This is just to let you know that I shall shortly be (temporarily) closing my online shop.
Just a handful of kits remain, and the remaining stock of my totes and tea-towels are all on sale!
The reason for the temporary closure is as follows: we need to plan ahead for the new book, and to make some space in the stock room for a gazillion copies. Once its time to start shipping, it is going to be much easier to focus on the book only, rather than the kits as well, so the latter won’t be available from me for a wee while (though you will still be able to buy several of my kits from my friends at Jamieson and Smith).
So, if you’d like a tote or tea towel, the last chance to buy one is this weekend.
I’ll be closing the shop on Monday, and when it reopens, it will be full of MY NEW BOOK!
KDD & Co 
Regarding the Toast conundrum. I think we can be offended by a purely commercial appropriation of traditional Northern European design motifs that shows no awareness of the context or history of these designs. To borrow a design you admire, adapt it, knowing that you are creating your own spin on a tradtion (be it an old or recent tradition), and to be AWARE of what you are doing is something else entirely. Even if you make it commercially available.
Example: I recently knit a Bohus design from Poems of Color, knowing full well that original Bohus sweaters (which date back to 1939) were knit at a gauge of 8 sts/inch, and I was following a pattern created at 7 sts/inch, adjusting the original color scheme, and using both a merino/angora blend and pure angora wools (vs. the traditional merino/angora blend). I still consider this a Bohus sweater, but I have made it MY Bohus sweater.
Another example: a knitter in the Fair Isles sees a Norwegian sweater she admires. She copies it using local yarns and uses colors, gauge and a fit that reflect her taste and what she has available to her. What she has created may be a Fair Isle version of a Norwegian tradition, but it is not offensive.
A final example: Kate Davies admires a traditional Scottish Fairisle, she studies it and creates her own version of that sweater, slightly adjusting colors, gauge, and perhaps motifs and fit. She then makes that pattern commercially available. But she does so with full awareness of the traditions she is appropriating and with reverence for them.
I think Toast’s “Icelandic Fairisle” is offensive because it is a purely commercial appropriation of traditional designs, and because the copy clearly indicates that the seller has no understanding of either Icelandic or Fairisle traditions.
Am I making too fine a point? There’s nothing wrong with appropriation and there’s nothing wrong with commercialization. Problems creep in when these two actions are combined with no real respect or reverence for the traditions that are being appropriated.
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I’m looking forward to ordering the new book when it’s out. Hope you have warned J&S to expect big yarn orders, just like last time when Colours of Shetland came out.
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I am so excited about your new book! So excited that I am at a loss for words to post!
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Kate – you said the shop would close tomorrow but I can’t access it today (Sunday). Do you still have any toatie hottie kits available? Thanks, Susan
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Can’t wait for the new book. Your designs always inspire me!
Melanie
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Hello from Melbourne, where we are on the next stage of our wonderful holiday. I go off tomorrow on my retreat with my quilty friends. I have been knitting, a wrap in a lovely alpaca/silk mix. Looking forward to the book. Anne xo
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I can’t wait for your book. I’m in Sydney so have been holding out for YOKES but would also love a copy of Colours of Shetland too. Will that be available in print to purchase and ship also?
Danielle
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please let me know when you are back on line please
I am loving this book of yours so much
I live in Alberta but got the book from British Columbia but they only have Jamieson yarns
thanks so much
Pat
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Kate, I can’t get the shop to work at all. I had been planning to buy the Toatie Hotties kit at the same time as the book to save shipping, but in light of today’s post thought I would go ahead and order, but the links for your shop aren’t working.
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I tried to go get a tote bag but your link doesn’t work and I couldn’t find them on your webpage.
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A tea towel—yes. A new book—hooray!
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Looking forward to seeing the new book! :-)
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I was hoping to buy one of your Toatie Hottie kits – but your shop appears to have shut already (and it’s not even Sunday!)
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Darn! I checked for tea towels and totes as soon as I got this but the pages are gone already.
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oh, everything is sold out, I hoped to find a bag :(
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Is Colors of Shetland still available?
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I’d like to buy a teatowel, and can’t seem to be able to make the checkout work, OR send you an email!! Help!
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I too am very excited about your new book. Will “Colours of Shetland” be available after the reopen?
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Those gazillion copies won’t be on your shelves for long. ;)
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I’m very excited about the new book….can’t wait to see it.
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Best of luck getting getting organised for the book.. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on it.
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