Do you want to see your designs featured in Your Crochet & Knitting magazine? Read on for our Editor Mike's call for submissions...

What We're Looking For

This is an open call for patterns for our Candy Cane Lane and MEGA festive traditional Christmas issues of Your Crochet & Knitting magazine.

We're looking for a collection of quick and easy fun patterns to knit or crochet using the yarn kits which come with the magazine. Every issue will include:
• Toys
• Cute homewares
• Gifts
• Seasonal décor
• None seasonal makes using the kit to showcase the kit’s versatility
• Quick garments - gloves, hats, cowls etc

Submission requirements

Your submission should include a sketch and accompanying paragraph describing the item, a photograph or scan of your swatch (if using a stitch other than plain knit/crochet) 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/crochet 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_YCKCandyCaneLane24.pdf
YourName_PatternName_YCKTraditionalChristmas24.pdf

Issue themes

Candy Cane Lane
This issue is an escape to a far-off world packed with super cute toys, gingerbread houses and super sweet sugary details. We'd love to see toys, stitches/techniques that epitomise the issue’s theme, garments/accessories that use the kit but aren’t seasonal, and all of the seasonal sugary goodness that can satisfy a sweet tooth whilst stitching away.
See the inspiration board here

Traditional Christmas
Santa’s grotto, the elves’ workshop, Dickensian nights by a roaring fire, decorating the tree with the kids, the excitement of Santa coming on Christmas Eve, handmade gifts to loved ones are just some of the inspirations for this issue. Again, we’d love to see special stitches/techniques that work alongside this theme, classic toys inspired by the festive season, songs and activities – what does Christmas mean to you?
See the inspiration board here

IDEAS

• Statement home decor - cushions, lap blankets, wreaths, garlands
• Garments & accessories - bags, cowls, gloves, hats, headbands, jewellery, makes for babies & toddlers
• Lifestyle - mug cosies, book covers, trinket holders
• Toys - woodland friends, baking inspired, dolls
• No sew crochet & knits
• Techniques - do you know stitches or applique for adding details to projects that could work for the theme? Send that in as a technique feature with examples as to what it could be used for.

Deadline
The deadline for submissions will be 9am UK time on Monday 17th June '24. We will be commissioning within a week of that date at the latest. Deadlines for final patterns and samples for Tuesday 6th August '24 (or possibly a little later if you are commissioned for multiple patterns).
Only those successful will be contacted with more details about the commission/s chosen.

Send to/contact
Send your submissions to the Editor by email: mike.cross@practicalpublishing.co.uk
Please include the words "Your Crochet & Knitting Submission" in the subject line.
If you are sending multiple submissions, please attach them all to one email rather than sending multiple emails.

Compensation/Support
We have recently reviewed our fee structure and can give the following examples of fees:
• 1 large project which uses most of the yarn in the kit (e.g. a cushion) or a collection of small projects which together use most of the yarn in the kit (e.g. family of toys): £100
• Quick make which uses less than 50% of the yarn kit (e.g. a pincushion): £75
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. You will be supplied with yarn and hook/needles. 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 Your Crochet & Knitting

Your Crochet & Knitting is a monthly newsstand title, widely available in supermarkets, newsagents and craft stores across the UK as well as select retailers worldwide. Each copy comes with a yarn pack which can be used to knit most of the patterns in the magazine. We also publish digitally. For an idea of our style, check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourcrochetmag/

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 deadlines due to a physical disability.

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: All the patterns we commission MUST be made using the yarn pack.

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 YCK is a UK magazine so we’ll be using British terminology.
• 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.
• Sewing/other non-knit/crochet elements – We’re open to any and all good quality patterns, and if it needs a little sewing or embroidery, that won’t rule it out.
• 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.