Dee Hardwicke
Artist • Designer • Knitter
Workshops at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Held in the spectacular Nash Conservatory, a 19th century glasshouse located between Kew Palace and the Herbarium, my Botanical Art Classes for Knitters have become a highlight of my events calendar.
Workshop participants arrive at the world-renowned Kew gardens to find beautifully dressed tables laid out with still lifes of seasonal flowers and foliage. Sharing some of the techniques I teach in my fine art drawing classes – and taking inspiration from the gorgeous table-top displays and breathtaking surroundings – I show participants how to create their own botanical artworks to translate into beautiful charts for knitting.
Weather permitting, I also lead a short walk into the gardens to admire some of Kew's glorious plants in situ. It's lovely to see participants come away from these unique workshops filled with new-found creative confidence and brimming with ideas for their own botanical knits.
Liberty London
The Dee Hardwicke intarsia knitting design workshops at Liberty London have become a highlight of my events calendar. Each workshop is based on a different project, and I guide participants through every step involved, from finding inspiration for colour palettes and creating templates out of seasonal flowers and leaves, to mastering the intarsia technique and transforming designs into everything from beautiful knitted table mats, brooches and project bags to a stunning knitted quilt that will be treasured for generations to come.
With dozens of wools to choose from at Liberty London there’s endless potential for creativity. It’s wonderful to see people’s ideas blossom during the course of a workshop in this spectacular venue, as I lead them through each aspect of the design process. For some participants, it can be a revelation to discover that they’re far more creative than they ever realised. I love seeing people ending a workshop filled with new-found confidence and brimming with ideas for their very own gorgeous designs.
