Knitter of the Year Winners!
Give these talented knitters a round of applause!
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
These talented knitters will be creating beautiful garments for Knit Now this year. We can't wait to show you what they've come up with. Each designer will be curating an edition of Knit Now, so you can expect some exciting new patterns and interesting themes in the coming issues.
Heike Campbell designed a colour-block pullover we just couldn't resist. Head over to Ravelry to see all of her beautiful designs.
You're going to love the fun knits from Claire Slade!
Rene Callahan, a star is on the rise! We can't wait to show you her design.
Helen Metcalfe has a real way with cables and we're sure you'll love her designs.
Kari-Helene Rane's work is thoughtful, inspiring and fun to knit.
NEW DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Taking their first steps into the world of knitting design, these new names will be ones to watch in 2018!
Emma Heywood creates the cutest knitted jumper designs!
Sarah Alderson will be keeping you cosy with her lovely knits.
Jay Avery takes their inspiration from the weather, we loved their mitts pattern too.
Kim Hall will be creating a brilliant bobble hat, we love her little fox hat!
Maya Bosworth's chunky makes are quick and stylish.
LOCAL SUPERSTAR
Championing wool and yarny pursuits in their area, these brilliant knitters are the friendly local faces of British knitting.
Jenny Watts at Ammonite Yarns
You said: I was extremely impressed by the response to my enquiries and the subsequent speed at which items were delivered. Jenny was very friendly and made me feel welcome!
Carmen Burns at Black Sheep Wools
You said: I have only been to the shop a few times when visiting family, but each time this lady has gone out of her way to help me with my knitting queries. She's very clever and very kind.
Lois Mickleburgh at Jenny Wren Yarns
You said: Lois has grown a thriving knitting and crochet community in Ipswich, Suffolk - from knitting group to tiny shop-within-a-shop to the wonderful Jenny Wren Yarns, organising regular classes (for which she bakes the most delicious cakes), knitting meet-ups and events such as Yarn Shop Day and the recent Suffolk yarn crawl.
Kathleen Fraser at Wool For Ewe
You said: Her ethos is about choosing to shop local, and provide the best possible customer service, going above and beyond. Most of our regular customers feel like family, which makes working in this local yarn shop a real pleasure, and one that I am proud of.
Tracy Holroyd-Smith at Leeds Wool Show
You said: This year, this local celebration of wool achieved visitor numbers on the day of over 1,000! The event is now a firmly established one on the knitting calendar and has received praise from many in the textile world. It has also achieved the goal of raising the profile of the museum and their work.
CHARITY HERO
Knitters are such a generous bunch, and lots of us like to knit for a good cause. Raise your glass to these wonderful women who go above and beyond for charity.
Marion Leys
You said: Her blog gives us patterns to knit for preemie babies, for donation purposes. Her directions are concise, clear and easy to follow. She also knits up a storm of her own for local charities.
Janet Troillett
You said: Janet spends a lot of time knitting and crocheting for charity from hats for the homeless and Christmas puddings for Rosemere cancer unit in Preston to items for horse riding for disabled people.
Mrs M Holland
She says: I knit baby clothes and toys for our doctors surgery, which sells them to help buy equipment as it is not NHS funded. I have knitted since I was a small girl (my mother taught me) and I would be lost if I could not knit for some reason. This is the one thing I thoroughly enjoy and to think some good comes from it really pleases me.
Jean Laws
You said: Jean is a lady in her eighties. She has made amazing things for her local hospice for more than 20 years. I can't stress how talented Jean is, she makes when she is at home constantly and at Christmas and Easter there are always themed knits ready to tempt everybody. A very generous lady indeed.
Tracey Newman
She says: I'm knitting scarves, hats and gloves for the homeless and trying to do it all myself. I'm even buying the wool myself even though I suffer from several health issues and therefore I don't work. I find it difficult to buy the wool but I manage to get it all on £5 a week.
ONLINE INNOVATOR
These brilliant bloggers and podcasters share their love of knitting online, and you love listening to and reading what they have to say!
You said: Katie shares her creative life of knitting and sewing in regular videos, her enthusiasm is infectious!
You said: It's a small but growing online community for those who love home-grown knits.
You said: This local yarn shop has a brilliantly informative blog with lots of great advice.
Louise Tilbrook Everyday Knitter
You said: I love reading Louise's thoughts about knitting, and her Facebook group is so friendly.
You said: I love listening to Louise's voice while I'm on the bus or pottering around the house. I always learn something new.
Special Mention!
We received a lot of nominations for the Fruity Knitting podcast, but unfortunately, the podcast is based outside of the UK, so wasn't eligible for this prize. Nevertheless, so many of our readers recommended them that we thought they deserved a mention here.