unleash the power of inspiration...

                                         unleash the power of inspiration...

I have had the pleasure of being able to work with some terrific indie dyers which include; Lorna's Laces, Indigodragonfly, Tanis Fiber Arts, Blue Moon Fibers, and The Plucky Knitter. Above are some examples of my work that use their yarns ( please click on the photo & the link icon for pattern sources). They are some of the patterns that I am most proud of. I think this is because when working collaboratively with another artist it seems to bring out the best of each of our talents and that produces something really special!


I hope that you enjoy the photos - this month from my collection of yarn / knit related festive displays.


 See you next month!       

Fiona xxxx


Season of Light (& Shade)
My latest design Parapet is featured in the winter issue of Twist Collective and is worked in a gorgeous SweetGeorgia hand dyed yarn. But if I go back a few years I have to admit that I didn't work with hand dyed or hand painted yarns a great deal.


The main reason for this was because the ones that were really popular at the time tended to be multi-coloured. Although I found them really beautiful to look at, when they were knit up they fought big-time with the type of stitch work that I enjoy designing. They produced what I call “Christmas tree effect” – on a Christmas tree you are probably aiming for a "more is more" look. But in most of what we wear I find that "over the top" look way too busy. The colours overwhelm the patterning and you end up losing the definition of the intricate stitches that you have worked so hard to create. Although I did make a few small projects like scarves and mittens for myself (because I find the yarns very pretty), I ended up thinking that they weren’t really for me work-wise and I sort of dismissed them.


Then indie dyers started producing much more subtle tone-on-tone colourways. I still felt like they might fight with the cables that I’m so fond of, so didn’t really give them much thought. But then one of the best things that happens as a designer occurred, I was sent samples to try out. As I swatched with these subtly shaded colours I discovered that not only did they not fight with the patterning, they actually enhanced the cables.

Cable patterns by their very nature produce really interesting effects of light and shade. The combination of the different textures means that light bounces off the fabric differently in each area highlighting the three dimensional aspect of the stitches. It is one of the things that I find most visually appealing about cable work. Similarly the talented dyers that I have worked with produce enticing effects of pale & dark within their yarns. So I found that when I combined these yarns with my cables it added an extra dimension of visual texture to the patterning that produced an even more beautiful effect. I fell in love!

On-line, on-nine

Monthly post on the 9th of each month!    


On-line, On-nine December 9th 2014