Learn the process that Emily uses to bring colours and knitted designs to life in…

Discovering a Knitted Palette

 It is easy to be moved by a blazing sunset but pausing to observe the subtle beauty and life in more ordinary or minute surroundings reveals layer after layer of detail and magic. Allowing ourselves time to observe nature and the responses it evokes can open us up to vast inspiration.

Knitting is often quite technical, requiring close attention to details such as needle size, construction and tension. However, planning a knitting project might also involve colour and texture experimentation, visual research and a little bit of dreaming. This workshop will encourage the participant to make space for exploration, dreaming and visual research as a component of their project planning. Often this part of the knitting process is rushed through or entirely overlooked in order to cast on, finish, move on to the next... In focusing on the colours, textures, light and shapes in our surroundings and through allowing time for exploration and play we will use this workshop to discover the inspiration that surrounds us and apply it to our whole knitting practice.

This workshop encourages individual creative exploration and allows a generous amount of time for participants to work through their ideas, experiment, change direction, try again, be curious. Through discussion of approach, techniques, ideas and examples, we will spend the day developing a creative process that will be unique to each participant. Patience, openness and curiosity will be valuable tools in this class. Working from an initial observation to documentation in photographs, pencil, paint and of course in knitting. This workshop allows time for exploration of visual ideas without expectation or urgency. If you allow it, this process will enrich project planning (and dreaming), the knitting experience as well as enjoyment of and appreciation for finished work. It’s a lot of fun too! I use a form of this process when creating new colour stories on yarn and knitted fabric. It is open ended, accessible to everyone and a process of inquiry and adjustment from beginning to end.