Knits from Northern Lands

Jenny Fennell is based in Nova Scotia and shares her love for knitting with her mother and grandmother. Having studied Fashion Design and Textile Studies, and Sewing and Dressmaking, she uses this knowledge to craft knitted garments of all kinds. Inspired by folklore tales and Celtic history, Jenny is determined to create pieces that can tell a story, withstand generations and, when the time comes, can be passed on to loved ones to be cherished once more. Jenny sells her knits and patterns at lilylakeknits.com and on Ravelry, and you can follow her on Instagram @lilylakeknits.

• Chapter One: Knitting BasicsYarn, Needles and other equipment, Gauge, Casting On/Casting Off, Basic Stitches, Increasing and Decreasing, Finishing and Blocking, Using Colour, Circular Knitting, Reading Charts, Symbols and AbbreviationsChapter Two: The ProjectsRibbed Scarf, Ribbed Hat, Ribbed Fingerless Mitts, Danish Damask Pillow, Shetland Bookmark, Mira Mhór Cowl, Scandinavian Hat, 'Leaves of Birch' Blanket, Scandinavian Pillow, Finnish Twist Headband, White Heather Throw, Icelandic Mitts, Icelandic Cowl, Shetland Wrist Warmers, Norwegian Selbu Mittens, Finnish Pillow, Cabled Blanket, Swedish Scarf, Chunky Oversized Aran Sweater, Cabled ShawlIndex

Jenny Fennell is a designer based in Nova Scotia, Canada, and her work is inspired by the knitting traditions of countries including the Scottish Isles, Ireland and Scandinavia. For this book, she has designed 20 garment, accessory and homeware projects which showcase many beautiful styles and stitches from across the Northern Hemisphere.The collection includes a number of simple projects which will be ideal for novice knitters or as quick-knit gifts. These include a ribbed scarf, hat and mitts in a super-chunky yarn, and the little ‘Lace of Unst’ bookmark, which is a sweet introduction to Shetland lace knitting.For the home, there is a beautiful blanket with a lace pattern of birch leaves, and a large, intricately cabled blanket inspired by Aran sweaters. ‘Skies of Sweden’ is a colourwork cushion in heathered pink and cream, whose patterning evokes a pine forest in winter. The ‘Dream in Danish Throw Cushion’ features knit-and-purl textures influenced by Danish traditions.Our favourite projects in the book are the colourwork accessories, such as the pretty Fair Isle wristwarmers called ‘A Slow Day in Shetland’, and the chic twisted headband which has blue and white motifs depicting Finland’s national flower, the lily of the valley.There’s a cosy honeycomb cable shawl, a neat hat and scarf with delicate floral colourwork inspired by Scandinavian textiles, and a pair of classic Nordic mittens featuring the Selbu rose motif. The White Heather Shawl’ combines a pretty lace and bobble stitch pattern with a chunky yarn.Knitters can try working with Icelandic lopi wool with the ‘Fire and Ice’ cowl and mittens, which have a simple, geometric colourwork pattern to depict the volcanic landscapes of Iceland. There is one garment project in the book: a chunky Aran-style cabled sweater, which has been designed with minimal shaping and basic seaming to make it a great choice for your first Aran jumper project. It’s sized to fit chests of approximately 36in to 62in.Jenny provides illustrated walkthroughs for many of the techniques used in the patterns, such as mattress stitch, twist seaming, and cabling techniques.