• Big knitting A weekend project

SUPERSIZE YOUR NEEDLES AND YARN FOR A SATISFYING – AND SURPRISINGLY QUICK – COSY KNIT

An involved knitting project can create pressures of time – and ability. One way of getting the needles going could be to go large. Knitting with extra chunky wool and correspondingly chunky needles means that you should be able to complete something recognisable in a day – such as this cushion cover. “It’s addictive, getting to see it grow so quickly!” says Helen Hickman of Nellie and Eve (nellieandeve.co.uk), who has devised this project. Helen is addicted to most things wool based: spinning, dyeing, weaving and knitting wool – as well as passing on her skills to others through workshops and classes.

Helen was taught to sew, knit and crochet at a young age, although it all came together when she moved to rural Carmarthenshire 15 years ago and joined her local spinners and weavers group. “I jumped at the chance to learn these traditional skills and creating yarn from a raw fleece really appealed to my love of all things natural and making completely by hand,” she says. “I was hooked.” From here, Helen developed her passion into Nellie and Eve, named after her grandmothers. She spins from locally sourced fleeces, usually from the sheep grazing the fields surrounding her workshop. “Spinning wool into yarn is still my most favourite thing to do; it’s a gentle, mindful way to make something so versatile,” she says. She then dyes her yarn using natural materials collected from the garden and hedgerows or from the pantry.

Whether you want to take it to this level (and Helen is very convincing that it’s certainly worth a try), this cushion project is a great place to start for beginners, as well as offering more accomplished knitters the pleasure that comes with trying out something a bit different. Either way, the result should be a “super tactile, super friendly cushion” that you’ll want to hold onto.