News from the world of Knit Design Online…
I have a large collection of photos of road markings and the like – you see such great random mixes of pattern and texture. Playing around with collage using textured paper is a great way to explore the potential for design, scaling up the shapes to see if they can be knitted up.
Because the car window was waxy from the car wash, beads of rainwater collected in lines – it made me think of bobbles on random travelling stitch columns, worked on a Reverse Stocking Stitch background.
Pam B was inspired by the beautiful grass and flower meadows of her childhood home & worked them into a fine wool Fairisle sweater
I love my job – I get packages of exciting work arriving in the post!
Wendy was one of the most creative students I have had in 20+ years teaching. Sadly she died of cancer recently but her work lives on. This 3-D book was created on a C&G ‘Creative Sketchbooks’ course a few years ago. Students had to produce a 3-dimensional freestanding sketchbook on a theme of their choosing. Wendy did hers on fish, exploring the patterns and shapes seen in fish – scales and bones and eyes and fins – with artwork techniques taught on the course. Here are a few examples:
….who completed her Level 3 City & Guilds course.
This was Liz’s final knitted assignment.
Had a brilliant visit to the Clothworkers’ Centre textile study rooms, to look at historic knitting. Copyright means I can’t post images – but we saw some amazing pieces of knitting. My forever favourite is the ‘Dutch Petticoat’, knitted in the early 1700s using very fine natural colour wool (22 sts per inch) and decorated allover with birds, animals and flora, worked in combinations of knit and purl stitches. However many times I see this it always amazes me.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O10318/petticoat-unknown/
Pic below: looking at a tiny stitch sampler, knitted in what looks like fine sewing thread.
I am SO proud of my student, Debra Kobasa, who was at Buckingham Palace yesterday to receive an award from the Worshipful Guild of Haberdashers, presented by HRH Princess Anne. This was in recognition of the exceptional level of technical skill and creativity shown in her coursework.
In Module 2, which is all about colour, stripes and slip stitches, you get a bag of mixed yarn oddments to add to your own stash and give you more colours and textures to experiment with. I just finished putting together sixteen bags and now look forward to having my evenings free of winding yarn balls for a while!
Big day on Saturday, met up with students at the V&A where City & Guilds student Debra was awarded a Medal of Excellence for her coursework. This is a real accolade for both Debra and for Knit Design Online and I am a very proud and happy tutor.
Jayne had just successfully completed her C&G Level 3 course and was officially presented with her certificates. Well done Jayne!
Before the official presentation we visited the new European Galleries in search of inspiration and discovered lots of fabulous things that could spark design ideas. (Copyright issues mean I can’t post images)
