Sasha Kagan's World of Textiles

My new skirt design

2012-01-05T18:14:00.002Z

Please see the new 'Vogue Knitting' Winter 2011/12 for my latest skirt design.

Vogue Knitting Winter 2011/12, photo by Paul Amato for LVARepresents.com

Seasons Greetings

2011-12-22T11:23:00.002Z

EXHIBITION VENUE UPDATE "MY LIFE IN TEXTILES"

2011-10-27T15:12:00.004+01:00

Dear Fans
Just to mention that my exhibition will be arriving in Dublin at the RDS centre as showcased by The Knitting andStitching Show. It will be open to the public from 10th to 13th November. The feedback from the Alexandra Palace show was phenominal so I hope to meet up with more knitting enthusiasts in Dublin.

NEXT UP: The Knitting and Stitching Show HARROGATE - 24th to 27th November.
For tickets to the shows and more info contact:
Creative Exhibitions www.twistedthread.com - p: 0208 692 2299
See you there!

2011-03-11T10:51:00.004Z

Display from the Exhibition at The Wool Museum

February 19th to May 6th 2011 FREE entry

Contact Details: Joanna Thomas or Mark Richards

01559 370929

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/

post@musuemwales.ac.uk

The 'Design from Nature' masterclass

at The Wool Museum

This photo shows a selection of the 19 ladies learning how to graph out their own designs and perfect the woven intarsia hand knitting technique.

Thanks every one, you were a fantastic group!

EXHIBITION OPENS AT WELSH WOOL MUSEUM

2011-03-11T10:42:00.008Z

I was truely inspired by my visit to the National Wool Museum at the beginning of the month to open my exhibition on the second leg of its tour and to give a masterclass on St David's Day.

My Exhibitionof hand knits sits well should to shoulder with the wonderful collection of Welsh Blankets and flannel. This area of Wales was once the main centre of woven woollen production in the

Dre-Fach Felindre area alone 23 water powered woolen mills were making cloth in 1870.

My home has been in Wales for the past 35 years so it was wonderful to feel part of Welsh textile history.

The museum houses all the original looms, which are still in working condition, carding machines and associated historical paraphanalia with fascinating photos of life in the mill at its heyday. Blankets, shawls, scarves and yardage woven at the museum can be bought from the well stocked gift shop and the cafe serves delicious home made locally grown Welsh delicacies. Do go and visit for a great day out, entrance is free. Well worth a visit!

NEW EXHIBITION OPENING SATURDAY 10th NOVEMBER

2010-11-08T13:48:00.003Z

'my life in textiles'

opening on

10th November 2010 until

24th December 2010

I would like to invite all my loyal fans to be present at the private view. So do come along on 20th November at 1pm where I will be ‘In Conversation’ with Jill Piercy my exhibition curator. This will be an informal ‘questions and answer’ session where everyone is invited to join in.

This exhibition features iconic designs across four decades of my career in textiles. From the early vintage inspired pieces of the 1960’s to the witty and whimsical designs of the ‘70’s, the assertive 80’s, the mellow Country Inspiration garments shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2000 to my more recent exploration of nature in close up.

My Master class for 15 people ‘Design from Nature’ will take place at the Art Centre on December 11th. This is a chance for me to teach you my creative process and for you to design your own country inspired motifs

Please email me if you would like further details. Look forward to seeing you there!

'My Life in Textiles' - 4 Decades of Classic Hand Knit Design

2010-10-14T09:55:00.009+01:00

I am so excited that my new colourful retrospective exhibition ‘My Life in Textiles’ is about to open on the first leg of its tour!

This exhibition features iconic designs across four decades of my career in textiles. From the early vintage inspired pieces of the 1960’s to the witty and whimsical designs of the ‘70’s, the assertive 80’s, the mellow Country Inspiration garments shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2000 to my more recent exploration of nature in close up.

It will open at Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre, Cwmbran, South Wales on 10th November 2010 and is open every day except Sundays until December 24th 2010 so do come and visit. http://www.lgac.org.uk/

I would like to invite all my loyal fans to be present at the private view. So do come along on 20th November at 1pm where I will be ‘In Conversation’ with Jill Piercy my exhibition curator. This will be an informal ‘questions and answer’ session where everyone is invited to join in.

My Master class for 15 people ‘Design from Nature’ will take place at the Art Centre on December 11th. This is a chance for me to teach you my creative process and for you to design your own country inspired motifs.

Putting this exhibition together has inspsired me to write a new book. 'The Classic Collection', 20 iconic designs from the exhibition, will be out in May 2011. Published by GMC

THE WOOL AND WILLOW FESTIVAL

2010-05-27T11:11:00.003+01:00

I will be exhibiting and running a workshop at The Wool and Willow Festival http://www.woolandwillowfestival.org/ which is on for 4 weeks this year from 5th June to 3rd July 2010, open 7 days a week from 10.30 to 4.30.

This is our premier Mid Wales event showcasing the very best of artists and designers from Mid Wales and the Borders with exquisite products for sale. There is also an extensive range of Wool and Willow related workshops on offer, so check out the above web site and go to the workshops page for more details.

See you there!

EXCLUSIVE SALE OF SASHA KAGAN HANDKNITS

2009-12-04T16:51:00.003Z

Bargains galore!

The Annual Sale of my hand knitted garments at Llanidloes Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair, it is on from Monday to Saturday 10.30 to 4.30 at The Minerva Arts Centre, Llanidloes, Powys, SY18 6NS until Christmas Eve.

Hurry if you want to pick up a ready made bargain from this exclusive Sasha Kagan sale. Come along and browse some of the 30 other stalls of locally made sustainable presents, each one individually handcrafted with love and care.

Wooland Willow Festival June 2008 Minerva Arts Centre Llanidloes

2009-11-06T15:39:00.004Z

April and May were busy months for me as preperations for our 5th Wool and Willow Festival took shape. This year we were generously supported by Powys County Council with Festival and Events Grant. Thanks to the sponsorship we were able to print beautiful leaflets and offer subsidized workshops in Knit, Crochet, Weaving, wet and dry felting, creative textiles, willow baskets and sculpture.

Our venue The Minerva Arts Centre, Llanidloes was a hive of activity for three weeks with specialist stalls offering designer knitwear, rare and unusual fleece and fibre, handwoven rugs, organically cured sheepskins, felt shrouds, naturally dyed yarns, heirloom teddy bears, specialist equipment, specialist willow and textile books and willow sculpture.

Demonstrations took place daily and workshops were given to local school children and college students.

Beryl (my secretary and a basketmaker/weaver) and I had so much fun organising this event with our friend Olwen from Abergavenny. We hope to see more of you at next years event and thanks to all of you for your support this year.

For next years line of of events go to http://www.woolandwillowfestival.org/. Dates June 6th - July 3rd 2010. Come and join in the fun!

February 2009

2009-02-23T10:52:00.007Z

Time has just flown by since Christmas and a lot of my creative energy has been spent helping my pregnant daughter Tanya with her little boy Lorne (age two and half). We are still waiting for baby number 2 and baby designs are in the pipeline…… More later.

Woman’s Weekly have commissioned a cardigan design for their May issue. I have chosen Rowan’s new 100% organic DK for its soft feel and plant dyed colours. The cardigan will be available as a kit from my studio.

Suddenly my designs are being knitted for dog coats! I was delighted to receive this picture from the US of “Tiny Flower” from my “Knitwear” book knitted up for Francie. If any one else has used my designs for dog coats I would love to see your pictures.

Best Wishes for 2009

Sasha

4th December 2008

2008-12-04T15:06:00.008Z

Nov 21st 2008

Up to York on the train to spend a few days with my good friend and colleague Jean Moss www.jeanmoss.com . We had a very exciting day at the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate. It was great to spend a day at the show as a visitor for a change. The most inspiring exhibit was without doubt the UK Hyperbolic Crochet Reef.

The project, organised by the Los Angeles based Institute for Figuring is a direct response to the plight of coral reefs from pollution and global warming. Fusing science and maths with fine art and handicraft, the reef is constantly updated by an every expanding group of participants from around the world. For more info look at www.theiff.org .

Creativity knew no bounds in the amazing knit and crochet hats made made for the Sailors' Society, a charity set up to enrich seafarers' lives worldwide (Sailor's Society, 350 Shirley Road, Southampton, SO15 3HY) Andrew Salmon (exhibition organizer extraordinaire) can be seen here modelling a very fetching mermaid hat. There is always lots of fun and inspiration at the Knitting and Stitching Shows and they are well worth a visit. For next years venues look at www.twistedthread.com.

28th OCTOBER 2008 - Photos of Jean Moss Tour

2008-10-28T13:57:00.019Z

Just received these pictures from Jean of my Workshop participants; as you can see everyone is smiling away at the end of a pleasant days knitting!
In the right hand picture you can see the keen knitter who had already finished her Pebble Jacket to impress me when I walked in. It was great to see she had chosen her own colourway. The turquoise variation from my new book 'Knitwear' was much admired. Please send me photos of your own colour versions and I will post them on the blog.

Just my received my copy of 'Knitting Magazine' December issue with a lovely 4-page article by Michele Matheson about me and my work.

OCTOBER 2ND 2008 - Jean Moss Tour / New Autumn Jacket design

2008-10-09T17:29:00.007+01:00

Had a fabulous day teaching 23 knitters on the Jean Moss Knitting and Gardens Tour, the workshop venue was the Tyddyn Llan Hotel in Llandrillo, North Wales, a recently renovated country house converted into a hotel, with a very friendly atmosphere and excellent 5 star restaurant. It was great to walk in and find one person wearing a Maple coat from ‘Country Inspiration’ and another wearing Pebble cross over jacket from my new book ‘Knitwear’.

We walked in the beautiful gardens gathering inspiration for my design workshop and everyone knitted up swatches, using my intarsia technique, drank tea and had a good chat. I was flattered that Heike Gittings, my Rowan assistant, bought my new Autumn Leaf jacket. The pattern for this will be in Woman’s Weekly magazine on sale 23rd Oct. The kit is available from my studio price £60.00

Would love to hear your comments, email: sasha@sashakagan.co.uk

For info on Jean's 2009 tour, go to her website

SEPTEMBER 6th 2008 – I Knit Day

2008-10-09T17:17:00.005+01:00

I Knit Day was great fun. Having driven through torrential rain and floods in Wales the day before, it was a pleasure to set up my display in an old fashioned market stall in the atmospheric Royal Horticultural Halls, Westminster. I gave two crochet workshops and managed to teach 45 people to crochet flowers in two hours! There was an exciting variety of stalls, from my old friend John Arbon of UK Alpaca fame, who I have designed for for years, to Maggie Jackson my friend from Ireland. It was a great mix of designer looks, charity stalls, market place and entertainment. A big-hearted, fun show in its second year, it is bound to get bigger next year! More info :

I would love to hear your comments : email sasha@sashakagan.co.uk

AUGUST 31st 2008 – Crazy Crochet Days

2008-10-09T16:54:00.005+01:00

It was great to be give my second Crazy Crochet weekend getaway in my home town, Llanidloes. The Minerva Arts Centre provided a light airy space where all 13 of us could spread out and be creative. We were surrounded by inspirational quilts from the Summer exhibition (an added bonus for all students is that they get to see the show for 2 days for free). My students were a mixed bunch of textile enthusiasts who soon made friends with each other and made crochet bits to add to their collections. They all appreciated my home cooked organic lunches and teas (luckily I had plenty of veg from my garden) and were pleased to discover the charms of Llanidloes.

The third Crazy Crochet weekend getaway will take place on August 29-30 2009. Cost of the weekend is £90 including materials, lunch and refreshments. Local hotel / B&B list available. Come and discover for yourselves the charms of Mid Wales.

To book a place for next year, email: sasha@sashakagan.co.uk or go to my website and select ‘workshops’.

I would love to hear your comments.