In my Twenties, working in London, I often spent weekends making dresses for special occasions. I would look at the windows in Regent Street to get inspiration and go home to experiment and create at some version of my own at a fraction of the price. Ball dresses, summer party dresses and office clothes too and in between there was usually some knitting on the go. I remember a long Aran Coat designed by Vogue.
In the 70s and 80s wonderful yarn shops appeared in London: Annie Blatt, in Covent Garden and Reis Wools in High Holborn with Lana Pura which I knitted into huge great mohair jackets.
Being able to produce my own Wensleydale Yarns through Diamond Fibres Spinning Mill, has led to more original designs and patterns of my own. I honour the help we were given by Vauxhall City Farm showing us the ‘handle’ of Wensleydale Fibre in the early 2000’s.
There are some images here and there on the site and I hope you enjoy looking at them.
“Julia is a Renaissance woman….she does for wool what Jackson Pollock did for canvas and paint because she just makes us look at this beautiful Wensleydale wool and the texture of it, like he makes us look at paint”.
Lynda Appleby, Professional Artist, Tutor and Curator