make / mend: Collingwood-Norris

Kate talks to Flora Collingwood-Norris about mending, Scottish islands, and how colour makes you feel

Read More

Ecclefechan Mitts!

Over the past couple of days, quite a few of you have contacted me to ask about the black and white mitts that appeared in the header image at the top of this page. Well, this is my new design — the Ecclefechan Mitts! I was so happy with the photograph that I just couldn’t…

Read More

Lauder morning

We got up early, and drove down to the Borders. It was a beautiful crisp morning. When we arrived in Lauder, the sun was already turning the frost into a magical, dewy haze. Today, the Autumn colours seemed even more deeply saturated. I want to knit everything in these tapestry blues and golds. While Bruce…

Read More

more on mauds

(photo from J.G. Martindale, The Scottish Woollen Industry, (1954)) You may remember that a while ago I got all excited about the maud — the traditional shepherd’s plaid that’s woven and worn in the Scottish Borders. You can see one above being used for its original function — protecting the shepherd and his lambs from…

Read More

maud

John Watson Gordon, James Hogg (1830). © National Galleries of Scotland. I’ve been working on a piece for Yarn Forward about tweed. In the course of my research, I’ve been reading a lot about the Maud: the shepherd’s plaid traditionally worn in the Scottish Borders. This is John Watson Gordon’s portrait of James Hogg, best…

Read More