Knit Now Easter: we're commissioning!

by ReddestRoar

This call is for the Easter issue of Knit Now - I'm looking for adorable toys, small home makes, baby knits and bright accessories that are quick, fun and interesting to make! Knit Now caters to a range of ages and ability levels, so beginner, intermediate and advanced patterns are equally welcome – eye-catching and uplifting designs are the most important thing.

All designs will need to work in 4-ply kit yarn, using colours from the following palette. As you can see, it's nice and bright, so let that inspire you, but also bear in mind that there will only be about 55m per colour!

I have also prepared a mood board 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, I would love to see it.

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_KNEaster2022.pdf

Deadline

The deadline for submissions will be 9am UK time on Friday 18th June. I am aiming to get all commissions sent out within a couple of days that date. Deadlines for final patterns and samples are likely to be Monday 26th July August 2021 - it's a tight timeline, but bear in mind the makes will be small.

Send to/contact

Please send your submissions to me by email: joanna.cummings@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

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 Black and ethnic minority and LGBT+ designers, as well as differently abled 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:

  • 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 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.
  • 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.