Tag: Edinburgh

  • Katherine Emtage at Concrete Wardrobe

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    On Saturday evening, Mel and I popped in to the opening of the Spring collection at Concrete Wardrobe. I can’t believe I’ve not mentioned Concrete Wardrobe here before. It is certainly the best place in Edinburgh, and probably the best place in Scotland, to discover all kinds of original things both beautiful and useful from…

  • green. and white. and pink. and blue

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    If you are wondering why I’ve not mentioned our allotment, this is because I was hoping that ‘the situation’ that has unfolded around the allotment would have resolved itself by now. This is ‘the situation’: basically the allotment man at the council managed to double book our plot, and it was assigned to someone else.…

  • gaugain again

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    (Dean Cemetery) Just to say that my Edinburgh walk “In the steps of Jane Gaugain”, is now live over at Twist Collective. Discover centuries of knitting heritage while you stomp about the city! There is a map linked to the walk, which you can download (for handy reference). It has arrows, and everything.

  • knitter 66

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    Those who’ve read it might remember that the plot of Jane Austen’s Persuasion turns on Mrs Smith: Anne Elliot’s former schoolmate who, widowed after an unfortunate marriage, has fallen on hard times. Mrs Smith’s difficulties are compounded by physical pain: Austen describes her as an “invalid,” who is clearly suffering from what today we’d call…

  • a parliament of owls . . . and a competition

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    I promise this will be the last owl-related post . . at least for a while . . . but I just had to show you this version of the sweater, made and worn with great style and aplomb by my friend Kate B, who, along with Hannah, was one of the pattern’s original test…

  • meadwinter

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    (dawn on mead mountain) To say this was the most exciting Christmas morning I’ve had since I was around six years old is no exaggeration. We arose at first light and walked all the way across Edinburgh — to ascend Mead Mountain. The streets were quiet, the air was still, and the whole city felt…

  • Henry Moore Textiles

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    It has been a very busy week! But one of its real highlights was visiting the newly refurbished Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh with my friend Melanie, and seeing their superb exhibition of Henry Moore’s textiles. Looking at his designs, and the 1940s upholstery and clothing fashioned from them, I got about as excited as I’ve…

  • Cold Harbour Mill

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    One of the highlights of my fun weekend with Felix was a trip to Cold Harbour Mill. I am writing at greater length about what a fantastic place it is to visit in a feature I am producing for Rowan (look out for it in 2009, folks!). But there is one point about just why…

  • captive

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    (captivated visitors at Edinburgh Zoo) I am ambivalent about zoos. I imagine I feel the same way as many people: I love looking at animals, but I have an innate dislike of seeing them in captivity. The only zoo I have visited as an adult was the biodome in Montreal, about five years ago. I…

  • belle’s summer quilt

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    The quilt is finished! To recap: The quilt-top is made out of twelve of Belle’s stripey t-shirts, cut up and pieced together; I used an old blue sheet for the quilt back and one layer of light cotton batting. I tried various methods of hand-quilting the top, but didn’t like the way the stitches interfered…

  • wee project

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    I recently found a reasonably priced copy of a very interesting book This is the first volume of Jane Gaugain’s Lady’s Assistant, in the 1842 edition. I have been intrigued by Gaugain for a while. I read about her a few years ago in Richard Rutt’s History of Handknitting as well as, more recently, in…

  • birdie

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    I almost fell off the not-buying-clothing wagon — I purchased fabric and notions in a kit, which one cuts out and sews at home. Does this count? Nearly, but not quite, I reckon. Anyway, said kit came from Clothkits. I remember the original Clothkits very clearly from when I was a kid. Ma made a…

  • Annie’s room

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    If you’ll excuse some trumpet-blowin for a moment, I have a piece in the current issue of Selvedge about the doll-art of Tabitha Moses. I find Tabitha’s work incredibly suggestive for many reasons, especially her thoughtful engagement with stitch as both process and mark. I urge anyone who’s interested to have a look at the…

  • view

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    Kate Davies Designs
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    A quick post from a flying visit. My sister came to Edinburgh this afternoon, and I took a couple of hours off to walk with her up Arthur’s Seat. Here she is enjoying some hilltop knitting. …check her out twisting cables in the wind and everything! Go Hells! Among my sister’s many talents are the…