Twist It

There's a new British magazine in the shops. It's called Twist It and it caught my eye in the newsagent this week. I was looking for the latest issue of The Knitter so I could read the review of my book, Beaded Lace Knitting. Next to it was Twist It. And as I'm addicted to knitting magazines I bought a copy.

Twist It is published by Immediate Media who also publish The Knitter, Simply Knitting, Knit Today, Mollie Makes and many more craft magazines. According to the editor's column the first issue was published last year so I'm not sure if this is an annual issue or if it'll be more frequent.

The first thing I spotted was an interview with my friend, designer Tina Barrett. Tina lives near me in Cornwall and is such a fun and lovely person. She has had a huge variety of designs published in British magazines in the past 15 years and has written several books. She's designed garments for adults and children, toys and her latest focus is Cornish ganseys. Tina has recently started The Cornish Gansey Company which specialises in gansey patterns originating from Cornwall. She sells patterns and kits for gansey garments and accessories. She's also got a new book, Geometric Knitting, which I can't wait to get my hands on.

All the patterns in the book, as far as I can tell, have previously been published in a variety of publications but there is still a good variety of patterns. I like almost all of them but here are my favourites:

A shrug by Drops:

A Norwegian inspired sweater by Navia:

Norwegian inspired mittens by Sublime:

Twist It has 33 patterns which include garments for men and women, children, accessories, home wares and a bag. There are cables, texture, colourwork and lace. 

In my opinion, Twist It has a young vibe and the patterns are on trend. That doesn't mean it's just for younger knitters though. I think many knitters my age (mid-40s) and older will enjoy this magazine if they like knits that are on trend. As well as the 33 patterns there are also features and interviews with five designers including Tina Barrett, Kerry Lord and Jared Flood. There's also a feature on hats and a style section.

I really like this magazine and I'll definitely read it from cover to cover and I'll look out for the next issue. I was thinking about taking it on holiday next week but the problem with doing that is that I tend to leave magazines behind on holiday (especially knitting magazines so my Mum can read them as we're staying in their Spanish apartment) but I'd really like to keep this one. 

Twist It is in the newsagents now or you can buy it online.