Hi Beautiful Knitters!

We're going to kick off our occasional blog post by celebrating what started it all - the @Beautifulknitters Instagram page!

Our instagram page profiles started in 2016 in New York and we have featured nearly 200 amazing knitters and crocheters. So we felt it would be a great idea to post some insights about the journey as well as revisit some of our most popular posts!

We have been amazed by the varied backgrounds, stories and also commonalities from this wonderful truly global community!

We have been honoured to profile knitters and crocheters from 39 countries from every continent! (if you can help add any more countries to our map then please contact us to be featured!)

The Beautiful Knitters Global Profile Map!

Overall Favourite Yarns: Beautiful Knitters have such varied tastes but Brooklyn Tweed, Malabrigo are mentioned most often, as well as Cardiff Cashmere, Hey Mama Wolf and Madeline Tosh. Small local indie producers and hand dyers are also often sought out and loved!

Hardest projects/knitting techniques: Brioche Stitch anyone?

And finally, below we've posted a small selection of some of our most popular profiles! Head to @BeautifulKnitters to look at them all. And don't forget to send us a message in IG to be featured. Let's continue to grow and share the beauty!!

In future blogs, we'll also look to host interviews and insights from our amazing customers, yarn suppliers as well as designers! And there may be the odd cheeky special offer too! So check back often!

-----

Meet Nayab from Islamabad, Pakistan! Nayab is studying to become a physiotherapist, and has been a knitter for the past 6 years. (March 2017)

What are your favourites right now?
Yarn Store: The Wool Shop in Islamabad.
Yarn: Local yarn, but Lion Brand and Red Heart yarns are also fun to work with.

Why do you knit?: Because it makes me feel productive and wonderful. The satisfaction you get once a project is complete is kick-ass, and the fact that you created something so special from scratch just adds to the feeling. I almost always have yarn and needles in my bag wherever I go!

Most challenging project (and why?): The first time I knit a sweater. I really can't seem to follow patterns so I decided to make one without it. It took me a while to figure out what to do once I reached the top, but I made it!

What’s your new favourite thing?: Gilmore Girls! I recently started watching it for the first time with my mother and sister, and it just feels so relatable.

 -----

Meet Aidan, a Benedictine monk, gardener, and knitter in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley! (June 2017)

The photo was taken at our monastery and retreat house, Holy Cross Monastery.

What are your favorites right now?
Yarn Store: It’s far from local, but I love Tolt Yarn and Wool. I may need to make a pilgrimage there one day.
Yarn: Right now I’m working with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor and loving it. Other go-tos are Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock, my favorite sock yarn, by a large margin. I also love Nurtured from Julie Asselin and hope I can make a sweater with it one day.

Why do you knit? I started a few years ago because, as one of my brothers put it, I needed a winter sport! I spend all spring, summer, and fall in the garden, but I had no creative outlet for the winter. I think I was driving everyone a little nuts with my excess energy. I took up knitting, and then it took me up. Now I knit all the time, even during gardening season. There’s something incredibly spiritual about crafting an object that is both made from the stuff of the earth (animal and plant fibers and dyes) and will be worn by another person (or myself) for warmth, comfort, and beauty. The very slowness of knitting, too, gives the finished objects much more value than they would have if you bought them from a store.

Most challenging project (and why)? For my third knitting project ever, I decided to make the Traveling Cable hand-warmers from Purl Soho. I’d never cabled anything, and they were SO HARD—way beyond my skills at that point. I was too stubborn to give up, though, and I learned a lot. Now I love cabling.

What’s your new favorite thing? Trees, trees, and more trees. I’ve always loved trees, but lately I’ve been learning a lot more about how they communicate and share resources. And I’ve also been planting a lot more of them.

-----

Meet Constance from Alabama, USA! (May 2017)
Constance is currently working on her doctorate in Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. 

What are your favorites right now?

Yarn Store: Yarnhouse Studio in Opelika, AL. It is only 20 minutes from my hometown and I used to regularly attend Saturday morning knitting there before starting graduate school.
Yarn: Currently, I have been knitting with Knit Picks Palette quite a bit. I really enjoy the wide range of colors especially with my growing addiction to fair isle knitting. Another favorite is Quince and Company wool yarns especially Chickadee and Finch. I really like the bounce, color, and consistency of the Quince and Company yarns.
Why do you knit? I first started knitting because I was bored and wanted a productive pastime. After thinking about various crafts, I thought knitting would be great because I have a love for fashion and clothing. Therefore, my craft could produce garments that I would enjoy wearing. I now knit because it is a relaxing activity that keeps my mind active. There are always new things to try with this skill and I have yet to get bored by it. I've been knitting strong for 10 years now! I would've never imagined that would be the case.
Most challenging project (and why)? My most challenging project was the Vivien Sweater from the book Sweater Girls by Madeline Weston and Rita Taylor. Before this project, I had only done fair isle on a limited scale. So, this was my first time tackling a full fair isle garment. It actually took me two years to finish the top. However, I recently started another Vivien Sweater and it is flying off the needles. I think I needed to get over the hump to gain confidence with the technique.
What’s your new favorite thing? My favorite thing is knitting podcasts. Seriously, I can't get enough of them! I get such joy with playing a podcast in the background while working on a knitting project alongside the perfect beverage (it's currently an aloe vera drink). It's definitely my favorite pastime.

-----

James lives in the heart of the beautiful Cotswolds. Hairdresser by trade, he has only been a serious knitter for 2 years. He loves nothing more than a cosy afternoon, crafting by the fire with a cup of Earl Grey tea. (April 2019)

Favorite yarn store: @toft_uk studio in Dunchurch, Rugby.
Favorite yarn: I am drawn to yarn that is hand dyed and full of character. Bright colours and speckles are my favourite. @Vickibrowndesigns and @kate_selene make the most beautiful colour combinations.
Why do you knit?: I’m an over thinker and suffer from anxiety. Knitting and crochet both help me to keep my mind focused and relax. It is so gratifying to finish a project.
Most challenging project (and why?): My “Beginners Brioche Cowl” by @lavanyapatricella. It took me nearly a whole year to get my head around the brioche stitch.
What's your new favorite thing?: Floral arranging. I love to fill my home with bright, beautiful flowers. It instantly lifts my mood.

-----

Favorite yarn store: Yllotyll in Uppsala, Sweden, it is like yarn heaven.
Favorite yarn: Wooly yarn like @thewoolbrokers and @ullcentrumoland. Gotland wool of course, it has a beautiful fiberaura. And I also have a weakness for @rowanyarns.
Why do you knit?: Because I love to. To stay sane, for pleasure, to provide me and my dear ones with handknitted garments. And now it is also my job. It was the necessary way to go, since I knit all the time. So I began making and selling my own patterns, started a podcast and my own business where I inspire other people to knit.
Most challenging project (and why?): To finish the socks my grandmother had begun knitting before she died. It was a challenging project emotionally, and it took me 7 years to lift up her needles again and finish the pair she had started. It was heartwarming to be able to give the socks to my daughter as a gift from both me and my grandmother. Otherwise it is also challenging to construct my own patterns and make other people understand what I am doing.
What's your new favorite thing?: It is an old thing, since I do not often buy new things. I love my new but old English teacup. It is perfect when I am knitting.

-------------------