With huge immediate uncertainties about the COVID pandemic and the unknown impact of BREXIT, I’m finding that time feels very strange at the moment. At the end of 2020, I felt burnt-out and dispirited, and had the unsettling simultaneous sensation of the year having dragged on and on, AND a big question around where all […]
Back to School
There’s a definite chill in the air; the conkers are starting to drop and, this morning, the soft smoky smell of a bonfire from a garden several houses down from ours filled me with the unmistakeable feelings of AUTUMN. My usual back-to-school feelings associated with this time of year feel more intense than in other […]
A profusion of glorious music
Something I’ve wanted to write about since I started editing my first online course, is the amazing music which I’ve used throughout the videos, all of which was created by one prolific, thoughtful and inventive musician: Rrrrrose (formerly Monplaisir)/Loyalty Freak Music. If you’ve ever listened to any of my podcasts you’ll know I approach the […]
Wild & Woolly Knit 15
Do you remember the Balance for Better Blanket project on which I collaborated with the amazing team at KDD & Co. last year? It was formally recognised by International Women’s Day as an example of best practice, and it’s one of my favourite projects to date because it speaks to friendship; collaboration; creativity; stranded colourwork; […]
I Love My Chickens
Yesterday we went for a big walk along the canal to one of my favourite spots, near Theale, but quite a few folk were out and about enjoying the fresh spring air and I confess it left me feeling rather anxious about leaving the house again today. So, instead of going for a Sunday walk, […]
KNITSONIK MIXTAPE #7: SONIK Balance For Better Blanket
This year in celebration of International Women’s Day, I decided to work on a SONIK accompaniment to the Balance for Better Blanket on which I collaborated last year with my amazing friends at KDD & Co. The result is a rather long and dense audio mix which blends readings of texts written by the women […]
A square for Wendy Carlos
A few weeks ago, my friend Kate and I shared the Square Share/Balance for Better Blanket project on which we worked earlier this year, together with all at team KDD&Co., to mark International Women’s Day, 2019. The blanket has been officially recognised as an example of best practice and I feel incredibly honoured to have […]
Classes at Vogue Knitting Live, Austin, Texas
Hello! If you follow me on Instagram you may know that last weekend I was at Vogue Knitting Live Intensive, held in Austin, Texas. I did two classes while there and thought you might like to hear about them. The first was Dive Into Dipped Stitches with Jeanette Sloan. If you know Jeanette’s work as […]
A square for Bobby Baker
I so enjoyed reading Kate’s account of designing a square for Adrienne Rich for our blanket. The poem she describes – An Atlas of The Difficult World – is one of many amazing works to which Kate introduced me through this project. If you are thinking about designing your own blanket with other people, I […]
Square Share
Towards the end of last summer my friend Kate of KDD & Co. visited me here in Reading so we could plan a collaborative project. Our idea was to design something together which would speak to our shared interests in the creative possibilities of stranded colourwork, and the textures of womens’ lives, history, and creativity. […]