Looking Forward To The Edinburgh Yarn Festival, pt 2

The second Edinburgh Yarn Festival is almost upon us. In part one I wrote a little bit about the first EYF and I touched upon some of the vendors I am really looking forward to seeing. I think it is time to write about what I'll be up to and then look out for part 3 in which I'll give you some tips on how to best navigate the festival!

I'll be teaching two classes, both fully booked: how to use beads in knitted projects (there are several methods that'll give you different results) and a continental knitting class. I've taught both classes before and they are so much fun to teach. The beading class usually has a lot of tiny beads rolling around and the continental class usually has people side-eyeing me as they try to make their hands do funny things.

I'll be appearing in the Podcast Lounge with Louise Scollay at 11am, Sunday morning. We'll be talking about the first day of EYF as well as catching up with all my news and I'll try my best to make The Scollay spill a few beans too. If you listened to Knit British episode 18, you know you can expect a lot of banter - but also some more thoughtful reflections.

I'll be at the Ca-BAA-ret on Saturday night - there will be door prizes galore, Felix Ford is performing and she'll host a woolly pub quiz together with Ysolda. I'm one of the defending pub quiz champions from Unwind Brighton, so bring it on!

And I think I might also be doing a signing session at some point (I need to find the email). Once the programme goes live, I'll have all the details for you and will be able to confirm things fully.

I'll be bringing my Byatt shawl and don't forget that if you wear a Byatt shawl to the Old Maiden Aunt stall, you get 10% off your purchase. Also, if you show up in a Byatt and you manage to grab a photo of yourself and me at EYF, you get a staggering 50% off my next Authors & Artists pattern. I'll also be bringing the Proserpine shawl pattern which is going into general release in the days leading up to EYF.

Phew.

I have been knitting a cardigan to wear at EYF. It's a bit of a cheat as it's actually not my own pattern, but I wanted to learn about different construction methods and didn't have time to grade an entire cardigan and launch it at EYF. So, I'm two rows of buttonband-knitting away from having finished Andi Satterlund's Hetty. It has been a super-quick knit and once I grasped the construction method, I was pretty much just away doing my own thing. I'm amazed that I've used just under 700 yards of worsted weight yarn to knit myself a cardigan. I'm not a petite lady.

(I'm tempted to start another EYF project, but that would just be madness! Right?)

Since I wrote my first post, several more vendors have been added. I simply won't have enough time to really go in depth with stall-browsing, so I have spent time making a (very short) list of new-to-me vendors I really want to see. I'm excited about Black Bat Rare Sheep Wool, SiideGarte, Whistlebare Yarns, and Susan Sharpe Ceramics. Obviously I'll have a good look at all the other stalls too and I cannot wait to see so many of my friends (I have a lot of hugs to hand out).

Will I see you at EYF? As these things can be a blur of faces, make sure to say who you are because I am rotten with names & faces (I remember knitwear though!). Many apologies - it's totally me and not you.

Counting down the days now..

Peer Reviews & Mentorships: Tips & Hints for Knitting Designers

  Recently I came across a claim that peer reviews and mentorships were unknown to most knitting designers. It was said that unless you were one of the lucky ones, you had no access to peer support and you were on your own. I am here to tell you that this is wrong. I am also here to tell you how you can get your own support network started along with some tips on how to navigate the waters.

• Be open about wanting to meet other designers. If you don't say you are interested, no-one will know!
• Be kind and open-minded in all your interactions. If you come across as hot-headed or impatient, other designers may feel they cannot approach you.
• Think about what you can bring to the table (and be honest with yourself).
• Reach out to others via social media, Ravelry or emails. You are not confined to your geographical location.
• Establish the practical aspects: will you set up a message board? arrange a Google hangout? Skype? How often will you check in?
• Remember: be pro-active, generous and kind.

• DO agree upon the outcome of any peer review before you get started. "I want to know what gaps you see in my portfolio"
• DO be honest with yourself about why you want to be mentored/interact with peers.
• DO turn any negative feedback into productive action points. "I see a lot of toe-up sock patterns; I'd love to see you try different construction methods!"
• DO be generous with your feedback and skill-sharing: "In my day job, I work in a non-profit and write a lot of applications. I think your magazine submissions can be sharpened up and I'll show you how." - "Great! I do a lot of photography, and I'd be happy to teach you how adjusting shutter speed can help you."
• DO be professional. If you receive some unexpected feedback ("I see a lot of toe-up sock patterns; I'd love to see you try different construction methods!") listen carefully and with an open mind.
• DO be supportive. If someone in your peer group experiences success, be the first to cheer alongside her.
• DO ask tough questions: "Where do you see yourself in five years? What steps do you need to take to get there?"
• DO introduce others to interesting opportunities: "I saw this call for cat-themed accessories. Alison, that is totally up your street"
• DO be honest about industry experiences: "Sarah, I think it's great that Unicorn Yarns  of Antarctica have approached you. LOVE their yarns! Just make sure you are happy with all the T&Cs. I had a tough time with them last year and want to make sure you know what you are doing!" or "Sarah, have fun working with Unicorn Yarns  of Antarctica. LOVE their yarns, and Jessica in the Head Office is great."
• DO your research.
• DO peer reviews regularly and check in with each other.

• DON'T participate in peer reviews, support groups or mentorships thinking everybody is out to scam you or steal your ideas.
• DON'T waste people's time. Nothing is more off-putting than spending a lot of time on helping someone out and getting a "LOL, this isn't even my day job, kthxbai!" in return.
• DON'T cold-approach people at trade shows. Shows are busy, everybody is tired & stressed, and even the nicest person can be startled by a full-on approach coming out of nowhere. Start off with an email, a PM, or a tweet.
• DON'T spend all your interactions on complaining or being negative. It is fine to raise worries or complaints, but always try to be pro-active and turn negatives into positive action points.
• DON'T be intimidated. Even super-successful people are just people.
• DON'T gossip. What is said at peer group stays at peer group.
• DON'T expect magic answers. Mentors and peers can help you analyse your portfolio or help you figure out your niche. They cannot make you successful overnight.
• DON'T be a bully. If negative feedback is unavoidable, make sure your criticism is constructive and relevant.
• DON'T seek answers just from knitting designers. Read the business section, borrow books on how to juggle a portfolio career, and ask other sectors smart questions.
• DON'T give up. If you don't find the right mix of people or if you fail to find a more experienced designer willing to mentor you, just keep trying.

Comments are always welcome and discussions are encouraged x

Ingenious Impressions at Glasgow Hunterian Art Gallery

Glasgow Hunterian Museum is currently hosting an exhibition on pre-1500 printed books, known as incunabula. In my previous academic incarnation, I used to work on the transition from manuscripts to printed books, so I was obviously thrilled to see this exhibition open in a local museum.  On Thursday I was lucky enough to catch a preview before going to a workshop the very next day. It is fair to say that the workshop turned out to be some of the best and most memorable hours of my life. I cannot thank Martin Andrews and Alan May enough for their generous sharing of all their knowledge and expertise.

Not only did I get to have a go at printing a page from the famous 42-line Gutenberg Bible, but I used a replica 15th C printing press built by Alan May for BBC's Stephen Fry & The Gutenberg Press programme (I recommend this programme - it was very well researched). May used several near-contemporary etchings and woodblock prints to reconstruct the press as no printing presses from the time has survived. I was very interested in an Albrecht Dürer etching showing a modified two-pull press which Alan May described as fundamentally flawed, yet utterly precise. Dürer is a fascinating figure, anyway, and I like the idea of him having fingers in a lot of pies!

Another highlight was getting to cast my own type(!) under careful supervision. May & Andrews went through the entire process of carving out a prototype (the very name!), showing us how to develop a matrix from a prototype, before starting to cast types. It was absolutely fantastic.

And dare I whisper that my next big collection actually has something to do with knowledge-making in Early Modern Europe? Much more on that when the time comes, but it's a huge thrill that this exhibition has opened up in Glasgow just as the next stage of research begins.

Ingenious Impressions at  Glasgow Hunterian Art Gallery runs from February 27 until June 21, 2015. Free Admission.

Weekend Bliss: A West Coast Knitting Retreat

This is beginning to be an annual thing. My good friends and I grabbed our current knitting projects, packed some food, and made our merry way to the West Coast of Scotland.

We had booked a little house with some magnificent views.

This is the view from my sea-front bedroom window. I could have stared at this all weekend long. Wait. I think that's actually what I ended up doing.

Watching the weather report like hawks, we decided to go for a walk on Saturday morning. I quickly decided to just ramble about on the nearby shore.

I really wasn't wearing the right shoes for rambling.

Later same day we realised we had made the right decision when .. what we know in Scotland as "weather" .. rolled in.

Huzzah for staying indoors with good friends. Some travelled quite far just to be part of our little group and it felt so special just to have to time to talk, work on crafty projects, and forget all about the outside world. I enjoyed the open fire and the assorted 1980s films we watched. I had never seen Labyrinth or Flash Gordon before. My life is definitely enriched.

The little house had some really fantastic needlework and upholstery. Whoever had lived there previously had loved needlework and had collected a nice variety of display items - including this sampler from 1844.

Sadly, by the time we were heading home, the weather had turned even worse and we caught the very last ferry back to the mainland.

We are already talking about next year's retreat but we think we might try to find somewhere on the mainland as some of my friends did not enjoy the choppy seas. But it is becoming an annual tradition and I am grateful. The beginning of the year is always a bit bleak as we wait for spring to arrive. The knitting retreat gives us all a boost when we need it the most.

Review: Defarge Does Shakespeare

I was asked by the lovely folks at Cooperative Press if I wanted a review copy of the forthcoming Defarge Does Shakespeare. As a former English Grad with a 'keen interest in knitting' (euphemism), I could not resist. So, just to make things clear, I was given my review copy for free because CP wanted to hear my thoughts. Once more unto the breach, dear friends!

Defarge Does Shakespeare is the third book in CP's Defarge series. The series features knitting patterns inspired by classic literature (and is named after a knitter in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities) and now the focus has landed on good, old Will Shakes.

The first thing that caught my eye was that the book is divided into Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies - just like the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays. It betrays a level of literary nerdery that I can only applaud. Each pattern is accompanied by an essay in which the designer writes about the play she has been working with and how the design developed. If you are unfamiliar with Shakespeare plays, or only know the really famous ones, then the essays are a great read. For me, the literary analyses were less interesting (I'm very tetchy about these things, sorry!) but I really enjoyed reading about the design processes.

Most of the 29 designs are accessories. Six sock patterns (all of them very strong; is a Madame Defarge Does Socks book forthcoming?), 15 other accessories, two home items, two baby items (including the very witty Exeunt, Pursued by Bear (reference) baby cardigan by Amy Tyszkiewicz), and three garments.

I particularly liked the Twelfth Night-inspired socks by Elizabeth Green Musselman called The Yellow-Gartered Dude Abides which are both fun to look at and also calls back very specifically - and wittily - to the text that inspired them. The socks have two different cuff options and they function amazingly well as a nudge-wink to historical costumes and as a 21st century knitting design. Kudos!

Another stand-out is the puntastic The Taming of the Shrug by Heather Ordover. Obviously inspired by The Taming of the Shrew, Heather's design is reversible so you can either be a flame (Katherine) or a leaf (Bianca). The shrug can also be knitted in two different weights - I always like when this is given as an option. The 'Bianca' option is especially appealing with its quirky lace edging. I have up-coming bridesmaid's duties and this shrug is now on the list of 'cover up them shoulders' options.

There is a lot to like about Defarge Does Shakespeare and you can spend a great deal of time digging through this book. Apart from the designers already mentioned, It has a really distinctive feel that is different to many other knitting books I have seen, and it is unashamedly nerdy about William Shakespeare. If you know a literature student who loves knitting small projects, DDS would make a very thoughtful gift.

Copenhagen Dreaming

I moved to Copenhagen in 1995 to start university. It was a hot July day, but my student hall kitchen had a fire escape from which you could watch the Tivoli Garden fireworks and the Vor Frelsers Kirke spire. I listened a lot to the Danish band Love Shop while I biked around town. I sat in cemeteries/parks reading the massive Victorian novels required for my coursework and met some of the best people I know in small cafes. Copenhagen remained my base as I travelled a lot from Norway, Sweden and Scotland to New Zealand. I always returned home to the fire escape and the best view in town. I graduated and bought a flat on the other side of town. I spent most of my time with friends in the Nørrebro and Vesterbro districts - and occasionally biked across my beloved Langebro (obligatory Love Shop link). I left Copenhagen for Glasgow in 2006, but Copenhagen is still home.

On Saturday night one of my oldest and dearest friends ran for his life in Inner Copenhagen. Without going into details, I am so very grateful that he is still alive and well. I have very mixed feelings about how the media narrative surrounding the incidents was set up from the get-go, how things were interpreted on the ground, the extent of the media coverage and what the probable aftermath in Danish politics will be. But, I don't write about politics on this blog and I have no intention of starting. I just feel very far away from a city I love so much and my friends who are all so very dear to me.

So, I'm (yet again) restarting my project of sharing beautiful things and celebrating all the things in life that matter to me.

This is my first "selfish" project in a very, very long time. I'm knitting the Hetty cardigan by Andi Satterlund in Cascade 220 (shade "Birch Heather"). I am hoping to complete it in time for the Edinburgh Yarn Festival. I chose Hetty because I love the silhouette but also because I wanted to learn more about a structured top-down construction. The pattern is fun to knit (though I freely admit rewriting it so it suits my brain) and the construction is interesting. I have four skeins of the yarn and I've opted for the L size (though it does look tiny and I should maybe have gone for the size up, but I trust Andi's sizing comments).

In other news, I released the second instalment of the Old Maiden Aunt/Karie Westermann 2015 Sock Club on Friday. The pattern is called Mad Larks and it is knitted in a gorgeous, rich and layered brown shade. The Byatt KAL is going great over in my group - please do join in! We are having great fun discussing colour options, how to customise Byatt and if anybody would freely admit to being a Hufflepuff!

Finally, I am exceptionally honoured to announce that The Island Wool Company has set up a Designer Collective and that I am one of the six designers involved. We are all very passionate about North Atlantic knitting traditions and we are huge fans of the yarns that the Island Wool Company works so hard to bring to a larger audience. I look forward to reinterpreting and communicating a very strong knitting heritage - one in which I am lucky to have a very small stake.

Beauty exists and I'll do my very best to keep bringing more beauty into this world.

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