Goodbye Melbourne

I love you!!!!!!!

Triangle Knitting Construction Pattern

This is an exciting new project, having collaborated with Australian Country Spinners this winter.  These new Construction Designs are now available at all Spotlight stores in Australia and New Zealand.  While in the past I've designed patterns with squares, and rectangles; this is a different approach using Triangles in the most basic knit stitch; super easy!!  Just knit triangles in Cleckheaton Country Naturals Wool, and follow the diagrams in the pattern to join them which will make an awesome garment.

Inside Out Magazine

Gather's online store has a little editorial in the new edition of Inside Out Magazine.

Mohair Silk Colours

New Winter, Mohair Silk Jumpers , made - going to Taylor Boutique. Even the mound of waste threads are too pretty to throw away.

Bon Voyage!!

This is Alex who has been working at the studio for 10 months. Alex is a graduate of a BA in Textile Design from Massey University, and she's leaving us to go to London, having acquired an internship with Selvedge Magazine. We're going to miss her, and I think my customers will too!! I will be lucky to find a replacement with the same enthusiasm for textiles and knitting!!

Deserted Beaches

All the beaches close to us are black-sand/pebble beaches, so this is where we go for a white-sand beach swim. It's less than an hour's drive, and we have it all to ourselves! This is my idea of a beach experience, we usually take a picnic, some fishing rods, and spend the whole day out here.

Sale at Gather

We have a SALE on at Gather starting tomorrow Tuesday 5th January, at 9am, and runs for 1 week only. Reductions are 20% - 50% on all Home Decor and Printed Textiles from our beautiful collection. Don't miss this one!!!

The Farmers Market

Dropped into the Napier Farmers Market for fresh fruit, pastries and coffee for breakfast this morning in the Park. It's part of my routine for picking up morning tea supplies from the German baker for our Workshops. It was nice to soak up some sunshine before being in the shop all day.

Fabulous Book....

I'm so glad to have this knitting shop, because I'm encouraged to look at reading material I'd otherwise never pick up, being the fashion knitter and all. I think this new book we have in at Gather; "How Tea Cosies Changed the World", by Loani Prior is really fantastic. Knitted sculpture on a tea-pot!! - I LOVE IT!

Our January Tumblr

On our Tumblr page this month we channeled Persephone, walking the landscape to gather and soak up the heady atmosphere of Summer's nature, blissed with warmth, inspired to make cool stuff.

Our Natural Dye Workshop is on 17 January at the workshop of Aroha. We have a Summer Knitting Construction Class this Sunday 3 Feb.

Finished the holiday season with an early morning coastal bushwalk. After an hour of walking, we crossed paths with a group of little boys, under pack, (maybe 10'ish) who had spent the night out there sleeping under the stars. What awesome little troopers!!

Folk Art

I've got a couple of framed pieces of antique needlepoint cloth in the store on display, and they attract so much attention. I'm not sure how old my pieces are, but I had a lovely customer bring her own personal collection in to show me, and what's remarkable about hers is that they are 18th century patterns, from which she creates the needlepoint cloth herself. Here she had this delicate folder of tattered pages of patterns tucked away in her bag, with pieces of perfect, colourful cross stitch cloth in bright new threads. Sure, they didn't have the patina or wear of age, but here was a poignant statement about this art still being well and alive, as cross-stitch is one of the oldest embroidery Folk Art forms. In the shop we do have some awesome re-inventions of Cross Stitch; like the Helvetica Cross Stitch Kits by Tamara Maynes, and a project book by Cath Kidston called Stitch. And taking it up a level, Textile Artist, Jane Denton has some framed stitch art in the shop for sale. Jane will be exhibiting new work at Gather in March, the opening details of which we post soon.

Images above are 1. Antique Needlepoint on Display at the Gather, 2. Customer with her 18th Century Pattern Needlepoint. 3. Helvetica Cross Stitch Kits by Tamara Maynes. 4. 'Stitch' needlepoint project book by Cath Kidston available at Gather. 5. 'XS' stitch art by Jane Denton, available as framed finished art at Gather.

Kids Learn to Crochet Workshop

Spent a delightful morning with Anneliese teaching girls to crochet and make sweet little necklaces and hair braids using colourful wool and beads.

Natural Dyes

At Gather, we have dyed up some beautiful Hand-Spun Tussah Silk samples with our range of Natural Dyes, to show the lovely hues of colours that can be created. The following extract from the 'Why Natural Dye' essay by Ethel Mairet, helps explains my obsession with this world: "William Morris says "all degradation of art veils itself in the semblance of an intellectual advance." and nothing is truer than this with regard to the art of dyeing. As a tradition it is practically dead in Britain, and is threatened with gradual extinction all over the world. It will not recover itself as an art till individual artists set themselves to make beautiful colours again, and ignore the colour made for them by commerce and the chemists.

New Tableware

We've got some beautiful new handprinted linen tableware in store, from Bonnie and Neil, Melbourne design duo; just arrived at Gather.

Workshops

Our 'Learn to Crochet' Workshops this Saturday 19th Jan is full, but we do have some places for the afternoon's class "Crochet Granny Squares". This Sunday we have our Social, 20th Jan; so drop in anytime between 11am to 2pm and claim your spot on the pink couch. Below are images from a new book in store called "Granny Square Crochet; 35 Contemporary Projects" by Catherine Hirst.

Camping

Coromandel Peninsula; what a spot to camp; freshly shucked oysters along the way, rugged coastline drive, fishing off snapper rock, tent in dense native bush by the water, hot sun, cold ocean swims and falling asleep to the sound of lapping waves - HEAVEN!!