Course dates

Saturday 7 August to Saturday 14 August 2021

Knitting and la bella vita

Profile

Louisa Harding is a celebrated cashmere knitter, designer and yarn producer from the North of England. She has recently established a new brand, called Yarntelier, combining the finest yarns from the English county of Yorkshire with beautiful designs, to make each item a piece of hand-crafted couture.

She is now beginning to plan the projects she will bring for our knitters during her week and is talking of a cashmere shawl where you can draw on designs in the Tuscan countryside and incorporate them in your knitting; and another, smaller project, involving beading using a crochet hook. There will be more details later, but as ever, your knitting week at the Watermill will combine expert tuition, like-minded company, wonderful food and the delightful ambience of the Watermill, it's gardens and riverside walks, and outings into the surrounding unspoiled Tuscan countryside of Lunigiana.

Louisa's story

Since she was little Louisa always made clothes, she studied for a BA in Textiles for Fashion at Brighton University. During her third year she undertook a placement at Rowan Yarns who published 2 of her very early designs in Rowan Magazine no. 6. She worked as an ‘in- house’ designer for Rowan for 11 years. Since having children, she has worked alongside her husband, Stephen, a photographer. Together they created the Miss Bea series of knitting books, inspired by their children. In 2005 she was very fortunate to be given the opportunity of introducing her eponymous line of yarns and pattern publications, Louisa Harding Yarns. Returning to the textile heritage of her Yorkshire home in October 2016 Louisa and her Husband launched Yarntelier, a bespoke collection of Cashmere yarns and patterns.