Sixareen Cape

February 28, 2013 By Kate in design, Fair Isle, Kate Davies Designs, knitting, landscape, patterns, photography, Shetland, Shetland Wool Week, textiles, yarn Tags: design, fair isle, fairisle, Jamieson and Smith, Kate Davies, knitting, knitwear, Shetland, Shetland Heritage yarn, shetland wool, Shetland yarn, Sixareen Cape 65 Comments

While we were in the Highlands, we took the opportunity to photograph a design I’ve had ready for a while: the Sixareen Cape.

I started knitting this Fair Isle wrap last October. You may remember that at that time I’d just designed a hat especially for Shetland wool week (The Sixareen Kep) using Jamieson and Smith’s wonderful Shetland Heritage Yarn.

(Sixareen Kep at my Shetland Wool Week Workshop, modelled by Tania Ashton-Jones. Photo courtesy Charlotte Monckton)

Around that time, I was getting a lot of wear out of a circular wrap I’d purchased from Toast (which I am wearing in the photograph above). This wrap was a sort of deep tube with raglan shaping, and I was surprised at how versatile a thing it was. It was a scarf, a cowl, a snood, and very nearly a sweater. I wore it scrunched up inside a coat when I was outside walking Bruce, I wore it wrapped about me inside the house when I needed another layer, and I wore it thrown on over a suit jacket when a little extra warmth was required outside. I liked it so much that I decided to design my own version featuring a deep Fair Isle border of the same chart design I’d used for the Kep, which I’d been very pleased with. This was the result.

The border of the circularly-knit ‘cape’ features three repeats of the ‘kep’ chart. Its a design I’ve come across in several Shetland sources, and, if you look at it, you’ll see that it is an interestingly stretched-out and squashed incarnation of a traditional OXO motif. There are several things I find really pleasing about this chart. The background is unusually spacious for a Fair Isle motif (there are stretches of 7 stitches in some places), and there’s something about this space that allows the different shades to sing. Because of this, when repeated, the motif develops a shimmering near-kaleidoscopic quality, which I really love.

The heritage yarn is amazingly soft, and wonderful to work with. It is the perfect yarn for traditional Fair Isle, but it also has a marvelous drapey quality which makes it absolutely ideal for this kind of garment. The plain stockinette portion is knitted at a slightly looser gauge to enhance the drape, allowing the garment to be worn in several different ways.

It can be worn scrunched up, cowl-like around the neck . . .

Pulled forward, collar-like, around the shoulders . . .

Or pulled down, cape-like, around the torso . . .

Decreases are worked through the plain stockinette part of the garment in exactly the same way as the shaping of a raglan sweater.

. . . and the end result is a striking and versatile wrap that is also great at warding off chilly highland breezes.

These photographs were taken above Rannoch Moor on a truly beautiful evening.

The cape comes in seven sizes, with a circumference of 45″ to 59″. It is fitted by measuring the wearer’s total shoulder circumference, and it should be worn with at least 2 inches of positive ease, to allow the wearing of layers underneath. If you would prefer a deeper or shallower wrap, the length is easily adjusted following the instructions in the pattern.

The Sixareen Cape is now available to purchase digitally through Ravelry and you can also purchase the pattern in print, to be shipped directly to you, (wherever in the world you are) via my Mag Cloud store.

a taste of Northmavine

November 9, 2012 By Kate in Colours of Shetland, design, Kate Davies Designs, knitting, Shetland Tags: Colours of Shetland, design, Jamieson and Smith, Kate Davies, Kate Davies designs, knitting, Northmavine, Northmavine hap, Shetland, shetland wool 63 Comments

Quite a few of you have been asking about the design depicted in my site’s new header. As there’s not long to go now till my book is published, I thought I’d give you a bit more of a taste of it.

This is the Northmavine Hap.

It uses one of the most familiar and easy-to-knit Shetland openwork patterns. This pattern is perhaps most often used to add a decorative border to plain accessories and garments, but I love its simple waves and bold stripes so much that I had to feature it all over the design!

Something about the all-over nature of the combination of shaded stripes with openwork makes this hap feel quite fresh and contemporary, I think.

The construction isn’t particularly traditional either, and I suppose neither is the distinctive centre shaping . . .

. . . which is meant to echo the smooth scalloped edges of Shetland’s beautiful and famous neolithic knives.

You may remember that, back in May, I was knitting a gigantic swatch, inspired by the colours of sea and stones. I played around with every green and blue and grey in the Jamieson and Smith palette before settling on the parrticular combination I used here.

I am really pleased with the end result — the hap neatly mixes a number of traditional and contemporary elements and speaks really well to the Northmavine ‘colour story’ it is designed to be a part of.

To read more of that story, you’ll have to wait for my Colours of Shetland book . . .

(not long now! We are almost there!)

Shetland Wool Week in Pictures: part 3

October 21, 2012 By Kate in Shetland, Shetland Wool Week, wool, yarn Tags: Aamos Designs, Bonhoga Gallery, Donna Smith, Ella Gordon, Jane Outram, Nortower Lodges, Phat Sheep Textiles, Roxane Permar, Shetland, Shetland Arts, shetland wool, Shetland Wool Week, wool, yarn 27 Comments

where we stayed (I would heartily recommend it).

And the view from our window.

Shetland Times Bookshop, ready for Wool Week.

Delicious Fair Isle Cake, at the Heritage Yarn launch

Wonderful new yarn from Shetland Organics

Projection of Jo Jack’s work at the Bonhoga Gallery

Luminous Yarns

Jane Outram’s prize-winning tablet weaving at the Shetland Textile Museum.

Pressed-felt brooch by Donna Smith

Shetland Wool cushions by Ella Gordon

Phat Sheep Textiles

Handwoven pincushion from Aamos Designs

Nuff said.

Shetland Wool Week in pictures: part 1

October 16, 2012 By Kate in beasties, Shetland, wool, yarn Tags: Jamieson and Smith, oliver henry, sheep, Shetland, Shetland Flock Book, shetland sheep, shetland wool 43 Comments

Sheep on the hill . . .

. . . and at the marts.

Some fine boys . . .

. . . and my secret favourite.

Oliver Henry, Shetland Woolmeister . . .

. . . judging fine wool on the hoof . . .

. . . and off.

straight from the sheep . . .

. . . to the wool store

. . ready for sorting and grading.

real shetland competition and offer

January 13, 2012 By Kate in competition, Shetland, textiles Tags: bumper-sticker slogan competition, campaign for wool, competition, Real Shetland Company, Shetland, shetland wool, wool 9 Comments

Happy Friday, everyone! After the release of the rams & yowes blanket, this week really has been all about Shetland sheep and wool for me. And today I have a bit of Shetand woolly news for you:

In support of the Campaign for Wool, my friends at the Real Shetland Company have organised a competition for a new slogan to promote British Wool. The winning slogan will be printed up on bumper stickers, and distributed and used all over the UK. The slogan can be serious, humorous, bold or brash – - the only important thing is that it is catchy and memorable.

It is not the first time such a competition has been organised – you may have read the Wovember post I wrote about the International Wool Secretariat’s popular “There is no Substitute for Wool” campaign in the 1950s. . .

I am very fond of the ‘no substitute’ verses, but they are very much of their time – plus, an 8-line poem will not fit on a bumper sticker, so. . .

British Wool now needs a slogan to take it through the next decade!

The rules are simple: you can hail from any part of the world to enter the competition; you can enter as many times as you like – just let your woolly imaginations run riot and have a go!

The writer of the winning slogan will be invited to visit the world famous Haworth Scouring and Combing Company , to receive an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of all the processes that transform raw sheepy fleece into glorious wool. (If you are from outside the UK, then you will have to make your own way to Yorkshire to take the tour!) The winner will also receive a beautiful Shetland wool throw in a design of their choice from the Real Shetland Company.

To enter the competition, just send your slogan, together with your name and contact details to adam@realshetland.com.

Or you can send your entry by post to:
The Real Shetland Company
Campaign for Wool Bumper Sticker Competition
Huby Court
Harrogate Road
Huby, Leeds,
LS17 OEG
UK

The closing date for entries is January 31st – so you have two weeks to enter. The winner will be announced on the Campaign for Wool and Real Shetland Comapany websites in early February.

I am the proud owner of two of these Real Shetland throws and I absolutely love them. They showcase the range of beautiful, natural Shetland sheepy shades and their subtle designs are inspired by those historically used by the famous Shetland weavers, Thomas Adie & Sons, whose sample books can be seen in the Shetland Museum.

Even if you aren’t interested in entering the competition, The Real Shetland Company is offering my readers a 10% discount on all of its Shetland wool rugs and throws until the competition ends on January 31st. Just use the code TEXTISLES when checking out to receive the discount.

Good luck to all competition entrants!

worn

November 27, 2011 By Kate in darning, fairisle, History, knitting, textiles, wool, Wovember Tags: colourwork, darning, fairisle knitting, knitting, Shetland Museum, shetland wool, steeks, textile history, textiles, wool, wovember 78 Comments

The best things in my wardrobe are made of wool. Some of these are ‘vintage’ items that have worn incredibly well. I thought I’d show you one of my favourites today.

I picked up this hand-knitted cardigan second-hand. From its shape, patterns, buttons, and the kind of Shetland wool that was used to knit it, I reckon it dates from the 1940s. 70 years later, it is still in fantastic condition. The right side of the fabric has that slight sheen that Shetland hand-knits seem to develop after many years of wear. There is not a single pill to be seen.

The strands along the back of the fabric have felted ever-so-slightly. The work is incredibly fine and neat.

But this is not a pristine garment. It has been worn a lot. Where this is most evident is under the arms. Here, movement and friction have created areas of felting on the fabric’s right side.

It is also a garment that has been cared for. There is a place on the back of one elbow where an area of about two square inches has been repaired. The darner has taken great care to match the pattern. You can see that wool of a slightly paler-blue than the original has been used. Here is the darn from the wrong side . . .

. . . and here from the right side.

These are clearly the repairs of a seasoned darner. The stitches are perfectly made, the fabric perfectly stable. I do love to see good darning. One of the most moving hand-knits I have ever encountered is a Fair-Isle sweater now on permanent display in the Shetland Museum. It belonged to a local who spent much of WWII as a prisoner. He wore this sweater constantly, repairing and re-repairing the areas that suffered from wear. A powerful document of his interment, as well as his Shetland identity, this sweater really looks as much darned as it is knit. It is very beautiful. Next time I visit Shetland I’ll get a photograph for you.

Here is another repair conducted by the hand of an inexpert darner – ie me.

Not only is this an example of my second-rate mending, but you can also see how difficult it is to find contemporary yarn that is a good match for vintage palettes. The brown colour I’ve used to darn is a Shetland that is close in hue to the original, but it is a blend with flecks of green in it. Like all of the colours used on the original sweater, the rusty-brown shade is very flat and solid. This ‘flatness’ is one of the many things I find interesting about knitting wool from the 30s and 40s. Those marled, heathered, or tweedy effects that we might think of as being ‘traditional’ are really of relatively modern ilk.

I love the simple construction of this sweater. The button bands are so neatly done that I originally assumed they had been knitted at the same time as the colourwork. Had the knitter actually purled those stitches back-and-forth instead of working in the round?

No they hadn’t – but they had conducted a kind of knitterly magic when picking up the stitches. Each cut yarn-end on each row has been individually bound down and woven in. It is an incredibly nifty piece of work.

Impressive! But how had the knitter secured the steek before cutting? When I looked closely at the armhole steeks (similarly neat, and flat) I discovered more about her method.

Upon careful examination I discovered some tiny cotton thread ends showing that the steek had been hand-sewn before cutting. While the majority were removed when the steek was completed, a few of these stray cotton thread-ends actually still remain in the armhole joins, as you can see at the centre of this rather blurry photograph.

The work is so neat, so very carefully done, that there is no bulk at all — hardly a hint of anything resembling a join or ‘seam’.

The sweater has very little shaping: there are some decreases in the arms, and a narrowing at the waist created by the ribbing, but there is no underarm gusset, or setting-in-of sleeves. The sleeves are, in fact set in to the armholes totally squarely, as you can see here.

This squareness is probably one reason for the increased wear that the underarms have seen – but the totally un-tailored sleeve actually fits surprisingly nicely under the arms — not much excess fabric at all.

The cardigan is a good, neat fit on me. I love it, and love to wear it. I’ll keep admiring it, repairing it, wearing it, caring for it. Maybe under my proprietorship it will be able to see another several decades of wear — just as it did with its original owner.

news &c

November 25, 2011 By Kate in knitting, textiles, design, Shetland, Kate Davies, wool, Wovember Tags: knitting, Rachael Matthews, design, Kate Davies, shetland wool, shetland sheep, Shetland, Jamieson and Smith, blacker designs, Deb Robson, baa ram ewe, susan crawford, oliver henry, Spinning Shepherd 27 Comments

A miscellaneous post:

First, a reminder that there are only five days remaining for entries in the Wovember competition. You could win some amazing things! One grand woolly winner will be selected by our friends at Jamieson & Smith, and there are other great prizes too: Blacker Designs are offering three runners-up awards for the best photos of sheep, and the Wovember team will also be choosing three “3 bags full” winners for the entries that best capture the creative use of wool. Above you can see some of the contents of the “bags” – a selection of lovely British wool in appropriate colours!

Next, I don’t know if you have had a look at the Wovember blog recently, but if you pop over there you’ll find some great posts from our wonderful woolly guests. For example, in from Sheep to Skein, talented British designer Susan Crawford tells us about the development of Excelana, a superb new breed-specific wool. You can also hear Diane, the Spinning Shepherd, talk about her woolly year, see Deb Robson’s take on endangered sheep breeds, learn about the different meanings of wool from inspiring artists and makers, and read some truly beautiful woolly stories, such as Rachael Matthews account of Walter’s Crook. But I am particularly excited today, as our guest blogger is none other than Oliver Henry — world expert on Shetland wool! You can read Ooey Ollie’s account of what wool means to him here.

(Oliver Henry demonstrates sorting Shetland wool. Photo by Billy Fox.)

Finally, on a personal note, things have been quite busy round here. There’s apparently a discussion of my work in the latest issue of Vogue Knitting, and, (just as exciting) on the pages of the new Shetland sheep magazine. I’ve yet to see either, but several folk seem to have found me having encountered Sheep Heid in the latter publication, so a big welcome to all you Shetland sheepy folk. Also, I’m pleased to say that some of my patterns will soon be available on the shelves of several UK retailers. I’ll be “launching” my new range of printed patterns at Baa Ram Ewe in Leeds on December 3rd. Just pop along between 4 and 6 if you’d like to have a chat! I’m not exactly sure what a pattern launch usually involves, but I’m pleased to say that this one will also feature my Ma and my sister, and perhaps a mince pie or two.

If you are a UK retailer and are interested in stocking my patterns, then do get in touch with me at the email address you’ll find over here. Meanwhile, I am working on two new designs which, all going well, will appear next month. One takes my Shetland sheep obsession to new levels, featuring over a hundred of them, and the other is inspired by this:

more anon.

she swatch sea shells

May 27, 2011 By Kate in design, knitting, Scotland, Shetland Tags: barbara walker, cockleshell lace, design, Gladys Amedro, Jamieson and Smith, knitting, Shetland cockleshell, Shetland Lace, Shetland Museum, shetland wool, Shetland yarn, swatching 47 Comments

(photo by me, courtesy Shetland Amenity Trust)

I’ve been swatching sea shells on-and-off for a few months now. To explain: when I visited Shetland in January, I fell in love with this stole, shown to me by the wonderful Carol Christiansen at the Shetland Museum and Archives (it is seen here from the wrong side). The colours were probably not those I would have personally chosen, but just look at the pattern! There was garter stitch! Openwork! Undulating hues! An intriguing effect created with what appeared to be dropped stitches! What wasn’t to like? After a few days on Shetland I realised that this stole showcased a pattern that would be immediately familiar to any local knitter — the cockleshell. I’m sure most experienced Shetland knitters would describe the cockleshell as one of the simplest openwork repeats there is, and it seems to be the scarf pattern of choice for many a beginner who is getting to grips with lace. On Shetland, you can’t move for cockleshell lace — it is everywhere! What a place to be.

When one goes looking for it, the pattern is pretty much everywhere, too – you’ll find one variant or another in most stitch dictionaries and introductions to knitted lace. Barbara Walker has it listed as “grand shell, or hoopskirt” in her Second Treasury, and darkly warns “raw beginners” to “stay away from this one” (the dropped yarnovers, perhaps?)

It is also a curiously mercurial pattern that, when knitted in different types of yarn, produces startlingly different effects. Above is “Margaret’s cockleshell scarf” from Carol Noble and Margaret Peterson’s Knits from the North Sea, which is worked in quite a heavy 4 ply merino. But when knitted in fine Shetland laceweight, the pattern can be light, airy, and delicate. To get a sense of just how beautiful the pattern can be, take a look at this gorgeous example, knitted in Supreme 1ply by Sandra at Jamieson & Smith.

Some versions of the Shetland cockleshell open up the lace with fine yarn and double yarnovers, while others create an effect that, with single yarnovers and kfb increases, is more ‘closed’, lending itself better to coloured stripes. For my purposes, I was more interested in the second version, and began to swatch using the variant described in Glady’s Amedro’s Shetland Lace.

I tried a few different yarn weights . . .

. . .and colours . . .

I liked some swatches more than others, but I felt that the fabric was a little too ‘closed’ and that my shells just weren’t shell-y enough. I returned to the stole I’d originally admired in the Shetland Museum . . .

(photo by me, courtesy Shetland Amenity Trust)

The stole formed its shell with a greater number of dropped yarnovers than Amedro’s variant, and there seemed to be a little more space between repeats. I charted up my own variant, using the stole as a guide. I began swatching again. BINGO! This really looked much more balanced. It was at this point I discovered Fleegle’s no-purl-in-the-round garter stitch, and plans for a twist on the traditional cockleshell were properly afoot. Energy levels permitting (I’m not quite out of the woods yet – bah) I’ll show you the final results of my Shetland sea-shell swatching this weekend!

To be continued. . .

best fest

July 1, 2009 By Kate in beasties, Camping, craft, design, events, knitting, Lake District, landscape, textiles, yarn Tags: "The Fleece", ale, Artisan Threads, beer, bitter end, british sheep, british wool, Cockermouth, coloured sheep breeders, craft, Cumbria, festival, fleece, Garthenor Organics, Herdwick, John Dyer, knitting, Lake District, lamb, north ronaldsay, sheep, shetland sheep, shetland sheep society, shetland wool, spinning, summer, wool, Woolfest, woolfest 2009, yarn 10 Comments

There has been much talk over the past few days about the general handsomeness, and nobility of the ovine. Here is a supreme example. Just look at that marvellous phizog! So calm, so gentle, so self-contained, so . . .sheepy! I spent a long time admiring this fine herdwick at woolfest the other day, and find it hard to articulate for you quite how much I like him. He is a bit like woolfest itself, then, which has sort of left me lost for words.

It was the best fest because it was spent in the company of friends.

Felix & Monkl

Lara. (I failed to capture a corresponding morning-head-in-tent shot of Liz — seen below in her gorgeous hand-made halter-neck dress — crack of dawn does not capture how early she rose. . .)

From left to right: Sarah, Mel, Liz, Lara, Felix. . . and Frida Kahlo. Six great women, five great knitters (I don’t know about Frida).

Inside la fest there were so many people to meet, and I was particularly excited to run into Amanda and Lily, who was also sporting her paper dolls (Lily is absolutely lovely). It occurred to me after I’d seen her that the sweater I was wearing was made from yarn I’d got at last year’s woolfest: I acquired my bowmont braf from the man at bowmont braf. I was able to talk to him about the character of the breed, the properties of the wool, and the qualities of the finished garment it might produce. We also talked about the economic realities of small-scale yarn production, and the future of projects and flocks like his. I went away thinking about those questions, and inspired by both sheep and wool, designed and knit up my paper dolls sweater. These conversations are what makes woolfest so amazing.

(Shetland markings. Designed by Sue Russo and available from the Shetland Sheep Society)

The material and sensory impact of the interior of Mitchell’s livestock centre is completely overwhelming. Faced with all that bounty, its quite hard to stop oneself running around, shouting and cooing, squeezing yarn, fundling sheep, and throwing oneself at fleeces like a crazy lady. . . But I found an oasis of calm among the stands of the coloured sheep breeders, to whom I was repeatedly drawn. The proximity of the sheep themselves certainly had something to do with it, but I also really enjoyed chatting to the representatives of the different breed societies, particularly Joy Trotter, who keeps the Rivendell flock of Shetlands. After talking to Joy, I had a sort of moment concerning the sheer range of shades in the fleece of British sheep, and spent much of the rest of the day reflecting on this, and being inspired by these colours: the creamy blue-greys of the north ronaldsays, the choclatey browns of the jacobs, the soft, almost powdery ginger of the manx loghtans, and the breathtaking non-technicolour dreamcoat range of shetlands. These colours were everywhere: on the backs of lovely beasties, in the deft hands of spinners, in plump finished skeins of yarn, in beautiful knitted and woven items.

(Yes, that cake and those chocolates are fashioned from coloured Shetland. Delicious!)

It is fair to say that I am on a shetland roll right now, and that you will no doubt see and hear more of this in the coming months. If you are interested in quality natural-shade British shetland, I would warmly recommend getting it from Garthenor Organics. Chris King is such a thoughtful man who knows his wool, and this knowledge really tells in the finished skein. More of his yarn later, meanwhile, here is a picture of the only dyed stuff I took home:

I met the lovely folk from Artisan Threads last year when I was writing a piece in which they featured for Yarn Forward. Their sense of colour, and the feel they have for the process of natural dyeing is just fantastic. They have such a marvellous Autumnal palate, and I shall be doing something with their lovely muted shades this Autumn.

(Lara taking a fest-break with a swift pint of shandy — it was such a hot day!)

After the fest, we retired to the Bitter End in Cockermouth for some much-needed refreshment and de-briefing. Really, I can think of no better way to spend a Saturday evening than surrounded by yarn, in a good food-and-ale serving pub, in the company of friends, discussing the political economy of British wool. I will say it again: great women, great knitters. The excitements of the day were more than matched by a night full of stimulating conversation. When the menu came round, we all put our money where our mouth was, and chose lamb. I had such an amazing time and am still reeling and thinking — both about woolfest itself, and the conversations it provoked. I sort of feel like I spent the whole weekend following the narrative thread of John Dyer’s seminal 1757 Georgic The Fleece which traces the economic, political, material, and indeed intellectual journey of wool from the sheep’s back to the human’s. Perhaps I shall bore you with John Dyer — and the vexed question of how to produce poetry about “the care of sheep in tupping time” — on another occasion. But that’s me all fested out for now.

**Bee-bag competition winner will be announced shortly!**

Kate Davies Designs

Tag Archives: shetland wool