Eliza Knits at Earthpeace

Knitware - Design at your fingertips

gill — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:04:02 +0000

Thanks to Susan at My Knitting Patterns, I have discovered Knitware. I am so excited about beginning to use this marvellous tool which relieves a designer of all the laborious maths associated with calculating sizes. And thank goodness Janet Tombu and Ada Lai, at Great Knit Designs took the trouble to build the database. You can download a free demo and check that it is what you need, it comes in three modules - sweaters/skirts/basics - you can buy any or all of them at an extremely reasonable price. The program is set up to manage hand knitting, machine knitting or crochet. All you need to do is create your tension swatch and enter the details of what you want to produce. A little tweaking here and there to the finished pattern and you have your own design without all the anguish of wondering whether you got the sums right!
Susan’s blog is also well worth a visit as she displays all her patterns there for all to use.

Moongazing and lush tunics

gill — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:17:03 +0000

Arrggh!! Sometimes I hate my machine! Especially the ribber. It needs such weight added that stitches drop willy nilly when I am cabling. The fabric itself is completely hidden by the ribber so it is impossible to tell if things are going right.

But, eventually, after much cursing and an aching back, I am finished. Sit back, have a cup of tea and am overwhelmingly glad that I have the machine, warts and all. I can design fast, though not as quickly as the ideas that are coming at a raring pace, but so much faster than hand knit design. And knit up in a day.

I’m tinkering with a tunic dress. It’s lush. No pictures yet, but it is truely gorgeous. A cable plait at the neck, no sleeves and figure hugging in soft merino. Yum!

Today I played with an idea that has been brewing for a while .. here’s a sketch that could be the start of it ….

Eliza Knits

gill — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:48:44 +0000

Introducing Eliza Eldon, my great grandmother, and the inspiration behind my shop name - Eliza Knits.
She ran various businesses around London with her husband, including the Pineapple public house in Elephant and Castle, and Confectioners and Coffee houses in other areas.

She was described to me as a feisty outgoing person, and a lot of fun.

I often look to her for inspiration when the muse is lacking.

Camisole revisited

gill — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:25:43 +0000

I was hoping to give my granddaughter the prototype of a cardigan I have been designing. But … have been making a massive hash of it. So instead I quickly resized the camisole to fit her, and she loves it !

The heart is my version of a birthday card ..

The camisole is such a sweet little garment, slightly shaped to give a little flair over the hips. Merino is the perfect yarn to wear next to the skin for those that find wool too itchy.

Cowls and Etsy

gill — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:25:50 +0000

Finally, a few things to put on Etsy. The lace snoods / cowls I have been making.
Really gorgeous, warm and versatile, decorated with shells and beads

They take quite a while though for machine knitting; 28 extra swipes of the carriage for every 8 rows.

I was interested to see that horse riders find these particularly useful.

It will take me a while to get a full portfolio of product on Etsy, this is the starting point.

Mittens

gill — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:39:24 +0000

Ughhh Christmas!!! I was shown a phone photo of some mittens that a friend wanted for her daughter for Christmas. A very brief viewing on a tiny screen. But I had a go.
I couldn’t remember the design on them so I put a picture of a cat’s head in the centre. Apparently they were described as the cat, (Tilly), in the vegetable garden having a poo

The body of the mitts is double so that fingers don’t get caught in the backside of the embroidery, it also makes them extra warm. The ribbed top can be worn folded up or down and purl is the right side both inside and outside !

Camisole

gill — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:06:06 +0000

This is a camisole I have been working on. It is a merino, acrylic mix two ply, so whilst warm, it is also light. Lovely for summer evening wear as well as winter cosiness.
I gave one to my daughter decorated with beads amongst the lace hearts.
One size only so far, 32” bust. I will at some point put some for sale on my Etsy account.

Other resources

gill — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:00:00 +0000

For anyone following this blog, I am no longer able to spend time researching renewables though I still feel strongly about it, and I am heartened that a momentum is being set up, albeit rather slower than I would have liked.
I am now concentrating on a different, (though still, I believe, related to earth peace), project. Wool is a wonderful resource; totally renewable, warm, water resilient and hugely versatile. Starting small with some machine knitting projects in hand.

Love London 2008

gill — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:55:26 +0000

This year the recycled art show will be held at London Zoo, launching on May 29th. In conjunction with London Sustainability Weeks the whole thing lasts until September 5th.

Anthony Wilson is curating the exhibition again and you can submit work through his Sculpture Mad site.

2008 Asian International Exposition on New Energy Technology and Equipment

gill — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:17:12 +0000

Here is information on an April 2008 Conference in China. This Conference is approved by Ministry of Science & Technology P.R.C and supported by National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China, it will be hosted on Apr. 27th -29th, 2008 Beijing International Convention Center, PRC. For detailed information visit: CCEF Expo
There will be an International Peak Conference on Chinese New Energy Development and Application at the same time, both events provide platforms for communication and exchange with other domestic and foreign companies and lots of business opportunities.
The latest technology, equipment and development trends will be on view to Chinese and worldwide enterprises.