Roskilde

Some time ago I got a custom yarn from Old Maiden Aunt yarns in a most amazing emerald green colour. It did not stay in the stash for very long..

.. may I present Roskilde? It is the fourth (and last) shawl in my series of shawls inspired by places in Denmark.

Roskilde was Denmark's erstwhile capital and still exists today. The town can be traced back to the 6^th century AD although it is most famous as the seat of power during the Viking age.

I drew my inspiration from the wrought-iron lattice work found in King Christian IV's chapel in Roskilde Cathedral (a UNESCO Heritage Site). Christian IV was always my favourite Danish king – if you want to read about him, I recommend Rose Tremain's novel, Music & Silence.

Like my other patterns, I wanted to be able to get a shawl out of one skein of sock yarn, but also enable other knitters to modify the shawl to suit their yardage. This means you can repeat each chart as many time as you would like before moving on to the next chart. In other words, knitters can get as much shawl as their yardage allows.

I am slightly in love with Chart A which stacks in a really awesome manner - the actual pattern does not emerge until at least two repeats have been knitted.

And did I mention no chart spans more than 8 rows? Of which only 4 rows are actually pattern rows? I sometimes get asked if my patterns are suitable for lace beginners because they look complicated - and I can say with absolute honesty that I design with "adventurous beginners" in mind whenever possible. Roskilde is no exception.

I would like to thank my three test-knitters who have all been super-awesome. Not only did they volunteer on Twitter less than 90 seconds after I mentioned test-knitting, but they also returned to me  with excellent feedback and detailed photos. You ladies rock. Thank you Cayt, Caroline and Mags.

Day Five: Conference

Today I attended a conference on the economics and culture(s) of wool. It was an interesting array of people assembled - from Jamiesons and Smiths' Oliver Henry via New Lanark's Aynsley Gough to environmental artist Kate Foster's explorations of sheepscapes. I had been invited by organiser Marina Moskowitz and interestingly I found myself spanning several areas as an (ex-)academic, as an educator, as a designer, as a retailer and as a consumer. It was quite a ... position. We dealt with various issues throughout the day. What was/is the reality of sheep farming in Scotland past and present? How does the Scottish landscape inform our decisions regarding  production and consumption? What is "heritage"? What is the reality of working within the wool industry? What does "wool" mean?

I have previously worked with The Wool Marketing Board so some aspects of today were familiar to me (i.e. how does the wool get from the sheep on the field into your yarn stash?) but I was really struck by other aspects. Kate Foster's work was deeply thought-provoking - not only was she the only speaker to talk about sheep as actual animals rather than products but she also engaged with the changing Scottish landscape and asked troubling questions about authenticity and identity.

I did not get a chance to speak with Kate, but I hope she will be back. The idea of my little knitting project coming from continual acts of violence is very unsettling.

Other topics we explored: 'locality' and negotiations of space/place; actual socio-economic implications of handknitting; textiles as identity-making; and the future of textiles within Scotland.

It was a hugely rewarding day. I came to it with a cold and a fair bit of apprehension (it has been years since I last did anything vaguely academic) but I left feeling re-charged and inspired. Maybe this knitting life of mine does have an over-arching narrative despite my misgivings.

(Apologies for the lack of photos. I meant to bring my camera and show you some of the beautiful Jamieson & Smith samples, but I forgot it at home (along with my purse and my tissues). You can always knit them in your head.)

I do want to know: when you think about Scottish knitting, what do you think of?

You can find more blogs participating in the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week by googling 3KCBWDAY5. If you have come here as part of the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, thank you for visiting. I'll still be here once this week is over and I'm usually blogging about arts, books, films, language besides all the craft stuff. Do stick around.

Day Four: Landscape

The West Coast of Scotland? It rains a lot and we frequently do not get much above 20C. But it is pretty here and I have plenty to wool to keep me warm, so it works out. What I hadn't planned on was how much the landscape would inspire my colour choices..

Shades of pale brown mixed with grey skies and hints of mossy green. You can see the Campsies in the distance if you look hard enough!

Grey-blue lichen on trees. Bark an enticing grey-brown with  - yes - hints of mossy green. This photo was taken during a walk around Possil Marsh which was rudely interrupted by heavy rain.

Mossy green! Spawling across reddish brown! This sight is very common in the Glasgow Arboretum, just a few minutes from Casa Bookish.

What has all this to do with my knitting and crocheting? Quite apart from being overtly fond of mossy green, I am also planning a pattern collection of accessories all of which will be knitted in colours oddly reminiscent of the photos above. My poetic partner says that I am wrapping myself in Scotland. It is a nice thought.

PS. Yes, this was supposed to be about seasons. We often have four seasons in one day. Layers make sense.

You can find more blogs participating in the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week by googling 3KCBWDAY4. If you have come here as part of the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, thank you for visiting. I'll still be here once this week is over and I'm usually blogging about arts, books, films, language besides all the craft stuff. Do stick around.

Day Three: Heroes

I work within the knitting industry - yes, I am one of the fortunate ones - and I meet a lot of crafters as a result. It would not be fair to the huge amount of talented, smart people I know to single out one or even two. Instead I'd like to share ten with you. Every one is special. Every one is a hero. + The vibrant supermarket girl who proudly showed me her pink, sparkly wristlet she knitted from a Knitty pattern. You rock.

+ The lady who had been scared to pick up crochet because her late mother had rubbished her early attempts. I saw her beautiful crocheted baby blanket the other day. You are fantastic.

+ The local women's collectives who use traditional crafts in non-traditional contexts in order to raise awareness of (as well as funds for) women's charities. You inspire me.

+ The young mother who makes outrageous knitted costumes for her daughter's toys. You make me laugh.

+ The man who keeps challenging himself to become an even more accomplished knitter and whose output makes my head spin. You are brilliant.

+ The woman who started a small yarn business from her kitchen and who now runs her own yarn-dyeing studio single-handedly. You make us all so proud.

+ The girl who was told to try knitting by her doctor and who is now knitting her first jumper just three months later. You are wonderful.

+ The woman who always had me sew on buttons for her but who is now making the most splendid amigurumi monsters and gorgeous accessories. You never cease to amaze me.

+ The blogger who keeps writing up detailed tutorials and who gives so much of her time and talent to others through social media. You are  ace.

+ You. Because you keep making things.

You can find more blogs participating in the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week by googling 3KCBWDAY3. If you have come here as part of the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, thank you for visiting. I’ll still be here once this week is over and I’m usually blogging about arts, books, films, language besides all the craft stuff. Do stick around.

Day Two: Pictured

I am still amazed that I live in the same city as this mad, bad building known as the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. When you travel along Dumbarton Road/Argyle Street, all you see are dull shop fronts and dwellings. Suddenly the shops and houses give way to the Kelvingrove Park with Kelvingrove itself situated right on the edge. It was built in 1888 for a Great Exhibition and the building feels like a manic Victoriana Gothic fever dream with tiny turrets, arched windows, statues and staircases. Inside it is far more calm than you would suspect. I have been there so often it feels like my second home - if I were the heroine in a steampunk novel, that is. Right after I took this photo, a hailstorm broke. People tried to take shelter at bus stops or under umbrellas. Glasgow weather is one of the greatest challenges I know as a knitter and photographer. Try taking shots of a Finished Object or for a pattern when you don't know what the weather is going to be like ten minutes from now. No wonder that so many of my photos are taken indoors..

Then I went pub-knitting with a bunch of friends. I was trying to capture the spirit of a get-together: the banter, the chat, the riot of colour, the yarn mountains, and knitterly frustrations. I gave up. Instead I simply shot a series of people knitting. I never get tired of watching people knit (is this weird?) and how their hands work in small, precise motions.

The last photo is of me (wearing Signest's amazing "I YARN CPH" tee) and apparently I knit too fast for the camera shutter.. Apparently.

Knitting to me is also about community, feeling part of something a bit bigger than yourself and nurturing creativity across boundaries. It is about going to the pub with your best buddies and turning a heel over a glass of Whatever. It is about making knitting a part of your everyday life.

You can find more blogs participating in the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week by googling 3KCBWDAY2. If you have come here as part of the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, thank you for visiting. I'll still be here once this week is over and I'm usually blogging about arts, books, films, language besides all the craft stuff. Do stick around.

Day One: Green

Some people claim I have a bit of a problem..

..I have no idea what they mean.

In reality, though, I have to be careful that I don't end up wearing green head-to-toe. As a result of my love for green, I have recently begun thinking more about knitting neutral-coloured items (I already get a huge amount of wear out of my grey Nev shawl, for instance) and avoid greens except for accents.

Which is obviously why I'm knitting a mustard yellow cardigan.

You can find more blogs participating in the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week by googling 3KCBWDAY1. If you have come here as part of the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, thank you for visiting. I'll still be here once this week is over and I'm usually blogging about arts, books, films, language besides all the craft stuff. Do stick around.