I remember when Sandra Coney’s book Standing in the Sunshine was published in 1993. An illustrated book, it celebrated the social history of New Zealand women in the 100 years following 1893. The significance of that date was of course New Zealand women won the right to vote. At the time, I was a young mum of three growing children, …
DESIGN
They arrived! I hate sending parcels overseas as I am always worried that the parcels will get lost in transit. So, it was a huge relief when Rose sent me a photo of herself wearing the hat and scarf I designed and knitted especially for her. The sunshine yellow is definitely Rose’s colour. She looks amazing. Rose’s scarf and hat …
Designing and knitting Rose’s scarf and hat has been a real joy. Rose, who lives in New Hampshire, USA is a very special friend and I decided to knit the scarf and hat as a Christmas present for her as winter in NH can be incredibly cold. Yellow is Rose’s favourite colour – and the yellow yarn I chose will …
Did you know scarves have been worn since ancient times? I certainly didn’t. According to Wikipedia, the 9th century BC Statue of Ashurnasirpal 11 is wearing a shawl and, in Ancient Rome, men wore what was known as a Focale to wipe sweat from their faces during hot summers. In the reign of Emperor Cheng, cloth scarves were used as …
It is finished! Skyline Rose is the first cardigan completed using Touch Yarns wool. It is an 8 ply Merino, soft and lovely to work with. The pattern will be available via my Ravelry page in the next couple of weeks.
Earlier this year I wrote a post about lace knitting Diamond and Lace. I had, until that time never attempted a lace-based project as the whole knitting lacey garments scared me. As I said in that post: ‘The silly thing about this aversion to lace knitting is I am, and always have been, drawn to the craft in a big …
Craftsmanship: The quality of design and work shown in something made by hand; artistry. I have chosen The English Oxford Living Dictionary meaning of the word craftsmanship or as in my case, craftswomanship, as it resonates with what I am striving to do and be: A professional designer who designs and knits quality knitwear. It is now close to 18 …
In my last post I introduced a new yarn: 100% NZ merino by Touch Yarn from Otago, New Zealand. Since then, my samples of this yarn have been swatched, knitted up numerous times and, using different sized needles, have been stretched, ripped back, knitted up again, washed and blocked. In short, the yarn has been put thoroughly through its paces. …
In all my years as a knitter never have I attempted a ‘lace’ based project. For some reason, knitting lacey garments scared me. I could nail the hardest of cable knitting, create Fair Isle patterns with my eyes closed but show me a lace pattern and I would just freeze. The silly thing about this aversion to lace knitting is …
Recently, granddad Pete and I spent the week looking after Manaia, his big brother, Jackson, Rocky the Rottweiler and Piper the cat for a week while their parents enjoyed a short holiday in Fiji. The week was very busy with child related activities – the school run, soccer, karate practise and swimming. I had forgotten just how quickly the day …