It’s not about the yarn.
You might raise your eyebrow, but when Carol was pulling the idea of the Celtic Knits Club together, the yarn wasn’t the first thing that was discussed.
Haven’t heard of the Celtic Knits Club? You can find all the details here.
The heart of the Celtic Knits Club (CKC) is the community that takes part. All of you who join us as the patterns are released, and the yarn arrives. Who celebrate online and share on Teachable, and chat with us within the Facebook group.
But when you share your packages online as they arrive at your home, it’s the combination of the yarn, the patterns, and that secret gift that many of you enjoyed last year.
The anticipation of each package gave rise to joy and delight as you discovered the surprise contents of each box.
Those feelings are the ones that Carol wanted you all to have, and they were made possible by the Celtic Knits Club contributors. Those artisans that add that extra something special to each of the packages.
Each year, Carol works with local artists that align with her ideals on sustainability and focus on high-quality handmade products so that our community of local makers grows too. That those extra features of the club compliment the yarn and tutorials. Then we imagine what will happen to each of your faces as you open your club packages.
How do we imagine your faces unpacking your CKC parcles?
We test it out first.
Sometimes it’s surprise gifts. We watch each other’s faces as we see the gifts for the first time and use this as a guide. Sometimes it’s WhatsApp discussions with lots of gifs and far too many capital letters.
Today we want to celebrate the local artists behind this year’s club.
These are the mystery makers and Celtic Knits Club smile architects!
oh, and they are all Irish 😉
Eimear Earley – Plays with Fibre
This year all of you are in for a treat with an exclusive pattern from Irish Knitwear Designer Eimear Early aka Plays with Fibre. Eimear has been a much loved local secret here for years. Eimear has a beautiful knitting style where her heritage weaves seamlessly into her designs.
As well as the Celtic Knits Club 2021, you can find her recent work in Outlander Knitting and Knitty Deep Fall. To find out more follow this link and you can follow her on Instagram here.
Python Charms
Frankie is the founder and crafter behind Python Charms. After studying art and design in the UK and being an avid knitter for over ten years, Frankie turned her talents into creating personality-filled stitch markers by hand.
Every time we work with Frankie, we end up smiling for days. She believes that so much of a crafter’s personality is taken in by their work and that the tools we use are our chance to add our creative flair while we craft. You can find out more about Frankie over here and follow her on Instagram here.
Suds Johnson
Suds Johnson is a man with a plan and this year he is whipping up a rare treat for the Celtic Knits Club. We love that the @sudsjohnson products are made with natural ingredients, organic where possible, and always ethically sourced. The soaps, lotions, and shampoos are all handmade in Cork and are sulphate and paraben-free, and most importantly, all products are cruelty-free and vegan friendly.
You can follow Suds over on Instagram here and find more about the man who believes that a clean arse is a happy arse over here.
Badly Made Books
If you’ve been following along with Stolen Stitches, you know just how much we love Badly Made Books here at Stolen Stitches. ⠀
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Based in Cork City the Badly Made Books studio specialises in the production of high quality, low impact local stationery. Founded by Seán O’Sullivan, Badly Made Books are rubbish. ⠀
Wait; what?
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Made from a minimum of 70% post-consumer waste materials. These books are made using risograph printing and hand-operated, used machines. That’s what makes these books so special. These books are made from rubbish, and they are 100% recyclable.⠀
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To find out more pop over to @badlymadebooks and give them a follow as you drool over their beautiful Instagram account or browse their website here.
Mr Kite Designs
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Mum’s the word as to what you all can expect as part of the club, but we did want to introduce you to some wonderful local artists behind Mr Kite Designs.
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Mr Kite Designs produces fun, colourful homewares & gifts right here in Cork. Jade Hogan and Jo Slevin, are textile enthusiasts with a love of colour that we instantly fell in love with. Everything they make is handmade with care and attention in their bold, eclectic style. Their current collection includes some of their own fabric designs which are digitally printed in Donegal. ⠀
Their name was inspired by the song “Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite” from Sgt Pepper’s album by The Beatles. Please pop over and say hello on their profile here @mrkitedesigns or find out more on their website here.
Talia Felix
Talia is a wonderful local artist whose work you have seen on Stolen Stitches before. She is the illustrator behind our limited edition Badly Made Books journals and creator of our club 2021 logos and illustrations. We think she captured the club perfectly in the above illustration and you can expect to see more from her in 2021. You can follow her on Instagram here or pick up one of those journals here.
There you have it folks, our 2021 club contributors. We know that you’re going to have fun guessing what’s coming your way as part of the club. Our lips are sealed, and all well-researched guesses are being shared in our Facebook group.
Has anyone guessed correctly yet?
Well, you’ll have to wait and see 😉