This blog has now moved to

I don't know whether you're the same but I've always been disappointed with the fit of an afterthought heel. I think this is because I have a very high instep and the heel just isn't deep enough. I'm going to talk a bit about "maths and fit" in this first section, but if you're looking for the tutorial on how to put in your afterthought heel then just slide down to the bottom. Afterthought heel fit I played about with the maths a bit to see why they don't work for me. My heel diagonal is about 30cm [11 7/8"]. You'd expect to have a bit of negative ease around the heel diagonal - 10 -15% is a good range - so I want it to be somewhere between 25.6 - 27cm [10.1 -10.7"] in circumference.  If I were to work a basic afterthought heel, that outside measurement would be about 12.5cm [5"] (I worked out this number by counting the rows in the afterthought heel and multiply by 2; plus the width of the final kitchener stitches) plus half of ...

So your pattern tells you to increase at both ends of the row, but it fails to tell you how. There are quite a number of different ways to create increases in knitting and some will suit different situations better than others. Today I'm going to talk about one of the lifted increases - make one left or right.  Make one left (m1l) and make one right (m1r) are mirror images of each other, so are perfect when you need to make two increases on the same row. If you want to see the details of the swatch below, just scroll to the bottom of the post. Benefits Blend into the knitting more than a lot of other increases Don't create large holes under the stitch, so are neater They are mirrored versions, so look good worked in pairs Downsides Can be a little tricky (tight) to work sometimes but does gets easier with practice As it's a lifted increase, they pull up the stitches from below, which can cause distortion Other increases can be faster to work  Here's the video tutorial b...

Some people really don't like Kitchener Stitch. I'm not one of those people. I think it's a little bit like magic that you can replicate a knitting stitch with a darning needle. A lot of the time people don't like the ears that you can get on sock toes, or having to concentrate the entire time that they're doing it, or if they lose their place, it can all go quite wrong. I'm hoping this video will make it easier, more efficient and more fool-proof - plus no ears! Main features No ears i.e. nice smooth toes Figure out where you are Make it easier by using the darning needle to remove the stitches Work each needle movements in pairs If any of those features sound helpful, check out the video xx

Another new pattern is released today. Meet Ammil. Ammil is an airy and wintery shawl, made using mohair lace yarn and edged in clear beads reminiscent of ice crystals. Written in multiple sizes, so you can choose the perfect size for your yarn. The beading is optional but they do add a little bit of weight to the edge, which makes the shawl drape beautifully. Ammil was, originally, released for A Good Yarn's Christmas Eve Box. Since the cold winter season and crystal sparkles were the main focus of the design, I named it Ammil, which means "the thin film of ice that lacquers all leaves, twigs and blades of grass when a freeze follows a partial thaw". My preference for wearing crescent shawls is bandana-style around the neck but you can always wear it in the traditional style around the shoulders. Ammil uses Rowan Kidsilk Haze, which is a mohair and silk mix. There are a range of sizes that uses either 2 or 3 balls of Kidsilk Haze. For an introductory discount, use AMMIL...

Have you used an i-cord cast off and been a little disappointed that it has no give? I have.  First things, first. What is this I-cord that you speak of? Believe it or not, the "I" stands for "Idiot" and was named by the influential Elizabeth Zimmerman. You might recognise it as "French Knitting" that many of us made as children using a bobbin and a needle. I-cord can be made on its own and used for lots of different things but I wanted to discuss the use of it when attached to other knitting. It's most commonly called "applied I-cord" when used in this way. For example, you can finish off a project around the edge with applied I-cord. One of my most recent projects that I completed, Vertices Unite, is finished in this way. The basic idea is that stitches are picked up all the way around the edge you want to finish and then you cast on a few more and use these to knit an I-cord and cast off. Here's an example, once you pick up stitches, c...

Field & Lea is inspired by nature and includes inspiration such as dandelions, bluebells and fields. Colour and texture are the core part of Field & Lea. The mood board below was the inspiration that I was working to. It uses two strands of 4ply / fingering marled together throughout, which allows the colours to play a big part in the design. You could easily use stash yarn and your creativity to knit your own. The pattern was designed, originally, for a mystery KAL with A Good Yarn, Cleethorpes , so it is separated into 4 distinct parts. The yarn is two strands of 4ply held together, which creates fun, marled colours but you could easily swap this for a worsted weight yarn, if you prefer. There's a lot of knit and purl texture involved, so it's a simple enough knit but the changing patterns and use of colour means that you don't get bored.  There are a couple of interesting but relatively simple texture techniques in the pattern and there are several video tutori...