Learn to knit workshop

This evening saw the start of our knitting workshops that we'll be hosting in our studio every Monday evening. The first course, Learn to Knit, began today and we kicked off in style, with delicious snacks prepared by Merci Marie (the team who handle the brilliant cafe in our building) and wine selected by Ruth Spivey at Street Vin (currently at Dalston Street Feast). Attendees spent the evening learning how to cast on and all had mastered the knit stitch by the time we had finished. Next week, we'll tackle the purl....

To enquire about the August or September workshops, email us.

Amy Hall at Pelicans & Parrots

We're very excited to announce that archive Amy Hall pieces will be available to buy in our favourite Dalston boutique, Pelicans & Parrots from next week. Their Tropical Takeover launches next Thursday evening from 6pm. If you fancy coming along for some tropical drinks and a spot of summertime retail therapy, email them to RSVP.

Neneh Cherry: Part 2

Neneh Cherry, seen below looking gorgeous in her 'Victoria' cardigan, pre-ordered from the A/W 2014 collection. To pre-order your own piece from the A/W 2014 collection, contact us.

From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk: The Fashion World of Jean PaulGaultier

I was invited along to the media preview of the Jean Paul Gaultier show: 'From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk' at the Barbican today. It's the first major exhibition entirely devoted to the celebrated French couturier. The opening of the show was preceded by a short interview and Q&A with the man himself which was a fascinating insight into his life and work. He's a brilliant, engaging and highly entertaining speaker who had everyone in the audience captivated.

The exhibition that followed was as interesting, theatrical and diverse as Jean Paul himself and the main thing that struck me was how far-reaching and vast his influence is. As you walk around, you can see how many of the designers that have found fame more recently clearly look to him for inspiration. I also love that he has forged a successful career spanning nearly 40 years in a highly competitive industry, having never studied fashion. 

The variety of fabrics and garments on show is extensive, but I was particularly drawn to the knits for obvious reasons. There's absolutely nothing granny-like or stuffy about any of the knit and crochet pieces on show here!

The show opens to the general public tomorrow and I urge anyone who has an interest in textiles, fashion, art or culture in general to hot-foot it over there, as you won't regret it.

Throwback Thursday: a very young Kate Moss in knitwear

We stumbled across these shots of Kate Moss in the studio this afternoon - one is by the brilliant and much-missed photographer Corinne Day (a hero of mine), the other is from an ancient knitting magazine produced by Rowan Yarns. I doubt they could afford her now... Apparently copies of that magazine are now fetching princely sums on eBay.

Sample sale success!

Saturday's sample sale was a roaring success, with people coming by from all over town. The Invisible Line gallery in Dalston looked great and was the perfect venue for our little pop-up. We teamed up with Feather M and, leather & knit being one of my favourite combinations, it was a perfect match. If you couldn't make it down on Saturday, you'll be pleased to hear we still have one or two pieces left over, which can be found in the clearance section of our online shop.

 Ready to start receiving customers...

The sale in full swing:

TV presenter Anita Rani does a spot of shopping:

Click here to see the new A/W 2013 lookbook

Leathery knit

As anyone who knows me will attest, I am a big fan of leather and knit. So imagine my glee when I came across this amazing sweater by Les Chiffoniers. It's leather. It has embossed knitted stitches on the front. It is surely perfect?

Needless to say, it's on the shopping list.

[Image taken from the Les Chiffoniers website].

Where it all began, part 11

Since starting this series of posts I've had all of my family, on both sides, looking out for knit-relevant photos from days of yore.

My aunt sent this one to me a few days ago (thank you, Kath!). It shows my uncle James, aged 8, skidding across a frozen pond in Bedford Park. He's sporting a rather nifty hand-knitted balaclava, which was apparently made lovingly for him by my great grandmother, Florence Violet (what a brilliant name).

Where it all began, part 10

So far this series of posts have been a bit biased as they have all featured my mum's side of the family.

I am going to have a rummage in coming weeks and see if I can unearth more from my dad's side, starting with this one that appeared in The Bedfordshire Times, which my Uncle James sent me over Easter weekend.

They are at a church fete apparently, roughly 1955. My dad (in the white turtle neck) was around 8 years old and looks like a miniature version of himself from some of the photos I have of him 20 or so years later, wearing adult versions of the same knitted sweater! He obviously had a clear idea of his style, even at an early age. My Uncle James is second on Dad's right and (according to James himself) is eyeing up a toy on the table that he was hoping to win....

Knitted tree warmer

We drove past London Fields on our way out of town for Easter on Thursday evening and saw this extremely chic tree. It's wearing its very own jumper - a 'tree cosy', if you will - complete with pom poms. Amazing.

Filmspiration: Marilyn

Marilyn Monroe - a true icon. And here she is rocking her classic knitwear like the best of them.

Wolf and Badger: the window

Ruby from my press team came with me to Wolf & Badger for a meeting this morning and we were thrilled to see the Antwerp sweater on one of the mannequins in their window - we especially loved the styling and think it's a great little outfit, perfect for their Valentines theme.

Yarn Bomb, part 2

OK, I know I've done a blog post on yarn bombing or 'knit grafitti' before so this is a bit of a cheat, but there was a series of images on the subject on the Guardian website today (thanks to my friend Mike for pointing it out to me!) and I love this one so much, I couldn't resist:

[Image taken from the Guardian website]

Visit Knit the City to find out more.

Doe a deer

I absolutely love these beautiful handknitted 'taxidermied' deer heads by Rachel Denny. Yet another bonkers way to put knitting to good use. To see more of her beautiful work, visit her website



[Images taken from Rachel Denny's website]

Rubberknit

I am crazy about Balenciaga's A/W 11 collection - this rubbery knitted jacket is incredible.

[Image taken from the Balenciaga website]