I knit and create my designs everywhere – in buses, on trains, in cafés, waiting in a queue…, but of course, I do have my home base in an old red-brick Belfast house. If the weather is not good (ie most of the time), I work from my living room/office. Sadly, however, the room is like the neverending story of never-being-tidy, so you really don’t want to see that. Well, I can show you some of my wool stash, which is far more organised than the rest of me:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhN3zKf3yb0BdzRZ2AlmngYgsUCdqvY3B7cUFAR_gpsQ4f8Xk0Gl-_G5y2D3agnwQiNVUAtwfFOeAjXFvSMWRO3VzeiBWkJx5vF2OEH5b1QzbQV90AdUi5tQxOVZfsO3e7y4mbCAtzNE/s400/WoolStash.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPS_qsOfPjbJ3YoGcTgdp3214D0h9Hp0vXTBUJddS0lsQCxJxkU2YdEeP2xYWQ4g_s9Gh4c9xKmCbkNOjUl09cvgMlV_IQppRBcodOgSibRZP4_b2reQlqiNDvm1-aFrQyb9t6zzS-Og/s400/Hat.jpg)
A historian by training, one of my most important work tools is my archive, aka a thick folder with samples of all the wool I use for my designs. ![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKaFTA8OTfpkqQMweHiifCmEciBRt5LWfTon85zeCllO9y4UR4vEiTLw7uqf1vAFbtct3wzcU1m05NEGLFX2pyYqyMtCUsMRgeZQ47mgG_95Vs15A7-teuOijA4rRZpJjNiu6UubOeVw/s320/Archive.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKaFTA8OTfpkqQMweHiifCmEciBRt5LWfTon85zeCllO9y4UR4vEiTLw7uqf1vAFbtct3wzcU1m05NEGLFX2pyYqyMtCUsMRgeZQ47mgG_95Vs15A7-teuOijA4rRZpJjNiu6UubOeVw/s320/Archive.jpg)
Once a historian, always a historian, and I know I will never get away from archiving and footnoting! Each supplier and craft fair I buy from gets a page (or more) in my folder, if I am in another country and buy lots of yarn, the country has its own pages, and I add any information I deem important to it, such as what type of fibre (wool, cotton, banana fibre, etc), colour/s, where is it from, is it Fair Trade, organic, hand dyed, and anything unusual.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtIjKvcX6ljUawC6i7p4IGMvTYhQ_p9-V57JS_1zNCXstSc8kr5Eds2ljbF3J9uqWEWwJ456h9XyOsAPMDjeQ1CgwW4MYJP1p9IK-xLi6skOe9r1btL6QspKTqck0MEFx3oJO-CsP-Ws/s400/ArchivePage.jpg)
Another of my tools is a thin booklet where I write down patterns I use a lot. This is the one I carry with me on my travels. I’m actually already on my second booklet, and more will surely follow, because I also have a stack of old envelopes full of design notes, which I need to add to the booklet.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoQxMaKqozFOyOIcuAri5S_hywTLbgE37qMVcZXiq-avAY49LNO1EYB-mcyNMPYP_QLEPg6GmRXHGBLaZ9rjNW95qKzlEXUbJS4dI4L13BR2W7mLdIYnId98qXPV3FQB7i9mdsd_Z9vc/s400/Patterns.jpg)
How lovely! There's nothing like being able to work outdoors. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us, Brigitte!
It's nice to meet someone who knits in public ;) I enjoyed your article,tx Brigitte!
ReplyDeleteGreat post AND you're a northen irish girl, like me!! Photos are lovely and I love the folder - where has all my historian-ness gone?
ReplyDeleteLovely article Purls.
ReplyDeleteGreat article - there is definitely something wonderful about crafting outdoors - I often take my spinning wheel into the garden when its sunny.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing
Mo
I wanna go knit outside!
ReplyDeletelovely write up Brigitte ;o)
ReplyDeletelovely post and the colours in your photos are gorgeous. Nice to see a post from my home city :)
ReplyDelete