Just before the really cold winter I decided to make most of my time exercising outdoors

(much more fun than a gym!)

I decided to take a bike ride to Frameworks Knitters museum to work on building my skills where I have spent part of my summer volunteering. 

These machines are the first invented knitting and knitted lace machines which date back to the 18th century.

I feel privileged to be keeping the technique alive and to develop new ideas and designs, the machines take 8 separate steps to complete one row, using the lace bar also involves transfer stitches between. The machine I have been using is 32 gage which means 32 needles per inch and a half. This proves the difficult job of keeping them perfectly in line, a hairline difference will mean that the the fingers on the lace bar would miss the needles and fall, so I'm always learning and improving on the machine.

River Trent

Frames 4 different pedals

Transferring stitches with the lace bar

My adaptation lace of knitting

JoJo

First week back at university!

Lectures and briefings ready to start the term, it's an exciting year. Our course has 17 new students, 3 are exchange from New York who will be leaving before Christmas and the others joining are direct entry or transferred from textiles at Nottingham Trent.

During first week we also received an email about the collaboration of our course with WGSN. Before the Summer holidays, Tutors and students submitted samples to respond to a trend of S/S 17. I feel very privileged for one of my samples to have been chosen for inspiration for one of the trends. There were many successful beautiful samples, I can't wait to see these samples inspire garments of S/S 17! People signed up will be able to access the Nottingham Trent University Future Trends PDF through the WGSN website sorry I cannot personally share with you.

http://www.wgsn.com/en/

The year ahead is looking exciting!

We have currently been set to decide upon a Live project (A project with industry) from Next, All Saints and Acorn.

http://www.next.co.uk/

http://www.allsaints.com/

http://www.acorn-swatches.com/

These companies will give a presentation at the university about the briefing. It's an exciting new step on the course to be working with industry! Whilst working on our project we are also applying for Placements to 'fill the Sandwitch' of our Sandwich Degree. This just means after second year you will go on placement for 36 weeks or more to achieve a Diploma of Professional Practise. To assist us in choosing the placement thats best suited for us (and a placement we can afford) we will be watching the 3rd Years presentation about their placement year. This will enable us to understand what the placements expect from us, where we will be living, if we need and how we get visas, what they gained from the placement.

This year the course seems far different than last year. We now need to build research from Trends and collate a Shop report, building upon design that already exists and not just making something because you we it. The main aspect is to aim for a target market.

Tomorrow we have more lectures then Thursday I am planning to go back to the Frameworks Knitters museum to practise knitting and using the lace bar.

All for now!