The penguin with the pointy sticks

The typical craft professional and life on Planet Handmade

I've been reading a report on contemporary craft professionals in the UK commissioned jointly by the Craft Council, Creative Scotland, Craft Northern Ireland and the Arts Council of Wales - Craft in an Age of Change. 

The report looks at the demographics of professional craft makers - predominently female, in their 40s and working in jewellery, textiles or ceramics and often working from their own homes - and the economic value of the craft sector.

What is interesting - apart from the demographics - is the conclusion that makers need business and marketing support. It is particularly interesting given that I was reading the report for a new venture I'm involved in called Planet Handmade.

Planet Handmade is the brain child of Juliet Bernard, PR specialist and editor of The Knitter, and is about bringing business advice and marketing opportunities to designer/makers to help them build their business and inspire us with their creative endeavours.

The full site will launching over the next few months but the blog is already up and running, so you can find out more about my take on the craft councils' research there.

Thought for today - valuing yourself

Words of wisdom for crafters and designer makers from US entrpeneurial guru Tara Gentile:

"What is easy for you, what comes naturally and beautifully to you, ugly, difficult and downright nasty to someone else."

She doesn't mean that other people think what you make, whether that's craft, writing, a website, food or business advice, is bad or horrible - it means it isn't easy or beautiful when they try, so what you do has value for them.

Worth thinking about...

Making makers - creating a social good

I've always loved these end credits for shows made my Chris Carter's production company Ten Thirteen because of satisfaction in the little boy's voice:

 

 

To some this may seem a trivial thing but yesterday I read this piece by Gillian Montegrande, founder of Made by Hands of Britain - I make, therefore I am - which argues that the sense of satisfaction and personal achievement as well as learning from  "failures" or unexpected outcomes offers a postive good for society.

She says: "If we could only pass on to others that sense of achievement and what it feels like to stare upon the tangible and positive result of one’s own useful endeavours, then it will go at least some way to improving the lot of individuals who currently have no hope."

Thinking about this, I realised that these days I don't just get that postive glow from my own making but also from teaching other people ot knit or master a craft skill through and article or a demo.

Giving someone a sense of achievement is positive for that person and whoever introduces them to the craft. I love the look that goes across someone's face (adult or child) when they complete that first row of knitting. 

In fact teaching craft is making in itself, making crafters.

 

 

 

 

Jacqueline mitts - continuing the P/HOP mitts tradition

Thanks to P/HOP and Cranford mania, I've become a fingerless mitt addict. So it seemed appropriate to donate this design to the fundraising project for Medicins Sans Frontiers.

Typically for me, they are worked in 4ply yarn of relatively fine needles, but the pattern with a little texture is straightforward and they are an excellent stashbuster.

I've written a blog post for it explaing in more including why I'm doing this for P/HOP.

And you can find the pattern here.

 

Simple but effective, perfecting an earring design

Just as with knitwear, as I become more absorbed by jewellery making I'm forever staring at strangers' earrings. Oddly enough, it was a plain silver pair worn by a woman at a knitting group that started me thinking about creating a very simple design caging a coloured bead or gemstone in silver.

In picture above you can see a few of the pairs I've been working on - I've been playing with different ways to contain the stone/bead and different lengths. It's quite therapeutic experimenting with the shapes although I have to contain myself from wanting to wear everything I might make.

Actually, I've been wearing these ones for great reaction. Now I'm happier with the idea and several different colours for myself, I will be starting to sell these and a few other designs very soon. I just have to have more confidence in myself and work out some pricing.

Making Monday: visualising my crafting

For various reasons I've found myself thinking about photo montages to show off my craft interests. It has been interesting looking at all the images I have and trying to define myself through them. I thought I'd share a first attempt.

 

FO: On a walk in the park

I was so pleased with my leafy scarf design inspired by an interesting skein of Ripples Crafts yarn that I took the finished object for a walk in the park in this lovely sunny weather.

Inspirational colour

My 2012 yarn diet has reached March - although I think I may crack before too long. But it doesn't stop me recieving yarn gifts and recently the lovely Juliet Barnard of The Knitter gave me a stunning skein of sock yarn from Ripples Crafts.

The colour way is Assynt Ancient Tartan, a mix of deep brown, rich tan and a subtle leafy green. I fell in love with it right away and the skein has been resting on the end of the sofa from where I've picked it up dozens of times to contemplate. I was wondering what to use it for but in reality it was obvious. Every time I looked at it I thought of beech trees in autumn and the leaves we used to rake up in our garden when I was a child. 

So I started flicking through some lace source books and have started work on a long slim scarf that could be wtrapped into the neck of a coat or draped over a plain dress or sweater. I'm using the two leaf patterns below if it works to my satisfaction I'll reveal the full effect here soon.

 

 

 

 

Outside in or inside out - choices, triangles and shawls

All the triangular - and hexagonal - shawls I've made until now have been what I would describe as inside out. By that I mean they have started with few stitches that form the centre of the long edge and the pattern increases in two triangular panels either side of a central "spine" - as in the leaf pattern on this shawl.

But last week I made Blyth by Kitman Figueroa which works the other way. You start with the edging casting on, in this case, more than 300 stitches, and forming the shape by decreasing to create triangles on each side of the spine.

There are advantages and disadvantages of this method. Yes because each row is shorter, there is a feeling of the whole process speeding up. On the other hand with an inside out construction you set the initial lace pattern over a very few stitches and can then use preceding rows to help accurately place new pattern repeats. With the outside in approach you have to correctly place a lot of lace repeats over the 300+ stitches with nothing to refer to.

Each person will probably have their own view of which method they prefer but both produce lovely shawls so the choice may depend on what effect the designer wants from the edging.

Meanwhile my Blyth is looking great.

 

Fair isle fun

I haven't done much colour work over the last few years - perhaps due to my lace obsession - but a while back I bought yarn to knit Julia by Judy Furlong.     

 

By coincidence a friend also bought yarn for it, in the original colourway shown here - I'd chosen more red/browen tomes so no clash at least.

And that is as far as either of us got. Well no, I had at some point cast on 130-odd stitches and worked a few rows of the 1x1 rib for the back. But that was definitely it.

We occasionally bemoaned this state of affairs with little effect until my friend came up with a challenge. We would make it our knitting for the Six Nations rugby tournament this year. 

With hindsight this may not have been the most sensible combination - it is hard to keep count of stitches when you are leaping out of your seat due to a refs decision or a brilliant try. Also it is quite hard to leap out of your chair when you are knitting one colour in continental and one English style.

But with the back complete I am feeling happy about fair isle again and establishing a smooth technique and even tension. I've becaome more confident with floats - I've worried in the past about carrying yarn over more than five stitches without catching it but having spoken with a friend who is floaring for nine in another pattern (following a masterclass) I'm happily doing seven stitch floats (the most the pattern requires).

I don't know why I haven't been doing colourwork much, now I've returned to it, I'm full of colourful ideas.