Handmade in the UK : something beautiful

If you gave yourself the time and space to make something beautiful, what would that something be?

One year ago, I decided to give myself that time and space, and moved across the globe to a new fairytale city.  I didn’t know where I would end up, but I arrived in London Heathrow with knitting needles, a train itinerary, and a romantic notion.  I figured at least there would be plenty of men with accents!

I travelled through several English cities, and in the end arrived in Edinburgh, the bonny capital of Scotland, in June 2011.  It was immediately clear to me that this was a city I wanted to live in.  Edinburgh has an historic stone solidity, dramatic topography, great views, and a labyrinthine medieval quarter culminating in a castle that still strikes a sense of the surreal into me as I walk in its shadow.

The surreal, the fantasy, the special quality of this place has been immensely inspirational to me.

I am proud and overwhelmingly excited to share a preview of my next collection, new lace pieces which are the creative results my explorations of the historic urbanity and varied landscapes of my new home.

Handmade in the UK: knitted lace by Emily Wessel will feature 9-12 lacy patterns including 3 garments and several accessories: shawls, scarves, socks, hats & gloves and a blanket.

Published by Tin Can Knits, the book and single patterns will be for sale both online and in print in May 2013.

I am working with the most exquisite materials that I can find, and in doing so I have been getting to know the fibre arts community here in the UK.  I am very lucky to have the opportunity to work with with very special yarns by Skein Queen, Juno Fibre Arts, Orkney Angora, Shilasdair, and Old Maiden Aunt, among others.

This collection is my baby.  My social life will suffer greatly and my Scotsman will be lonely this summer as I lose myself under a pile of obsessively large swatches and late nights fuelled by caffeine and gin and tonics.  I may even take up smoking… after all, don’t self-destructive habits go hand-in-hand with artistic creation?

We will see. (I won’t really start smoking though – there are many more pleasurable methods of self-destruction).

I am already up to my elbows in exquisite yarns… here are a few:

Well that’s all for now; a little sneak peek.

Want to hear more?  Over the coming months I will continue to blog about my design process, my inspirations, and the dyers I’m working with!  Watch as the book comes together piece by piece.

If you like my work the best way to keep in touch is to sign up for Tin Can Knits email updates – I’ll let you know once or twice a month what I’m up to, and there will be pattern discounts and a contest announced this week… I’m very excited about it, and if you love lace, you will be too!