Feelin' Real!

There's nothing that makes you feel like something's really going to happen like having it in print!

These pretty postcards arrived this morning:

But hey! First - Wonderwool Wales! I'll give a full report on my return!

Out and about in Brighton: One man and his sheep!

This friendly chappy let me snap him and his sheep, while I was out and about in Brighton today...
Do you think he's getting in a woolly mood for Unwind?

Design Competition: Have Your Pattern Published in the Unwind Brighton Programme!

Join the Unwind Brighton Design Competition!

This competition is to find a fabulous pattern to publish in the Unwind Brighton programme. Unwind is about celebrating inspiration and bringing people together who love fibre arts. The design competition does both – We invite you to submit your inspiration to the fibre art community for the chance to be published in the Unwind Brighton programme and have your sample displayed at Unwind Brighton 2014.

·         The design can be for anything at all, as long as it is knitted or crocheted.

·         The design must be your own work and an original design, not previously published.

·         Individuals may submit up to 3 entries.

·         The pattern can be in any yarn of any weight, but please consider that the design will be published in July 2014 and therefore it is useful to consider: Would I want to knit this in the summer? Would I want to wear this in summer / early autumn?  Also, it is useful to bear in mind that Unwind visitors may wish to purchase yarn for the pattern in the marketplace.

·         Submissions should be emailed to unwindbrighton@gmail.com by 23^th May 2014.

·         Publishing the pattern in any form before July 2014 will result in disqualification.

Submissions should include:

·         A complete, written knitting or crochet pattern, including any charts needed, and a glossary of terms.

·         At least two photographs of the project.

·         Details of yarn used and estimated yardage requirements for all sizes

6-8 designs will be shortlisted for a public vote. Shortlisted entrants will be notified by 24^th May 2014. On the 26^th May shortlisted designers will be asked to add their patterns to Ravelry’s database.

A public vote will begin at midnight on 26th May 2014 and will run until midnight on 31st May 2014. The winning pattern will be the one with the most votes.  A third party application will be used for voting. The winner will be announced on Saturday 1st June 2014. There is a cash prize of £200 for the winning entry. 

Patterns should be ready to publish / print by 13th June 2014.

The original sample of the winning entry will be displayed in the Unwind Brighton marketplace. Samples will be returned to the designers by the 31^st August 2014.

For more information please download the rules & information sheet and to enter please download the entry form.

Happy Knitting! We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Unwind with Asa Tricosa

Today's featured teacher is Asa, the energetic designer who publishes intricate knitting designs by the name of Asa Tricosa. Asa has a passion for interesting and seamless construction and has been perfecting a specific technique to enable her (and knitters) to work seamless top down constructions. Asa will be teaching her 'Ziggurat’ Method on the afternoon of Saturday 12^th July 2014. She will also be teaching Flip Your Top Mittens on the morning of Saturday 12^th July and Sideways Shawl Design on the Sunday.

I asked Asa to answer a few questions and share some of her crafting experiences with us...

What was your first knitting project?

I was so little, I can’t remember. Wait! Apparently I crocheted a loooooong string which I confidently told my dad would become shorts for him. Several years later there was the reindeer incident freeform vest I “designed” or at least knitted, after reading some article about how one could just cast on and knit without any pattern. I wore it a lot. Despite the unfortunately placed reindeer. And wonky shaping.


What’s your favourite thing to knit?

Oh, that’s easy! Ziggurat sweaters. 

(c) Asa Tricosa

And gloves...

(c) Asa Tricosa

And shawls, lacy or with striking colours. And…

(c) Asa Tricosa

What was your most (or least) successful project?

That reindeer vest, I think… oh, and a striped sweater made from wildly varying thicknesses of yarn- I figured I could just will them into submission. I don’t think I’d even heard of gauge back then. The colours were great.

Do you have a favourite knitting tip to share?

Knit with abandon!

And then inspect your knitting every few rows, critically. Hold it up, pull on it to detect any oddities. It’s much easier to reweave a dropped stitch, an accidentally slipped stitch, or make a forgotten decrease after the fact, if it’s only a few rows down.

Do you have any other crafty hobbies?

I used to do pottery. Would love to again, but like knitting it tends to take over and leave time for nothing else. Plus it requires a bit more than just some wool and needles.

Is there anything you’d never, ever make (or technique you’ll never try)?

A knitted bedspread. A knitted blanket. Knitted home textiles give me the heebie jeebies. They just do.

Would you say you are a process or product knitter?

Yes!

I can get truly excited about figuring out a new technique or construction and to see if it can be made to work in action, but always with a finished THING in mind, a wearable, funky, fun or beautiful finished THING.

What are you working on right now?

Oh, about five things… I’m lucky my tech editors (Stephanie Boardman and Rachel Atkinson) let me tack my WIPs and ideas to their virtual refrigerator doors, and they dutifully say ‘ooh’ and ‘aaah’. I’m always dying to show everyone my latest project or idea regardless of whether anyone is dying to see it. Ravelry is good (and dangerous) that way.

A big thank you to Asa for taking the time to share some insight into her knitting world. You can find all of Asa’s designs by visiting her design page on Ravelry. Once there, you will also find her design, Simple Ziggurat, her seamless top down sweater that showcases her technique.

(c) Asa Trico

Pom Pom Quarterly & The Seaside Shindig!

Please give a big, warm, sunny welcome to Pom Pom Quarterly as sponsors of Unwind Brighton!

Pom Pom Quarterly are organising a fabulous party on Saturday 12th July for the festival! The perfect way to unwind after a long day of learning, shopping, darning, spinning, laughing and chatting and get ready for the same again on Sunday. It's going to be brilliant fun, can't wait to see you there!

Tickets for the Seaside Shindig go on sale tomorrow, Friday 11th April, along with Marketplace tickets.

*Tickets are limited due to space in the venue.

Be Featured on the Unwind Brighton Map!

There is still time to be included in the bespoke artwork for Unwind Brighton! Just send a photo to me at unwindbrighton@gmail.com.

Here is a preview of the Unwind Brighton banner, with a few lovely knitters on already!

The buildings shown are the Unwind Brighton venues: Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, Jubilee Library, the Brighton Friends' Meeting House, the Old Courtroom and the Latest Music Bar.

Do you recognise anyone?

Please get your photo submissions to us no later than midnight on Friday the 11th April to be drawn into the Unwind Brighton map, which will be featured in the programme!

Please note: Photos must be head to toe. Everyone on the image below has been drawn in as per their photograph!

Thanks so much to Tristan Bristow for working on this project. Please go and check out his work on his website.