We all know those books that touch us on a deeper level, making a lasting impact on how we see the world. Cultivate: Knitting the Beauty of Nature is just that. A passion project between two friends — the British artist and knitwear designer Dee Hardwicke and Laine’s very own Jonna Helin — this book is one to swoon over. Dee and Jonna uniquely capture the world around them, bringing it to life through their knitwear designs. Cultivate is much more than just a collection of knitted scarves and garments — it is a celebration of the beauty of everyday simplicity through the art of knitting.

“Creativity is said to thrive in the shadows, to bloom in the darkness we long to escape. But perhaps it is nurtured in quiet moments between friends, in spaces where silence is not a void but a presence filled with possibility.”

Jonna Helin is the creative soul behind Laine Publishing, with 25 years of experience in the publishing industry. She creates knits that endure through time and style — pieces that are as easy to knit as they are to wear. Dee Hardwicke is a British artist, designer and knitter whose work is deeply inspired by Britain’s ever-changing landscapes and cottage gardens. Cultivate: Knitting the Beauty of Nature lives in the cross-section between these two beautiful creatives, offering combinations of the two directions in style, gifting us the discovery of something completely new and utterly stunning.

This impressive volume deserves a lot of attention, it is one of those very few but oh so important and much loved staple books that belong in any knitter’s library – a source of inspiration and a testament to the warm and deep friendships that our wonderful craft can help cultivate. With an impressive 20 piece pattern collection, the beauty is plentiful, to be soaked in for a long time to come. So, to give us all some room to fully appreciate these designs, we decided to split this yarn pairings post into two parts, please read on as we dive into the first 11 projects.

Publication Day for Cultivate: Knitting the Beauty of Nature is October 18th.

Achillea by Dee

A warm scrumptious hug of a wrap, featuring contrasting bundles of Achilleas resting on a two-toned background, framed with a contrast edging. Spruce up any basic outfit with a colour pop and bring sunshine to the darker months ahead. To maintain and enhance the beautiful relief effect between the motifs and the background, I would choose a yarn which holds a lot of lustre and that will bloom into those colourwork stitches, like the Black Elephant Wensleydale (100% Wensleydale Wool) or the Fyberspates Scrumptious (45% Silk / 55% Merino).

You need one contrast, and two base colours to complete your Achillea. In Scrumptious the quantities would add up to 1 hank in the contrast colour and 2 hanks in each of the base colours, working with the Wensleydale you’ll need the same.

Dreaming in the Park by Dee

A stranded dream wrap inspired by park-life, featuring rows of flowerbeds and allées on a neutral background. To make sure an even rhythm is achieved (which reflects in even stitches) I would choose a grippy more rustic yarn for this one like Hillesvåg Sølje (100% Norwegian Pelt Wool), though if you swear to ‘softer is better’ I would go with Hey Mama Wolf Mokosh (100% Merino d’Arles) which is less slippery as it is quite plump, still nothing is as soft as this magical French Merino breed.

The quantities you would need are: 2 hanks for the background and 1 hank of each two contrasting colours in Sølje, and 2 hanks for the background, 2 hanks for one contrast colour (dark) and 1 hank for the other (light) using Mokosh.

Butterfly Sampler by Dee

This light-as-a-feather wrap really gives tribute to its name, featuring embroidered motifs and an airy yarn with plenty of drape, the mind immediately manifests fluttering butterfly wings in wonderful colours. For a pure luxurious version I would indulge in Norne Yarn Luxury Cloud (42% Baby Alpaca, 35% Silk, 13% Fine Merino, 10% Yak), and for a more budget friendly option the Fyberspates Cumulus (74% Baby Suri Alpaca, 26% Silk) will provide a stunning result. Another idea is to use the Luxury Cloud for the base, and Cumulus for the embroidery.

You need two colours (that you will marl together) for the background, and three colours for the embroidered motifs. In Luxury Cloud that means one hank in each of the two colours for the base and one hank in each three embroidery colours, and in Cumulus you are looking at 3 balls in each of the base colours and one ball in each of the embroidery ones.

Clematis by Dee

Another light as air wrap to keep you cuddly and warm, where a two toned panel serves as the background for the beautiful climbing Clematis. Given the amount of colours needed for this stunning wrap, I would again choose the Fyberspates Cumulus which comes in 25g balls, thus keeping the costs down even though working with a truly divine fibre.

You would need 4 balls in each of the background colours, and then one ball in each of the 5 motif colours.

Frankie by Jonna

Meet the Frankie Dress, a simple but awe striking statement piece for your wardrobe. It is worked seamlessly from the top down, featuring a deep, flat-knit crew neck, then the body is made in the round, and the dress is finished with a neat I-cord edging. For the Frankie you use a DK weight yarn on 6mm needles which results in a quite loose knit with a lot of drape and flow adding to how wonderfully comfortable this dress is to wear.

I’ve got three favourites for this dress! For a super soft version I would use Hey Mama Wolf Mokosh or Pickles Mjuk Merino, for a bit more of hold and structure I would choose Fyberspates Vivacious DK, all of these are Merinos, but the Vivacious has a firmer tighter twist which will keep the shape more in check. Finished bust measurements for Frankie are: 40 (44.25, 48, 51.75, 56.5) (59, 64, 67.75, 72.5)” / 100 (110.5, 120, 129, 141.5) (147.5, 160, 169, 181.5)cm. So the quantities you are looking at will be for the Mokosh 3 (3, 3, 3, 4) (4, 5, 5, 5) hanks, for the Mjuk Merino 5 (6, 7, 8, 9) (9, 10, 11, 12) balls, and for the Vivacious DK 3 (4, 4, 4, 5) (5, 6, 6, 7).

Embroidered Achillea by Dee

Same, but different. This time the beautiful Achillea bundles are made embroidering the motifs onto your knitted fabric. Smaller handkerchief style neck warmers have taken the knitting world by storm, and this little beauty is a wonderful addition. Easy and lush to protect from that sneakily penetrating neck draft in style, adding a little colour and flair. For a somewhat poetic version I would love to see this one made up in the gorgeous natural shades of Fyberspates Vivacious Botanical 4ply held together with Fyberspates Cumulus, and for the embroidery I would go with the naturally dyed No.4 Minis from G-uld probably held double to give those embroidered stitches some oomph.

What you need is 2 hanks of Vivacious Botanical 4ply and 3 balls of Cumulus, then one hank in each 7 shades of No.4 Minis.

In the Wild by Dee

Another small project bringing a little everyday luxury into your life, admittedly I am such a fan of project like these as it has the potential of properly treating yourself, still you’re not going to end up breaking the bank. For In the Wild I would definitely choose Norne Yarn Luxury Cloud or Black Elephant Suri Cloud for my base, and again, since smaller quantities are needed for the embroidered motifs I would do those in Fyberspates Cumulus. You would need 2 hanks in either for the base, and then two embroidery colours one ball of each.

Albarn by Jonna

This relaxed drop-shoulder sweater is worked seamlessly from the top down, starting with a flat-knit yoke. Once the yoke is completed, the body and sleeves are worked in the round. Albarn is finished with an eye-catching turtleneck. For me there can be no other choice than Hillesvåg Blåne for this sweater, held with a strand of Fyberspates Cumulus to add halo and softening the more rustic textures.

Finished bust measurements for Albarn are: 46.5 (49.5, 52.75, 57.5, 60.5) (65.5, 68.75, 72, 75.25)” / 116 (124, 132, 144, 152) (164, 172, 180, 188) cm. So the quantities you are looking at will be for the Blåne 4 (5, 6, 7, 7) (8, 9, 10, 11) hanks, and for the Cumulus 4 (4, 5, 5, 6) (7, 7, 8, 9) balls.

Parterre by Dee

Made up of 16 knitted squares featuring each their embroidered motif, which you will then join together creating this piece of art! You’ll be working with a combination of 4 designs. Each square needs two base colours, for this I would choose CoopKnits Socks Yeah! in 8 colours, as one hank is enough to finish all 4 squares in each of the designs. For the embroidery I am once more returning to Fyberspates Cumulus – it is hard to beat that price point when less quantity, but many colours are needed, and in this case you need 6 colours. So 8 hanks of Socks Yeah! and 6 balls of Cumulus and the Parterre will be yours!

Sally by Jonna

Sally is worked seamlessly from the top down, beginning with a flat-knit V-neck yoke. After completing the raglan increases, the body and sleeves are worked in the round. The sweater is finished with a well-defined neckline, giving it a polished look. I know exactly what yarn to use for this design, in fact I am currently using it in two other jumper projects, and with the Sally I am now contemplating a third! The yarn I have in mind is Pickles Tjukk Merino!

Finished bust measurements for Sally are: 41.25 (44.5, 48, 51.5, 54.75) (59.5, 62.75, 66.75, 71.5)” / 103 (111.5, 120, 128.5, 137) (148.5, 157, 167, 178.5) cm. The quantities needed will then be 4 (4, 5, 5, 5) (5, 6, 6, 7) hanks.

Rose by Dee

This square wrap is knitted in one colour which then becomes the base for a strikingly bold embroidered rose motif. I think Rose would look absolutely stunning using the Black Elephant Wensleydale or Merino Singles, or Fyberspates Scrumptious. You need 2 hanks in any to complete the base piece. Now, for the embroidery you only need 12 meters in one colour and 20 meters in the other. Any 4ply / fingering yarn will do, so instead of buying two full hanks for that purpose, an idea is to rummage through your leftovers and stash. Using that stash yarn might even add some sentiment and / or fond memories to your project.