If you've ever held two balls of yarn together and thought "𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬?" — only to knit a whole swatch and find out they don't — this one's for you. I've built a 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 tool, and it's launching today as a 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝟰+ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 🎉 If you've reached Reading the Rows or beyond, this one's unlocked for you — and honestly, reaching Level 4 is no small thing, so consider this a little thank you for sticking with it and growing your skills with us - @Joy Green ⭐ @Auli Takala ⭐ @Claire Amelia ⭐ Here's how it works. You pick your two yarn colours using the colour wheels, tweak the sliders to match the depth and tone of your actual yarn, and the tool gives you three scores: 🔴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁 — how much the colours stand apart from each other visually 🎨 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 — whether the hues sit well together on the colour wheel ⚫ 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 — arguably the most important one for colour work That last one is the thing most knitters don't think about until it's too late. Two colours can look completely different in the ball but almost identical once they're knitted up — because they're the same 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩. The tool includes a greyscale preview for exactly this reason, so you can see what your pattern will look like to the eye before you commit. 🪄 It's not magic — nothing replaces swatching — but it gives you a really useful starting point, especially when you're choosing from a yarn stash and can't lay everything out side by side. 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿e Not at Level 4 yet? No problem at all — you'll find it waiting for you when you get there, and in the meantime keep liking and joining the conversation, that's exactly what gets you there. I'd love to know how you get on with it. Drop a comment below — have you ever been caught out by two colours that looked great together but didn't knit up the way you expected? 👇

After having to change a needle where I'd passed the lace carriage incorrectly and it got STUCK!, this is my first lace for years - kh881, Woolyknit 4ply, T8., card number 18m, 60 stitches, (30 on left and 30 on right of centre) . (Ignore the bottom pattern, it was a card I'd punched a few years ago)

Huge congratulations to @Auli Takala and @Joy Green, who've just levelled up — joining @Claire Amelia , who's been flying the flag at Level 4 for a while now (and no doubt cheering you both on as you caught up!). Getting here isn't about ticking a box. It's about showing up consistently — sharing your work, asking the questions, helping a fellow Maker when they're stuck, and just being genuinely part of this community. That's exactly what the three of you have been doing, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. Auli and Joy, welcome to the Level 4 Club. Claire, thank you for being such a steady presence while you waited for company! 😄 If you're newer here and wondering what it takes to climb — it really is this simple: turn up, be generous with what you know, keep knitting, keep asking. That's the whole secret. Congratulations to all three of you 🧶 Jan x

💫yes, celebrating level 3✨

This week, the Machine Knitting Hub officially opened its doors — and our very first Makers walked through them. I honestly couldn't be more thrilled. This community is something I've been dreaming about for a long time, and seeing it come to life (with you in it!) is a proper, full-on win for me. Now it's your turn. 👇 What's your win this week? 🔥 Big, small, or somewhere in between — it all counts. 👉 Drop it in the comments - A sentence, a few words, or even a GIF that says it all. Did you get outside? Sleep well? Browse knitting machines online? Tell us. There's no win too small in this community. We're here to cheer each other on. 🧶