March 28, 2024

Knitting editor and textile designer Margery Winter to speak at Slater Mill in January

Posted

(Pawtucket, RI) You could say that Margery Winter knows knitting and fashion from the inside out.

Her nearly-40 year career in fashion design, fiber development and professional editing places her in the upper echelon of knowledge and impact in the field.

And her practice is very much informed by a study and practice of the fine arts.

Margery Winter will share her lifetime of experience with attendees at the opening night Designer Salon for Slater Mill’s 10th Knitting Weekend – the annual convening of knitters, fiber enthusiasts and fiber art practitioners, which takes place in Pawtucket each January.

Winter is a practicing textile artist who earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from the Rhode Island School of Design.

In addition to her art practice, Winter has an extensive editorial background, having held the Editor-in-Chief post for the magazines Vogue Knitting, Family Circle Knitting, and Verena Knitting.

She has also worked at the source, having held in-house positions at a number of yarn companies, including Lion Brand, Filatura DiCrosa, Berroco, and Adrienne Vittadini.

Margery’s presentation on January 19 is titled A Single Strand Comes Full Circle, representing her own circuitous career route that has encompassed work in the development of yarns, the design and production of goods made with yarn, and the documentation of work in the field through publications she has overseen.

“Being an artist and holding a family together while navigating a commercial world caused me to take unexpected detours,” shared Winter. “These divergences were rich with imagery, materials and inspiration; my hands were never idle.”

Now, she says, her life has taken on a more reasonable pace and a grounded approach.

“I now spend my days in my studio using the skills and materials that I have mastered over the past four decades in the commercial yarn industry - the present being arguably the most fulfilling chapter of my life so far, with art, textiles, fibers and fashion now converging on many levels,” she adds.

In addition to her keynote appearance on Friday night, Winter will exhibit three of her contemporary artworks in the Old Slater Mill during Knitting Weekend, enabling visitors to experience in person her vision and technique for working with mixed fiber media.

About her art, Winter offers, “Right now my preferred mediums are yarn, human and synthetic hair, paint, markers, needle and thread. By combining garment construction techniques along with drawing and painting, I create pieces that command the viewer to relate on a visual and visceral level.”

Winter will also participate in Saturday’s Luncheon with the Artists event - a plated, sit-down meal with choice of wine and soft drinks, and an opportunity for casual chat and Q&A with the teaching and exhibiting artists. The luncheon will take place in the historic second floor hall of the 1793 Old Slater Mill. Live jazz will be performed by the Steve DeConti Trio.

To attend the ticketed designer salon on January 19, or the luncheon on January 20, purchase tickets on brownpapertickets.com, keywords Knitting Weekend, or call 401-725-8638 x.108.


To view Winter’s art, visit the free Fiber Market event on Saturday, January 20 or Sunday, January 21 at Old Slater Mill, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Knitting Weekend is presented with the support of R.I. State Council on the Arts, Berroco, Inc., Phyllis Kimball Johnstone Foundation, the City of Pawtucket, and the National Park Service.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

Share!
Truly local news delivered to every home in town