I’m excited to say I’m going to be taking part in a new crochet blog hop! From 1 – 21 September I’m one of many designers taking part in the the ‘Just for Men’ event.
If you’re not sure what a blog hop is it’s basically an online networking event hosted by folks, in this case, in the crochet blogging community. You can think of it as a virtual scavenger hunt, where you will find new designers to follow and get free patterns while you’re at it! You’ll “hop” to each designers blog to get the free pattern details. By doing this you help the us as designers grow our businesses (thank you!), all while receiving a free crochet pattern for yourself (yay!)
This particular event is being run by Two Brothers Blankets and Sunflower Cottage Crochet and will feature 21 fabulous crochet designs for all the dads, granddads, husbands, sons and men friends out there!
Each day beginning TODAY, Friday 1 September, at 11am UK time (6am EST) a brand new pattern will be shared and there are loads of fabulous designers and designers taking part.
AND you lovely crocheters will be able to get each pattern as a free PDF download for 24 hrs with the coupon code that will be provided!
In this Just for Men blog hop, you’ll find crochet men’s and unisex accessories for all your needs. You might want something that:
Adds a dash of colour to a favourite outfit,
Is a modern and stylish men’s garment,
Or features more masculine or unisex stitch patterns,
There are some really fabulous designs on offer in this event and something for everyone!
And of course I have a brand new pattern to share with you – and I’m in love with the texture of this one! I’m going to leave it as a surprise as to which day of September is my day, and what my design is, but I can say it’s a brand NEW cowl design. So watch this space, and don’t forget to keep an eye out on social media for the links to the coupon codes to get that days free pattern.
How the event works:
Go to the main roundup post and scroll to today’s date.
Follow the instructions to get today’s blog post link and / or coupon code.
Click the link and scroll down the designer’s post until you see the download button.
Download the pattern to your device or library!
Patterns will only be available for 24 hours from 1pm to 1pm GMT (8am to 8am EST) the next day.
If you can’t wait for everyday in September, because you want all the things now, then there is also an option to purchase the exclusive pattern bundle for ALL the patterns from the blog hop for just £11.82 ($14.99) – a saving of around £60 ($75)!
This pattern bundle of crochet men’s accessories won’t last for long. It will only be available until Thursday, 21 September2023.
It includes all 21 designs featured in the event bundle that you can download to your favourite device. You’ll then be able to print out individual patterns as your convenience.
And that’s it! A lovely new free PDF pattern to get crocheting for yourself or a fabulous bundle of patterns from 19 fabulous designers. Be sure to give my fellow designers some love as they share their work on each of the blog hop days.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected.
Last weekend I attended the Carry on Crafting Festival at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex. It was a wonderful event and I thought I’d write a post all about the crafty days I spent there.
The Carry on Crafting Festival is new to me and I always like to attend a show that I’ve not been to before to see what it’s like. It is a two day festival, this year on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 July and it’s held about 200 miles away from where I live.
However a superstar friend offered to drive us both down there so I booked a room to stay in locally and we headed off Friday morning so we would be ready for the show start at 9.30am the next day.
Yarn shows and craft festivals always seem to be such great events. A chance to gather with fellow creatives and admire stalls from independent sellers. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to catch up with friends and see some familiar faces!
In fact I bumped into the lovely Eleonora from Coastal Crochet (you can read the designer interview I did with her here) who it was great to catch up with (as you can see I look a bit overexcited!).
I also got to have a quick chat with the lovely Kitey otherwise known as The Yarn Whisperer (my MAL partner in crime) which is always a blast – though we do have a tendency to talk ten to the the dozen and get a bit over excited about things (we may have been chatting about future MAL plans!).
There were loads of many wonderful stands and I did buy a few bits and bobs. As you would expect at a ‘crafting’ festival it wasn’t just yarn (though there were a couple including Kitey’s (The Yarn Whisperer) and Bex (The Pigeon’s Nest).
I will confess to buying some yarn and stitch markers (I can’t help myself!) from Kitey from his tarot collection (to go with some I already have) and some pencils (which I love!) and a fun yarn related sticker from Bex.
I was excited to see in the flesh some of the new kits that Kitey had put together for the Peppermint Pageant. This is the first time a new colourway for one of our MALs has been put together after the MAL has finished. The new colourway is so pretty and I believe will be available in his shop soon once his end of show stock take is done.
The only other bits I ended up buying whilst I was there were some lovely stickers and keyrings to give to my kids and of course the food.
There were several food stands to choose from, prices were reasonable and I would say the sort of prices you would expect at a show. Options ranged from chips, burgers, Mexican food, jacket potatoes and crepes.
The timing of the show was brilliant, being at the start of July meant it didn’t interfere with the school holidays. We were also quite fortunate with the weather; all the stalls for the show are outside and it was nice to have a walk around in the sunshine.
We did have a few showers but it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits it just seemed to add more fun to the experience.
The South of England Showground is huge and there were plenty of spaces set up with seating where you could stop for a bite to eat or just sit, chill and crochet. It’s so nice to see folks able to get back together again in a relaxed way – something we definitely missed during COVID times.
Many of my friends were camping so we all sat together for most of the time, gathered around their tents, crocheting and laughing so much that my ribs were sore afterwards (what a tonic!). I also couldn’t resist getting a souvenir Carry on Crafting glass – used as a refillable option from the bar. I loved that eco friendly offering instead of plastic glasses.
As there was a large group of hooky friends attending the lovely Jess (Hook and Cwtch) and Amanda (Mrs G Makes) and I decided to put together a special collab. It meant we could sit around working on the same project which is always a special thing to do.
The pattern I created is called the Festival FadeShawl (which I will be releasing soon) for which Jess dyed up a gorgeous 100g skein to go with five 20g sparkly minis.
This was then combined with a fabulous tote bag, yarn cosy and cute caravan stitch marker from Amanda.
Although I’d already completed my Festival Fade Shawl in the original colours Jess, being the sweetheart she is, dyed me up a new special colourway which meant I could join in crocheting the project too. Such a kind thing to do and I really enjoyed working on it again without having to do the thinking part!
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the show, and although it was a LONG way to travel to it was most certainly worth the trip. I think I’ll definitely be back to Carry on Crafting Festival next year – who knows I might see you there?!
I’d love to hear about any yarn shows you’ve attended recently, and what you enjoyed about them – drop me a comment below.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
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An article from the Daily Mail was shared with me the other day about the upsurge of crochet in fashion. The person who shared it with me thought I would like it because well ‘crochet’, and also because it suggested crochet clothing is back on trend.
Now I’m interested in all things crochet, and it was lovely to be thought of in terms of having something shared with me, but I found myself going back to the person to explain why crochet in fast fashion, in the type of clothing and accessories you’d find in a high street shop, isn’t a good thing. Then it got me thinking that it might be useful to expand what I said in a blog post so I could share the reasons why crochet and fast fashion isn’t a good mix – so here’s my two pennith-worth.
From funky summer tops, boho cardigans and eclectic patterned bucket hats, when the sun starts shining, then you can be sure that crochet will make an appearance. Now it’s a bit double edged, it’s potentially great that are things that might help reinvigorate the craft especially with a younger generation. It doesn’t hurt to transform what was once viewed as a pastime more fit for your granny into a vibrant expression of style – but we want more people to learn how to make their own items, rather than buy it in a high street shop.
Here’s the main problem; crochet can’t be created on a machine in a factory. It’s not like knitting or sewing, the stitches needed to create a crochet fabric are just too complicated for a machine to replicate. Which makes us folks that do crochet supremely clever (but you knew that already right!).
So every time that a crocheted item is purchased from a high street shop there has got to be an actual crocheter behind it. Sadly it’s most likely a person working 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week and unfortunately, the majority of these crocheters are likely to be women and children. High street brands that sell crochet bags and tops etc are often dramatically underpaying workers to produce these items by hand. This isn’t just hearsay — French prosecutors have opened an investigation into several well-known fashion companies, over suspicions of slave labour.
You can also see it in the cost of the items; crocheted pieces on the high street are retailing for eye-bulging low prices — crocheted tops sell for as little as £4. When you take into account, the making, packing and shipping costs of the garment, the ethics of such clothing becomes very worrying. If you think about how long it must have taken to make the top, and the end price – what must that crocheter be paid for their work in return?
And there’s another knock on effect – when consumers see such low prices associated with crocheted products, its bound to devalue the entire craft. People become less willing to pay for the deservedly high prices for crochet products made ethically by individuals running small businesses.
Add to the fact that many Indie designers have repeatedly called out brands for allegedly selling knockoffs of their designs. Customers then purchase from these large brands totally oblivious to the fact that it’s a stolen design.
It’s hard to appreciate how much work goes into the designing, but I can assure you, it’s A LOT. So it’s devastating when this sort of thing happens – and the consequence of this is frustrated designers. Then what if these designers decide to give up? Well then we potentially get less new and innovative designs to enjoy.
Finally there’s also the huge problem with the fast fashion industry and its negative impact on the environment. The materials that are being used are simply not made to last; they are designed to be worn for a single season and then disposed of which results in masses of textile waste ending up as landfill and microplastics filling our oceans.
Now I don’t think sadly that this sort of thing is going to stop, but raising awareness of this issue can only be a good thing. I’m also hoping that the rise in the number of people actually learning to crochet and make their own pieces will lead to more and more people realising that crochet and fast fashion just isn’t a good thing.
There are somethings we can do to help lessen the strain of crocheted garments in circulation. We can obviously try to minimise our own contribution to harm – and also mention it to our friends and family.
And making your own crochet items is arguably the best way to keep the craft alive but if this isn’t an option for you, then why not buy from independent crochet businesses (on places like Instagram, Depop or Etsy) rather than from fast fashion retailers. If you don’t have the funds to support small businesses in a financial way you could always support them through sharing their work on social media or recommending their stores to other people.
Did you find this article interesting? Do you have any thoughts about crochet in fast fashion? I’d love to hear about it – let me know in the comments below.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
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I’ve been awfully busy recently, with some secret squirrel projects, and so I started thinking about things that I COULD share. It occurred to me that I don’t always show any of the finished objects that I’ve made. I think it’s always nice to see what folks have finished isn’t it – I’m always checking people out (in a non creepy way) if I spy a bit of a crocheted item on their person, don’t you?
My Juniper Cowl by TL Yarn Crafts was definitely a case of me seeing someone else wearing it and deciding I needed to make one too! There was a period of time, when several of us, who attended the The Crochet Sanctuary, had a bit of a craze on Juniper Cowls. Everyone was making them, everyone was wearing them, and of course I couldn’t miss out on that.
There was so much inspiration to be had from all the fabulous ones I’d seen, but I thought I’d try something a little different to see if it would work. So the original pattern by the fabulous designer Toni Lipsey calls for 10 different coloured mini skeins of fingering weight yarn, and don’t get me wrong I’ve seen some fabulous variations using mini skeins, but as I’m trying to do a bit better at using up what I’ve got I wondered if a Scheepjes Whirl might work as a substitute.
Made from a 60% Cotton and 40% Acrylic blend, Scheepjes Whirl‘s are a favourite of mine to create accessories as they are simultaneously lightweight, breathable and have a beautiful drape.
They have a generous twist to enable speed while working the yarn and to help prevent splitting, and each colourway also has a unique twisted ply which adds to the distinctiveness of each colourway. I personally LOVE the way the colours blend together in these Whirls, it’s so subtle and the effects are usually gorgeous. The colour I used was a Woolly Whirl called Sugar Sizzle (shade 472), but any type of Whirl or colour I have no doubt would work.
Scheepjes Whirl yarn cakes are a fingering weight yarn (4ply) that are 1000 m / 215g which is more than enough for a shawl or wrap. So even though it was a bit less than the 250g of fingering weight / 4ply that the pattern calls for I thought it would work. The pattern calls for a 4mm (US size G/6) hook but as a Scheepjes Whirl is more suited to a smaller hook size I went with a 3.5mm (US size E/4) to see what would happen.
I find working on someone else’s pattern very relaxing because all the thinking has been done for me – and that was definitely the case with this project. It was my take out and about project coming with me on car journeys, the playpark and the hairdressers! It’s also a great mindful project to tackle whilst watching TV or listening to a good audio book.
I really enjoyed making this cowl, and I love how it turned out. It’s a great pattern! I have to say it’s a finished item that I’ve used regularly since I’ve worn it. I might just have to make another at some point, though this time I think I’ll defiantly be looking at what hand dyed mini’s I’ve got because that would just be such a delicious project.
Do you have a favourite finished object that you’ve made recently? I’d love to hear about it – let me know in the comments below.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
I’m excited to say I’m going to be taking part in a new crochet blog hop! From 3 – 22 MarchMadame Stitch is hosting a blog hop featuring 22 fabulous crochet designers.
Each day beginning tomorrow, Friday 3 March, at 1pm UK time (8am ET), a crochet wrap, scarf or cowl design will be featured on the Madame Stitch blog.
AND you lovely crocheters will be able to get the pattern as a free PDF download for 24 hrs with the coupon code that will be provided!
In this Spring Edition of the Wraps, Scarves and Cowls blog hop, you’ll find crochet women’s accessories for all your needs. You might want something that:
Adds a dash of color to your favorite outfit.
Wraps you in warmth on a cool spring day.
Creates an elegant evening look for a night out on the town.
There are some really fabulous designs on offer in this blog hop!
I’m going to leave it as a surprise as to which day of March is my day, and what my design is, but I can say it’s a brand NEW cowl design made with some very fabulous yarn from one of my favourite yarn dyers – I think that was quite a big hint! Can you guess which one it is?
If you can’t wait for everyday in March, because you want things now, then there is also an option to purchase the pattern bundle for ALL the patterns from the blog hop for just £12.50 ($15)
It includes all 22 designs featured in the blog hop in one bundle that you can download to your favourite device. You’ll then be able to print out individual patterns as your convenience.
This pattern bundle of crochet women’s accessories won’t last for long. It will only be available until Sunday, 26 March2023.
So make sure you visit the Madame Stitch roundup post every day from 3rd through to the 24th March to pick that day’s featured pattern PDF absolutely free! And be sure to give my fellow designers some love as they share their work on each of the blog hop days.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected.
I had the pleasure of actually meeting Catherine at the end of last year, when I was a guest, and she was the guest designer at The Crochet Sanctuary. You will have no doubt come across her work, as I did, on social media and in magazines – she really has an eye for design using colour work and tapestry crochet.
I was delighted to have a go at her methods of tapestry crochet as we worked on her Winter Flora Cushion as our Crochet Sanctuary crochet workshop project. I thoroughly enjoyed making the cushion, and the tapestry stitch technique, so I wanted to find out a bit more about her designing processes and about her in general. Here’s what we chatted about…
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi Heather! Thanks for inviting me for this interview. It was great to meet you in November at the Crochet Sanctuary and chat all things “crochet designing” with you!
I’m a crochet designer from just outside London, in the UK. I live with my husband and two daughters. As you mentioned, I specialise in tapestry crochet. I absolutely love designing blankets with this technique although I’ve also produced a number of cushion and accessory designs too.
Yes, I’ve always loved crafts. I dabbled in lots of things as a child and my friends were really arty too so we inspired each other and were always making things. I took pottery classes for a few years, which I loved, and also tried lots of other arts and crafts like Fimo, calligraphy, quilling, painting, stamping, cross stitch… I don’t actually think I was particularly yarny as a child though, although I did learn the basics of how to knit.
How did you become a crochet designer? Do you do it full time?
I guess I fell into it a bit by chance really. I started crocheting when my youngest daughter was a toddler, mainly making blankets (with plenty of mistakes in them!). One day, I saw a tapestry crochet scarf online and I absolutely loved the look of it. I’d never seen that kind of crochet before. I thought it would be fabulous to make a blanket with lots of different tapestry crochet patterns on it. And so I came up with the Geo Georgie Blanket. It got a really great response from the crochet community on Instagram, which encouraged me to keep going with more designs and things just spiralled upwards from there.
Sadly, I don’t do it full-time, although I wish I could! I mainly fit it in during my evenings and weekends, and the odd lunchtime crochet break too!
You really seem to enjoy colourwork and tapestry crochet – what is it about that style of crochet that you love?
I love patterns and spot them all over the place. I find it really exciting recreating these patterns in crochet, and tapestry crochet is the perfect technique for this. I especially love taking a motif, like a square or hexagon, with a colour work pattern on it and repeating it over a large blanket to create an even more striking pattern.
Can you tell us about where you draw your inspiration from?
Some is from nature – I really like leaves and flowers – and some is more abstract like pure geometric patterns. I see a lot of inspiration on textile items or even ceramic tiles, that I then love to try recreating with crochet.
What does your design process look like? Do you sketch things out first, or do you just like to grab a hook and start?
I always sketch first. I use a lot of squared paper as I find this is essential when coming up with a tapestry crochet design. I usually draw out a design on squared paper first and then work up a test swatch or motif from that. Mostly, it turns out a bit different to how I expected once I’ve worked it up in crochet, so I make a few tweaks and try again until I’m happy with it.
Sometimes, I plunge straight into making the project and write it all up at the end. However, recently I’ve been getting much better at making notes and starting to write it up as I go along. That saves a lot of time at the end!
Do you have a favourite creation that you’ve designed?
That’s a tough one! Can I pick two?
My personal favourite is my Clarissa Blanket. Both the colours and the pattern are so me. This was a design that I just couldn’t help but make!
However, in terms of getting me started and known as a designer, then I have to say my Midnight Diamond Blanket. This is by far my most popular pattern and I’m so grateful for the wonderful response it’s had and continues to receive.
How do you fit everything in that you want to? Are you strict with yourself and your time or is it a struggle to juggle?
I never fit in everything that I’d like to! But I just do my best to do as much as I can and never miss an opportunity to work a bit more on a project. I make a lot of lists – I find that helps a lot – and I try not to be too hard on myself at not being able to do everything I want to straight away.
What advice or top tips would you suggest for anyone new to colourwork or tapestry crochet?
I’d say that it’s really not as hard as it looks. Watch or read a tutorial first, to get a feel for it. There are lots out there but I have a video tutorial on YouTube or a step-by-step guide on my blog that are both good places to start. Then just dive in with a pattern. I outlined a few relatively simple ones to start with in a blog post if anyone needs some inspiration.
Once you’ve got the hang of it, if you’d like to design your own, then all you need is some squared paper and colouring pencils and away you go!
What can we expect to see from Catherine Crochets in 2023?
This year, I’ve decided to focus on blankets as I love them and they are also my most popular patterns. I’m working on a new floral design at the moment using hexagons, which I’m really excited about.
I’m also hoping to create a tapestry crochet course with a series of patterns of increasing complexity, each introducing a new skill or aspect. That will be quite a big project for me of course, but I’m hoping to start work on it later this spring.
And just for fun if you could have a superpower what would you choose?
I’ve always loved the idea of the time turner that Hermione uses in the Harry Potter books. It would be great to have the power to turn back time so that I could fit more crochet into each day!
I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank Catherine for taking time to chat to me. I’ve really enjoyed getting a better understanding of her life and designing process and hope you have too.
If you enjoyed this interview you can catch up on all the other designer chats and discussions with other people in the fiber industry. And if there’s any other people you’d like to maybe see featured here on the blog, let me know in the comments and I’ll see what I can do.
Make sure you are signed up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts like this one, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected. You can read more about my affiliate links here.
I’m super excited about my next designer interview because I had the pleasure of actually meeting her in October 2021 at The Crochet Sanctuary.
I’ve been following the lovely Esme, aka Red Sparrow Crochet, for awhile, and you will have no doubt have come across her work on social media and in magazines if you are a crochet fan – she’s become kind of synonymous with mosaic crochet.
In fact she has recently written a book titled ‘Mosaic Crochet Workshop’ – which she very kindly signed [my copy] for me when I met her (squee!), and I wanted to find out a bit more about that, about her in general, how she does it all, and her inspiration and designing process.
Here’s what we chatted about…
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Well, after many years of living all over the place- London, Brighton, Madrid- I’ve settled back in my beloved Suffolk in the east of England with my family: one Other Half, two teenagers and of course the world’s grumpiest cat Hank Deluxe. I love Suffolk, it’s so wild and rural, it suits my introverted nature very well!
I work full time as a freelance crochet designer, as an editor for Scheepjes’ YARN Bookazines, and spend any free time hanging out with the kids, playing Scrabble and Risk, walking, cooking lots of exciting vegetarian food, reading…
How did you discover crochet?
Funny story: I actually saw a woman on the beach crocheting and it was one of those wow moments! She was sitting on a deckchair, hooking away, surrounded by loads of kids but so at ease with herself, so calm amidst the sandcastles and tantrums. My kids were very small at that point and I was craving a new skill, having put away my sewing machine due to inquisitive little fingers (my son was one of those danger kids, always found the trouble!). My lovely friend’s mum, Eileen, taught me the basic crochet stitches at playgroup and that was it. I was smitten. Terrible at it but smitten.
How did you become a crochet designer? Do you do it full time? And why is your handle Red Sparrow Crochet?
As is probably the path with many designers, I never intended to become a full time designer, it just built and evolved. I was an English teacher by trade first! I started with selling my designs at craft fairs- I’m the co-founder of an artisan-maker craft collective called The March Hare Collective so I had a ‘natural outlet’ for my work. After a few years of selling finished items (mostly throws and cushions, no surprise there!) I mustered up my courage and asked the lovely editor Claire Montgomerie if she might be interested in my work for Inside Crochet magazine. To my utter shock she said yes, and it was the start of many years designing for Inside Crochet, Simply Crochet, Mollie Makes and Scheepjes. I now mainly self publish my patterns but occasionally take on a magazine design commission if there’s time.
Oh, and the Red Sparrow thing is quite obscure, but the publishing house for Charles Bukowski’s work was called Black Sparrow Press. I’m a big Bukowski fan and I loved the publisher’s name. I have always felt like a little bird, pecking around with bits of fabric and yarn, it seemed suitable. And I was going through a real red obsession at the time!
You have kind of become ‘known’ now for mosaic crochet, what is it about that style of crochet that you love?
It totally makes sense to me, I need pattern and geometric order in my life! I saw a design by Red Heart using the inset crochet technique a few years ago and immediately fell in love with the brilliant yet simple way to draw shapes with yarn!
Where do generally find your creative inspiration?
Oh everywhere, I love seeing shapes in nature, architecture, pavements, anywhere and everywhere! Sometimes I’ll see a gorgeous pattern in my mind before I go to sleep, and even in my dreams too. I then have to try and memorise it till the next day as I’m not organised enough to have a notepad by my bed. My brain likes thinking about patterns while I’m trying to get some rest I think!
What does your design process look like? Do you sketch things out first, or do you just like to grab a hook and start?
Charts, it’s all about the charts. I use Stitch Fiddle (which is a fantastic online tool) to create them as I can set them to the same gauge as the work will appear and choose colours very specifically too. I like to work in a very limited but very specific palette. I currently have 437 charts on the go, many of them will stay as rough ideas which may or may not lead onto finished designs.
Do you have a favourite creation that you’ve designed?
I suppose my first ever mosaic throw design, Diamond Heart, will always be something I’m really proud of. I self-published it, not knowing of course what people would make of it. It’s been a huge seller, unbelievably popular, it blows me away knowing there are countless versions of it around the world. That’s just crazy! But it gave me the confidence to push myself forwards and literally dedicate myself to designing using the inset version of mosaic crochet non-stop. Which leads perfectly onto your next question…!
How did you end up writing a book on mosaic crochet?
So, a few years ago, Ame Verso who is Publishing Director at David and Charles Publishers got in touch and basically told me I needed to write a book of mosaic crochet designs! She’d seen my designs online and must have seen some potential! Once I’d got over the surprise of being approached, I talked to her for a bit, it actually took me two years to agree, but finally I DID agree and Mosaic Crochet Workshop came to life.
Ame and I were supposed to meet for the contract signing but that was in March 2020 and we all know what happened next. So I signed the contract remotely, and spent lockdowns writing the book, doing the day job and homeschooling my son. It’s a bit of a blur now, but suffice to say I’m incredibly proud of the book, the publishers were astonishing in their support and encouragement. All the photography was done under very difficult lockdown conditions, yet the team did an incredible job- the book is more than I ever dreamt it would be. It’s very beautiful and I’m thrilled it’s been so well received.
How do you fit everything in that you want to? Are you strict with yourself and your time or is it a struggle to juggle?
I’m a bit manic, I’m very very organised and disciplined with my work time. It’s not all swanning around all day having lots of coffee breaks and playing with fluffy yarn! I work very hard, I’m extremely focused. I start at 8 in the morning and during busy times will finish at 9-10pm. All creatives will know this (I am sure you know only too well, Heather!) but you can’t switch creativity on and off like a tap. Once you’re on a roll there’s no stopping you is there? So, yes feed the kids, do the housework etc etc but the design work will be waiting to be tackled even if it’s late into the evening.
What advice or top tips would you suggest for anyone new to mosaic crochet?
Oh gosh, just enjoy it and don’t tell yourself it’s too hard to try! I get so many messages from people saying they thought they wouldn’t be able to get to grips with the technique as it looks so complicated… they then try it and are so thrilled they can do it!! If you can make a chain, a dc and a tr (UK terms) then you can follow any of my mosaic patterns! In fact, I give a short step by step tutorial at the start of the book- once you have made the small swatch, you can take on any project. It’s perfect- it looks far more impressive than it actually is! My kind of crochet 🙂
What can we expect from Red Sparrow crochet in 2022?
Oh what a question!! Haha I don’t know is the honest answer! I’ll be editing the Scheepjes’ YARN Bookazines as usual, but am weighing up what to focus on this year. There’ll more than likely be some self-published designs (what with the 437 charts and all that)… and I am toying with the idea of Mosaic Crochet Workshop: The Sequel too!! Let’s see!
If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs—such as food and water—were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?
A sheep (can I have an alpaca too so the sheep doesn’t get lonely??) and a sharp knife. That sounds terrifying for the poor sheep, but don’t worry I’m veggie! I’d like to get into spinning wool, and whittling hooks and knitting needles with the knife. I can’t knit for toffee but can just about cast on, so maybe I can figure it out?? Or I’ll just revert to crochet where I’m more comfortable!
Thanks so much for chatting with me, Heather! It’s a pleasure and an honour to share my crochet ramblings with you.
I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank Esme for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer these questions. I’ve really enjoyed getting a better understanding of her life and designing process and hope you have too.
And if there’s any other designers you’d like to maybe see featured here on the blog, let me know in the comments and I’ll see what I can do!
Make sure you are signed up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts like this one, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
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I’m dead excited about my next designer interview because I had the pleasure of actually meeting her recently at The Crochet Sanctuary – and if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my fan girl moment in my stories. It’s the lovely Rosina aka Zeens and Roger !!!
I’ve been following Rosina since I was told about her vlogcasts on Youtube. Her down to earth, say it like it is, podcast episodes are amongst my favourite podcasts to listen to and watch.
You will have also no doubt, if you are a crochet fan, have seen her awesome Instagram feed and come across some of her lovely designs in magazines like Inside Crochet. She has also, more recently, branched out (pun intended) into hook whittling in her new collaboration Kirk and Roger creating some beautiful handmade hooks.
With
so much going on I wanted to find out a bit more about Rosina, how she does it
all, her inspiration and her designing process. Here’s what we chatted about…
Tell us a little bit about yourself…
I grew up in Southampton but I’ve spent half my life in Devon. I moved to Exeter in the late 90’s to study Art History at uni and never left. For the last ten years I’ve lived in an old town just outside of Exeter. It’s sandwiched between the countryside and the coast. I love it! I’ve worked at a cinema (I still love the smell of popcorn), in social housing (I was rubbish at it) and in HR (interesting stuff). I still dream about working at the cinema even though it was nearly twenty years ago.
How did you discover crochet?
Let’s not count the failed attempts as a child. Instead, I think I can really only say that it was a year after I had my first baby, so nearly 9 years ago. It’s probably a familiar story amongst crafters. Something about starting a family kick started the creativity again (after years of not doing anything crafty). My baby boy received handmade blankets from my family and I wanted in on the action! I started to crochet because I wanted my children to have things I’d made for them. I bought a beginners book and found a YouTube video that I liked and began to make a very long and very uneven chain.
I don’t remember a time that didn’t have me going “off pattern”. However, the first thing I properly designed was a little granny owl decoration. It was the first time I’d written out a pattern anyway. That was around four/five years ago. I remember fretting that I’d never get another idea again. But the wondrous thing about being a crochet addict is that you always want more! The more you do it, the more ideas you get.
In the autumn of 2016 I sent out a few emails to magazines offering my ideas. I was thrilled that one of my ideas was accepted by Inside Crochet (my favourite crochet mag). It was such a buzz and a huge confidence booster!
Where do you generally find your creative inspiration?
I honestly don’t have a clue half the time. Colour is a biggy as I expect it is for everyone. I’m inspired by what my peers/friends are doing too, I think we’re all influenced by the same trends and it’s fascinating to see how we all interpret them differently. My favourite ideas are often the ones that pop in my head from nowhere. But it might be a holiday, pretty wrapping paper or a bonkers conversation and all of a sudden you’re presented with an image of a thing that you have to make and you have to make it NOW!
What does your design process look like?Do you sketch things out first, or do you just like to grab a hook and go?
It’s haphazard! I don’t have a particular routine but I do like to make sketches. The starting point might be the pretty wrapping paper but it might also be a crochet stitch I’ve never seen before. If I fall in love with it I have to use it in something. Or I might lust after some special yarn I’ve seen, which has to be turned into a shawl or blanket.
Do you have a favourite creation that you’ve designed?
I often end up hating the designs I’ve come up with and can’t wait to see the back of them! (I probably spend way too much time with the frog/rework process to have any love left). It’s not always true though, I do have pieces I’m very proud of. My C2C projects make me happy. All the yarn tangling of Havana Nights was worth it in the end! At the moment my favourites are two shawls, Release the Hounds and Hinterland, mostly for their simplicity. Sometimes simple is best!
I’d seen other crocheters explore the idea and fancied having a hook for myself. I asked my friend, Paul to make one for me as his hobby is woodwork. He showed me how to make them and also suggested selling them. It’s quite addictive but I break a lot of sticks trying to make the perfect hook (and I get blisters!). I really should leave the hook making to him and I’ll stick to crochet! Kirk & Roger is a small sideline for us both, it’s fun and no pressure. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed working with someone else. We’re a good team!
What made you decide to start your own podcast?
The number one reason was because my friends in real life reeaalllly weren’t interested in hearing me blather on about crochet all the time. I get way too excited about yarn, patterns, design work etc and you can see eyes begin to glaze over. I thought it’d be a nice outlet for me to find like-minded people to engage with. For me it’s easier than blogging; I just sit down and hit record. I’m more of a talker than a writer.
How do you fit everything in that you want to? Are you strict with yourself and your time or is it a struggle to juggle?
I don’t fit everything in. Not by a long shot. I’m a world class procrastinator and am not strict on myself at all. I reckon I could double my output if I only learned how to be more disciplined. It can be very tricky to stay motivated when you work from home. I force myself to sit at the computer and write those patterns! It’s much easier when working to a deadline for a magazine, there’s an end goal… But I’ll still leave it to the last minute.
What advice would you have for any budding crochet designer, small business owner or podcaster who might like to follow in your footsteps?
Just do it. Start today. If you want to do it, just give it a go! I didn’t have a clue what I was doing but I can confirm that there is never a right time. None of what I do ever looks as good as the next person’s, there is always someone out there who does it way better. But I love it, so I do it anyway. I’ve definitely improved since I hit publish on that first episode, but I am always working towards getting better.
Tomorrow you step outside and find a lottery ticket that ends up winning £100 million. What would you do?
Buy a house big enough to have a craft room. Pay someone to write up my patterns and pay another person to sew in ends. I’d also like to have a yarn and craft shop, supporting local makers and creatives. Oh, and it would be amazing to go to all the yarn shops, all over the world. I want to see what’s out there.
I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank Rosina again for taking time to answer these questions. I’ve really enjoyed getting a better understanding of what’s involved with in her designing process and hope you have too!
Wool@J13 is the most local yarn show to me so I’ve started to mark it on the calendar each year. This year was the third time the show has run and subsequently my third visit to Lower Drayton farm where the show is held in May each year.
For an avid crocheter a day out to a yarn festival is great for your sense of well-being and feelings of harmony with like minded souls. If you’ve not been to a yarn show before you probably need to prepare yourself for so much yarn (all of which you will probably want) and lots of people talking about yarn and knitting and crochet!
As yarn shows go Wool@Jct13 runs over two days (a Saturday and a Sunday) but it isn’t massive, and this year it was smaller than the year before. The stalls for the event are all held in a big structured tent with rows of stalls at each edge and along the centre which you get to walk around in a big sort of loop.
The last two previous years have been blessed with tremendous weather for the shows. This year it was a grey and cloudy so it was great to see lots of people still turn out for the show. Luckily the weather was still warm enough to sit outside and listen to the outdoor music by various artists.
Food-wise there are picnic tables available but most people seemed to just be buying lunch as there were quite a few food stalls at reasonable prices – we all enjoyed sampling pizza and tea and cake over the course of the afternoon.
My girls loved the bands and we were able to sit around and chill as they danced along to each track which was nice. That’s one thing I really love about Wool@Jct13, it’s extremely family friendly – you can just see my two girls (below) walking hand in hand through the stalls and even my husband was quite taken with the colours of the yarns available and by the artistry of some of the felt pictures we saw.
My girls also loved all the animals and the play-park that they have on site. In fact my husband played with them on the play-park whilst I got to have a first leisurely look at stalls then we all went round the stalls again together later. The kids also loved the fact that they got a tractor-trailer ride (there and back) to the show! My three year old was very impressed by the big wheels!
On offer at the show was mainly hand dyed yarn, things for spinners and needle felters, and products celebrating ‘wool’. Actually it is a very WOOLLY show, which based on a farm I think it was bound to be, there are sheep around and also fleece shearing demonstrations which are really interesting to watch. You certainly get a sense of where the yarn is coming from!
In the main tent there was just so much yarn prettiness to drool over that if I had all the money in the world I could have gone crazy – because I pretty much wanted everything I saw!
And I did buy yarn, I can’t lie, I felt it would be rude not to when at a yarn show! I just fell in love with the colourways of five skeins of yarn that had to come home with me. The first two are from Siobhan Crafts and the last three are from Bellica Yarns.
I just loved the speckles and flecks on the first two which are 75% SW Merino and 25% Nylon Double Knit. Together they make 200g and the colourways are OOAK – Prism and Mermaid Scales which I think will go beautifully together in an, as yet unknown, future project.
The gorgeous yellow toned yarns I had to have because I just envisioned them in a summer shawl. I’m going on holiday next week so I’m thinking of caking it up and taking it with me. The vivid block yellow is 100g and the smaller two lovely speckled variegated yarn are 50g each so I have 200g in total which should make a fair sized shawl. There were no colourway names on the labels but both are 4ply 75% SW Merino and 25% Nylon – perfect for a light and airy design I was thinking!
So all in all we enjoyed our visit to this years show and I’m sure you will find us back at Wool@J13 next year! If you are in The Midlands you might want to check it out. But actually if you love yarn then I hope you’ll go along and support any local yarn show, they’ll only be able to keep going if we help keep them running – if that’s not a good excuse for having to buy yarn I don’t know what is!
If you are looking for a yarn show near you I’ve found this comprehensive blog post, by the Travel Knitter, which seems to list all Yarn Shows for 2019 which is just fab (thanks to her for doing that!).
Are you visiting any yarn shows this year? I’d love to hear which ones you are going to and why you’ve chosen that particular one… feel free to drop a comment below.
Until next time – keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Howdy folks, how was your weekend? Mine was a greatly creative one! Mum and I went down to The Knitting and Stitching Show in Olympia London for a weekend away and we had such fun!
I’m feel that I should start with a photo of one of the showstopping photos I took of The Enchanted Wood by the Norfolk Knitters just to entice you in…
Though you might just want to grab a cuppa before you start to read the rest of today’s post, as it’s a bit of a long one with lots of photos… right…you all sorted..then I shall begin.
Have you ever visited a craft show? For a craft lover it’s like a little slice of heaven! The Olympia London may not be as grand a venue as The Alexandra Palace we visited a couple of years ago (you read about that here) but it was still a jam packed with lots of stitching themed loveliness!
After a uneventful journey from Staffordshire (which is always the best kind of journey) we got to the show about midday on the Saturday which was the third day of the show. All the knitting and knitting show events run for a whopping four or five days so there’s usually plenty of time to attend one (or more) of the show dates.
As we were going to be there for two days we decided to be fairly systematic in our approach – the venue was kind of split into two sections, so we thought we’d spend the first day in one half and the second in the next. This worked out pretty well and we got time to see everything we wanted to and have a bit of time to chat to folks – which is the bit I love!
Guess what! We got to chat with the very lovely Katie Jones of Katie Jones Knit!
If you follow Katie, as I do, on Instagram (KatieJonesKnit) you will know that she’s a lover of vibrant bright designs and bold colour combinations. So as you can imagine her stand was just a fantastic pop of colour…and isn’t her t-shirt just the most awesome thing!
We got to see a close up of her amazing Blooming Bomber (which is a FREE download from Katie’s website)…
and the stunning Casa Kahlo Blanket which I just adore(this is ALSO a FREE download from Katie’s website).
She was such a delight to talk to, she’s done so much and worked with so many different people, and was telling us a bit about her history in the fashion industry and how she’s now concentrating on her Make-It-Yourself collections.
We then thought it best to stop monopolising Katie’s time and go and see some of the other things on offer.
Around the corner from Katie’s stand was the Zandra Rhodes exhibit, which was a showcase of garments celebrating iconic British designer Zandra Rhodes’ 50th anniversary.
Zandra Rhodes is well known for her bold iconic prints and this collection was no exception, really interesting to see these statement pieces up close. So much inspiration!
The next stand I was excited to go and see was the fabulous exhibition from the Italian textile artist and designer Luisa De Santi with her Magical Crochet Spells.
Up close it is just the most stunning work! She was explaining to us that everything she crocheted for Crochet Magic Spells was with sort of embroidery cotton and a 2.5mm (US size C/2) hook! Some of her pieces are really quite big so I can’t even imagine the length of time it took to create them.
Crochet Magic Spells (of which you can buy the book of here from Luisa’s website) is just such a wonderful fusion of crochet and embroidery! She was so kind in taking some time to tell us more about her pieces – she’s such a lovely lady.
Much of her work, she says, is just created in an organic way, she may sketch a rough idea but she just lets her pieces develop and grow into the fantabulous pieces of art that they are. Her work is just so intricate and seeing it all up close it just amazing as you can really see and appreciate all the detail, it really was a magical collection.
Around the corner from Luisa was some of Catherine Kaufman’s sculptures. Catherine is a sculptor but not in a traditional sense as her medium is wool. She spins it and needle felts it into large scale sculptures that are just unbelievable!
We did some more browsing of stalls and then found ourselves atSue Strafford’sstand. I’ve seen Sue’s name a lot in Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine so it was really lovely to put a name to a face. And actually my yarn purchase from the show came from her stand!
I completely fell in love with the yarn colourway (by Skein Queen) that she’d used on her Voltage Shawl – so I bought the kit for the yarn (Sue didn’t mind)! The knitting pattern actually hasn’t gone to waste as it went to knitter mum who’s going to have a go at making it (though not with the yarn because that’s all mine!). Just take a look at these beauties!
Meet urban graffiti, charcoal and neon kiwi! Every time I look at them it makes me ridiculously happy! Aren’t they just gorgeous! Sadly I don’t have the time to play with them at the moment, as I’m working on commissions, but I can’t wait till I do! I’m thinking some sort of shawl but the design hasn’t come to me yet!
After all that it was pretty much the end of day one! We’d walked our legs off and needed a bit of a rest! For the start of Day 2 we had already decided we were going to do a workshop.
I always like to take the opportunity at craft shows to try a craft that’s completely different to my own. I’ve found it’s really enjoyable to attempt something I probably wouldn’t otherwise and so that’s how we found ourselves at the RowanDean Embroidery stand.
The workshop was to play around with some techniques that the lovely Katrina from RowanDean has developed in her book Hand Stitched Landscapes and Wild Flowers (available here). And what fun it was! Mum and I spent such an enjoyable couple of hours creating our little wild flower scenes – who knew that french knots could be so addictive!
Both mum and I bought a little hanging hoop in which we can display our finished pieces and once I’ve just added a few more french knots (they really are ever so addictive) I’m going to hang mine above my desk at home.
And now if you were pulled into this post by the Enchanted Wood image at the start then you’ll be delighted to know that, that was our next stop! And can I just say WOW! It was just unbelievable! Fairies, elves, unicorns, gnomes to name a few in a stunning magical knitted and crochet setting.
Everywhere you looked there was something new to see…
A veritable feast for the eyes!
Such a wonderful collection of creativity – and I really also now want to make a crochet tree!
Next it was my complete and absolute delight to meet the one and only Erika Knight! Erika, as you probably well know, is is a highly respected knitwear and crochet designer, who has published more than 20 booked on knitting and crochet. Her designs are always classic yet modern (if that makes sense) and are what I would class as wardrobe staples that you’d get a lot of wear out of. I’ve got to admit I was a bit intimidated to meet her but she’s so lovely!
We were chatting for ages about various things including my goal (to some day) crochet myself a wearable garment, my mum’s crocheted wedding dress and Erika’s love of supporting British manufacturing and wool.
As well as designing Erika also has her own yarn label and she asked me if I’d like to try some yarn that she’s designed especially for crocheters. I squeaked my surprised thank you at her lovely generosity and she allowed me to pick a 50g hank of her Studio Linen to try. I picked the colour Velvet which is a rich, dark heather / auberginy sort of purple.
I’m thinking maybe some lacy summer mitts or maybe a skinny scarf when I get a moment to play!
There’s was so much more than this that we saw over the weekend and so many wonderful other people we met but I think that this blog post is getting quite long enough!
Hopefully you get the general idea about the show and maybe fancy attending one yourself. The Knitting and Stitching Show runs in several venues across the UK with two dates in London each year, the next one for London is in October – you can sign up for the latest news about the shows by subscribing to the newsletter (link on the bottom of the website).
I had my step counter on whilst walking round the event and over the two days we walked the equivalent of 9.6 miles (15.6km) so it was great exercise whilst enjoying ourselves! Aside from the yarn and the frame for my embroidery I bought myself a few bits and bobs including some new scissors, some copies of magazines I hadn’t got, a fun £20 note themed hook case, some material that I wanted and some more safety eyes – I didn’t go too crazy (for once).
Like all the craft events I’ve attended the show is not only about the pretty things I have the opportunity to buy it’s about the people I got to meet. If you get the chance to go to a future Knitting and Stitching Show I can thoroughly recommend it.
Before I finish off this post I’m just going to say a quick thank you to the organisers of the show for my complimentary tickets and goodie bag and for also giving me a press badge – I seriously will never lose the glee of that!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
