Wednesday 31 December 2014

2014....the year of making things that go on walls not people!

The year started with an exciting meeting with the ever lovely Rachel of Prick Your Finger in January!

 
Rachel's shop is full of all the best knitting supplies you could ever dream of, AND she uses it as an exhibition space too, at no charge to the artist, because she's nice like that. I had been working on my 'Death by knitting' idea for a while before I met with Rachel (by this I mean watching horror films where people get attacked/killed with knitting needles) and her offer to exhibit my work gave me the excuse to finally make it! Fast forward to April, lots of computer based knit design work, 3D trickery, and some hand stitching later...'Death by knitting' was a reality...

 

I was super happy to see all the work come together, and people's reactions to it, especially the 3D working! Following a chat with Rachel about Halloween, I found myself with another opportunity to exhibit at the awesome Prick Your Finger. This time, I mostly used hand knitting which was really satisfying in a very different way to the work I did for death by knitting. This project was much newer to me and I had lots of fun making these pieces, so much so, I want to keep knitting masks and expand the collection in the future...

 
 
I also used crochet for some of the pieces, I really enjoy crochet and how easily things become 3D by using it.
While this exhibition was being put together, my 3D posters were accepted for a group exhibition 'Craft Emergency' at Aspex gallery in Portsmouth, here they are all framed up like proper movie posters!

 
November also saw Yiiikes!' glowing world coming back out of it's various boxes and living in the window at Nexus Art CafĂ©, it's still there until Saturday if you've not seen it yet!
 
I did make some things that were for people to wear, continuing with my Twin peaks collection from last year and collaborating with a x-stitch designer on a very popular Slayer themed scarf!  
 
 

 
 I usually do a new collection each year but this one just didn't quite make it, I have started on some new pieces and hope to launch the collection in January, here is a sneak peek for now...


I am super-grateful for all the people who have supported my adventures in yarn this year, given me opportunities to show my work, bought things from me, helped me work things out, made me cups of tea etc. Without you I would probably just be sat here surrounded by half-finished knitted things which wouldn't be very satisfying at all...Keep being awesome, and I'll see you in the future!