Debbie Bliss is the best-selling author of more than 30 books on knitting design, including Knits for the Home, Baby Knits and New Baby Knits. After starting her career by creating and selling knitted plants to department stores in her native England, she went on to become one of the world’s foremost experts on knitwear design. She has developed collections for such retailers as The Gap and Marks & Spencer and has launched her own successful yarn line, traveling the world for new inspiration. She lives with her husband and teenage daughter in London.

Happy Holidays!
posted November 17, 2009

Dear Knitters,

We are now in my favourite time of the year, with crisp , frosty mornings, and dark ,cosy evenings,it’s the perfect time to knit !

I have 2 new yarns for Autumn/Winter, Fez and Donegal Chunky Luxury Tweed.

Fez is a stunning camel hair and extra fine merino mix, it knits like a dream, shows stitch detail clearly and the combination of fibres makes it perfect for colour work . The collection of sixteen knits celebrates all of this in cables and texture , Fair Isle and intarsia . Inspired by the textiles of Morocco the designs are photographed in glowing interiors to convey the richness of the colour palette.

Following the success of Luxury Donegal Aran I have now launched Donegal Luxury Tweed Chunky with the same winning combination of angora and wool. In my collection The Big Easy, I have designed 13 relaxed, weekend knits in this new yarn and also my other super soft yarns , Alpaca Silk, Como and the Luxury Tweed Aran. It is photographed in my favourite country cottage in the heart of Suffolk, one of the prettiest areas of England and with historical links with the wool trade that go back to Medieval times.

Many knitters I have met have asked me to design for a rather neglected age group and with this in mind I have produced a book of knits for the five to ten age group called 9 to 5. There are 18 designs using my Rialto and Cashmerino ranges, Luxury Donegal Aran Tweed, Fez and Alpaca Silk and they range from a pinafore dress to a cabled hoodie and a fur lined hat.

In the A/W issue of my magazine there is a selection of my most popular designs from previous collections and new fashion knits, projects for the home and fun accessories for children. The fashion feature The Need for Tweed has a country house setting with both casual and structured knits in my Donegal Tweeds while the home section celebrates Brit Style with projects that include Union Jack cushions, a Fair Isle hot water bottle cover and tartan tea cosy. For children there are brilliant animal scarves, the pig, teddy bear, monkey and zebra are bound to be firm favourites.

My new hardback book, published by Trafalgar, is Bears, Bootees and Blankets and features toys to treasure, cute bootees and a range of baby afghans from cot size to buggy blankets.

Happy Holidays to you all!

Spring 2009
posted July 1, 2009

Dear Debbie Fans,

This Spring 2009 I am excited to announce the launch of my new organic and fair trade yarn, eco --- a development that I worked towards for some time and am satisfied has finally come to fruition.

eco is a beautiful aran weight yarn manufactured from organic cotton within an ecologically and socially conscious process through the Bio re-textile chain.  Bio re-integrates farmers and the textile industry as equal partners, and carries out projects in training, teaching, and health education. The farmers receive agricultural advice and are supported on a long term basis to develop their organic farming practices so that their income increases considerably compared to conventional farming. Their health inproves as does the fertility of the soil. All the production is based on the principle of fairness, with equal partnerships, involvement and participation, and humane working hours and conditions.  I wanted a vibrant colour palette so rather than using plant dyes  the yarn was dyed with non toxic dyes and the water recycled and rendered drinkable by Idra, a non-profit organisation.
 
I photographed the design collection in Marrakech to celebrate the colours, landscapes, and textiles of the places where the fibre originates. The knits embrace all that is great about this wonderful yarn, with simple stitches in easy shapes and also crisp stitch definition in jackets and sweaters.
 
Summer is a new collection of designs using new shades in my existing ranges - Prima, Pure Silk, Pure Cotton, and Cotton DK. The knits have been designed to evoke the essence of the season with simple ribs,elegant stripes  and delicate lace, all in relaxed cover ups to suit your relaxed,holiday mood.
 
Design It,Knit It (published by Soho Publishing) outlines the creative and practical journey I take when I design a hand knit. It is not a technical book as such but rather a way to convey my enthusiasm and love for the craft and to give some insights that I hope will set you on the path to create your own designs. The book also has 15 projects to knit.
 
Debbie Bliss magazine Spring/Summer.
The Spring issue has holiday knits for grown ups , elegant designs for evening wear and adorable tops with a nautical twist for babies. In the Home section I feature The White House, a collection of knits in whiter shades of pale to bring a touch of Zen to your home.

I hope you enjoy this season's collection.

Happy Knitting,

Debbie

Autumn/Winter 2008
posted July 3, 2008

On Debbie Bliss:

I think I am immensely privileged to have the career that I have.I studied Fashion and Textile Design at Art College on what was a very fine art based course which gave me the opportunity to create knitted plants, hats made out of bin liners and cardboard coats for three years but left me unemployable when I left! For some years I worked in a succession of jobs that I didn’t fulfil me. I don’t regret this as it has not only made me very respectful of cleaners and waiters but also every day I feel very grateful that I now do something that inspires and excites me. Recently I returned after thirty years to my old college where my daughter was modelling in the student’s Fashion Show and was touched to see their inspirational collections and their excitement at putting together textures, fabrics and shapes.

I love working from my studio at home in east London, it is important to me that it is in the heart of my home. I am happy to work by myself with my radio on but like to hear my husband in his study, our old blind dog skidding down the stairs, and teenagers in and out of the house. I look onto a very urban, multi cultural landscape which energises and inspires me. I carry sketch pads around me constantly but if I don’t have one on me I can be seen scribbling on paper napkins in café’s!

I don’t think I am inspired by any one thing. I like to absorb life around me ,I am interested in fashion trends and predictions but the most important thing for me as a designer is to create styles that flatter women’s bodies and I take great care over proportions and shapes that flatter all sizes

On A/W 2008:

Como is a brand new yarn (with its own book) that is perfect for the fashion trend of chunky but lightweight garments for Fall. It is a super chunky roving that knits up quickly and easily and I was excited by the way that it made me design in a different way, with simplicity being the key. Como produces large, defined stitches that is also an on trend look and as it is knitted on 10mm (US 15) needles instant gratification also gives add on value for those knitters that want to make something for the weekend!

At the other end of the scale I have introduced Rialto 4ply to the ever popular  Rialto range .Inspired by 1940’s knits I have included simple fairisles in Rialto Classics, a collection of designs for men, women and children that also uses the double knitting and aran weight.

Also for the fall season is Winter Essentials, with designs in new shades in my cashmerinos, the Donegal tweeds and alpaca silk that celebrate my favourite season of log fires, hot chocolate, and cosy evenings with family and friends.