MONTY is the working title of the knitted textile designer Claire Montgomerie, who many of you may recognise from loop. She is the one who, in between helping with your knitting dilemmas, can be seen stroking the lovely yarn and thinking up new ways of making it into little people. Claire has always taken pleasure in drawing and sketching and this enjoyment has led to an obsession with trying to translate her drawings into knitted products.
Monty toys are all translated from Claire's or Model Robot's sketches. The making began after collaboration with animation company Model Robot and she loved making toys of their characters so much that she progressed from there. "I need each toy to have its own personality and the result is that each toy becomes almost like a little being, an old friend.one of my babies!"
The toys have the charm of an old familiar childhood possession, as each is made from a variety of found and vintage fabrics, beads and buttons and oddments of threads and hand knitted yarn. They are also far from perfect, with limbs, eyes or features missing, and some looking almost threadbare.
"It gives me great satisfaction when people compare them to their own long gone but not forgotten toy." |
Loop sells a range of Monty toys, with some, like pointy aliens, being designed exclusively for the shop, from yarn which is sold here. Claire's favourites, however, have to be munki and rabbit, who can be bought separately, but are happiest when they sit together, with long arms in an eternal hug.
Monty also makes a collection of accessories, which are eclectic in range with each piece differing from the next. "This is probably due to my untidy brain which hates to work on any one thing for too long, resulting in my working on many different projects at once. " The accessories vary from jewellery made from hand knitted beads and bobbles, to scarves, bags and interior products. "I like to think that each piece shows my own quirky style, producing something that is distinctive and unique, yet ultimately wearable or usable."
Claire can also be seen giving knitting lessons to beginners in loop, writing and designing patterns for knitting and crochet books, and working with children and young people in arts and crafts.
www.clairemontgomerie.com |
