By: KDD August 20, 2019August 21, 2019 amazing knitters, design, Kate Davies, Kate Davies Designs, knitters, knittingdesign, featured, inspiration, knitters, knitting16 Comments

Inspiring projects, inspiring patterns

As the summer draws to a close, I thought I’d round up some of the many inspiring projects that have been knitted in recent months from KDD patterns, and show you a couple of new designs in our yarns. Last week, Melanie Berg revealed a stunning shawl in Àrd-Thìr, which reminded me of the beautiful…

By: KDD August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 color, colour, yarncollaboration, featured, Hebrides, knitting, shilasdair, Skye, skye natural dye company27 Comments

Shilasdair: isle of Skye natural dye company

On our way to North Uist and Berneray a few months ago, we stopped off in Skye to say hello to Kirsty, who now runs Shilasdair, the Isle of Skye natural dye company. I first visited Shilasdair – when it was run by natural-dyeing legend, Eva Lambert, in its old home on the Waternish peninsula…

By: KDD August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 design, inspiration, inspiring projects, interview, yarnÀrd Thìr, conversation, design, designers, Europe, European Yarn Community, featured, interview, knitting, Melanie Berg, yarn12 Comments

“Being European, we are more than the sum of our parts” Melanie Berg

Today, I’m delighted to introduce Melanie Berg as the next participant in our European Yarn Community conversations. Melanie is a German designer whose work will, I’m sure, be already very much admired by many of you. Melanie is best known for her shawls, but she also creates gorgeous modern garments, and everything she makes is…

looking forward

Hello! Kate here. August is the month at KDD when we all start to look forward to what’s coming in the autumn. This season we are busier than ever, with a wide range of different projects and new releases. Next month, for example, we will finally be able to begin to release the new knitwear…

By: KDD July 18, 2019July 19, 2019 wool, yarnBrexit, connection, conversation, Europe, European Yarn Community, featured, Laines des Iles, Yasmin Harper43 Comments

“For me, Europe means connection”: Yasmin Harper, Laine des Iles

Hello, everyone, it’s Kate here – to introduce a new series of conversations on the KDD blog. I was born in 1973, a year after the Treaty of Accession paved the way for Britain’s entry into the European Union. Both sides of my family are shaped by histories of European immigration, and as a teenager,…

“disorientation enables new perspectives”: Catherine Mountford

This interview with talented ceramic designer-maker, Catherine Mountford, is brought to you as part of our “chain” celebrating the interconnected work of interesting and inspiring creative women. Catherine was nominated by illustrator / embroiderer, Reena Makwana, whose interview you can read here. Hi Catherine! Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your…

By: KDD July 10, 2019July 10, 2019 design, knitting, process, publishingbold beginner knits, design, featured, Jane Hunter, publishing17 Comments

all about Bold Beginner Knits

Kate here! I’ve just about recovered from all our Xpo north fun, and am now back at my desk, finishing work on our latest book project Bold Beginner Knits – a collection of 6 intriguing, wearable, and simply knit-able designs in our beautiful aran-weight yarn Àrd-Thìr – which I created for my friend, and KDD…

By: KDD&Co. July 7, 2019July 7, 2019 Àrd Thìr, knitting, learn to knitbold beginner knits, design, featured, Jane Hunter, knitting, knitting pattern, learn to knit, publishing14 Comments

downstream

Downstream, a simple top-down cardigan with raglan shaping, is a sleek and wearable knit.
Progressing through the Bold Beginner Knits patterns, I find my confidence in my knitting has grown…

shop

The KDD online shop stocks our yarn, knitting kits, books, and knitwear (socks, snoods, and jumpers, made right here in Scotland) You can purchase Kate’s hand-knitting patterns as digital PDF downloads through Ravelry Tom’s photographic work is available to purchase as high-quality archival prints To date, we have produced twelve books under the KDD and Makadu…

about KDD

Kate Davies Designs (KDD) was established by Kate Davies in 2010, when a stroke at the age of 36 ended her career as a literary academic. While recovering from her stroke, Kate supported herself by designing digital patterns for hand-knitting, established an independent publishing company, and began to produce books that combined her skills as…

tutorials

Inside and Outside the Red Box. A Bold Beginner Knits Tutorial for the Footfall shawl Triangular shawl construction. A Bold Beginner Knits Tutorial for the Footfall shawl “Join body and sleeves into yoke” A Bold Beginner Knits tutorial for the Upstream Pullover Needle size is immaterial some words about gauge and swatching. Tarradale Crown Twist…

Inspiring projects, inspiring patterns

By: KDD August 20, 2019August 21, 2019

amazing knitters, design, Kate Davies, Kate Davies Designs, knitters, knittingdesign, featured, inspiration, knitters, knitting16 Comments

Shilasdair: isle of Skye natural dye company

By: KDD August 18, 2019August 18, 2019

color, colour, yarncollaboration, featured, Hebrides, knitting, shilasdair, Skye, skye natural dye company27 Comments

“Being European, we are more than the sum of our parts” Melanie Berg

By: KDD August 14, 2019August 14, 2019

design, inspiration, inspiring projects, interview, yarnÀrd Thìr, conversation, design, designers, Europe, European Yarn Community, featured, interview, knitting, Melanie Berg, yarn12 Comments

looking forward

The McCune Smith cafe

By: KDD July 30, 2019August 11, 2019

History, People MAKE Glasgow, Politics, writingabolition, Glasgow, james mccune smith, mccune smith, mccune smith cafe, People MAKE Glasgow, slavery29 Comments

Hello, it’s Tom here. In today’s People Make Glasgow post I’d like to introduce the McCune Smith Cafe and Dr. James McCune Smith, the important 19th Century African-American abolitionist, physician, educator and intellectual, after whom the cafe is named. Glasgow’s remarkable nineteenth-century growth was due to imperial trade. That Glasgow was built on tobacco and…

“For me, Europe means connection”: Yasmin Harper, Laine des Iles

By: KDD July 18, 2019July 19, 2019

wool, yarnBrexit, connection, conversation, Europe, European Yarn Community, featured, Laines des Iles, Yasmin Harper43 Comments

“disorientation enables new perspectives”: Catherine Mountford

all about Bold Beginner Knits

By: KDD July 10, 2019July 10, 2019

design, knitting, process, publishingbold beginner knits, design, featured, Jane Hunter, publishing17 Comments

downstream

By: KDD&Co. July 7, 2019July 7, 2019

Àrd Thìr, knitting, learn to knitbold beginner knits, design, featured, Jane Hunter, knitting, knitting pattern, learn to knit, publishing14 Comments

Downstream, a simple top-down cardigan with raglan shaping, is a sleek and wearable knit.
Progressing through the Bold Beginner Knits patterns, I find my confidence in my knitting has grown…

xpo north in pictures

By: KDD July 6, 2019July 6, 2019

events, photographyCarol Sinclair, Chibundo Onuzo, Circumpolar Crafters Network, creative industries, featured, Helen Lockhart, independent publishing, Jenny Brown, Marion Sinclair, Peter Urpeth, publishing, Scotland, xpo north24 Comments

Last week, Sam, Tom and I enjoyed spending a few days at Xpo North – a fantastic celebration of Scotland’s creative industries, that’s held every year in the Highlands. All kinds of creative endeavour are showcased at Xpo North — from music and screen, to fashion and craft — and I was honoured to have…

Introducing People MAKE Glasgow

By: KDD June 30, 2019June 30, 2019

People MAKE Glasgow, textilescreativity, featured, Glasgow, manufacturing, People MAKE Glasgow, photography, Refuweegee, Reza Wood, Sahelia, Scottish Refugee Council, Shetland Oo20 Comments

Hello, it’s Tom here. As those of you who follow the KDD blog will be aware, I’m interested in many kinds of photography. As well as my knitwear and landscape images, I also work on larger photo-documentary projects. The subject I most often return to in my documentary photography is work. I’m especially interested in…

midstream

By: KDD June 28, 2019June 28, 2019

design, knittingbold beginner knits, knitting, midstream15 Comments

Ta Da! Meet Midstream – the fifth pattern release from Bold Beginner Knits Since I created Rowchoish for the West Highland Way collection, I’ve had a bit of a thing for using simple oblongs to create interesting shapes that wrap around the body. I have so many oblong-y ideas, in fact, that they could probably…