patterns – KDD & Co

Monk’s Belt Hat

Hand-knitting and hand-weaving speak eloquently to one another in the beautiful work of Janet Bowen

gorse / Glenan

By: Kate Davies Designs May 6, 2022May 6, 2022

design, knitting, landscape, patternsdesign, glenan, gorse, knitting, landscape, pattern, Scotland, spring, vest6 Comments

a jolly yellow vest, for Spring

talking twisted stitches

A conversation with inspiring Thea Colman

Oa my!

Kate’s favourite outdoor pullover gets an Oa-verhaul

zwiebelmuster

Nicole Wagler tells us about eighteenth-century porcelain and her sense of place in Meissen

Green Shoots mittens

By: Kate Davies Designs January 29, 2021March 21, 2021

colour, design, knitting, Milarrochy Tweed, patternsdesign, foxglove, free download, Green Shoots Mittens, Green Shoots Tam, Milarrochy Tweed, mittens, pattern, stranded colourwork54 Comments

A jolly design for January

Friday is pattern reveal day, and I have a brand new sweater design to show you! I’m a huge fan of the arched Selbu motifs which are most often traditionally used on gloves and mittens and you’ll see the long-standing influence of these motifs on my design work in hats like Richard the Roundhead, or…

light, write, colour

By: Kate Davies Designs March 9, 2020March 9, 2020

design, exhibition, knitting, patterns, photography, poetry, publishingClaudia Fiocchetti, colour moves, light by the sea, Make / Mark, publishing, Write by the sea10 Comments

The past few weeks have seen some rather intense creative activity, as Tom and I prepare for an exciting weekend in Argyll. On Friday, Tom will be opening an exhibition of his new work at the Tighnabruaich gallery, Light by the Sea. As well as his beautiful photographic seascapes, each of which evokes the distinctive…

north star snood

By: Kate Davies Designs 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…

Pabaigh

By: Kate Davies Designs May 11, 2018May 11, 2018

design, Kate Davies, Kate Davies Designs, patternsdesign, knitting, Milarrochy Tweed, Pabaigh, pattern49 Comments

Good morning! This is Pabaigh – my new design in the new Cranachan shade. I spend a lot of time walking in some quite exposed and windswept places. And I’m not sure if this is the case elsewhere in the world, but here in Scotland I find I often need to layer up, especially in…

bobbles return

By: Kate Davies Designs February 10, 2018February 10, 2018

design, knitting, patterns, West Highland Waybobbles, design, knitting, West Highland Way, West Highland Way Club26 Comments

One thing I’ve really enjoyed about designing my West Highland Way collection has been playing with new shapes. The Strathendrick jumper is an oversized garment with dropped, skinny sleeves, and the Shieling blanket is created modularly, with each square knitted borders-in, similarly to a hat crown. Meanwhile, this week’s pattern – Rowchoish – features an…

Rainbow shades

It’s the final week of the Inspired by Islay club, and we’ve released the final group of patterns. This grouping is is inspired by the beautiful Rhinns of Islay, where the fast-moving skies are never the same from one moment to the next, and are frequently lit up by rainbows. Each of the patterns in…