TIK Knits

Next up in our continuing series of staff posts, Maria tells us about a gorgeous jumper, the power of persuasion and the joy of knitting garments that fit! When it comes to knitting, I have a tendency to go for shawl patterns involving a single skein of sock yarn and a very loose interpretation of gauge. This approach has generally...

Today, we feature the latest in our continuing series of staff projects. This one's already gone viral here, and we're always happy to spread the word, so over to you, Jen! If you have visited This Is Knit you might have noticed there is, a lot of the time, more than one sample of the same pattern hanging from a...

To mark the day, here's a lovely little lace shawlette, recently knitted by Jacqui. It's called Fragile Heart, and it's designed by the wonderful Boo Knits. It's lovingly accented with Swarovski crystals - just enough beading to give sparkle to the lace and interest to the knitter. The yarn is Malabrigo Baby Silkpaca, and Fragile Heart took just over a...

Sometimes you come across a pattern that makes you want to drop everything else and knit it now, because it's a gorgeous combination of soothing repetition and engaging interest. Well, this is how we feel about Quadrature for Korrigan, which is a baby blanket for a much-anticipated baby. Jacqui used Studio Donegal, and the result has to be snuggled to...

New babies like snugness and warmth, and Jen's just made a wee project that steps right up to the mark. It's a newborn sleepsack called Owlie. Knitted in the softest wool, with ample room for little legs to wriggle and kick, there's no fiddly buttons or ties to get in the way (or puzzle new parents). Keeping watch all the...

Hot off Jacqui's needles comes this divine little shawlette. It's called Jackson Square, and it's a Beth King design. It's got it all - a lovely twisted rib body, a delicate lace border and a sweet picot cast off. This example is made in Hedgehog Fibres Sock (the colourway is Petrol), and only takes a single skein. Jackson Square starts...

We've talked about blocking techniques before, and about how magically it transforms your hunched and lumpy work into something smooth and beautifully professional, with practically no effort at all. That neat and orderly finish is what you want for knitted and crocheted gifts, and since time is getting on and a lot of hats are being made for Christmas, we...

This is Jen's latest shawl, just off the blocking mat a few days ago, and it's a while since we've seen so many gorgeous components come together to such effect. First of all, there's the two yarns: Katia Airlux and Hedgehog Fibres Sock. It's an unusual combination for a shawl, but Airlux takes to lace like it was born to...

Here at This Is Knit, the best part of the Christmas season is the presents! We get such a kick out of helping our customers choose the perfect gift, whether for the yarnlovers in their lives or for themselves. But what to choose? This year we've made that fraught decision much easier with a hand-picked range of kits. From beginner...

Sometimes you come across a pattern which is a delight to knit, easy on the eye and as comfortable as anything. They're the ones to treasure, and Ysolda's Marin is just such a pattern. Jacqui finished her Marin a week or so ago, and it's on display in the shop. With its gently curved crescent shape and elegant detail, it's...

This is a particularly dotey cardigan, made for a very new baby indeed. It's the Puerperium cardigan, a wonderfully simple top-down seamless garment, sized to fit a newborn baby. Jacqui used Malabrigo Arroyo for this project - it's as soft as a newborn's skin and superwash to boot. What's more, it comes in absolutely lovely colours. She was delighted to...

In the last couple of days, the weather's been cooling down a lot, and all of a sudden, a warm hat seems like a good idea, or a snug cowl, or some cozy gloves. So we've been mulling over what to make for the coming season, and the very first finished object that comes to mind is the gorgeous cowl...

That's Jacqui's latest lace shawl, Loren by Gudrun Johnston. It's made from Malabrigo Baby Silkpaca laceweight in Teal Feather, and as you'd expect from the designer, it's constructed using traditional Shetland techniques. Hand-dyed yarns such as Malabrigo can vary quite a bit from dyelot to dyelot, so it's even more vital than usual to make sure you've got enough to...

With the weather turning a little autumnal, we're all about the hats at the moment, and we've got one in two versions to show you. This is the Thistle hat, our latest in-house pattern, warm as toast and easy as anything. It's made with one ball each of two contrasting Aranweight yarns, and we used Louisa Harding's new merino/alpaca Akiko...

Aren't those the most adorable little baby booties ever? They're called Candy Floss, and they're one of This Is Knit's latest patterns. They're made from Katia Pure Angora, so they're unbelievably soft, and the pattern is free when you purchase the yarn. A pair takes two 10g balls of the yarn, and if you choose two different colours the pattern...

Here in the shop, we're gearing up for a fantastic weekend, because Woolly Wormhead's coming back to This Is Knit to give us her Hat Design Workshop! Her class on Saturday has been sold out for ages, but we've been inspired of late to make some of her lovely hats. Worked flat, in the round, lacy, cables, funky, elegant, for...

This pretty summer cover-up has just gone on display in the shop. Knitted by Lisa in Katia Mali, it's Watershed by Amy Swenson. It's a delightful little knit, and it produces a very versatile garment. In fact we're so happy with how Watershed turned out that we're giving you 10% off the yarn! Until Sunday 14th July, use the code...

Don't you love when you find a pattern that ticks every box? One that's fun to do, pretty as a picture, with interesting use of colour, and an easy-as-pie stitch pattern? Meet Elowen! This delicious project is knitted in Hedgehog Fibres Sock - so much softness and such glorious intensity of colour! Elowen takes 300m of the main colour and...