Follow The Ferry Shawl Pattern

My Follow The Ferry shawl pattern is now available on Ravelry and Payhip!

The Follow The Ferry Shawl is inspired by the many beautiful seabirds of the Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, USA, especially those which appear to follow the ferries! 

!!Use code FERRY25 for a 25% discount off the pattern price until 11th June 2023!!

The beautiful yarn is by Lockwood Fibres and is a lovely 4ply sock yarn in shade Sea Foam. The shawl requires 1 x 100g skein, making it an ideal travel project or a gift for a special person!

If you would like to learn more about the shawl stitch pattern, I will be joining Nona, owner of All Wound Up, a wonderful yarn shop in Edmonds, WA, USA, for a zoom class all about "Follow the Ferry". 

Nona and I  will be chatting about my designs, favorite yarns, and creative process. Nona will then lead the class in the specifics of the shawl - including chart reading, casting on, and working the simple lace pattern. This is a great pattern for learning to knit lace. 

Booking is via the All Wound Up website and we would love for you to join us!

If you have a moment, please do take a look at my website, www.emmavining.com. I have added new tabs at the top of the homepage for "Upcoming Events" and "New Patterns" and have lots of news about talks and a KAL!

The Classic Collection

I am really delighted to announce that four of my classic designs from The Knitter Magazine, Cromarty, Jadeite, Ruby and Wych Elm, are now available as self-published patterns!

These designs are the patterns that I am most asked about and I am so happy to make them available through Ravelry and Payhip. My thanks to amazing tech editor Faye Perriham Reed for helping me create these individual patterns.

To celebrate these four classic patterns, please use code CLASSIC25 for a limited time 25% discount off the pattern price for Cromarty, Jadeite, Ruby and Wych Elm! (Discount available until 23rd April 2023.)

Happy Knitting!

PS. To see more of my recent designs, please do take a look at my website www.emmavining.com. Thank you!

Leaf Cable Cowl Pattern Now Available!

My Leaf Cable Cowl pattern is now available to purchase through my Payhip & Ravelry stores!

The cowl is knitted in gorgeous Eden Cottage Yarns Aran yarn and is perfect for the late winter/ early spring weather - wrap yourself up cosily or go for an elegant drape!

To celebrate my pattern release, the Leaf Cable Cowl pattern is available at a discounted price until Sunday 19th March 2023 and, during this time, when you purchase my Leaf Cable Cowl, you can add my Little Leaf Cable Cowl pattern for free! (On Payhip, add the Leaf Cable Cowl to your basket and a "pop-up" box will offer you the Little Leaf Cable Cowl at a 100% discount; On Ravelry, add both patterns to your basket and the discount will be automatically applied.)

The Little Leaf mini-cowl pattern is inspired by the full size design, features the same beautiful cable stitch pattern & is knitted in gorgeous Bowland Aran by Eden Cottage Yarns. Visit www.emmavining.com to view more images of the pattern on my website!

The Leaf Cable Cowl pattern was originally published in Knitting magazine 226, with the cowl knitted in Keswick Aran. This yarn is no longer available, but there are many great alternatives on the Eden Cottage Yarns Website, including the beautiful Bowland Aran yarn which knits to the same stitch pattern tension.

Silecroft Shawl Pattern Available Now!

I'm delighted to announce that my Silecroft Shawl pattern is now available for purchase through my designer stores on Ravelry and Payhip! I’m also very excited that the lovely folks at The Fibre Co. have created a kit with the Silecroft Shawl pattern and their beautiful Cumbria yarn, launching today alongside my pattern!

There is an introductory 10% discount on yarn and pattern kits purchased through The Fibre Co. website and also on patterns purchased direct from me on Ravelry and Payhip!

Code: silecroftshawl10

Expires: 20.02.2023

Here are some more details about my shawl design. Inspired by a beautiful stone wall on the coastal footpath near Silecroft Beach in Cumbria, this long narrow crescent shaped shawl is prefect for keeping cosy and warm during a leisurely walk. 

The different materials used to build the wall are represented by the textured cable pattern. Smooth stocking stitch folds represent the larger stones. An embedded twisted stitch pattern alternates between each large stone fold, representing the finer texture of other sections of the wall. The shawl’s central garter stitch section contains all the shaping and also provides a beautiful contrast to the raised outer cable edges.

The shawl is knitted with three skeins of The Fibre Co's beautiful Cumbria yarn and this lovely shade is called Catbells.

My New Website!

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you all the best for 2023 and may your year be full of knitting, crochet and crafting!

The first day of the New Year is a great day to launch my new website, emmavining.com! 

On emmavining.com you can find links to my books, self-published patterns and my recent design collaborations with magazines, yarn companies and the wonderful Glasgow University Knits book! 

There is also a link to book the Behind The Pattern workshop and KAL with The Loom Shed, starting 18th January 2023! 

My website will evolve and grow over time, especially as my New Year’s resolution for 2023 is to release more of my published knitting patterns when the rights revert to me.  I’ll be featuring these patterns on my website with links to my Ravelry, LoveCrafts and Payhip stores.

Please do take a look and let me know what you think! Thank you!

Sargasso Cardigan

The lovely folks at Quince & Co have described my Sargasso cardigan as a perfect juxtaposition of layered shapes and lines! I love this! 

Sargasso is knitted in Quince & Co’s beautiful Owl yarn in two shades, Lagoon and Allagash. This lovely yarn has amazing stitch definition, perfect for the cardigan's curving cables, twisted stitches and garter stitch stripes.

My Sargasso cardigan pattern is available as a single pattern download or as part of the Voyage Collection, five gorgeous designs in beautiful wool blend yarns.

© 2022 Quince & Co Photography: Regan Kenny

Behind The Pattern KAL with The Loom Shed!

I'm super-excited to team up with Liz and Louise from The Loom Shed for a "Behind the Pattern" Knit-A-Long (KAL)! Join us in January on zoom to knit my Merrow Berries Shawl over four 1 hour sessions. At the start of each session I'll be talking about the design decisions "behind the pattern" and I'm really looking forward to interesting discussions about topics such as yarn and colour choices and shawl shaping!

This KAL is the perfect opportunity to use 4ply yarns from your stash, including sock yarn and mini-skeins. This can be as one ball/ skein or as smaller amounts of yarn as long as the total meterage is a minimum of 380m/415yds.

You may wish to make your final yarn choice and colour order after session 1 when I'll describe how I customised and extended my shawl to a larger size using multiple mini-skein shades.

Here's a little bit more about the shawl pattern. The Merrow Berries triangular shawl is inspired by branches and berries in the rain. The shawl is knitted as a long right-angled triangle with a series of stitch patterns that are gradually extended as the shawl grows. The shawl is worked as a right angled triangle, knitted from tip to wide cast off. The outer shawl edges are knitted in garter stitch, with the cast off edge worked in a picot pattern. The stitch pattern begins with a wrap stitch, which is knitted by drawing a loop of yarn through from the back of the work to the front, creating a small diagonal knitted line. In the second pattern section, this is extended with a large double-eyelet. The third pattern section includes textured garter stitch rows.

Booking is now open on The Loom Shed website and I hope to see you in January!

Recent Patterns in The Knitter Magazine!

I’m really delighted that over the last few months several of my designs have been published in The Knitter Magazine!

Here’s a round-up of the patterns, starting with my Avebury Cardigan in the current Issue 182. The Natural History Museum in London is full of geometric, decorative details, and this design was inspired by one small wall section. The stitch pattern is knitted as a series of blocks placed next to each other, joining the zigzag cables and creating partial shapes. These shapes are separated by horizontal lines of reverse stocking stitch ridges. The cardigan is hip length, knitted flat from the bottom up and is knitted in Rowan's gorgeous Softyak DK yarn. The lovely yellow shade is called Jaune!

My Mezereon Top was published in issue 180. This cap-sleeve top combines twisted stitch cables with a large eyelet openwork pattern to create a geometric design. The diamonds alternate between narrow and wide shapes, with each diamond containing a single large eyelet. The offset placement of the diamonds creates an impression of movement within the zigzagging twisted stitch lines. Mezereon is knitted in The Fibre Co.’s Cumbria, a beautifully soft yarn which has a subtle gleam and a heathered look. This gorgeous shade is called Calluna.

Issue 179 featured my Epidote top on the cover! This design was inspired by the bubbles contained in a lava lamp! The two sizes of circle-shaped bubbles are knitted using twisted stitches. Each bubble centre is knitted in stocking stitch and is surrounded by reverse stocking stitch - this creates an impression of a layered pattern with multiple moving bubbles. The bubble pattern emerges from the lower border, and partial bubbles blend into the stocking stitch sides. The gorgeous yarn is Cascade 220 Heathers in the wonderful shade of Lake Chelan.

All images are from The Knitter Magazine and were taken by The Shed Photo Studio.

Glasgow University Knits

My contributor's copy of Glasgow University Knits has arrived and I am delighted that my "Though The Round Window" scarf is included in this excellent knitting pattern book! 

I am really enjoying reading about all the designer's University inspirations for their beautiful patterns. The inspiration for my scarf is taken from the leaded circle details of the beautiful windows found throughout in the main building. This includes the Geography Department where I spent many happy hours studying for my degree!

For an excellent preview of the patterns take a look at this great video on YouTube and look out for my scarf displayed on the unicorn statue!

Glasgow University Knits is now available from the University Shop along with the University's own Cochno wool.

My Majolica sweater has just been published by the lovely folks at Quince & Co! I loved designing and knitting these textured tiled twisted stitch shapes and I am over the moon with the beautiful images of my design. Here is a lovely quote about Majolica from the Quince & Co website along with a selection of amazing photos taken by Regan Kenny! 

If you would like to knit your own Majolica sweater, the pattern is available through Ravelry and the Quince & Co website, alongside the beautiful Phoebe yarn. Enjoy!

"Inspired by three different yet related shapes of tiles, designer Emma Vining presents a stunning textural pullover. The twisted stitch pattern consists of a series of linked knitted shapes with contrasting center and background textures. The lower band of the garment is worked in small circles on a checkerboard of textured squares. This pattern flows into the main section, where elongated ovals alternate between different lengths. Shown here in tonal-dyed Phoebe color Uranus, Majolica embraces all the fundamentals of art. It is truly a masterpiece."

All images

Majolica by Emma Vining

Knitted in Phoebe, color Uranus

© 2022 Quince & Co

Photographer: Regan Kenny

Merrow Berries Shawl

My Merrow Berries Shawl is now available to purchase on Ravelry, Payhip and LoveCrafts!

The shawl is inspired by small details of the natural world that catch my eye during walks near my house. The stitch pattern is based on branches and berries in the rain! The shawl is knitted as a long right-angled triangle with a series of stitch patterns that are gradually extended as the shawl grows. I love the asymmetric design element that is created when the shawl is worn with the long side wrapped around the shoulders!

The Merrow Berries shawl is worked as a right angled triangle, knitted from tip to wide cast off. The outer shawl edges are knitted in garter stitch with the cast off edge worked in a picot pattern. The stitch pattern begins with a wrap stitch, which is knitted by drawing a loop of yarn through from the back of the work to the front, creating a small diagonal knitted line. In the second pattern section, this is extended with a large double-eyelet. The third pattern section includes textured garter stitch rows. All three sections of the shawl are visually linked by using the wrap-stitch throughout.

The shawl is knitted with one 100g ball of Rico Superba Premium Mouliné 4ply. However, the final rows of the pattern can be repeated as many times as required, making this an extremely versatile design that can be adapted and extended to suit the chosen yarn.

The Merrow Berries shawl was first published in August 2021 in Knit Now Magazine Issue 132. 

Mini Modernism Shawl

Introducing my Mini Modernism Shawl! This lightweight shawl is knitted with two skeins of Garthenor Preseli yarn and this gorgeous light grey shade is called Flint.

The idea for this mini shawl began with my full size Modernism shawl pattern which is in my Crowood Press book, A Knitter’s Guide to Shawl Design. 

I love wrapping myself in the large shawl (which is knitted in the fabulous raspberry shade of Garthenor Beacons DK) but I decided I’d also like lighter weight version that drapes across my shoulders and I’m delighted with the result!

If you would like to knit your own mini Modernism Shawl just follow the original pattern in my book until the shawl is 6 squares wide instead of the full-size 10 squares. When just under half of your available yarn has been used, you are at the halfway point of the shawl. Make a note of how many centre pattern repeats you have worked, then use your remaining yarn to knit the same number of repeats and complete the rest of the shawl!

Happy knitting!

Little Wavelet Shawl Pattern

The Little Wavelet Shawl is a smaller version of my full-size Wavelet Shawl and is specially designed for mini-skeins! The pattern is now available from the Irish Artisan Yarn website and from my Ravelry and Payhip stores.

Inspired by the long curve of a sandy beach, the shawl is constructed top-down, from across the back of the neck to the outer edge. After casting on a long centre section, the top border is worked in an eyelet pattern. This is followed by the crescent shape, which is created using short row shaping. The outer shawl section is inspired by multiple waves that ripple along the shoreline. The wave pattern is emphasised with reverse stocking stitch ridges and a stripe pattern.

The shawl is knitted in Irish Artisan Yarn (IAY) Hand-Dyed 4Ply Yarn (100% Superwash Merino, 80m/87 1⁄2yd per 20g mini-skein) and you will need 5 × 20g mini-skeins in 5 different shades.

This pattern requires a total of 100g/ 400m of yarn (5 x 20g mini skeins of 80m each or 1 x 100g skein of 400m). However, it is very adaptable to the available yarn!

If you have a little bit less yarn (eg approximately 90g in total), work fewer repeats of the border rows, making a slightly smaller shawl size.

If you have more yarn available (eg more than a total of 110g), you can make a larger shawl size by working additional repeats of the border rows.

Before casting on, decide your preferred colour order of mini-skeins and label as Shades A-E. Examples include dark to light; light to dark; random order. The shawl shown was knitted from darkest to lightest shade using five shades from the Irish Artisan Yarn Advent 2021.

Bracken Vest in The Knitter Issue 177

I'm really delighted that my Bracken Vest is part of the Wildwood Collection in The Knitter Magazine Issue 177! 

The stitch pattern is knitted with twisted stitches, cables and long lines of rib, with the zigzag cables emphasising the little diamond shapes. The fabulous yarn is Eden Cottage Yarns Milburn DK in the stunning shade of Crocosmia. The combination of Bluefaced Leicester wool and silk creates beautiful drape and a lovely silky sheen!

The Bath Knitting & Crochet Guild Regional Day

Saturday 11th June 2022 was World Wide Knit In Public Day and this year it just happened to co-incide with The Bath Knitting & Crochet Guild Regional Day. A perfect combination of knitting events!

The day was a lovely mix of workshops, discussions and talks. Super-talented designer Mary Henderson hosted a knitting clinic to answer knitting questions throughout the day and I so enjoyed our design discussions about colour and texture! Alice-Marie Archer's talk in the morning was extremely thought-provoking and I'm looking forward to hearing more about her fascinating research into knitting soilless cultivation forms using wool. There was a fantastic outdoor sculptural installation by Lou Baker, where everyone was welcome of spend some time knitting in public!

I was very honoured to be asked along as a speaker and, inspired by a chapter in my book A Knitter's Guide to Shawl Design, I decided to talk about shawl borders and edgings. Here are a few images of me in action, taken by my lovely friend Denise.

I took along several recent shawl designs to illustrate my talk. Here I am with my Ammonoid Shawl, knitted in Ullcentrum 2ply yarn from Midwinter Yarns. The shawl border shows off the amazing natural gradient shade! I'm also holding the two mini shawl samples that I knitted to test out the proportions of the design.

Another featured shawl was my Cholla Shawl, knitted in Walcot Yarns Opus in the stunning shade of Goldenrod. This shawl has a very subtle border. The top border stitch pattern is worked with a stocking stitch background, contrasting with the textured reverse stocking stitch background of the main pattern. I was holding the shawl opened out to show the whole pattern and when someone asked me how I would wear it, I was more than happy to wrap myself up in this gorgeously soft Opus yarn!

Many thanks to the Bath KCG Branch for inviting me! It was a fantastic day!