We have a varied program for you in Ep.167, with lots of smaller segments. In New Releases, Zanete Knits presents her latest design: The Hayat Top designed in our Fruity Knitting Sport yarn range! Madeleine has prepared a fun travel vlog taking you with us to Bovey Castle in Dartmoor National Park where we hosted two knitting retreats with Marie Wallin earlier this year! Finally, Madeleine and I have our own projects to share with you in Bring and Brag and Under Construction.
New Releases - Hayat Top by Zanete Knits
In New Releases, Zanete Knits presents her latest design, the Hayat Top, created using our Fruity Knitting Sport yarn range.
This is a particularly interesting project because one of the design goals was to incorporate all the techniques that Zanete would teach at our recent Austrian Alps Knitting Retreat. You can also choose between a short and a long-sleeve version.
Zanete takes us through the various techniques and construction details, including Japanese short-rows around the sleeve caps, Ladderback Jacquard for the colourwork around the waist and corrugated ribbing around the hem and sleeve edges.
Finding the Hayat Top
Bring & Brag - Andrea's Hayat Top
I’ve completed my Hayat Top and am absolutely delighted with the end result! I actually think it’s a really great design for less confident knitters, for a few reasons. It starts top-down with a beautiful European shoulder, so you’re learning those construction techniques in a very simple stockinette stitch. So, you won’t be distracted by working colourwork, lace, or cables at the same time as shaping the shoulders and armholes.
This design features set-in sleeves which are ideal for practicing how to pick up stitches, because they have so many different types of edges: vertical to horizontal and flat to curved.
This design also includes the ladderback jacquard technique to manage the long floats, so I also include a short tutorial on the technique in this episode.
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Under Construction - Alcoves by Unwind Knitwear
Madeleine is still working on her Alcoves Sweater by Unwind Knitwear. She wanted a slightly more tailored fit than the original, so she chose size 2. But because her stitch gauge has gotten tighter since starting the sweater (25st instead of 24st per 10cm for the stst), the sweater no longer has positive ease to it. Luckily, Madeleine doesn’t mind and actually loves the slim fit this has produced!
She’s currently working the left sleeve which is covered in the same gorgeous cable panel that runs down the body. Due to her tighter stitch gauge though, she’s following the sleeve instructions for the size larger. This means she’s picked up more stitches around the armholes. After picking up the stitches, you work a series of short rows to make up for the slope of your shoulder which requires extra fabric compared to the underarm.
If you want to make this sweater yourself, take a look at our Alcoves yarn kits here using Fruity Knitting Sport. Alcoves was designed specifically for our yarn range which is spun by John Arbon Textiles in the UK. Fruity Knitting Sport comes in eight beautiful colours and the original design uses our White Opal.
- Website: artisanfibres.com
- Yarn Kits: artisanfibres.com/collections/kits
Dominik, one of the Alcoves test-knitters, chose our Lilly Pilly colourway and we think it turned out absolutely gorgeous! She looks so fresh and the cables look really great, so we had to share her version with you as well.
Bovey Castle Knitting Retreats
Travel Vlog - Bovey Castle with Marie Wallin
Earlier this year, we hosted two knitting retreats with Marie Wallin as our workshop teacher! We wanted to share this fun experience with you, so Madeleine put together a little travel vlog about the classes, the gorgeous location and the various activities we took our participants on.
May 2027 - Bovey Castle with Zanete Knits & Rachel Illsley
We are excited to announce our Bovey Castle Knitting Retreat which will take place in May 2027! The workshops will be taught by two fantastic up and coming designers: Zanete Knits and Rachel Illseley from Unwind Knitwear.
We’ll be staying in the private estate lodges at the five-star Bovey Castle Hotel and Spa, tucked away in the rolling valleys of Dartmoor National Park. This beautiful Neo-Elizabethan manor is surrounded by 300 acres of breathtaking landscape, the estate includes a championship golf course, croquet lawns, an archery range, a spa, and more.
We also have a wonderful program of extra activities planned:
- View our other activities outside of the workshop here.
With so much to do, non-knitting partners are warmly encouraged to come along. They’ll have just as much fun enjoying the many activities and experiences available.
Credits
- J. S. Bach, The Well Tempered Klavier, Prelude No. 3 in C-Sharp major, BWV 848, performed by Kimiko Ishizaka, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
