Gigante Knits
The Gigante Journal

Big stitches, soft wool,
and honest advice.

Guides, yarn maths, and the honest version of how things get made. Written at the studio table, for anyone who fancies making something enormous.

Fresh from the studio
More from the journal
Six chunky knit cardigans side by side, from rainbow arcs and pink-and-yellow to sun-faded chevrons and colour blocks.
Studio stories

Six New Chunky Cardigan Kits for Autumn and Winter, and Where Each One Came From

6 min read
A blush-pink chunky knit gauge swatch on a white table with a tape measure running down it reading about 16 centimetres.
How-to & fixes

What Is Gauge in Knitting? The 16cm Swatch That Makes Your Chunky Cardigan Fit

8 min read
A thick multi-tonal roving being pulled apart into two strands, a web of fine fibres stretched between them
Studio stories

Splitting Unspun Wool for Chunky Knitting: The Good, the Bad and the Fluff

5 min read
Five 500g bundles of Gigante Wool roving stacked in warm autumn shades
Dear Gigante

Dear Gigante: "Why Don’t You Make Chunky Blankets?"

7 min read
A panel of European Union blue carrying its circle of twelve gold stars, beside a close-up of cornflower-blue Gigante Wool roving.
Our story

EU Friends, We Need to Talk: Why We’ve Paused Shipping to Europe

5 min read
A colour chart from a Gigante Knits pattern, with numbered rows of green, teal, brown and cream squares.
Start here

How to Read a Knitting Pattern When You’ve Never Used One

8 min read
Two jumbo beech wood circular knitting needles engraved 25.00 mm, beside balls of Gigante Wool.
How-to & fixes

What Size Needles for Chunky Wool? A Straight Answer by Yarn Weight

6 min read
Coco peeking out of her red pet stroller carrier, a hand holding open the mesh cover above her.
Our story

For Coco: Love Personified as a Dog

9 min read
A red, yellow, pink and purple chevron chunky-knit cardigan fully immersed in a basin of warm water for blocking.
How-to & fixes

To Block or Not to Block? The Honest Aftercare Method for a Chunky Cardigan

5 min read
The finished silver-grey merino-silk chunky mini bag with its white Gigante Knits label.
Studio stories

From Disaster to Unexpected Win: the Merino-Silk Saga

5 min read
Fernando Santos wearing The Sovereign, the cream-speckle and deep-red cardigan he made in his first year of knitting.
Our story

The Sovereign: The Cardigan I Made in My Hardest Year, Now Free

5 min read
Dear Gigante: "Why Don't You Just Use Acrylic Like Everyone Else?"
Dear Gigante

Dear Gigante: "Why Don’t You Just Use Acrylic Like Everyone Else?"

4 min read
Four balls of Gigante Wool oversized roving stacked by a window: soft blue, candy pink, pale sage green and warm mustard
How-to & fixes

How to Choose Colours for a Chunky Cardigan: the One Rule That Works

5 min read
Dear Gigante: Every Answer So Far
Dear Gigante

Dear Gigante: Every Answer So Far

1 min read
Dear Gigante: "Isn't Hope Macaulay Already Doing This?"
Dear Gigante

Dear Gigante: "Isn’t Hope Macaulay Already Doing This?"

5 min read
A ball of pastel chunky wool with a Star Seller thank-you tag
Studio stories

We’re Now an Etsy Star Seller

4 min read
Giant wooden knitting needles working a stitch in chunky multicolour wool
Wool notes

Is Chunky Knitting Real Knitting? Same Stitches, Different Skills

6 min read
Hands finger-knitting a chunky multicolour cardigan piece
How-to & fixes

What Finger Knitting Fans and Needle Knitters Both Get Wrong About Chunky Knits

7 min read
A 'from sketch to real life' panel: a flat colour-block cardigan design beside the finished chunky cardigan worn
Studio stories

From Sketch to Cardigan: How a Colour-Block Design Becomes Real

5 min read
A coil of hand-prepped Corriedale roving
Wool notes

Do Chunky Knits Pill? The Honest Answer, and How to Stop It

5 min read
A chunky-knit balloon sleeve worked in the round on a Gigante cardigan
How-to & fixes

The Invisible Trick Behind Those Giant Chunky Balloon Sleeves

5 min read
A Gigante Knits chunky-knit cardigan kit box with wool and needles
Make with us

The One Thing to Check Before Buying Any Chunky Knit Cardigan Kit

3 min read
A finished oversized lilac chunky-knit cardigan
Make with us

The First Decision That Makes or Breaks a Design-Your-Own Chunky Cardigan

6 min read
Balls of pastel Gigante Wool oversized roving
Yarn maths

The Chunky Wool Maths That Stops You Buying Too Many Balls (or Running Out Mid-Sleeve)

6 min read
Weaving a loose end into chunky-knit fabric
How-to & fixes

The Felting Trick That Stops Chunky Knit Ends Ever Popping Out Again

5 min read
A Gigante Knits chunky-knit kit box
Make with us

The Real Difference Between a Knitting Kit and a Handknit Cardigan (It Isn’t Just the Price)

5 min read
The long-tail cast-on in progress on a giant needle
How-to & fixes

The Cast-On That Decides Your Whole Chunky Cardigan Before Row One

4 min read
A chunky-knit handbag made from leftover Gigante wool in pink, blush and mustard
Studio stories

What Leftover Chunky Yarn Turns Into When You Refuse to Bin It

5 min read
A flat chunky-knit swatch showing the stitch edges
How-to & fixes

Why Does Chunky Knitting Curl at the Edges, and When to Leave It

5 min read
A bright multicolour chunky-knit cardigan
Start here

Can a Beginner Knit a Chunky Cardigan? Where to Start, Honestly

5 min read
The full range of Gigante chunky wool colours laid out together
Yarn maths

How Much Yarn for a Chunky Cardigan? The Honest Number, by Size

6 min read
Measuring a flat chunky-knit cardigan piece in multicolour wool
How-to & fixes

The Six Steps to Knitting a Chunky Cardigan (Only Two Are Hard)

7 min · video
A pile of chunky Corriedale wool balls in red, pink, yellow and blue
Wool notes

What Is Corriedale Wool? The Springy Fibre We Chose Over Merino

5 min read
The Real Reason Everyone’s Suddenly Obsessed With Chunky Knitting
Start here

The Real Reason Everyone’s Suddenly Obsessed With Chunky Knitting

3 min read
Fernando Santos, founder of Gigante Knits
Dear Gigante

Fernando answers your questions, honestly.

“Why don’t you make chunky blankets?”

A bed blanket is three to four cardigans of knitting. The arithmetic in square metres, what a handmade price actually contains, and the small winter pieces that really do work at this scale.

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