barnettdesigns

Trained and working as a nursery school teacher but with a year of fashion under my belt first I went back to clothing when I started to knit to sell in 1982. First hand knits starting in 1982 then, visiting a US wholesale art show in my part time job with a glass artist, I met two women creating beautiful garments using domestic knitting machines. When I got home I bought one and started to work with finer wools and cottons in 1984.

First pullovers in plain colours (hand knit) then more colourful knits and jackets as I learned to make buttonholes, that lead to my using buttons then making my own of polymer clay. Travel and aging lead to using more colours. As my jackets are pricey a friend suggested wraps as I could make them more easily and they didn't need to fit, I could sell them for somewhat less even though they took almost as much yarn. To hold the wraps in place I started to make my Sweater Pins and Sticks.

I started knitting socks in the '70's, I wanted to learn how, but a job making costume knits for a Stratford Festival production of The Boyfriend left me with lots of left over sock yarn. I had used sock yarn so the wardrobe mistress could easily wash the sweaters worn by heavily sweating dancers. I went back to knitting socks and I haven't looked back...I always have a pair on the go, for in front of the telly, riding on long journeys. With my local yarn shops and in my travels I always hit the knitting stores to stock up on more colourful sock yarn.

Teaching is something I love to do, imparting my knowledge to other knitters to carry the creativity forward, hence working up three machine knitting patterns. Thei first two were published in Knitwords a now online only machine knitting magazine.

When I'm not knitting, felting or claying I'm building web sites...another creative outlet and my 'side gig'.