52 Weeks of Accessories: a new design and a new chapter.

I know that’s a long title, right? Well, it kind of sums up where I‘m at right now. 

So much has happened in the last three years, culminating in a major house move towards the end of last year. And because I’m keen to give myself time and space to process these changes, 2024 marks the start of a new chapter. One where I’ll be adjusting to life in my new home city of Bristol and taking mindful steps each day to listen to what my body needs. Whether that’s reading, resting, cooking, crafting or soaking up the culture of my new hometown, this year, you should expect to see something a little different from me. 

And what better way to kick off the year than with a new design? Having kept this under wraps for several months, I can finally reveal I have a design in Laine Publishing’s new book, 52 Weeks of Accessories. 

Hidden Star is a mitten & fingerless mitt pattern that celebrates my love of beaded knitting, and as the temperature drops here in the UK, the timing couldn’t be better. Hidden Star is about snuggling up (remember my constantly cold hands) but with a twist on traditional stranded colourwork. Blocks of different coloured beads draw the eyes to a dart-like shape on the back of each mitten, and these mirrored darts reveal a star-like motif when both hands are placed together. So when one of my fabulous test knit team suggested the name Hidden Star, I jumped at it. It’s perfect, don’t you agree?

The mittens are knitted in John Arbon Exmoor 4ply Sock. After doing some initial swatching, I found knitting with two close tones of the yarn held together produced the gentle marled colour effect I wanted for this design. So, I mixed orange (Quick Beam) and red (Peggles) for the top section and dark turquoise (Plashes) and navy (Whortleberries) for the bottom section, with an acid green (Oddmedod) stripe cutting across the centre of the mitt to give the eye a lift. Of course, if you prefer, you can use a regular DK yarn in a single colour to make Hidden Star, as some of my test knitters did.

At this point, I must say a HUGE thank you to every member of my fabulous test-knit team who pulled out all the stops to meet an incredibly tight deadline when testing this pattern. They showed such grace and patience while I juggled with a new-to-me project management platform, responded to their queries and quickly picked up on my occasional lapses in concentration. You are all amazing, thank you!! #teamtestknit

As you can see, the results of the Hidden Star test show how you can channel your inner designer with the yarns and colours you use. I love how each knitter’s combination of yarn and bead choice reveals a little something about their personality. Seeing how every team member worked through their allocated version of the design was pure joy. Each was asked to knit a specific size and version for a full test of the pattern instructions, and what was even more gratifying was that some had never tried beaded colourwork before. That made it even more incredible that they could turn this test around in the time given while navigating such a steep learning curve. 

Oh, I should mention the beads; I mean, how could I forget them? As the pattern is knitted in a DK weight, I’ve used Debbie Abrahams size 6 glass seed beads in purple (Rainbow), orange (Fruit Salad) and clear. These colours really pop on the marl background, and slipping the beads in groups rather than singly – what I like to call beaded floats – makes the star motif stand out even more effectively. 

Toasty Cosy Fingerless Mitts

Toasty Cosy Mittens

I’ve created many mittens and glove patterns over the years. I particularly like offering them in full mitten or fingerless mitt options, as I did for Toasty Cosy, part of the Warm Hands collection I co-edited with my friend, designer Kate Davies. With each design, I try to inject some intriguing details to make them more interesting for you – the knitter. After all, when you knit one of my designs, you’re investing both time and money into making the project, and both are precious. So you’ll be pleased to hear that short-row shaping and an i-cord cast-off also appear in this design (i-cord cast-off used in the fingerless mitt version only). 

Hidden Star can be found in Laine Publishing’s 52 Weeks of Accessories. It’s a stunning collection of inspiring makes, and I’m proud to have my design featured alongside such an impressive pool of international design talent. If you hop over to the Laine Publishing website, you can pre-order 52 Weeks of Accessories and get a sneaky preview of all the designs. I hope you like Hidden Star. It feels great to start the year with the release of this new pattern, and I’d love to hear what you think of it.

Oh, and before I go, if you’re in the mood for glove, mitten and mitt knitting this weekend, you can get 15% off Warm Hands over on my website. No code is needed, but the offer ends at 11.59pm Sunday, 14th January GMT.

Until next time, stay warm and happy making!

J x

King Charles III Birthday Honours List 2023

Today I am very proud – and somewhat gobsmacked – to find myself on the Birthday Honours List of our new monarch, HRH King Charles III. 

As the child of Bajan parents who came to this country as part of the Windrush generation, I am hugely proud to accept a British Empire Medal in recognition of my career as a knitwear designer and my efforts to make the fibre space more inclusive, diverse and welcoming for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. (Not Fine Arts as is stated above).

There will be those who hold staunchly anti-monarchist views. Who feel the Honours System is archaic and reeks of colonialism. There will also be those for whom mention of the word ‘empire’ encapsulates nothing but negative and harmful connotations to Britain’s history. If that is you, don’t feel the need to comment, simply close this page and go about your day.

So why am I accepting this award? I’m accepting it in celebration of what my parents, Marjorie and Sam Trotman, invested into this country’s post war economy. For every day they – and many like them – worked in jobs that thousands of ‘native Brits’ wouldn’t do. Despite the racism they encountered. Often on a daily basis. And for every time they were turned away from rented accommodation, purely because they were black. 

More specifically I’m accepting this award to acknowledge the many gifts my mother, Marjorie Rita Trotman, handed down to me. 

None of what I’ve achieved, over 30 years working with fibre, would exist had Mum not taught me to knit when I was seven. Mum literally gave me life, and, by passing on her many craft skills, she unwittingly gave me a purpose that’s only revealed itself in the last few years. This award celebrates the fabulous, formidable woman she was and the other extraordinarily talented, supportive women with whom I’ve collaborated and continue to work. I also accept this award knowing how proud both Mum and my husband Sam would have been to see what I’ve achieved. How their unending love and support has empowered me to continue; particularly in the light of their passing. 

To my siblings Sandra Meadows, Wayne Trotman, Pat Simpson, Brian Simpson and my beautiful wider family, thank you for your love. 

Heartfelt thanks to those who nominated me for this award, I’m genuinely humbled. 

To those with whom I’m currently collaborating, whether design related or with BIPOC in Fiber. There is SO MUCH more to do, and this award shows we are making a difference.

Lastly to everyone who buys my knitting patterns and kits, reads my articles, follows me on Instagram and asks about Mister Jangalang. Thank you all for being here.

Yarningham needs your support

Sara Fowles and Helen Winnicott from Yarningham

A few months back I had the pleasure of interviewing two of the organisers of Yarningham festival for Laine magazine. For those who don’t know, Yarningham is the UK’s only Black-led fibre festival and it takes place annually in the heart of The Midlands, in Birmingham, England’s second biggest city.

The team behind this fabulous event is made up of Sara Fowles, Venetia Headlam and mother and daughter, Helen and Lilith Winnicott. Now as you’ll have noticed I said, it takes place annually. And it does – in normal circumstances. But of course the last year has been anything BUT normal and last year’s event was cancelled due to Covid.

So this year, like many other events, Yarningham will be making the switch from an in-person to an online show but that’s where the similarities end. They’ve always followed their own path, which is what makes the show unique. That, and the fact that as I mentioned, they’re the only fibre fixture organised by a team that includes two black women. So what can you expect from a virtual Yarningham? The unexpected of course!

There’s a Marketplace packed with droolworthy yarns, must-knit patterns and notions galore; some vendors you may know, others you definitely won’t have heard of. But that’s another thing that makes this show special. Each year they pride themselves on finding vendors who are brand new to the scene, so there’s always a new offering instead of the same old faces in exactly the same places. There are also lots of Yarningham Online Exclusive products, created especially for this event. So don’t worry, you won’t find them available anywhere else and exhibitors will be around during Q & A Sessions, if you have any questions about exactly whats on offer. Last but definitely NOT least there’s Yarningham Bingo. And as if Bingo itself wasn’t a good enough reason to go this year, their very Special Guest Caller is none other than Stephen West. See, I told you they had their own way of doing things! CLICK HERE to buy your Yarningham Bingo ticket.

The logo for Yarn + Stitch magazine

Now before I go there’s one other very important thing you need to know. Yarningham are looking to raise money for a one-off print publication to celebrate this year’s show. 

Called Yarn + Stitch the magazine will feature lots of specially commissioned content including contemporary knitting & crochet patterns, exclusive articles, Midlands-maker spotlights plus festival mascots, the alpacas Boris & Donald (not Johnson and Trump, these are much cuter) in their debut comic strip adventure.

Confirmed Contributors to Yarn + Stitch Include:

Apoorva Designs, Carissa Dickerson, Scott – Crystal Yarn, Deborette Clarke, Rachel – Flyydyed, Gaye Glasspie, Gurinder Hatchard, Imogen Morris, Jackie Cassidy, James Chandler, Noriko Ho, Ruth Green, Sandra Gutierrez,  Sylvia Watts-Cherry… oh and yours truly (me).

The team have started a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds needed to produce the magazine. This ensures everyone involved in the publication is paid fairly for their work. This is going to be very special magazine but they need YOUR help to make it happen so, if we really want a fibre industry that reflects and includes everyone, we need to help Yarningham reach its target.

The campaign runs until 12th July, 2021.

Let’s make Yarn + Stitch happen! CLICK HERE TO DONATE

 

#Yarningham #Yarningham2021 #YarninghamKickstarter #YarnStitch #YarninghamMagazine

Jan’s January Sale

A belated Happy New Year everyone! I know what you’re thinking – it’s January 17th where’s SHE been for 16 days? But as the great Ken Bruce commented last week on Radio 2, in Scotland people pretty much say happy new year throughout January so if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me. Plus it can’t be a bad thing to wish people happiness for the coming year can it? We all need it. Really. Need it.

If you follow me over on Instagram you’ll know why last year was particularly hard for me with the death of my precious Mum. It still chokes me to write those words as it’s just 2 months since her passing and as everyone who’s lost a loved one knows, learning to live with that loss is a long, painful process. But being the funny, creative, loving, feisty, caring, formidable woman she was Mum continues to live within me and I’m determined to honour her memory in everything I do from now on. That includes offering more free content on my website and social media platforms, continuing the work of BIPOC in Fiber and more exciting design collaborations with people and companies whose work and ethos I admire and respect.

Before all that though I’m having a January sale! (Cue fanfare)

Why? Well as I said it’s the middle of January, I’ve got two new patterns to release – and let’s face it we could all do with cheering up. The patterns were created for collaborations I did last year with Diane Ivey of Lady Dye Yarns so while they’re not exactly ‘fresh off the pins’ this is the first time they’ve been available to buy in PDF format. Say hello to the Eudine Cowl and the Up To No Good Mitts.

Both are great for using up small amounts of fingering weight yarn which I’m sure you’ve got stashed away in a corner somewhere. You can find out more about each pattern over on Ravelry – sorry if you’re unable to use the site since its redesign, I am looking into Payhip as an alternative so please bear with me.

Anyway, back to the sale. How long does it last? 53 hours from 9.00 am today Sunday 17th January during which time there’s 20% off in my Pattern Store over on Ravelry. Looking to buy a book instead? Well purchase a print copy of Warm Hands, Field Guide no 15 or the new Warm Hands Field / Guide Bundle and you’ll get a free PDF copy of either the Eudine Cowl or the Up To No Good Mitts with your order. ( Books subject to availability, T&Cs apply).  If you’d like your books personalised with a message or signature I’m happy to do that and of course there’s no charge, just let me know when placing your order*.

Sale ends at 2.00 pm Wednesday 19th January 2021. Why 53 hours long you ask? Well it may have something to do with a recent birthday I celebrated. Coughs.

J x

*Please be aware that due to the UK departure from the EU non-UK orders may be subject to additional customs charges and taxes in your home country. Free patterns are in PDF format only and limited to one per customer. Your PDF pattern will be emailed to you seperately after completing Checkout.

A tale of two scarves

Lace knitting gives some people the heebeegeebees. There I’ve said it. Cue the collective sigh of relief. But you know what? That really needn’t be the case.

I was recently in conversation with Katy Bevan of the Heritage Crafts Association and while we talked about knitting, illness and identity she asked if knitting had any positive effects on my health after brain surgery. Well you know me, ever up for a challenge, I decided after having my craniotomy in 2016 that if I could literally muster up enough post-surgery brain power to knit a simple lace stitch, then I was still intrinsically ‘me’. Jeanette: a maker. And that meant there was still potential for me to function as a designer. Fast forward four years and my collection of 5 lace designs created for MDK Field Guide no 15 is tempting others to the technique of lace knitting.

The theme of the collection is ‘Open’ which in itself is open to interpretation: open to embrace a new technique. To choose a lace weight or Aran weight yarn. To knit a scarf lengthways or widthways. To add stripes to a stole or knit it in a single colour. To wear a cardigan rib up or rib down. All of these are decisions you can choose to make while working through the designs but of course the final decision is yours, it’s always yours. It’s what makes this collection so exciting and of course what will transform your ‘makes’ from #mdkfieldguideno15 into something truly unique.

For those you still trembling at the thought of all those ‘yos’ (yarn overs) and ‘k2togs’ (knit 2 togethers) in terms of skill level, FG15 begins with those two scarves. Rib Lace (pic below) and the Tumbling Block Scarf (in bottom two pictures).

Each is worked in a choice of two yarns weights but one worked lengthways (knitting lots of rows on relatively few stitches) while the other is worked widthways (knitting just 26 rows on a LOT of stitches). Both lace patterns then combine to become the next project in the collection. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet, we’re just beginning our lace journey, right?

Now I’m certainly NOT suggesting you go to the extreme of having brain surgery but with the theme of Field Guide no 15 being ‘Open’ it could be the perfect time to just dip your toe into the lace knitting waters and give it a try. You’ll find Field Guide no 15 in my Online Shop and if you need a few tips or pointers for lace knitting check out Jen Arnall Culliford’s Little Lessons: Limbering Up For Lace here.

Watch out for a post about the next FG15 design, and next week I’ll also be doing a detailed post about the specific yarns used throughout the guide with are all from La Bien Aimée in Paris as you’re no doubt wondering. Yes, I love my job!

In the meantime if you missed my conversation with the Heritage Crafts Association you can catch it in full on the Heritage Crafts Association Facebook page here.

Have a great weekend

J x