Jeanette Sloan Design

18/07/2026

Be sure to check out the latest issue of The Knitter magazine in which I talk with Rosee Woodland about what inspired me to create the designs from my latest book, Beaded Colourwork: A Modern Approach To Knitting With Beads.

Iconic British designer Jeanette Sloan has published a wonderful knitting book, ‘Beaded Colorwork, in which she uses beading to create spectacular motifs and effects. Her innovative, artistic approach to knitwear design is explored in a fascinating article in The Knitter issue 230, in which Rosee Woodland interviews Jeanette to discover the full story behind her incredible new book.

Buy a PDF edition of the mag from our online shop:
https://gatheredshop.com/collections/the-knitter-magazine

Order a print copy:
https://www.ourmediashop.com/the-knitter-magazine

Have a question about the patterns in the mag? Email [email protected]

18/07/2026

Just received a parcel of deliciously squishy Bukom DK from . I’ve heard so many good things about this yarn that I wanted to try it for myself. And I know I’m generally a pink and orange fan but according to , two of the key colours for this Autumn / Winter are chocolate and purple. With this in mind I’ve chosen Weku’s Chocolate Brown which I’ll use for a brand new design using the stitch patterns from the Marjie shawl I created for 52 Weeks of Shawls published by . I also got a ball of Caramel and Royal Purple so I could seem them ‘in the flesh’.

And for those wondering what I’m wearing, I knitted myself a fully fashioned post-amputation accessory to protect my still sore wound from accidental bumps and prevents you from having to see the full gruesomeness. Joking aside, I’m still adjusting to how my hand now looks and found this stops me feeling quite so self conscious.

While it may not look like much, the difference it makes to my sense of self is immeasurable.

16/07/2026

Although I’m still not able to fully use my right index finger I have managed to adapt my knitting technique to one where I can easily knit without using it at all.

It just goes to show what’s possible when you put your mind to it.

This new adaptive technique meant I could finally finish this Rosetta vest from Beaded Colourwork which I’ll be bringing along to in September.
It’s the second time I’ve knitted this design which I find incredibly soothing to make. Yes, there’s a beaded rib at the start and a dense beaded colourwork panel at the chest, but inbetween there’s the comforting simplicity of stocking stitch in the round that both rewards you for the rib and prepares you for the adventure to come. In fact, I love this design so much I already plan to make a third.

What knitting technique do you find most comforting?

Details:
Rosetta vest from my latest book Beaded Colourwork: A Modern Approach To Knitting With Beads published by

Yarn: Corrie Worsted

Beads: by

15/07/2026

Dropping in you let you know about the latest issue of in which I chat to Rosee Woodland about what inspired the 17 designs I created for Beaded Colourwork, my latest book of beaded patterns published by .

11/07/2026

[Sponsored post]

What fibre lover doesn’t dream of having a yarn store on their doorstep? I know, it’s a dangerous prospect, especially with regards to the purse strings. I wasn’t living in Bristol when Get Knitted had a store but I am lucky to know the wonderful team who distribute Clover, Opal, Eucalan and Knit Pro plus many more well known names. The company also carry brands I’m less familiar with such as the beautifully packaged and I’m delighted that they introduced me to Viva DK by which I used for the Beatrice cardigan in my latest book Beaded Colourwork, published by Laine.

Viridian isn’t open to the public but on a recent post-surgery visit to see David, Sunny, Sue & Jackie I left with this delicious little haul. I’ve been having few issues with healing but as my hand continues to recover I look forward to playing with this little lot in the not too distant future.

Have a great weekend

06/07/2026

Hi all,

As you can probably tell from the lack of posts I’m still adjusting to my latest cancer diagnosis. The brutal reality of having my right index finger partially amputated is both gruesome and painful, although much less than it was immediately after surgery. And, as I’m still waiting to hear whether the disease has spread, it means cancer is on my over-active brain from the moment I wake up until I fall asleep.

While my work previously offered a creative escape, in the last week my mood has been so low that I’ve found it difficult to concentrate on admin and knitting has proved too tiring for my still swollen hand. Instead, I’ve been pottering in my front garden, doing some light (one-handed) weeding and exploring the iPad and Pen I bought just before my surgery.

At the time I thought they might help rehabilitate my hand as it adjusts to writing & drawing without the right index fingertip. Turns out I was right. Having bought the app I’m able to lose myself in the colour and pattern play of combining layers with the numerous brushes and I must say, I’m loving the results. It takes me back to my early 20s when I was a textile design student and coincidentally, had my first cancer diagnosis. Who’d have thought that all these years later the exploration of pattern and mark-making would still be helping me through the darkest of times? Together, of course, with family and friends; near and far, in-person and online.

Some people have described me as brave for sharing my experiences. Flattering of you to say, but I’m not. I simply wanted to raise awareness of acral lentiginous melanoma because it’s one of the lesser known forms of melanoma and therefore can remain untreated for a long time. What I’ve found both humbling and comforting are all the comments on my previous post, sending love, support and virtual hugs. Thank you, I’m touched more than you can imagine and while I don’t have the bandwidth to respond to every single one, I wanted to drop in to send this bright and beautiful thank you, created as part of my daily therapy.

Wishing you a joyful week

J ###

29/06/2026

🚨 Content warning🚨
This post contains images of surgery.

Three weeks ago I was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma in my right index fingernail.

It’s a rare form of melanoma that isn’t thought to be linked to sun exposure and can affect all races, but is more common in people with dark skin.

It can present as discoloured areas on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and toe or fingernails. In my case it began as a distinct dark brown line in my right index fingernail that progressed widthways until half the nail was dark brown. My first nail biopsy was back in 2021 when I lived in Hove and no cancer was found. (See second picture). But in the intervening years the nail continued to change until it became completely brown / black in colour, was also splitting along its length and lifting away from the nail bed with dark brown spots in the skin of my fingertip. A recent incisional biopsy
which involved taking a long narrow sample from the nail matrix showed that it had developed into cancer.

Because of how it presented, I recently underwent an amputation of the distal phalanx of my right index finger. In layman’s terms, that’s the top section of my finger as you’ll from the picture above.

It’s been a difficult and painful time and I’m still waiting for results but this week, I’m feeling positive and am grateful to be back in my home studio, surrounded by what inspires me.

I’d like to stay a HUGE thank you to our incredible NHS, the plastic surgery team at Southmead Hospital here in Bristol, and to my wonderful family and amazing friends for all your support. You’ve really kept me going on days when I didn’t want to get out of bed.

Whatever the results of my pathology I’d like to learn more about ALM so if you’ve had any experience of acral lentiginous melanoma, do let me know in the comments. 👇🏾👇🏾

22/06/2026

This year got off to an incredible start with lots of travel and fibre events to celebrate the release of Beaded Colourwork. But, as often happens, life throws you a bit of a curve ball and you have to take some time out.

I’m hopefully coming through this phase and would like to share what’s been happening so watch out for an update later this week.