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Knitting on Thursday evening was all about cables and Aran knitting. Cable knitting is for intermediate to advanced knitters, and once the terminology and cable needle are mastered, it is fairly straightforward to knit. Below is a 4-stitch cable and a bobble. In Aran knitting, all stitches have a meaning, so the cable means 'luck'. In the past Aran jumpers would carry a story for the wearer and the knitter who made it. In 90 minutes the following was included: general Aran knitting history & meanings, understanding cable knitting terminology in a pattern, using a cable needle, understanding the stocking stitch reverse background & the importance of blocking cable knitting. Next week twisted cable knitting will be explored.     
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Project 1 - 6th January 2025 Children's Dungarees, Size: Age 1 Style 2540 5/- (25p) Date: 1969    I live in Brackley, Northamptonshire which is a quaint English market town. The area is famous for Formula One racing teams and the novelist Flora Thompson who wrote 'Lark Rise to Candleford'. Brackley Market was initially a grain market, but in the 1850s a sheep market was introduced. Lace and other wares were also sold at Brackley Market. The old cottages near Brackley church are where the lace makers lived and worked in the 1850s, and a couple of the houses are named after lace-making. I researched lace-making in the area and found Reverend Thomas Mozeley's book on the conditions and ages of the lace makers in the village of Morton Pinkney, which is 7.5 miles from Brackley. I wanted to make a reminder of the extract below, so took some phrases and put these together with pictures that are related to lace-making and Brackley. Of Pigs and Lacemakers: The Reverend Thomas Mozeley’s Reminiscences of Morton Pinkney (1832 – 36) The school was but half filled. It had a rival too strong for it. This village of misery and dirt, of cold and nakedness, of pigs and paupers, was the busy seat of a beautiful and delicate manufacture. As many as a hundred and fifty women and girls made pillow lace. On the higher green was the ‘lacemaking school,’ as it was called. Near thirty children were packed in a small room, and kept at their pillows from six in the morning, all the year round, to six in the evening. They were arranged in groups of four or five, round candles, about which were water-bottles so fixed as to concentrate the light on the work of each child. Girls were sent thither from the age of five, on a small weekly payment. It kept them out of the way in the day, and it prevented the wear and tear of clothes. The food side of the calculation was doubtful, for the parents always said the lacemakers ate more than other children, though it did not do them much good. For a year or two the children earned nothing. They could then make a yard of edging in a week, and, deducting expenses, they got twopence for it. By the time they were eleven or twelve they could earn a shilling or eighteenpence a week. There were women in the village who could not clothe their own children, or present themselves at church, who had made and could still make lace to sell in the shops at 20s. or 30s. a yard. The more costly lace was generally ‘blonde,’ that is, made with ‘gimp’ or silk thread. The makers were all bound to the dealers by hard terms, so they said, and obliged to buy at the dealers’ terms their gimp and thread. They took great pride in the number and prettiness of their bobbins, making and receiving presents of them, and thinking of the givers as they twirled the bobbins. We took a good deal of the lace, and disposed of it amongst our friends. My youngest sister set up a pillow, and made some yards of good lace. I learnt to be a critic in lace, and an appraiser. Though all these children were taught to read, and even to write and to sum a little, they were of course very backward, and they soon ceased to do anything but make lace. Reverend Thomas Mozeley I have made a booklet with words and images that will remind me of the cottage industry of lace-making in my area. This sample is kept with the extract to give context to the words written.          The lace-making Paisley Pear originated from Buckinghamshire, just over the border from Brackley. This motif was made and sold at Brackley Market.  ©Joanna Cox Marshall
When I think of a happy place in my home, I think of my patio overlooking the garden and herb garden. When it is warm I sit in the garden as much as possible and knit. I am not an artist and I have tried to learn, but I can say that my art work makes me appreciates artists who can draw and paint. I think there are many people who think like I do. I wanted to stitch something that is in my happy place, so decided to focus on the lavender in the garden. I love watching the bees buzzing around my many lavender plants during the summer and listen to the sounds around me. It makes me feel completely calm. Below is a quick sketch, to watercolour, to a stitched piece on a natural hand dyed cotton fabric with DMC Embroidery Threads.       ©Joanna Cox Marshall
One of my goals in January 2019 was to explore counted blackwork in more depth. I wanted to learn more about blackwork embroidery and its origins. Below is the finished journal.  January 2019 A study of squares using DMC Embroidery Thread & 14 Count White Aida.  February 2019 A study of squares in colour using Anchor Pearl Cotton & 14 Count White Aida   March 2019 A study of pattern & colour using DMC Embroidery Thread & 14 Count White Aida.    April 2019 I was given some vintage silks by a friend and decided to use one of them in my April sample. I have used double thread in the sample below. It was lovely to put the silks to good use and as I stitched I wondered where these lovely silks had originated from and their journey to me.     May 2019 In May 2019, I visited Sandringham in Norfolk where my family & I visit a couple of times each year. I used vintage sewing silks and stitched my own design of leaves and branches to depict the Sandringham Royal Country Park.     June 2019 A study of a progressive pattern showing density variation. Taken from a sampler by Mary Kay Sampson. I used vintage sewing silks and 14 count white Aida in this sample.     July 2019 A progressive pattern taken from a sampler by Mary Kay Sampson. I used vintage sewing silk and 14 count cream Aida.     August 2019 A progressive pattern taken from a sampler by Mary Kay Sampson. I have used DMC Embroidery Threads and 14 Count Cream Aida.    September 2019 As I explored the history of blackwork embroidery I wanted to re-create some of the patterns on the clothing in paintings. I found the painting 'A Portrait of a Lady in Green' c1528 -32, by Agnolo Bronzino (1503 - 72) and picked a motif from the collar that I could stitch. I used vintage sewing silks and 14 count cream Aida in this sample.     October 2019 In October I continued studying the motifs on the collar from the painting above. The motif I used was on the inside of the collar and I created my own pattern from it. I used DMC Embroidery Thread and 14 Count Cream Aida.     November 2019 In this sample I found a painting of Mary Tudor (1516 - 58) and studied the blackwork on her collar. With this in mind I found a pattern that was found on a corner of a cloth from the late 19th century. I then merged the two patterns together to make the sample below. I used DMC Embroidery Thread and 14 Count Cream Aida.     December 2019 For my final sample I designed my own pattern inspired by the Tudor rose and the blackwork seen on Mary Tudor's collar. I used DMC Embroidery Thread and 14 Count Cream Aida.    This concludes my counted blackwork project. Jo x ©Joanna Cox Marshall
In 2019, I decided to explore texture & colour in my knitting, recording this through a journal whilst being inspired by my home in the English countryside and the places that I have visited.  January 2019 January is inspired on where I grew up, Oxford. My early life was based in the centre of the city; school, ballet lessons, piano lessons, and clubs. From the age of 9 years, I was travelling on my own into 'town' and as I got older I would stop off to buy wool each week in between changing buses on my way home from school. In the 1980s you could buy a ball of craft wool for 15p from Woolworths. I now live 30 minutes away in a beautiful quaint market town, but Oxford will always be my home. On one of my many visits into Oxford whilst stepping out of the Blackwell's bookshop, I took a photograph of the ‘Sheldonian Theatre’. I changed the photograph into a kaleidoscope image and used the colours camel, brown, blue, and grey in the sample. I used ‘Basket Ribbed Stitch’ and 'Texture Tweed Stitch' in the sample.  February 2019 February is inspired by a holiday taken in August 2018. My family visited 'The Jane Austen Museum' and 'Chawton House', in Chawton, Alton, Hampshire, England. Whilst I visited the museum and house, my husband went for a walk with our little dog through Chawton Woods. The house was owned by Edward Austen and it is thought Jane Austen sat by the window and wrote her novels there. With this in mind, I decided to make this view into a sample. The colours in the sample are: Black, Forest Green, Sea Green, and Tortilla Brown. The black represents the window panes, green is for the lawn and trees, and brown is for 'Chawton Church' & the stone driveway. I used 'Garter Slip Stitch' in this sample.  March 2019 March is inspired by a day visit in May 2018 to 'Hughenden Manor', Buckinghamshire, England. My family and I explored the house and gardens before sitting and eating our picnic overlooking the valley and church. Hughenden Manor, is owned by The National Trust. It is described as a red brick Victorian mansion, which was owned in the 1800's by the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield. The colours in the sample are: Green, Pink, Yellow and Coral. I wanted to depict not just the red brick of the mansion and church, but also incorporate the flowers seen in the walled garden and valley. I used 'Knot Stitch' in this sample.  April 2019 April is inspired by an Easter Sunday visit in April 2019 to Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, England. My family and I walked around the gardens and through the forest walks with our little dog enjoying the warmth of spring. It was a beautiful bright day, with a clear blue sky and a perfect ice cream day. Waddesdon Manor was owned by the Rothschild family until it was bequeathed in 1957 to The National Trust. I wanted to incorporate the three dominant colours of blue, grey & green from the photographs taken and chose the ‘Garter Drop Stitch’ for the sample. The garter stitch represents the green shrubbery and the dropped stitches were knitted in alternate rows of blue and grey to represent the house brick and blue sky. The colours in the sample are: Sage, Green, Cloud Grey and Cerulean Blue.  May 2019 May is inspired by a holiday in May 2019 to Sandringham Royal Country Park, Norfolk, England. My husband and I, plus our little rescue dog Bella, love visiting Norfolk in the summer each year. Bella enjoys walking around the park and just enjoys sniffing everything. On our visit the leaves and the fern were only just starting to grow but there is so much to see as the park comes to life ready for summer. Sandringham, is owned by HRH Queen Elizabeth II and has been in the family since 1862. The family traditionally spend Christmas at Sandringham. In this sample, I wanted to incorporate the three dominant colours of the trees and fern. The colours in the sample are: Brown, Green and Orange I used 'Speckled Rib Stitch' in this sample and feel the combination of long stitches and bobble stitches gives the impression of the trees and country park floor.  June 2019 June is inspired by a day trip to Coughton Court, Alcester, Warwickshire, England. Inside the house, there are beautiful stained glass windows and the colours are especially vibrant when the sun is shining through the window. There are a couple of seats by the windows, so my daughter and I spent quite a while looking at the details in the stained glass. I used the basket of fruit and leaves motifs from the stained glass photograph to make a kaleidoscope pattern. I was delighted with the finished pattern which highlights the detail in the stained glass window. In this sample, I wanted to incorporate the three dominant colours of the kaleidoscope photograph. The colours in the sample are : Brown, Yellow and White. I used 'Stocking Stitch Triangle Stitch', as I think the combination of garter stitch and stocking stitch give texture for the fruit and leaves in the bowl.  July 2019 July is inspired by the wheat fields in a village where my family has lived for centuries. The parish registers started in 1538, my ancestors are on the first page. This beautiful village is called Deddington, in Oxfordshire, England, it is where my family still live and it is where I have run my ballet school for the last 21 years. I made a kaleidoscope pattern from the photograph of the wheat and a beautiful detailed pattern emerged. This detail enabled me to identify the colours needed to make the sample: Brown, Light Brown, Cream and Green. In this sample, I wanted rows of untextured stocking stitch with a few added flecks of colours to reflect the shapes on the wheat stems, this was created using 'Dot Stitch' in the sample.  August 2019 August is inspired by a day trip to the Canal Museum, Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire, England. The Canal Museum is situated on The Grand Union Canal. I love traditional canal folk art, so I wanted to create a sample that represented the bright colours and brush strokes used in the patterns and motifs of this art form. In this sample, I wanted round textures in the knitted square to represent flowers, so I chose to knit 'Double Moss Stitch'. The colours in this sample are: Red, Green, Yellow and Pink.  September 2019 September is inspired by the butterflies from my garden in September. One warm Sunday afternoon a large of amount of butterflies arrived and landed on a large shrub with gorgeous purple flowers. There were so many butterflies, that my daughter and I had time to take lots of close-up photographs. The butterflies visited us for about a week and were mostly Tortoise Shell butterflies. From one of the photographs, I made a kaleidoscope and based my colour choice on the finished image. The colours in the sample are: Purple, Orange, Brown and White. In this sample I wanted to depict the spots of of the butterfly wings & the purple from the flowers. I used 'Box Stitch' in this sample.  October 2019 October is inspired by a day trip to the open air Avoncroft Museum of Buildings, Worcestershire, England. What a wonderful day we had with our little dog and a picnic. The buildings are all original, relocated and re-built in the museum grounds. I was really taken with the Victorian chimneys. The brick work pattern around the chimney is ornate and textural, so I wanted to create a sample with this in mind. I wanted to show the diagonal pattern of the chimneys, so knitted a sample in 'Diagonal Garter Stitch'. The colours used in this sample are: Candy Red and Grey.  November 2019 November is inspired by a day trip in August to Waterperry Gardens, Oxfordshire, England. My daughter and I had a wonderful morning looking around the gardens and taking the many beautiful colours and plants. It was a very very hot day so all the colours were vibrant, but I had to sit under the covered arch for quite a while to keep cool, as I'm not good with heat... I put together a collage of the main colours that I wanted to use in this sample and made a kaleidoscope of this to use as a base for my design. The colours in the sample are: Blue, Green, Pink and Lilac. I used 'Fleck Stitch' in this sample.  December 2019 December is inspired on a day trip to Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is a great place to have long walks, or in the summer to have a picnic. I took photos during the Autumn of 2019 and was lucky to have a bright blue sky with orange, red & brown autumnal leaves all around the park. I made a kaleidoscope pattern and based my colours around this image. The colours in the sample are: Blue, Light Blue Orange and Camel. I used 'Moss Stitch' in this sample using alternate colours for each row. This concludes my Knitting Journal - 2019 Jo x ©Joanna Cox Marshall
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AuthorJoanna Cox Marshall is a textile artist, designer and tutor in textiles & dressmaking. Archives
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