World of wool craft

After two-and-a-bit years of being forced to stay at home (we won’t remind you why), many of us are yearning for some overseas excitement. Here at LK, we know that not everyone has the opportunity to travel far and wide, so we’re bringing the international knitting scene to you in these very pages!

You may think you’re holding “just” a magazine, but right here in your hands, you have a portal to a whole wide world of yarns, patterns and possibilities. Wowsers!

FIRST STOP...

EUROPE

Just a hop, skip and a ferry over the English Channel lies the rest of Europe, home to 42 countries and a wealth of knitting companies, stitch techniques and delicious yarns.

ArtYarn has been specialising in brands from across the continent for the past 15 years and supplies knitters and retailers with fantastic fibres. German spinner Schoppel-Wolle is most widely known for its Zauberball yarns which knit into wonderful gradated colour patterns and are ideal for socks and shawls. Look out for the new PRO quality mark, which highlights the company’s environmental commitments. These yarns have not gone through a superwash treatment so need a bit more care but give a more natural knitting experience and are more planet-kind too.

Lang Yarns originates in Switzerland but uses fibres from all over the globe. It has recently collaborated with Noble Nomads of Mongolia to produce NOBLE, a collection of sustainable and fully-traceable yarn made from organic cashmere, yak and camel fibres. Other ranges from Lang include new Jawoll Silk for socks and baby knits, and the Wool Addicts line with gorgeous yarns and fashion-led patterns. See everything ArtYarn has to offer at artyarn.co.uk

Colours of Magic

Nordic knitwear is recognised across the world for its bold patterns and nigh on unbeatable warmth. Traditionally made from pure wool, the stranded colourwork method used creates a double-thickness fabric for supreme cosiness. The main pattern detail is often around the yoke of the garment and will include motifs inspired by nature or symbolic folk designs, such as crosses to ward off evil spirits.

Flit across the Baltic Sea to Latvia and you’ll find another country with strong roots in colourwork knitting. Mittens in particular play an important role. They were traditionally used as gifts, especially for weddings, and were believed to carry blessings and wishes within the stitchwork. Ieva Ozoliņa is a Riga-based yarn store owner and designer, who uses historical patterns to influence her work. “One of my true passions is studying