Salina Jane Art

Only two weeks ago today I was at the Unravel Festival of Yarn, really excited to meet up with artist Salina Gani and to see the fantastic illustration she had created for me! If you didn’t get a chance to see it on display at Unravel, here it is!

The idea for the illustration began when Salina was the artist in residence at the Knitting & Crochet Guild online convention in September 2021. I was so impressed with her wonderful live sketches of all the speakers that I commissioned her to create an illustration for me. I love the way Salina has shown my designs and ideas swirling around me - yes, there are always this many! - and they all contribute the the stitch patterns I create on my knitting needles!

Thank you so much Salina ❤️ It has been a joy to work with you and to learn about your amazing creative process!

Cast on with Emma Vining in Knitting Issue 227!

Knitting magazine 227 invites you to “Cast on with Emma Vining”! 

Thank you so much to the Knitting magazine team for the amazing profile article about me and for featuring so many of my shawl designs! 

On this page from the magazine, next to the profile article, there are images of shawls from my new book, A Knitter's Guide to Shawl Design, alongside four of my shawl designs for Knitting magazine - Ammonoid in Ullcentrum 2ply from Midwinter Yarns, Beachcomber in Birlinn Yarns 4ply, Wavelet in Irish Artisan Yarns Merino/ Nylon 4ply and my new design for this issue, Criss Cross in Walcot Yarns Opus!

I’m really delighted to be featured in this fabulous magazine issue and to be headlining on the cover with the amazing Tom Daley! This issue is all about textured knits with fantastic garments and accessories from outstanding designers! The stunning knits featured on the cover are the Tuck Stitch Cardigan by Annekin Allis and the Mossler Shawl by Brian Smith.

Criss Cross Shawl in Knitting 227!

Did you spot my Criss Cross Shawl at Unravel 2022? The lovely folks at Walcot Yarns displayed my new shawl design on their stand for the whole Unravel weekend! You can find more images of the shawl, along with the knitting pattern in Knitting magazine issue 227!

This wide crescent shaped shawl was inspired by a parking surface! The concrete slabs have a criss-cross pattern and grass has grown through these shapes. This has created a textured grid of crosses set within the textured concrete surface. 

The shawl stitch pattern uses an eyelet cross pattern combined with garter stitch to recreate the effect in knitting. The shawl begins with a narrow edge and gradually increases to the full width. The pattern then continues straight, before the decreasing to match the cast-on narrow edge. 

The gorgeously soft Walcot Yarns Opus contrasts the hard concrete inspiration. The beautiful shade is called Greenery and there are so many more shades to choose from as the Opus colour range has recently been extended. Here's the link to the yarn shades - enjoy!

A Knitter's Guide to Shawl Design at Unravel 2022!

Interested in finding out more about shawl design?

Join me for my Unravel 2022 talk, A Knitter's Guide to Shawl Design, on Sunday 13th February at 2pm at the Farnham Maltings! I'm delighted to be part of the Garthenor Organics Talk Series with so many distinguished speakers and panelists!

I'll be sharing examples from my recent projects and from my new book, A Knitter’s Guide to Shawl Design, to inspire knitters to personalise their knitting and create original shawl designs.

"As a desirable item of fashion, a cherished gift or a wardrobe essential, shawls enjoy enduring popularity among knitters and non-knitters alike. The most admired of these beautiful accessories are designed with inspiration drawn from a wide range of themes and ideas. This creativity is achieved by blending a knitter’s imagination with their knowledge of how to translate a source of inspiration into an exciting new design."

Ammonoid Shawl Pattern now available on Payhip and Ravelry!

The fantastic Ullcentrum 2ply shades of Petrol and Natural Gradient are now in stock at Midwinter Yarns which means this is the perfect time for a pattern launch!

Combining a "half-pi" construction with a "knitted-on" border creates the fascinating shape of my Ammonoid Shawl!

The ridged border begins with a narrow section and gradually widens, allowing the beautiful shades of the natural gradient yarn to gradually emerge

The Ammonoid Shawl pattern was originally published in Knitting magazine Issue 215 and is now available on Payhip & Ravelry.

When I was creating my ammonoid shawl pattern leaflet I took many, many photos of the shawl from different angles. The images I chose for the leaflet show the shawl draped on my dress form and laying flat. These images clearly show the shawl pattern and layout and help knitters understand the instructions. 

However, this shawl also looks amazing worn "upside down"! The strong graphic lines of the design mean that it can create dramatic effects depending on the orientation of the semicircle and ridged sections.

Just goes to show that shawls are incredibly versatile accessories! 

Leaf Cable Cowl In Knitting 226

For Issue 226, Knitting magazine asked “where's your knitting happy place?” My answer is that I am always really happy with a knitting project that combines cables and texture! As the cables begin to grow, I find that the stitch pattern develops a lovely rhythm, allowing me to relax and really enjoy the process of knitting.

My Leaf Cable Cowl design in Issue 226 reflects this feeling of wellness with a large leaf inspired cable pattern.

This long, cosy cowl is knitted in Eden Cottage Yarns wonderful Keswick Aran yarn and is great for draping at full-length or wrapping around the neck twice as a cosy neck warmer! Cables knitted in this fabulously soft yarn look amazing and the gorgeous shade of Falling Leaves made me feel like I was knitting with spun gold!

Also in this issue is a lovely review of my new book, A Knitter's Guide to Shawl Design, by editor Christine Boggis!

"As well as being a handy toolbox and an academic look at many knitters' very favourite knits, this is an inspiring introduction to knitting design that gives you all the skills you need to create your own unique makes."