Knit Now Issue 45: Your Complete Guide to the March 2015 Collection

There is something genuinely special about flipping through a back issue of a beloved knitting magazine and rediscovering patterns that feel as fresh and wearable today as they did when they were first published. Knit Now Issue 45, released in March 2015, was one of those editions that captured a particular moment in knitting culture — a time when the crafting community was embracing everything from cosy everyday wearables to show-stopping statement pieces. Whether you are hunting down this specific issue to complete your collection, trying to track down a pattern you remember seeing years ago, or simply curious about what made this edition worth picking up, this guide walks you through everything you need to know.

Knit Now has long been considered one of the UK’s most accessible and inspiring knitting magazines, striking a careful balance between beginner-friendly projects and designs that challenge more experienced knitters to push their skills forward. Issue 45 was no exception to that tradition.

What Made Knit Now Issue 45 Stand Out

Published in March 2015, this issue arrived at the perfect time of year — that transitional period between winter and spring when knitters are finishing up their heavy woolly projects and beginning to think about lighter yarns, brighter colours, and garments suited to unpredictable weather. British spring being what it is, the March 2015 issue threaded a lovely needle between the two seasons, offering designs that felt warm enough for a chilly morning but fresh enough to carry you into April and beyond.

The editorial direction of Knit Now always leaned toward practicality without sacrificing beauty. Patterns in the magazine were known for being well-tested, clearly written, and accompanied by helpful tutorials and technique guides that made them genuinely usable for knitters at a range of skill levels. Issue 45 carried on that tradition with a collection of projects that ranged from accessories to full garments, with something for every style and skill level represented across its pages.

One of the things that set this particular issue apart from some of its contemporaries was the care taken with yarn choices. The patterns inside were designed with widely available yarns in mind, so readers in the UK could walk into their local yarn shop or order online with confidence that the materials would not be difficult to source. This was a conscious editorial decision that readers consistently praised, because nothing is more frustrating than falling in love with a pattern only to discover the yarn it calls for is discontinued or impossible to find outside of a single specialist retailer.

The Knitting Patterns Inside Issue 45

While a complete stitch-by-stitch breakdown of every pattern in the magazine is beyond the scope of a single article, it is worth painting a picture of the kinds of designs readers could expect to find inside.

Knitwear in early 2015 was deeply influenced by a renewed appreciation for texture. Cables, bobbles, and intricate stitch patterns were enjoying a renaissance, partly fuelled by the growing popularity of Scandinavian and Icelandic knitting aesthetics that had begun to permeate mainstream fashion several years earlier and had firmly embedded themselves in the crafting consciousness by the time this issue went to press. Knit Now Issue 45 reflected these trends thoughtfully, incorporating textured designs without abandoning the cleaner, more minimalist silhouettes that many knitters preferred.

Accessories were well-represented, as they always are in the pages of Knit Now. Hats, cowls, mittens, and scarves are perpetually popular project types for very good reason — they are achievable in a reasonable amount of time, they make wonderful gifts, and they allow knitters to experiment with new techniques without committing months of work to a single garment. The accessory patterns in Issue 45 gave readers opportunities to try out new stitch combinations in manageable quantities before deciding whether to take on a larger project using similar techniques.

Garment patterns in the issue followed the trends of the time toward wearable, relaxed silhouettes. The oversized sweater had been growing in popularity for several years, and by March 2015 it was firmly established as a wardrobe staple rather than a trend piece. Patterns that offered straightforward construction with interesting detail work in the yoke or hem allowed knitters to create garments that looked polished and intentional without requiring highly advanced technical skill.

Children’s patterns also featured, as they regularly did in Knit Now. Knitting for children has always been a beloved corner of the craft, combining practical usefulness with the particular joy of making something for a small person who will actually wear it out into the world. The children’s designs in this issue were characterful without being garish, the kind of things that look wonderful in photographs but are also robust enough to survive the rigours of actual childhood.

Techniques and Tutorials in the March 2015 Issue

Beyond the patterns themselves, Knit Now consistently delivered value through its educational content, and Issue 45 was well-stocked with the kind of technique guidance that helped readers level up their skills alongside their project count.

One area the magazine frequently explored was finishing. It sounds unglamorous, but finishing is genuinely one of the most important skills a knitter can develop, and it is also one of the areas where many self-taught knitters have the largest gaps in their knowledge. Seaming, blocking, picking up stitches cleanly along an edge, grafting the toe of a sock — these are the skills that separate a handmade garment that looks homemade from one that looks truly professional. Knit Now’s tutorials in this department were consistently praised for being clear, well-illustrated, and pitched at a level that respected the reader’s intelligence without assuming prior knowledge.

Yarn advice was another regular feature. Understanding yarn weights, fibre content, and how different materials behave during knitting and after washing is genuinely important practical knowledge, and Knit Now covered these topics with the kind of down-to-earth clarity that readers found genuinely useful rather than academic. For knitters looking to substitute yarns in a pattern — always a common necessity — this kind of guidance was invaluable.

The magazine also regularly featured content about reading and understanding patterns, which might seem overly basic but was consistently one of the most appreciated sections among readers. Knitting patterns use a specialised shorthand that can seem impenetrable to beginners and occasionally ambiguous even to experienced knitters, and having a trusted source that could decode the conventions and explain the reasoning behind standard pattern writing made a real difference to readers’ ability to tackle new designs confidently.

The Knit Now Community in 2015

To understand why an issue like this one mattered to so many people, it helps to understand the knitting community of 2015 and the role that magazines like Knit Now played within it.

By 2015, the craft knitting revival that had begun in the early 2000s was fully mature. Knitting had shed its image as an old-fashioned pastime for grandmothers and had re-established itself as a thoroughly modern craft embraced by people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Ravelry, the online platform for knitters and crocheters, had been growing for several years and had created a genuinely global community of crafters who shared projects, discussed techniques, and recommended patterns and yarns to one another across international borders.

In this environment, print magazines occupied an interesting and valuable niche. While free patterns were increasingly available online and digital content was growing rapidly, there remained a substantial audience of knitters who valued the curated, physical experience of a magazine. Knit Now understood its audience well in this regard. The magazine felt considered and personal in a way that a website cannot always replicate — the editorial voice was consistent, the design choices were coherent, and the experience of sitting down with a new issue felt like a genuine pleasure rather than a chore.

The March 2015 issue would have landed on doorsteps and newsagent shelves at a time when many knitters were active on social media platforms like Instagram, which had by that point become an important space for sharing works in progress and finished objects. The hashtag culture around knitting was well-established, and patterns from magazines like Knit Now were regularly shared, discussed, and celebrated on these platforms. This created a feedback loop that benefited both the magazine and its readers — seeing other people’s finished versions of a pattern you are considering always helps you make more informed choices, and the community energy around popular designs made the experience of knitting them feel more connected and less solitary.

Finding and Buying Knit Now Issue 45 Today

If you are reading this because you are actively looking to get your hands on a copy of Knit Now Issue 45, you have a few options worth exploring.

Back issues of knitting magazines retain a dedicated market among collectors and enthusiastic crafters. Physical copies of Issue 45 can sometimes be found through second-hand book platforms, online auction sites, and specialist second-hand magazine retailers. The key is patience and persistence — back issues of popular craft magazines circulate regularly, and if you are not in a hurry you are likely to find a copy at a reasonable price.

Digital access is worth investigating if you are primarily interested in the patterns rather than the physical magazine. Knit Now has at various times made back issues available through digital subscription platforms, and it is worth checking current availability through official channels, as this kind of access changes over time.

If you are tracking down a specific pattern from this issue rather than the whole magazine, it is worth checking Ravelry, where many patterns originally published in print magazines are also available for individual purchase or sometimes listed as part of designer portfolios. Reaching out to the original designers directly through their websites or social media can also be fruitful — independent designers who contributed to the magazine sometimes sell their patterns through platforms like Ravelry or their own websites.

Why Back Issues of Knit Now Are Worth Collecting

There is a broader case to be made for the value of collecting print knitting magazines beyond simple nostalgia, and Knit Now back issues make a particularly good argument for it.

Good patterns do not expire. A well-written, well-constructed pattern from 2015 is just as workable in 2025 as it was when it was published, and in many cases the designs from that era have held up extremely well from a style perspective too. The knitwear trends of the mid-2010s — textured yoke sweaters, simple but sophisticated accessories, wearable colour combinations — have all continued to feel relevant, partly because they were rooted in classic silhouettes rather than purely of-the-moment fashion choices.

There is also a sustainability argument. Seeking out existing copies of a magazine rather than always buying new is a modest but meaningful form of resource efficiency, and within crafting communities where sustainability is increasingly valued, this kind of approach has real appeal.

Practically speaking, a physical magazine gives you something that digital formats still struggle to fully replicate. You can open it flat on a table next to your knitting, scribble notes in the margins, fold down corners, and return to it without a battery or a screen. For many knitters, this is still the preferred way to work with patterns, and a well-organised collection of back issues serves as a genuinely useful personal reference library.

The Legacy of Knit Now

Knit Now magazine, over the course of its publication history, became something genuinely meaningful within the British crafting community. It was not the only knitting magazine on the market — it competed alongside titles like Simply Knitting and The Knitter, each of which carved out its own distinct identity — but Knit Now developed a loyal readership that appreciated its particular combination of accessible projects, clear instruction, and warm editorial voice.

Issue 45 was part of a strong run of editions in the magazine’s middle years, when the editorial team had found its stride and was consistently producing content that felt both relevant and lasting. Looking back at it now, it reads as a document of a specific and rather rich moment in British knitting culture — a time when the craft was genuinely thriving, when community around knitting was growing and deepening, and when the simple act of casting on a new project felt like participation in something larger than just a personal hobby.

Whether you are a long-time subscriber revisiting a favourite issue, a newer knitter curious about what the knitting world looked like a decade ago, or someone hunting down a specific pattern you half-remember from a waiting room copy years back, Knit Now Issue 45 has something to offer you. It is the kind of magazine issue that repays attention — flip through it slowly, read the tutorials as well as the patterns, and you will find more there than you expected.

Final Thoughts

Knit Now Issue 45 from March 2015 represents the kind of craft publishing that the knitting community genuinely values: practical, inspiring, beautifully presented, and rooted in a real understanding of what knitters actually need and want from a magazine. Its patterns spanned a range of skill levels and project types, its tutorials offered genuine educational value, and its editorial approach consistently treated readers as capable, thoughtful people rather than a passive audience to be sold to.

If you have been looking for this issue, it is well worth the effort of tracking down. And if you already have a copy gathering dust on a shelf somewhere, it might be time to pull it out again — you may find that the patterns inside have been waiting patiently for exactly the right moment to be cast on.