Vote for the Best in British Knits

Voting for the British Knitting Awards for 2014 is now open. There are 20 categories ranging from favorite yarns and companies to the best book of the year and favorite designer.

Two new categories this year are Best Brand for British Yarn and Best Yarn Shop Day Experience.

I’m pretty sure you can vote even if you don’t live in the UK, if you happen to be a big fan of British knitting brands. The voting is taking place in a Survey Monkey survey.

To encourage people to vote, Let’s Knit (a British knitting magazine that puts on the contest) is giving one person a £500 stash of goodies from the winning companies to include yarn, needles, books and knitting accessories.

I’m not seeing that the site says when voting is done, but the results will be announced in the November issue of Let’s Knit, which hits newsstands Oct. 24, so vote soon if you want your thoughts included!

Check out the winners from last year.

[Photo via Let’s Knit.]

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I know that my posts can be read at different times of year and in different years by different people, but as I write this we’re on teh cusp of summer. And I know a lot of people don’t knit as much, and certainly don’t wear a lot of knits in the summer, but I want to encourage you to make and to wear your makes no matter the temperature.

To introduce you to the joys of summer garment knitting, I offer the Tied Vest from Lion Brand Yarn.

This easy project is great to make and wear throughout the year but it’s especially good for summer. It’s worked flat in one piece from the bottom up, mostly in stockinette stitch with a seed stitch edging. The I-cord ties are worked directly onto the garment so you don’t have to sew them on.

The project uses worsted weight yarn, and calls for a blend of cotton and hemp that’s great for warm weather.

There are eight size options, ranging from a finished chest measurement of 35 to 62.5 inches, or 89 to 159 cm. That makes it sound like it should be worn with at least a few inches of positive ease, but the pattern doesn’t specify.

The ties at the front give it a casual look and make it great to wear over a tank top or T-shirt when the weather is warm.

I also think this one would be good to knit in wool or a warmer fiber, too, to make a version you could wear more comfortably in the winter months, too. Though of course you could layer the summer version over a long-sleeved shirt and wear it throughout the year, too.

The tied vest is a free pattern available from Lion Brand. You can also purchase a kit that includes the yarn and optional needles and stitch markers if you need them.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

Knit an Easy Hooded Vest

Knit Vests to Help Transition to Warmer Weather

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