We're here to help you stitch sustainability into every aspect of your making.
With our carefully curated selection of non-superwash, plastic-free yarns and notions, we have everything you need to get started on your next project - and the one after that.
Here's to a wardrobe of knits we love and want to wear for years to come!
Designer Resources
Designing knitwear is, in our opinion, one of the most rewarding and fun things you can do. Whether you are dreaming of a career in knitwear design, or simply want to try putting your ideas on to paper, it can feel a little overwhelming when you are starting and leave you wondering where to begin. To help, we decided to put together a list of resources to help.
Frenchie of Aroha Knits
Frenchie's website, Aroha Knits, is a treasure trove of information for new and established designers alike. Her site is dedicated to educating and empowering all makers, with a specific section dedicated to Yarn Alchemists; knitters who want to embark on design. Frenchie has two free signature challenges: 5 Shawls, 5 Days challenge and the Initiate Knit Design challenge, both giving participants invaluable skills to use in their design work. She also runs SWATCH Studio and the Yarn Alchemist Apprenticeship Program, both of which helps transform knitters into confident designers.
Claire Mountain of Sister Mountain
Grading knitting patterns is probably one of the most daunting aspects of designing a pattern and something a lot of new designers try to avoid for as long as possible. Claire Mountain's fantastic blog is full of tips and tricks to elevate your knitting, but her tutorial on grading patterns using a spreadsheet is gold.
The Craft Yarn Council
The Craft Yarn Council has a ton of information for new designers. Their sizing charts, in particular, are an extremely helpful starting point when grading patterns.
The Beginners Guide To Writing Patterns
Kate Atherley's book is a detailed account of how to write clear and thoughtful patterns that makers will love to knit. Not only does Kate share her expert knowledge, she includes advice and feedback from other people in the industry such as tech editors, magazine editors and, more importantly, knitters.
Kristen Tendyke
Submitting to a publication is a great way to get your work seen, but often a great design can be overlooked because of a less than great submission. ‘Knit Design Tips—9 Steps to Perfect Design Submissions' by Kirsten Tendyke breaks down all the elements needed for a clear and well thought-through submission.
Are there any other resources you think should be on this list? Share them in the comments below!
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Also in Blog
Issue 13 – Confetti & Rainbows | Official Pattern Preview
Hi lovelies! The sun is out here in Berlin, and what better day to talk about one of the most joyful issues we've ever done than a brilliant sunny winter day – meet Issue 13, Confetti & Rainbows!
In Issue 13 – our Spring 2025 Issue – we want to play! Confetti and rainbows, unusually and unconventionally interpreted in 12 new knitwear designs – a journey through color, shapes, texture and materials.
Confetti made out of dried flowers, collected over months from bouquets and the road side. Sparkly rainbows, light reflecting. Gentle textures and shapes, echoing the different forms confetti can take. An unexpected rainbow around the corner, on a brick wall, painted in broad strokes.
New Look, Same Heart: The Story Behind Our Delightful Rebrand
Hi lovelies! I am back today with a wonderful behind-the-scenes interview with Caroline Frett, a super talented illustrator from Berlin, who is the heart and and hands behind the new look we've been sporting for a little while.
Caro also has a shop for her delightfully cheeky and (sometimes brutally) honest T-Shirts, postcards, and mugs. (I am particularly fond of this T-Shirt and this postcard!)
I am so excited Caro agreed to an interview to share her thoughts and work process, and what she especially loves about our rebrand!
Thoughts on closing down a knitting magazine
As a lot of you might have suspected I have, at last, made the decision to definitely close down Making Stories Magazine after Issue 14, our 2025 Fall & Winter issue. This means we still have two issues to go - Issue 13, coming out in March (Confetti & Rainbows!!), and Issue 14, coming out in September. I wanted to share this decision with you bright and early as I don’t feel like holding this in when we publish our last Spring and then our very last Fall & Winter issue. I want to celebrate those issues, and the work that we have done over the last eight years, and I want to be able to share the bittersweet feelings that will inevitably come up when the list of “lasts” still do be done gets shorter and shorter.
Read More
Hannah
January 20, 2021
Hey! Reading through your back catalog (great articles) and noticed that you’ve credited Kristen TenDyke as ‘Kristen Dyke’ and thought you might want to fix ;)