Needle size is immaterial : in which Kate reiterates the most important thing there is to know about gauge and swatching.

Tarradale Crown Twist
A tutorial by Emily Williams

How much more yarn do I need?

Blocking the Carbeth sweater

Weaving in ends over colour changes on the Ottar hap.

Blocking and joining blanket squares (Birlinn blanket)

birlinn1

killeyan11-copy

Two-colour grafting Follow these instructions to graft stitches over a stripe sequence in two shades, as in the Oa Hoody pattern.

furzesomerled1-copy

Crochet provisional cast on tutorial Follow these instructions to cast on stitches provisionally, as in the Somerled hap pattern.

buttoncollection

Sock sizing guidance
A handy table of shoe sizes and foot lengths, which will be useful when making Kate’s sock and slipper patterns.

 Covered Button tutorial. Follow these simple instructions to make the covered buttons that feature on the Richard the Roundhead Tam and Scatness Tunic.

Hap stretcher tutorial

18_attaching the hap

Tom’s tutorial to make a traditional Shetland hap-stretcher

Steek Tutorials

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These tutorials will be helpful if you are making the Bláithín cardigan, the Rams and Yowes blanket, or the Tortoise and Hare sweater.

Part 1: What is a steek?

Part 2: Reinforcing and Cutting

Part 3: The steek sandwich

Part 4: Some questions answered

Part 5: different ways of finishing your steeks

Betty Mouat Video Tutorials

newbmc

Demonstrated by Melanie Ireland.

Part 1: no-purl garter stitch
In the first clip, Melanie demonstrates Susan Stevens’ nifty and innovative trick for working garter stitch in the round without purling. This method allows you to knit the lace pattern in traditional Shetland fashion, using garter stitch throughout.

Part 2: Working with several colours
When knitting the lace section of Betty Mouat you will be working with three colours, and, if you are using the no-purl method, six balls of yarn. In this clip, Melanie demonstrates a neat and simple method for keeping control of your yarns, carrying them up the back of the work.


Part 3: Cockleshell Lace
In this clip, Melanie demonstrates rows nine and ten of the lace pattern, where the “cockleshell” is formed.

Crown Shaping
If you are knitting one of my hat patterns, you may wish to read this tutorial on how to read colourwork charts when shaping a hat crown.


Yoke customisation
If you are knitting the Paper Dolls sweater, you may wish to read this post, in which I discuss yoke customisation, and colourwork tips.

44 thoughts on “tutorials”

  1. Hi Kate
    I do not speak English, I do it through a translator. A few months ago I bought the pattern A Hap for Harriet, and I have many doubts, is there any way you can help me? Could you give me an email address to write my questions? thank you.

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  4. I am working on my very first of your patterns the perrie floores hat .i am on row 4 the decrease row and I am sorta lost. I think my problem is after doing the first decrease I don’t know exactly where I am. After 1st dec. I was 10 stitches in slid two whites over a red. Now is that red the first red of the two reds one blue two reds

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  5. Dear Kate,

    I love the pictures of your wedding. Such beauty!

    I would love to make a cardigan like yours for my daughter who’s going to get married next year.
    Is it possible to buy the pattern. If not, can you recommend something like it?

    Greetings, Margreet

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      1. Hello Kate,

        Sorry I never replied your answer…I didn’t reed it until today. Maybe the pattern will be on time. I hope so for I still think it to be really beautiful. I love to read your blog. I makes me feel happy and wanting to make more lovely things.

        Love, Margreet

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  6. Pingback: Rams and Yowes | Buzy Day

  7. I adore your work, your patterns are awesome and I will knit the Blue Bells Sweater for my little daughter’s birthday. I’d also love to make the bag that unfortunately has been removed from this site. Could you please, please send it to me, I promise not to copy or sell it!
    I’m glad I came across your work, thank you so much, it makes me wanting to make progress with my knitting.
    Manu(ela)

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  9. Pingback: steeking resources for the Steek-along | NH Knits

  10. Help! I’m to be a grandma for the first time in December. My daughter -who loves fair isle patterns wants me to make the baby a crib/pram blanket in subdued neutral colours. My concerns are: What wool to use for baby softness
    Always use Jamieson Spindthrift but feels a bit coarse for baby
    Because of reverse having lots if loops will I need to back it with something
    How do I knit something a metre square. What sort of needles will take that many stitches?

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  11. Hi Kate
    I made a ‘Two Kates’ project bag a while back, and came back here looking for the pattern to pass on to some admirers. I can’t find it! Is it no longer available, or has it been relocated?

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  12. Thank you for the fantastic tutorials! It makes taking the leap into more complicated patterns much easier – can’t wait to try the BMC

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    1. Hi Judith – the patterns have only just been released – I have written a post about the release today, and will be posting the tutorial tomorrow. You’ll be able to find it on the home page, and via a link from this page also

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  15. I JUST landed from a whirlwind tour of Ireland, and a length of fantastic Donegal tweed landed with me….I am planning a shoulder bag with it! but I am wondering if it’s necessary to bind the tweed to some sort of backing to stop unravelling? Sounds silly, but I am in no way a seamstress! Thanks!

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  16. No purl garter stitch in the round: thank you so much for making this video. It is kind of life changing for my knitting, I usually hold off doing in the round garter stitch projects because, while I love knitting in the round, I feel that unnecessary purling puts a damper on the whole thing.

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  19. I really love your work and how it inspires other people to knit and be creative. Thank you so much for including the historical content in your patterns, as I feel it is a crucial part of each design you make. Well done Kate, keep up the good work.

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  21. Is there any way you can compress the bag tutorial? It’s 32mb for four pages and my browser and printer want to explode downloading that much. I think you need to compress the photos before sending it to the document.

    Thanks!

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  25. What an inspiration you are! Discovered this site whilst searching family history – my great-great grandmother was Sarah Morphew (nee Standen) and have sometimes wondered whether my love of textiles came from her. A business woman, yes, but caring also, I believe.
    Thank you for this lovely website. I’m not very good at all things electronic – but shall try to re-visit often.
    Sarah Langworthy

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  26. My Grandfather was Robert Mouet Fothergill. His mother was the sister of James Jamieson of the Columbine. Mate I think was Bobby Smith. Have camped from South to North. Have mothers pre1939 photos and other much older familly one including the Columbine. Thank for such a wonderful presentation. Now 81 and may not get north again so have to put up with the Lake District!
    Regards,
    Michael Jones… (Not Welsh!)

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  28. Those tutorial videos are great. I like how clearly Mel speaks, and the fact that I feel I can can hear either rain on the window or the sea and some seagulls very slightly in the background. Did you add those sounds in or are they just a happy coincidence of where you filmed? The videos are really helpful and the techniques well explained.

    I love that you have put these tutorials up, and that I could start with the cowl pattern if I was a bit intimidated by trying out the sweater first! Genius.

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  29. You inspire me. Your eye for detail is wonderful.
    My daughter is getting married and I am suggesting she/we make your bag
    and give as a gift to her bridesmaids.
    Thank you for sharing your talent!

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  30. Thank you for the pattern! It was serendipity that following the links from Rav about rams and yowes(and wanting to read Textisles, for some months, too), that I finally hit your blog. Just this past week my sister (a new knitter and pink ribbon survivor) asked me for a project bag so your tutorial was and will be a gift! Good reading, great patterns. Again, my thanks. Another Kate

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  36. I have just found your blog because you have been “freshly pressed”, congratulations! I haven’t looked at everything yet, but your patterns that I have seen are beautiful. I don’t have much experience knitting with different colours, but now I am inspired to try. And I love this pattern for the bag, I am definitely going to give it a try.

    Last year I was in the UK with my family, helping my mother care for my grandmother who had been suffering from transient ischemic strokes for the past 5 years. It was very hard to see a woman who had been so strong and healthy, barely surviving, and knowing that she never would have wanted to live in such a way. She died at home, which is what my mother wanted, but caring for her took a lot out of my mother. As you said in your post, at some point we will all have to deal with this, as carers or being cared for. However as families live more separate lives, taking on this type of care becomes harder, and shouldn’t be done alone.

    My grandmother suffered from migraines, so does my mother, and so do I. I am fortunate that my husband is very understanding when I am sick, and sometimes knows before I do that a migraine is coming. But the connections between strokes and migraines scares me.

    I know I am far away, but I hope you don’t mind me putting a link to your blog in mine, your knitting is “hermoso”!

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