Meet the Designer - Dot
Meet local designer, Dot Bremner, from Elgin, Scotland. Dot has been knitting since she was 6 years old, accumulating a huge 78 years of knitting experience. She learned the craft from her brother in the 1940s, when knitting was essential as part of the war effort. As she got older she kept up knitting as a hobby and continues to do it now. Dot even refused to put down her needles in the hospital following eye surgery, making a knitted guitar for her son through touch and feel alone! Dot loves knitting for her grandchildren and her Grandson describes his jumpers as like "getting a big hug" from his grandmother when he wears them. Dot doesn’t describe herself as the best knitter (although we think she’s great!) but she is full of ideas, and we admire her creativity.
Dot kindly supplied Knit It with some of the patterns she has designed for Barbie dolls. She has created 3 books of knitting designs for dolls, which were used to raise money for a local Lifeboat service. Creating knitted garments for these dolls is what Dot loves the most as she believes it’s a great way to get children to appreciate the craft, and to hopefully inspire them to create their own knitted garments for their dolls.
Dot doesn’t follow a particular style of knitting and prefers to just make it up as she goes along, showing her true creative flare. She is passionate about fundraising and loves using her knitting talent to raise money for causes that are close to her heart.
One of the biggest skills that Dot has learned from knitting is patience, "because things don’t always go to plan," she explains. She also appreciates the fact that knitting is a good way to relax and unwind, without wasting your time. Even on days where you just want to sit on the sofa in front of the tv all day, you can still be productive and create something amazing. She also appreciates the health benefits of the craft, from its therapeutic nature to the finger exercise which can prevent arthritis. Her biggest piece of advice to first-time knitters is to always persevere, "if at first you don’t succeed, just keep trying!". She also advises first time knitters to keep their creations simple at first, practice makes perfect!
You can find more from Dot here: