Fleece - Natural Home

About Jenny Watson

I live in a small West Yorkshire town called Ilkley in the North of England. Ilkley is a small spa town on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and is surrounded by beautiful countryside whilst a short journey away from major northern cities such as Leeds and Manchester.

My home town is a constant source of inspiration and I feel privileged to have grown up and enjoyed these surroundings with it’s very definitive seasons. The vibrant colours of springtime contrasted by the rich colours of autumn coupled with dramatic country scenery are a constant reminder of how beautiful Ilkley is.

I was originally taught to knit as a teenager by my mother Joan, who was a great inspiration to me. I have wonderful memories of dark winters evenings beside a warm fire learning to knit. On leaving school I joined a local yarn company as a junior progressing my technical knowledge and career before joining a major yarn company in 1980’S eventually becoming Chief Designer for Emu, Robin and Studley yarns. Three diverse brands focussing on three different markets which was challenging and expanded my technical and creative knowledge then progressing to one of the leading UK brands Sirdar – to which I was Chief Designer for almost 3 years prior to having my third child.

Today working as a freelance designer has allowed me greater flexibility to develop my own style and brand. My style is more contemporary and different from what was a traditional industry born out of economic necessity many years ago. Today with modern production techniques I am able to create individual yarns specifically constructed to my specifications using high quality yarns from around the world.

Additionally I continue to work with a significant number of leading UK yarn companies and continue to produce a wide variety of designs for knitting leaflets and books.

I hope you enjoy my enthusiasm for creative knitting.

Happy Knitting.

Jenny

http://www.jennywatsondesigns.co.uk/about