Knittingceleste

knittingceleste.com

Celeste Nossiter

I've always loved color and was trained as an abstract painter. But once I discovered Fair Isle and stranding techniques in knitting, a whole new world of creativity opened up to me.  

My love of world travel has led me to study ethnic knitting motifs and their inter-connectedness through historic trade routes. After my first visit to Turkey I fell in love with both Ottoman and tribal textiles as well as the open-heartedness of the people. I love translating ethnic textile motifs into knitted patterns and experimenting with color. My other love is teaching knitting and encouraging the artist in each of us to come out and play.

Artist's statement:  My goals are:  to inspire other knitters to experiment with color and pattern to create their own unique designs; to translate traditional ethnic motifs into knitted patterns and publish them in a variety of media.

I am available to travel to teach workshops on Intro to Stranded Knitting, Designing your Own Vest, Interpreting Ethnic Motifs into Knitting Designs and Knitting a Turkish-inspired Stranded Hat. I can also work with your yarn to design sale-able knitting patterns.

Location:  Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Memberships:  Dropped Stitch Knitting Guild

Social Media:  Ravelry

Languages spoken:  English, French, some Spanish, learning Turkish

Knitting classes and designs by Knittingceleste.

Tags:  Turkish textiles; stranded knitting; Fair Isle; Central Asian textiles; suzanis; kilim rugs; Ottoman embroidery; Islamic art

Design Talented One

http://www.etsy.com/shop/designtalentedone

I love colors and whatever possible colors can go into a creation.  I sell supplies on Etsy and started out with yarns, then moved into silk sari ribbon, silk cocoons, silk sari ribbon yarns, cording and rope.  I will recycle saris and rip them into a ribbon and then create by knitting or crocheting it into something wonderful.  If I can't find a color I need I will dye it using environmentally safe dyes. 

I found a fair trade supplier in India who is now working on ribbons and silk thrum yarns for me.  I decided that it would be nice to share this love and supply that I have on Etsy and it has really taken off, leading me to meet other wonderful artists.  Sitting at the table, I think back, never in my dreams imagining that I could share this with others and have it grow into a live business as it has.  

I make purses, accessories and clothing that are out of the ordinary.  When you work with fibers and silk sari ribbon you step outside of the box!

Artist statement:  I hope to provide a creative vision, guidance, knowledge, motivation and inspiration to all ages.  While heightening passion for fiber art I hope to push the boundaries of silk sari ribbon use and fibers in all applications.  I aim to provide joy to those who embrace color and love wearable art.   I love recycling, bringing the old into a new creation.  Through all of this, I hope to understand what the other person sees and feels through my work. 

Location:   Illinois, United States

Online shop:  Design Talented One

Social Media: Ravelry, Facebook 

Languages spoken:  English

Silk Ribbon Supplies by Design Talented One

Tags:   silk sari ribbon, handspun yarns, silk hankies, cocoons, silk, felted items, flowers, jewelry, recycled items, scarves

ColourSpun, Dana Biddle

www.colourspun.com

I'm a fibreholic - slightly off beat, dancing to my own tune, a whizz at multi-tasking - I juggle being a wife; mother; fibre artist; consulting editor - textiles for Stitches magazine; indie dyer and owner of “ColourSpun – Natural Designer Yarns”; creative workshop presenter; speaker; author of ""A Knitting Adventure with South African Yarn""... and anything else that takes my fancy.

My days are spent in my studio - dyeing, knitting, spinning, stitching, dreaming up projects for Stitches, making fibre art.... just generally having fun. I have my perfect life!

All my ColourSpun yarn is coloured by hand, so each skein is imbued with my creative energy and will have its own unique characteristics.  I only use the finest quality, locally grown merino wool roving and yarn, kid mohair and pure cotton: the dyes are the most earth friendly available and have excellent wash fast and light fast properties. My studio is a smoke free and pet free environment and I use methods that use the minimum amount of water and sun stoves to dye the yarn.

I am a member of Fibreworks and my work has been exhibited at home in South Africa, in the U.K., Brazil, Europe, U.S.A., Japan and New Zealand. I have work published in a number of books including Innovative Threads - A Decade of South African Fibre Art by Liza Gillespie and 1000 Artisan Textiles by Sandra Salamony and Gina M Brown.

Artist's statement:  I am not one of those artists who use their work to make profound statements. I don’t plan my work to express deep feelings or beliefs. Mostly, I am inspired by the beauty in things, sometimes in people, sometimes in nature and often in the materials I love to work with. The pieces I make often seem to create themselves as they develop and evolve into something completely different to what I have in mind at the start. I don’t follow rules but do believe that if something is worth doing it is worth doing well and stop if you’re not having fun.

ColourSpun's mission is to produce the best quality, natural, earth friendly fibre and yarn - filled with creative energy to give joy and pleasure to everyone who works with it.

Location:  Heidelberg, Gauteng, South Africa

Online shops:  ColourSpun, ColourSpun on Etsy

Blogs:  ColourSpun, The News Thread

Other social media: Linkedin, In 2 crafts, Ravelry, Twitter 

Memberships:  Fibreworks

Languages spoken:  English, Afrikaans

Hand-dyed eco yarns by ColourSpun of South Africa

Tags:   hand crafted, textiles, hand spun, fibre art, jewellery, soft sculpture, yarn, felt, knitting, hand dyed

DyeVerse

www.dyeverse.co.uk

Shani is a handspinning, dyer and weaver, who produces textiles with a "twist".

DyeVerse, her company, runs courses in colour, writing and textile construction, beginner through to experience, located in Wales and the South West.

Artist's statement:  I am an established writer and practicing crafts person with a passion for exploring/challenging the possibilities of textiles. I specialise in combining arts and crafts with contemporary design to produce textiles and objects that are both practical and desirable.  

I don't use complicated looms, techniques or equipment to produce my garments and installations, preferring to create work with simple constructions.  This way I enjoy and engage fully with the process, rather than drowning in technicalities, and the finished item is something which has come into being "through" a slow and deliberate production journey not "because" of it. 

Simplicity of construction along with quality of materials will ensure a welcome addition to your wardrobe or wall, or a bespoke present for a treasured friend or that special occasion.

My work has been featured in the Yarn Forward Magazine and various other periodicals and exhibitions throughout the UK, and I was involved with the creation of the SpinDyeWeavers, a textile workshop project in 2009.  

Location:  Bristol, United Kingdom

Online shop:  DyeVerse

Blog:  DyeVerse
Other social media:  
   Bristol Creatives
   Ravelry
   Spinning Daily

Memberships:

   Heritage Crafts Association
   Textile Forum South West
   Bristol Creatives

Languages spoken: English

DyeVerse: Dyeing, Spinning and Weaving in Bristol, UK

Tags: handcrafted, textiles, artistic, handspun, historic, traditional, contemporary, sharing, slowcloth

Julaine Lofquist-Birch

www.etsy.com/shop/TheCreativeSpirit

My work in textiles has definitely been an extension of my life so far.  I'm very comfortable breaking the rules and challenging myself to see what's possible!  From my portfolio of eclectic mixed media pieces,  my art quilts that always tell a story, and my felted wearable accessories, one can be sure to find just the right piece to add to a collection, or to share as a gift.

Having sewn most of my life, it was about 15 years ago when the light came on and I knew that I needed to get my work out of the studio and into the fiber art world.  No regrets, I am not looking back!

If seen in my studio at home, I am usually adding color or stitch to materials that sometimes border on the unusual. A friend once told me that I was a ""deconstructionist"" and to that end, I am proud to say that I have a ""healthy disregard for materials!""

I love dyeing fibers - cotton, silk, rayon, linen and wool roving.  I have a passion for adding color with artists' crayons to whatever comes to mind and can spend a whole afternoon doing this, wondering along the way what to do with these interesting pieces!

As a part-time volunteer curator for our church's art group and together with artist friends, we have hosted 6 exhibits each in the last two years.  This has been a wonderful experience and is so inspiring to me to see our members and other local artists come forth and share their beautiful art with us.

One of the other sides of life involves teaching what I have learned - I teach art classes for adults and children at the Rockford Art Museum and at other venues. It's wonderful to experience that ""a-ha"" moment when students realize that they are indeed artists.

I am inspired by life and the movement all around me, whether it is in the people I love and meet, in nature and spirituality, and always humor.  This sometimes mature woman seeks and finds the little girl inside and is always ready to play.

My work can be found at:

   Celebration Room Gallery at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Rockford, Illinois

   Art2Go Gallery Shop, Womanspace, Rockford, Illinois

   The Bomb Shop, Rockford, Illinois

Location:  Rockford, Illinois, USA

Online shop:  TheCreativeSpirit

Blog:  julaine 

Memberships:  Artful Quilters, Ravelry

Languages spoken:  English

Mixed Media Series by Julaine Lofquist-Birch

Tags:  art quilts, textiles, fiber art, wearable art, mixed media, nuno felt, hand dyed, teaching, accessories, beading

KnittyKnittyBangBang

http://knittyknittybangbang.etsy.com

Janie Bull and Ashley Ammons have known each other for nearly 25 years.  Ashley and Janie's eldest daughter, Amanda have been best friends for the span of that time as well.  This is how Ashley and Janie are ""related."" 

When Janie moved up to the Fort Worth area to be closer to her girls, she brought all of her knitting with her, naturally.  So this rekindled Ashley's love of knitting.  Janie and Ashley began their Etsy shop, KnittyKnittyBangBang, during the spring of 2008 and have been going strong ever since.

We both specialize in knitted apparel and accessories.  Janie prides herself in being an expert sock knitter while Ashley likes to crank out the hats and scarves.  Every item is knit by hand with knitting needles.  When they say ""handmade,"" boy do they mean it!

Ashley and Janie welcome custom orders and want to see their customers happy with the product they've purchased.

Ashley and Janie are typical knitters who love to buy good quality yarn.  Recently, they've become fans of spinners and yarn dyers on Etsy.  Ashley has branched off into her own ""solo career"" as a spinner and yarn dyer herself.  This couldn't have been possible without a little help from her future husband, Erik, who bought her an Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel for Christmas (2010).  She's been spinning ever since.  You can find her Etsy shop at dye2spin.

Artist's statement:  It is the mission of KnittyKnittyBangBang to create a high-quality hand-knit product for its customers.  This mission is fulfilled using yarns and other materials that not only speak to them as knitters but also work up into a premiere product.

Location:  Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Online shops:  knittyknittybangbang, dye2spin

Blog:  knittyknittybangbangetsy

Ravelry: knittybangetsy

Memberships:

   Etsy Knitters Team

   Etsy Fiber Arts Street Team (Etsy FAST)
   Etsy Fort Worth Street Team

Languages spoken:  English

KnittyKnittyBangBang by Janie Bull and Ashley Ammons

Tags:  knitting, handmade, socks, hats, scarves, afghans, local, merino, wool, texas

 

Berniolie

http://berniolie.etsy.com

Hello, I'm Bernadette. As a teenager I learned to sew and was educated as a crafts teacher.  I worked for years with a collective where we sold our own designs and unique lady's clothing.  To have an outlet for my creativity my next logical step was to start working for a circus and design and make costumes.

Around 1990 I started to knit and crochet again, in my free time. I learned it at a very young age from my mother.  I found this so inspirational that I opened my Etsy shop in 2008 to have a place to share my creations.  I make shawls, shrugs and capelets. In my newest creations, I insert pearls.

While I knit or crochet, all kinds of ideas pop up in my head.  Inspired by color, yarn or a texture from my enviroment. I also convert my designs to patterns.

Artist's statement:  I love the magic when with only a hook, two needles and yarn something beautiful arises.

Location:  Groningen, The Netherlands

Online shops:

   berniolie on etsy
   bernioliesdesigns on etsy
   berniolie on artfire

Memberships:  Ravelry

Languages spoken:  Dutch, English and German 

Pearl Shawl by Berniolie

Tags:  Knitting, crochet, shawls, shrugs, patterns, gems, yarn, thread, accessories, unique

Green Mountain Spinnery

www.spinnery.com

Since Green Mountain Spinnery’s founding in 1981 we have been designing and producing richly colored, must-touch yarns and classic and contemporary patterns for hand knitters.  To this day our goals remain unchanged: to create yarns of the highest quality, to help sustain regional sheep farming, and to develop environmentally sound ways to process natural fibers.

All the fibers we use – wool, alpaca, mohair, organic cotton, and lyocell - are grown or produced  in the United States. We make every effort to purchase directly from individual growers.  Unlike most commercial mills, The Green Mountain Spinnery uses no chemicals to bleach, mothproof or shrink-proof yarns.

From initial contact with the fiber grower through the final labeling and approval of each finished skein, our team attends with care to every step and detail in the yarn-making process.  Each of our skilled employees brings enthusiasm and talent their work. Most of us at the Spinnery are accomplished hand-spinners, knitters or weavers; we have a heart-felt interest in producing extraordinary yarns for your use.

The yarns are created in our mill in Putney Vermont with vintage equipment. We match the dynamic capabilities of our machinery with a keen understanding of the nuances of each fiber blend. Throughout the entire process, the inherent liveliness of natural fibers is respected.

Our knitting patterns are designed to encourage knitters of every level to expand their skills and create natural fiber garments that can be worn with style and pleasure for years to come.

The Spinnery is now in its 30th year of operation.  We are a worker-owned coopertive.


Location: Putney, Vermont, USA
Online Shop: Green Mountain Spinnery
Brick and Mortar Presence: Our mill store is located at 7 Brickyard Lane, Putney and is open every day except major holidays.  Some of our yarns are also sold in fine yarn shops in the USA and Canada.  See our website for a complete listing.
Social Media:  Ravelry
Memberships: 
   TNNA- the National Needle Arts Association
   Vermont Seep and Goat Association
   Valley Alliance of Worker Coopertives
Languages spoken: English

Green Mountain Spinnery, a worker-owned cooperative

Tags: wool, natural fiber, mohair, alpaca, custom spinning, yarn, worker-owned, knitting, crochet, Tencel

Tracy Hudson

 

http://einesaite.blogspot.com

"I am a textile collector, researcher and artist who has lived in various parts of Asia and the U.S.  My eyes are always open to details of pattern and texture, my mind always absorbing the influences of my surroundings.

Any opportunity to discuss textile topics with others is a boon to me.  Our work with textiles can encourage the prominence and prosperity of this invaluable heritage in the world.

My own manifestations take the form of handspun yarns and garments created from them, in addition to quilts and dyed fabrics.  My designs are featured on Ravelry.com, and my blog shows a more personal (if sporadic) glimpse of my work ."


Artist statement: I am driven by textile-related dialogue and discovery.

It astounds and thrills me to touch cloth that has been worked by another's hands, in a distant culture or time.

To learn with my own hands, to produce original craft, within this global textile vocabulary – this is my life work.

Meanwhile, to continue the study of traditions, to document the textiles in context, to appreciate their role in the growth and perseverance of peoples – this is an ongoing fascination.

The two move hand-in-hand, the material study and execution; the intellectual reflection and research.

I dream of the time when the true value of textiles is acknowledged, when people and institutions revere this aspect of human culture and promote its study.


Location: Doha, Qatar
Blog: eine saite
Memberships/Sites:
   Textile Society of America
   Spin-Off Magazine
   Ravelry
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Ladakhi, French, wee bits of several others....

 "Court Jester", an original design made by Tracy Hudson 

with her own handspun yarn.  

Pattern available on Ravelry.

TAGS:  tribal, resist dye, research, spinning, spindle, art, yarn, hands

Renate Kirkpatrick - rensfibreart

 

 http://rensfibreart.wordpress.com

Simply put, I’m in love with fibre, colour and texture.

I’m a proud Aussie, living in the sub-tropics where the crystal ocean, grainy sands and textured rainforests are never-ending inspirations. I incorporate all types of fibre into my work, from natural to synthetics, and will try anything to achieve the effects I’m after.

Although I’ve traveled many fibre/texture/colour roads, exploring Handmade Paper, both recycled and plant fibre (cellulous) and Rag Rugging, Freeform Crochet/Knitting is where I’m at right now. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t exploring the fibre arts in one form or another and I expect it to go on and on for some time yet.

However, I’m not limited to the unusual… I also design easy to read crochet patterns and have two published craft books available world wide – ‘Crochet Techniques’ – 'Freeform Crochet and Beyond'.

Artist Statement:  An artist by nature but a teacher at heart, my main aim with Freeform is to encourage people to be spontaneous, trust their intuition and never stop asking themselves, ‘I wonder what will happen if I try this or that?’ and then give it a go. I say…..’Dare to be different’ ‘Step out of the box’ ‘Experiment, explore, enquire, you’ll never know until you have a go!’

Location:  Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia
Online stores:
    Etsy, Zibbet, Ravelry 
Blog: rensfibreart 
Memberships: Ravelry, Fiber Focus, FFCrochet (yahoo group) 
Languages spoken: English and German

 

 

 ‘Coraloid’ Freeform Wrap by rensfibreart

Books by Renate Kirkpatrick

rensfibreart on Facebook

Tags:  wearable art, freeform crochet, freeform knitting, crochet, knitting, fibre artist, accessories, purse

Jane Thornley Jewellry & Knitwear Design

www.janethornley.com

As a designer of free-range patterns for fellow knitting explorers, an evocative knitting tour guide, jewelry designer, writer, and host  for the Inspired Knitter's Club and website, I'm a kind of creative fusion in constant brew.

Colour and texture rule for me. Most of the inspiration feeding my imagination comes from the natural world or other places, other cultures. Knitting is an art, as viable as any other, and no matter what the tool or preferred palette, in human hands, magic happens.  Visit my site for the following great services:

The Inspired Knitters Club  Here is a monthly feast for your creative muse, lushly illustrated and rich with detail. Here are the delves into color you've been waiting for, the detailed information on diva yarns, the creative tricks to try, the flights of spirit plus inspired stories of people and cultures across time and space. All that offered on my blog and in my newsletter up until now have only brushed past what you'll find inside the club. Think delve instead of touch, a plunge into the exploration of color and design. Though knit-centric, you'll find the contents of this club of interest to artists who bead, spin, hand-dye, weave—in other words, those who turn straw into gold, the new alchemists. Each issue is formated a little differently, some being project-based, others not. In other words, a magical mystery ride for the creative spirit.



Evocative Knitting Travel  I created tours to lead kindred spirits to some of the worlds most delectable places -- Tuscany, Istanbul, Morocco, Santa Fe and so many other realms. Inspiration is the key. Every location is rich in either cultural or natural beauty, usually both. Each city, town, or landscape inspires the creative muse to dance through your fingertips: the brilliant colors of Morocco and Santa Fe, the history and color feasts of Istanbul, and fasinating Tuscany. All awaits the inspired traveler. Prices and length vary by location.

Knitting Patterns:  I design knitting patterns that are meant to be explored rather than followed. Each follows an almost organic approach using various yarns and colors. I call it 'evocative knitting' as the end result is a unique one-of piece of wearable art to conjures the mood or spirit of a landscape or culture. The Guides are richly illustrated books on the process of exploring the world through knitted art.

 Thousand Branches Kimono by Jane Thornley

Location: Partridge Nest River, Mineville, Nova Scotia, Canada
Online store: Janethornley.com
Brick and mortar presence:   The Hydrostone Market
Blog:  The Knitter's Corner
Languages spoken: English. Read French

Jane Thornley Knitwear Design

Tags: Organic, free-range, evocative, knitting fusion, multi-yarn, free-form, color, texture, nature.

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