knitting vintage

I have yet another new book out, this time one which is inspired heavily by fashions from the 20th Century, called Knitting Vintage. Here are a few pictures to give you a flavour!

west dean vintage knitting

Huge apologies for my lack of posting in February, but I have been unbelievably busy. Now a few of the pressures are off, I shall catch you up with everything I have been doing.

First, I spent a relaxing weekend in West Dean teaching a new class - adapting vintage knitting patterns - which is the perfect place to begin to learn how to design your own knitting patterns.

Had another great view from my room this time....

Sknitch

Last batch of piccies from 2010 - a trip to the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham to man the Kal Media stall. It was the coldest December I recall, we awoke in our B&B on the second day to a magical frosty countryside and the car thermometer showing a temperature of minus nine, but it looked amazing.

The main show was a real disappointment - loads of screaming girls and cheap, boring clothes, it was a real homage to fast fashion and a homogenised high street, all very depressing for a craftsperson and hand maker. The Sknitch section, dedicated to the hand made side of fashion, was a sight for sore eyes amongst all the mass produced tat. Other exhibitors were Cloth Kits, the UK Handknitting Association, Josy Rose and lots of other inspiring businesses.

I managed to max out the credit card at The Eternal Maker, a shop I had been meaning to visit in Chichester since a friend from West Dean had recommended it, so I was over the moon to see the stall right next door to ours.

I could easily have bought up the entire stand but in the end I settled for as much as my tiny suitcase could carry home.

I indulged in a fabulous Oliver + S pattern, for a friend expecting a baby girl next month - I had wanted to buy one of their fabulous patterns for ages, but had not had a reason to myself, but a gift -why, that feels as good as spending money on myself, if not better!

For myself I bought some fabulous cute baby buttons in the shape of clouds and raindrops and an extra long tape measure - very handy indeed, and comes in a tidy little tin - great news for a messy crafter like me. I also bought a great array of fabrics in some of the prettiest and most quirky, fun designs I have ever seen. Lots were Japanese made, along with some of the buttons available, which added to the quirkiness and originality of the stock. You just cannot buy anything like most of their stock anywhere else in the UK.

I also enjoyed a catch up with Susan Crawford. You can see her eloquent and likeminded thoughts on the Clothes Show at her blog, Just call me Ruby. I was excited to find out that she is bringing out a vintage inspired crochet book - just what the crochet world needs, as there are so very few good quality crochet books around. She has also launched some fabulous kits - if you like vintage knitting, you should search them out.

vintage at goodwood

Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the Vintage at Goodwood festival to teach a few workshops and soak up the atmosphere, which was slightly damp at times, unfortunately for my sandals!

But when the sun shone, the Sussex countryside was glorious and the vintage style surroundings were great fun.

Here are some pics, if you didn't get the chance to go this year, book up for next, it was lovely! Although make sure you dress up - I made the mistake of thinking it was a typical festival and (shock! horror!) forgot my heels!!

alice's knitted dress and cardi set

I am a very lucky girl; not only have I got to spend a lot of time recently with a fabulous bunch of folk at Northwood Community Artreach, but one of them has gifted me the most beautiful children's clothes. Alice wore this knitted set wen she was a child, as you can see in the adorable picture below. It is the softest yellow wool with chocolate brown Fair Isle edgings and would look as fabulous on a child today as it does on Alice as a little girl.


The set was hand knitted for Alice by her grandmother, Cecilie (what a beautiful name) who was of scandinavian origins - hence the neat tension and simple yet striking colourwork detailing. Cecile is pictured below, right, next to a photo of Alice with her mother, Inger, a very smart and stylish lady if ever I saw one! These ladies knew how to dress, and how to dress their little ones.


I am determined to use this dress to make a replica in modern yarns so that others can dress their little girls in this style, as I think it is a warm, practical and beautiful way to clothe children and I wish there were more patterns and clothing available like this today.
Any ideas on the colourway I should knit it would be greatly appreciated. I love the yellow and brown, but want to make something a little more contemporary. Perhaps a pale blue with blood organge red contrast? Or olive green with pale pink? Oh, I could go on and on...

Thank you so much Alice for sharing these with me, I shall treasure them.

More pictures soon of what the talented folk of Northwood have been working on, and hopefully of my version of the Alice dress.

Vintage Knits for Modern Babies

Following on from this week's theme of children's knitting, I was pleased to finally see Hadley Fierlinger of She's Crafty's new book Vintage Knits for Modern Babies in the flesh. Loop are now stocking it and I was excited to see my own recommendation on the back cover.

I still stand by my thoughts that it is a charming and somehow familiar book with pretty patterns and lovely photography. Here are some pictures from it to prove my point.

I love vintage knitting patterns, and I did use them as an inspiration for my own Easy Baby Knits. Hadley's book is not only full of vintage inspired patterns but also vintage inspired pictures, including pretty pastel knitting needle shots; collecting vintage needles being yet another of my obsessions.

in a twist

At long last I can tell you about the secret project which has been bubbling away since early this year...I have a pattern in the latest issue of the fantastic online magazine Twist Collective! For those of you who haven't heard of it (where have you been for the last year?!) it is a knitting magazine with a difference, trying to support its designers more fully than any other publication, with a percentage of the fee from each individual pattern sold going to the designer.

The journey to today's publication began way back in January, when I received the initial mood boards from Twist. One of the themes was vintage inspired and I immediately thought of a sweater I have wanted to knit for ages, but had never had the time to bring to life. I had made this sketch while watching a favourite film, Bell, Book and Candle, starring two of my favourite hollywood stars, Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. It is my interpretation of a sweater Novak wears in the film; I have always found her wardrobe in it is spectacularly dramatic and inspirational, as her character is a mysterious witch who falls in love with Stewart's more human form. With design already sorted, I did some swatching for the woven look trims and sent off a my board, complete with swatches, and luckily the Twist folk liked the idea as much as I did.

From there it was all systems go and in March we struggled over choosing a yarn which would do the sweater justice, while also creating a satisfyingly swift knit. Eventually Frog Tree Merino Melange 2ply was chosen, a beautiful worsted weight yarn in one of my of the moment shades, a soft rust red, as opposed to the scarlet of the original film.

The yarn eventually arrived from over the seas after a scarily long time and I began work in April, with a tight deadline to keep to get it back to Canada by May. This led to a few weeks tied to a cold sofa with only daytime T.V. and my woolen blanket and slippers for company! Luckily the yarn was a dream to work with and aside from having to re-knit the neckline many times to get the shape I wanted, it was a really enjoyable process.

I originally envisaged a soft, cosy and quick knit, with a big fifties kick and while throughout the deisgn process Novak has evolved, I am very pleased with the finished product. The simple structure and retro silhouette are very me and therefore before the sweater went on its round the world trip, I could not resist having a fun trying on session, imitating those elegantly eccentric poses of the many old knitting patterns I have from the era. The yarn is beautiful, giving a sumptuous drape and unbelievably light and cosy fabric and Twist Collective have made it shine with the fifties styling. So, the only downside to the whole affair is that I won't be able to wear it this winter, as Novak is still touring the world, enjoying its fame and freedom!

There are some gorgeous patterns in Fall's Twist, so if you need a new project or want to read some interesting stitch related articles this Autumn, make sure you get over there and support one of the many talented small designers.