Barberry Crescent Shawl

My Barberry Shawl pattern is now available on Ravelry, LoveCrafts and Payhip! This shawl is a lovely accessory project, inspired by autumnal leaves and berries. Knitted in Carol Feller's beautiful Stolen Stitches Nua Worsted, you will need three skeins of the main shade and one skein of the contrast shade. There are so many gorgeous shades to choose from! Why not take a look at the full range of colours over on Carol's website.

The Barberry Shawl begins at the back of the neck and is knitted top-down to create a crescent shape. The centre panel features a cable and bobble pattern that is inspired by little clusters of berries and leaves. The cables form leaves by combining two- and three-stitch cable twists. The bobble berries are made over two rows, with stitches increased on the first row and decreased on the next row. The panel is bordered by two long lines of twisted-stitch ropes, and the curved shawl wings are knitted in stocking stitch with an eyelet pattern. The crescent wings of the shawl are formed by increasing six stitches on every right-side row: two stitches at each end of the row and one stitch on each side of the centre panel.

Museum Quarter Wrap

My Museum Quarter Wrap design is in this month's Knitting magazine!

My wrap design combines bold colour, short row shaping and intarsia to create a dramatic optical effect. The wrap is inspired by a stunning installation by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz Diez (1923-2019) on the steps next to MUMOK, the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna’s Museum Quarter (shown in my photo below). Carlos Cruz Diez is well known for his amazing colour work and large scale public installations all over the world. Bright colours were applied to each step, giving the impression of depth and width and inspiring both the shape and pattern of my wrap design. 

This trapezium-shaped wrap begins with the lower border, which is worked in garter stitch. The pattern then changes to stocking stitch with a pink garter stitch ridge for the main sections. The wrap gradually grows in width as stitches are increased. Once the full width is reached, the pattern continues without increases. 

In my knitted wrap, short row shaping allows the sections of vibrant colours to be placed next to each other. By also using intarsia technique, two shades can meet in the centre of the shawl, adding a distinctive colour dimension to the wrap. Once the rhythm of the pattern is established, the short rows become intuitive as they flow over groups of 5 stitches each time.

Southbank Sweater in The Knitter Magazine

My Southbank sweater is in this month's The Knitter Magazine, Issue 155! Designed specially for West Yorkshire Spinners new Wild Shetland yarn, this sweater is full of cables and texture. I love the long colour change gradients of this extremely soft yarn. The pattern is part of an eight-page Spotlight all about Wild Shetland, that also includes a lovely article by Helen Spedding describing the story behind this beautiful new yarn.

Juliet Bernard has written a great article for this issue all about the beauty of cables.  The title page of the article is illustrated by my Linwood Sweater from The Knitter Issue 134. When I was asked to contribute, I had no idea that my interview would featured be alongside talented designers such as Lucy Hague, Martin Storey and Norah Gaughan! I am really honoured by this, especially as I am a huge fan of all their amazing design work.

The Gladys Jeskins Sampler

One of the most inspiring projects I have recently been involved with is an exploration of an incredible stitch knitted sampler. This sampler contains 899 stitch patterns and is part of the Knitting & Crochet Guild's Collection. As part of Unconvention 2020, the current Sampler Project Team got together on zoom to talk about the sampler and why we find it so inspiring. You can view our discussion here and watch the original pink sampler being unrolled! 

The sampler was knitted by one amazing knitter, Gladys Jeskins, over a period of many years. It all began when Gladys decided that she could design more interesting stitch patterns than were available at that time. From there the sampler grew and grew into one very long piece of knitting. After Gladys passed away, her family kindly donated the sampler to the Guild. 

Individual stitch patterns from the sampler will be released over the coming weeks so that everyone can enjoy Gladys's wonderful knitting. The image at the top of this post shows a selection of re-knitted stitch patterns from the sampler on display at last year's Convention.

Unconvention 2020!

 The Knitting & Crochet Guild are currently hosting an online Unconvention!

Following the cancellation of this year's AGM and Convention in Leeds, the Guild have done an amazing job setting up an online alternative. There is so much content to see! Today I am watching Kaffe Fassett discussing his swatching and design process and I'm discovering all about a wonderful project called Knitted Leeds. These amazing videos are available to everyone, so if you would like to take a look, please click on the links.

On the Unconvention homepage, you will find more links all the events and videos. There are techniques to explore and historical knitting to discover. I am especially excited about Sunday's video releases which include a project that I find incredibly inspiring. If you would like to learn more about 899 stitch patterns knitted by one amazing knitter, please take a look at The Gladys Jeskins Sampler video any time after 9am on Sunday.

7 Day Knitting Book Challenge

Over the past week I have been really enjoying the 7 Day Knitting Book Challenge on Instagram. Started by Rachel Atkinson, Daughter of A Shepherd, the challenge has been answered by knitters and crafters from all over the world! Each person's 7 days begin when they are ready and Rachel suggested posting only a picture of the book, with no explanation, comment or review needed. There are some excellent books covering a great variety of topics, from stitch directories to historical perspectives on knitting and fibre crafts.

Here are the seven that I selected from my bookshelves. I'm looking forward to seeing your books if you would like to join in. Just look for the #7dayknittingbookchallenge on Instagram and share your crafting library!

Day 1: Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan with photography by Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Day 2: Knitwear Design Workshop by Shirley Padden

Day 3: Knitting: Fashion, Industry, Craft by Sandy Black

Day 4: Die Strick Enzyklopaedie by Maria Parry-Jones (originally published as The Knitting Stitch Bible)

Day 5: Missoni: Art Colour, from the Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London

Day 6: Traditional Knitting by Rae Compton

Day 7: Stricken 3 by Lisl Fanderl

Barberry Cardigan

My Barberry Cardigan has just been published in the very special 150th Issue of the Knitter Magazine! Even more exciting, Barberry is featured on the cover!

The Knitter Magazine, Issue 150
featuring Barberry Cardigan
by Emma Vining

The cardigan is knitted in Carol Feller Nua Worsted yarn and this gorgeous blend of merino, yak and linen fibres is just perfect for my cabled design. The stunning colour is called Cafe Flamingo.

The stitch pattern I designed for the cardigan panels was inspired by little clusters of berries and leaves. I used a combination of cables and bobbles to create an embossed look for the pattern. The lower borders of the cardigan have an extended twisted rope pattern with pockets embedded into the border on the fronts.

At the front of this issue of the Knitter Magazine there is a lovely message from the Knitter Team sending their best wishes to all readers and I would like to add my good wishes too. I really hope everyone is safe and well during these very strange times. Emma x