“Now I have to find more wool. There are many flocks, but they don’t all have the right wool. Some are more like goats with their long hair.” Elena Solier has sold out of her last batch of Xolla Wool and is uncompromising in selecting fleeces for the next spin. She lives in Catalonia, making wool from the entrefina fleece… Read more →
It’s not often that you get to make a link between the lyrics of an anarchist punk band hit from the 90s, the spirit of hand knitting, and a shop window display. Perhaps this is a tenuous one but hear me out. There’s this thing that happens with our knitting – especially sweaters, and especially in the rows and rounds… Read more →
What is it about the knitwear in Toast? I’ve lost track of the number of people who come by to the shop with a picture of a Toast sweater, asking me to recommend how they can make it themselves. Why don’t we get the same questions about sweaters from COS or Uniqulo? I know folks are spending time online looking… Read more →
For the most part, us knitters have plenty to feel good about – our pastime is good for our mental health, it keeps us and our friends warm, it supports sheep, shepherds and hillsides, and it’s spawned a creative scene that’s full of talented designers. But just in case we need reminding of the imperfect nature of the universe, we… Read more →
A few days ago, this came in an email to the shop.. ‘I would love to make the Burgos with the João but I don’t want to use a second laceweight silk yarn, as I don’t do silk and want to keep that wonderful 419 green colour.In theory, would it work to just make it 2 or three sizes larger… Read more →
The stars, moon and hearts were all aligned this week to create a magical coincidence of St Valentine’s Day and the Late Night Knitty Lock-in. I’d like to say it was a night like no other, but in the event it was quite similar to most other second Wednesdays – which is probably just another way of saying that we… Read more →
I think it began with the Azor, a 4ply cardigan that I started last summer. I’d sped through the beautiful colourwork yoke in less than a week, but something about the on-and-on-and-on of those tiny same-same stitches in the body turned it into a sweater that trawled through treacle to get finished. So that got me to thinking that if… Read more →
