Meet Finlay Keith of KNOTI Bags…
My journey began when my Auntie bought me a knitting kit for my 14th birthday. I guess it was an unusual present, but she said, ‘If Tom Daley can do it, you can do it too!’ After a handful of knitting projects one of my close friends suggested I give crochet a go. I did and I found that the process of crocheting was more therapeutic. It’s really relaxing. I’ve always been interested in textiles, and I was part of the textiles club at school. I am so grateful to my family and friends for supporting me on my journey so far, it is amazing to know that my bags have made it to Australia and New York.
Currently I make a variety of bags including clutch bags, cross body bags and shoulder bags. Previous crochet projects that I have completed are making plants, animals and clothes. Although I am focused on bags for now, the opportunities to create with crochet are truly endless. So who knows what will happen in the future?
So far, my customers have been all ages and all sorts of people, rather than a tight demographic.
That makes me happy because KNOTI is for anyone who likes what I create. I hope that my style, colour range and the practicality of my products appeal to all.
My creative process started out as one of trial and error. Over many different projects and online research, I have now become accustomed to figuring out how to create the look and design that I want for my products. My inspiration comes from travelling and from living in Australia for most of my childhood, I take inspiration from what’s around me. Architecture and nature are big influences for a lot of my designs along with my other love of photography. Whether the bright colours or the shapes that I photographed while travelling, I try my best to encapsulate the features into the design of the bags.
I use recycled yarns. I think we all need to be more conscious of what we consume and the waste we create as a result of this. Therefore, my products use recycled t-shirt yarn. This type of yarn is made from the offcuts during the production of t-shirts. This material would otherwise become landfill if it wasn’t recycled into yarn.
My products are all unique. There won’t ever be two KNOTI bags that are the same due to the material that I use. The yarn is created in batches meaning that not only can thickness vary but also the shade. I make each bag individually by hand and this, therefore, makes each one an absolute ‘One of One!’
My work can be viewed on my socials and bought via my website at knoti.co.uk and there’s a selection of bags available to view and buy at Parx Café on Rubislaw Terrace.
Email knotibags@gmail.com Instagram @knoti.co Facebook page @knotibagss knoti.co.uk