Inspired by Islay

Oa my!

Kate’s favourite outdoor pullover gets an Oa-verhaul

remembering the Tuscania

By: Kate Davies Designs February 5, 2018February 5, 2018

Inspired by Islay, IslayInspired by Islay, Islay, knitting, the oa, tuscania, ww10054 Comments

Killeyan beach is one of my favourite Islay spots, and last year it was also the location in which we photographed one of my all-time favourite designs – the Oa hoody. Killeyan’s spectacular rock stacks and formations overlook the sea. It is a wonderful place for a solitary wander with only the occasional wild goat…

fabulous projects

By: Kate Davies Designs May 10, 2017May 10, 2017

fairisle, Inspired by Islay, knitters, knittingamazing knitters, Buachaille, design, Inspired by Islay, knitters, knitting20 Comments

Inspired by Islay was released a couple of months ago, and it has been making me very happy to see so many new projects from the book springing up on Ravelry, and so many beautiful garments appearing. As you know, I particularly enjoy designing and knitting colourwork, and The Oa is one of my favourite…

Rainbow shades

It’s the final week of the Inspired by Islay club, and we’ve released the final group of patterns. This grouping is is inspired by the beautiful Rhinns of Islay, where the fast-moving skies are never the same from one moment to the next, and are frequently lit up by rainbows. Each of the patterns in…

Oa 2

By: Kate Davies Designs February 9, 2017February 9, 2017

colour, fairisle, knitters, knitting, landscape, photography, Scotland, textilesBuachaille Etive Mòr, colour, design, Glen Etive, Inspired by Islay, knitting, the oa, The Oa Hoody64 Comments

Morning! As we are well ahead of ourselves with the preparation of the Inspired by Islay book, Tom and I took yesterday afternoon off and went out to Glen Etive. On the way I got Tom to stop above the Bridge of Orchy, so I could take some photos of his Oa Hoody — I…

Designing the Ardmore gansey

I can’t believe we are in the ninth week of the Inspired by Islay club! I’ve spent such a long time with these designs, and the thoughts about these designs, and it is very satisfying to finally send them out into the world. One of the things I rather miss is writing more about process.…

An Islay trio

By: Kate Davies Designs December 30, 2016

Inspired by Islay, Islay, knittingdesign, Finlaggan, Inspired by Islay, Islay, knitting, lord of the isles, somerled21 Comments

I’m having such fun with our Islay club! I’ve been working on these ideas and designs for so long it feels fantastic to finally share them. The first three designs from the collection are a trio inspired by Finlaggan (Islay’s ancient administrative centre), each of which has different celebratory associations. The first pattern is the…

The Inspired by Islay club

By: Kate Davies Designs November 19, 2016September 18, 2020

inspiration, Inspired by Islay, Islay, Kate Davies, Kate Davies Designs, knittingclub, Hebrides, Inspired by Islay, Islay, Kate Davies, knitting, landscape, Tom Barr, Whisky, Wildlife61 Comments

The Inspired by Islay club is now open for pre-order! I’m really excited to finally be able to share this project, which has occupied the majority of my knitting and designing year thus far. If you have been wondering about the distinct lack of knitting content around here recently, it is because all of the…

our current projects

Thanks so much for your feedback on yesterday’s poll! I found the results really interesting and illuminating, but also somewhat troubling, as I wasn’t completely sure that all respondents had a full sense of what Shetland Oo is actually about. We are currently working on two projects. The first, Shetland Oo, marks an interesting departure for us as…