Signatur Sep 2007 Newsletter 1

Welcome to my long-promised first e-newsletter – and thank you so much for signing up. If you didn’t, then ‘whoops’ please do it now at www.sigknit.com Previously, my newsletters were printed and mailed out within Australia only, but the new website lets me acknowledge how the last five years has seen Signatur Handknits explore the United States - and return to England – something of a full circle for me. It had to start somewhere In terms of my life, it began in Yorkshire, England, the home of wool and textiles. Having a mum who was a commercial artist and an accredited member of the Royal Miniature Society, and a Grandma who set sister Annette and I up with easel and oils at the tender ages of eight and six, certainly cast the creative spell. Did you know you can buy on-line?							This is me! Alexis Xenakis held an impromtu shoot outside the Baltimore Convention Centre Nov 06
Fond Memories   I remember Grandma Shepherd teaching me to knit, then returning later to discover I had knitted all her darning threads! (now that’s a thing of the past - darning!) I didn’t pick up the needles again till I was a teenager. I bought pattern and yarn, only to discover the pattern was written in a strange language - so I looked at the picture and knitted. I bought a book on Aran stitches and my first garment was a three quarter length coat, followed by a fairisle vest. By 16, it was like “think it, knit it “ no patterns, just ideas. My knitting education was formalized in a degree in Knitwear Design from Trent University, England. Below: Sketches & swatches of designs in progress. Hand dyed 4ply Alpaca and silk, Indian fabrics was my inspiration.
							Above: Three hand dyed and knitted pieces. Red Mohair boucle coat, orange Alpaca boucle vest with mirrors and silk short sleeve tunic, silk cuffed pants. One of four complete outfits. I will tell more about my four years of design training in later newsletters and no doubt in part of my book. Like many experiences you don't realise how indulgent  they are whilst you are   endeavouring to meet deadlines, stretching your abilties and learning new skills.
Exploring Texture & taste Life to me is pattern and texture. Climate and culture create unique patterns, designs and styles: from buildings to textiles, from pottery to basket weaving; an endless platter. My love for travel was fully indulged during the 80’s, which I spent working in Tokyo, London and Sydney, then side - stepping with a back pack into Asia, back to Africa and into outback Australia - what an indulgence of the senses! My label, Signatur Handknits, was conceived in Sydney, Australia, where I now live. And I’ve been designing and producing knitting kits and garments for thousands of knitters and wearers under the Signatur label since 1986.

New knitting classes In August I introduced two new classes at the Stitches Mid West Show in Chicago. Long needle Knitting I introduced this class to help knitters struggling to control their needles and yarns when working  from graphs in Intarsia This also helps greatly with tension too. Fit and Style is a little more advanced. I talk about my designs, how and why I have created certain styling. Then how you can apply similar principles to create the perfect fit for yourself.

Tudor Swingcoat         Intarsia at it's best

Mitres Hot off the Needles      Coco Panel Jacket Knitted in 5 colours Pure New Wool also Coco Panel Cardigan Longer length with Shawl Collar trim

Casting on into the US Signatur now takes me to cities all over America, and back to London and Yorkshire. In 2004, Vogue Knitting invited me to teach along side the lovely Brandon Mabley and Clara Scott, whilst cruising the inside passage from Vancouver to Anchorage. Taking a helicopter flight with my mum onto Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier was quite a contrast to back-packing Africa and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. But it’s all turned out to be integral parts of a Grand Design. The introduction of my kits to the United States was a big step for me, and has fortunately led me to once again design beyond my own range. And I’ve met another lifetime’s worth of fellow knitters and great friends on my American sojourns. America has also fuelled my passion for meeting customers through teaching. Being able to expand knitters’ skills with simple multi-coloured Mitres and Intarsia techniques makes designing more fun for me, and knitting classes have now added another very important dimension to a very fortunate journey.

If colour be the food of love, knit on Colour is like food to me: mouth-watering and tempting. What I love and savor is creating colour combinations in classic yarns, then adding a pinch of spice with a highlight 'Fancy' yarn, like Trendsetters' Dune or Pandora. My own range of Signatur Pure New Wool 8ply yarns are my indulgence, as you’ll see from the range online, I mix this with lustrous Mohairs and the most delightful fancy yarns from Trendsetter yarns. Clever marketing by handknit magazines and the yarn industry in the US has managed to get models and movie stars hooked on knitting, often by starting with fancy yarns and big needles, which create great results, plus instant colour and texture.

Blocks Cardigan Knitted in wool and Mohair. Colour combinations are endless

Follow the stars The world has followed the stars and handknitting is booming. One of my ambitions as a handknit designer is to tempt new knitters out of their comfort zone and into garments and colours that inspire them to try new and challenging techniques. Classic Yarns knitted in Fairisle, Intarsia or Mitres create these opportunities to improve your skills and stay hooked.

Blocks Capelet Wool & Mohair, including Trendsetter Dune

Learning When I am designing or teaching, I try to entwine being the school maam, with the wonder of everyone learning new techniques & experimenting with colour and texture. Like artists, we put colour and texture together to bring the canvas to life. The wonderful thrill, and bonus, of handknitting is that we create a wearable canvas.

Diamond Cable Swing With a collar & fringed.

Think outside the square.    Style and shape matter When I began Signatur Handknits as a label, my objective was hand knitted garments that would fit every woman’s shape and size, and would look absolutely stunning – whether worn on opening night or to the annual sports day. What has subsequently become my ‘signature’ style are my A line coats and Swingcoats. These shapes skim the hips, and at the same time they fit and drape from the shoulder. San Francisco, is one of my favourite cities, and is the home of Three Bags Full on Sutter Street, just above Union Square. They have one of the most extensive ranges of hand knitted garments from America and around the world, and I am proud to be included in their collection. Try a Swingcoat on and you’ll see what I mean.

Garments It is mainly established clients who order ready made garments, as I have their sizing details on file. My website has lots of colour ways, I am always open to create one just for you too. If you have ever seen my range at a craft show or my studio, you know you are spoilt for choice in both design and endless yarn and colour combinations. There are many one off colour combinations, you may arrive with a colour or style in mind and leave with something quite different that is unexpectedly perfect for you. I believe it is a great compliment to my team of knitter's when a knitter purchases a finished piece. And if you don't tell any one you didn't knit it yourself I won't either!

Knitting Kits and Patterns Thank you to knitters around the world who pushed me into selling my designs as Knitting Kits in the early 1990’s. When you try on a swingcoat, you truly appreciate not just the styling and fit, but also the quality of the yarn and its drape. It’s wonderful at shows to have knitters try on a garment before they knit the piece. What a rare treat! This also allows me to customise the pattern to your height and size, allowing you to make to measure, as I do for my clients. I also include these techniques in my ‘Fit & Style’ class. All kits instructions, including size and length options. I chose not to alter my patterns for standard publication, nor change or comprise the designs or delete size options: Signatur Knitting Kits became the perfect solution to this. And all Knitting Kits include the same yarn I use for my finished garments, which ensures that your skills and time will be best rewarded.

Help always at hand: for every body

Knitting Kits  Knowing that your kit is the same pattern as my finished garments is one comforting factor, but support is also essential. So, whether you buy a pattern or kit from my website, I am always happy to help you customize your pattern, by email or phone, or in person at shows, in my classes or at my studio. If you haven’t registered for regular newsletters, please do it now at Newsletter registration, and you’ll be kept up to date with techniques, class and show dates plus new designs.

Another cup of tea? I'll show you my tea pot collection one day.

Boxes Vee Cape This was one of the first pieces I designed, taking two scarf's and creating a new shape.

Scarves to Drapes Hand knitting has enjoyed a wonderful decade, with new knitters creating a scarf revolution. Trendsetter yarns invited me to design a new range for this market. These are marketed as pattern and yarn in the USA. I wrote my own design brief, which began with how to turn scarf’s into garments and what skills could be developed along the way. Remember your first time? Remember the excitement of completing your first garment? It’s takes a team from the spinner to  designer and your yarn store staff, to provide each component for you to achieve rewarding results.  Capes, Drapes and Kimonos are part of the range Jane has designed to step you from scarfs to garments, casting the spell of creating with knitting.

Next? A new book! & more classes I’ll let you in on a Signatur knitters’ secret: I will be doing a new book – my first in 15 years. It will include A line shaping, drapes and Capelets, colour and texture lots of new designs, plus variations on a couple of current designs. If you have an expiry on your credit card of September 2009 – feel free to place an advance order!

Picking up the needles next: Class Dates Keep up to date with craft show dates and classes SHOWS

Australia -  Signatur Studio Sydney Killarney Heights Sydney Sat 8th Sept. Intarsia class For bookings please call 02 9453 9091 or email jane@sigknit.com Vogue Knitting Australian Knitting Tour will be in my Sydney Studio for classes on the 13th September. I know there will be two ladies from the Alaskan cruise on this tour. It will be fun catching up. America The Needle Yarn Charlottesville VA info@needlelady.com Sat 29th & Sun 30th Sept. Sat: Fit & Style - single colour texture. Sun: Colour - am Intarsia/ pm Mitres Alamitos Bay Yarn Store Long Beach CA abyarn@earthlink.net Sunday 28th October: Fit & Style class For more classes and exhibitions visit SHOWS

Coco Wool & Mohair Jacket Eight colours in two row striped Mitres. I know it doesn't look simple, but it is. Any feed back from experienced needles is welcomed!

Fan & Cable swingcoat Shot in Colorado though we do have ski fields in Australia too!

Two Winters Having just wrapped up winter here in Sydney I am about to pack a bag for the UK, returning for a second year to Alexandra Palace’s ‘Knitting and Stitching Show’ (Thursday October 10 to Sunday14th). It’s huge and was extremely busy last year! I had my husband, photographer, web designer and marketing manager as my sales assistant last year. This year I will be on my own, so if any of you would like to work with me at the show, please email me, even for a half day.   Australian Craft Show for Sydney sad news is there won’t be a 2007 show. Last year it was renamed 'Exclusively Yours' and moved to Randwick Town Hall. This was Sydney's best showcase for Australian made art, craft and food design. We are all hoping that temporary glitches will be ironed out and it will back with a vengeance next year. 'The Designer and Creators' Canberra will hosts this show for the third year now at Wodens' Hellenic Club the first weekend in June.

Please help me to find shows in the USA I am looking for Craft Shows where I can sell ready made garments and take orders for both made to measure garments and knitting kits. I am making enquires to the Boston Craft show for 2008, it looks fabulous. I also noticed a company running events called The Sugarloaf Craft shows. I'd love some feed back on either show; maybe what you purchased, what you loved but didn't purchase and what the over all quality and pricing was like. Maybe you have a favourite show you can recommend. Trunk Shows I bring sample garments from my range to all knitting classes and shows across the USA. These garments are from my ready to wear collection in my own Australian Pure New Wool, they are used as samples for that trip, but can also be purchased. I stop off regularly in LA & San Francisco, sometimes Chicago, Washington and New York. I am open to invitations to visit Knitting Guilds or bring a trunk to a private home. I can also take orders for both my knitting kits and garments at these events, as I do at many shows in Australia. Though both are available on line, the oppertuntiy to try before you buy, to selcet your own colour combination and correct sizing is not to be missed. Please email me your suggestion.

Tell me about your experience with knitting Mitre.    email me

Tudor Swingcoat

Well, that’s it for Newsletter Number One, and I’ve done all the talking. I'd love to see what you have been knitting or wearing. First one from me! One of my clients from Sydney went to Tasmania on holiday - that's the little island off the end that gets forgotten about! She's walking down the street with her husband and a lady stops her "Did you knit that yourself", so she tells her all about buying the cardigan. They proceed to be stopped again "Where did you buy that beautiful cardigan?". After the third time the husband suggested she "Take the blooming thing off". I have been waiting a long time to share this story on line! I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully seeing you soon.                                                   Jane

Back to Signatur Garment, Kit & Pattern page