Pumpernickel and Sourdough

This year we are launching two new designs woven with undyed British wool. Called Pumpernickel and Sourdough, we think they make a handsome wholesome pair.

The blankets are woven for us in Lancashire, and the yarn for both designs is made up from a blend of fleeces from three breeds - Suffolk Lowland, Welsh Mountain and Jacobs sheep.

These above are Welsh mountain sheep in the snow in their thick winter coats. It is the Welsh Mountain fleeces which give the darkest colours in the range - seen below in the mix for our new Pumpernickel design. We've paired it with a white on the reverse and a scarlet stitched edge.

The palest colours in the range are from the Suffolk lowland sheep with their white fleeces and black faces and legs. The painting here is of the prize-winning Suffolk Lowland sheep of the Marquis of Bristol.

On the right below is our new Sourdough design. As with the Pumpernickel we have paired it with a white reverse and this time we have added a stitched boarder in a tumeric yellow on the blanket. For the cushions we have used our Straw Yellow ground fabric as the backing for the Sourdough and the Petrol Green ground on the Pumpernickel.

second: Wild wool farm
fourth: wikigallery

Candy Canes and Christmas Lights

Elliott Ceramics

Our friend Elliott has just recently launched his first ceramics range. The work is beautiful. Wonderful spare considered shapes in delicious ice cream colours. 

The pieces feel lovely to use - they sit well in your hand, and the little fleks of colour and texture add a touch of grit to keep them just the right side of sugary.

These are colour samples for the porcelain - stacked up here they look like delicious marzipan in hazlenut, raspberry, mint and oatmeal. You can see more of Elliott's work here.

Peter Lanyon - Soaring Flight

I went recently to the Peter Layon show at the Courtauld. The exhibition called 'Soaring Flight' focuses on Layon's later gliding paintings. The painting above is a aerial view of the coast. This one seems quite explicit - many of the other paintings are quite abstracted, with suggestions of the route of the glider's journey as well as references to the elements in the air - thermals, and clouds.

I particularly like the painting above called 'Drift'. It captures the moment that the glider is released from the powered plane towing it - the central black streak is thought to be the towing line falling away from the glider. I really like the feeling of calm and the mix of colours - soft chalky whites and greys with just a flash of mustard and cobalt blue. Beautiful!

Sfera preview

Went last week to the Sfera preview in Clerkenwell. As always with Sfera's work, every piece was exquisite and it was a lovely chance to see the full range of materials including porcelain and stoneware; copper and aluminium; wood, bamboo and glass. 

I was particularly drawn to the two collections which mixed ceramic and basketry collections - like the vessel above.

The affinity with materials and processes is so strong throughout the collection, and the attention to detail carries through to every last stem. Delicious.

In the Press

We are very pleased to have been invited by Monocle magazine to design and produce a pair of exclusive blankets for their shop. The result is a clean pared-back design of white bars floating in a pick and pick ground on one face with a chequer patterned reverse face. 

We were also very pleased to have our Quince, Quail's Egg, Easterly and Sandstone Optic blankets included in Modern Rustic's 'Objects of Desire' series.

And we are also delighted to be included in the forthcoming issue of Midcentury Magazine - 'the UK publication for all things Mdcentury Modern, championing the best of mid-20th Century interiors, furniture, architecture and design.' 

Swing Tags

Very excited about our new swing tags. Once again Victory Press, who do all of our printed graphics, have come up trumps. 

There is something so satisfying about them all stacked up in the box with the strings all tied up beautifully. 

The lettering is done with foiling, and the pattern is blind de-bossed into the card. It feels almost as though the pattern is bitten into the card. The technique gives a wonderful texture - so much more interesting than flat litho or digital printing.