Cultivating a Healthy & Creative 2016

I love the feeling of a fresh start that the New Year brings - a lovely blank slate that I can doodle all over with plans for the year. If you saw my New Year's post last year you'll know I'm not keen on making New Year's Resolutions as such, but I do like to have a short list of things I'd like to achieve, and I like to have a couple of life enriching principles/philosophies in mind.

Last year I was inspired by Paloma Faith's song Ready for the Good Life as an invitation for fostering optimism & positivity and being receptive to 'good stuff' instead, and I wasn't disappointed. 2015 was a fantastic and successful year for me, particularly on the hand-knitting front. I publishing my first Knitting book, Elements, with other half of the Smith & Jones Knits collaborative,  Alison Crowther-Smith. However it was also RIDICULOUSLY crammed, so much so that many other areas of life, such as home and physical fitness have been sorely neglected, so for me 2016 will be about redressing that balance. 

I had also intended to undertake a major declutter - and I made some headway with this in the early part of the year but this all came to a halt as I got so busy with other priorities - so it's going near the top of the list again......

This year my theme is Cultivation - I intend to cultivate some helpful habits, replenish my reserves, weed out anything that is not joyful, and trim back any dead wood ready for new growth.

This will mean taking a little more time for some rest, tending to my health and well being and ensuring I get some rest as well as physical exercise. It'll involve getting out in the fresh air more which will recharge the batteries and also provide inspiration - like many creatives I am hugely inspired by nature, and a good old 'soak' with the 'green stuff' does wonders for my energy levels. 

There will be careful 'weeding' of what currently fills up the space of my life, in terms of physical environment as well as what takes up time. So that's where the decluttering will come in - and I live in hopes of rediscovering the surface of my studio table which I think will require a major excavation!

Look away now if you are of a nervous (or OCD) disposition.....................................!

This will then allow space and energy for some new growth, and this year I'm planning to:

• Get up to more creative antics with Smith & Jones Knits - you can take a peek at what we have planned here
• Learn some new skills including improving my computer tech skills and getting to grips with creative programmes such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
• Teaching some new workshop topics such as Entrelac knitting
• Develop further artistically and create some exciting creative textile pieces for the Swansea Festival of Stitch in August

If you have any plans, resolutions or themes for 2016 I'd love to hear about them, so do feel free to leave a comment below.

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As 2015 comes to a close....

Christmas is a busy and exciting time for most of us that celebrate it, with all the preparations and 'to do' lists and parties and events (if you're the social type, or a parent of social kids!), or if like me you may prefer to keep things simple, once the whirligig of gift shopping and preparations ceases, I batten down the hatches with my husband and moggy to enjoy some rare time for quiet and reflection. As one year comes to an end and a new one begins, it seems a very natural time for taking stock, resetting the compass and making plans for what I'd like do over the forthcoming year - yeah, I know how to party!!

Highlights of 2015

It's been a hectic and exciting year for me. I've continued to enjoy teaching workshops in Swansea including Magical Christmas Knits. We had a really fun and relaxed day in November making small gifts and ornaments including these beaded baubles -and one of the participants (who wishes to remain nameless) really got the bauble bug and has made several more, ringing the changes and making each one slightly different - aren't they great?

Another workshop highlight was Fathoming Fairisle where those that were brave also took scissors to our knitting to cut steeks. This proved to be a highly popular workshop with several folk left disappointed at not getting a place, so I'll be repeating it in April. Here's Clyde, the steeked version of the fairisle cowl I designed for the workshop.

I love teaching workshops and get a real buzz out of inspiring and enabling others to master their craft, and also learn a lot and find inspiration from others in the process. I'm looking forward to next year's workshop programme which which I've now put up on the website.





Another highlight of the year has been publishing my first book Elements in collaboration with Alison Crowther-Smith - we are known collectively as Smith & Jones knits and we have plenty of other collaborative projects in mind for the future. I designed 12 projects for Elements including the Cockleshell Cardigan featured in The Knitter magazine, shown left.





















One of my favourite designs is of course the Garden Song Cushion and Blanket - I love colour work and was really pleased at how this heirloom piece turned out. Many of you have seen this design in progress and endured my shameless (and endless) tit jokes!

The book has been well received so far, and I can't tell you how exciting it is to see my designs being brought to life when I see them knitted by others. It was also a first for me to do a fashion show of all the designs with Alison and also the wonderful Martin Storey who's a pleasure to meet and is as lovely in person as his designs.

In addition to publishing Elements I've also been involved in pattern checking and tech editing for other designers and publishers. I enjoy this immensely as, not only do I get to fully indulge my inner nerd, it's really satisfying to work with others in this way to ensure the patterns and instructions are as clear as they can be, which ultimately feeds into my love of enabling other knitters to enjoy and master their craft.

As well as knitting I've continued to enjoy making textile art with Stitches Coven, a creative textiles group that I help facilitate. We held A Stitch in Time, our 3rd annual exhibition over the summer, which focussed on memories including a joint project we donated to the Alzheimer's Society. You can read more about it on our blog, and here is one of my pieces, Irka's Gingko which relates to my Polish Grand Aunt Irena.

I've had a pretty full on 2015 with some really steep learning curves, and am grateful for all the support I have been given by others - it's been a great year for me in terms of meeting new challenges and having a fun time with other folk in the process. I'm looking forward now though to having some much needed rest & recreation over the festive period. I'll also be making plans for 2016 which I'll share with you in my next post. in the meantime I hope you have a lovely Christmas if/however you choose to celebrate it, and I'd love to hear about it so do leave a comment below.

See you next year!

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Changes Afoot..........

.............it's going to be goodbye fyberknitics and hello Donna Jones Designs.

You'll be seeing some big changes to my website over the next few weeks as I have taken the bold decision to change the name and have a bit of a face lift! After quite a bit of thought I really think its time to lose the name fyberknitics which I've had for many years, and to run instead with the more personal Donna Jones Designs - if nothing else it's easier for people to spell :-) The new web address is donnajonesdesigns.co.uk, but don't worry, the old web address will still apply during (and for a good while after) the change to the new one.

So don't be surprised to see some odd things happening on the site and across my social media platforms as the changes happen and evolve over the forthcoming weeks. Please do be reassured though that these changes are merely cosmetic and will not affect any of the workshops or services I currently provide - I am definitely here to stay but, thinking for the longer term, I just need to make these changes which will improve the appearance and usability of the website etc.

Thanks in advance for sticking with me during this transition.

Smith & Jones knitting book, Elements, has gone to the printers

As some of you will be aware I have been collaborating with knit designer Alison Crowther-Smith  over the last year to produce and independently publish our new knitting book Elements. It was only last May when Alison & I were doing a workshop together at Swansea and  we had the first inkling of doing a book together. Over the summer our seed of an idea began to take shape and we had decided on a theme and design board for the book, and after a very intensive 11 months or so we have now just had our book sent to print - Hoorah! Here's the front cover - I can't tell you how exciting it is to see our ideas materialise in this way.

It's been a very steep and exciting learning curve, on which I will reflect more in further posts, and a wonderful experience to work with some very talented creatives such as Sarah Hatton and Emma Chapman. We're really delighted with the outcome and hope you will be too. We have also been busy behind the scenes building a designated website - smithandjonesknits.com - which we will continue to develop over forthcoming weeks so be sure to drop buy regularly for news, events and updates. Elements will be available from Rowan Stockists and our website from the beginning of Oct, and on Fri 25th September there will be a preview event at Swansea Bay Yarns, 6-8pm. In the mean time look out for sneaky peeks of the projects and news of the chance to win a copy of Elements on the Smith & Jones Knits blog and our other social media hangouts including Pinterest and our Facebook page.

6 tips for writing your own knitting patterns

If you have been knitting for a while, you may be hankering to branch out a bit and make some of your own designs, or you may already be designing your own items but without  writing them up. This is fine, but what if later your best friend sees and falls in love with your wonderful creation and wants one of their very own? You’d love to make one or enable her (or indeed him) to knit one up, but you would now be a bit hard pushed to remember how it was made. If you just want to make the design for you and your friends, then you won't need to worry too much about how well written it is, so long as it works for you. However, you may think that others are going to love to knit your fab design too, and with the convenience of internet at our fingertips these days, it is easy enough to list your patterns for sale on places like Ravelry or Etsy. You are unlikely to get rich quick by doing so, but it is a real thrill when people like your design enough to purchase it, and to think that somewhere out there in the world a number of you designs are roaming around.

A word of caution though, as it is so easy to get your stuff out there you will find that, as well as a pile of absolute gems there is also unfortunately a pretty big pile of stuff out there that is, well......not so gem-like . So make sure your contribution is of the best quality it can be before sending it out there so it is adding to the right pile. Here are my 6 top tips for doing just that.

#1Start small!

If this is your first foray into making your own patterns, start with something relatively simple like a cushion or accessory - for the love of your mental health (and that of those around you) don't fly straight into writing a multi-sized raglan cardigan! Better to create a well-crafted simple pattern than make a hash of something more complex - you can build up to more complex items as your skills develop.

#2 Establish style and layout

Although there are a number of strong conventions for pattern writing, there is no single standard way of laying out or writing patterns. The aim though is to produce a concise set of directions that are clear to follow and expressed consistently. So firstly you need to make some decisions about how you want to set up your pattern. To get started on this, look at patterns you particularly like the look of and consider how they are laid out.  Decide on which abbreviations and phrases you like to use best and compile  this all into a template, or what is often called a 'style sheet', so you can remember which options you have chosen and keep it for reference. In general a good pattern should be set out in a logical order and include additional information about:

• size
• yarn
• needles,
• other
• tension
• abbreviations
• pattern notes
• charts and/or schematics (where appropriate)

#2 Write a draft of the pattern out before you start making it

Otherwise it is like taking a journey in the car without having a map or clear idea of where you are going. It is possible to do this the other way around (i.e.   make it first, then write it up afterwards) but if doing so you must be very disciplined and ensure  take extremely clear and careful notes as you go.  I personally think it is actually more difficult to do this way around, though of course we are all different and some folks would disagree.
Design software or Excel spread sheets can be helpful for producing charts or working on multiple sizes, but are not essential, particularly for smaller, one size items. If you are using design software though, use caution and check any instructions produced very carefully - they will rarely be satisfactory as they are  and you will need to make adjustments - the instructions need to flow and make sense to humans, not computers :-).

#3 Keep an accurate record of quantities used

This is easy to forget but extremely important. You can measure quantities in terms of either weight or length.  I find it easiest to measure by  weight in grams on electronic food scales. It is good practice to weigh, and most importantly RECORD, each ball without the ball band before you start knitting, and then any unused yarn. This will enable you to calculate exactly how much yarn you used, and then add 10-15 % allowance and round up to balls.

#4 Great photography

You may have the world’s most amazing creation, but few people will be able to visualise it from a set of instructions. Great pictures are a must to show your creation off to its best including some close up of any special stitch details etc. Although helpful if you have it, you don't need any fancy equipment, and good photos can be achieved with the most basic camera. You can get plenty of great tips online for free if you do your research.

#5 Work with a professional technical editor and/or pattern checker

If you intend to sell your pattern it is essential to have it edited and checked by a professional tech editor and/or pattern checker (or someone you know with those skills) so you can be sure your pattern is correct and is of a suitable standard. This applies even if you are a pattern checker yourself as you simply cannot proof your own copy. Hiring a tech editor and/or pattern checker is more affordable than you might imagine, and another benefit of doing so is you will learn a lot about pattern writing in the process. They can also help furnish you with charts and/or schematics if you are unable to produce these yourself. Not So Granny has a helpful post on the topic called What is a tech editor? if you need any further persuasion about their value.

So I hope these tips are helpful to you, and that you feel brave enough to have a go at writing your own pattern, if indeed you haven't already. You may have some other great tips to share about this topic - if so, please feel free to add a comment below.



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