Frequently Asked Questions

Do you sell or otherwise distribute your customers' personal information such as names, street and e-mail addresses?

Uh-uh. No. Never. Absolutely not. This information is strictly held between us and our customers.


Why do you only sell Amazing Threads' Knitting Design Patterns in kit form? I would like to buy the pattern(s) separately.

There are a couple of reasons. Firstly, quality control. Our customer base is far-flung and long distance support is difficult under the best of circumstances. When other yarn than that we designed the product to use is employed, we have little chance of helping you with your problems.

Secondly, we're tiny; we're no Random House. You would be shocked to discover how much money it costs to develop, test, publish, and distribute a knitting pattern. Were we to try to recoup these costs through pattern sales, we'd never succeed.

Therefore we cannot, under any circumstances, sell patterns separately. We hate saying no, so please don't ask.


Several of your patterns specify the "make one" or "M1" increase. What is it?

Many of our knitting patterns take advantage of Elizabeth Zimmermann's M1 increase. As a result, we get lots of inquiries as to how it is done. It's simplicity itself.

The following is a brief extract from Elizabeth's Knitting Without Tears a basic manual for any passionate knitter. Order it from Amazing Threads!

"There are many ways to increase, but I find myself almost invariably using one which is not too widely recognized, namely, Make one (M1). This is quite simply achieved by putting a firm backward loop over the right needle (A). The result is the same as that accomplished by picking up the running thread between the stitches and knitting into the back of it (twisting it), which produces the effect of the stitch having been made a row sooner. I think my way is faster, and anyway I like it, and I'm used to it. It is the best increase for pairing that I know, as it is a totally separate stitch, made independently of any other and standing all by itself between its neighbors. If you are a perfectionist, you may make a loop as above for the first increase of a pair, and then reverse it for the second (B) -- then your shaping will be absolutely symmetrical. But this is, as I said, sheer perfectionism. Try it out and see if you think it is worth it."

Knitting Without Tears, Copyright © 1971, Elizabeth Zimmermann, Scribners