INTRODUCTION
For the past three years I have set projects as a part of the Rowan Design Award and ran teaching workshops for the 2nd
year undergraduate students of the BA (Hons) Fashion Knitwear & Knitted Textiles course at Nottingham
Trent University. In the fi rst year, the student’s work was featured in Rowan Magazine 48 and last year the work was showcased as an online collection for our website during Wool Week 2011.
Year on year, the students never cease to amaze me with their creativity and their professional attitude towards their design work. It fi lls me with great optimism to see that hand knit design is alive and well in the hands of these talented young designers of this well respected university.
For the Rowan Design Award 2012 the students were briefed on a project again for Wool Week but this time with a bit of a twist. For the last project we used the British Sheep Breeds range of yarns, but this year I wanted the design work to be more colourful and to give the students creative freedom to use as little or as many colours as they wished - as long as they used our wool and wool rich yarns of course! The resulting brief was about colour and use of colour in design.
Many knitwear designers lack the confi dence in working with colour and tend to work in single colour only. The aim of the brief and the workshop sessions was to give the students confi dence of working with and using colours together in knit or crochet design. After all, the clever use of colour can transform a basic design idea into a work of art!
The students were asked to produce a range of designs that refl ected their chosen inspiration as well as demonstrating their understanding of the knit and crochet techniques taught over the four work shop sessions, these being: striping colour, colour and texture, Fair Isle and intarsia knitting. Each student could present their designs as fashion knits, interior pieces or accessories.
Over forty 2nd year students attended the briefi ng and my initial lecture on ‘Colour and Colour Theory’ as well
as the work shop sessions. These students could then choose to complete the Rowan brief or do a project using machine knitting. It was fantastic to see that nearly thirty students decided to work on the Rowan brief, showing how popular hand knit has become amongst the student fraternity. From these I selected the work from eight students and you will now see their striking work over the coming pages. Each design is accompanied by a short interview with the designer giving an insight to the thought process behind their design and their hopes and dreams for their future careers. I hope you will be inspired by the work of these young knitters and be impressed with their designs as much as we are at Rowan.
Marie Wallin Rowan Head Designer
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