I’m Wendy Jane and I originally hail from rural north of Scotland and currently live in Royal Deeside. You may know me already as WJP Knits - my new website Nova Scotia Knits is a re-brand of this business.
“MY DESIGNS ARE A BLEND OF TRADITION AND CONTEMPORARY. I USE TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS - TECHNIQUES AND YARN, BLENDING THEM SEAMLESSLY WITH MODERN IDEAS AND STYLES. WORKING EXCLUSIVELY WITH SUSTAIN
ABLEY PRODUCED NATURAL YARNS (SHEEP - ECO-FRIENDLY, ORGANIC AND BIO DEGRADABLE) THAT ARE PRODUCED IN THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND (WHERE I LIVE) BY A HERITAGE FAMILY RUN YARN SPINNER/DYER CALLED JC RENNIE, WHO HAVE BEEN PRODUCING THE FINEST QUALITY OF YARNS SINCE 1798. I'M A HUGE SUPPORTER OF THE SLOW FASHION MOVEMENT - MOVING AWAY FROM MASS MANUFACTURING AND FOCUSING MORE ON THE QUALITY OF HAND MADE. WHICH IS WHY I HIGHLY ENCOUARGE PEOPLE TO CREATE THEIR OWN CLOTHING. WHEN AN ITEM HAS BEEN HAND MADE, YOU APPRICIATE MORE NOT ONLY THE QUALITY, BUT THE WHOLE CREATIVE PROCESS AND THE DEDICATION OF THE ARTISAN WHO HAS LOVINGLY MADE THE ITEM. YOUR CLOTHING SHOULD LAST A LIFETIME - NOT JUST A FEW MONTHS.”
Coming from Scotland, knitting is a way of life for many people and I was first taught how to knit when I was only 5 years. Moving forward to the age of 18, I was very lucky to start working as an apprentice for the designer Val Whyte where I specialized in machine knitted fair isle garments. Whilst working there I was given the opportunity to create several sweaters for three members of the British royal family. I worked there for around 3 years then moved to Aberdeen where I completed an HND in Media. Flash forward to 2005 and I moved away to London and ended up doing all manner of interesting jobs such as value items for an auction company and working in TV. 2012 saw me starting my own business as I knew this was the route that was best for me so I started selling true vintage ballgowns and wedding dresses from the 20s to 50s. During my start up year, I was involved in a life changing accident that left me with mobility issues. I introduced hand made velvet kimonos to my business that I made myself and I received lots of media features for them including Unfolded magazine in the US and Company magazine in the UK.
2016 saw me move back home to my roots in rural Scotland and I made the choice to go back to my passion of knitting and so WJP Knits rose up from the ashes. Where I live, is fairly close to the JC Rennie mill and Johnstone’s of Elgin and Knockando mills are also within easy distance of my home. Knitting is a true passion to and its a craft that is wonderful mindfulness, relieving stress, training your brain and great for training hand/eye co-ordination, as well as staving off dementia and is a great focus for those have issues such as ADHD, autism etc. For myself, I love the way you can play around with knitting and bring so elements into it - function, form, colour, surface design and texture. You create the textile as well as the garment. Working with natural yarns such as lambswool or cashmere is a joy. For the most part, I use Scottish spun yarns for sustainability and high quality. Pure wool is a natural fiber that is bio-degradable and environmentally friendly. Working with wool is important to myself and my designs. As well as this website, you can also find my designs on Ravelry, Love Knitting and Etsy. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram too! When I'm not knitting, I enjoy taking moody monochrome photos of my life's journey. Happy Knitting!
*** ALL PATTERNS AND PHOTOGRAPHS ARE THE PROPERTY OF WJ PATERSON KNITS AND HAVE BEEN COPYRIGHTED. ALL PATTERNS AND KITS ARE INTENDED FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY AND CANNOT BE REPRODUCED OR MADE FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES IN ITS ENTIRETY OR PARTIALLY. THIS PATTERN CANNOT BE RE-SOLD OR RE-DISTRIBUTED.
