Erika, we know you as an author of knitting and
crochet books, tell us a bit more about your background
As a
child I always had some sort of project that involved cutting, sticking,
winding, sewing or making, but it wasn’t’ until my punk days at Art School that
I really began knitting – making sweaters for all my friends with big ladders
and safety pins, or inspired by my favourite artists, such as Bridget Riley and
Vasarely. After a sojourn printing fabric for the fashion industry, I designed
a small collection of hand knits which soon became a ready-to-wear brand, which
I sold all over the world. This led to working with other designers and high
street brands. I have always been involved in trend forecasting, and have
always been fascinated about why people create, why they go beyond the
practical to embellish and decorate. From this, I pitched to the idea of a
knitting book based around the ‘square’ to a few publishers, before anyone even
had a craft list – that was Simple Knits for Easy Living (published by Collins
& Browns in 2000) and I am now writing my 25th (due out next
year, published by Quadrille). Along the
way the notion of one day designing and manufacturing my own yarns had always
been high on my wish list.
I was
involved in the textile industry when the big British retailers were moving production
off shore and so it had always been a long-held ambition to bring this back to
Britain. I was able to do this in a small way, designing the British Sheep
Breeds yarn collection with Rowan, and it was this which ultimately inspired me
to collaborate with James Laxton,
who now spins my beautiful 100% British wools.
So, what makes your yarn different?
It is a
very concise collection, consisting, at present, of only 4 yarns. It is
important to me to know where the fibres come from, and to know all the
processes they go through – from sheep to stitch.
Fur wool is a fabulous fancy yarn, which has now
become a fashion classic, and 100% wool.
Maxi wool is a luxuriously soft yarn, because it is
steamed twice. It is a super-chunky from the fleece of the Masham sheep. It
takes colour beautifully and is therefore great to create quick knit
accessories – such as the cable scarf or hat with pom pom from our ‘Knit it
Tonight’ poster pattern.
Vintage is so-called due to its ‘old-fashioned’ twist,
an Aran weight, again spun from the Masham sheep. This yarn is polar opposite
to the smooth merino that has been popular for so many years, and will create a
homespun character to your knitting.
And then
of course, British Blue wool, the
ultimate DK, spun from the best fleece that Britain has – the Blue-faced
Leicester. This comes in delicious little 25g balls of
perfection – ideal for
baby garments, and machine washable at 30 degrees.
How about design support?
I want
people to try my yarn collection - so I have designed quick and simple projects
for beginners – easy, starter knits that you will be able to finish, as well as
garments and larger projects that require just a few more techniques, but that
are still simple in style. I design for man, woman and home and along the way
there are knits for baby that are timeless – and can be easily customised.
There are single design leaflets, my trademark poster patterns and seasonal
FREE postcard patterns, every now and then!
How did the collaboration with T. B. Ramsden
come about?
I grew
up with the Robin brand, designed for Wendy in the 1980s and had also used
Twilleys in my own ready-to-wear collection; in fact it was with the help of
Twilley's
dishcloth cotton that I got my knitters badge at Brownies! I have
always highly regarded
the expertise and heritage of the brands under the
Ramsden’s umbrella. Although our
paths had crisscrossed over the years at
various shows and events, it was not until early summer this year, that we
found ourselves on a balmy evening in Italy, enthusing over the latest trends
at Pitti Filatti and sharing our passion for yarn; believing that we could join
forces to create something new and exciting together, maximising our individual
expertise and experience.
What can we expect for the future of the brand?
With T.
B Ramsden distributing the yarn and patterns from their Guiseley warehouse,
I
will have more time to focus on the creative stuff – more time to respond to
your requests for more pattern support, and more time to get out and about for
workshops and events and to spread the word about the brand and the wonders of
wool. Watch this space for new exciting products and projects!
Of
course, those of you that know me will probably guess that I am also itching to
delve
into the Ramsden archives…
As it
has been said before, we’re better together!
