News, Workshop

My Internship Experience

Image of a knitwear linking machine with purple ribbed knitting attached.
Image of a knitwear linking machine with purple ribbed knitting attached.
Ribbed cuff on the linker

Over the past 6 months I have been lucky enough to do an internship here at Wonky Woolies. As I am approaching the end of this 6 month period it is the perfect time to reflect on what I have learnt during this experience.

First of all, a bit of background. I studied Design for Textiles at Heriot Watt University in Galashiels and specialised in knitwear in my 3rd and 4th year. As a result, this course gave me a huge love for the knitwear industry. I have always been creative and I love all types of knitting from traditional hand knitting to innovative machine designs. I found this internship through a great resource called Graduate Career Advantage Scotland. The GCAS team have been on hand to help and support throughout the entire 6 months.

Hope Tech merino beanies with leather branded label.

ALWAYS LEARNING

Starting this internship, I was excited to build on the skills I gained at university and learn lots of new things too.

My first few months were predominantly spent working on custom design products which was a very interesting process to learn about. With every design comes a new challenge whether that be different label styles, yarn type or complex patterns to link. Therefore, no two days are the same!

Developing my production skills and mastering the process from start to finish has allowed me to make products to the highest standard and meet industry requirements.

NEW SKILLS

Finishing bobble hats was not something I had done before. Consequently it was my biggest challenge and was the process that took the longest to get to grips with. So this made it all the more rewarding to recognise my progress over the months. Now, my favourite hat to finish has got to be the Border Terrier Hat!

Other new skills I have learnt are:

  • Sewing different label types
  • Pom pom making
  • Linking merino products
  • Packing orders
  • Thorough product knowledge
  • Keeping up with the fast-paced environment
A product shot of a border terrier design bobble hat, in burgundy and silver with a brown and black dog.

DESIGN AND MAKE

Another process I have really enjoyed is contributing to product creation. During the 6 months I have learnt new knitting techniques and used new machines. Recently, I knit some of the lambswool wrist warmers which are now on the website.

Through developing my knowledge of Wonky Woolies’ signature style I have been able to create colourways that complement new and existing products. The freedom to experiement with colour and pattern has been invaluable.


Image of three bobble hats on a road. Wonky Woolies logo in the corner with slogan, wonky this way.

My internship has been such a rewarding experience and I am proud of my progress. I have learnt about knitwear in a commercial environment, increased my technical skills and contributed to the daily running of the workshop. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to get stuck in to all of the many processes involved in knitwear production. Above all, it has given me confidence for my next steps as I continue my journey with Wonky Woolies!

Thanks for reading!

Helena 🙂

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