Kieran Foley

With apologies to classical scholars everywhere, this Monday’s Muse is a male…

Kieran Foley has been mentioned in this blog before. He is today’s choice of Muse for very good reason – and that will become apparent soon 🙂

I harbour a suspicion that it is because Kieran is a man that I am drawn to his designs – he brings a new dimension to both lace and colourwork, with designs that are clean – and often minimal. He is about the only designer who entices me towards stranded work – now there’s a thing! I really am inspired when I see a design like this

When it comes to lace, Kieran’s clean and modern approach fires my imagination just about every time – in fact, I have fallen prey on several occasions and my pattern library is well-stocked with Knit/Lab patterns.

It strikes me as odd therefore that I have yet to complete a Knit Lab project! There is no good reason for it, just other enthusiams come along, or my yarn choice is poor and I need to begin again or the project never gets off the ground because I don’t have the right beads yet or… well, I don’t know really.

High Seas has tried to spring into life several times. I really want to see this one completed but I just do not seem able to make the right yarn choice at all. It’s Frog City where High Seas is concerned, I am sad to say. However, it is currently on the needles as one of my 10 shawls in 2010 and i hope very much to see it successfully completed this time.

Another Knit Lab pattern that I am very keen to see completed is the Harry Clarke stole. My ambition is to make it up in linen or cotton and use it as a beaded curtain in my East-facing window.

Kieran’s designs are modern, clean but fluid, and evoke natural forms. I seem drawn most to those designs that offer some form of scaling or progression within the design – as the High Seas does – and two of my favourites are Sound of Waves an Turbulent Indigo. I am also drawn to the sheer simplicity, and simple sheerness, of Emily Dickinson

So, there you are – if you think lace and beads without frills and furbelows might inspire you finally to get to grips with knotty little holes – Kieran may well be your man. Go take  look around and while you are there, see if you can figure out what my current obsession may be.