I know I’ve indirectly professed my love for Kate Davies’ blog before, but I want to give it a proper place in the Blog Crush annals, because the longer I follow it, the more my esteem grows and grows. The blog is a mix of personal updates, pattern releases, vintage finds, tutorials and historical perspectives — and she’s good at all of it. She lives in incredibly scenic rural Scotland (having moved from Edinburgh last summer) and has been recovering over the past few years from a stroke, about which she’s been quite candid. She posts generously about the thought process behind each new design she releases. And everything she creates or writes about is infused with her admirable love and knowledge of the history of knitting and textile design. Her posts always leave me feeling like I’ve learned a little something and also that I have a whole bright world of things yet to be learned. So she’s inspiring on all sorts of levels. If you aren’t already reading her blog religiously, add it to your list.
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I love her blog too!!
You and me both, Karen! I fell in love with Kate (in the knitterly kind of way) when I discovered her Deco sweater pattern (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/deco-4). She is absolutely brilliant and I look forward to reading her posts on the reg.
Wow! thanks for this connection – another amazing site to inspire and delight! LOVE it.
I purchased the tea cozy pattern, we’ll try it as a knit along with the girls.
The blog was ok, but I love you more.
Oh, Kate is simply wonderful (man, I wish there was a more expansive word for what she is)!
Her blog is a lot like discovering new ethnic foods: at first, it might seem disturbing and strange to taste something that isn’t salty/fatty/sweet like most of our North American diet, but as you develop a palette for different flavours, you become more and more appreciative of the other facets of food. That’s how I feel about her: I found her writing a bit dry at first, but she taught me to see things more critically and now, I pretty much hang off her every word. Her focus on history has sparked a curiosity in me that didn’t exist even three years ago.
Also, can I just say: her tutorials are simply fabulous and I have learned SO MUCH from her (I often find myself wondering “What would Kate say?”).
There are lots of knitters who are just as good a “designer” as Kate Davis and in my opinion even better and have better patterns. They also have had obstacles to over come. Textile history is taught and blogged about by hundreds of knitters around the world., but it’s the Americans who are gaga over this person. American designers are fabulous! Norwegian designers are fabulous and can offer as much historical information as you like not to mention the Swedish Bohus history. Open your eyes people!
Lisa-Marie, I agree with much that you say, and certainly concur that there are much better designers than I, and great textile historians and writers all over the world. I do not, and never have laid claim to be the only person writing / designing with a background in history and British / Scottish / Shetland textile traditions. I thank my lucky stars for my knitting, and my background in writing and research, and I am so grateful to be able to make a living from my skills. It makes me genuinely happy to share my designs and words, and it makes me even happier that someone like Karen appreciates what I do. I really am very sorry that this seems to offend you in some way. . .
I really find this response so strange. Is the objective to denigrate Kate’s beautiful contribution across a number of genres in defense of other who also contribute? I’m not sure that Karen’s objective was to state that Kate is the only person doing this, simply that she does so in an acomplished way that speaks to audiences with many interests. ‘They also have obstacles to overcome’ seems to undermine the enormous struggle that recovering from a stroke is for any person. Kate’s work is remarkable and even if you feel there is superior work available, your remarks seem unnecessarily aggressive and offensive.
Karen, your blog is a treasure trove! Thank you for introducing me to this incredible woman!
Thanks for the recommendation! What a great find.
I’m a Kate lover from not so far back and look forward to a time when I’ve been a reader for a long, long while. I especially love the “out of the way” topics that you’d not come across otherwise. Recently, the dolls in the dark depths of a dank old building, bringing cheer and curiosity not only to the visitors there, but thanks to Kate, to me as well!
Good to be in good hands with appreciation for her~
I love her blog too, and especially love when Bruce makes an appearance.
Thank you for sharing this great blog. I have really enjoyed perusing all your Blog Crushes and finding great inspiration.
Karen, thank you once again for introducing me to another fabulous soul. My blog list grew a little today :)
Couldn’t agree more. I love her blog and her patterns. I also like it when she posts about her black Lab 😄
Yes! You’ve hit on all of the reasons my heart skips a beat when I see a new post from Kate Davies. I credit her blog for inspiring in me a love of all textiles, not just knitted ones. And her latest designs are breathtaking—I literally gasped when I saw the Richard the Roundhead tam.
Ahh, I’ve been a fan and follower for a long time. She’s a gem.
I can only say Amen, sister. Kate Davies is one of my heroes, love her writing and designs. I have such a total crush! My grandfather’s name was Davies, but since he was from Wales rather than Scotland I don’t suppose I could be related…..
Who doesn’t love Kate Davies? (Well, besides Lisa-Marie??) I agree with everything you’ve said, and I especially appreciate the historical research that she brings—and often shares with us—to her designs. I would only add that I appreciate the exquisite photography of the blog, and her quiet sense of humo(u)r. Sheep Carousel is one of my favorite designs ever! Oh, and I love the Bruce the Dog stories.
wow. kate, you are not only a brilliant designer , who i’ve admired for years, but a truly lovely person, as demonstrated by your response to the comment above. you are one of knitting’s world’s shining stars, thank you for all you do and share!
Oh, and I must credit Ann and Kay of Mason-Dixon Knitting for “introducing” me to both Kate Davies and you. You have all enriched my life. Thank you!
Hers was one of my first must-read blogs – knitting or otherwise. She’s wonderful.
I love Kate’s blog and her photography as well. It seems you, Karen, nd Kate are incredibly talented in many ways. I look forward to reading and viewing both of you immensely. Thank you
Kate, you rock. You bring such spirit, grace and intellect to all that you do. You are inspiring on so many levels. Keep it up, dear lady, and thank you!
I too really enjoy Kate’s blog, I think she is an amazing writer and the connections between textiles and cultural theory which she makes for me add an extra depth and pleasure to my own knitting activities. She puts such thought and personality into her patterns, too, and they are a genuine pleasure to knit, while also so often coming with extra ideas that knitting them is really rich. I also find that – rather than closing my eyes to the other wonderful makers and historians out there as one commenter seems to imply – Kate’s blog OPENS my eyes to many of the other extraordinarily talented people in the knitting blog world. I now own quite a few books which I would never have heard of were it not for Kate writing about them on her blog; and I have found her to be very encouraging and supportive of the talents of other knitwear designers and bloggers. Loved her pieces on Carol Sunday, Spillyjane Knits, Rosa Pomar, the textiles from Muhu, Estonia, to name a few examples off the top of my head. One of the most original and exciting voices in knitblogwerld in my opinion, and great to see from so many other comments here how well loved Kate Davies’s blog is in the knitting world. Hurrah!
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