater! Thanks so much to Aunty Joyce!

I like the fuzzy, halo effect of the mohair! It might lack the amazing stitch definition of the Shetland, but it definitely has character! With this pattern I mastered a new cast on, again learning something new with Tin Can Knits!

It is patently clear that Tin Can Knits love design, but they also really seem to care about what we wanna knit and how. From newbies to the most intricate knitters, they really do offer something for everyone and HMUK is no different. Whether you are an old hand at lace or you want to get to grips and gain confidence with your lace knitting, you will find these patterns a joy to knit.

And don’t forget the gems of yarns too. I know it is often tempting to knit patterns in a yarn of your own choice, rather than the ones suggested, but there are so many beautiful UK yarns featured in the book – and lots of great natural and dyed home grown wool besides – you’ve no excuse not to knit British!

If like me you cannot wait to knit the entire book then you should head right on over to their website (it will be the best use of $16 CAD ever!) and treat yourself ooorrrrrrrr you could win yourself one right here!

Emily has kindly offered an e-copy of the book to one of you lucky lovelies!

To enter leave me a comment telling me your favourite pattern from Handmade in the UK and your personal favourite British yarn or dyer

I will close the competition on Monday, 29th July and announce the winner soon after.

Feel free to tweet and facebook, spread it around! Only comments left here will be entered into the giveaway.

Happy Knitting!