Emma Wright is Britan’s Next Top Knitwear Designer

I’d been on the lookout for this one but somehow missed the official announcement. Back in March I told you about the knitwear design contest being held by LoveKnitting looking for the next great knitwear designer in the UK. Hopefuls had to design a project using yarn that LoveKnitting sells, and their creations were judged by a panel of experts including Debbie Bliss.

The winner is Emma Wright, from Sheffield, who wowed the judges with her bulky tie-back sweater with a textured body, polka-dotted sleeves and bold teal accents.

It’s a really fun design, and because she won the contest she will have the chance to professionally finish her design and make it available for sale at LoveKnitting. She’ll also get work experience with Emilio de la Morena in advance of his S/S London Fashion Week show in September and a cash prize of £1000.

Congratulations, Emma!

Check out the other finalists and see if you think the judges made the right choice.

[Photo via LoveKnitting.]

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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