If you’re a designer incorporating button bands into your garment, or a knitter wanting to add a button band – read on because buttonholes and bands are all about advanced planning especially if your pattern will be graded over a large number of sizes. Your Goal: Design a functional band that lies flat without distorting the fabric, with evenly spaced buttonholes that is written out clearly in the pattern. Stitch Pattern of Band Can be any stitch pattern that lies flat lik

The relationships that bind the knitting community are many. While we share a common craft, in some ways we are so different. A farmer may not care about what's coming down the runway this fall. A designer may never want to get her shoes muddy. Yet between the ends of the hand-knitting spectrum, one trade blends into another until a perfect chain of passion is formed. Through this passion are shared values which form a stronger bond than any personal divide. At the heart

I used to felt in my washing machine, but now I only felt by hand. What prompted this change was the death of my old washing machine. I replaced it with a modern washer with all the bells and whistles. It's one big computer. It's constantly sensing the wash. I can no longer fill it up with super-hot water and let it agitate until my knitting is a firm piece of boiled wool. So now I felt by hand. It takes longer. But it does allow more control over the felting process,

Knitters are creative souls who love to bring our own style and fair to knitting. When knitters and designers blend their own yarns, we create a unique fiber! Sometimes you can’t find the perfect yarn for a design, or you may just like the look and feel of two yarns held together. By holding two different colored yarns together while knitting, you can tone down a bright color (try combining a neon yarn with a dark neutral color like grey or brow n. ) You c an also lighte

See what's trending in sweaters for the Fall 2025 and Winter 2025/2026 season

There are a few considerations to designing for children which differ from designing for adults, but it's SO much fun.

When I think of knitted art, I think of the intricate stitches and harmonious colors that go into designing a truly unique and impressive

The Yarn Journal has created an insightful map of Scottish Bred Wool showing over 50 farms, crofts and others. This 2-page map lists...

Find out key elements needed to design sleeveless knitwear tops and what knitters should consider when selecting a sleeveless tee pattern.

It's that time of year when the fashion shows are walking more sweaters down the runway! After watching so many sweaters appear, certain...

I'm super excited to be teaching two design-related classes at Next Level Knitting Conference in April 2024. Writing Patterns Learn the...

If you've ever knitted a sweater in superwash yarn, finished binding off and smiled because it looks so awesome, then blocked and thought WHAT????? ..... this post is for you. The process of making wool yarn washable, strips its natural elasticity. A merino superwash wool, which is already soft, can become a huge (HUGE) mess of wet fabric as you take it out of the sink. It just doesn't spring back and behave as nicely as pure wool or untreated yarns. But don't let this shy

Peach Fuzz has been announced as Pantone’s 2024 color of the year! Neutrals are trending so strong now, that it makes sense that the 2024...

Herringbone has a distinct, polished look and is easily recognized in the sewing, knitting, and fashion worlds. Visually, it looks like an arrangement of columns of short, parallel lines sloping the same direction, next to columns of short, parallel lines slopping in the opposite direction. The zig zag look resembles the bones of a fish or “herring” bones. It is synonymous with tailored suits and high fashion. In knitting, herringbone is not one stitch pattern, but a group

Double Decreases are a hallmark of lace knitting and are also used in highly textured stitch patterns. There is usually more than one...

Set-in sleeves give such a tailored look to a sweater! How you seam the sleeve makes a big difference in the final appearance. Follow...

Substituting yarn can be done with great success, but there's more to it than finding another yarn of the same weight.

h+h americas is holding their 2nd annual wholesale trade show in Chicago June 21-23, 2023. It's open to everyone working in the crafts...

I often knitters asked if they like to knit cables or colorwork, as if they're always two different things. I’m guilty of this myself. ...

One of the biggest frustrations with knitting garments in a superwash yarn or in a lace pattern, is not ending up with the proper length.