manufacturing – KDD & Co

an airy sweater

Mel thinks she’s knitted herself a sweater but Kate has other ideas

I’m really excited to reveal something which has been a long time in development and of which all of us at KDD are really proud – Coracle. Before I became a manufacturer of yarn and knitwear I was a consumer of both these things. And, as a consumer, I often found myself deeply troubled by…

Àrd Thìr

It’s yarn launch day! Let me introduce Àrd Thìr: our new aran (heavy worsted) weight yarn in a range of beautiful shades that have been inspired by the Scottish winter landscape. Our winter landscape is often thought to be drained of colour, but if you look carefully, you’ll discover a mix of many interesting shades:…

north star snood

By: KDD October 13, 2018October 13, 2018

finishing, Kate Davies Designs, KDD originals, knitting, making, manufacturing, patternsaccessories, design, knitting, knitwear, manufacturing, north star snood, snoods, William Lockie27 Comments

During our Hebridean break last week, we took the opportunity to photograph the results of my latest ready-made knitwear project: the North Star Snood. I loved designing my snoods last year, and also really enjoyed the process of working with William Lockie. Last year I used stitch patterns which had been previously featured on my…

making things “locally”

As my business has grown over the past few years I have learned a lot about making things locally. Working with Scottish, Irish, and English producers, I’ve made my own books, and yarn, and knitwear. I’ve collaborated with many different types of manufacturers, from printers and spinners to dyers and wool producers. Being able to…

at Uist Wool

By: KDD May 9, 2018May 9, 2018

industry, manufacturing, textiles, wool, yarnindustry, manufacturing, north Uist, scouring, Uist, Uist Wool, wool, yarn, yarn production44 Comments

When you get involved in manufacturing yarn for hand knitters, one of the first things you learn about is just how bloody difficult it is just to get some elements of wool production done. I’m talking about the messy, dirty, non-glamorous things; the things like wool sorting, grading, and scouring (washing) or things that involve…

Making Milarrochy Tweed

We are all busy here behind the scenes – putting the finishing touches to the pattern collection that will be released as part of our forthcoming club, and awaiting the arrival of our new and much-anticipated yarn – Milarrochy Tweed. Milarrochy Tweed is produced for us by our friends at Donegal Yarns – a company…

Ootlier 2018 Calendar

By: KDD September 30, 2017September 30, 2017

making, manufacturing, ootlier, photographycalendar, manufacturing, ootlier, photography26 Comments

The turn of October is generally the moment when all of the projects we have been working on throughout the year really start to come together. This year seems to be a particularly busy one: KDD Originals have just been released; our new yarn is in the final stages of scouring and skeining (hurrah); I’m…

snoods / psneuds

By: KDD September 27, 2017September 27, 2017

design, KDD originals, knitting, manufacturing, Scotland, Scottish textiles, textile history, textilesdesign, Hinchcliffe, KDD originals, knitwear, Lockies, manufacturing, snoods, William Lockie52 Comments

I am sure, since I have been completely unable to restrain my excitement on all social media channels, that most of you will have already seen the small range of knitted accessories that we’ve made with Lockies. Snoods! Now, I have come to realise the “correct” application of the word snood is a matter for…

making stuff (at Lockies)

One thing you can say about knitting: it really makes you think about the many different processes that producing textiles involve. For example, prior to becoming an obsessive knitter, I had never really considered blocking a woollen garment (with water or with steam) . . . . . . nor had I understood what a…

Shetland Oo: making a book

Hello – it’s Tom here – for a change. Kate is busy working on her Islay project, and I’m taking a break today from shipping out orders. I wanted to say thanks so much for your interest in our Shetland Oo book. Apart from being my first major project as a photographer, Oo is the…

Shetland Tannery

As part of our work researching and documenting Shetland Oo, this past August, Tom and I met Natalie Cairns-Ratter of the Shetland Tannery. I’d acquired several of Natalie’s beautiful sheepskins on earlier Shetland visits, and was intrigued to learn more about the tanning process, and how her company came about. Small-scale tanning was previously a…

The Buachaille song by Felicity Ford

At the end of last September, I travelled to Shetland for Wool Week. I’d spent several previous months exploring a new-to-me world of yarn development, and the result – Buachaille – was about to be launched with the Seven Skeins Club. At home, so many boxes of yarn had arrived that the bathroom floor had…

highland coo – dyed!

I had some knowledge of most of the manufacturing processes that making my yarn involved, but the process I probably knew least about was dyeing. Like most designers, I love colour, and I am very picky about the shades I use being just right. I had a very clear idea in my head about what…

at Haworth Scouring

As we have discovered over the past few months, there is an awful lot to think about when designing and manufacturing a new yarn for hand knitting! There are many stages to consider, and many decisions to be made. It occurred to me that one of the processes that’s least visible to hand knitters is…