MY STORY

I am a Scottish artist and designer living in the countryside of Kent, England. I learned to knit as a child. The women in my family were all prolific knitters, and each of them taught me different skills. All her life my grandmother was a professional knitter for the Scottish textile industry and would produce a beautiful Aran jumper or a baby blanket in the blink of an eye. She met my grandfather at the famous Paton’s Mill in Alloa, so without the Scottish yarn industry I would not exist. 

 

I began designing my own patterns in 2022, combining my design skills with knitting and my love of art and nature. I take a lot of inspiration from the natural environment around me and like designs that are unisex and practical for everyday life. With five German Shepherds, ducks, chickens and a cat, and surrounded by muddy fields and orchards, it’s not always wise for me to wear pretty delicates (or whites!), so I like to combine textures and muted shades with fibres that withstand a bit of punishment and help to hide dog hair. 

 

When I began writing patterns, I wanted them to be user-friendly. I also have a passion for natural fibres and exploring yarns that are soft but tough and sustainable, especially those produced by small businesses that have high animal-welfare standards. I hope to encourage use of these yarns through my patterns.

 

I also love gift-knitting and wanted to create patterns that ambitious beginners could attempt for a loved one (yourself included), using a special yarn without feeling intimidated. What would you make for that uncle who is always finding weird mushrooms in the woods, or your dog-trainer friend who is always cold but needs her fingers free to quickly open the catch of a treat pouch? 

 

I am inspired by my everyday experience of being outdoors near the sea, and I create pieces that are useful to me out in the elements: a hat soft enough for my annoyingly sensitive skin, yet warm and tough enough to keep out the biting wind that blows in from the sea across the marshes where I walk the dogs. And can they be pretty enough to not look like what the cat dragged in?