Galena Cardigan for Yarn Stories

My Galena cardigan design in gorgeous Yarn Stories Fine Merino DK is now available exclusively on Ravelry until August 25th! After this the pattern will launched on the Yarn Stories website.

Galena Cardigan by Emma Vining
for Yarn Stories

Galena is a "Kimono" style cardigan that is knitted in three pieces. The wide ribbed front panels give the wearer the feel of being wrapped up in the cardigan. The diamonds on the front panel are offset, with two on the right and one on the left. The panels are worked at the same time as the fronts and the wide cuffs also feature the diamond motif. This lovely fine merino yarn has beautiful drape and feels gorgeous to knit with and to wear!

Galena by Emma Vining
for Yarn Stories

Galena by Emma Vining
for Yarn Stories

Published designs and an interview with me!

This month's The Knitter Magazine is a very special Issue for me - two of my designs are in this Issue  and one of them is on the cover! There is also an interview with me, featuring lots of my designs for The Knitter Magazine, Yarn Stories, Simply Knitting and Knit Today. I am so proud to see these designs side by side in the article.

The Knitter Magazine Issue 87

The Issue 87 cover design is my "Time for Tea" seamless summer top. The eyelet and twisted stitch pattern is inspired by beautiful Derby porcelain teacup designs. I love the way the delicate pattern lines interweave around the cups and the saucers - perfect inspiration for a light summer design. The beautiful yarn is Fyberspates Scrumptious 4ply, which is a lovely merino/ silk blend.

Time for Tea by Emma Vining

Daisy Chain is my second design in this issue. The idea for the stitch pattern is based on the very long daisy chains I used to make when I was little. Each knitted flower has a small bobble in the middle of a circle of eyelets. The yarn is Eden Cottage Yarns Askham 4ply in Damselfly. I really loved working with this gorgeous yarn - the colour, weight and soft feel make it such a pleasure to knit with.

Daisy Chain by Emma Vining

I am so proud and excited about the three page feature about me and my design inspirations. The interview covers lots of questions from who taught me to knit through to my design heroes and all about my favourite yarns and designs.

This month's Simply Knitting Magazine (Issue 136) also includes one of my designs. My Ocean Waves scarf is knitted in Sirdar Cotton 4ply, shade Mosaic. The eyelet design zig zags along the length of the scarf, just like waves breaking on the shore. The cotton yarn has beautiful drape and stitch definition.

Ocean Waves by Emma Vining

This is such an exciting month for me - just back from a lovely family holiday and I am incredibly proud to have my designs published in both The Knitter and Simply Knitting!

The Knitting & Crochet Guild Convention Part Two

Here is Part Two of my post about the Knitting and Crochet Guild Convention. It was such a great weekend, it needs two blog posts to do it justice! Our speaker after lunch on Day two was the very talented Louise Walker of Sincerely Louise. Louise is a commercial photography graduate who was determined to include knitting in her degree work! 

Faux Taxidermy Knit by Sincerely Louise

After several extremely creative projects, including knitted wigs, an appearance on the Alan Titchmarsh show and a Boden campaign, Louise was asked to create a book about faux taxidermy knits. Faux Taxidermy Knits has been very successful and Louise told us about the styling and photography she used in the book. You can find all Louise's knit kits on her Etsy Shop, Sincerely Louise. She is currently working on dinosaur knits and I can't wait to see what she tackles next!! You can read more about Louise on her blog. 

Faux Taxidermy Knit by Sincerely Louise

Faux Taxidermy Book and Knits by Sincerely Louise

Louise in conversation after her talk

After her excellent talk, Louise ran a "Photograph Your Knits" workshop. I was lucky enough to have been on one of her previous workshops at Unravel in Farnham two years ago and was keen to learn more. Louise had lots of tips for us and very kindly allowed us to photograph Hippo! 

Our photography workshop group

Our photography workshop in progress

Hippo by Sincerely Louise

The other excellent workshops that were going on at the same time were Brioche Knitting with Marie Wright, Irish Crochet with Sally Magill and Two Handed Stranded Knitting with Ann Kingston. 

Marie Wright's Brioche Knitting Workshop

Ann Kingstone's Two Handed Stranded Kniting Workshop

Sally Magill's Irish Crochet Workshop

After dinner, Tricia lead the Show and Tell session. I was absolutely blown away by the talent of my fellow delegates. The knitting and crochet on show ranged from exquisite shawls to protest banners and from fantastic dresses to heirloom garments that have now been donated to the Guild Collection.    Here are just a few of the many highlights of the evening.

Designer Ann Kingston was at the Convention with her beautiful new book, Lace Knits. Ann explained to us that the designs in her book are all named after her local area and that her best friend from school is one of the models! It is a gorgeous book with lots of detailed information about lace knitting and stunning garments and accessories to knit.

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell
Ann Kingston with her Lace Knits Book

Designer Rita Taylor was also at the Convention and talked to us about her lovely new book, Vintage Knits for Babies. If you look closely at the photo you can see Rita's crochet slippers! 

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell
Rita Taylor with her Vintage Knits for Babies Book

Betty had brought along her beautiful fuchsia waistcoat. She had knitted this lovely garment using the fuchsia chart I had designed for her after last year's Knitting & Stitching Show. You can read about Betty's Fuchsia Challenge here. 

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell
Betty in her beautiful waistcoat

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell
Betty's Fuchsia Waistcoat

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell

KCG Convention 2015: Show and Tell

I was honoured to be asked to join designer Ann Kingston and crochet specialist Sally Magill as a judge in the Time for Tea competition. Thank you to everyone who entered and well done to our winners! 

The Winners!

Our last morning began with a detailed run through of the Guild's new website. Tricia took us through the new layout, page by page, highlighting many of the excellent sources of information that are available for both members and non members. You can take a look here.

After coffee (and cake of course!) we split into workshop groups. The workshops included Tunisian Crochet with Anne Flanagan, Knitting and Crochet for more than two hands with Judy Jones and beginners crochet with Trisha Basham. My workshop was with designer Sarah Alderson, who very gently led us through a double knitting project to make a Love Owl Coaster. I have done a little bit of double knitting, but changing colours was challenging! Sarah showed us how to correct mistakes and cast of in a beautiful braided edge. We didn't complete the coaster in the workshop, but my train journey home gave me the perfect opportunity and here it is!

Love Owl Coaster by Sarah Alderson,
knitted by Emma Vining

Love Owl Coaster by Sarah Alderson,
knitted by Emma Vining

I had a really excellent time at the Convention, catching up with old friends and making lots of new friends. I am very proud and happy to be part of such a knowledgeable, interesting and friendly knitting community. If you are not already a member, please do come and join us!

The Knitting & Crochet Guild Convention & AGM 2015: Part One

What great weekend we all had at the K&C Guild Convention! All of the delegates were very impressed by the University of Sheffield facilities. We were looked after very well, from fixing plumbing late at night to sorting out return trips to the station during the Sheffield Sky Ride road closures. There are so many highlights from our two days that I have split them over two posts. 

The Guild's theme this year is Afternoon Tea and there was a lovely display of tea related items from the Collection. Some of these will be on display at Shows over the next few months. 

KCG Collection
Photo by Emma Vining

KCG Collection
Photo by Emma Vining

KCG Collection
Photo by Emma Vining

After introductions and dinner on our first evening, we were all treated to an entertaining and informative talk by Kerry Lord of Toft Alpaca. Kerry took us through her journey from her English Literature degree to her successful business, Toft luxury yarns.  Her clarity of vision for the business is very impressive. Kerry illustrated the high level of skill required during all phases of producing the luxury Toft yarns by describing in detail how she achieves colour blending with natural Alpaca fleeces. We all fell in love with Kerry's Edward's Menagerie Collections and were very lucky to preview the first copy of Kerry's new book, Edward's Menagerie: Birds. The crochet birds are fabulous and I love the descriptions of each one, written by Kerry in her very distinctive style. I know I am not the only one planning a trip to see Kerry at her wonderful studio and shop!

Kerry Lord's new Book

Two of Ed's Animals by Toft Alpaca

Our day on Saturday began with an excellent presentation by Meg Boyce. Meg is a student at Huddersfield University and has been working with the Guild Collection Team at Lee Mills. Meg took us through some of her research and her responses to the Collection. She also introduced the concept of using Forensic Science methodologies to find new ways of looking at the Collection. Her work with the huge number of knitting needles in the Collection has resulted in some beautiful artwork that will shortly be produced as cards for the Guild to sell. I will definitely be buying some!

Pence Jugs by Meg Boyce

Meg showing her smallest Pence Jug

Meg's Knitting needle inspired artwork

Meg's beautiful knitted response to the Guild Collection

Barbara Smith's presentation was all about beautiful Fair Isle items that we have in the Guild Collection. Barbara is the Publications Curator for the Guild Collection and I particularly enjoy how she links images, patterns and items together to show the social history behind the designs. Beginning with the classic 1922 fair isle sweater worn by the Prince of Wales at St Andrews, Barbara showed how this type of image began appearing in adverts for knits and yarns in the 1920s. Barbara's other examples of Fair Isle in the Collection took us through the decades and ended with the sweater that was recently "Visibly Mended" by Tom of Holland. You can read more about all kinds of knitting and crochet on Barbara's fascinating blog.

Barbara Smith's presentation

"Visibly Mended" Fair Isle Cardigan from the KCGuild Collection

Here are some more photo highlights of the Knitting and Crochet Guild Convention 2015 showing our delegates in action!

KCG Convention 2015

KCG Convention 2015

KCG Convention 2015

KCG Convention 2015

KCG Convention 2015

KCG Convention 2015

KCG Convention 2015

More on the Convention coming up in Part Two........