KDD is a small company
founded by Kate Davies, and based in Kintyre, Scotland
At the age of 36, Kate had a stroke and had to give up her academic job. While learning to live with the effects of her stroke, Kate drew on her skills to transform her love of knitting into a business that could support her.
She established a tiny one-woman publishing enterprise.
Kate created iconic designs, enjoyed by knitters around the world . . .
. . .and published books which considered knitting within broader social and cultural contexts.
When the business began to grow, Kate invested her profits into manufacturing new Scottish hand-knitting yarns . . .
…and invited her friend Mel and partner Tom to join her.
With their help, KDD went from one-woman show to successful small business.
Kate and Tom got married. . .
. . .and KDD flourished.
KDD is now a busy small team…
Kate Davies (KD)
Ideas woman
Tom Barr
Photography
Maylin Scott
Customer service
Kate Cryle (KC)
Yarn wrangler
Kendall Wilson
Trade enquiries
Claire Leach
Ravelry group
BOB
loves balls and bananas
BRAN
enjoys gardening
. . . and Kate and Tom run the business from their old watermill by the Mull of Kintyre
Pic Peter Devlin
KDD is the proud recipient of many industry accolades
UK Microbusiness of the Year award (2016)
Business Women Scotland digital marketing award (2018)
Scottish Business and Product Innovation award (2018)
British Craft Awards blog of the year (2019)
International Women’s Day Best Practice Award (2019)
Above: a blanket celebrating the lives and work of 30 diverse creative women, designed and knitted by the KDD team with friend Felicity Ford. The blanket received a best practice award from International Women’s Day.
Below: Kate addressing the Scottish Federation of Small Business with Nicola Sturgeon.
“KDD is a small business, but its size does not detract from its firm commitment to gender equality and wider issues of diversity”
International Women’s Day
CEO, Greenprint
KDD is a business that began as a tiny enterprise in difficult circumstances, but which has grown with the help of our wonderful friends and customers around the world.
An awful lot has changed in the creative industries over the years, but with your support we continue to thrive.
Whether it’s a pullover, a picture or a poem, at KDD we will always make our work with playfulness, thoughtfulness, and heart.
Thank you.
Get in touch
Community
Meet your knitting comrades and chat about your projects in our friendly Ravelry group. There’s a thread to say hello, and Claire is there to help with any questions.
Customer service
If you need help while knitting, check our Ravelry group, where many FAQ are covered. For other queries, contact Maylin at help@katedaviesdesigns.com
Trade
If you are a bookshop or yarn store and would like to become an approved retailer of our titles, please contact Kendall: wholesale@katedaviesdesigns.com
Press
For press enquiries: help@katedaviesdesigns.com