When I am lost, I come out here – to the base of Stanage Edge where the millstones lie. I eat breakfast and feel the gentle breath of a breeze. I can see for miles out towards Hope Valley, the stones are ancient – have been pushed and fallen, the rocks well climbed by amateurs and professionals alike and the paths well walked. I have so many creative ideas that they are bursting and I’ve stopped to a point of disconnection because I measure myself by reward – but this place, this earthly place brings me back to me, to a core that I hadforget. The stones make me care again, connect and contribute to my creative process. I cannot compete with the millions of knitting patterns pushed out into the world that are for sale, nor do I want to but I know that this Kaleidoscope pattern is a very good one.
When I meet the millstones and the old stone trough, I knit, I eat, drink tea and I am grateful for my thoughts. I have had 3 ideas to put togethere with my Tree and star new sleeve and you will have to wait until I have finally made my choice.
I am heading to an artist residency at the base of Mount Fuji for the whole of December and I am working on a piece called between Silk and Paper, drawing on the Japanese concepts of Ma and Mono No Aware – You can read about it here
I’ve been working on the materiality of the pieces
But for now, I am very much enjoying my new knitted jumper – you could too, use your stash, make it yours, go out into the countryside and knit
This morning, I posted on Instagram, a question to myself and anyone else who wanted to answer.
Here is the post
Dear Friends, For so much of my life, my purpose was clear: raising children, working hard – even from the time I was working in a chip shop at the age of twelve, paying every bill, standing on my own two feet. My days were filled with responsibility, with caring for others, with the thought of always moving forward.
Now, at sixty-two, I find myself asking a new question: can my purpose be me? I was talking to a friend yesterday about giving up work. He said but I need purpose. My work is not my purpose. So, now I wonder Can purpose be found in quiet moments, like the way the rising sun casts a shadow across my wall? And I sit and truly enjoy that moment, Can it be in the joy of growing plants, in sewing, in designing knitting patterns, in feeding my many wild animal friends, and listening to tig’s happy purring, and in simply being here—present in the now?
I think the answer is yes. Maybe purpose doesn’t always have to be about doing more, giving more, proving more. Maybe it can be about inhabiting the life we’ve built, noticing the beauty around us, and letting ourselves rest in who we are today. I am accepting my new purpose in this new phase of my life. What do you think?
Additionally, thank you to everyone who sponsored me for the 30 day walking for a 3 mile walk every day for Cancer Research Uk. We did good for the research and I walked every day and continue to do so.
and, if you would like to support me in this new season of my life, then, please buy a knitting pattern, then you, Ravelry, paypal and I will all get a little something. xxxx
I am off to Japan again this year and beginning to allow myself to be excited. There is still so much to sort but I will write from the place I am staying. I may even do a Christmas online workshop.
I have been used to putting myself inside my knitting patterns to show how they look, but last week, I found a new way to show off the Kaleidoscope Jumper and the way in which my test knitter, Mary, knitted the Tree and star sleeve which is an add on pattern. Here are a few of the photos that I took of both jumpers and some of my clothes – I have a favourite.
I am wearing my Kaleidoscope Jumper as often as I can – last weekend to Yarndale in Skipton, where people actually recognised it. 🙂
I have started knitting a brand new Kaleidoscope Jumper using 3:5mm needles to see how big the jumper will come up when the orginal jumper, knitted using 3mm UK needles, comes up at a 44/45 inch chest. Here is the sleeve that I have been knitting but nights are dark now, so it is not so easy to knit in the evenings. Which colour do you like most?
I am, once again, using a rainbow of colours and, as you can see, I have knitted my initials into the sleeve and the year knitted. There might be 2 years knitted into this jumper 🙂 I am taking it slow – I have got a lot of projects on.
A beautiful Autumn morning – the sky was deep pink ahead of the sun rising. It is not cold but a nip touches my cheeks.
I am experimenting outside where the crows are crawing, with Japanese Kimono silk that I bought from the flea market in Kyoto on Christmas day 2023.
The kimono is of brown silk with plumb blossom flowers, lined in scarlet silk with cranes and chrysanthemum in the weave.
It is 7:45am. A man, over the road, is sweeping leaves from around his house with a yard brush. The sound of brushing takes me back to when I lived in China and all I could hear every early morning, was the sound of sturdy bristles sweeping – sweeping rubbish, or dust, or leaves or anything before the honking sound of horns started. Brushing in the hutongs, is a sound that is so deep inside me that I had forgotten it. But here it is, resurrected over the road – not a leaf blower to be heard.
This morning, I am working on my piece called ‘ Between Paper and Silk, and I have again become excited about the kimono fabrics that I bought in Kyoto. It is a pure joy to look at the patterns in the fabric, like water marks of cranes in scarlet.
But, when I apply the glue and water to the scarlet fabric, I think it will wash away the cranes but they are still visible so the fabric is woven. I am learning the materials and how they react to water and shifting light. When I was in Kyoto, Maki San, said that you cannot wash the old kimonos which is why people don’t really want them. I now see 2 reasons why you wouldn’t was a kimono. 1. The colours do run. They are not moder dyes that are set and 2. The pattern that you see dancing in the fabric may be water marks and not weave. Having said all that, the scarlet silk is holding its cranes and chrysanthemums inside.
Here is my progress. Paper Rice bowl. And Cyanotype flower tea pot.
I’m bringing together all of the tools of my crafts
I wanted to share with you, something that I have been quietly working on alongside my knitting designs,
I have been building a new body of work titled ‘Between Paper and Silk’, rooted in the two Japanese concepts of Ma (間)—the space between things—and Mono no aware, the gentle awareness of impermanence. I don’t begin to understand these concepts but I am building my knowledge and expressing my understanding through making. These ideas began to take shape during my time in Kyoto in December 2023/Jan 2024 and will be further explored during a one-month residency in Fujiyoshida with SARUYA Artist Residency, Japan in December 2025, where I will develop further stages of this project.
I am applying for a local Sheffield residency which will give me the perfect space and time for a continuation and deepening of that work. I will create a series of papier-mâché pots, made from my British tea pots and cups alongside vintage Japanese bowls, as a testament to both British and Japanese everyday home pottery used in everyday family life. And I will be considering the space between the time of use, who used them, how they hold stories and their tactile shapes lend to me feeling my way through these stories. I will cover these vessels with papier mache, initially using Japanese papers that I collected at the enormous flea markets in Kyoto to create objects which will then be covered in vintage Japanese kimono silk, sourced during my time in Japan to create delicate vessels considering both Japanese concepts of Ma and Mono no aware. I can also use my cyanotype prints from when I had my studio at Bloc. But the fabric of the silk will enable me to embroider a into it and some of the stitches will hold the pots together, symbolising repair, connection, and the delicate tension between fragility / resilience and home life.
Kyoto Flea market
This new work builds on themes explored in my previous piece, ‘I Cannot Reach You, which was exhibited at Farfield Mill and Frontier Gallery both in 2025. Those installations incorporated my hand knitted textiles and archival photographs to reflect on the emotional and physical distance between sisters, drawing on my story of memory, identity, and silence between siblings. It was a deeply personal exploration of Ma, using garments and imagery to express the spaces between people and the quiet weight of what remains unsaid. While ‘ I Cannot Reach You’ was rooted in knitting, ‘Between Paper and Silk’ moves into new material territory—paper, silk, family pottery, and embroidery —while continuing to explore the emotional resonance of absence and connection.
I cannot reach you
If I am lucky enough to be accepted on the residency in Sheffield next year, the studio space will become a contemplative evolving installation, where the paper tea pots, bowls and cups are hung and arranged with intentional gaps, allowing the voids between them to become part of the narrative. Torn paper from Kimono packaging will be layered into the papier mache, evoking the beauty of incompleteness and paper vessels of impermanence. The Testing Ground spatial arrangement will reflect Ma, inviting viewers to consider not just the objects, but the spaces between them.
Here is my current work in progress. It is may family Burleigh Tea pot. It has 2 cracks in it. I have covered it in 4 layers of paper before testing the cyanotype paper over the top. But, I think that silk pots will be more tactile and hole more stories. Stories of the family pottery and of the vintage silk from Kimonos.
For the last couple of weeks, I have had some very hurtful, negative, comments about my latest knitting design, from women on social media and in groups – often with multiple exclamation marks about their oppinion about my Kaleidoscope pattern not being size inclusive.
My design was made for me, lovingly and creatively. It took 4 months to knit and design and write, alter, chart, photograph, teach the test knitter and promote the pattern. I put the pattern out honestly, with care and great attention to detail yet I have been constantly hammered about the pattern not being size inclusive because it’s one size up to 44 chest.
To make it every size in this pattern, would be a completely new pattern for each size and a test knit also. It is made up of 44 stitch repeat so to make it work, it would either go up or down in increments of 44 stitches which affects the alignment, where the V neck sits, the exgtra decreases on the armpits and shoulders and then the size of the sleeve would alter each time to fit. This is not just a quick adjustment, each size would be a completely new pattern and test knit. Size inclusive is not a law. It is a design choice if that cannot happen. It would take 18 months to write 4 patterns and do 4 test knits.
But my pattern is just one person’s creative vision – Mine. It is, however, inclusive for boys and my friend shows that in the photo taken this afternoon. It’s a beautiful knit and I’m stopped all the time when I wear it – A little like, ‘that’s a nice puppy’, kinda stopping to stroke and touch.
The negative comments and exclamation marks that I have received this past two weeks have not knocked my confidence in this piece but has made me want to stop sharing, stop teaching online colour work skills and stop designing – so, I put a notice to reflec this on a Stranded Knits facebook group and we broke facebook posts in 10 minutes with over 100 positive comments (just one little snidey comment)
The post that I put on the Facebook group this afternoon re balanced me. The women were supportive and really understood how social media forums are a space for anyone to say anything they like but would not say in a conversation face to face. They were all calm and helpful because I said that I would not answer any negative comments. It went wild. Over 60 positive comments and my responses in about 10 minutes until FB stopped after the 100th.
here are a few of the comments:-
1 Size inclusivity really matters. But as someone who advocates for consumer rights, I find it’s most productive to focus our advocacy on major brands and big-name designers. People may not understand that for indie designers, scaling up complex patterns like this is indeed similar to writing a new pattern in each size—meaning it’s just not feasible. I’m sorry that as an indie designer with just a couple jumper patterns available, you’ve been caught up in these dynamics—but I hope you also understand the advocates’ perspectives and feelings. It’s such a challenging systemic issue.
2 I find that designing sweaters and publishing good patterns is just not worth my time. The return (number of patterns sold) vs. the investment (knit first test, find and supervise test knitters, write pattern, revise pattern, photograph item) is just not workable. Socks are a better return for me as far as writing patterns. I knit sweaters for myself (size 3X) or my loved ones occasionally.
I agree. The wool for me and the test knitter was £200 to cover everything that’s without all the hundreds and hundreds of hours
3 It gets a bit exhausting when the dreamer gets questioned on why wasn’t it the dream for everyone?
I get for plain patterns why some get ouchy that it’s not in many sizes, but for cable work, stranded work: it’s a lot of math and a lot of testing and even then is NOT a guarantee that your construction “works” on a body, even if it matches the inches. Hang and drape and look are very subjective. And then you, the designer, is who gets yelled at because they did make it in size 84” and they spent “a lot of time and a lot of money on this amount of yarn” and then the sleeve didn’t set right “on them”.
People as a whole: if ANY knit pattern doesn’t suit YOU, just edit it. Tinker with it. Frog it and start again. And by the time you’ve redone your sweater five times to make it work “for you” realize the designer would’ve had to do “that” a million fold, if they wanted to make the pattern include every conceivable body. You’re basically expecting a masterclass in custom knitting fitting, for an $8 pattern.
In all, there were too many comments and we were not allowed to add any more – they were automatically turned off.
Here is a beautiful Shetland comment from a lady who also designs –
Your hard work. Your pattern. Your design publication. Your artist license Folk can choose tae enjoy, support & purchase…or scroll on. Dinna pay da moaners (trolls) ony heed & dinna respond tae dem. I received a message fae some een telling me I didna hay tae write in Shetland dialect – as du can see, I stopped, joost fir dem…nah
Dinna stop being YOU Tracey Doxey and keep lovin’ whit you create
I felt stronger after the supportive comments and I will not stop being me but this post, I think, is about the hurt that women cause women on social media when they do not have an informed opinion – it is a dig.
here is the pattern. and yes, the additional sleeve is an extra pattern because it is a design in itself – and here also is the test knit image with the Tree and Star Sleeves.
It feels like summer is drawing into autumn. The nights are drawing in and mornings are nippy. I’m grateful to be able to experience a safe, carefree, summer.
Water, river water, outdoor pool water and the water in the brook below the allotments has been a daily treat. We have been so short of rain that, in turn, we have been short of natural water outside but here are some of the luxuries of water
A summer of Flowers. All year, I have collected, saved and dried many flowers – from the first Peonies and Roses to the last Straw Flowers and Statis with Bronze Fennel, Daisies, Rosemary, Honesty, Yarrow, and any number of other flowers in between.
Every year, I make a dried flower wreath – this year, it felt like I made a ring of summer. I gathered all the left over flowers and made a bright ring for my daughter too.
On Bank Holiday Monday, it was Hope Show in the Village of Hope in the Peak District. It was a wonderful, happy day with sheep dog trials, Shire Horses, prize Sheep, Sheep shearing, many stalls – great food and stalls as well as a wool tent. I sat beside a couple I had never met before so that I could be near their beautiful Merle Sheepdog who only had eyes on the the sheep dog trials. It was another hot, bright day with thousands of people enjoying the many wonderful local shows. I loved the tent with the prize flowers, eggs, cakes and knitting. I will enter next year.
I went to Park Hill Summer Fair and my son arrived for the weekend, got straight out of his camper van and sat down to play chess with a complete stranger – this is Sheffield
I have been walking every evening in Sept in aid of Cancer Research Uk – where I will walk 3 miles every evening after work in my local area. I started a little early – about the 25th August and I will continue until September 30th. I share my walk on instagram in a post or in stories and share the local wildlife. If you would like to sponsor me, my link is here
I made a long overdue visit to see my daughter and her partner, in London – along with their dog, Luna, who had a fall.
and when In London, I saw beautiful hand made cards in a shop in Covent garden and promptly went back to Pattis and made two in the same style – here (below on the right) is the first one I made in vintage green checked ribbon. I think I am on to something.
and last but not least by any means, on Saturday, 6th Sept, I saw and felt deeply, the National Peaceful Protest of 300,000 people walking from Russel Square to Parliament to say that we do not agree with arming Israel to kill the people of Gaza. 300,000 people from all across the UK calmly marched to drums, singing, whistling and 800 were arrested – mostly over the age of 60 years old. It is all completely incomprehensible and we cannot turn away to what is happening.
So, I hope that you have had a good, care free summer, safe from harm and let’s hope that Autumn will bring world changes.
Hello everyone, It’s the last day of August and although we have finally welcomed some rain, it was still hot this moring. However, the weather is turning to cooler mornings and the light is drawing in earlier in the evenings.
I’ve had a very busy two weeks – releasing the Kaleidoscope Jumper pattern and On Friday, I released the add on sleeve, which was requested by many followers on Instagram, so that the knitter can choose which motifs for their sleeves. The Tree and Star sleeve pattern, also comes with a full Sanquhar alphabet so that you can personalise your knitted jumper – either for an heirloom or for a gift. Here’s a little insight into both
In the previous post, you will be able to find out about size of the jumper, why the sleeve is grafted into the armpit and other tips.
Below are my most recent designs. For any one of them, you can use your 4 ply stash – particularly the Fair Isle vest and long hat/scarf.
I’m looking forward to September. I’ll be nipping to London to see my daughter and to Skipton to Yarndale as well as a couple of closer little events.
And to finalise, I’d like to say a big thanks for following me, let me know your thoughts on the add on sleeve in the comments here or nip to Instagram, where there are lots more photos.
Above is an image of the alternate sleeve to the one that is included in the Kaleidoscope Jumper pattern. It is a Bolt on pattern called – Tree and Star Sleeve. Below are reasons why I published the pattern with Tree sleeves charts only and why I am producing a 2nd bolt on sleeve pattern.
Why is the Kaleidoscope Jumper pattern one size only?
It iis one size because the motifs of 44 stitches, dictate wherre the pattern lies – to increase the size, I would have to add one more motif, change where the neck lies in the pattern and calculate additional decreases at the shoulders and it would go on and on. I t would take e 6 months to make different sizes. I am just one person without tech support. It is actually easy to increase the size by knitting the jumper in UK 3:5mm needles rather than UK 3mm
Why did I knit the sleeve in the round from cuff up then graft it into the armpit? Here’s the reason that I did the sleeves this way. Initially, I picked up the stitches around the arm hole to knit the sleeve in the round from the shoulder down to the cuff but I realised that if I knitted the tree motif, from the trunk first, as usual, the trees would be upside down, ending with the tree top at the cuff. So, I turned the motif around and swatched the tree from its top down the trunk base so that I could knit the Tree only sleeve from the armhole. But, knitting this way resulted in the stitches of the tree motif being visibly upside down starting from the shoulder, and I didn’t like that either. You can see the swatch on the right and how the stitches are visibly the wrong way. It is possible to do it this way but it will always look somehow upside down. But, if you want, you can knit the Tree sleeves from the armpit down to the cuff, with upside down motif stitches, it is your choice.
note upside down stitches
So, I knitted the sleeve in the round from the cuff up then joined it at the arm hole by grafting it expertly into the armpit hole. I needed to explain why I knitted the sleeve this way as it might seem a little weird but the result is perfect trees knitted from the cuff up and all the stitches are perfectly the right way. I thought that doing the sleeve this way is worth this extra consideration in the name of neatness and accuracy
Why does this jumper pattern only have Tree sleeve charts?
I did a poll on Instagram and my website to ask what people which sleeve they would like for the jumper pattern. Hundreds of people answered. The options were: – 1: – just Tree sleeves or 2: – just Tree and Star sleeves which are the same as the body, or 3: – Both sleeve charts. Most people said that they would knit 1: – Tree sleeves only, but some wanted both charts, just in case. When asked if those people would consider paying more for the option of both sleeves to be included in the one pattern, even though there was more work charting a 2nd sleeve, knitting it, and writing a full pattern, they mostly said no. So, I have happily knitted Tree sleeves in my Kaleidoscope jumper because most people requested this and the Trees look a wonderful companion pattern and compliment the body.
What about the Tree and Star sleeve? Where can I get it?
My test knitter has knitted the Tree and Star sleeves, which are the same motif as the body. The Tree and Star sleeve chart pattern along with the Sanquhar alphabet pattern to enable you to add your initials and year of knitting to personalise your work, will be released separately to the jumper pattern, as an add-on so that the knitter can make their own choice of sleeve. The name of the bolt-on pattern will be, Tree and Star Sleeve Pattern. The reason that this is a separate bolt-on pattern, is because of the extra work to design, create and knit it as well as write the intricate charts and pattern notes. Plus it gives the knitter the choice to just pay for the original pattern or pay extra if they want and extra design.
So, if you would like to buy the Kaleidoscope pattern, it is here
I am also knitting a swatch of how to add your initials and the year when the jumper was made, into the sleeve, just above the cuff, in the Bolt on Tree and Star Sleeve pattern that will be out this week.
Thank you to everyone who has bought the Kaleidoscope Jumper Pattern it is here, if you want to go check it out.
Let me know what you think about the options for a 2nd sleeve pattern.
tracey doxey 