Knitting at the Palace 2010...

There are a few dates in the Hand Knitting Calendar that are akin to the big festive holidays. Its true. You prepare for months leading up to them, you've chosen your favorite outfit for the occasion, you save up all year - ready to spend like its going out of knitted fashion. Our knitters reading this are now smiling and nodding because they know its true.

So its easy to say that the "Knitting & Stitching Show" held at Alexandra Palace at the beginning of every October could be the Hand Knitters Xmas morning.

Just like the thousands (and I'm not kidding!) of knitters, textile artists and creatives that walk through the doors over the 4 days, we too, at The Knitting Academy, were prepared and ready.
We had zillions of new styles knitted in all our yarns, so that everyone could get a snapshot of what is possible. Of course, the emphasis was always on glamour in our designs and display. So we were wowed and excited by the happy gasps and excited reactions to our new garment range from people throughout the show. The new Tiffany Hat and evening Mittens were an absolute hit as we could provide them as a project kit with pattern included.

Thanks to all the magazine editors that introduced themselves and their respective publications to us : Inside Crochet, Simple Knitting, Cloth, Lets Knit, Yarn Forward, Knit Today, Craft Business - Yes! we look forward to working with you!
The stand was continually busy, and we know it was such a busy event, so those of you not able to get inside the stand, dont lose heart, we know that many of you have been getting in touch and making orders after the show, armed with one of our flyers and checking out our website that has all the yarns detailed and photographed.

It was wonderful meeting all of our customers, those who passed through briefly knowing exactly what they wanted, and those who stayed and created wonderful new designs on the spot, inspired by our colours and fibres. More of how their creations evolve in the next coming months.

So we left London exhausted, inspired and happy. After all, we did what we always dreamt we would do - we made knitting glamorous!

Knitting Rocks!!!!

There can be no doubt that Hand Knitting is no longer the pastime of days gone by. Not only has it had a new wave of cool on our streets with flash mobs around the world changing normal everyday city life into objets d`Art (A Helsinki knit-guerrilla with hearts took place in one August morning: 154 hand knitted hearts were left on 5 trams and 5 metro trains all over the city ) but we can see our finest Hollywoood actors taking the hobby to dizzy heights.

We've known about Sarah Jesssica Parker, Daryl Hannah, Julia Roberts and others turning to hand knitting on set in between takes, but young actress Dakota Fanning, who plays 70`s rock chick Cherie Currie in the new biopic "The Runaways", with debut at the Sundance Festival in Jan, has gone one star-studded step further.

Cherie Currie admits that she became very close to Fanning during filming and was stunned with the gift the teenager gave her at the wrap party.
The real-life rocker adds, "She gave me this beautiful scarf she had knitted on set... It even has a little label sewn on that says 'Knitted by Dakota Fanning'. Isn't that cute?"

The Knitting Academy smiles.... Cute, maybe. Clever, definitely - Rock Chic and Hand Knits are here to stay....

Launching soon - The Knitting Academy Online Shopping Website!

Its been a busy summer here at The Knitting Academy... and to all those lovely people we met at Stitch and Craft in March, we would like to thank you. Why? Because you drilled into us that without a website where you can buy our yarns in abundance, we will never reach everyone. So we listened to you and got busy. We enlisted great friend and brilliant London based graphic designer, Christine McKeown, who has now turned her keen talents to Web design. Who would have imagined the creative journey that we have had over the last few months?

We have enlisted great artists on our team to help us put together on screen, the ideas and images that we want you to enjoy. Including Ria, (above) Print designer, who agreed to model for our website photo shoot. We love her vintage look. With Christine behind the camera and the location a spacious sunny victorian house in Nottingham, we knew we would achieve the ambience we wanted.

So with the website underway, the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace coming up ( we will see you there on Oct 7th -10th!) great yarn reviews over the summer from brilliant Knitting magazines.....

Life is good.

Successful Launch at Stitch and Craft March 2010 !

What a great response we had following our first ever show! We really felt we had arrived on the knitting scene and at just the right time. From the buying public, the Knitting magazines, the organising team at Stitch and Craft, we were delighted at the many excited faces and encouraging comments for the new Luxury range of yarns that introduces the Knitting Academy. The stunning 'Tiffany' hat, (see below) caught peoples' eye and invited everyone in to view the rest.

Our space was merchandised into two areas, Vintage and Deco, with each side displayed the theme of each range in the collection. We were busy the full four days of the Show, chatting with customers, talking to magazine Editors, arranging photo shoots, it was fanatstic for us. After months of working so intensively on the yarn collection behind closed doors, it was so refreshing and exciting to finally put it out there and get the reaction. The most popluar yarn was 'Art Deco' with its shimmering elegance, and Gemstone was a close second. With customers really happy to buy from this new range, we were glad and relieved that there were two of us on the stand!

The 'Manhattan Tunic', that we knitted in the 'Skyline' colour to show the beauty of the Manhattan yarn, was so simple but so glamorous
an option for evening. It was such a hit, we have produced the pattern for all those who purchased the yarn, it uses only 3 balls! So that is now finished and will be on its way to all those who requested it.

We ran an exciting competition for anyone that purchased yarn, to win £100 worth of our yarn - and we are delighted to announce that the winner is Louise Ogbogu. Well done Louise! We will be in touch by email to find out your postal address.

Since the show, our feet have not touched the ground, and it has been non-stop work, work, work. We have great things planned for Autumn... so watch this space!

Springtime Workshop - and NEW Yarn collection!

Treat yourself to a new talent this Spring... or you might regret it!

Our next Beginners Workshop is on April 10th.

The Knitting Academy Luxury Yarn Collection will be launched at the Stitch and Craft Fair at the Olympia, London on the 18th of March. We would like to invite you to visit us there and see the range. Over the winter months, we have been very busy selecting, refining, and testing all that is brilliant in Irish, British and Italian yarns. We can reveal there are two trends to the collection, with NINE new yarns and hundreds of new colours to whet your appetite. Now that you know this, don't you want to be ready to knit them?!!!

Think of the following : Luxury - glamour -modern - colourful - and you have the words that describe the new range from The Knitting Academy. We are presenting some yarns that have never before been offered on the UK market for handknitting. We have developed some yarns that even almost do the work for you, and if you want to get more complicated, you can! Its up to you. Our yarns encourage the knitter to think designer garments need not be expensive, but they can look it!!!

The majority of our yarns are 100% natural fibres, specialising in luxury content such as cashmere, alpaca, merino wool, cotton, superkid mohair, angora. Where we want to add an element of shine and glamour, we have used a very small percentage of metallic and modern fibres. At all times, high quality natural fibres are the priority.

Nearer the Launch date, we will post some pictures for you to see what will be available.

With knitting our yarns, the only rule is...there are NO rules.

We can advise you every step of the way, but the choice of what and how to knit is always yours. Keep it simple or set yourself a challenge - you decide. There will be plenty of new patterns and knitting kits to start you off.

The Stitch and Craft Fair is one of the largest in Europe, why not take a look at the website for details :

http://www.twistedthread.com/pages/exhibitions/viewExhibition.aspx?id=24

Also on the website is plenty of information on how to get there, booking tickets, etc.

If you cant make to London to see the Fair, don't worry, our yarns will be available to buy (or order) at our April 10th workshop on the day.

We look forward to seeing you, and there is an added bonus, for our first few workshops back this year, we have reduced the price to £45 (normally £49). which, if we can remind you includes your Goodie bag, all materials, buffet lunch and afternoon tea. Wonderful. email us for more details,

"Everyone is picking up their knitting needles right now, don't be left out!"

New Date for Autumn!

The next workshop date will be on Sat 26th Sept, and you can imagine the great colours of Autumn with these pictures of this wonderful sweater knitted with creativity in mind. The shape is blocked and simple, leaving room for the yarn to speak "colour". Created by The Knitting Academy, this was knitted with a Japanese yarn bought on the internet. But why go so far to buy good yarn :

With the progress of the development of our own yarn range, we can promise similar great colours and design of yarns without any compromise of the quality and luxury handle. We will be personally selecting these yarns ourselves, with you, the Knitter in mind : Space dyes, natural wool mixes, vibrant colours and rustic tones and hues that will make you want to pick up those knitting needles.... We suggest you get enroled on a workshop to have those skills ready! We aim to launch our range next year, and will update you as the product develops.

Keeping it Traditional at the Framework Knitters Museum

Hand-knitters can keep their 'inspirational pool of thought' brimming by visiting Craft Museums of worth around the country... but who would've thought, that only 5 mins drive from the centre of Nottingham, in the village of Ruddington, is the beautifully quaint Framework Knitters' Museum? As soon as you arrive in the village itself, you feel you are transported back in time!

The Knitting Academy decided to pay it a visit, and found the Museum on Chapel street, just of the high street. We were met by Helen, who was full of amazing stories of the people who worked the machines, of those who donated the items, and the volunteers who keep the Museum running. The website is very informative, and there are many great photos of olde time, (we always find those fascinating!), : http://www.rfkm.org/ : "Visit this Victorian time-capsule and see how the knitters lived and worked"

The sock machines are worth a try, and the socks that are made there are also available to purchase in the shop. We will definitely be back for another visit. Its possible to become a 'Friend' of the Museum, for just £5 a year, you get free entry, the newsletter several times, and a discount at the shop. Bargain. Its good to think that such a small amount per person is used wisely to keep it all going.

We also met Hannah, a placement student from Trent University, who added a wonderful modern approach to all that history, and we felt she fully realises how tradition can be the basis for any modern knitwear collection, we wish her good luck in her degree course.

We really enjoyed the atmosphere the most : creativity steeped in tradition, where people cherished the things they made. We love that.