Knitting Tips & Tricks

Hello, lovelies! Today, we are talking about one of our favorite warm-weather fibers; Linen.

Linen is such a unique fiber, and working with it is extremely rewarding, but it can have its challenge as it doesn't have the elasticity and bounce of wool or other fibers. Due to this, linen yarns sometimes get a bad name, leading knitters to cast on with negative expectations from the start, or even shy away from them altogether!

If you are new to linen yarns they can feel unfamiliar and even a little uncomfortable at first, but with an open mind and all the handy tips and tricks we’re sharing with you in this post, you’ll be binding off your new favorite linen top in no time and wearing it for years to come.

Hello lovelies! Today I’m back with a blog post filled to the brim with questions - and answers for them! As we’re adding our first unspun yarn - Manchelopis - to the shop, and the experience of knitting with unspun yarn can be a bit different than what you’re used to, I thought it would be good to have a really comprehensive post about everything you might want to know about how to knit with unspun yarn.

Over the past six months, we have delved into a plethora of topics that all aim for the same goal; to create garments that fit and you will wear for years to come. While we are far from finished with this topic, I have come across so many interesting people and resources exploring this topic that I thought it would be handy to put together a resource list here on the blog so you can check them out also. 

Hello friends! It's Claire here and I'm back chatting once again about fit issues we get in our knitting. Today we're going to look at mixing and matching sizes in a knitting pattern. Why would we do that? Well, as you probably know, nearly all patterns are designed based on standard body sizes, but not many people fit perfectly into a standard body size. All our bodies are different, and just because one area of a pattern works for us, it doesn't mean the rest will. 

So how do we find out if we need to mix and match? Let's take a look!

Do you get extra fabric that likes to bunch at the underarm? Back when we first talked about this new series on adjusting patterns and how to get a great fit, excess fabric at the underarm was one of the issues we got a lot of comments on, so today we're going to look at reasons we get excess fabric and some things we can do to try to fix it.

I know, could I have picked a cornier title?! The thing is, corny or not, the success of a new cast-on often lies in a small square of fabric you create before you even cast on your lovely new WIP.

For years I didn't swatch correctly, and I think that was probably because I didn't enjoy doing it. It was the thing I had to do before I got to cast on my new fun project and it took up precious yarn. I just wanted to be able to get on with knitting the actual pattern, and I know a lot of other knitters feel the same way. But after numerous ill-fitting FO's laying unworn in the wardrobe, I finally took the time to knit usable, reliable swatches, and you know what, now I enjoy it!