As traditional handcrafts find their way back into the mainstream conciousness, we are seeing more of a crossover as knitting isn’t just worn, but used in interiors. My Daughter Madeleine is a mad keen knitter, having been taught the skill by her Grandmother one wet afternoon when she was ten. At fifteen she seems to have an uncanny ability to read a pattern and know whether it is going to turn out well or not. She will adjust patterns in her head which I find really fascinating as I can’t even follow the most simple of patterns.  I start things, but all I can manage is a bit of purl and plain and don’t ask me to try to change colour, as that is entirely beyond me. So any knitting impresses me – I have to be honest!

I just love these cushions from Ingrid Jansen which I saw on SFGIRLBYTHEBAY They are available on etsy but I think I will be smiling at the Daughter and hoping that she can make something similar.

If a delivery from Etsy is a bit too much for you, try New Zealand based shop thegathershop that stocks these marvelous Triangle Knit Cushions – in a large 50cm by 50cm – hand knitted of course, and retailing for $250.

You could of course do what I do, and that is trawl Trade Me for old blankets and them sew them up into cushions.  I haven’t done that for a while now, so I might just have to get my Trade Me groove on again soon.

For a shot of acid yellow, this Country Road knitted cotton Missy Blanket $160 might just do the trick.

My new favourite shop is Bob and Friends on Ponsonby Rd.  Packed to the brim with fantastic English design gems, they stock Donna Wilson knitwear for your home. They stock her pouffes, cushion and her collaborations with SCP – both her Nos Da Blankets and the Bora Da Cushions as well. These are not for the faint-hearted (with pouffes starting at $650-$1200) but they are milled in Wales from English wool, and the cushions are just so gorgeous. A dash of whimsy and warmth all in one.

I am a complete sucker for a wool shawl, I still have a drawer full from our years in London where you just couldn’t leave the house without a deep scarf that doubled as a shawl or even a hood in a blustery emergency. I have had the same ones for a long time, and I think a new one might just be in order with the gorgeous This Mess We’re In Shawl in violet from Hoots and Howls collection from Kylee Davis.  I just love how versatile it is, coming also in cobalt for those of you not quite as obsessed with black as I am.

Nom*d have always had a strong knitted component to their winter collections, and this year is no exception. I just adore the Skeleton Sweater Tall in black, and the Monster Sweater as well… gothic loveliness…

I just had to finish with this gorgeous shot of knitting that firmly veers into Art.  With a capital A.  I love it…