In Her Soft Wind I Will Whisper

Lady on the left? My great-grandmother. She would have been ninety-eight today. The photo was taken in the early 1950s outside her cottage and she is with two of her sons, K and T.

I have several photos of her; my other favourite is from the 1930s when she was approached by a travelling salesman who wanted her to become a hair model. I presume she shot him one of her withering glances. The photo shows her with long, gorgeous hair. I was told it was chestnut-coloured. The photo is black/white.

I was lucky enough to grow up around her. She looked after me when I was pre-kindergarten and I spent most of my school holidays in her cottage. Her cottage did not have running water until I was maybe seven or eight and never got central heating. I can still envision her sitting in her chair in front of the kerosene-fuelled stove. She'd knit long garter stitch strips from yarn scraps and sew them into blankets. I think she was the one who taught me to knit. She was certainly the one who taught me how to skip rope.

Happy birthday, momse. We may not always have seen eye to eye, but we loved and understood each other. And I still miss you.

Title comes from this beautiful farewell song (youtube link). Post reposted from 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 with Momse's age amended. I continue to miss her.

A Few Announcements

Public service announcement #1: my Eyre Shawl pattern is now available from p/hop. It's "free" in the sense that you donate what you think it is worth to p/hop (which is a fundraiser for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders). I donated Eyre after reading about MSF's work in the aftermath of the Philippines typhoon. More than 14 million people have been affected by the Typohoon Haiyan hitting the country in November; more than 4 million people were left homeless; several million people have seen their livelihoods severely affected; and nearly 5,000 people lost their lives with many more still missing. In the face of such devastation, donating a shawl pattern felt like such a small, insignificant thing but hopefully it will make a difference.

Public service announcement #2: the long-awaited Vedbaek shawl pattern from the Doggerland collection is close to being released. I'm waiting on some final bouts of tech-editing right now. I've been asked what yarn people will need for this project. Personally I used nearly 750 yards of beautifully bouncy 4ply from The Island Wool Company.

Public service announcement # 3:An amazing event is taking place in Brighton, UK this summer: Unwind Brighton - 12-13 July 2014.

The line-up of teachers is unbelievable: Veera Välimäki, Ysolda, Carol Feller, Bristol Ivy, Rachel Coopey, Kirsten Kapur, Ann Kingston, Olga Buraya-Kefelian, Woolly Wormhead and .. er .. me.

I’m teaching three classes: Knitting with Beads on Friday, July 11 + Continental Knitting on Saturday, July 12 + Beginning Crochet For Knitters on Sunday, July 13. All classes are half-day classes and cost £50. Find out more about booking classes here. The marketplace is going to be equally fabulous - it’ll take place on Saturday and Sunday and hosts some of the most sought-after indie dyers in the UK and abroad. The entire event looks set to take over the arty, bohemian “London by the Sea” and it is organised by Dani Sunshine of Lionessknits.

You can keep up with news and info about classes/events/marketplace on the Unwind blog. There is also a Ravelry group for all your plan-making needs

I am super-excited about the line-up and the whole “let’s chill out in Brighton by the sea, oh yes” thing. It feels like this could well be the new Knit Nation: a cornucopia of UK-dwelling designers & yarnies + international names. People are already booking flights frm all over the place - I know Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and Scottish knitters who are all coming. Will you join us?

The Picycle Shawl - Designing for Baa Ram Ewe's Bespoke Collection

The cat is out of the bag. Meet the Picycle shawl which I designed in Rowan Kidsilk Haze for Baa Ram Ewe's The Bespoke Collection.

I want to write a bit about the design process because even though my name is on the design, the whole process was all about teamwork and having a great group of people supporting you.

Verity of Baa Ram Ewe commissioned the shawl and gave me a very cool and tight moodboard to work with. I outlined my initial thoughts for a design that would combine lace and bicycles - Verity was super-responsive and playful. We decided upon doing a Pi shawl Elizabeth Zimmermann-style.

The Pi Shawl construction is genius - with just 6 or 7 strategically placed increase numbers, most of the circular shawl is actually a blank slate upon which you can place your lace motifs and patterns. For a designer, this sense of "blankness" is fairly irresistible and the temptation to go overboard is always there.

I spent a lot of time taking away elements and trying to nail the essential elements. Eventually I ended up with a central bicycle spokes/wheel motif and a recurrent bicycle wheel running out the outer border. I am a big fan of early 20th century art and the design brief made me think of Umberto Boccioni's studies for Dynamism of a Cyclist, so I really wanted to capture the idea of dynamism, of perpetual movement, within the shawl. With this in mind, I designed an asymmetrical mountain range which gave this essential sense of movement to the shawl. The outside border also denotes speed with its small oblong shapes - the shapes are not circular but are forever moving onwards.

Italian Futurism. You wouldn't know the influence was there unless you knew where and how to look for it.

And then teamwork ensued.

Nicky came on board and proved an enthusiastic, perceptive tester with a lot of great suggestions (the outside border would be very different without her input). Elly was a great sounding board for technical conundrums. Rachel remains one of the best technical editors I know. Ashley is a very smart lady who pulled things together like nobody's business. And Verity, of course. Each of those ladies made a huge contribution to my pattern and it is all the better for it (and it even comes as a half-circle! I nearly forgot to mention that) . It feels a bit wrong to have just my name on it when it was a team effort in every sense. A huge thank you to everyone involved.

The Bespoke Collection features a lot of great designs - I am honoured to be included along such names as Ann Kingstone, Sarah Hatton and Rachel Coopey. Ann's Woodrup cardigan with its fanciful little bicycles on the yoke is one of my favourites and Rachel's Frame mitts are incredibly clever.

Bespoke is currently on pre-order from Baa Ram Ewe (any orders will arrive towards the end of this month) and will be available to buy from Rowan stockists this spring.

Wow. That's one way to start 2014, isn't it?

QALong 2014 - What Is It?

John Lennon once said that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. As a teenager I thought the quote so mind-blowing that I wrote it in everybody's yearbook when we graduated from secondary school. Nowadays I'd change it slightly: life is what happens when you are busy looking in other directions. To wit: I have apparently started a quilt-along in 2014 without meaning to do so. Amazing.

Some back-story, first. A close family member of mine announced over the holidays that she is expecting a baby. It was an unexpected announcement but one that was incredibly cheering.My mind immediately went to "what can I make?" - a knitting project was decided upon and some yarn was bought (this happens occasionally).

Then, I found a metre of kids' fabric on sale. The colour was pleasingly gender neutral and it had a lot of happy zoo animals on it. Oooh! Educational and non-nauseatingly cute! I knew the fabric would be perfect for a baby quilt but when I came home, I realised I have only made one quilt in my entire life and I would not have the amazing Bronwen at my side to lend moral support during the making of the quilt.

Bronwen used to run quilting classes at my local craft shop. I went on her beginners' course a few years back and she was the best. She was patient, fun, and incredibly knowledgeable about patchwork and quilting. I knew that if I stood any chance of making a second quilt ( for lo! I have made but one in my entire life), I'd need Bronwen to be there. I am not incompetent nor am I bad at sewing - I just panic easily whenever a rotary cutter is involved!

Thankfully Bronwen is on Twitter, heard my lament and she suggested a casual quilt-along starting this spring. Bronwen wanted to finish a couple of WIPs and would I care to join her? Before I knew what happened about ten or eleven people had joined us.

Would you like to join us too?

#QAlong is mainly going to run on Twitter. Starting March, we'll have a monthly* informal show & tell/chat/support group night on Twitter.(*possibly more often depending on how it goes!)

There is NO set pattern, NO set fabric, NO set timeline (other than it'll really kick off in March), and NO skill level required. 

We have experienced people on-board and we have complete beginners (like me) on-board. #QALong is about having fun with no pressure and no rules. You work at your own pace with your own chosen project - but with the added bonus of having a virtual quilting group at your disposal!

Bronwen has agreed to answer a few of my questions here on Fourth Edition. We'll talk fabric choices, how to deal with rotary cutters, and how to choose a pattern that suits your skill level.

There is NO sign-up for #QALong either - that's all part of the whole idea. However, if you do have questions for Bronwen (or anybody else - I can help with colour selection, for instance), do leave a comment and your question will be included in one of the help posts here and we'll also discuss on Twitter. 

I am personally a bit daunted by the thought of doing a quilt but I cannot wait to get started.

2013: My Year in Knitting

If 2012 was my year of 'throwing out the oughts', 2013 was my year of discovering what happens when I try to 'do what I love doing'. And the answer? A lot of things happen.

The Edinburgh Yarn Festival was an early highlight for me. I was teaching a class and also helped Ms Old Maiden Aunt on her stall. I met a lot of fantastic people; most importantly I met a lot of you lovely blog readers (hello!) but I was also happy to meet fellow industry people. Working in the knitting industry can feel almost isolated at times so events like EYF are fantastic for meeting "colleagues". And a huge thank you to L. for bringing me breakfast at 2pm!

I also went to Woolfest in Cumbria at the beginning of June and the PomPom Magazine PopUp Xmas Party in December. Again, meeting a lot of great people and marvelling at people's creativity and talents.

2013 was the year of working crazily hard.

+ I published Gatsby Hat, Gatsby Mitts, Eyre Shawl, Botanical Gardens Shawl, the Kilsyth scarf and Chinese Kites in Knit Now magazine.

+ the Doggerland collection was launched: Ronaes, Hoxne, Gillean Hat, Gillean Wristwarmers and Ythan were all released this year. Three more to come in 2014, phew.

+ I also found time to do a limited edition kit, the Tenement Tiles gloves, with Ms Old Maiden Aunt.

+ I also worked on several other designs that are yet to be published.

+ I also did a nice amount of teaching, copy editing, tech editing, and knitterly translations throughout the year as well as keeping up with my part-time job as a design consultant for a well-known UK yarn company.

(Note to self: this is why you needed a holiday in December!)

Selfish knitting? There was a tiny bit.

+ I discovered how much I love fair-isle by knitting the Orkney & Bute cardigans (both from Rowan 52). Neither are finished at this stage but I loved every single stitch.

+ I finished the Stevie cardigan by Sarah Hatton. I absolutely love it and it became my go-to cardigan immediately. I'd love to knit another one. I also knitted Sarah's Edith shawl in one of my favourite shades of Rowan Kidsilk Haze.

+ I am currently knitting the Castiel hat by Woolly Wormhead in some yarn I bought in Copenhagen. It's a nice, easy pattern that's great for when my head's tired and I need some comfort knitting.

2013 saw a lot of patterns that I loved on sight but haven't had time to knit.

+ Blanche Too by Susan Crawford made it to my queue the minute I saw it. It is a classic jumper with those tiny Susan-touches that just makes it stand out. It's next on my needles. + Cinnamon Girl Cardigan by Amy Christoffers. It's the shape of the garment that makes this cardigan such a stand-out for me. It is a contemporary take on the classic Aran cardigan - and how much do I love the reverse stocking stitch sleeves? + Rock Candy Pullover by Talitha Kuomi is the quitessential Karie jumper. It is a classic shape but has clever touches and details that make it special. + Happy Triangles by Kiyomi Burgin is one pattern I'll probably never make but it is so perfect for right here & now that it is ridiculous.

So. 2014? It will look quite a bit like 2013, I imagine.

I have things on my desk right now that I need to sign off by end of next week. I am back doing things with Glasgow University in early 2014. Doggerland will be wrapped up (and how I will miss it) and a new big project launched. More patterns will be released. I will be teaching classes - and I'll probably get all stressed out by mid-June!

However, Sarah has issued me with two challenges. Can I design a pair of socks? Can I design a garment? Of course I can.

2013 was insanely busy, so I do need to work on my work-life balance, but it has also been very rewarding on a personal level.

I think I have finally found my feet and I have a better understanding what I have to say as a designer. I have also met some really amazing people along the way and I certainly leave this year feeling stronger and happier as a result. It has been rough along the way but it has been worth it.

Thank you for 2013. Godt nytår - happy new year.

Seasonal Greetings

2013 was an odd year for me. It started out in spectacular fashion with the Edinburgh Yarn Fest and the year never slowed down for me. In years to come I think I'll look back upon 2013 with much more clarity than I am able to muster right now.

I took some time off recently. I went to London for work purposes and ended up at the Pom Pom Magazine's Pop-Up Xmas Party. It was an appropriate book-end to my year - sipping festive G&Ts with knitting friends and us trying to make sense of it all. I am not sure that we managed to do so but the cheese board was excellent. Onwards to Denmark where I visited family before spending five days in lovely Copenhagen (where I took the photo of the florists on Kultorvet). I spent time with close friends and relaxed for the first time in almost a year.

And now I am back in Glasgow and it is Christmas. 2013 is almost at an end. What an odd year. So brilliant in so many ways and so spectacularly different from everything I had imagined.

Seasonal greetings to you - no matter who you are, where you are, and how/if you choose to celebrate the next few days.