A bit about me

I was taught to knit when I was about 6 years old, by my grandmother, who had been a weaver in the Lancashire cotton mills. My mother was an art teacher so I grew up always wanting to make things. After studying my BA in constructed textile design at Manchester Poly I moved to London and worked for a high-end knitwear designer for a while, before setting up my first business creating accessories. I’ve continued to design and make lots of styles of hats, gloves, scarves, ties and suchlike over the following decades – I feel at home making small but special items. 

I took a mid-career break for a decade or so and trained to teach FE/HE in art and textiles. I also wrote and published a couple of knitting and crochet books for the UK and US markets. The pull of creating returned, however and I decided to return to full-time designing and making in 2014. I moved to North Devon in 2021 and joined the Appledore Crafts Company in 2022. I sell my pieces under my own label of Lord and Taft, on my own website and through Etsy. I also sell in-person at selected craft fairs in Devon and London.

My work has always been primarily about colour combinations and natural, sustainable and ethical fibres that feel great to wear. I am inspired by the amazing light and colours in Devon and can see my work evolving within my new surroundings. I am working on some larger, one-off pieces that will be directly derived from particular places on the coast here. It’s exciting to have a fresh environment to draw from and I hope this will spark a whole new range in the coming years.