Design challenge- Knitting: Call for Submissions Winter 2017/18 by Knit Now

This call is for the Winter 2017-18 issues (on sale in November, December & January; 3 issues) of Knit Now. I’m looking for a wide range of stylish and wearable knits for the Winter season. This season is mostly too late for Christmas-themed knits but I would love to see plenty of quick gifts for all the family. Knit Now caters to a range of ages and ability levels so beginner, intermediate and advanced patterns are equally welcome – the beauty of the design is what is most important.

I usually commission;

• 60% accessories. Quick knits and patterns using less than 400g of yarn, such as hats, scarves, mitts, bags etc. Each issue includes at least 1 shawl & 1 pair of socks.

• 20% garments. Generally skewed toward the simpler end of things, we tend to print patterns which are primarily wearable and stylish. All garments must be sized up to at least a 3X.

• 10% babies’ and children’s knits (including toys). We have a preference for contemporary, gender-neutral designs but we’re open to more traditional patterns too.

• 10% Homewares and other stuff – Beautiful, useful, sometimes unexpected things. Cushions, gadget cases and tea cosies are welcome but we draw the line at egg cosies! During this season, each issue will include;

• The Collection: 6 key pieces which respond to a themed mood board. The collection usually features 1-2 adult garments and 4-5 adult accessories. • Main pattern section: 10 or more designs which do not relate to the collection theme but are seasonally appropriate.

TIP! We frequently have lots of excellent garments submitted, but we only commission an average of 2 garments per issue. You will improve your chances of acceptance if you think beyond garments.

This is particularly true this season, as the Knitter of The Year winners who are curating the three collections have already been commissioned to design a garment for those collections.

You are welcome to submit an idea in different variations – for example, the same stitch pattern used on a cardigan and a shawl.

The Collections: Land Under Wave https://uk.pinterest.com/kateheppell/land-under-wave/ The hills make soft waves echoing the shapes of the ammonites and other sea creatures that once lived in the ancient seas and whose bones now form the landscape.

Sheep moving slowly under the hot sun, more white on green under blue. Chalk carvings that had been repaired by many hands and stayed in place for millennia. Fossils, carvings, something magical just out of reach.

This collection is curated by Knit Now Designer of the Year winner, Anna Waites.

Fall Into Line https://uk.pinterest.com/kateheppell/fall-into-line/ This collection celebrates the interplay between architecture and fashion design. Explore bold blocks and striking stripes of colour in graphic knitwear for women. We want to see clever use of striping and colourwork as well as directional knitting to create intersecting stripes and blocks of colour. Curated by Knit Now Designer of the Year Winner, Georgia Farrell.

A Passion for Poldark https://uk.pinterest.com/kateheppell/a-passion-for-poldark/ For this collection, we’d love to see knitwear inspired by the ancient Cornish landscape which provides dramatic the backdrop to the Poldark books (and recent TV series). We’ll be in the depths of winter, so think warm, comforting knits to keep you going through the long winter nights. This collection is curated by Knit Now Designer of the Year winner, Sue Gleave.

Further inspiration If you’re looking for broad inspiration for this season’s knits, take a look at my general boards: – Designs catching my eye: https://uk.pinterest.com/kateheppell/inspiring-knits/ – Ideas for baby: https://uk.pinterest.com/kateheppell/tiny-people-knits/ – This season’s catwalk collections: https://uk.pinterest.com/kateheppell/fall-17-rtw/

Submission requirements: Your submission should include a sketch and accompanying paragraph describing the item, a photograph or scan of your swatch and ideas for yarn choices. The submission should be presented in a PDF document, with your name and email address on every page.

All information should be included in the submission document, including pictures. Please also tell us where we can find other examples of your work – a link to your Ravelry designer profile is ideal. You will be commissioned to write a full pattern (including any alternative sizes) and knit a sample. We will take care of photography.

Please create a separate PDF for each idea and name the file in the following format: YourName _PatternName_KNwinter1718.pdf Deadline: The deadline for submissions will be 9am UK time on Monday 15th May. You should hear from us either way within 2 weeks of the deadline. Deadlines for final patterns and samples will be Tuesday 1st August.

Send to/contact: You can contact me for a chat on Ravelry (kathleenalice), Twitter (KateHeppell) or email, but please send your submissions to me by email: kate.heppell@practicalpublishing.co.uk. Compensation/Support:

We have recently reviewed our fee structure and can give the following examples of fees; Hat in 3 sizes: £70-£100 Baby garment in 5 sizes: £120-£150 Adult garment in 7 sizes: £300-£400 The exact fee will depend on a number of factors including the complexity of the design.

4 months after publication, rights will revert to you and you will then be able to use the final tech-edited version of the pattern as you wish. Yarn support is offered to all designers. Your sample remains your property, but we will hold onto it for a while in case we get pattern queries, or for display at shows. We will return your sample to you at the same time as your publication rights.

About Knit Now: Knit Now launched in the UK in October 2011. It is a monthly, national newsstand title, widely available in supermarkets, newsagents and craft stores across the UK as well as select retailers worldwide. We also publish digitally. Our main focus is on quick, simple, stylish knits.

For an idea of our style, you can find all of our patterns listed on Ravelry here; http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/periodicals/knit-now

Hints and tips for submissions:
I wrote a blog post a while back with submission tips [ www.knitnowmag.co.uk/item/193submissiontips-for-designers ]. Warning – this is an old post and the themes and deadlines mentioned are for that call, not this one! I will also be talking about this a bit on my vlog – Kitty Knits.

You may in particular find this episode useful: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxiX6RignZw Focus on style – The best are those which consider (either explicitly or implicitly) current trends and high street style. For inspiration, you could take a look at a few shops’ websites such as Selfridges, House of Fraser, Monsoon, Whistles, Boden & French Connection – or John Lewis and Next are great for homewares. Polyvore can also be good for bouncing round some ideas, as is Pinterest (both come with a timesuck warning!). Feel free to include notes on how you see the item being worn. Swatches and sketches – There is no need to submit a photo of a finished item, but your submission will need nice swatches, in a representative yarn, photographed in bright conditions. If you’re having trouble getting the photo to focus, either switch to the macro setting on your camera (the one with the little flower) or consider scanning your swatch rather than photographing it. Formatting – Of course our main focus is on the quality of the idea, but it’s much easier for me to see that when the submission is cleanly formatted. Remember, the submission must be a PDF document sent as a single attachment, not an email with photos attached. Yarn choice – Be flexible with your choices. I will be wanting to use the new season’s yarns, some of which won’t be publicly available yet. Talk about the qualities your project requires, don’t just say what you used. This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about!

Continue to read on (Link): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B85xwv-ErYZDRTRyLURmMUM3ek0/view