Accessories and Beyond

First up is a bit of Shetland knitting magic from two colorwork maestros: Mary Jane Mucklestone and Gudrun Johnston. Their collaboration, Grand Shetland Adventure Knits, was first published in hardback in 2023 but will be available in paperback this August.

Discover the magic of Shetland through 14 stunning knitting patterns, perfect for confident knitters looking to expand their colourwork repertoire. Mary Jane and Gudrun's first co-authored book is a love letter to these fascinating islands, their nature, traditions and people. It features 14 inspiring patterns for confident knitters that are perfect for cold weather, or even a trip to Shetland itself: from cozy socks and hats to colourwork sweaters.

The book includes 14 original patterns, 7 from each designer. Among the patterns are 9 accessories — hats, socks, gloves, and cowls, for instance — and 5 garments: vests, cardigans, and pullovers. The majority of the patterns rely on stranded colorwork but there are a few, such as the cover design Virdek Shawl, that feature texture or lace instead.

In addition to the patterns, the book also contains four travel stories that highlight the authors' favorite places to visit on Shetland islands. The paperback version of Grand Shetland Adventure Knits comes out on August 18.

Next up is a book that focuses on one-skein wonder, small accessories that can be knit using a one skein of yarn. Ukrainian-born designer Ksenia Naidyon goes by the handle @lifeiscozy and specializes in colorful accessories in vivid pastels. One Skein Knitting is her first published book.

Every knitter has a skein or two of beautiful yarn they couldn’t resist buying — a hand-dyed treasure picked up while traveling, at a yarn event, or from a local yarn store. These 'souvenir skeins' are often too special to use without the perfect pattern… until now. One Skein Knitting is a curated collection of 18 stylish accessories designed to showcase the beauty of single skeins. From soft socks and stylish shawls to scarves and cowls, each project maximizes the potential of that precious yarn. Created by celebrated designer Ksenia Naidyon (@lifeiscozy), this book offers creative patterns that use a range of yarn weights and fibers. The patterns are ideal for gift knitting, stash busting, or simply treating yourself. With clear instructions and a thoughtful mix of techniques, it’s the ultimate answer to the question, "What can I make with just one skein?"

The book contains 18 brand new accessory patterns ranging for the head (hats and headbands), extremities (socks and mitts), and the neck (scarves, shawls, and cowls). Each pattern is designed to use just a single skein of yarn, fingering weight in most cases. The patterns are graded for just one or two, at most three sizes.

One Skein Knitting: 18 Knitting Patterns for Single Skeins of Yarn is released on August 25.

Knitmas in July

The next two books make a head start on holiday knitting. Designer Julie Ann Lebouthillier's previous book, Knit A Box of Socks, was featured in the Spring 2024 line-up. The sequel focuses also on sock patterns, this time with a Christmas theme.

This joyful collection of 24 knitting patterns for holiday socks features a variety of different designs including stripes, stranded colorwork, cables and texture - perfect for adventurous beginners and beyond. Author Julie Ann Lebouthillier — known as Twin Stitches — brings her signature charm to this collection, pairing easy-to-follow instructions with delightful Christmas themed designs. Inspired by the success of her first book Knit a Box of Socks, Julie Ann’s holiday edition is perfect for creating a box of socks that makes the ultimate handmade gift.

The book includes 24 never-before-seen holiday-themed sock patterns plus a basic sock recipe in five sizes, designed to fit from toddler to large adult. The actual sock patterns don't come in quite as large a size range: they're graded for three or so sizes, often ranging from adult small to adult large, or a kiddie version + two adult sizes. The majority of the patterns feature stranded colorwork but there are also simpler socks with single-color cables, multi-color stripes, or with contrast-colored heels, toes, and cuffs.

Knit a Box of Christmas Socks: 24 Festive Sock Knitting Patterns for the Holidays is set to come out on July 16. Plenty of time to start gift knitting!

Holiday knitting continues on August 20 with All-New Twenty to Make: Christmas Knits by the Japanese-born designer Sachiyo Ishii from Knits by Sachi. This is a small, 64-page collection of Christmas-themed stash-busting toys and decorations.

Knit 20 stash-busting festive projects, perfect for stocking-fillers, decorations and gifts. Choose from sweet decorations including a bauble, wreath and heart; fun festive characters including a gnome, elf, reindeer and, of course, Santa Claus; or perhaps the Christmas star, an adorable robin or a frosty snowman. Create heirloom toys, decorations and accessories that you’ll be excited to use year after year or give as meaningful gifts.

In addition to the 20 adorable patterns, the book also contains short sections on materials and tools, and techniques used in the book, such as the embroidery stitches with which to decorate the objects.

Getting Technical

Saving the geeky for last: the next two books focus on the technicalities of knitting. First up, Kate Atherley's latest title is a deep dive into knitting in the round.

Circular Knitting for Beginners and Beyond explores the benefits of circular knitting and why lots of knitters prefer knitting in the round – no more purl stitches anyone?! Discover all the circular knitting techniques and the tools you'll need to get started including different sizes of circular needles; flexible trios and DPNs. Ever wondered what the difference is between an interchangeable circular and a small circumference circular needle? Then look no further, this guide explains it all. There is also a section about potential pitfalls and troubleshooting so you can correct your mistakes and keep going. So, if you've always wanted to try knitting socks or a hat, or perhaps that seamless sweater pattern you’ve been admiring, grab this guide and start your circular knitting journey!

Covering every detail of knitting in the round, the book is divided into five chapters: Getting Started, Working in the Round, Core Techniques, Special Techniques, and Projects.

The first chapter, Getting Started, introduces you to the needles required and the basic process used in circular knitting. Working in the Round covers how to cast on stitches, hold your work so that you're not knitting inside out, and prevent twisting when working either in full circumference (such as a sweater body on a long circular needle) or in small circumference (e.g., socks or sweater sleeves with magic loop or double pointed needles).

The chapter titled Core Techniques discusses essential things to know when knitting in the round: edges, laddering, grafting, blocking, weaving in ends, and yes, even swatching in the round. Special Techniques focuses on more advanced aspects of circular knitting: stranded colorwork, helical knitting, jogless jogs, seamless knitting, two-at-a-time (TAAT) knitting, and even center-out knitting.

In the Projects chapter are 10 original accessory patterns designed for practicing your newly-learned circular-knitting skills. They include two cowls, two socks, three mitts or mittens, and three hats. Some feature full-circumference circular knitting, like the Audrey Cowl above, while others are designed for small-circumference knitting in mind. The techniques used in the practice projects range from single-color knitting to stranded colorwork and even helical stripes.

Get ready to level up your in-the-round knitting with Circular Knitting For Beginners & Beyond: A Practical Guide to Knitting in the Round on July 28.

If you've been following by design journey, you might have noticed that I'm a fan of Kim McBrien Evans' representative size charts and her take on size-inclusivity in knitting patterns. Now she's written The Knitter's Sweater Fitting Bible, a book that focuses on knitting sweaters that are custom-tailored to fit your body and your measurements.

The Knitter's Sweater Fitting Bible is the essential guide for knitters who want to create garments that fit beautifully and feel amazing. Whether you're tired of sweaters that ride up, sag, or just don't sit right, this book will walk you through every step of understanding, adjusting, and designing for the perfect fit. Learn how to take accurate body measurements and decode the language of "fit" in Measuring Matters. Demystify shaping and silhouette in Understanding Ease, and get to grips with smart yarn choices and essential swatching techniques in the Yarn and Fabric chapter. Build a solid knowledge of sweater construction and then dive into Fixing Fit – a reference-packed chapter full of easy-to-follow, section-by-section pattern alterations for busts, shoulders, sleeves, necklines, and more. When you're ready to go beyond tweaking existing patterns, turn to The Sweater Style Templates and Design Profiles which explain how to use your measurements to build a personalised sweater using the yarn of your choice.

The book walks you through all the steps of knitting a well-fitting sweater from taking accurate measurements, understanding ease, and how to combined those two things into stitch counts and shaping rates. It discusses different sleeve constructions (such as compound raglans) and body shapes, and provides formulas for achieving those shapes in sweater knitting.

Unlike the other books in this quarter's line-up, The Knitter's Sweater Fitting Bible doesn't include ready-made patterns you can follow from start to finish. Instead, it has something better: modular sweater templates. With these templates your can build your own custom sweater pattern mix-and-match style out of five elements: upper body, body, sleeve, neckline, and trim. The templates are designed to work with any yarn and any gauge, and allow you to create your own perfect sweater allowing for personal preferences and idiosyncrasies.

This is surely a reference book to hold onto! The Knitter's Sweater Fitting Bible: The Complete Practical Guide to Making Sweaters That Fit Every Body hits the bookshelves on August 13.

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Usual cast-on methods can often leave gaps, tightness, or awkward stitches to pick up later. In this post I'll demonstrate my favorite method for avoiding all that by casting on underarm stitches provisionally. At the end of the post I'll also share my go-to two-round tip for eliminating any unsightly holes.

Why Use a Provisional Cast-on?

The revelation for using a provisional cast-on at underarms came to me back in 2019 when designing the Zingiber hoodie for Making Stories.

Back then, the magazine was in its infancy — the hoodie pattern appeared in Issue 2 — and they had a rather unusual design process: the pattern had to be fully written and tech edited before even the designer was allowed to start knitting the sample. (They later changed the order of operations and have since shut down but that's beside the point.)

Zingiber is a cabled hoodie where the majority of the garment is done in reverse stockinette — purls on the outside. Thinking nothing of it, I'd originally written the sleeve separation instructions using the backwards loop cast-on from which sleeve stitches were to be picked up and knit later on. But the tech editor had a question: would this not mean that the seam where the stitches are picked up from would show up on the right side of the work?

Good question! I pondered this for a moment. Maybe you could pick up and purl instead, moving the seam to the inside? Then a lightning bolt hit: why have a seam at all? What if you could cast on stitches in a way that results in live stitches with no seam, without having to pick up anything? You can probably guess by now that you can: with a provisional cast-on.

A provisional cast-on (PCO) at the underarms has a multitude of benefits.

No picking up stitches required. A provisional cast-on creates live loops going in two directions, casting on both body and sleeve stitches at the same time. Because the underarm stitches are already live, there's no need to pick up anything when it's time to work the sleeves.

There is one small caveat, though: you do need to pick up some extra stitches to avoid underarm holes. But we'll get to that a bit later.

No bulky seams. Because there's no need to pick up underarm stitches, it also means that there are no seams at the underarms. This is great for knitters who have sensory issues or just want to have a smooth, seamless transition from body to sleeves.

Works in any stitch pattern. The provisionally cast-on stitches are just loops on the needle. They're in a superposition, primed to become either knits or purls, but they're neither until they're first worked into. For this reason, a provisional cast-on works in any stitch pattern: stockinette, reverse stockinette, ribbing, lace, moss stitch… you name it.

You can use any provisional cast-on method for this but I prefer the winding cast-on because it's quick, easy, and doesn't require any other tools, notions, or needles besides the ones you're already working with.

How to Cast on Underarm Stitches Provisionally

For this tutorial I'm demonstrating casting on underarm stitches with my upcoming Wychwood Cardigan pattern. The pattern is currently in test knitting, slated for release in July 2026.

Here I've transferred all sleeve stitches onto waste yarn, ready to cast on underarm stitches. Next, I'm using the winding cast-on but — instead of a secondary needle — I'm creating new stitches directly onto the same waste yarn that's already holding the sleeve stitches.

Step 1. Hold onto both the working yarn and the waste yarn.

Step 2. Wrap the working yarn behind the waste yarn…

Step 3. … under the waste yarn, then over the needle to the back. That's one stitch cast on.

All you're doing is winding the working yarn over the needle counter-clockwise, catching the waste yarn in the process. Hence the name: winding cast-on. If you've ever done toe-up socks, you might be more familiar with the term Turkish cast-on. Same difference.

Repeat steps 1–3 until you've cast on however many stitches the pattern tells you to. Here, I've cast on 8 underarm stitches for my size. The waste yarn runs parallel to the needle on the underside of the newly created stitches.

Step 4. Bring the two needles closer together and knit the next body stitch. This joins the back and front.

Step 5. Secure the waste yarn by tying the two ends together so that the stitches don't run away.

Now you've got all sleeve stitches and all newly cast-on underarm stitches on the same waste yarn. Repeat the process for the other sleeve: place sleeve stitches on hold, then cast on underarm stitches using the winding cast-on technique onto the same waste yarn.

On the next row, work the underarm stitches normally. They can feel a bit loose at first but that looseness will even out when it's time work the sleeves. Speaking of which…

How to Avoid Underarm Holes

The tricky bit about starting the sleeve is not picking up the underarm stitches — that's easy because they're already live! — but how to avoid those pesky holes from developing at the junction where stitches coming from different directions meet.

Some say underarm holes are unavoidable and can be cinched in when weaving in ends. I say it's better to prevent the holes from appearing in the first place.

Here I've placed the sleeve stitches and underarm stitches back onto a circular needle. Starting from the middle of the underarm, I've re-joined yarn and worked to the end of the underarm stitches (right) so that the previously held sleeve stitches are next on the holding needle (left). If I were to now start working the sleeve stitches, that would result in a massive hole.

To eliminate that hole, the solution is quite simple: pick up as many extra stitches on the first round as you need to, then adjust the stitch count on the second round to whatever the pattern says you ought to have. It takes two rounds to get the sleeve going but the results are better than if trying to get to the right stitch count on the very first round.

Here's what you don't want to do. Some instructions say to pick up the strands along the edge to use as stitches. But picking up only one leg (half a stitch) will result in long, stretched-out loops.

Instead, insert the needle tip into the middle of a full stitch below (left) and knit it (right) as if doing a median increase. This gives a much more stable pick-up that is not prone to stretching out.

Pick up as many extra stitches as you need to fill the void. I find that 2–3 stitches is usually enough but you can pick up even more if you want. Here I've worked 4 live underarm stitches (half of the full 8) that were cast on provisionally, then picked up 3 extra stitches from the gap.

To finish the first round, work across the sleeve stitches, then repeat the pick-up on the other side of the underarm before working the second half of the underarm stitches.

On round 2 you want to decrease away those extra stitches that were picked up on the first round. First, work all but one of the underarm stitches.

Then do as many consecutive decreases as the number of extra stitches you picked up. I like to make the decreases lean into each other so SSK for the first one, K2tog for the second, and — since I picked up 3 extra stitches — another K2tog for the third.

Work across the remaining sleeve stitches, again stopping one or two stitches before reaching the underarm stitches. Decrease the extra stitches picked up, then work to the beginning of the round in the middle of the underarm stitches, and place a BOR marker. Now you're ready to start the sleeve in earnest.

Any remaining oddities, gaps, or enlarged stitches can be duplicate stitched over when weaving in ends. In the finished garment the underarm looks like this: seamless and hole-free.

A provisional cast-on has the benefit of creating smooth and seamless underarms, works in any stitch pattern, and doesn't result in added bulk at the underarm join. It may feel a bit fiddly the first time you try it but can quickly become one of those tried-and-true techniques you'll reach for again and again. It certainly did for me!

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Scattershot started off with the idea of a sweet little cardigan done completely seamlessly, using up as much or as little yarn as you have available. I envisioned it as a short cardi, almost cropped in length — a perfect layering piece to wear with skirts or over a summer dress. The buttoned style is easy to wear either open for a more casual look or buttoned up when you need a bit more warmth.

At its core, Scattershot is a compound raglan cardigan with a V-neck, doubleknit button bands, and ribbing at the hem and cuffs. The cardigan is knit using one strand of fingering-weight wool held together with one strand of lace-weight silk mohair… but more on yarn choice a bit later.

Compound raglan means that raglan increases for the body and sleeves are done independently of each other and in an S-curve shape, resulting in a better fit across the size range. The increase rate for the V-neck is also not constant: increases are first made on every fourth row, then on every other as you get closer to the tip of the V.

There are a few design features that play into the idea of complete seamlessness. First, the neckband and built-in button bands are done in double knitting at the same time with the rest of the body. No picking up stitches required! Since all bands are of the work-as-you-go variety, there's also no need to guesstimate how much yarn to reserve for them. Once you get to the hem bind-off, all finishing is already done.

Second, the sleeves are unusually worked before the body. I often knit my sweaters in this order anyway but it's the first time I've written it into a pattern. Finishing the sleeves first has the benefit of not having to estimate how much yarn to set aside for them. You can knit the sleeves to the length you want, then use up all the rest of the yarn for the body.

Third, the pattern comes with three sleeve-length options: elbow-length, three-quarter length, or full-length sleeves. You can make the cardigan fit your style by picking the sleeve length that suits your preferences. I'm always cold so I went with the long sleeves but the three-quarter length was very popular among my test knitters.

And fourth, the body of the cardigan is completely straight so it's easy to adjust it to any length you want. Since the button bands — and buttonholes — are worked as you go, there's no need to re-calculate buttonhole placements. You can just make the body as short or as long as you want by working fewer or more buttonholes.

All in all, this makes Scattershot very versatile, customizable, and stash friendly. If you're short on yarn, go for shorter sleeves and reserve more for the body. Or if you'd prefer a cropped-length cardigan, knit the sleeves longer and make the body short.

Aside from the built-in doubleknit button bands, Scattershot also features a few techniques to note.

Increases along the V-neck are done using Elizabeth Zimmermann's invisible increases which makes them, well, almost invisible. Raglan increases are done using lifted increases spaced quite far apart, resulting in wide stockinette bands at the raglan seams.

The buttonholes are done using the three-row, double-yarnover buttonhole technique which results in neat, vertical buttonholes that blend pretty seamlessly into the double knitting.

Buttonholes in double knitting usually involve working back and forth separately on both sides of the buttonhole, then using a short-row technique to close the gaps. That isn't needed here: you can work the buttonholes at the same time as you're working on the body of the cardigan.

Scattershot comes in 10 sizes from XS to 6X and is intended to be worn with approximately 5 cm or 2 inches of positive ease in the body. Choose your size based on upper-bust circumference.

As stated earlier, the body of the cardigan is completely straight. This is a bit unusual for me because I generally like to knit my sweaters with waist shaping. Having said that, the pattern does include instructions for optional bust shaping if you choose to add one. The pattern is graded using Kim McBrien Evans' representative size chart and has bust darts for B cup (sizes XS to M), D cup (sizes L to 4X), or F cup (sizes 5X and 6X) along with customizable instructions that you can calculate based on your own measurements.

Often patterns use a hand-dyed base yarn while a solid-colored fluffy stuff plays the second fiddle. With Scattershot I wanted to turn that on its head: the pattern is designed to be knit using a solid or neutral fingering-weight base color together with a speckled, hand-dyed, or tweedy lace-weight silk mohair. The result is a subtly sprinkled fabric where the mohair brings in pops of color while the solid base yarn mellows it down.

For my pink sample I used BC Garn Bio Shetland in a neutral undyed white for the base (yarn A) and Lana Grossa Natural Superkid Tweed in a rose pink color for the fluff (yarn B).

To knit the cardigan you'll need the same amount of both yarns:

• for elbow-length sleeves: approx. 610 (700, 780, 850, 950) [1010, 1180, 1260, 1400, 1500] m or 670 (760, 850, 930, 1030) [1110, 1290, 1380, 1530, 1640] yd

• for three-quarter length sleeves: approx. 660 (740, 830, 910, 1010) [1080, 1250, 1330, 1460, 1570] m or 720 (810, 910, 1000, 1100) [1180, 1370, 1460, 1600, 1720] yd, or

• for long sleeves: approx. 730 (830, 900, 1010, 1090) [1180, 1360, 1480, 1610, 1730] m or 800 (900, 990, 1100, 1200) [1290, 1490, 1620, 1760, 1900] yd.

Scattershot is equal parts playful aesthetic and clever engineering. The pattern is now available for purchase in my pattern shops on Payhip, LoveCrafts, and Ravelry (seizure warning).

How would you pair colors for this cardigan? Share your creation on Instagram using the hashtags #scattershotcardigan and #talviknits. Tag me @talviknits, too, so I can find your project.

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My upcoming knitting pattern Scattershot (launching on May 5th!) is a short, cropped V-neck cardigan with built-in doubleknit buttonbands. For this design I wanted to use vertical buttonholes that are fast and easy to knit, don't interrupt the doubleknit fabric, and are as invisible as possible. The name is a bit of a mouthful: three-row, double-yarnover buttonholes.

The technique is a little mind-bendy at first and there are quite a few steps involved but ultimately these buttonholes are very easy to knit.

What's in a Name?

This buttonhole technique is based on the two-row yarnover buttonhole found in June Hemmons Hiatt's The Principles of Knitting (second edition, page 133)… with a few minor tweaks.

• First off, the name. Even though the original is called a two-row yarnover buttonhole, it's actually done over three rows. The hole itself span two rows vertically so I get where the name comes from although as the name for the technique it's a bit misleading.

• Second, single yarnover buttonholes are tiny. I wanted something that could accommodate slightly larger buttons so I needed a bigger hole. Two yarnovers back to back get the job done.

• Third, in the book there's a step in the technique that (in my opinion) is not needed. I streamlined the instructions, left it out, and the buttonhole functions just as well.

The Three-Row Double-Yarnover Buttonhole

So how is this buttonhole technique done? Here's how it goes.

Row 1 (right side)

Step 1. Work to where the you want the buttonhole to be. Scattershot has 7-stitch doubleknit button bands and I'm making the buttonholes roughly in the middle, 4 stitches in from the edge.

Step 2. Make a double yarnover: wrap the working yarn twice over the needle. Work to the end of the row and turn.

Row 2 (wrong side)

Step 3. Work back until you encounter the double yarnover from the previous row. Here you can see the two wraps next on the left-hand (holding) needle.

Step 4. Next, slip the double yarnover purlwise (that is, without changing stitch orientation), letting the extra wrap drop in the process. Now you've got one long strand on the working needle.

Confused about what knitwise and purlwise mean in the context of slipped stitches? Read this: How Do You Slip a Stitch?

Step 5. Make another double yarnover, then work to the end of the row and turn.

Row 3 (right side)

Rows 1 and 2 were setting up for the trick but Row 3 is where the magic happens!

Step 6. Back on the right side again, work to 1 stitch before the double yarnover.

Step 7. Slip the next stitch knitwise; this changes the stitch orientation. Why? Because we're setting up for a decrease.

Confused about what knitwise and purlwise mean in the context of slipped stitches? Read this: How Do You Slip a Stitch?

Step 8. This is the step you need to pay the most attention to: insert the needle tip into the large hole under the yarnover strands from Rows 1 and 2. Be sure to catch both strands!

Step 9. Knit the two stitches together, dropping the extra wrap from Row 2.

Step 10. Finally, pass the slipped stitch over to close the buttonhole. This is essentially like doing a slip 1 - knit 2 together - psso (SK2P) left-leaning double decrease... except the stitches you K2tog are the two yarnovers from Rows 1 and 2.

Why Use This Buttonhole Technique?

The finished three-row double-yarnover buttonhole spans two rows vertically and nestles between two stitch columns horizontally. The two knit stitches on either side of it diverge for a while, then meet again before continuing on smoothly. There are no unsightly bars that you usually get when binding off stitches for buttonholes.

When worked in stockinette — or double knitting like I've done here — these buttonholes are practically invisible. The knit stitches on both sides of the buttonhole close up as if the buttonhole isn't even there. You need to stretch the fabric to even see it.

On the wrong side of the fabric the buttonhole is a bit more visible: there's an elongated stitch that gives it away. But again, only stretching out the fabric really reveals where that buttonhole is.

Give this technique a try the next time you need clean and unnoticeable buttonholes — especially in double knitting! It may feel a bit unusual at first but once it clicks, it's quick, intuitive, and so satisfying to knit.

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The Quest for Invisibility

Knitters are always looking for the best, most indistinguishable ways to do things in knitting. We want knitted fabric to follow the contours of the body without it being evident where and how it was shaped.

This quest for invisibility is the driving force behind the invention of many a knitting technique. For eons, the SKP (slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over) was the usual counterpart to K2tog decreases… until Barbara Walker's SSK came along. Nowadays there are myriads of ways to do left-leaning decreases. I've written about them here: 7 Ways to Knit a Left-leaning Decrease.

And what about binding off? The standard bind-off leaves a chain of stitches running along the cast-on edge which can disrupt the flow. Want a bind-off technique that just disappears into nothingness? Tubular bind-offs to the rescue.

Same thing with increases. Even the neatest shaping can leave behind a telltale mark: a little bar, a slight pucker, a line that draws the eye whether you want it to or not. No increase method is completely unnoticeable but the ones widely used today can be improved upon. Elizabeth Zimmermann's Invisible Increase is the most indistinguishable one I've encountered. It's even in the name!

Later on in this post I'll show you how to work this remarkable yet unremarked increase. But first, to understand the building blocks of the EZ invisible increase we first need to take a look at the two increase techniques it's closely related to: M1L and RLI.

M1L: A Left-leaning Strand Increase

M1L (read: make one left) is a left-leaning strand increase, meaning that it's worked into the running strand or thread between stitches. In The Principles of Knitting, June Hemmons Hiatt calls increase methods belonging to this family twisted running thread increases. Self-explanatory albeit a bit clunky.

For many knitters, M1L is the default increase. It's widely used, easy to knit, and often treated as the baseline against which all other increases are measured. Having said that, strand increases aren't entirely invisible. Especially when worked on consecutive rounds or next to twisted stitches, they can leaves quite large gaps that stand out.

To work a M1L:

1. Use the right-hand needle tip to pick up the running strand between stitches from back to front,

2. knit through the back loop of the strand,

3. twisting it to the left.

Want to learn more about strand increases? Read these posts:

• 6 Ways to Knit Mirrored Increases

• An Easy Trick to Remembering M1R and M1L Increases

RLI: A Right-leaning Lifted Increase

Lifted increases are done by lifting or raising the stitch from the row below, then knitting into that stitch. They are often touted as being more invisible than strand increases. In fact, the Cat Bordhi video that popularized the technique calls them "the most invisible, smoothest paired increases for your socks".

But lifted increases are not entirely indistinguishable, either. The very act of lifting the stitch onto the needle can stretch it out, resulting in elongated stitches and distorting the fabric.

The name lifted increases has become the norm today but in The Principles of Knitting, June Hemmons Hiatt calls increase methods belonging to this family raised increases. In the book she also raises a concern about stacking these increases on consecutive rounds (second edition, page 209):

"Because the technique requires working into a stitch in the row below, it cannot be used in every row of the same stitch column; when necessary to work on the next row, shift the increase to an adjacent stitch column."

To work a RLI:

1. Use the right-hand needle tip to lift the right leg of the stitch below the next one,

2. place the stitch on the left-hand (holding) needle,

3. and knit it through the front loop.

Want to learn more about lifted increases? Read these posts:

• 6 Ways to Knit Mirrored Increases

• Lifted, Invisible, and Median Increases in Knitting: What's the Difference?

How to Knit Elizabeth Zimmermann's (Practically) Invisible Increase

In Knitting without Tears (1971), Zimmermann includes a laundry list of many useful tips and techniques that are part of the advanced knitting vocabulary today, such as the aforementioned Walker SSK, provisional cast-on, sloped bind-off for shoulders, and her version of a stretchy bind-off.

She also introduces this increase method which she modestly titles as a "practically invisible increase". Putting RLI and M1L together, here's how to work an EZ invisible increase:

1. Use the right-hand needle tip to lift the right leg the stitch below the next one (like in RLI),

2. place the stitch on the left-hand needle and knit it through the back loop (like in M1L),

3. twisting it to the left.

The resulting increase get sucked between two existing stitches. A new stitch columns appear out of nowhere! Like I wrote earlier, it's the most indistinguishable increase I've ever encountered.

The drawback of using the stitch from the row below as the base for the new stitch is that EZ invisible increases can't be stacked on every row or round. If you're working on something that requires every-row increases — such as a compound raglan or a contiguous sleeve — it needs to be paired with another increase type.

Is There a Right-leaning Counterpart?

You have to look very, very closely but the EZ invisible increase has a left lean like a M1L increase. But can it be done as right leaning? As far as I know, Elizabeth Zimmerman only used the left-leaning version, the reason for which will become evident soon.

To find a right-leaning version of this increase, I experimented with two things.

Experiment 1: RLI + M1R

First, pick up the right leg of the stitch below the next one but place it on the left-hand needle reverse mounted. Then comes the awkward bit: knit it through the front loop. This is akin to combining a RLI with a M1R. Although the increase now has a distinct right lean, it leaves a very visible bar.

Experiment 2: LLI + M1R

The second experiment was to combine a LLI with a M1R. Pick up the left leg of the stitch two rows below the last stitch (like in a LLI), then knit into the front loop (like in a M1R). The result is slightly better: it's a right-leaning increase alright but still a very visible one.

The results of two experiments are pretty similar but I wouldn't call either one invisible. While a right-leaning counterpart to the EZ invisible increase can technically be done, it's not worth the hassle.

The original increase blends in so well into the surrounding fabric that a mirrored counterpart is not even needed. After all, it's the position of the increase that determines which way the fabric grows, not the lean of the increase itself. If you were to use this increase type in raglan sweaters, for example, you can use all left-leaning ones and none the wiser.

What about the wrong side? Surely the increase leaves some kind of mark? Nope. The wrong side is as smooth as the right, with barely an evidence of where the increases were made.

Why Isn't It More Widely Known?

The EZ invisible increase is an increase method that's easy to knit, made up of familiar components of increases you already know, and — most importantly — is truly invisible. The result is a stitch that blends quite seamlessly into the surrounding fabric both on the right and the wrong sides. Especially in stockinette you have to actively look for it to spot where the increase happened.

Since you don't need a mirrored counterpart, there's also no need to remember which way to twist the stitch. The only drawback I can think of is that they can't be stacked on consecutive rows or rounds, at least not in the same position.

Outside of Elizabeth Zimmermann's own writings, the invisible increase rarely (if ever) gets a mention, not even in the almighty Principles of Knitting which practically has every obscure knitting technique under the sun. One can only speculate about the causes for this oversight.

Part of it is likely simple inertia. M1L and M1R have become the standardized language of increases in modern pattern writing. And what gets used in patterns is also widely taught in classes, books, and online tutorials. Once a convention reaches that level of ubiquity, alternatives have a hard time gaining a foothold, no matter how elegant they may be. Just think of VHS vs. Betamax. (Is that still a relevant example?)

Then there's the question of naming... or rather, lack thereof. Zimmermann wasn't concerned with formalizing terminology but actively encouraged knitters to "unvent" things and forge their own path. Her "practically invisible increase" is more of a vague description rather than a standardized term. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and without a succinct abbreviation or acronym, it's harder for the technique to travel. (I hereby motion that we abbreviate it EZinc in knitting patterns.)

Whatever the reasons might be, this hidden gem deserves much wider recognition than it has today. Next time a pattern asks for a particular type of increase, swap it out with an EZinc one and see what changes. As Zimmermann writes in Knitting without Tears (page 27): you will note quite a difference.

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Let's dive into new Spring 2026 knitting books.

Colorwork for All Sizes

The first pair of books both involve colorwork of some description on a scale from small (accessories) to massive (blankets).

Carmen Jorissen is a Dutch designer of knitting and crochet patterns and the creative mind behind New Leaf Design. Her first book, Breien Met Kleur (Forte Creatief 2023), has now been translated into English with the title Colorwork Knitting from Head to Toe.

Whether you're brand new to stranded colorwork or looking to deepen your skills, Colorwork Knitting From Head to Toe, offers 20 thoughtfully designed patterns for hats, cowls, mittens, and socks. Each project and pattern design is inspired by a location that holds special meaning for designer Carmen Jorissen of New Leaf Designs, to create a vibrant, and inviting set of projects. Begin with simpler patterns like hats, and build your confidence toward more intricate mittens, all while learning techniques that are clearly explained and supported by video tutorials accessed through an included QR code. Jorissen’s trademark eye for color makes each design pop – and helps you build your own skill at combining shades in bold and effective ways.

The book is divided into six chapters that cover things such as choosing materials and colors, or how to read patterns. The bulk of book is chapter 5 that contains original colorwork patterns for different types of accessories. And these accessories can literally cover you from head to toe: they range from hats to cowls to mittens and socks.

When you dig deeper into the book contents, you'll soon find that there are only five unique colorwork motifs, all named after cities and towns in the Netherlands. These five motifs are used in all four accessory types, altogether yielding a total of 20 knitting patterns. The patterns work well either individually or as a matching set, such as in the Urmond hat and cowl, for example.

The size range in the book is pretty size inclusive when it comes to accessories. The hat patterns are available in three sizes (small, medium, or large), cowl patterns in two lengths (single loop or double loop), mittens fit for two hand circumferences (18 or 21 cm), and socks in a whopping 6 adult sizes ranging between EU 35–47 (UK 2.5–1 or US 4–13).

Colorwork Knitting from Head to Toe: 20 stranded knitting patterns for colorful accessories comes out next week, on March 31.

From the Netherlands to the other side of the planet: Australia. This next book comes from down under and is also about small-scale colorwork… sort of. Knit the City Building Blocks by the Aussie designer Jake Henzler features modular stranded colorwork and intarsia charts for flat knitting to make buildings inspired by iconic cities from all over the world.

Australian designer, Jake Henzler who is known as Boy Knits World, has created knitted building blocks for classic buildings from well-known cities around the world. The designs are modular so they can be mix and matched to make your own unique buildings, for example, you can switch up the different styles of gables and windows and adjust the style of the buildings to create endless alternatives. The buildings are knitted as separate blocks but they can be joined together to make blankets, throws and cushion covers as well as other accessories and homewares. There are guidelines for yarn amounts and the number of blocks needed to make three different sized projects for each city: a large blanket, baby blanket and a cushion cover but you can use your knitted building blocks however you like - the world is your oyster!

The book features building blocks from 7 different cities: five in Europe (Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Paris, Prague), one in the States (New York), and one in Australia (Sydney). Each city chapter includes three example blocks along with extra elements (such as different roofs, windows, ledges, and decorations) and a totally blank chart onto which you can design your own buildings from scratch.

The sizes of the building blocks — and the number of blocks you need — vary from city to city but you can make up three larger projects with them. The smallest is the cushion cover which takes up less than 10 building blocks, the baby blanket uses around 20 blocks, and the largest project, a full-sized blanket is made up of 50+ blocks.

Although the book description says you can mix and match the designs, this is not entirely accurate. The blocks within a city are interchangeable with one another but don't try to throw in a Parisian shop window onto a New York city street — it just won't fit! Knit the City Building Blocks by Jake Henzler will be released on May 5.

Knits for Every Season & Any Weather

These next three books feature seasonally-appropriate knits for any weather.

First up, Little Island Knits by Katie Noseworthy is a collection of Newfoundland-inspired knitwear items for kids. There's not yet much information about this title but I suspect it might be a re-visited version of Noseworthy's 2023 book Newfoundland Knits for Little Ones with two additional patterns.

Navigating the seasons in Newfoundland and Labrador is tricky. Is T-shirt weather in December possible? Yes! Snow in June? Also possible... as is everything in between. In this type of climate, knitwear is a year-round staple. This collection of patterns for children is inspired by the need a for a flexible, practical wardrobe ― a wardrobe suited to the wide range of outdoor activities enjoyed by all ages: fishing, jumping in the leaves, catching capelin, hiking, beachcombing, berry picking, sledding, and so on.

The 17 included patterns are a mix of garments (sized from newborn to 10-year old) and accessories for both kids and adults. The patterns feature traditional elements of Newfoundland and Labrador knitting; some have been contributed by Shirley Scott of Saltwater Knits fame.

This is no April Fools'! Little Island Knits: 17 Original Children's Knits From the Island of Newfoundland hits the bookshops on April 1.

Switching from any-season knits to summer-weather patterns. Summer Knits: 20 Light Patterns for the Warmer Months is the third translated book by the Norwegian knitwear designer Ida Wirak Trettevik, better known as Witre Design.

Speedy and fresh, the 20 simple patterns in Summer Knits are the perfect craft projects for warmer weather, all knitted in cotton or mohair. This collection features tops, skirts, jumpers, jackets and a dress to make for when the weather gets warmer but you still crave the comfort of knitted fabric. Perfect for new knitters looking for cute crop tops, flowy skirts, one-shoulder tops and unique silhouettes. The patterns are graded to fit sizes XS – 3XL, so there's something for every body and every knitter. With yarn suggestions and tips for working with cotton, your pieces will be both fashionable and perfect for balmy temperatures. Your handmade wardrobe will be more versatile than ever before!

The book includes 20 knitting patterns fit for the warmer months. The majority (12) are tops but there is also one vest, one dress, one sweater, two skirts, and three cardigans in the mix. Both skirt patterns are paired with a matching upper-body garment, like the striped Cordelia set below.

Although the book description says that all patterns are knitted either in cotton or mohair, there are also some done in wool or alpaca silk. What makes the pattern summery is that they're fairly cropped and, for the most part, sleeveless.

Summer Knits will be released on May 26, in time to start knitting your summer wardrobe.

The latest installment in Laine's 52 Weeks series is 52 Weeks of Scrap Yarn, a book in which every pattern is designed to be knit — entirely or in part — with small amounts of leftover yarn.

52 Weeks of Scrap Yarn is an inspiring collection that contains 52 scrap yarn knitting patterns ranging from small to large projects, from accessories and home decor to sweaters and cardigans. Some designs in the book are made entirely from scraps, while others incorporate them as an eye-catching design element. In addition to knitting, there are also a few crochet pieces. The patterns come from 47 talented designers from around the world, with skill levels ranging from beginner to advanced. So dive into your stash and turn those hopeful skeins, stray balls, and even the tiniest leftovers into something beautiful.

As the title suggests, the book contains 52 knitting and crochet patterns divided into eight categories: sweaters, cardigans, vests, neck accessories, socks, headwear, hand accessories, and home décor.

In some patterns, such as the Aallot cardigan, the scrap yarns play a very minor part, adding just a little splash of color. The color blips are duplicate stitched afterwards so they're not exactly essential for knitting the garment.

But other patterns take the rubric more seriously. The Piecework socks, for instance, are knit with up to 100 different colors, using as little as 15 meters each! That's what I'd call a true scrap-yarn project.

52 Weeks of Scrap Yarn: Beautiful Patterns for Year-Round Knitting has an international release date of June 9 through Hardie Grant Publishing.

Knitting Ergonomics

The last book in the Spring 2026 batch is a little different in that it's not really a knitting book in the same sense as the others.

Author Andrea Lui is a physical therapist, an avid knitter, and has contributed articles about knitting ergonomics to Farm & Fiber Knits, for example. Her book Craft Without Pain is about how to practice knitting (and crochet) in a way that prevents and minimizes injuries.

Whether you're knitting, crocheting, spinning, dyeing, or weaving, crafting can take a toll on the body. This practical guide offers targeted advice to understanding the physical strains of crafting and how to prevent them so you can keep doing what you love without discomfort or injury. Inside, you'll find clear explanations of common crafting-related injuries like tendonitis, carpal tunnel, and repetitive strain injury, plus practical strategies to avoid them. The book includes warm-ups and stretches to do before, during, and after your sessions, posture tips, guidance on tool and material choices, and strengthening exercises that build long-term resilience.

The aim of the book is to help knitters recognize their pain generators, avoid posture pitfalls, relieve discomfort with targeted exercises, and — going forward — incorporate these into your daily routine for pain-free crafting.

There are no knitting patterns in this book but it does include exercises for different parts of the body, ranging from head to toe and everything else in between. Did you feel a twinge? Craft Without Pain: Injury prevention and self-care for knitters and other makers is here to help on June 16.

Which spring title are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below.

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Luode is worked seamlessly from the top down in two colors of DK-weight yarn. But how that came to be is a bit of a long story.

The main yarn in my sample sweater is Rintalan tilan 2-säikeinen silkkivillalanka, a rustic yet soft 2-ply DK-weight yarn made half-and-half of recycled silk and wool. I ran into it at the farm's booth at Jyväskylä Knit Fest last summer and quickly snatched up all the skeins they had. The yarn base is so new it isn't even available on their website. And how could I resist that deep, dark teal color? It's my brand's signature color for a reason.

At first, I wanted to knit a richly cabled sweater with the yarn but there were a few things going against it. For one, the color was so dark — almost black — that it would've been impossible to get any cabling to show up in photos. And two, there were only three 100-gram skeins, yielding around 800 meters in total. Cables eat up a lot of yarn so I knew there wasn't enough and no way of getting more...

Left: Rintalan tilan 2-säikeinen silkkivillalanka, right: Tukuwool Nordic Resilk.

Enter yarn no. 2: Tukuwool Nordic Resilk. This newest addition to the Tukuwool yarn line is the exact same yarn base: 50% recycled silk, 50% wool, 135 meters per 50 g. The only differences are that it comes in three undyed colorways and is sold in smaller, 50-gram skeins.

Having now two contrasting colors of the same (or close enough) yarn at my disposal, the decision was easy: colorwork it is.

The colors of the yarns also informed the theme the design was going to take and, in turn, its eventual name. A dark teal with a light gray led me to storming seas and coastal regions, and this inspired the maritime theme in the colorwork. The upper and lower motifs evoke water droplets and splashing waves… although some have said they see angry eyes or paw prints in them. They're abstract enough for different interpretations.

The scrollwork motif in the middle of the yoke colorwork is inspired by the azulejo ceramic tiles found in Spain and Portugal. These tiles are often blue and white in color and, when laid out across an entire wall, form repeating, geometric patterns with curlicues, branches and leaves, and fleur-de-lis like motifs.

The design theme was so deeply rooted in seafaring and navigation that I named it after one of the compass directions: luode, the Finnish word meaning northwest. The scrollwork pattern was originally arranged a little differently but, keeping with the name, I had to flip it so that the diagonal lines travel in the southwest-to-northwest direction.

The decorative two-color stranded colorwork on the yoke serves as the focal point of the design but elsewhere the sweater has clean lines and minimal detailing. For instance, the round neck has just a simple rolled edge that launches directly into the colorwork.

To make most out the limited amount of yarn available, the hem and cuffs feature a bit of two-color corrugated ribbing and rolled edges, mirroring the neck line. Icelandic bind-off is used on the hem and cuffs to give them a moderate amount of stretch and a bit of extra heft to the rolled edges.

In construction, Luode is a fairly typical seamless top-down round-yoke sweater, at least the way I prefer to design them. After the colorwork pattern but before body and sleeves are separated, a short section of short-row shaping and raglan increases are worked simultaneously to create a front-neck drop that's essential for nicely fitting round necklines in circular-yoke pullovers.

The easy part comes after the yoke. The body of the sweater is just simple stockinette in the main color which provides the perfect backdrop for incorporating shaping — both bust and waist — to customize the fit.

Luode comes in 10 sizes (XS–6X) and is intended to be worn with approximately 5 cm or 2 inches of positive ease. The pattern includes pre-calculated instructions for B-cup (sizes XS to M), D-cup (sizes L to 4X), or F-cup (sizes 5X and 6X) vertical bust darts but you can calculate custom bust shaping based on your own measurements — there's a worksheet at the end of pattern.

The pattern also has waist shaping to create an hourglass silhouette with decreases and increases. Both bust and waist shaping are optional: you can skip them completely and knit the body of the sweater straight for a more relaxed look. Finished body circumference — omitting bust shaping — ranges between 74–170 cm or 29¼–67 inches. Full bust circumference with the suggested bust darts incorporated ranges between 79–184 cm or 31–72½ inches.

As said, Luode is designed for two contrasting colors of DK-weight yarn. To knit the pattern you'll need them in the following amounts:

• Main color (MC): approx. 760 (820, 970, 1050, 1150) [1250, 1360, 1490, 1590, 1720] m / 830 (890, 1060, 1150, 1260) [1370, 1480, 1630, 1740, 1880] yd

• Contrasting color (CC): approx. 170 (180, 200, 200, 220) [240, 260, 290, 320, 340] m / 190 (200, 220, 220, 240) [260, 280, 320, 340, 370] yd

The suggested pattern gauge is 18 sts per 10 cm or 4 inches in stockinette and stranded colorwork so worsted-weight yarn will also do. In addition to yarn you'll also need 3.5 and 4.0 mm (or US size 4 and 6) circular needles, stitch markers, some waste yarn, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Luode is a great choice for knitters who enjoy visually-striking colorwork but prefer designs with a clean, modern look. The colorwork is worked entirely from charts so the pattern best suits knitters who are used to stranded knitting using charted instructions. While there aren't a lot of long floats, I recommend using Ladderback Jacquard where appropriate.

Because the shaping is customizable, Luode also works well for knitters who like a bit of flexibility in how their garments fit. If you enjoy thoughtful construction details, this pattern should feel right at home on your needles.

The pattern for Luode is now available in my pattern shops on Payhip, LoveCrafts, and Ravelry (seizure warning). I'd love to see how you paired colors for the design! Share your sweater on Instagram using the hashtags #luodesweater and #talviknits. And you can tag me @talviknits as well so I can find your project.

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What's a Jog?

Knitting in the round is a bit of a misnomer. Technically, we're not knitting in the round; we're knitting in a spiral.

Think of circular knitting as a long coil spring. The beginnings and ends of round never meet at the same level: they're always offset from one another by the height of exactly one round. The last stitch of the first round is next to the first stitch of the second round.

If you're working in one-color stockinette, the spiral nature of in-the-round knitting is completely invisible and poses no problems. Because the beginnings and ends of the round look exactly the same, you can't see where the round changes from one to the next.

But things can get a little dicey with any stitch pattern that involves alternating knits and purls, stripes, or colorwork — basically anything other than plain stockinette. The visual discrepancy you get at the change of rounds is called the jog: "a brief abrupt change in direction" according to Merriam-Webster.

In stranded colorwork the jog can be very noticeable because it results in an interruption in the pattern, as if part of the motif has been distorted. Patterns often try to hide to jog by placing the beginning of round (BOR) in as inconspicuous a place as possible, such at in the back, back shoulder, or side seam. In colorwork yoke sweaters, though, the BOR is usually smack in the middle of the center back. While you can't see the jog, others will…

An Example with Sheep and Charts

Here's a sheep colorwork chart from Andrea Rangel's AlterKnit Stitch Dictionary, and it's a great example for demonstrating jogs in colorwork. If you lay two chart repeats side by side, the motif appears to be continuous. But looks can be deceiving...

The dreaded jog surfaces when knitting this pattern in the round and you get to the very last motif on the top row. There's something wonky going on with this sheep.

To reveal what's happening here, you need to take the spiral nature of in-the-round knitting into account. We can simulate the ends of rounds ending up one round higher by laying two chart repeats side by side so that the one on the right is shifted upward. Now you can see why the last sheep on the top row is distorted: its hindquarters are offset from the front!

Next, I'm going to demonstrate two methods for eliminating jogs in colorwork: an easy way and a better way. No more wonky sheep!

Easy Way: Lifted Increase Method

There are several jogless jog methods but this one is my favorite to use with colorwork because it easy, quick to do, and works relatively well... if used sparingly.

It comes from June Hemmons Hiatt's book The Principles of Knitting (second edition, page 33) in which she calls it the raised increase method. In today's knitting lingo raised increases are better known as lifted increases.

To use this method, work the first colorwork round of the motif normally (in this case rnd 9). At the beginning of the second round (rnd 10) lift the stitch below the first one onto the holding needle, then K2tog the lifted stitch and the first stitch.

This method needs to be done any time there's a color change that straddles the BOR. If there's no color change at BOR, just keep knitting with the same color you're already using. Work the chart on the right only once at the beginning of the round, then repeat the one on the left for the rest of the round.

Pulling up the first stitch of the round makes the motif appears (more) continuous... but it doesn't fix the jogs completely. The sheep's feet now seem to start more or less on the same level. The back looks more straight but there's still definitely some wonkiness going on in the belly.

The lifted increase and other jogless jog methods rely on the same principle: they fool the eye into thinking that the beginning and end of round meet at the same level. But there's a downside to the easiness. This method works best when used infrequently and not on too many consecutive rounds as it can cause lumps, bumps, distortions, or thicker areas in the fabric.

Better Way: Shifting the Chart

But what if there were a better way? What if the jog didn't exist at all?

The better method involves shifting parts of colorwork motif up or down as needed so that there is no jog. It takes advantage of the spiral nature of in-the-round knitting instead of fighting against it like the jogless jog methods. But it does require a bit of planning and forethought with charts.

Here again is our broken-up sheep with a droopy backside. First you need to identify the stitches that are causing the jog to become evident. In this case, you could move either the front of the sheep downward or the back half of the sheep upward. I'm picking the back half because it has fewer stitches so that's less of a change to the chart.

Next, re-draw the chart so that everything else stays the same but only the problematic stitches are moved so that they're aligned with the rest of the motif. The sheep becomes whole again.

To use these charts in knitting, reverse the order. Align the charts vertically so that they're back on the same level. Work the modified chart on the right only once, then repeat the one on the left for the rest of the round. Essentially you're delaying the start of the red-bottomed sheep and also completing it later than the rest.

If the lifted increase method was about fooling the eye, there's a bit of a trompe l'oeil happening here, too. While the colorwork motif itself is now uninterrupted, it has moved in relation to the others surrounding it. But can you spot the difference? The human eye is drawn to the pattern, not what's between the patterns. Indeed, the shifting chart method works only with colorwork patterns that have whitespace or gaps so that there is somewhere for the motif to move to. If the chart is seamless and continuous, there's nowhere to hide and the jog will only follow you around no matter where you try to shift it.

Which Method to Use?

The choice between the lifted increase method and the shifting chart method depends on the motif in question. Can you get by with lifting a stitch here and another there? Use the lifted increase method. Does that pattern have gaps and whitespace? Use the shifting chart method. You can even mix and match them as needed based on which makes more sense in the situation.

In the upcoming Luode colorwork yoke sweater pattern, for instance, I used the lifted increase method for the one-row stripes separating the scrollwork pattern from the rest. Within the scrollwork motif, however, I shifted the colorwork pattern so that the diagonal line straddling the BOR remained continuous. The result is jogless, even if the BOR is in the middle of the back.

With colorwork jogs it's a bit of a compromise of where and how big of a visual interruption you can accept. And with enough experience you can develop an inner eye and let go of re-drawing the charts in advance — shifting the motif up or down becomes second nature.

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What Is Yarn Dominance?

Yarn dominance is term you'll encounter in connection with stranded colorwork knitting. It's a way to hold yarns in colorwork so that one color appears more prominent relative to the other color(s).

The way to arrange yarns in yarn dominance is such that the floats of the color that's more prominent, called the dominant color, travel closer to the right side of the work. The floats of the non-dominant color travel behind it, pushing the dominant-color stitches forward and closer to the surface and making the colorwork motif stand out better.

Yarn dominance is sometimes also called color dominance but the two terms mean the same thing. Personally, I prefer to use the term yarn dominance because it pinpoints that it's the arrangement of the yarns relative to each other that matters, not what color the yarns are. You, the knitter, get to decide which one to highlight.

Which brings me to the next point: yarn dominance is often a matter of preference. Colorwork beginners often look for the "correct" way to hold their yarns, but — as with so many aspects of knitting — there isn't a single right answer. It depends on the situation.

In a simple two-color colorwork pattern it is usually the contrasting color — that one that's used to making up the motif — that's held as the dominant color. This makes the colorwork pop out from the background or main color. If yarn dominance were to be reversed, the colorwork motif would appear weaker and more subtle.

But in more complex patterns this might not always be the case. Yarn dominance doesn't have to be consistent throughout the whole pattern. It doesn't even have to be the same across one round but can be swapped as needed for the colorwork motif to look its best.

Pictured above is my upcoming Luode colorwork yoke sweater pattern. In this pattern I held the contrasting color dominant in the upper part of the yoke motif so that the light gray motifs stand out from the dark teal background. For the middle and lower parts of the yoke motif I swapped the colors: the lighter color is now on the background and the teal that forms the scrollwork pattern is held in the dominant position.

Notice the two-color ribbing on the hem? That's what we'll dive into next.

What Is Corrugated Ribbing?

Corrugated ribbing is two-color ribbing in which knits are made with one color, purls with the other. You can make corrugated ribbing in any combination of knits and purls but 1×1 ribbing and 2×2 ribbing are the most common. Presumably, the name comes from resembling corrugated metal roofing or corrugated cardboard, both of which have wavy ridges that create a rippled pattern.

Corrugated ribbing is essentially a mash-up of ribbing and stranded colorwork, and this makes it differ from regular, one-color ribbing. Unlike regular ribbing, corrugated ribbing is not very stretchy because the floats on the back of the work can only flex so far. The other thing is that corrugated ribbing is quite flat: the purl columns can't recede to the background because, again, the floats prevent that.

Corrugated ribbing can be used to add a decorative edge or detail to colorwork designs, such as mitten cuffs or sweater hems. But it doesn't function like regular ribbing.

Yarn Dominance in Corrugated Ribbing: Four Examples

Given that corrugated ribbing is mostly decorative, how should yarn dominance be arranged so that it looks best?

I experimented with four different combinations of holding yarns in 1×1 corrugated ribbing. In all examples I'm working with the same two yarns — a dark and a light color — and using a colorwork yarn guide. The yarn on the left (closer to the needle tips) is the dominant one; the one further back to the right is non-dominant.

Example 1. Dark knits, light purls – dark color dominant

To start off, the dark color was used for knit stitches and the lighter color for purls. In the first example I'm holding the dark color as the dominant color.

The darker-color knits appear quite prominent, as if they're sitting on the surface of the lighter-colored purls. The purls bumps are very visible, though, on account of having been worked in a light color.

Example 2. Dark knits, light purls – light color dominant

In the second example the arrangement of knits and purls stays the same but I swapped yarn dominance: the lighter color is now held in the dominant position.

Compared to example 1, the knit columns now appear to sink in between the purl bumps. The purl bumps themselves look wider and plumper, as if consuming more space.

What surprised me, though, was that in terms of knitting I found this arrangement of yarns easier to work with. Purling with the yarn held closer to the needle tips felt smoother and faster compared to holding the yarns the other way around.

Example 3. Light knits, dark purls – light color dominant

For the last two examples the knits and purls were reversed: light-colored knits with dark-colored purls. In the third example the light color is still held in the dominant position.

The situation is the same as in the first example: the knit stitches look very prominent, as if they're sitting on the surface of the purls. The purls look narrower and, because they're worked in a dark color, they blur and blend into each other so that each individual purl bump is difficult to make out.

Example 4. Light knits, dark purls – dark color dominant

In the last example only the yarn dominance changes: light knits, dark purls, dark color is dominant.

Appearance-wise what's changed is that now the knits look narrower and purls wider. The knit stitches appear to be sinking into quicksand and the purls are rising to the surface. Compared to example 3, I found this arrangement easier to work with because the yarn to purl with was held closer to the needle tips.

In Conclusion

So which of the arrangements works best? Overall, on the right side the changes in appearance are quite subtle. To see any difference you kind of have to know what to look for.

Your mileage may vary but my conclusions are thus:

• In the lower half of the swatch (examples 1 and 2), I find the light-colored purl bumps distracting and the whole corrugated ribbing a bit messy.

• The top half of the swatch (examples 3 and 4) looks smoother and visually more appealing. The dark purls blend into a unified mass out of which the light knits can be easily discerned.

• Out of the four examples, my personal preference is example 3 in which the dominant-color knits look wider, taller, and generally more prominent. And this is indeed the yarn arrangement I used on the hem and cuffs of the Luode pattern.

• Holding the purl color dominant might be easier on the hands... but I just don't like the look it creates.

While the right-side differences in look are quite small, more surprising is what's happening on the wrong side of the work. Not so much in terms of changing yarn dominance — that has little to no effect — but swapping the position of knits and purls dramatically changes the floats. The ribbing looks smoother on both sides of the work. But who's going to look on the inside of your sweater?

What's your preference? Which yarn arrangement do you like best? Let me know in the comments!

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Elbow Room

The first thing that immediately struck me looking at the photos is that this season's short sleeves are not short.

The oversized trend continues... in sleeves. Sweater sleeves that don't reach the wrist are wide, flowy and — most of the time — hit the elbow or just below. Of course there are a few that expose a little bit more skin but if you want to be trendy (and safe from sunburn) this summer, wear a sweater with sleeves that protect your shoulders and upper arms.

Sleeve Structure

Speaking of sleeves, the sleeve constructions that dominate this season are raglans and set-in sleeves with a dash of saddle shoulders thrown in.

European shoulders are still very much on the forefront but now they're paired with — as they should — set-in sleeves. A classic English tailored shoulder reaches just the head of the shoulder, supporting the weight of the garment. Over the past couple of years we've seen shoulder seams that extend well beyond this point in conjunction with dropped sleeves, so much so that the European shoulder has practically become synonymous with sleeve heads that droop unattractively down the back of the sweater. No more!

To counterpoint the droop-less set-in sleeves, raglan seams have gained extra length and now extend far below the natural underarm level. Sure, you need a little vertical ease so that the sweater doesn't burrow into your underarms but this much? It's as if the models are wearing sweaters three sizes too large.

Vertical Thinking

Another big trend on the DROPS collection is stitch patterns going up and down rather than side to side.

Cables, lace columns, or narrow strips of texture going vertically from the neck to the hem is the way to decorate your sweaters this summer. In some examples they're all over the garment, in others used sparingly as an accent such as running down the sleeve or just on the fronts of a cardigan.

Flare Up

A knitterly way to inject a little girly into you wardrobe is with flared hems and sleeves.

Although the majority of this season's collection is quite squarish in shape with minimal finishing, it does contain a few feminine details such as flaring, peplums, ruffles, trumpet sleeves, and other fluttery bits. Used sparingly, they can add a little interest in an otherwise modest garment, such as on the spaghetti-strap dress above.

Neon City

The overall color palette for the spring and summer is very muted, demure pastels but there is one striking exception: neon stripes.

A way to break out from the pastel monotone is to pair a white or neutral background color with narrow stripes done in a brightly-colored or color-changing yarn. They pop out like neon lights! Use them on sweaters, cardigans, tops, and socks for a dash of fun. I particularly like the crayon-striped cardigan (second from left).

Which trend got your attention? Sound off in the comments!

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Knit-lebrities

Some knitters gain a quasi celebrity status. Here are new books by two such current big-name designers: sock guru Summer Lee and knitfluencer Veronika Lindberg a.k.a. Kutovakika.

Summer Lee's first sock book, The Sock Project, was featured in the Winter 2024 round-up of new knitting books. Now she's back with her second one, The Sock Obsession.

From Summer Lee, sock knitting guru and author of reader favorite The Sock Project, a fun new collection of patterns for making socks in every shape and size, all in her signature palette of neon bright colors This colorful volume presents a variety of sock styles, from boot socks and ankle socks to loafer and cuffed styles, and a universe of techniques. Try your hand at cables, colorwork, ribs, and textured knitting with 25 easy-to-follow patterns, then customize your designs to make dozens of different looks!

The book is divided into six chapters: an intro and five chapters with five sock patterns each. The patterns are categorized into themes such as traditional, modern art, everyday wear, whimsical, and signature.

All of the sock patterns are very colorful, and employ techniques such as stripes, lace, or texture... sometimes all in the same pattern! Many of them also involve stranded colorwork in some form — with three or even four colors — such as the lobster, bumble bee, or sheep socks from the whimsical patterns category. Managing long floats is a skill that's going to be in high demand with this book.

The Sock Obsession: Supercool Socks to Knit and Show Off comes out on January 20, 2026.

Veronika Lindberg, best known by her online moniker Kutovakika, rose to fame with her knitted wedding dress. Since then she's published loads of knitting patterns. Knits to Wear is her second pattern book.

Create your own treasured pieces with this beautiful book by one of today's most beloved knitwear designers, Veronika Lindberg (also known as Kutova Kika). Knits to Wear offers 17 patterns destined to become cherished favorites. From simple, timeless designs to modern pieces with a romantic twist, decorative textures and traditional colorwork, Veronika guides you in crafting stylish, everyday knits for year-round wear. She also shares her expert tips and tricks to help you save time and knit like a pro, along with styling suggestions to inspire you to create pieces that reflect your unique personal style.

The book contains 17 different knitting patterns. As the title suggests, all of them are wearable items — mostly garments such as sweaters, cardigans, tops, or vests — but there are also 3 hats and 1 lace collar.

Although most of the garment patterns are graded for sizes XS through 5XL, many of them are intended to be worn with such large amounts of ease that the patterns fall short of current size-inclusivity requirements. And as can only be expected from Laine, there's already errata for the book.

Knits to Wear: Effortless Patterns by Kutova Kika is slated for international release on February 17.

Knits from Around the World

The next three books introduce patterns and designs from different regions of the globe. Up first, Sue Bradley's succinctly named Pattern is a collection of 28 ethnic-inspired patterns and more than 250 stitch pattern charts to be used in your knits.

This is a book for hand knitters who love pattern, colour and inspiration, and have a desire to create their own beautiful designs. The 28 knitting patterns for garments and accessories are inspired by textiles and artefacts from all over the world. The garment shapes are easy to knit, allowing the colour and pattern to take centre stage. Each chapter focuses on the culture and textile heritage of a specific country, and also features a Pattern Library, giving the knitter the opportunity to recreate that chapter's designs using another country's colours, motifs or patterns. With more than 250 full-colour charts across the book, there will be a pattern to inspire everyone.

The book contains 10 chapters that each explore the textiles, heritage, and knitwear of a different region of the world: India, Japan, Tibet, Indonesia, Turkey, Latvia, Ukraine, Morocco, Mexico, and Peru. There's not much information on the 28 included patterns other than they're garments and accessories for women, men, and children alike.

Pattern: Hand Knitting Designs from Around the World hits the shelves on February 17.

The next book explores knitwear found on the islands in the Baltic and North Seas and the Northern Atlantic. Erika Åberg's Island Knitting is a collection of knitting patterns inspired by coastal landscapes.

Embark on a knitting journey through the captivating landscapes of Shetland, the Hebrides, Gotland and Blidö with best-selling author and knitwear designer Erika Åberg (@wynja). This stunning book features 20 timeless patterns inspired by the sea, wind and spirit of each island, perfect for knitters seeking one-of-a-kind garments infused with a touch of coastal magic.

Each of the four islands gets a dedicated chapter and a brief overlook of the island's history, culture, and native sheep breeds — and how that impacts the traditional knitwear found on the island.

Also included in each chapter are five original knitting patterns inspired by the region, 20 in total. The patterns range from adult garments (such as sweaters and cardigans) to shawls and smaller accessories, like socks, mitts, and hats. There's even a pattern for a knitted Shetland coffee cozy! No word on the size inclusivity of the designs or the techniques used but if the cover photo is anything to judge by, many of them involve colorwork.

Originally published in Swedish in 2022 as Stickat från kust to kust, Island Knitting: A Collection of Knitting Patterns Inspired by Coastal Landscapes will be released internationally on January 13.

The third book in this group is a collection of knitwear patterns from Uruguay, published by the yarn company Malabrigo.

Discover 17 stunning knitting patterns that celebrate the joy of wool, from treasured yarn brand Malabrigo. This collection features Malabrigo's most-loved patterns from the last 20 years, along with new designs that that are sure to become fan-favorites. You'll find timeless staple knits with intriguing textures and techniques, including shawls, sweaters, hats, mitts, socks and cardigans. With beautiful photography from Uruguay, you'll be inspired to cast on immediately.

The 17 included patterns are divided into three chapters: socks & accessories, cowls & shawls, and cardigans & sweaters. They all make use of Malabrigo's beautiful — but often hard to match — small-batch hand- and kettle-dyed colorways.

Timeless Knits: Classic Knitting Patterns from the Heart of Uruguay is released on March 17, 2026. If you don't want to wait, the patterns are also sold individually on the Malabrigo website.

Decorated Knits

The next two books strike a trend that's been quite popular for the past couple of years: embellishing knitwear with embroidery or other techniques. Diana Loug's Embroidered Knits focuses on the former.

Add the perfect finishing touch to your handmade or shop-bought knitwear: use simple embroidery techniques to create tactile, contemporary and completely unique results. Following an essential chapter that covers the core embroidery stitches step by step, Diana guides you through over 25 gorgeous designs to embroider onto your knitwear, along with tips on which types of yarn are most suitable, and advice on getting the best results. From graphic shapes like crosses, squares and hearts, to awe-inspiring florals and fruit, there are designs for everyone – use the full-size embroidery diagrams and positioning illustrations, along with the color and stitch guides, to ensure you get the best results.

In addition to sections on choosing yarn and colors and a short embroidery school, the book features 25 embroidery designs demonstrated on 12 garments such as sweaters, jackets, and vests which provide a large, smooth canvas to practice your skills on. Note that there are no knitting patterns in this book, only embroidery motifs.

Originally published in Norwegian in 2023 as Broderi på strikk, the English edition of Embroidered Knits: Over 25 Motifs to Personalize and Embellish Your Own Knitwear will be released on February 17.

Roosimine (also called roositud) is a traditional Estonian colorwork technique that's gained a lot of interest in the past few years, thanks to Aleks Byrd's groundbreaking books Traditions Revisited (2022) and Kindred Knits (2025) that re-introduced it to a wider knitting audience.

Similar to stranded colorwork, roosimine is worked in the round and in stockinette stitch. But unlike stranded colorwork, the patterns are not incorporated by knitting in the usual way but by weaving in the second color as you knit, stranding the contrasting color along the right side of the work.

The final book in this season's bunch focuses on socks patterns using this unique inlay technique. Roosimine Knitted Socks is the first book published in English by the German knitwear designer Sarah Prieur.

Discover the magic of Roosimine, an easy-to-learn Estonian technique that brings the look of embroidery to your knitting! This unique colorwork method creates beautiful, contrasting patterns on a background of simple stockinette.

The book includes comprehensive, illustrated guides to both sock knitting and to using the roosimine technique. In addition, it contains 18 original sock patterns in five sizes, ranging from EU 36/37 (US women's 6) to EU 44/45 (US men's 11½).

Originally published in German in 2024 as Roosimine-Socken stricken, the English translation of Roosimine Knitted Socks: Spice Up Your Sock Knitting With This Easy-to-learn Estonian Colorwork Technique! will be released on March 3.

Anything strike your fancy? Let me know in the comments!

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Here's a summary of what I knit, designed, and blogged about in the year 2025.

Knit

In 2025, I finished 14 projects and knit 11.2 kilometers (or 7 miles) of yarn. On average, one project took 34 days from cast-on to bind-off and used up 805 m (or 880 yd) of yarn. Compared to 2024, I finished a project in half the time but used around 200 m less yarn per project. In short, my 2025 knits were smaller and faster… despite knitting no less than 3 sweater dresses this year!

The year 2025 was, again, mostly about socks and sweaters. I knit 4 sweaters, 4 pairs of socks, 3 sweater dresses, and 3 cowls (one of which was a repeat and re-do project).

My biggest project this year was the Heather colorwork dress from Novita that I knit with sock yarn scraps. It took 2060 meters (or 2250 yd) of fingering-weight yarn in a total of 29 colors! Being all-over colorwork, it's understandable it was my slowest project of the year: exactly 12 weeks or 84 days from the beginning of September to (nearly) the end of November.

Honorable mention for the second largest project — and my favorite knit of the year — goes to tin can knits' Love Note. I knit mine combining Brushed Alpaca Silk from DROPS with a handspun yarn that just kept going and going and going… My Love Note is definitely not the cropped version you see in the pattern photos but a nearly knee-length dress.

In contrast, the smallest and fastest projects of the year were both cowls. The smallest in terms of using the least yarn (190 m or 210 yd) was the Soft As Starlight cowl.

The fastest project — in terms of taking the least time — was the Villikaura cowl which was finished in just 6 days.

However, there's another way to measure speed in knitting: meters of yarn knitted per day. On average I transformed yarn into finished fabric at the speed of 28.8 meters per day. My fastest — or let's say most efficient — project of the year was the Nomad colorwork sweater form Patons. This sweater consumed around 1030 m (1120 yd) of yarn and I completed it in 11 days, averaging at a rate of 93 meters per day. Can I say I was a little obsessed?

Designed

In 2025, I released 8 new knitting patterns:

• 4 sweaters: Lyrides, Wychwood, State of Flux, and Gilded Haze

• 1 cardigan: Happenchance

• 1 sweater dress: Draconides

• and 2 cowls: Villikaura and Soft As Starlight.

With 360 hearts on Raverly, the most popular pattern of the year was Happenchance, a contiguous-sleeve cardigan with a shifting cable panel that covers the entire back.

My personal favorite, though, is State of Flux, a fully reversible top-down raglan pullover with brioche details on the cowl neck, sleeve cuffs, and hem.

My next design, a colorwork yoke sweater in two colors of DK-weight yarn, is already on the way and will hopefully go into testing before the year is over.

Blogged

In 2025, I wrote 22 blog posts (including this one), one fewer than last year.

The most-read post published this year was What Is an Asymmetric Compound Raglan? (May 2025) with over 4.4K views. The post examines the three differences between conventional and compound top-down raglan sweaters, and explains why compound raglan shaping results in better fitting and more size-inclusive patterns.

With nearly 3K words and 17.8K characters, this was also the longest post with the longest average reading time.

With 1.6K views, the title for the second most-read post goes to another tutorial: How to Knit Centered Median Increase (CMI) from March 28. In this blog post I demonstrated how to do the decorative double increase used in Lyrides.

Posts about knitting trends are always popular with my readers and this year was no exception. The third most-read post of the year was Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 Knitting Trends (August 2025), also with 1.6K views. In this post you learned what's trending in the current season: cables, saddle shoulders, full-fashioned shaping, soft color palettes, and mixing colors to make heathered or marled fabric.

How did your 2025 knits go? Let me know in the comments!

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In this blog post I've gathered 15 different mystery advent-alongs in five different categories: mittens, socks, hats, cowls, and shawls. All patterns are available in English but they might come in other languages as well — check the specifics below. For many of them you can use scraps, leftovers, and partial balls from stash; some are designed specifically for advent calendar mini-skeins.

Mittens

The Swedish yarn company Järbo has a tradition of hosting a Christmas mitten (Julvanten) MKAL and this year is no exception. Designed by colorwork specialist Maja Karlsson, Julvanten 2025 features techniques such as Latvian braid, two-color stranded colorwork, and a gusseted thumb.

The materials list for this year's mitten has already been revealed. To knit the mittens you'll need three colors of worsted-weight yarn in strongly-contrasting colors: 50 g of the main color, 40 g of the contrasting color, and 5 g of an accent color. The MKAL is free to join but you can also purchase three-color yarn kits from Järbo.

The first clue of this three-part MKAL is released on December 10, Nobel Prize day in Sweden. Subsequent clues come out on December 12 and 16 on the Järbo blog both in English and in Swedish.

Nina Pommerenke's Advent Mystery Mitten KAL 2025 (Ravelry link) is designed for four colors of fingering-weight yarn: white as the main color, green, brown, and beige for contrasting colors, and a little bit of black for accent. The specific color suggestions and the MKAL poster are probably good hints about the theme of these mittens...

Clues are released on the four Sundays before Christmas starting on November 30. The pattern price is 60 Swedish kronor (about 6.30 €).

Vottelauget (Mitten Guild) is a collective of Norwegian designers who release a new Christmas mystery mitten each year, revealing a small part of the pattern at a time. This year's mittens have been designed by Wenche Roald, and they come in three sizes. To knit the mittens you'll need three colors of sport-weight yarn with a good amount of contrast between them: one for the main color, second for the contrast color, and a little bit of the third for an accent color.

This 10-part MKAL started on November 23 and clues come out every few days. But there's still lot to uncover! The final clue will be revealed on December 17. The pattern price for Vottelaugets Mysterievotter Julen 2025 (Ravelry link) is 66 Norwegian kronor (around 5.90 €). Instructions are available in Norwegian and in English.

Socks

Lisa Müller's Adventssocken 2025 (Ravelry link) are a pair of three-color socks using fingering-weight yarn. To knit the socks you'll need about 60–70 g of the main color, 10 grams of a contrasting color, and a little bit of the third for a color pop. The socks come in four sizes corresponding with EU shoe sizes 36/37, 38/39, 40/41, and 42/43.

The pattern is released in four weekly clues starting on the first advent, Sunday November 30. Available in both English and German, the pattern price is 4.40 €.

Holiday Cheer by Heidi Nick (Ravelry link) is a free sock mystery KAL. The socks are done in a single color of fingering-weight yarn and come in three sizes. The pattern is released in four weekly clues starting December 1.

Becky Greene's Christmas Tea Party (Ravelry link) is another free sock MKAL. The pattern is designed to use scraps, leftovers, mini skeins, or yarn advent calendar skeins of fingering-weight yarn, approximately 320–400 m or 350–440 yd in total. But you can also use just a single color of a solid, semi-solid, or tonal yarn. And that's a bit of a clue in itself: there's no colorwork!

The pattern comes in four sizes and the clues are released daily from December 1 to 24.

Hats

Tricia Weatherston's Advent Hat 2025 (Ravelry link) is a free mystery KAL for what the designer calls an "inside outside hat", a double-layer beanie with a folded brim akin to Musselburgh or Oslo Hat. The inside layer is done in stripes, the outside in stranded colorwork.

To knit this hat you'll need 160–230 meters or 175–250 yards of fingering-weight yarn, two colors for the striped inside and 5–7 colors for the colorwork on the outside. This MKAL has already started in November with the instructions for the striped inside layer. The colorwork clues are released piecemeal in December, one bite-sized morsel each day from December 1 to 24.

Painted Pathways MKAL by Claire Slade (Ravelry link) is a fingering-weight colorwork beanie. The pattern comes in three sizes and can be done using only two colors (a main and a contrasting color) or 11 colors (one main, 10 contrasting colors).

The week-long MKAL starts on December 1 with seven daily clues, concluding on December 7. The pattern price is £5.50 (approx. 6.55 €) but there's a 50% off coupon code on the Ravelry pattern page that's valid until the end of the MKAL.

Sofia Capelle's Sofia's Winter Hat 2025 (Ravelry link) is a sport-weight colorwork hat that comes in one adjustable size. You'll need approximately 250–300 meters or 270–330 yards of sport-weight yarn. There's no information on colors but the designer's previous mystery hats have all involved colorwork.

Released in four weekly clues starting on November 28, the pattern costs 77 Swedish kronor (about 7.30 €). Instructions are available in Swedish and in English.

Cowls

Lily Go's Cowlestial Dreams (Ravelry link) is a DK-weight cowl in 5 sizes, featuring bold, textural lace and cables. To knit the pattern you'll need only one color of DK-weight yarn, approx. 170 to 340 meters (190–380 yd) depending on size. You can also add either seed beads or triangle beads!

The pattern is released in 10 clues starting on December 4 and concluding on December 17. The pattern price is $5.00 (approx. 4.30 €).

Gingerbread Mystery Cowl by Stephanie Lotven (Ravelry link) is a colorful colorwork cowl worked in fingering-weight yarn, and features textural stitches as well as stranded colorwork. The pattern is designed for 6 colors: you'll need roughly 110 meters or 120 yards of each, 660 meters or 720 yards in total.

The shape is not your usual straight-up tube but what the designer calls a "shawl-shaped cowl", a tube that's wider at the bottom than at the top, worn so that it looks like a triangle shawl on the front. The pattern comes in one size only and costs $9.35 (around 8.40 €). This 12-day MKAL is released in 12 daily clues starting December 1.

Laura Aylor's Just For You 12 (Ravelry link) is a one-size mystery cowl pattern designed for worsted-weight yarn. You'll need two contrasting colors, 125 yd (115 m) of one and 220 yd (200 m) of the other for a total of 345 yd (315 m). Not much is revealed of the textures and techniques used in the cowl other than it involves increases, decreases, and picking up stitches.

As the name suggest, this is the 12th year in a row that the designer releases an advent cowl pattern. Clues are revealed daily starting on December 13 and concluding on Christmas Eve. Pattern price is $4 (approx. 3.60 €) until December 12 after which it'll go up to $6 (approx. 5.10 €).

Shawls

With mittens and hats you can pretty much guess what type of an item you're going to get. But with these last three patterns the shape of the finished object is part of the mystery!

Wintergrün MKAL by Christelle Nihoul (Ravelry link) is a (mainly) fingering-weight shawl designed for two highly-contrasting colors. For the second color you can also use something lace weight and fuzzy, such as mohair or suri alpaca.

The size and shape of the shawl are a mystery but the designer assures there is no brioche or colorwork involved. Available in French and in English, this pattern is released in four weekly installments starting on December 2. The pattern price is 7.15 €.

Tarkine Wrap by Susanna Kaartinen (Ravelry link) is also a fingering-weight advent shawl. The shape is a mystery but the word "wrap" in the pattern name might hint at a long, rectangular piece.

This shawl pattern is an exploration of colors and textures, designed to use one main color along with a 12-skein, 20-gram mini-skein set. The pattern also includes alternative instructions on how to knit the wrap using 2, 3, 4, or 7 colors so you can use up something from the stash.

Priced at 11 Australian dollars (about 6.50 €), the pattern is released in 12 parts starting on December 2 and concluding on December 24.

Concluding the round-up is Renee Strouts' Intangential Advent Mystery Shawl KAL 2025 (Ravelry link), a 24-part mystery shawl knit-along designed for 24 colors of advent calendar mini skeins. The pattern comes in two sizes, the small being suitable for 10-gram minis and the larger for 20-gram minis of fingering-weight yarn, 800 or 1600 yards in total (730–1500 in meters).

The shape of the shawl is part of the mystery but if the designer's prior work is anything to judge by, it's going to be something modular. Clues are released daily starting on December 1 and concluding on Christmas Eve, December 24. Pattern price is $6.60 (approx. 5.90 €).

If you're looking for more ideas on what to do with that 12-, 24-, or 25-color mini-skein advent calendar you got, check out this post from two years ago: Pattern Round-up: What to Knit with Advent Calendar Mini Skeins?

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After doing Fair Isle Advent MKALendar in 2022, Fair Isle Sock MKALendar in 2023, and Fair Isle Mitten MKALendar in 2024 I'm fresh out of ideas for small, bite-sized projects that would be achievable to knit during the busy festive season.

While I mull over new Fair Isle project ideas for another year, you can still use the previous years' patterns this advent. They're all built around the same format of knitting one chart a day from December 1st to the 25th. Start at the top of the month and you've got a completed project by Christmas Day.

But here's the good news! Instead of a new mystery knit-along I'm bringing back the talvi knits advent calendar that last made its appearance in 2021.

If you're new to the concept — and even if you're not — here's how it works:

What?

Each day from December 1 to 24 at least one of my knitting patterns will go on sale for 24 hours only. The previous day's coupon expires when the next one is announced.

The included patterns — garments and accessories — are a mix of both new ones released since December 2021 and old favorites from the archives based on your votes. The sales get bigger and better as the month progresses... and I've got a little surprise in store on Christmas Day!

When?

The pattern sales are announced every morning at 10 AM my time or 8 am UTC. What's that in your timezone? Convert it here.

Where?

The daily coupon codes work both in my Payhip and Ravelry stores.

How?

The advent calendar is available only to my newsletter subscribers. Get it delivered each day in your email inbox by joining my mailing list. If you're already on the list, make sure you selected Sales & giveaways when you subscribed.

Who's looking forward to December 1? I know I am!

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For this design I was inspired by the yarn, Silk Mohair Fat Fluff from Adlibris. Like the name suggests, it's an up-sized version of the most light and airy silk mohair yarns that are available on the market. Usually these yarns are lace weight but Fat Fluff is very fat indeed: it knits up to an aran- or even bulky-weight gauge of 15 to 18 stitches per 10 cm (or 4 inches).

With this fuzzy heavy-weight champion I wanted a cozy garment with minimal details that would knit up quickly. What emerged at the other end of that thought process is Gilded Haze, a circular yoke pullover that combines simple elegance with a touch of thoughtful details. A delicate diamond-shaped lace motif adorns the yoke but the rest of the sweater is worked in smooth stockinette. Deep ribbing frames the edges at the neckline, sleeve cuffs, and hem.

The name is a playfully punny nod to the Gilded Age, the late 19th century historical era of enormous economic growth, and the halo of the yarn that gives the sweater its fuzzy texture. There's a bit of "golden cage" thrown in as well: the lace motif on the yoke looks a bit like a wire fence. Waxing philosophical for a moment, perhaps we're all birds trapped in this golden cage of throwing silk mohair at every knit?

That was deep. Getting back to the sweater pattern, it has two neckline options so you can tailor the look of the sweater to suite your style and mood. I love a good cowl neck and Gilded Haze has just that: a long and luscious cowl that's folded over itself in the end. But if you can't stand the feel of something rubbing against your neck, choose the classic crew neck option. Both are worked in 2×2 ribbing to match the sweater hem and sleeve cuffs.

However you choose to do the neckline, the sweater is knit seamlessly from the top down as a hybrid of the round-yoke and raglan constructions. The circular yoke is shaped with sets of increases above and (depending on size) below the diamond-shaped lace pattern on the yoke. Short rows and raglan increases are then worked simultaneously before separating the body and sleeves. Raglan shaping gives a bit more control in fine-tuning the fit of the upper-chest circumference than relying on round yoke increases alone. It also helps in eliminating bunching at the underarms, a tip I picked up from Interweave's The Art of Circular Yokes.

Short rows are used to lengthen the back yoke and to stop the front neck from riding too high. I've seen a fair share of cowl- or turtlenecked sweater patterns that don't have any front neck shaping, leading to the dreaded "crumb catcher" effect. This extra pouch of fabric at the front of a garment is the result of treating the back and front bodies the same. High necked or not, every sweater needs some form of neck shaping to fit the human body properly.

The lace pattern on the yoke is quite small in repeat and fairly simple in stitches but there are a few purl rows thrown in for added texture. Moving and staggering the repeats is what gives the lace its rhombus-shaped pattern: it's tiers of interlocking diamonds standing on point. All yoke increases are above and below the lace section so you don't need to worry about yoke shaping while knitting the lace. As always, both written and charted lace instructions are given in the pattern so you can follow the one you prefer.

After the yoke the sweater is just simple stockinette in the round, making it very quick, simple, and mindless to knit. But the stockinette background also provides the perfect blank canvas for adding bust shaping if you need it. In my signature style, the pattern includes both ready-made and customizable instructions for bust shaping in the form of vertical bust darts.

Here's a bit of a deviation from my usual sweater patterns: there's no waist shaping. (I know!) Instead, the hem is gently A-lined, tapering towards the hem. This gives the sweater a flattering drape and ensures that the deeply ribbed section is hip hugging, yet comfortable to wear.

The sleeves are the same style as on Lyrides and Draconides. They're slightly overlong and minimally shaped before narrowing into the deep ribbed cuffs. The extra length and looseness of the almost bishop-style sleeves pools softly at the wrists, complementing the voluminous cowl. The sweater finishes with a stretchy bind-off of your choice to give flexibility to the hem and cuffs. For an optimal stretch and a clean look I recommend using the sweater version of the Improved Stretchy Bind-off for 2×2 Ribbing.

Gilded Haze is available in 10 sizes from XS to 6X, and is intended to be worn with a classic fit of 5 cm or 2 inches of positive ease. Finished upper-body circumferences — omitting optional bust shaping — range between 75–168 cm (29½–66"). Finished bust circumferences (with bust dart) range between 80–183 cm (31½–72¼") but, as said, can be adjusted based on your body measurements.

To knit the sweater you'll need aran-weight yarn in the following amounts:

• for the crew-neck version: approx. 780 (830, 920, 1050, 1140) [1250, 1380, 1510, 1600, 1700] m / 860 (910, 1010, 1150, 1250) [1360, 1510, 1650, 1750, 1860] yd

• for the cowl-neck version: approx. 870 (900, 1010, 1150, 1250) [1360, 1500, 1630, 1720, 1820] m / 950 (980, 1110, 1260, 1370) [1480, 1640, 1780, 1880, 1990] yd

To create that soft, glowing halo that inspired the name, choose a yarn with a bit of fluff — something that blurs the stitches to look like it's glowing from within. I recommend using fibers such as silk mohair, brushed alpaca, or other blends with a fuzzy element. You can also pair a smooth base yarn with a fluffy companion.

My golden sample was knit in Adlibris Silk Mohair Fat Fluff (70% mohair, 30% silk, 75 m/25 g, 82 yd/0.88 oz) in a colorway that — on the ballband — is called copper kettle amber. On their website, though, the same color is dubbed spicy mustard yellow so I don't know what in the earth is going on with those names.

Similar yarns and colors include

• Garnstudio DROPS Melody (71% alpaca, 25% wool, 4% nylon, 140 m/50 g, 153 yd/1.76 oz) in the colorway 18 mustard (top right)

• Katia Ingenua (78% mohair, 13% nylon, 9% merino, 140 m/50 g, 153 yd/1.76 oz) in the colorway 16 ochre (bottom left), or

• Sandnes Garn Ballerina Chunky Mohair (77% mohair, 18% cotton, 5% nylon, 135 m/50 g, 148 yd/1.76 oz) in the colorway 2745 cognac (bottom right).

Depending on size you'll need 7–13 if the yarn comes in 50-gram skeins or double that of the Fat Fluff because it comes in smaller, 25-gram skeins.

Gilded Haze is all about warmth, softness, and understated luxury. Get the pattern in my pattern shops on Payhip, LoveCrafts, and Ravelry (seizure warning).

Which yarn and color did you pick? Share your creations on Instagram using the hashtags #gildedhazesweater and #talviknits. Instagram are doing their best to break hashtags so tag me, @talviknits, to make sure I can see your project.

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In this blog post you'll learn to slip a stitch seven different ways. I'll demonstrate four common way of slipping a stitch, two ways of slipping two stitches at the same time, and a special slipping maneuver that's only used in brioche knitting.

Let's get slipping!

Four Common Ways of Slipping a Stitch

Slipping a stitch means to transfer it from the holding needle to the working needle without knitting it. Seems easy enough, right? But there's more it than meets the eye! There are two aspects that need to be considered:

1. How does the needle enter the stitch?

2. Where is the working yarn held when slipping?

These two dimensions are independent of each other, that is, one does not determine the other.

Purlwise vs. Knitwise

The working needle can enter the stitch in one of two ways: purlwise or knitwise.

To slip purlwise means to lift the stitch from needle to needle in the same position it was in. As a result, stitch orientation doesn't change. The working needle enters the stitch head on — from right to left or back to front — in the same direction as if you were to purl the stitch (but there's no yarn involved). Indeed, a longer way of writing "purlwise" sometimes used in knitting patterns is "as if to purl".

The abbreviation for slipping a stitch purlwise is simply sl1 – the "purlwise" is assumed.

In contrast, to slip knitwise means to poke the needle tip into the stitch from left to right (or front to back), the same ways as if were about to knit it. Again, "knitwise" can sometimes be expressed as "as if to knit". Pay attention to how the stitch orientation changes: the slipped stitch becomes reverse-mounted (but not yet twisted) with the right (leading) leg behind the needle and the left (trailing) leg in front of the needle.

"Knitwise" is sometimes expressed as "as if to knit". Knitting patterns use abbreviations such as sl1k, sl1 kw, or sl1 kwise.

With Yarn in Back vs. With Yarn in Front

The second aspect about slipping a stitch has to do with the position of the working yarn. Regardless of how the stitch itself is orientated, slipping always forms a float with the working yarn. How you hold the working yarn determines where that unworked strand is: on the front or in the back?

Slipping a stitch with yarn in back (wyib) means that the working yarn forms a loop of yarn behind the work and you'd have to flip the work to see it. In most cases the working yarn is already in the back so no special action is needed. But depending on the stitch pattern you're working on, you might need to physically move it to the backside first.

On the other hand, slipping a stitch with yarn in front (wyif) means that the strand is visible on the front of the work. If the working yarn was at the back, you'll need to move it to the front first, then slip the stitch, and then move the yarn back to backside to continue.

Note that the position of the working yarn is always indicated relative to the current row you're working on. You don't have to remember whether you're working on the RS or the WS; the pattern has already taken care of this.

As I wrote earlier, stitch orientation and the position of the working yarn are independent of each other. Together, they build up the four basic ways of slipping a stitch. Here's they are in the order from the most common to the least common.

Top left: slip 1 purlwise with yarn in back (sl1 wyib)

This is the default way of slipping a stitch. If no other instructions are given, the abbreviation sl1 silently expects you to slip purlwise (without changing stitch orientation) and with yarn in back so that the floating strand is not visible. That's quite a lot of assumed knowledge loaded into a short, three-character abbreviation, and the reason why beginners are sometimes confused with which way to slip a stitch.

A slipped stitch may not look that different on the front but you'll see the bar of yarn in the back of the work.

Top right: slip 1 knitwise with yarn in back (sl1k wyib)

Whenever people ask how to slip a stitch, my rule of thumb is: purlwise unless otherwise indicated or part of a decrease. The latter part of that proviso comes into play when slipping a stitch knitwise with yarn in back. This action is performed most often when working decreases such as SKP or SSK.

Note the changed stitch orientation and the bar of yarn at the back.

Bottom left: slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front (sl1 wyif)

There are two situations in which you'll encounter this action. Either you're on a WS row and you want the floating strands to be hidden, such as when working a reinforced heel flap in heel stitch. Or, you're on a RS row and the floating strands are used to form a decorative stitch pattern, such as in linen stitch.

Bottom right: slip 1 knitwise with yarn in front (sl1k wyif)

This is the least common way of slipping a stitch and you'll probably encounter it in some special stitch patterns. Off the top of my head the only example I can think of is in a twisted slip-stitch selvedge. Can you think of others? Let me know and I'll add them to the post!

Slipping Two Stitches at the Same Time

The four basic ways of slipping a stitch can take you far in your knitting career. But with some advanced decreases — such as CDD and CDDp — you may need to slip not one but two stitches at the same time.

When a pattern says to slip 2 as if to knit together, it means to enter the working needle into the second stitch on the holding needle from front to back, grabbing the first two stitches on the same go. This changes both stitch orientation and the order of the two stitches. If the working yarn position is not indicated, it's assumed to be at the back of the work. This action is used in the centered double decrease (CDD), for example.

Earlier I wrote that you can enter the stitch in one of two ways, purlwise or knitwise, but that was a bit of an over-simplification. There's also a third way: from the back. When a pattern says to slip 2 as if to purl together through the back loops, it means to enter the working needle into the backs of the second and the first stitch, grabbing them both simultaneously.

This cumbersome maneuver is used in the wrong-side or purlwise centered double decrease (CDDp), for example. To make matters worse, since it's worked on the wrong side of the work, you first need to move the working yarn to the front so that it's doesn't form a bar on the right side.

These cases are so unique there are no established abbreviations. Usually the whole instruction is just spelled out.

Brioche Special: sl1yo

There is one more special case of slipping a stitch and you'll encounter it only when doing brioche. In the olden days (and by that I mean the 1990s) brioche was often done using the Fisherman's rib or knit-below method. Nancy Marchant re-popularized brioche in the early 2010s with her books Knitting Brioche (2010) and Knitting Fresh Brioche (2014), and introduced another method for achieving the same structure of tuck stitches: with yarnovers.

When a brioche pattern says to sl1yo it means to slip a stitch purlwise with a yarnover. There's nothing extraordinary about slipping the stitch itself but the unique thing has to do with the position of the working yarn: it's neither at the back nor at the front of the work but crosses over the needle and the stitch that was slipped. Which brings us to the tricky thing with sl1yo: the usual way to abbreviate it doesn't quite describe the two actions needed.

To do a sl1yo English style, move the working yarn to the front of the work, slip 1 purlwise with yarn still in front, then bring the yarn to the back over the working needle and crossing over the stitch that was just slipped. Some designers like to spell out these actions in more detail: yf(wd) sl1yo.

For Continental knitters the order of operations is a bit different: slide the needle under the working yarn making a yarnover, then insert it into the stitch purlwise, and slip it off. The abbreviation is is still the same even if you're essentially making the two actions in a reversed order: yo, then sl1. And when you get accustomed with brioche knitting, it all becomes one fluid motion in which both the yo and the sl1 are done simultaneously. Perhaps yo+sl1 would be a better alternative?

Whatever your knitting style, the end result is the same: a slipped stitch that maintains its original orientation and has a yarnover looping over it. And remember, even though the sl1yo may look like two stitches, the two loops are counted as one stitch in brioche.

To summarize: the rule of thumb for slipping a stitch is purlwise unless otherwise indicated or part of a decrease.

Whenever a knitting pattern says to sl1, always assume it's done without twisting the stitch and with the yarn in back. If there's a need to deviate from the default case, the pattern should clearly indicate both the stitch orientation and the position of the working yarn.

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Draconides is worked seamlessly from the top down in lace-weight silk mohair held double, creating a fabric that's light, warm, and delightfully fuzzy. An optional empire waist in twisted ribbing adds definition just below the bust, while two sleeve styles — short or long — give the choice between practical or dramatic.

The gentle A-line shaping of the hem gives ease at the hips, while the lace border adds just the right amount of movement and flair. The tunic-length garment can be worn as a sweater dress or layered over leggings for cozy autumn days. The delicate shimmer of mohair makes it equally at home for everyday wear, dressed up for an evening out, or even at festive gatherings. Holiday party, anyone?

Designed as the fall version of Lyrides, Draconides echoes many of the design elements of its spring version: the same buttoned henley-style neckline with twisted ribbing, two options for sleeve length and style, and an ethereal lace pattern on the hem, reminiscent of shooting stars.

But there are differences, too. For fall I wanted something suitable for the cooler weather and this influenced two design choices: a longer hem and the holding lace-weight yarn double. A third change has to do with how the raglan increases are done: as a compound raglan using lifted increases. Let's take a closer look at these design features.

The pattern features a scooped henley neck with short button bands that start at the same level with the underarm separation. Twisted ribbing around the neckline is done in a single continuous strip. The tops of the button bands are shaped into crisp right-angle corners with mitered increases, simultaneously working buttonholes on the right button placket. Besides sewing on buttons and weaving in yarn ends, picking up stitches for the neck ribbing is the only bit of finishing you need to do!

On the original Lyrides pattern I used decorative double increases along the raglan seams. To keep the lines of eyelets continuous, this unfortunately meant sticking to the constant 8-stitches-on-every-other-row increase rate you see on conventional raglan patterns.

This time I wanted to do a compound raglan instead, improving the upper body fit by relaxing the assumptions of a constant increase rate and the body and sleeves growing at the same rates. This means more customized, more fine-tuned raglan shaping instructions in all the sizes across the size range. Instead of the eyelet decreases, Draconides uses lifted increases at the raglan lines, making the upper body more simple and drawing the focus elsewhere on the garment.

The most obvious thing that sets Draconides apart from its spring counterpart is the length: it's not a sweater, it's a sweater dress. Instead of the hip length on Lyrides, the hem has now been extended to a thigh-high length. From the waist down, the lower body of the garment is subtly A-lined, increasing gently towards the delicate lace pattern on the hem. This makes the body of the dress grace over the hips and gives enough room for walking and moving around.

The bottom part of the hem is worked in a beautiful lace pattern — that very same one featured on Lyrides and its cowl companion, Soft As Starlight. The lace pattern is fairly simple but it does take a bit of concentration to keep the decreases lined up, especially when working double stranded. As usual, the pattern includes both charted and round-by-round written instructions for the lace motif.

Like Lyrides, Draconides also features with two options for sleeve length. You can choose either long bishop sleeves or short straight sleeves. The bishop sleeves are knit with very minimal shaping so that they pool softly at the twisted-rib cuffs. The short sleeves, in contrast, have no shaping at all but end similarly in twisted ribbing. This time I opted to knit the short-sleeved version for my sample garment but you can see how the long-sleeved option look in many of my test knitters' dresses.

To ensure a good fit in the shoulders and upper body, pick a size based on upper-bust circumference, then add vertical bust darts if necessary. The pattern includes ready-made instructions for B-cup (sizes XS to M), D-cup (sizes L to 4X), or F-cup (sizes 5X and 6X) darts but you can calculate custom bust shaping based on your own measurements.

If you wish, you can also do an empire waist on your dress by adding a strip of twisted ribbing just below the boobs. Like bust shaping, the empire waist is optional. Leaving them out gives a more streamlined, straightforward silhouette to the garment.

Draconides is available in 10 sizes from XS to 6X, and is intended to be worn with approx. 5 cm or 2 inches of positive ease for a figure-hugging look. Finished body circumferences (omitting optional bust shaping) range between 77–168 cm or 30¼–66 inches. Finished bust circumferences including the suggested bust darts range between 81–182 cm or 32–71¾ inches but this can be adjusted based on your body measurements.

For my fall-colored sample dress I used Novita Tuuli (60% mohair, 40% viscose, 225 m/25 g, 246 yd/0.88 oz) in the colorway 621 meteorite. Lace-weight silk mohair creates a shimmering halo whereas holding the yarn double gives it enough body to the fabric to be warm even in the fall weather. Despite this the garment is incredibly light: my size S, short-sleeved sample dress weighs only 165 grams!

Similar yarns to Novita Tuuli include:

• Filcolana Tilia (70% mohair, 30% silk, 210 m/25 g, 230 yd/0.88 oz) in the colorway 364 chai

• Garnstudio DROPS Kid-Silk (75% mohair, 25% silk, 210 m/25 g, 230 yd/0.88 oz) in the colorway 50 caramel

• Isager Silk Mohair (75% mohair, 25% silk, 212 m/25 g, 232 yd/0.88 oz) in the colorway 63 (no name — just a number)

• Rowan Kidsilk Haze (70% mohair, 30% silk, 210 m/25 g, 229 yd/0.88 oz) in the colorway 731 bronze

To knit Draconides you'll need fluffy lace-weight yarn in the following quantities:

• for the short-sleeved version: approx. 1570–3710 m or 1720–4060 yd

• for the long-sleeved version: approx. 1930–4360 m or 2110 –4770 yd

The yardages might seem insanely high remember that the yarn is used double-stranded throughout. Having said that… many of my test knitters didn't! If you'd like to use one strand of yarn instead, pick a sport- or DK-weight yarn that gives you the gauge of 18 sts and 29 rounds per 10 cm or 4 inches.

For the single-stranded dress you'll need half the amount of yarn:

• for the short-sleeved version: approx. 790–1860 m or 860–2030 yd

• for the long-sleeved version: approx. 970–2180 m / 1060–2390 yd

Size-by-size yardages for both the double- and single-stranded options and short- and long-sleeved versions are available on the pattern page.

The pattern for Draconides is now available for purchase in my pattern shops on Payhip, LoveCrafts, and Ravelry (seizure warning). I'd love to see which color you picked for the dress! Share your creations on Instagram using the hashtags #draconideshenley and #talviknits. Tag me, @talviknits, so I can find your project.

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Nordics

All three books in this section focus on colorwork sweater patterns from the Nordics. The first on them, Nordic Sailors' & Fishermen's Sweaters by Lotte Rahbek and Gitte Verner Jensen, hails from Denmark. This book takes a look at historical seamen's outfits and re-introduces them to modern audiences with updated patterns.

Inspired by the rugged beauty and enduring traditions of 19th- and early 20th-century Scandinavian seafarers, this stunning volume offers 23 knitting patterns drawn from the photographic archives of the Maritime Museum in Helsingør, Denmark. With designs for adults and children, each pattern blends historical authenticity with modern wearability, making this a perfect gift for knitters, history lovers, and anyone drawn to the elegance of Nordic craft.

The books includes a total of 21 gender-neutral patterns for adults and kids alike. The patterns are categorized by technique, featuring stranded colorwork, cables and texture, and classic stripes, among others. In addition, the book includes photographs of historic knitwear as well as an explanation of the symbolism behind different cable and texture patterns used on these classic sailors' sweaters.

The included patterns are classified by difficulty into three groups: beginner, intermediate, or experienced. The size range is not huge: the adult sweater patterns come in 5 sizes from S to 2XL. Chest circumferences (with ease included) range from 100 to 132 cm (or 39½–52 inches), falling short of what's considered size inclusive today.

Nordic Sailors' & Fishermen’s Sweaters: Modern Knitwear Inspired by Historical Patterns comes out on October 28, 2025.

Moving on from historical knitwear, the next two books put a more contemporary spin on Nordic colorwork designs. Happy Nordic Knits by Norwegian knitwear designer Une Cecilie Oksvold is a colorful collection of over 20 garment and accessory patterns, all featuring stranded colorwork in some form.

In Happy Nordic Knits, escape to the scenic Norwegian winter wonderland that knitwear designer Une Cecilie Oksvold calls home! This stunning collection of 23 original designs features colorful sweaters, accessories, and zero-waste projects designed to keep you warm and stylish in any outdoor setting. Combining traditional Norwegian knitting techniques with bold, modern designs, these patterns are perfect for knitters of all skill levels. Whether you’re crafting a cozy sweater for a winter hike or using up leftover yarn for a fun zero-waste project, each pattern in this book is thoughtfully crafted to bring a sense of adventure to your knitting. Plus, Une Cecilie shares personal reflections about how knitting and being outdoors improve her mental health.

The book features patterns for both sweaters and accessories such as mittens, socks, or headbands — all projects knit in the round. Zero-waste projects made with scrap yarns are separated off into their own chapter. The sweater patterns are available in 10 sizes from XXS to 5X with finished circumferences ranging between 36½ and 61½ inches (ease included). The garment designs are gender neutral in the sense that there's no bust or waist shaping — they're just straight-up tubes.

While some of the colorwork motifs are fairly traditional — like the lice stitch on the Yrjar sweater above — the color use is anything but. The samples are knit in very 90s-tastic colors combining brights and pastels. Each pattern is accompanied with a handy color card where you can see all colors used in the design in one glance.

Happy Nordic Knits: Modern Stranded-Colorwork Designs from the Heart of Scandinavia will be released on October 21, 2025.

Danish knitwear designer Mie Firring goes by the moniker SPEKTAKELSTRIK online and her patterns are making a big splash. Spectacular: Modern Danish Knitting gathers some of her most popular patterns along with some never-before-seen designs within its covers.

Welcome to cult Danish brand Spektakelstrik's spectacular knitting universe, filled with striking shapes, bold colors and patterns that pop. Spectacular includes 27 gorgeous knitting patterns, with 10 core Spektakelstrik classics and 17 brand new knitting patterns specially designed for the book. The patterns range from beginner-friendly, easy projects to more advanced patterns for knitting pros, and include striped and oversized sweaters, lace-patterned dresses, bobble hats, chunky scarves, and even jumpers for your Italian Greyhound. Each pattern is explained in straightforward step-by-steps, teaching you all the tips and tricks you need to create beautiful garments to add to your wardrobe. Fully illustrated with stylish photography, this book will help you lean in to the art of slow fashion and embrace the modern maker within you.

The patterns range in difficulty from beginner to the very advanced. For instance, the cover design Wave Sweater is a fan favorite with over 600 project on Ravelry. But it's not for the faint of heart in terms of knitting simplicity if the number of questions and threads this pattern garners are anything to judge by. The bold wave design may be enticing to look at but long floats and scant, Scandi-style instructions can lead to a lot of frustration.

The garment patterns included in the book are available in a fairly limited size range — 6 sizes from XS to XXL — again falling short of the size-inclusivity standard required for today's knitting patterns. Accessories come in even fewer sizes.

Spectacular: Modern Danish Knitting: From cult patterns makers SPEKTAKELSTRIK by Mie Firring is set to launch on October 7, 2025.

Faroes & Fair Isle

Heading west from the Nordics we make land on tiny islands on the Northern Atlantic. Continuing on with the theme of colorwork, the next two books are all about traditional designs from these rugged coastal regions.

Navia is a family-owned yarn and knitting company located on Denmark's Faroe Islands. Traditional Knits from the Faroe Islands is an exploration into the rich history, traditions, and knitting culture found in these islands as well as a collection of 28 of their beloved patterns.

This stunning book is a celebration of the unique knitting heritage and timeless yet contemporary knitted designs of The Faroe Islands. From classic sweaters and cozy cardigans to stylish babies’ clothes, the 28 patterns feature clean lines, bold colors and innovative techniques - ideal for confident knitters looking for heritage designs with a contemporary flavor. Navia, a renowned Faroese yarn company, is at the forefront of preserving and promoting Faroese knitting traditions. Founded in 2004, the family-run company is dedicated to producing high-quality, sustainable yarn, inspired by the stunning landscapes and rich cultural heritage of the Faroe Islands.

Included in the book are patterns for 15 adult sweaters or cardigans, 6 kids' garments, 2 baby ensembles, and one lace shawl. The patterns employ a variety of knitting techniques such as lace, cables, and of course colorwork, such as on the turtle-necked circular yoke pullover featured on the cover.

Traditional Knits from the Faroe Islands was released on September 16 this year. The book is also available in Faroese and Danish from the Navia website.

Located southeast from our previous location are the Shetland Islands. Brimming with traditional colorwork patterns in the authentic Fair Isle style is Alison Rendall's Fair Isle Knitting Tradition.

Join author Alison Rendall, a Shetland native and lifelong Fair Isle knitter, as she leads you on a guided tour through all things Fair Isle knitting. Rendall covers the basics, from yarns and needles to stitches and color choices, bringing even the most aspirational knitters up to speed. Rendall's reputation as a Fair Isle knit designer continues to grow in the knitting community. Her work is stunningly authentic and true to the rich tradition of the Fair Isle style. Expect wonderfully drawn lessons for 14 authentic Fair Isle patterns, tips for beginners to handle gauge and sizing, and complete overviews of yarns and other materials so you can create authentic Fair Isle knits with minimal experience.

The book contains a brief look into the origins of Fair Isle knitting, an introduction of what makes this knitting style so unique, and a how-to section on traditional yarns, needles, equipment, and techniques needed for Fair Isle knitting.

The 14 included patterns are mostly accessories — such as mittens, hats, or gloves ("glivs" in the local dialect) — but there are also two garments: one sweater (or "gansey") and one vest. The release date for Fair Isle Knitting Tradition: Shetland Heritage Patterns for Stunning Sweaters, Hats, Socks, and Gloves was September 23.

United States

From Shetland we cross the Atlantic and arrive at out final destination. Nancy Bates' Knitting the U.S.A. follows the idea of her two previous books, Knitting the National Parks and Knitting California, and encapsulates each of the 50 states in a single beanie pattern.

Whether it’s a corn field in Iowa, the manatees of Florida, or the buckeye that shows up on absolutely everything in Ohio, each of the fifty states has manmade and natural landmarks, symbols, and traditions that make it unique. Now you can capture the history and wonders of America with original beanie patterns created by celebrated knitting designer Nancy Bates. The beanie patterns in this book — one for each of the fifty states in the union — celebrate all aspects of America; the projects range from simple constructions such as the flowers of Hawai'i to more challenging stitch patterns like the waterfalls of Oregon. Clear charts, easy-to-read keys, and thorough instructions help any knitter, beginner or experienced, work up these gratifying projects.

The book is divided into regional chapters such as the South, North, Midwest, and West. Within the chapter, each state is represented by one beanie pattern, such as the Washington Beanie from the West. All patterns feature some type of colorwork design, be it straightforward stranded knitting or highly detailed, highly technical landscapes such as the Maine hat (below) which uses a combination of stranded clockwork, duplicate stitching, and embroidery.

Knitting the U.S.A.: Fifty Easy-to-Follow Designs for Beautiful Beanies Inspired by Each State in America will take you on a road trip across the continent on October 21, 2025. Some of the patterns are also available individually on Nancy Bates' website under the All American Collection.

If colorwork is your thing, Fall 2025 knitting books will have you covered for a good while. Whether your needles are itching for nostalgic fisherman's sweaters, contemporary Nordic colorwork, or beanies inspired by all-American landscapes, there's something here to add to your bookshelf… and your queue!

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State of Flux is a reversible top-down cowl neck pullover that plays with duality at every level: smooth versus fluffy, stockinette versus brioche, right side versus wrong. The duality extends even to the yarn choice: the sweater is knit using a fingering-weight wool and a fluffy lace-weight silk mohair. In essence, the sweater is in a constant state of flux.

The body of the sweater is done in stockinette holding the two yarns together but where you'd normally have ribbing, there's two-color brioche instead. It's the best of both worlds: you get the squishiness of brioche accents without added extra bulk and speedy knitting elsewhere on the body when holding two yarns together.

My absolute favorite feature about the sweater is the generous, drapey cowl neck that's folded double regardless of which way you wear the sweater. The cowl is very long and — since it's done entirely in two-color brioche — takes a very long while to knit but it's all worth the effort. The cowl neck matches the ribbing done on the sleeve cuffs and hems as well, showing the dynamic brioche pattern.

A minimalist stockinette body with a few brioche accents make the State of Flux an engaging, but approachable knit. The stitch pattern used on the cowl neck, hem ribbing, and sleeve cuffs employs brioche increases (brK-yo-brK) and left-and right-leaning brioche decreases (brLsl-dec and brRsl-dec) in a clever way to create a rhythmic, fluctuating effect. Prior brioche experience and the ability to read brioche charts will definitely help but I've also included round-by-round written instructions for the brioche stitch.

At its core, State of Flux is an asymmetric compound raglan worked seamlessly from the top down. Compared to conventional top-down raglans this means that:

• raglan increases are worked in an S-curve pattern, alternating between every other and every fourth row

• body and sleeves increases are independent of each other and worked at different rates

• back raglan seams are longer than those on the front to account for the asymmetry in the human body

In addition to the tweaked raglan shaping, the pattern also has short rows to lower the front neck. After all, you don't want that cozy cowl neck strangling you.

The unique thing about State of Flux is that the sweater is fully reversible: you can wear it either with the smooth stockinette or the looped reverse-stockinette side as the right side. In essence, you get two distinct looks for the money, time, effort, and yarn of knitting just one garment.

The marled effect you get from holding fingering-weight wool and lace-weight silk mohair together emphasizes these different looks, giving a subtle contrast and depth whichever way you wear the sweater. The brioche ribbing is mirrored: light-on-dark versus dark-on-light, pointing towards the right or to the left.

To make your sweater truly reversible, here are a few tips and tricks you can use:

Cast on and bind off in pattern. All edges in the pattern a made in 1×1 brioche ribbing. Use a cast-on and bind-off method that creates both knits and purls so that the two sides look balanced. Some people swear by tubular methods for brioche but I prefer to use alternating long-tail cast-on in two colors and elastic bind-off in brioche pattern.

Use provisional cast-on at underarms. When separating body and sleeves, cast on new stitches at the underarms using a provisional cast-on method. When it's time to work the sleeves, the underarm stitches are already live, eliminating the need to pick up stitches which always leaves a bit of a seam or ridge on the wrong side of fabric.

Join yarns invisibly. To minimize ends that need to be woven in, join a new ball of yarn using a felted join (a.k.a. spit splice) whenever possible, especially when using wool blends. If your yarns are not feltable and spit-splicing isn't an option, use the Russian join or clasped weft join. Although many people swear by the magic knot method for joining yarns, I'd recommend staying away from knots — in all knit projects!

Weave in ends invisibly. Not all ends can be avoided. In stockinette (e.g., at the underarms), weave in ends using duplicate stitch so they disappear into the fabric without showing on either side. In brioche (cast-on and bind-off tails), hide yarn tails by threading them under the yarnover legs in a stitch column of the same color, one on the right side and the other on the wrong side of the garment.

State of Flux is available in 10 sizes from XS to 6X, and is intended to be worn with a moderate amount of positive ease (5–7.5 cm or 2–3 inches) for a cozy, comfortable look. Finished body circumferences — omitting optional bust and waist shaping — range between 76–169 cm or 29¾–66½ inches.

To ensure a good fit in the shoulders and upper body, pick a size based on upper-bust circumference, then add vertical bust darts if necessary. The pattern includes ready-made instructions for B-cup (sizes XS to M), D-cup (sizes L to 4X), or F-cup (sizes 5X and 6X) darts but you can calculate custom bust shaping based on your own measurements. Finished bust circumferences including the suggested bust darts range between 80–183 cm or 31½–72¼ inches but this can be adjusted based on your body measurements.

The pattern also includes waist shaping instructions, creating an hourglass silhouette that's narrower at the waist and again gets wider towards the brioche ribbing at the hem. Both bust and waist shaping are optional: you can skip them completely and knit the body of the sweater straight for a casual, more relaxed look.

To knit State of Flux you'll two yarns in the following amounts:

• for Yarn A (fluffy lace-weight yarn, such as mohair, mohair/silk, or brushed alpaca), approx. 810–1670 m or 890–1830 yd, and

• for Yarn B (smooth fingering-weight yarn, such as pure wool or a wool blend), approx. 860–1800 m or 940–1970 yd

• in total: 1670–3470 m or 1830–3800 yd

That may seem like a lot — and it is! — but the don't forget that majority of the sweater is knit with holding the yarns together. Size-by-size yardages are listed on the pattern page.

In my sample sweater I used Filcolana Tilia (70% mohair, 30% silk, 210 m/25 g, 230 yd/0.88 oz) in the colorway Azalea for Yarn A and Isager Tweed (70% wool, 30% mohair, 200 m/50 g, 219 yd/1.76 oz) in the colorway Wine for Yarn B. Together, pairing a dark burgundy with a hot pink creates a marled magenta look that makes fabric shimmer.

For a design like State of Flux you'll want color pairings with both contrast and harmony: two colors that are somewhat similar but not precisely the same. The bigger the contrast between the two yarns, the more will the brioche sections stand out. But high-contrast yarns will also make the marled stockinette sections more muddied.

It's a bit of a tightrope act to strike the right balance between tonal versus too much contrast. Here are a few suggestions for picking color combinations (left to right):

• blush pink mohair + ivory fingering: airy and delicate with a hint of warmth

• coral mohair + rust fingering: a warm, glowing autumnal look

• chartreuse mohair + forest green fingering: tonal depth with slight mossy sheen

• deep teal mohair + charcoal fingering: creates a smoky peacock marl

For more advice on how to combine a fluffy mohair yarn with another color, read the tin can knits' blog post Layering With Mohair.

The pattern for State of Flux is now available for purchase in my pattern shops on Payhip, LoveCrafts, and Ravelry (seizure warning). I'd love to see how you pair colors for the design! Share your sweater on Instagram using the hashtags #stateoffluxsweater and #talviknits. And tag me, @talviknits, so I can find your project.

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Or calling that pretty lace pattern Feather and Fan. Or if you're hedging your bets: Feather and Fan or Old Shale.

In this blog post you'll learn that Feather and Fan and Old Shale are actually two different lace stitch patterns. I'll demonstrate two ways you can identify which is which: visually or by stitch structure.

But first, a little history.

Why the Mix-up?

When and why did knitters start calling one particular lace pattern by two names? To explain the history behind this mix-up, I'll refer to my favorite post about the subject on Liz Lovick's Northern Lace blog. This post recently went offline but can still be reached via the Wayback Machine:

Sometimes one person’s slip can cause decades of error. This is definitely the case with the two separate and different Shetland patterns. Feather and Fan is NOT the same as Old Shale. It never was and never will be. Someone, somewhere, about WWII made the slip and it went to the States to be handed down from generation to generation.

The original cause of the mishap is long lost in history but, as a result, knitters have been mixing up these two lace patterns for decades. Even the great Barbara Walker uses this monstrosity of a double name next to the photo of Old Shale in her first treasury (page 205). While stitch patterns don't have standardized names, Walker is as close to gospel as it gets. I'm not saying BW is to blame but no doubt the popularity of her stitch dictionaries is what disseminated the mistake even further.

These days, 99% of the time when someone uses the phrase "Feather and Fan or Old Shale", they actually mean just Old Shale. The real Feather and Fan is nearly forgotten but lives on in the name.

Light as a Feather

Let's look at the real Feather and Fan lace pattern first. And it probably looks nothing like you thought it did! But the clue is in the name: Feather and Fan resembles a bird's feather.

The stitch pattern is made up of a central knit stitch surrounded by a series of yarnovers that make the knitted fabric fan out in both directions. That central stitch is like the shaft of a feather with individual barbs extending outwards from it.

When multiple repeats are worked side by side, each individual "feather" is distinct. The resulting effect is jagged and angular, and made up of vertical columns of lace repeats.

She Sells Sea Shells

Old Shale is the stitch pattern you've probably been referring to Feather and Fan for your whole knitting career. Whereas Feather and Fan produces very sharp edges, Old Shale is smooth and wavy.

Sometimes Old Shale is worked with an all-knits wrong-side row which creates a purl ridge on the right side of the work. This accentuates the wavy, rolling effect. The lace pattern resembles the look of scallop shells and that's where the name comes from. Here's Liz Lovick again:

[Old Shale] is really called old SHELL – shale is how the Shetlanders pronounce shell – the dialect form is probably shael

Another explanation for the name comes from Barbara Walker who notes that

It is believed that the name "Old Shale" came from a resemblance to the undulating print of waves upon shale sands.

Either way, Old Shale has a thematic connection to waves, seas, and shores.

Old Shale is also made up of series of yarnovers that fan out on both sides of the center stitch but that's pretty much where the similarities end. When multiple repeats are worked side by side, it's not immediately obvious where one repeat ends and another begins. Instead, the repeats blend together smoothly and create a wavy effect, much softer in look than the angular edges of Feather and Fan.

To sum up, here are quick tips for telling the two lace patterns apart just by looking at them:

Feather and Fan

• looks like a feather

• distinct vertical repeats

• sharp angles

Old Shale

• looks like a scallop shell

• repeats blend together

• smooth and wavy

• can have a purl ridge (but not always)

Stitch Structure

If you want to go beyond mere looks, there's another easy way to tell the two stitch patterns apart: does it have single or multiple decreases?

Both Feather and Fan and Old Shale are similar in the sense that they have an equal amount of increases (yarnovers) and decreases so that the stitch count remains constant on all rows. But how those decreases are arranged is what sets them apart.

Both stitch patterns can also have infinite variations. In this post I'm demonstrating the patterns with a case in which both have three yarnovers on both sides of the center stitch (indicated with an arrow), six in total. I'm also using mirrored decreases whereas traditional Shetland lace patterns are often worked with only right-leaning ones.

In Feather and Fan, you have multiple pairs of (yo, K1), yarnovers separated by a knit stitch. To counter-balance the increases you have only one multiple decrease at each end of the repeat.

Row 1 (RS): K4tog, (yo, K1) five times, yo, SSSSK.

Row 2 (WS): Purl.

The more (or fewer) yarnovers in the variation, the bigger (or smaller) the decrease you'll need: triple decreases (K3tog and SSSK) for two yarnovers, quadruple for three like in the example above, quintuple for four, and so forth. The decreases stacked on top of each other on every other row — especially if they're of the -ple variety — is what makes that sharp, angular edge. The more yarnovers, the bigger the decrease, and the sharper the angle.

Old Shale is structured very much the same way: decreases on each end of the repeat and, in the middle, yarnovers separated by a knit stitch arranged symmetrically on both sides of the center stitch. But what's different compared to Feather and Fan is that the increases are balanced with multiple single decreases (K2tog and SSK) worked back to back.

Row 1 (RS): K2tog three times, (yo, K1) five times, yo, SSK three times.

Row 2 (WS): Purl.

Row 3 (RS): Knit.

Row 4 (WS): Purl. (Or, if you want the purl-bump version: Knit.)

The more yarnovers in the variation, the more single decreases on each end of the repeat, equal to the number of yarnovers on each side of the center stitch. The decreases are still stacked on top of each other but now spread out over multiple stitches and on every fourth row. This is what makes the smooth, wavy effect as opposed to the jagged edges of Feather and Fan.

Comparing the charts for the lace patterns side by side you can see that they're actually very similar. In that sense it's quite understandable that the mix-up happened somewhere along the line, and we started fusing the two together.

But it's that subtle change in the decrease arrangement that drastically changes the look. Multiple single decreases back to back? It's Old Shale. One triple/quadruple/quintuple decrease on each end? It's Feather and Fan.

Next time you hear someone referring to a stitch pattern as "Feather and Fan or Old Shale", you'll know better. Be the other 1%.

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