knittingmag.comand skilfully avoided questions as to why I was on my way to the
location, because we were sworn to secrecy.
The night before the show I only slept for two hours as I needed
to add inishing touches to my jumper, like the bow. I was so tired
that I cut my jumper by accident and then had to carefully and
invisibly darn and patch it.
Then I had to igure out what I was going to do for the short
challenge – I was supposed to have emailed my detailed brief to the
producers at least two nights before, but with so many things going
on with my home and work life it was impossible. I tried not to panic
and instead hoped to igure out a strategy. So I decided to wing it
and thought if I am successful, I will make a bag and if I am not I will
make a purse. Either way it would be a win-win!
During ilming, I mistakenly assumed the blue leather I was
knitting with would behave in the same way as my yellow suede test
piece, but it didn’t! It was really iddly and slippery, and I thought I
wouldn’t be able to make anything. Eventually, I did and I managed
to stitch the sides together and create a mini-clutch.
For the rest of the day, I was so tired and overwhelmed that it felt
like an out of body experience. However, I remember clearly the
reaction of Kirstie and Debbie Bliss when the producers turned the
jumper around. They both gasped in unison. Initially I thought that
my jumper had snagged while it was being turned, but in fact they
were in shock because of the details on the back. It is something I
will never forget!
How has appearing on the show helped you and would you do it again?
This competition has given me a much-needed boost after all that
has happened since I started knitting. It has given me conidence
in my work, especially knowing that someone like Debbie Bliss
appreciated the quality of my work and how unique my ideas are.
I was worried that my jumper was too unconventional for a
Christmas jumper. I also liked that Kirstie loved my novel idea of
knitting leather and, although it may not have looked how I wanted,
the feel of the work is so soft and velvety, diferent to regular yarns.
Now I am looking to perfect the idea of knitting leather, as I didn’t
have the time to do this for the show. The show also helped by
putting me in contact with fellow knitters, which I never had
before. Most people I know aren’t really into knitting, even if
they are creative.
I am not sure if I would do it again, as I achieved my goal of
creating something that was diferent and from what I have been
told it is so memorable, it will be hard to forget my jumper on the
show. What more could you ask for?
What sort of thing do you enjoy knitting most and why?
I love knitting garments as they are practical and encourage
creativity when you design them. I think there is a level of skill
involved that is not necessarily something you see in other things,
such as scarves or blankets. I also like that they are there to keep you
warm or even just covered, in the case of summer tops, and that they
can be made into fashionable pieces.
When I was learning to knit, the one thing that struck me was
that there were a lot of the patterns which were not on trend.
Perhaps this is why I never followed a pattern. I ended up using
techniques I learnt from YouTube tutorials and combining these
with ideas in shops or trending on social media in order to make my
garments. My experiments have worked and I am pleased to see my
ideas have universal appeal. Now my aim is to promote knitting as
an art, not just a craft!
13What do you most enjoy about knitting and why?
I like the rhythmic quality that knitting has and the therapeutic
health efects, it keeps the mind engaged. It has a lexibility that
allows you to be as creative as you want. The creativity in my job is
mostly visual, while knitting is both tactile and visual. The softness
of some yarns lowing through your ingers can be heavenly and
relaxing. Plus you can go as fast as you like, which often helps when
knitting with iner yarns, or as slow as you want, so when my eyes
are tired I sometimes close them. There are so many things to learn
with knitting it’s hard to get bored.
Additionally, the variety of yarns out there makes things so
exciting. That is why I call my stash “wooliens”, because each type
of yarn has its own personality. You can even go one step further and
create yarn, like I did with my leather knitting. What are your plans going forward?
I would love to make knitting my main occupation, predominantly
projects that allow creative freedom, where you knit without
deadlines and make exactly what you want, then showcase your
work for the public to buy or sell via a website. I would also like to
sell my patterns independently. While doing that, I would love to
travel and do mini-conferences and chats based on why I started
knitting and the health beneits it has brought me.
I am currently planning a community project of my own back,
after a young boy asked me about knitting when I was knitting at the
hairdresser’s. There have been other kids who have asked on public
transport, so I thought this is a way forward to spread the love of a
craft and hobby. Right now sourcing an afordable venue in London
and seriously cheap yarn is proving really diicult! What do you do when you’re not knitting?
Eat! I love eating food, especially good food. I love watching the
Great British Bake Of, MasterChef the Professionals and Australian
MasterChef – these shows give me ideas for knitting, especially
when you see the magical colour combinations they put on a plate.
I even made a cardigan that was inspired by ice cream and hopefully
that will be published soon, so watch out on my Instagram!Follow Cheryl on Instagram @b.knitless and find her designs
under Bored Knitless on lovecrafts.com and RavelryBRINGING CRAFT TO THE SMALL SCREEN
Cheryl appeared on Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas
Episode 10: Jumper in December 2019 and was named the
show’s champion jumper knitter for her sexy Rudolph Red
Party Jumper in mohair and silk, featuring beading, lace,
double-stranded knitting, a scalloped edge, balloon sleeves,
rules and frills, and an open back adorned with an on-
trend bow – which Kirstie described as “sensational”. For
her two-hour challenge she knitted a leather clutch perfect
for a night out. You can watch the show on channel4.com.