i love knitstable

I visited Whitstable on a rainy Monday but it was definitely not miserable! I had unfortunately just missed the biennale, which was celebrated with many interesting exhibitions and events, but the hangover was evident, mostly in the many knitted and yarn based objects or 'graffiti' dotted around the streets.

my favourite was this pomflower, which I almost walked straight past.....!

The real reason for visiting was to see the shops on harbour st; frank and seaside sadie. Frank is a great little shop showcasing new and exciting designers with products such as handmade books, jewellery and artworks. Well worth a look at the shop or website.

Seaside Sadie is a small but perfectly formed yarn shop owned by the lovely Claudia, an expert knitter and feltmaker, who I met on my degree course. If you fancy felt-making workshops, handmade felted goods, the beautiful Kentish Aragon Yarns and more, head on over. Sadie is relatively new, so the website isn't up yet, but if you want to contact Claudia, email her; claudia@pokeyhat.plus.com.

(Keep an eye out here for news of my latest design in the aragon yarn......)

Love, love, love Colinette Jitterbug yarn.....

tidying up

trying hard to prevent my yarns and knitting from taking over my whole life, but I don't think it is working.....although, I have organised the cones in a rainbow, so at least it looks nice.....!

viktor and rolf

On Monday I went to the Viktor and Rolf exhibition at the Barbican museum. It was fabulous, I really recommend it. The centerpiece was a huge 3 storey dolls house containing exquisite porcelain dolls wearing intricately made miniture replicas of each full size outfit in the exhibition. Of course, the dolls were the icing on the cake for me - beautiful yet slightly eerie.
Before this exhibition, I had never fully appreciated the stunning and technically perfect collections of this duo, assuming that the conceptual side of their work was just gimmicky. It isn't. The Art concepts are well thought through and add to the work, not detract from it. And they have a beautiful website too, check it out....

can't stop lookin at my feet....

This week I started wearing the first pair of socks I have knitted and I must say I love them! They fit perfectly and are so comfortable. The gorgeous, vibrant Colinette Jitterbug yarn is such a stunning colour that I can't keep my eyes off them. I wanted to make use of the space dyed colours, so knitted them in a slip stitch pattern which holds stiches over a few rows. The flecks of dark colour, I feel, make the spikey nature of the stitch more prominent, which fits in with the tropical theme I had in mind. If you fancy knitting them yourself, the pattern will be in my forthcoming book, Knitters Palette.
Only trouble with them is, now I am addicted. I have since knitted one and a half pairs, both gifts, and have another two pairs planned for myself. When will I get any work done......?!

loverly yarn

This is a bit self indulgent, but I just loved the look of this tangled yarn as I unwound it....

cabbages and frocks

The weather was a bit gloomy on Saturday, but the rabbits and I had a lovely time showing some great kids how to knit at the Cabbages and Frocks market in Marylebone. It is a great little market, if you live close by you should try to visit one week. The stalls are an ecclectic mix of fashion, jewellery, food and other interesting bits. Loop and I may be there again in June for the Marylebone festival to teach the little 'uns for free and to sell our pretty wares, so keep an eye out under my classes section to check the date and cross your fingers for a bit of sun!

west dean spring weekend

Last weekend I was teaching at the lovely West Dean College in Sussex and spring had most definitely sprung; gorgeous little lambs were bounding over the fields, bluebells were blooming in carpets under the blossoming trees and a family of fluffy ducklings had taken up residence in the courtyard. Ah, bliss! The ladies on the course must have been inspired by all this new growth as they produced some beautiful pieces in bright spring colours and floral shapes.
I got a chance to experiment with some wire (above) which proved most effective, everybody who tried it agreed, if a little hard to work with. I am surprised we all managed to survive the weekend with our fingers and eyesight in tact, although there were a few yarn based injuries, including some rather strange bruised fingers....!

This is just some of the yarn and materials I brought to inspire:

and here are some examples of what was created: