Homespun Knitting

Hello from GAILLE Welcome to Homespun Knitting, Beginners and Beyond magazine. I am thrilled to be a part of something so amazing and hope the projects within these pages have you picking up the needles and knitting away. A bit about me. I have hosted many Farm-to-Yarn tours around New Zealand, Tasmania, Victoria, Shetland, Scotland and Ireland. My aim was to encourage like-minded yarners to experience a magical tour, meet diverse masters of the trade, make new friends and further delve into the world of wool and fibre with international knitting experts. Attendance at workshops and major festivals ensured all participants enjoyed the art of knitting even more! Following tour operator and planner, I became editor of a yarn magazine. I realised, however, that within those pages, our farmers, wool, indie…

Basic Knitting STITCH GUIDE Knit and Purl Stitches Understanding the anatomy of a stitch helps you understand how complex patterns can be achieved. Each stitch consists of two parts – the thread at the front of the needle and the thread at the back. Stitches can be knitted, purled, slipped, crossed, lengthened, twisted or cast off to form a pattern. All knitting has knit and purl stitches. Beginners can create wonderful textural items using only these two stitches in different ways. Be inspired to knit up your first scarf, handwarmers or blanket. These five knitting stitches are the foundations for all knitting that you need to master. These five basic knitting stitches can begin your knitting adventure. The next step is to incorporate these stitches in different numerical combinations and…

HOW DO I BEGIN? WHERE DO I START? (A therapeutic whisper to the new knitter) BY ROBYNN ROSS Stop looking at that woman’s expensive project bag and steel tipped colour coordinated needles! Don’t pale at the jargon of a clique (Get it – “click”) of knitters, using words like “DPNs, Ravelry page, forum, continental method”. Take a breath, listen to your “elders” (experienced knitters) and step into the tantalising knitting world by looking at the basic requirements you need to start. You need two sticks, each with a pointy bit at one end, plus some string. Seriously, that is exactly how many children learned to knit a century ago, using sharpened lengths of wire or long nails. Until the end of World War II, when factory-made clothing and synthetics crowded…

KNIT #1 | BEGINNER KNITTING Whimsy NECK WRAP This lovely, light, mesh-style wrap is sure to make you feel luscious. It is an asymmetrical rectangular shape and has been knitted holding 2 strands together throughout, using an 8 ply/DK and 4 ply Mohair. It also features teensy tassels through the body as a finishing touch. BY SHARYN BROCK MATERIALS This pattern is great for using leftover yarns from your stash. You will use approx. 35-45g of each 8 ply/DK colour if you evenly space out your colour changes. If you were to have 60g of one colour and 35g of another, you just adjust when you do your colour change and work towards your desired length. Also, the extra grams of yarn are for the tassels to attach at the end.…

KNIT #2 | BEGINNER KNITTING Simple START SOCKS BY KIM SMITH A WORD ON SOCK KNITTING There are many ways of combining the elements of socks to create fabulous results from either the top down, or the toe up. This is one method of toe up. Different patterns will use different types of needles: double pointed needles, 9in circular sock needles, interchangeable circular needles. Magic loop is the chosen method here with 80cm circular needles. This is a fabulous place to start. Sock yarn is a big subject. Not all yarn labelled “sock yarn” is suited for long lasting socks. Extra-fine Australian merino is beautiful, but generally too delicate for socks that last. Creating a dense fabric is crucial to the longevity of your hand-knit socks. Knitting on what feel like…

Yarn WEIGHTS Source: Craft Yarn Council Website: YarnStandards.com, craftyarncouncil.com/standards LACE YARN (weight 0) • Knitting needles: 1.5 to 2.25mm, or sizes 000 to 1 • Crochet hook: Steel hooks that are 1.6 to 1.4mm or a regular hook that is 2.25 mm. (Steel hooks are sized differently to regular hooks – the higher the number, the smaller the hook, which is the reverse of regular hook sizing.) • Suggested gauge: 33 to 40 knit sts; 32-42 double crochet sts • Types of lace yarn: fingering, 10-count crochet thread SUPER FINE YARN (weight 1) • Knitting needles: 2.25 to 3.25mm, or sizes 1 to 3 • Crochet hooks: 2.25 to 3.5mm, or sizes B-1 to E-4 • Suggested gauge: 27 to 32 knit sts; 21 to 32 crochet sts • Types…