Sandra's Designing Blog

This is an exclusive area of my web site where you can find out more about my knitted designs, what inspires me, how I work and what I like (and don't like) to design. 
 
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Category: Big Rainbow Knit

  1. Looking back to the summer

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    I received this great photo yesterday from one of the Big Rainbow knitters we had been working with during the summer. Seems she had taken one of the mosaic rainbow patterns (free at the time) and incorporated it into her lovely stocking stitch sweater. I just love how knitters can do this, just take a stitch pattern that they love and make it part of a bigger design. Pauline has definitely got something that reminds her of the highlight of her summer. 

    Working on the Big Rainbow Knit was certainly the highlight of my summer too and one of my greatest achievements throughout the Covid pandemic. 

    All the patterns that were used for the BIG Rainbow knit are included in the ebooklet. 14 chapters of patterns and inspirational ideas as to how you can use them in your own projects.

     
    CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU - RAINBOW RAYS EBOOKLET HALF PRICE UNTIL XMAS DAY
     
    Wonder where I got the Big Rainbow pattern from? I designed this Festive Forest Christmas cushion for the Simply Knitting magazine back in 2016. A little tweak to the pattern and it became relevant for our Big Rainbow Knit.
     
    COUPON CODE TILXMAS FOR 10% OFF , VALID UNTIL XMAS DAY.

    Christmas Star Kits - limited availability

    As a special treat for you this Christmas I have put together a limited number of these cool Christmas kits.   Small balls of Christmas coloured yarns have been randomly put  together in an organza bag. You will get 4 or 5 small balls in total weighing between 75 and 100grams.

    2 organza bags full of yarn PLUS 2 printed instructions. 

    Why don't you buy one for yourself to knit some pretty Christmas star decorations and then gift the other kit to one of your knitting friends. 
    Christmas Star Kits - 2 kits for £6 plus postage BARGAIN
    CHRISTMAS GIFTS / PATTERNS & KITS are now available - check them out please

    I have added more!
    Knitted accessories, patterns, kits, yarn and gifts now included in the sale. Most half price!  
     
     

  2. Festival Finale & Rainbow Rays

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    Festival Finale 

    This weekend marks the end of the WoveninKirklees festival and I've been busier than ever! Getting reasy for the yarn market, creating new kits, sewing up bunting etc etc. Hope I get to see some of you in St Georges square this weekend. Sounds like it's going to be fun!  

    I really enjoyed going back to Huddersfield Railway station a few days ago to help with a facebook live video. If you can spare 3/4 of an hour to watch and listen to the video it really explains the inspiration and thought process that went into the installation. You can view the video here - Exploring the Big Rainbow Knit in Huddersfield.

    I was responsible for the design of the Rainbow Rays, the panels that adorn the planters in the square and the 3 bigger pieces that are on the station gate and the bus shelter. All these pieces again were made from knitted squares that were brought together in special unique designs which I created. The 2 coloured squares were used as a basis, utilising a rainbow colour and either black or white. The Big Rainbow knitters were really happy to experiment in their knitting and wanted to do more than the simple garter stitch square. As the 2 coloured squares came in to the Big Rainbow knit HQ, I starting to pull them together in to my 6 x 4 squares designs.  I designed over 25 original pattern layouts, half of which were sent out to our Big Rainbow sewers to sew up!
    In fact the whole Rainbow Rays idea was inspired by the blocks (a series of repeated shapes) that go on to make quilt patterns. These will be explored in the ebook, to give you ideas as to how you can use the 6 x 4 and 4 x 4 squares repeated to make interesting throws and cushions.
    Pre-order the Rainbow Rays pattern eBook here
    I also created a number of slips stitch and fair isle patterns that were knitted up in to squares too by our Big Rainbow knitters.  The slip stitch patterns were developed to look like illusions, inspred by the Rainbow being one big illusion. The Fair isle patterns were developed to be squares or triangles within the bigger square and then when brought together they give a checkerboard effect.
    If you live or travel through Kirklees you may have seen yarn bombings popping up all over the district. A few of the sites have used the same idea of utilsing the 2 coloured squares to develop their own patterns. 
    Bradley by Yak & Yarn
    Meltham by Meltham Knit & Natter



    The Rainbow Ray panels and the individual knitting patterns are documented in my ebook which you can pre-order now at a discounted price of £5 from my web site or Ravelry. The patterns within the ebook will be available and emailed to you AFTER the woven festival that takes place from 5th June 2021 to 27th June. This is so official WOVEN photographs can be included in the ebooklet. I imagine that the ebooklet patterns will be ready for emailing sometime in July & August 2021.  

    [Discounted price is for the duration of the festival]