This year, I’m finally making time for a project that’s been on my mind for several years: an advent calendar of socks for my husband. There will be one sock for every day, so a total of 12 pairs of socks (not 24!), however since that’s still quite some sock knitting, I started back in January and planned to knit about a pair per month. So far, I finished six pairs of socks, and while I used the same pattern, Knit Night, for all of them, they’re also all different!

A little while ago, I shared a list of things I plan to knit for myself this year over on Instagram and asked about your knitting plans for 2019. And since many of you said you wanted to knit a very first colourwork project this year, I compiled a few beginner-friendly colourwork knitting projects! You’ll find a selection of some of our favourites as well as our on Sustainablist patterns (such as our brand new Highlander Hat), and quite a few more over on Pinterest (come follow along over there, if you like!). If colourwork knitting is something you're looking to get into, I'll hope you'll find a design you like, and if you’re looking for a quick, easy and helpful trick for choosing colours, this way!

You got through the jungle of information to be found in the pattern notes (need help? This way!), swatched to check your gauge (more on swatching here and on gauge here), chose a size (learn how to here) and now you’re ready to actually cast on? Congratulations, that means you already completed what I consider to be one of the trickier parts of your new handknit! Now let’s get to the best part, shall we?

Starting a new knitting project is nothing short of magical, but navigating through a knitting pattern can certainly take away some of that magic. So to ensure that the process will actually be fun, we’ll walk you through working with the actual knitting pattern! Needles sharp, yarn caked up, ready to begin?

One of the most common frustrations with knitting is spending many hours and resources on a project only to find out that it doesn’t really fit once finished. Hands up if this happened to you, too? When finished measurements just aren’t quite right, this often has to do with your gauge. But even if you carefully swatched (more on swatching here) and got the correct gauge (more on why gauge is so very important here), there are a few things worth thinking about before casting on to make sure your finished handknits fits perfectly!

You learned everything about gauge and why it’s so important, and now you’re ready to make a swatch? Here’s what you should know about swatching!

A swatch is a first trial, a little preview of the project you’re about to begin, if you will. We make them for different reasons: to try out new needles or a new yarn; to see how specific stitch patterns, stitch pattern combinations, colourwork motifs or construction methods knit up when designing, improvising or customising; or to determine our gauge. Remember: the way you hold and tension your yarn, the style you knit, the needle size and material you use and many other factors all affect your gauge! There’s of course always the option of intentionally working at a different gauge than what the pattern states, be it because you prefer the fabric knit up at a different gauge or to customise the finished piece’s size (we’ll get to that later this month!), but for now, we’ll assume that you’re working from a knitting pattern that specifies a gauge you’re aiming to meet.

Today, we’re launching a new blog series on working with knitting patterns to help you get through what might seem like a jungle of information, especially if it’s your first time using a knitting pattern. Based on our knitting patterns, we’ll walk you through every step of the process, and you’re more than welcome to let us know in the comments if there’s anything you’d like us to cover. There’s no such thing as a silly question!