"Now is the time to do your own thing - branch out" said Kim's mother Kathleen.

Kim had just left Rowan where she had been a key performer in their great success story for over twenty years. A multi-talented knitwear designer Kim had managed the Rowan brand; creating hundreds of individual designs; selecting new yarn colours; master-minding the fashion stories for the magazines and styling the photographs that would inspire so many people to knit with style.

Kim had joined the company at seventeen straight from school - it was time for a change and a great opportunity to 'do her own thing'.

And this is it - KIM HARGREAVES - her own on-line label with yarns, patterns and any trimmings all available by mail order, neatly packaged.

There will be fresh ideas introduced four times a year and they will cover a very varied range of styles from classic to funky, from chunky to delicate, from accessories to major pieces. The looks are based firmly on what is happening in fashion with attitude not age being Kim's guide-line. Some are easy to knit - others, more challenging. There is something irresistible for everyone.

Kim's new company is based in her home town of Holmfirth, Yorkshire. And her partner is someone with a wealth of experience in the handknitting trade - her mother Kathleen Hargreaves. They make an unbeatable professional duo.

Words by Kathryn Samuel