This call is for the Spring/early Summer 2023 issues of Knit Now - March, April and May. I'm looking for a wide range of stylish and wearable knits for the season. Let's get creative with pattern, texture and fun colour!

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.

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

Feeling Fruity

Find the Feeling Fruity moodboard here

Let's celebrate spring by getting fruity! I'm looking for knits inspired by fruit - think fresh, juicy colours and stitch patterns or motifs inspired by your favourite fruits. This issue is focused on creations that look good enough to eat: lightweight garments and shawls, joyful home makes, adorable baby knits.

Look to the stars

Find the Look to the stars moodboard here

This month, we're looking skyward and celebrating space! I'm looking for garments, homewares, accessories and baby knits inspired by the moon, stars, galaxies, planets, nebulae.... the universe is your oyster! Experiment with stitch patterns and colour to create something truly out of this world.

Secret Garden

Find the Secret Garden moodboard here

As spring arrives, we're getting out in the garden and enjoying all the treasures it has to offer. I'm looking for a range of knits featuring textures, colours and stitches inspired by the flowers, insects, plants and wildlife you'd find in the garden - let nature take you by the hand and capture your imagination!

What I'm 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 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_KNspring23.pdf

Deadline
The deadline for submissions will be 9am UK time on Tuesday 4th October. I am aiming to get all commissions sent out within a week of that date.

Deadlines for final patterns and samples will be 10th January 2023.

Send to/contact
Please send your submissions to me by email: kayleigh.hooton@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, check us out on Instagram: 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:
Kate 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! I have also talked about this a bit on my vlog: Kitty Knits. You may in particular find this episode useful.

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.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, 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

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.