KATE DAVIES

Kate Davies has always been very creative, making work in many different media from music and poetry to sewing and jewellery. “I grew up making my own clothes and, when I took up knitting again, my immediate impulse was to design my own garments,” she recalls.

“In the late 2000s, I produced a couple of successful knitting patterns, but honestly never considered designing for a living, until I had a stroke in 2010 and could no longer work at my job as an academic lecturer. While recovering from my stroke, designing became very important - both as an outlet for my creative ideas, and a way of supporting myself financially. And now, somewhat unexpectedly, but very happily, designing is my life!”

Kate’s Fair Isle designs are both a delightful balancing of colour and motif, and a joy to knit. “I love the strong geometric lines and bold use of colour that distinguishes modernist design, and am continually inspired by posters, typography,

ceramics, interiors, photography textiles and fashion from the first half of the 20th century,” Kate says. “Though it’s so often associated with heritage and nostalgia, Fair Isle knitting is, to me, a quintessentially modernist aesthetic, which is also carried forward by other 20th century colourwork styles, such as that of Swedish Bohus knitwear.”

So does Kate have a favourite design from her portfolio? “At the moment it would be a toss-up between the ‘Shieling’ blanket (one of my favourite ever Fair Isle charts to design), and the ‘Upstream’ pullover, which is a simple, graphic yoke design from my new book,

Bold Beginner Knits.”

KATE'S TOP TIP: “However long you’ve been knitting, and whatever expertise you’ve built up, always regard yourself as a beginner, keep an open mind and retain a desire to learn. Don’t be afraid to try new techniques, new shades, or a new-to-you garment shape. If, in the end, you find that you don’t like the technique, shade or shape - what of it? You’ve moved forward in your craft, extended your creative skills, and learned something new.”