WINTER DOWNUNDER
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What's in Signatur Handknits Newsletter Feb 2016:
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Above Right: Mitre Shona Jacket long length option - also available as a kit in short length.
Below right: Metro Aline from book 'Swing, Swagger, Drape - Knit the Colors of Australia' |
NEW! 2014 Designs Patterns are now available - previously they were kit only. SWINGCOAT Patterns also now available!
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GRAMPIANS TEXTURE 2016 - Join my weekend
or mid-week classes for a creative vacation! |
Come and join Jane at Grampians Texture 2016, where textile art lovers
 join fellow artists for a weekend or mid-week vacation: doing what they love! It's on from March 5 - 10 and Jane will be there making your creative vacation complete with Exploring Mitres and Pattern with Personality classes.
Weekend 5th - 6th March - Exploring Mitres.
Mitres really turn garment contruction on its side, offering design challenges and opportunities in a simple and rewarding technique.
4 days Mid-week 7th - 10th March - Pattern with
Personality - extending your options in hand knitting by embracing new techniques and styles including Intarsia, Texture, Fairisle and Mitres!
http://www.grampianstexture.com.au/jane-slicer-smith.html
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Below Left: Nomad Jacket created in a very simple Intarsia, with a  touch of fairisle on the cuff. Below Centre: Chaffey Jacket, with button up back and high round neck - texture is different scales of basket stitch. Below Right: Madras Jacket in Fairisle, pattern has 2 length options and square, Vee and round neck options. |
  
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NEW DESIGNS FOR WINTER 2016 |
 
Here's a little taste of what's to come - Billy
Drape - knitted sideways with a touch of
A-line. a Ribbed front is worked in short rows to create a wedged rib.
Windsor Jacket - longer line styled from an English riding Jacket.
Stitched Up - this is the first sample garment more colour ways are on the needles! |
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Left Windsor Jacket in Midnight/ Jacaranda and back shot in Steel/Tasman
Stitched Up Jacket Right in Khaki, mid green, sequioa and Light Olive |
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RE-MASTERING the BLOCKS |
The Blocks Cardigan is one of my long-time best sellers for all ages. It is retro - so eighties! For a long time it's been a round-neck cardigan style and the colours are endless
I have now 're-mastered' or re-styled Blocks with a feature pocket, button back and collar, and finished, as always, with hand-made buttons.
So take a look at a design that will always have something for everyone! |
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 Re Mastered Blocks Cardigan into a Jacket style with pockets and ribbed collar, button at back detail. The rib collar allows the jacket to be worn with collar up or down, the wrong side of the collar remains in the main colour.
Right to left: Aegean, Capri, Aqua FY43; Aubergine, Wine, pink FY33; Reds - Wine, Hot pink, red FX89; Midnight, bilberry, lilac FY48; Opposite Khaki, sequioa, moss FY44.
If you still love the round neck, you may add pockets or the buttonback detail to the round neck style too. |
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Handmade Canberra |
An inspiring two days to get the winter design season started. Last year the show moved to EPIC - the Exhibition Park In Canberra - and has quickly grown into the new space.
All Australlian-made craft plus more produce in jars and bottles. Come for lunch and enjoy some great food options.
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You can come to the studio anytime though I do ask you to ring first, simply as I am not really a shop front!
When I am in town you are welcome to visit any day of the week.
Friday 18th & Sat 19th March
10am to 4pm - or call and make a different day/time |
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BACK to TOP |
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Designers On Show |
This show is usually held on the last weekend in March at Turramurra, this year the show clashed with Easter weekend. We will be skipping this year, however we will let you know when and where you can find show exhibitors throughtout the year.
We are exploring Pop Up shop options too - so watch this space! |
2014 DESIGNS NOW AVAILABLE AS PATTERNS OR COMPLETE KITS
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2014 DESIGNS: Nomad Jacket, Ameila Jacket, Mitre Tally Ho Jacket/Vest,
Dora Jacket, Millar A line.
SWINGCOAT PATTERNS:
Diamond Cable Swing, Times cable Swing, Tudor swing. This is the first release of pattern-only for any Signatur swingcoat design. Our next YouTube video will feature my swingcoat designs.
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Left: Dora Jacket. Right: Mitre Tally Ho Jacket/Vest |
Buy the Pattern now and get a credit off the same kit when you buy later!
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New Signatur designs remain as knitting kits for approx 2 years. I still take these garment designs to shows, and they can still be purchased as knitting kits. Indeed when you buy a pattern you can use that purchase price as a credit against a kit of the same design.
So, if you buy the pattern for the Diamond Cable swing at A$65 and the kit is A$245 - you only pay A$180 for the yarn and buttons, ie the rest of the kit!
The Diamond Cable Swing pattern has 3 size options, 2 length options and 3 collar options plus a wide sleeve (original as image) or slim sleeve option (which reduces chest size).
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How do you find which designs are available as patterns or kits?
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PATTERNS: You can find out which designs are sold as patterns by clicking on the A-Z Design Index on top horizontal navigation bar. This shows an image per design and your purchasing options: Garment, Kit or Pattern - if pattern isn't there it's not available yet. |
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Above left: Ameila Jacket; Right: Nomad Jacket; Below: Millar A line |
 Links from images within this newsletter will take you directly to the order page for the garment, kit and pattern.
N.B. The Sigknit site was set up to sell garments and knitting kits. The pattern option has been added later however to order a pattern you still have to pick a colour - by clicking on a colourway option, or for a single colour garment clicking on the rainbow - this can be a little confusing!
www.ozeyarn.com - offers kits and patterns and also lets you pay by Credit Card or Paypal and for overseas customers lets you see a conversion guide to paying in Euro's, US dollars or Pounds Sterling. |
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RETRO STYLING |
I watched an early Goldie Hawn Movie recently called 'Swing Shift', which reminded me of the 1940's nipped waists, great collar details and often, exaggerated shoulders.
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  With the Lace Cable  Jacket I wanted to have that 1940's look, but also let the stitch pattern create the wavy hemline - if this were true 40's it would have a waisted figure hugging rib with plenty of neat buttons.
The pattern does of course have a longer length option and a shawl coillar (not shown) |
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Wrapping Up New Yarns for 2016 |
Two new weights of yarn for 2016 have been added.
Azteca is chunky and Cinque is 8ply weight with great colour ranges. Since the 'Wave' range of designs has been so popular and of course the Yurt hat (left), I have made these patterns so they can be knitted in 3 different weights of yarn.
Tonalita and Poems silk stock is limited now, so once stock is sold I will not be re-ordering. order on www.ozeyarn.com |
 
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Above: Cinque Multi left to right: Purple Mountain, Summer Dusk, Midnight Jungle, Water, After the Storm and Lipstick, there is also Desert Sundown just added, which is oranges. Cinque comes in 50g balls and colours and designs can be viewed and purchased on www.ozeyarn.com - click on image for link
Below: Azteca chunky range of colours are sold as 100g balls. |
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Azteca available in 8 colours - 9 shots as I have repeated Fall Patina - centre below and lower right above.
Left to right: Wave Cowl 38 2 balls Fall Patina Kit $45; Azteca Santa Fe 100g ball $20;
Yurt Hat 1 ball Sunset Sky kit $25. |
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Left to right: Azteca Summer Heather 100g ball $25; Circular Cowl Long 2 balls Blue Lagoon kit $45; Azteca Fall Patina 100g ball $20.
Below: Wave Cowl 38 2 balls Rainbow kit $45; Wave Scarf 1 ball Fall Patina kit $25;
Circular Cowl Small 1 ball Summer Heather kit $25. |
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Tonalita and Poems will only be sold as yarn, of course the offer still stands that if you purchase 4 or more balls you will receive 3 complimentary patterns. |
  Tonalita and Poems Silk Wave Wrap
Order 4 balls of Tonalita or Poems Silk and receive three complimentary patterns - Yurt Hat, Wave Scarf and Circular Cowl Shown above. |
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Grampian Textures Weekend 5th and 6th March
EXPLORING MITRES |
 Work a mitre in 2 rows stripes and you can create a stained glass patchwork, using up all your odds and ends of Wool, Mohair - anything! Take the next step and create panels to be knitted into garments. Jane Slicer-Smith has been designing in mitres for 10 years, tweaking these squares/diamonds in half, quarter and three quarter mitres to create garments. Check out the Harlequin Swagger, with it's semi circular skirt on the front cover of her book, Swing, Swagger, Drape - Knit the colours of Australia (US publisher). Mitre knitting is very simple, colourful and rewarding technique. Learn how to eliminate ends and get lots of other tips from Jane to create from very simple to slightly challenging garment construction. |
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Grampian Textures 4 DAY WORKSHOP 7th TO 10th March
PATTERNS WITH PERSONALITY - extending the options in knitting |
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Time to play and explore techniques from fairisle, intarsia, texture and of course, mitres. Use knitting processes to add texture and style to make traditional knitting patterns contemporary. Jane will show examples of how she uses these in designs, and will also talk about her principle of design and fit: how you can take a basic pattern and add a little of your own personality with fairisle or texture. Jane asks students to bring 2 or 3 garments that they have knitted: Explore what is successful and if you knitted it again how you could tweak the design. Often, there is plenty to learn from less successful knits, and often they can be rescued. This sharing element is a really enlightening part of the 4 days, so please don't be frightened to share! This is a class Jane rarely gets the opportunity to teach, as it requires 4 days not 4 hours! |
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 If you'd like to discuss anything in  this newsletter - or anything at all, please email Jane. Thanks for your support - Laura, Petra, Philippa, and I look forward to seeing you in the knitting circle! |
