Would you like to see your design in Knit Now magazine? We are commissioning our late winter issues!

Important note: these issues are AFTER Christmas so if you have any festive ideas, please keep them on file for next year

This call is for the Winter 2023/24 issues of Knit Now - December, January and February. We're looking for a wide range of stylish and wearable knits for the cooler seasons, including garments, accessories, baby knits and homewares.

Knit Now caters to a range of ages and ability levels so beginner, intermediate and advanced patterns are equally welcome – the beauty of the design is what is most important.

We have prepared some mood boards for inspiration, but please don't let these limit you - if you have a great idea for a design which you think would fit in well into Knit Now, we'd love to see it.

Mood Boards

The Artist

We're taking inspiration from 20th Century artists, with a focus on colour and joy. Celebrate your favourite visual artist through the medium of yarn! We of course would love to see some statement garments in this issue, but it's great to also have some more wearable takes on the theme in the mix too. How can you take inspiration from brushstrokes to create textured designs? Which artist's colour palette speaks to your soul? We can't wait to see your woolly renditions of awesome artworks.

A Magic Mix-up

Mix up your textures and techniques to create a new take on knitwear classics! Who says a sweater pattern has to be cables OR colourwork? Why not both?! Have fun and get playful with this theme. Create a harmonious clash with patchwork, darning and entrelac. Try combining different yarns in brioche to create a super-squishy texture. Shake up your stranded colourwork motifs to make something new and a little unexpected.

Love the Earth

In this issue, we want to start a conversation about sustainable crafting. This will be a showcase for a wide range of yarns from companies who are playing their part in creating a more sustainable knitting industry, from locally-grown wool to recycled fibres. We're looking for patterns which can help tell this story; think of wildflowers and honeybees, visible mending, shopping small. As we turn the corner from winter into spring, how can our knitting help us make positive change for the planet?

What We're looking for…

Each issue will include:

• 4 or 5 accessories. Quick knits and one-ball makes such as hats, scarves, mitts, bags etc. Each issue includes at least 1 shawl & 1 pair of socks.
• 3 or 4 garments. Generally pitched at an intermediate skill level, we tend to print patterns which are primarily wearable and stylish rather than overly complicated. All garments must be sized up to at least a 5X.
• 1 or 2 babies’ and children’s knits and 1 or 2 toys. We have a preference for contemporary, gender-neutral designs but we’re open to more traditional patterns too.
• 1 or 2 Home knits. Beautiful, useful, sometimes unexpected things. Cushions, gadget cases and tea cosies are welcome but we draw the line at egg cosies!

In each issue, about half of the patterns should respond directly to that issue’s theme; the remainder can simply be beautiful, inspiring, seasonally-appropriate knits.

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 or your Instagram 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_KNwinter23.pdf

Deadline

The deadline for submissions will be 9am UK time on Monday 25th September. I am aiming to get all commissions sent out within a week or so of that date. Deadlines for final patterns and samples will be 9th January 2024.

Send to/contact

Please send your submissions to the Commissioning Editor 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. 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, check out our recent issues here on CraftWorld.

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 Black and ethnic minority 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 disability or caring responsibilities.

Hints and tips for submissions:

• 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. We will be wanting to use the new season’s 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.conduit@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, we are 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.
• 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 as well as here on CraftWorld.