New Knit Kits

Exciting Newness is Here

And boy is it exciting! (Well I think so anyway) I’ve been working hard on the knit kits and finally launched them on Friday night on the website and in real life at a craft show in Cheltenham at the weekend (Made by Hand, it was magnificent!) but back to the kits…

Allow me to introduce you…

There are 3 new kits, a hat kit, a mittens kit and the long awaited JUMPER kit that is my pride and joy. They all use my Super Chunky Yarn which is merino wool and a delight to work with if I may say so myself … hence all the patterns using it! The Super Chunky Yarn is hypoallergenic so none of the kits result in itchy clothing, plus it knits up nice and fast – I’m not a gal to spend months on one project, I just don’t have the patience for it. So your kits should keep you busy just long enough without being a bore. All the approximate timings are on the listings if you want a better estimate too.

Who are they for?

The question I get asked the most about knit kits is – ‘can I do it if I only know the knitting basics?’ and the answer is normally yes! The basic stitches are Knit and Purl and once you know these you can basically do everything! I’ve also piled heaps of knitting tips, descriptions and how-to’s on my website here.

What’s included?

Everything you need to make the item is included in the kit. The needles are optional incase you already have them and you can choose the colour/s of your yarn (shown below). There’s a picture on each listing of the contents of the kit but generally you’ll find the pattern, a tapestry needle for sewing it together, the correct amount of yarn (normally with plenty left over) and if necessary a stitch marker and/or holder. I’m working on a print out of knitting instructions but for now it can all be found on the site as mentioned above. Alternatively, if you’re not into kits or wanted to use another yarn then the patterns for all the below are also available on their own.

The Hat

knitting the hat

First off is The Hat, It’s a lovely easy knit kit just using knit and purl stitches and a few basic shaping techniques (that are really simple.) It uses circular needles which to new knitters seem scarier than they actually are. Circular needles are my favourites as, once you’ve joined the first round you simply keeeeeep going round in circles without turning your knitting as you would on normal needles – this saves time and makes for perfect for TV-watching-knitting (always a winner) because you don’t need to concentrate on any tricky patterns or techniques.

wearing the hat

The hat is a simple design with a pop of colour at the end. It’s ribbed so stretches nicely and can be worn with the bottom folded over (as pictured) or slouchy with the bottom flat out. The hardest part, as always is choosing your colours. If I made another I think I’d go for either Mid Grey with a Forest ‘pop’ or Light Grey with a lilac ‘pop’. There’s also enough yarn in the kit to make 2 hats so you could make your first ‘tester’ and then the second for your BFF (cuz who doesn’t want to wear matching hats?!)

Colour Pop Hat Knitting Kit – Shown in Mid Grey with a Mustard pop

the Mittens

knitting the mittens

The mittens are a little harder to knit simply because of the thumb. The majority of the knitting is relatively simple (again, knit and purl stitches with some shaping) but there is a stitch holder involved and some ‘pick up and knit’ stitches which are a touch more advanced than techniques used in the other patterns. Having said that, they’re a great transitional knit for intermediate knitters to try something that’s less basic and again all the information you could possibly need can be found on my knitting knowledge page.

Wearing the Mittens

Ever the fan of a colour pop the mittens have 2 different colours and 2 main stitches (rib and garter) – needless to say that your ‘pop’ doesn’t need to be a bright colour, there’s some beautiful neutrals that go together really well. I’ve always been a fan of the Pewter Brown and Mink Blush together if bright isn’t your style. Or if you do like your pops to pop then the Crimson looks Ah-mazing with any of the greys, the natural while OR the Mink Blush. (I’m really rubbish at choosing aren’t I?!)

Colour Pop Mittens shown in Mink Blush and Bright Pink

The Jumper

(gets its own introduction) I love the jumper so bad. I know you’re not supposed to say that about your own work, it’s not very humble (or British) but it’s really a case of knitting love above anything else. The fact that you can think up something you want to wear and then create it is magical to me and I’m so delighted that lots of you also seem to want to wear it too! <3 Thank you! It’s the most comfortable thing I’ve ever made and the hypoallergenic yarn is a dream for me and my wool allergies.

Knitting the jumper

Again, the knitting is easier than lots of people first think, yes there’s cables involved but cables aren’t a huge leap from your basic knit stitch – you’re simply introducing another needle for them to chill on for a minute …but nothing else changes. Also the cables in this jumper are nice and repetitive so once you’ve cracked your first one, you’re away – if you’re really nervous about it then I’d recommend knitting the back of the jumper before the front as the cables are smaller and even more repetitive which might help you get your head around it. My top tip is to mark when you’ve done a row, this way you know where you are on the pattern without needing to remember. A simple tally for each row will do just fine.

Wearing the Jumper

This jumper is designed to be reasonably baggy and easy to ‘throw on’. It’s quite a long one and looks great with jeans, skinny or baggy as well as looking fab tucked into the front of a skirt. All the sizing information can be found on the listing along with lots of other info. It can also be worn back to front if you prefer the stitch on the ‘back’ as it’s a reversible pattern. When I make my next one I can’t decide whether to knit it in Forest, Mustard, Light Grey or Bright Pink (I know, quite an array! Every time I think about it I find myself wanting it in another colour!)

Anymore?

I believe that is all the information you might need – specifics about each kit can also be found on all of the listings – but if you have any questions please do comment below or message me, I’m always happy to chat.

Any kits you fancy?

Do let me know if there’s any kits you’d like me to work on – accessories, homewares, specific ideas etc. And in case you were wondering (no one is wondering), I’m currently working on a scarf, a super basic, one stitch, cast on and just keep going, repetitive, learn to knit …scarf. For beginners. I’m hoping it’ll be a nice introductory kit for new knitters …and I’m making it in Forest because I need to make something in forest <3 leave a comment below if you have something you’d like in kit form and I’ll see what I can do 😀

Thanks friends,

Thanks for spending your time with me and my kits, you guys. I reallllly hope you like them!

Speak soon,

L x

P.S If you’ve made it this far you deserve to know… I’m planning an awesome giveaway this weekend on Instagram – It should be a good one!