As readers of this blog will by now know, I like to include a photo especially if it involves colour. So this was taken in Norfolk a couple of weeks ago - but more about that below.
Firstly, some news about upcoming events. I'm teaching a workshop at Stag & Bow, 'purveyors of craft, history and haberdashery' in Forest Hill, south London on Sunday 7th October from 10am - 2.30 and there are still places available. The workshop will include demonstrations of the finishing techniques used in A Handknit Romance, such as knit and crochet edgings, beading and embroidery on knit. I will have samples from the book with me. See here for more information.

Then, from October 11th - 14th I will be at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, London on the Tall Yarns stand - selling copies of A Handknit Romance. I will have samples from the book and am happy to chat about them and the book. I will also have the Persuasion cardigan (see previous post) and pattern.
AND I will have some new designs which I am working on at the moment! More about them nearer the time -  but think 'colour'!
The above photo was taken at Blakeney Point a National Nature Reserve in Norfolk.
'Wide open spaces and uninterrupted views of the natural and dynamic coastline make for an inspiring visit to Blakeney, at any time of the year.The moving tides, covering pristine saltmarsh or exposing the harbour, combined with the varying light of Norfolk's big skies, create an ever-changing scene.Blakeney Point, a 3-mile-long sand and shingle spit, is a paradise for all kinds of wildlife.'(from the website)

It was a friend's birthday and his wife rented The Watch House (seen here) for a surprise party. The Watch House is a remote building on the saltmarshes of Blakeney and has been used by coastguards, smugglers (maybe), the army and the Girl Guides over it's 190 year history. It's a small, very basic building, with a great upstairs room accessible only by ladder which can be used for bird-watching. As you can see from the photo (taken as we were leaving at dusk to walk 45 mins along the beach in the dark to the nearest car-park. The small dot of colour next to the house is the barbecue - the only source of light for the people staying there, as there is no electricity!) An absolutely beautiful spot, you really get a sense of what is meant by the 'big skies' of Norfolk.

Finally managed to finish writing the pattern for my new cardigan design! So let me introduce you to Persuasion Cardigan (named after the Jane Austen novel - which I happen to be reading - and suggested by a  Ravelry group member who thought the shape very 'Regency') it is now available to buy from Ravelry, and it will be available from the website too, when I have time to sort it all out. These things take an awfully long time to do - if you want everything to look good, and if - like me- it takes ages to switch your brain from one thing (writing patterns) to another ( using photoshop)!
Anyway, here are a couple of images of the cardi modelled by my gorgeous niece Kayleigh. More to follow soon (and on the Ravelry page)

Well, Fibre East - like Woolfest - turned out to be a success, despite horrible weather! It was mainly mud this time, inside as well as outside the tents. However, this didn't put anybody off - it was just dirty feet after all - and it was again lovely to meet everyone who visited the stand, (especially those who bought the book!).

This is my small corner of the Tall Yarns stand, with the Lace Blouse reknitted in Juno (see Support page), but with swatches of Tall Yarns Cash lace fine and Cash/silk lace pinned to it, as either of these could be used too.
Meanwhile Linda at Tall Yarns has some lovely shades in the Soliloquy Sock Lace, with which I've knitted my new cardigan.

For everyone who's waiting for the cardigan pattern to be put on here, many apologies, but I'm still waiting for it to come back from the pattern grader. I will give more news next week.And for those who haven't yet seen it - here is a preview.

Meanwhile, here are my feet at Fibre East. I'm wearing the shoes that I bought for the model to wear in the photoshoot for A Handknit Romance. I wanted to tone down the overwhelming prettiness of the garments with some funky shoes. I bought the shoes in my size (UK 7) thinking that the model would have similar sized feet - but it turns out she had size 5's (I think it does show!)

Fibre East

Just a very quick post to say that I will be at the Fibre East show in Bedford this Saturday and Sunday(14th and 15th June) on the Tall Yarns stand, selling copies of A Handknit Romance. I will have some of the items from the book with me and will be glad to recommend yarns from the stand that can be used as substitutes to knit them.

Had a great time at Woolfest - despite torrential downpours! The show itself is held in a huge livestock shed outside Cockermouth (which I didn't actually get to see). Mixed in with stallholders selling yarns, fleeces, books, patterns etc. were sheep and goats - which sounds weird, but was really nice.
The people at the show were all in good spirits and very friendly, and excited just to be there.Plus I sold nearly all my copies of the book. Hurrah!
I stayed with friends in Penrith and on Sunday we drove to Ullswater in the Lake District, where I took these photos. Beautiful landscape, despite the constantly changing weather. The clouds in this photo look as if they're painted.

And here is a picture of the Ullswater ferry.

 

Photos of the new cardi design (shown at Woolfest) coming very soon!

Firstly, some news. I'm going to be at Woolfest in Cumbria on June 22nd and 23rd, a festival celebrating all things wool-related - featuring spinning, dyeing, knitting - and sheep! I've never been before and am intrigued - apparently people come from abroad to this show. Partly, I'm sure, because it is in such a beautiful part of the country.
I'm going to be on the Tall Yarns stand - I used their Baby Alpaca Cashmere 4ply sock yarn for the Lace Shrug in my book - and am designing a new pattern for a cardigan in their Soliloquy 3 ply sock lace to go with the Lace-edged Camisole.
I will be selling copies of A Handknit Romance and will have some of the garments from the book with me. So if you are at Woolfest, come along and see me!

Lucy Hammond (http://thestylecolumn.com/)

Lucy Hammond (http://thestylecolumn.com/)

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to the Royal College of Art Graduate Fashion Show. This is because for the last few years I have taught a one day workshop on hand-knitting to the first year fashion knitwear and textiles students as part of a project for Rowan Yarns. The two students featured here were both in the class last year and I was delighted to see how fantastic their final collections were. They both happened to be delightful too! I love Lucy's use of colour and the felt hats shaped like 1920s flapper bobbed hairstyles. I'm sure they're both destined for great things - and I wish them well.

 

Rachael Hall (http://thestylecolumn.com/)

Rachael Hall (http://thestylecolumn.com/)

Just a quick reminder that I will be at Loop in Islington this coming Saturday. I am taking a workshop based on embellishment techniques from my book A Handknit Romance,  from 1-5pm (I believe there are still places available) Before (from 12.15) and afterwards I will be in the shop and available to answer questions and sign copies of the book.

Meanwhile here is a gratuitous photo of the Jubilee celebrations, taken by me on the Thames on Sunday. I was lucky enough to be at the Oxo Tower - tickets only! - and had a great view of the river. Unfortunately I forgot to charge the batteries in my camera, so this is one of the only photos I got - before the flotilla arrived. The crowd are looking away from the river - at a giant TV screen to the left. The lady in the crown was not - as far as I am aware - a member of the royal family.

Another lovely colour combination - dried hydrangeas in 1930s green frosted glass vases (in front of van Gogh 'Vase of Roses' poster)
Just an excuse to put a link to The Making Spot blog from 18th May, where there is an interview with me about the ideas behind A Handknit Romance!

Just a quick reminder that I will be at Tricolette, a beautiful yarn shop that also sells needlecraft and patchwork supplies, at 93, Boundary Rd, London, NW8. This Saturday 19th May from 2-5pm I will be signing copies of my book, answering questions and giving demonstrations of some of the techniques used in the book. Would love to see you there!

A couple of photos meanwhile - a view on Hayling Island, Hampshire at sunset. I'd never been before this weekend - and really liked it.

Another of Nature's stunning colour combinations.

Firstly, thanks to everyone who came to the event at Nest last Saturday as part of Crouch End Festival. Despite the miserable weather, I enjoyed giving a talk to some very nice ladies about the compiling of A Handknit Romance; what influenced the designs, how I put it together, etc.Unfortunately no-one remembered to take any photos!I also met a couple of lovely designers too - Helen Bridgewood selling pretty fabric bags and knitted jewellery - and another lovely lady making woven scarves, whose name I'm afraid I've forgotten!Sorry.

One theme that I will keep going back to on these pages is colour. Certain colours really inspire me, but more often it's combinations of colours. This can often happen by accident; for example if I'm knitting swatches in preparation for designing garments, I might have a jumbled pile of yarns next to me. I might even try to put some of the colours together, but can't seem to get a combination I like. Then I'll leave the room, come back in, look at the pile of yarns and see a fantastic combination of  2 or 3 colours which just happen to be next to each other!
When I was getting my book together - for which  the colour scheme was to be dusky, faded pinks and lilacs, 'vintage-looking' shades - I collected a few pieces of clothing to be worn by the model in the photoshoot. I pulled these out of a drawer recently to take some photos and was again struck by how nice the colours - and different textures - looked together. In this photo above are some of those pieces. There is a printed silk top from H&M - never worn, but the colours of the fabric are very subtle and really lovely (and expensive-looking) And the top was in the sale!!
Also,just seen in the bottom right of the photo- an old cotton slip (can't even remember where I bought it, but I thinks it's a 1950s slip) which I've been wearing as a night dress. It was white, but I washed it with something from which the colour ran and now the slip is a beautiful pale dusky lilac/mauve. Also in the photo- a pair of unworn 1930s silk satin knickers in that peachy shade that was so often used for underwear, bought especially for the photoshoot and worn by the model in the book with the Lace-edged Camisole, Stockings and Shrug. Finally a beret knitted ages ago in a long-discontinued Jaeger knitting yarn whose name escapes me, but it's beautifully soft and luxurious (it may have been partly cashmere) in a wonderful pale mushroom shade. I'm not sure that my photo does the colours justice.
The reason for taking the photo was to show off the Soliloquy Sock Lace yarn from Tall Yarns which is in a beautiful Pale Madder shade. I'm going to be designing a cardigan in this, which will match the Lace-edged Camisole from A Handknit Romance, which I have re-knitted in Soliloquy (this will be on the Support page when I finish it in the next few days). More on the cardi when it comes together - the pattern will be available to download when it's done.

A nice blog post about my book today on The Making Spot !

Meanwhile, walking in north London I spotted this on the front of a house and it made me smile - very appropriate for the World Shakespeare Festival . Later, I did wonder whether it was meant to be amusing - perhaps it was just an instruction for a lazy postman?!

Firstly - business:
I will be appearing at the following London shops meeting knitters and signing copies of my book.
Nest in Crouch End, N8, as part of the Crouch End Festival - Saturday 5th May from 2pm
Tricolette in St John's Wood, NW8 - Saturday 19th May from 2pm
Loop in N1, where I will be doing a workshop (details and booking on the Loop website) and will be signing books - beforehand 12.15-1pm and after, 5-6pm - Saturday 9th June.
I am happy to go to knitting shops around the country(or around the world, come to that) if anyone wants to ask me!

                                         proud Mum and Dad

Secondly - pleasure:
When I started to blog I imagined myself spending the week wandering the streets of London; going to exhibitions and events; visiting historic buildings, museums and galleries; then using this as inspiration in my design work, all of which I could write about in an interesting and amusing fashion in a weekly blog! So far this is just a dream.
Since my last post I've been working hard on promoting the book and then my computer got a nasty virus a couple of weeks ago, which had to be sorted.
 However, I have not given up on this dream.
One of the things that is a constant source of inspiration is London itself. As with most people who live here, I have a love/hate relationship with this city. There are many annoyances, but I thought readers of this blog might be interested in the many positive aspects of living in London.
I'm lucky enough to live in Notting Hill (although I'm not rich! I moved here 20 years ago, before it was ponsified) and my nearest bit of green space happens to be Kensington Gardens. I try to go there at least a couple of times a week - it's a brisk 15 minute walk away - it satisfies my need for greenery and open space. I find I can think better when walking, especially when I don't have to worry about being run over (except by cyclists, but I won't start on that now!)
 I quite like the fact that you can be standing in the park, surrounded by wildlife, in the relative peace and quiet, but  still hear the distant sounds of the city going on around you.
I often take photos there of things that catch my eye - and I will be sharing these here.
Tree leaves are often the most amazing colours - this one was a particularly vibrant green.

 I love bluebells. There are few things more pleasurable than seeing a carpet of bluebells in woodland in the spring.
They are scarcer in Kensington Gardens, though there are a few. These look like they are trying to break out of prison!

More later..............................
.

It's been a week since the Stitch and Craft show ended and I've been meaning to post since then, but haven't had a chance. Mainly this is because I was so delighted at the positive response to my book - A Handknit Romance - that I realised I must get it onto the website and for sale as soon as possible! This has taken a while as I'm just learning how to work the website and I needed help from a very clever friend - thanks Nuria - but it's now done.

Here is a picture of me extolling the benefits of knitting with fine yarn (and wearing the Lace Blouse and Cotton Skirt from the book) to a very nice- and obviously mesmerised - customer!

I did manage to finish a couple of beaded bags, but although I was pleased with the colours, I think the designs need refining before I sell the kits from this website. Hopefully in the next 2 or 3 weeks.
Here they are modelled on a faithful friend (also wearing the Lace-edged Camisole and the Lace Shrug from the book) who has been with me since the days when I had a shop (see my first blog post) and was brought out of retirement to model at the Stitch and Craft show. Sadly over the years she has lost her looks - but not her figure!

For more images from the show, including photos of my fellow stand sharers, Sarah Hatton and Martin Storey, see here.

Designing
So this is the reality of designing - 3 days to go until the show and I still haven't finished my beaded bag designs! Here are some of the options I've come up with so far, but it could all change.......
For anyone coming to the show, my booking signing times are:
Thursday and Friday - 2-3pm
Saturday - 12 - 1pm

See you there!

Have been very busy preparing for the stand at the Stitch and Craft Fair at Olympia, London - 15th - 18th March, which I will be sharing with fellow Rowan designers, Martin Storey and Sarah Hatton as we all have books published by Berry& Bridges out at the moment.
I will be signing copies of my book there.(times to be confirmed)

I also want to have small kits to sell and have been working on designs for beaded bags. I love using beads to add a bit of subtle colour and sparkle. The colours for this spring/summer are pretty pastels and luckily I already had some fine mercerised cotton that I can use.

I'm using small glass seed beads from The Bead Cellar and have knitted a few swatches, but will add more here later.

                                                                          

At last.......!

my design - Antibes - from the latest Rowan magazine (51)

Several years ago I ran my own little fashion shop and it was one of the most satisfying experiences of my design career. Most days I worked in a room above the shop, designing and making hand- and machine-knitwear, but 2 or 3 days a week I worked in the shop itself. Every clothes designer should do this for a while, as seeing customers trying on garments and getting their feedback is invaluable. But it wasn’t just this aspect that I enjoyed, I also enjoyed the social aspect of actually meeting customers and getting an insight into their lives.

I also realised that many people like to know about the design and making process, and I was happy to oblige.

Sadly, the lease on the shop ran out, and after 5 years of no holidays and hardly any time off (running a shop is a full time commitment) I decided to stop for the time being – that was 11 years ago!

Now I’m wondering whether having a website will be a similar experience. In some ways it seems far preferable – no high overheads, no need even to get dressed – just commuting from bed to laptop! But perhaps not quite the same sense of sociability; meeting and engaging with customers. However, in this blog I can speak and you can answer – through the Contact page, or here - so let’s see how it goes……..

Anyway, I will be using this blog to discuss my design work and all the many things that inform it, which you may find of interest – or not!