Guineapigs in tabbards

Day two of the RCA, lots more tours and being shown around all the
lovely knitting machines! It feels strange being somewhere new,
there's SO much to take in, but very exciting! Tomorrow we get our
first project brief, but tonight i need to keep working on my summer
project for Thursday..

Back to School..

Today I enrolled for my MA at The RCA, and so it begins.. Not too much
to report as of yet though other than nerves I have about what is to
come, a summer project crit on Thursday and judging by the two
timetables I've got (one for menswear, another for knitwear) I'm going
to be a very busy egg indeed!

The Results are in!

This is a very short update just to let you know that this week I found out I achieved a 1st in my degree! Yay! I am now officially Hanzipan BA Hons!

Cuddlyness for all!

At the moment I'm really busy working on.. a mini collection for River Island! It's based around my collection from Graduate Fashion Week, 'You'll Grow Into It', but with a few nice seasonal surprises and should be due in their stores around christmas. How Exciting! I'll update more later on this week, I won't be revealing all just yet but heres a sneaky peek at what's been going on so far..

Goin Up North!

With my portfolio coming together (the above is a new illustration, hot off the press!) I am getting rather excited about being able to return up North as often as I like over the next few months! Bring on the Black Pudding, flat caps, pigeon sheds and Yorkshire puddings. I cannot wait to see my pet ducks, my brother and of course, Victor!



I've even bought another knitting machine & ribber to keep up there so when I return I can still knit, as the past few weeks since the show - although have been exciting - have made me itching to get knitting once again! But what will I be knitting you ask? You'll have to wait and see..!

Dogs with Blogs!

In a distracted hour away from my scissors and paper portfolio concocting, I came across a new fact - some Guineapigs have blogs! Ponderings of Two Guineapigs is updated regularly by Ginger (seen below) and Wiggly, and in recent news not only did their Mum get them some yummy Kale to munch on, but she also bumped her head in search for one of the family pet kittens.



Dogs have blogs too, Sassy Sasha, the Loveable Shih Tzu is a rescued dog who keeps us updated with her daily happenings online. At the moment she is getting ready for the official 'take your dog to work day' in America on the 26th of June, how exciting! And here in this picture, it would appear she has found herself a new bed.

Here she is hiding from thunderstorms:

And here she is again, but this time looking very pretty with clips in her hair!



Are there any more animals with blogs I wonder?

Replacing Knitting Needles for Pritt Stick and Crayons!

At the moment I'm currently spending my days with colouring pencils, paper and scissors, cutting out and putting together things for my portfolio. Its quite nice as I haven't had chance to sit down and do this for a while and I forgot how much I enjoy it!



Although it does feel a bit odd NOT to be knitting.. and as I miss it, i've been thinking of getting some more guineapigs on the go in the next few weeks, in addition to launching my shiny new website so keep your eyes peeled for that. By the way, feel free to get in touch and say hello and let me know who you are out there - it would be nice to hear from you!

Mary Portas - Queen of Charity Shops!

A little while ago the good old Mary Portas came to Ravensbourne to speak to some of us fashion students to see if we could help her assisting with a re-vamp of a charity shop in Orpington.

I found this delightful screenshot of Mary stood next to a Hannah Taylor and a Hannah Buswell 'pre-collection original' in the studio..!



The idea was to get local people involved in not only donating goods but to offer services to widen the shops appeal. I offered to hold knitting groups and my friend Calum Harvey volunteered to sell his 'Long Life' clothing range, where goods are made from recycled materials.

I'm not too sure what footage they've chosen to use, but you can catch it tonight on BBC 2 at 9pm!

Slow Knitting

The lovely Jojo caught Slow Loris in the act, enjoying the Nigel guineapig jumper a little bit too much! I think it suits him.

If you haven't seen Slow Loris before then you should have a look at him below!

Guineapigs in Windows!

After being part of the Gala show at Graduate Fashion Week, I was contacted by River Island to say they would like to put my collection on display in one of their shop windows for a week after recieveing a special mention in the awards ceremony. And here it is!











So if you fancy going to have a look at some knitted guineapigs, pigeons, foxes and ducks then you should head over to Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush where they are all currently enjoying themselves in the River Island store until the 19th of June!

*PENTAKAIDECAGON

Come down to the Ada Street Gallery in Hackney, E8 4QU this weekend to
see a showcase of work from 15 fashion designer graduates at
Ravensboune. It would be nice to see you!

Hannah Taylor - Graduate Fashion Week 2009!

The past 9 months reached their pinnacle on Tuesday when us Ravensbourners held our show at Graduate Fashion Week. 19 of us were fortunate enough to let loose down the catwalk our collections that we've been working so hard on since our final year began in September. Exciting!

For the first time you get to see what's been keeping me so busy knitting for months on end! Here's a few pictures (courtesy of catwalking.com) of how the collection looked on the big day, my little army of balaclava'd boys in lots and lots of knitting went down the catwalk to a bit of the notorious Northerner George Formby, followed by the William Tell Overture performed on synthisiser by Walter Carlos!



Outfit 1: Fair-isle cardigan with hood, Pigeon jumper.


Outfit 2: Smaller, hand-knit balaclava jumper


Outfit 3: Oversized cardigan with flying ducks, shrunken fair-isle jumper


Outfit 4: Vincent the 'shirley-bassey' Fox jumper!


Outfit 5: Larger Hand knitted balaclava jumper


Outfit 6: (and also my favourite) Nigel the Guineapig jumper

Now for some close-ups:









The final line-up:



I was in tears backstage when I saw my little 'babies' on the monitors going down the catwalk for their very first time! It had been such a tough slog and in particular the past few weeks were very intense but everyone got there in the end, even me - although I did still have a spot of linking to do an hour before the show was due to start!

Row 159, Pannel 3

Doing big garments means they dot fit the width of the machine, so I
am having to do them all in sections! I've been up since 3am doing
this one, listening to Morrisey a little too loud in order to keep
awake! A few hundred rows more and I can start the last one. Hope my
neighbours haven't minded the noisy machine! Oops!

Row 374.. But what the heck is it?!

I'm feeling pretty tired today as you've probably had the same amount
of sleep last night to what I've had in total this week! The
excitement is keeping me going though and at present I am working on
my last outfit left to knit. I like to live on a knife edge it would
seem - there is only one day until the day of the show!

Coming to Life!

Today was the Ravensbourne in-house Fashion Show, where i premiered 4
outfits from my final collection. To see the rest you'll have to come to
the show at GFW in 4 days time! I only have one more outfit left to
knit, but also a few other little surprises for the catwalk so I have
a feeling that, in a typical Hannah style I'll be knitting right up
until the show itself!

It's on tuesday the 9th of June at Earls Court, London - contact me for discounted tickets.

Teasel Shaped Knitters!

We've got a new knitroom technician thanks to Miss Buswell! She is
about 3 inches tall and goes by the name of Tiggywinkle. Shame she
can't hold bigger needles though or we might get things done for the
show a bit faster, it's in 10 days time! Eek!

Small Girls in BIG Jumpers!

The lovely Jojo recently borrowed one of my pre-collection pieces for a womenswear photoshoot called 'Small Girls in Big Jumpers', where a handful of tiny girls are playing around in really big, oversized knits. To see more, go and check her blog!

Row 48 of 102!

Frustrated by yarn winding I decided to cast on and get my jumper
underway. I am currently working on the front, only 54 rows to go!

The Aftermath

After dying 21 hanks of yarn to match my colour palette, I am now
faced with the delightful task of re-winding them into knittable
balls! Unfortunately for me, they seem to have felted slightly whilst
in the dye bath so it's a bit of a spaghetti junction. Wish me luck!

Strike a Pose

Today was another photoshoot, this time for Italian Vogue. There's just not enough hours in the day at the moment, especially when I have some serious knitting to be done! This Bank Holiday will have to be work work work..

Still (Knitting) Crazy Like A Fox!

Intarsia, Row 280!

"About turn fella's, we aren't allowed in 'ere!"

Worried by the moth I saw in the flat this week, I purchased some
lavender scented protective bags to ensure any others don't assume my
collection is on the menu for dinner! You can't be too careful hey. I
am slightly confused as to why this was printed on the bag though - do
moths read symbols nowadays?

Drown me in knitting!

Here's a sneaky peek of the photoshoot that took place last Friday in
Hackney with the very first of my collection pieces that I have made so far. More to follow soon!

Time for a Bigger Bathroom

At the moment I'm drying one of my latest collection pieces by
keeping it in the warmest place in the flat.. The bathroom! It just
about fits.. Phew!

Nice Weather For..

Mika came in to the studio today to do some colourmatching with my
roving, and a wonderful job she did! With her she brought in this
fantastic sweater that an ex boyfriend's mum hand knitted once upon a
time, that she said reminded her a bit of my collection - a good
steal, I think you will agree!

A Peep!

Today I recieved an email introducing me to Elizabeth, who is a rare Austrian Mangalitza Gilt breed of Pig. (Have a look at Pig Paradise Farm in Wiltshire for more information..) Apparently she was sold for £250 at a livestock auction in Lancashire, where farmer Tim Fitton bought the pig for his daughter. Isn't she lovely? Perhaps I am biased though being a knitter..

Sketchbook Snippets #2

I Can Sew, Too!

Meet Marmaduke the cat. He is made from a nice herringbone trouser
fabric that no longer fits my collection, but i felt it needed to be
put to good use. I made him for my friend's birthday today, yet i was
reluctant for us to part ways as he's such a cutie! I'm hope he is
having lots of fun in his new home.

A Spot of Light Mathematics on a Sunday Afternoon

What a week! I finished the jumper for the photoshoot on
time, only to discover that morning that it was being postponed until
the week after. Sod's Law isn't it? Onwards and upwards though, and
This afternoon I have been calculating a hand knit pattern for Outfit 3.

My old high school maths teacher Mrs Davidson would be happy to
know that I am still in touch with Trigonometry! Now, time to get
knitting and put my accuracy upto the test..

Late Night Linking

I've been really busy lately trying to prepare my outfit for the
Ravensbourne photoshoot tomorrow! It's 2am and I am still linking
strong.. One sideseam left to go!

Tricot Machine

In the studio yesterday, we were joking about current television programmes that could substitute the word 'knitting' in their title, such as 'Knitting on Ice', 'Britain's got Knitting' and 'Have I Got Knit For You' - Today I came across this amazing video by a Canadian band called 'Tricot Machine' who's name translates to as Knitting Machine. I thought my intarsia was time consuming, but these clever devils used 700 stills of knitting to form the animation, have a look it's incredible!


Tricot Machine || Les peaux de lièvres from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.

Sketchbook Snippets #1

277 Rows Later..

I am feeling all knitted out!

174 Rows Later..

Even though today was lovely and sunny, my evening journey back from university was still a little chilly. Perhaps I could do with one of these:




It's a knitted turkey hat by Catirina Bonet Designs. There's nothing in her shop at the moment though, but I'm already excited to see what she will come up with next..

Run for cover..

I'm itching to get this beast going on my needles in the next few weeks. It's going to be one heck of a sweater!

A new type of yarn

I was slightly startled thisafternoon when I returned from making a
cup of tea and noticed my ball of grey yarn had suddenly grown a face!
Perhaps Ollie wondered why these colourful stringy things were more
important than going for his walk and decided to investigate.. Knit 1,
Purl 1 hey Ollie?

Pictures..

That my friend found Sean found in a bookshop in Warrington Circa 1935.

We have no idea who these people are. It reminds me of the time I once bought a camera in the charity shop which still had film left in, so I decided to have it developed. It must have belonged to an old lady who took the camera with her and two friends on a day trip to Blackpool back in the 70's

Dog-sitting.

At the moment I am looking after Ollie the dog! He's a little terror sometimes though, balls of yarn are NOT for doggies to play with especially when they are attatched to my knitting needles!


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Hello, Bee

Sorry for the lack of updates recenty! I've been in a bit of a busy busy world, knitting knitting knittting! I am indeed a busy bee.

I DID however make time to see some friends last night, and we played Scrabble. As you can see, we are not very good, especially by the end when we could only make 'so' and 'by'. There were some minor discrepencies over some words, however on the whole it was a good match, and I came 3rd with 117 points.

For some exciting news, back in January applied to do the Menswear MA at the Royal College of Art in September, specialising in Knitwear.. and last Wednesday I found out that I've been offered the place! So the next two years will be filled with more knitting delights, exciting hey?

Now time for more tea and to get the knitting needles out!
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Pandog!

A dog that looks like a panda! Pandog!


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