We're partnering with our friends at Deramores to create a mini collection of patterns for their Studio Chunky yarn. For this collection we're particularly looking for speedy, simple makes. A little bit of texture or colourwork is fine but keep it on the easy end - we want these patterns to be beginner-friendly. We want to see modern makes for women, babies and the home.  

Check out our mood board for inspiration.

Submission requirements

Your submission should include a sketch and accompanying paragraph describing the item, a photograph or scan of your swatch and ideas for yarn choices. The submission should be presented in a PDF document, with your name and email address on every page. All information should be included in the submission document, including pictures.

Please also tell us where we can find other examples of your work, a link to your Ravelry designer profile is ideal. You will be commissioned to write a full pattern (including any alternative sizes) and knit a sample. We will take care of photography.  

IMPORTANT: Please create a separate PDF for each idea and name the file in the following format:

YourName _PatternName_KNchunky.pdf

Deadline

The deadline for submissions will be 9am UK time on Monday 19th August. I am aiming to get all commissions sent out straight away.

Deadlines for final patterns and samples will be 17th September. This is a tighter deadline than I usually work to but please remember that these will all be quick, chunky knits.

Send to/contact

Please send your submissions to me by email: kate.heppell@practicalpublishing.co.uk  

If you are sending multiple submissions, please attach them all to one email if possible rather than sending multiple emails.

Compensation/Support

We have recently reviewed our fee structure and can give the following examples of fees;

Hat in 3 sizes: £70-£100

Baby garment in 5 sizes: £120-£150

Adult garment in 9 sizes: £300-£400

The exact fee will depend on a number of factors including the complexity of the design. 4 months after publication, rights will revert to you and you will then be able to use the final tech-edited version of the pattern (including charts/schematics) as you wish.

We arrange yarn support for all designers.

Your sample remains your property, but we will hold onto it for a while in case we get pattern queries, or for display at shows. We will return your sample to you at the same time as your publication rights.

About Knit Now

Knit Now is a monthly newsstand title, widely available in supermarkets, newsagents and craft stores across the UK as well as select retailers worldwide.

We also publish digitally.

For an idea of our style, you can find all of our patterns listed on Ravelry here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/periodicals/knit-now

And follow us on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/knitnow/

You can read more about us and our principles here.

We are always keen to welcome submissions from designers who are members of under-represented groups such as BAME and LGBT designers as well as disabled designers.

Please get in touch if you need any special arrangements  for example, if you need longer knitting deadlines due to a physical disability.

Hints and tips for submissions:

I wrote a blog post a while back with submission tips.

Warning, this is an old post and the themes and deadlines mentioned are for that call, not this one! https://www.knitnowmag.co.uk/2013/01/22/submission-tips-for-designers/

Swatches and sketches:

There is no need to submit a photo of a finished item, but your submission will need nice swatches, in a representative yarn, photographed in bright conditions. If you're having trouble getting the photo to focus, either switch to the macro setting on your camera (the one with the little flower) or consider scanning your swatch rather than photographing it.

Formatting:

Of course our main focus is on the quality of the idea, but it's much easier for me to see that when the submission is cleanly formatted. Remember, the submission must be a PDF document sent as a single attachment, not an email with photos attached.

Yarn choice:

Be flexible with your choices. I will be wanting to use the new seasons yarns, some of which won't be publicly available yet. Talk about the qualities your project requires, don't just say what you used. This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you know what you're talking about!

FAQs:

Return of samples  

We're happy to return samples to you. Any unwanted samples are donated to Knit for Peace.

International Designers  

You are very welcome to submit, but remember that Knit Now is a UK magazine so we'll be using British terminology and you will need to use yarns which are available in the UK (which we will arrange to be sent to you).

Photography

We will be taking care of all the photography for patterns, but the rights to photos will remain with us, so if you don't want your sample back, consider taking photos before you send it in.

Crochet/sewing/other non-knitting elements

We're open to any and all good quality patterns, and if it needs a little crochet, sewing or embroidery, that won't rule it out. If it's 100% crochet, contact the editor of our sister mag Crochet Now, Jenny on jenny.riley@practicalpublishing.co.uk

Tech editing  

We do have tech editors, but they will only be polishing your patterns, they won't be doing any grading for you.

Multiple submissions

There's no limit on the number of ideas you can submit. If you receive multiple commissions, we will work with you to spread out your deadlines.

Previously published patterns

As a general rule, I am not looking for patterns which have previously been published at all. If you've posted a couple of project pics online, that's fine, but the patterns should come as a nice surprise for our readers when we publish them. Your commission is confidential until a week before the on-sale date of the magazine.

Future calls

If you want to add yourself to the mailing list for future calls, just fill in your details at http://eepurl.com/hKL0o

Testing  

We're happy for you to arrange to have your pattern tested, but we are working on a tight schedule, so this is by no means mandatory.

Digital Issues

The magazine is available digitally, and digital editions are available through the Apple Newsstand and the Pocketmags app.