We’re going through changes
It was with great excitement back in July that we took the plunge to formally register JANIE CROW as a limited company. This was a big step for us here in the Crowfoot household and involved quite a lot of sleepless nights, but we felt that it is the way forward for our business and of course - once all the formalities were over - it was really exciting to see the word ‘DIRECTOR’ next to our names!
The amazing response to The Crochet Club was the main reason for our need to register a company. The club has grown much larger than we had ever expected and with this growth comes the responsibility of making sure things are done properly and of course ‘by the book’. Being a limited company will mean that in due course we will be able to accept credit card payments and offer customers more choice when or applying for club membership and when using the web site.
Over the next few months you will see some changes to the web site as it is in need of a little over haul (know how it feels) and needs to be updated more frequently that we have been able to do it over the past year. We are always on the look out for new exciting products to put on there so if you know of anything that might interest us then please get in touch.
The amazing response to The Crochet Club was the main reason for our need to register a company. The club has grown much larger than we had ever expected and with this growth comes the responsibility of making sure things are done properly and of course ‘by the book’. Being a limited company will mean that in due course we will be able to accept credit card payments and offer customers more choice when or applying for club membership and when using the web site.
Over the next few months you will see some changes to the web site as it is in need of a little over haul (know how it feels) and needs to be updated more frequently that we have been able to do it over the past year. We are always on the look out for new exciting products to put on there so if you know of anything that might interest us then please get in touch.
The Crochet Club 2012 - Team JANIE CROW
A whopping 230 people have already committed themselves to membership for next year and payment requests have been sent out via email over the last week or so. You can submit a membership application through until mid December so there is still plenty of time to take a look at all the details on the web site and consider membership for yourself or as a special gift for someone else.
To make the Crochet Club run smoothly we have put into place a dedicated team who will be on hand to help and guide you not only through the process of application and making payments, but also to help you work through the project next year.
The lovely Mr Crowfoot has kindly agreed to deal with almost all of the ‘tecky’ bits that I dislike so much! Andy will be the one who deals with things such as excel spreadsheets, payment plans and web site queries and he has been very busy over the last few months formulating his systems to make sure that everything on logistical side of the club runs smoothly.
The equally lovely Erica Pask has thankfully also agreed to come on board as a member of the Crochet Club team. Erica was responsible for pattern checking this year’s project and was a real asset to me when I was writing the on line tips and techniques monthly updates for the blog. For 2012 Erica will be in place not only to pattern check the new project, but also to deal with any pattern queries or questions relating to any of my designs including the download web site patterns. More news on how to contact Erica will follow in forthcoming newsletters once we have all arrangements in place.
To make the Crochet Club run smoothly we have put into place a dedicated team who will be on hand to help and guide you not only through the process of application and making payments, but also to help you work through the project next year.
The lovely Mr Crowfoot has kindly agreed to deal with almost all of the ‘tecky’ bits that I dislike so much! Andy will be the one who deals with things such as excel spreadsheets, payment plans and web site queries and he has been very busy over the last few months formulating his systems to make sure that everything on logistical side of the club runs smoothly.
The equally lovely Erica Pask has thankfully also agreed to come on board as a member of the Crochet Club team. Erica was responsible for pattern checking this year’s project and was a real asset to me when I was writing the on line tips and techniques monthly updates for the blog. For 2012 Erica will be in place not only to pattern check the new project, but also to deal with any pattern queries or questions relating to any of my designs including the download web site patterns. More news on how to contact Erica will follow in forthcoming newsletters once we have all arrangements in place.
New Book
Following the success of The Ultimate Crochet Bible, which was published almost a year ago, Collins and Brown agreed to my proposal to publish a book dedicated to the home interior for which projects will include such things as cushions, throws and bean bags.
The title has been a massive undertaking for me as it includes 28 projects which are either knitted or crocheted, some of which are on a very large scale.
The projects have all now been photographed and the book is on course to be published early 2012. The title has yet to be decided, but as soon as I find out for sure the publication details I will let you all know.
The title has been a massive undertaking for me as it includes 28 projects which are either knitted or crocheted, some of which are on a very large scale.
The projects have all now been photographed and the book is on course to be published early 2012. The title has yet to be decided, but as soon as I find out for sure the publication details I will let you all know.
Download Patterns
Work on the new book has meant that I have not had the time to design new download patterns for the JANIE CROW web site. Having the dedicated JANIE CROW team that I mentioned earlier should mean that I get more time to spend on my beloved knitting and crochet, and thus in turn more new downloads for the web site.
I have had many requests to publish the pattern for the crochet butterfly which some of you may have seen either on my blog or on the web site. Many of the colours that I used in the original design have now been discontinued, so I have managed to find the time to redesign the pattern with new colours in order to release it as a download by early October, so you may want to keep an eye on the pattern page on the web site.
I have had many requests to publish the pattern for the crochet butterfly which some of you may have seen either on my blog or on the web site. Many of the colours that I used in the original design have now been discontinued, so I have managed to find the time to redesign the pattern with new colours in order to release it as a download by early October, so you may want to keep an eye on the pattern page on the web site.
The Knitting & Stitching Show
In October we are once again going to be at the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace. The Crochet Club project 2011 will be on display along with a special sneak peek at part of next year’s project and we will of course be bringing along our stock of the lovely Holz & Stein needles and the Prym and Addi range of crochet hooks for you to try. The stand will be a whole meter bigger which means we will have more space to display the cushion collection and we may even have room to sit down! Erica will be on the stand with me on Thursday and Friday and the stand is the same location as last year – Stand M36 in the main hall.
The Knitting and Stitching Show runs from the 6th – 9th October. For advanced tickets (which are cheaper) go to the Twisted Thread web site.
The Knitting and Stitching Show runs from the 6th – 9th October. For advanced tickets (which are cheaper) go to the Twisted Thread web site.
Workshops & Tours
Debbie Abrahams and I are very pleased to announce that we have once again been invited to tutor a workshop together at the beautiful Chateau St Julien de l'Ars, just outside Poitiers in association with Sue Culligan who now provides a range of workshops set in the countryside of France.
The workshop is designed to encourage guests to experiment with both knitting and crochet to create something for the home. It will be an exciting week of workshops held in an inspirational setting at the beautiful chateau.
For further details and to book a space email sueculligan@gmail.com (there are currently only 9 spaces left)
The workshop runs from the 16th - 22nd September 2012
Debbie and I will also be tutoring a whole range of exciting tours aimed at knitters and crocheters and the destinations currently include the Shetland Islands, Tuscany and Marrakesh. Debbie and I are really chuffed to have been invited to tutor these exciting tours which are arranged by travel company Arena Travel and have the added bonus of a holiday guide throughout.
The tours are aimed at knitters who wish to visit these amazing locations accompanied by like minded people with the added bonus of some knitting workshops within the itinerary. For more information take a look at the Arena Web site.
The workshop is designed to encourage guests to experiment with both knitting and crochet to create something for the home. It will be an exciting week of workshops held in an inspirational setting at the beautiful chateau.
For further details and to book a space email sueculligan@gmail.com (there are currently only 9 spaces left)
The workshop runs from the 16th - 22nd September 2012
Debbie and I will also be tutoring a whole range of exciting tours aimed at knitters and crocheters and the destinations currently include the Shetland Islands, Tuscany and Marrakesh. Debbie and I are really chuffed to have been invited to tutor these exciting tours which are arranged by travel company Arena Travel and have the added bonus of a holiday guide throughout.
The tours are aimed at knitters who wish to visit these amazing locations accompanied by like minded people with the added bonus of some knitting workshops within the itinerary. For more information take a look at the Arena Web site.
The Crochet Club 2012
Following the success of The Crochet Club 2011 - we are proud to announce that we are now ready to receive applications to join the club in 2012. Members of the crochet club will receive all yarns, beads and patterns needed to create the exclusive project which incorporates many crochet techniques and could act as an excellent learning tool for those wanting to enhance their existing skills and learn new methods of working a crochet fabric.The design for 2012 has been inspired by traditional lace crochet and patchwork design. The project is made up of both conventional and contemporary crochet pieces which, when put together, create a lovely piece which could be used as a small bed cover or throw. The colour palette is feminine and pretty with pieces widely based on floral designs. Techniques used include beading, lace crochet and colour changing.
Club members will be sent a kit containing all yarn and beads in February 2012. Patterns will be sent over the course of the subsequent 6 months via email and club members will also be supported by a dedicated blog which will be updated frequently with tips, techniques and mini master-classes for those in need of a little help and encouragement.
Membership to the club will be limited so that the piece remains exclusive and the patterns will not be published elsewhere. All yarn used will be from the Rowan Cotton Glace range and all beads will be from the Debbie Abrahams range. Membership of the club is open to everyone regardless of where in the world you live and in 2011 we had 250 members from all corners of the world including China, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, France, Germany, Norway and the UK. We have tried really hard to keep the price of membership as low as possible, but the total price will depend on where in the world you live due to variations in postal charges.
For more information on prices and to fill in your application form please visit The Crochet Club page on the JANIE CROW web site.
Innocent's Big Knit
Worldwide Knitting in Public Day was on Saturday 11th June and it marked the official woolly launch of this year’s 'Innocent Big Knit' and they need your help!
They want to raise £160k this year for Age UK by knitting 650,000 little hats which will go on their smoothie bottles and be sold in stores in November. For every little hat knitted, they will give 25p to Age UK to help them make winter a little warmer for older people across the UK.
Innocent need your help to reach this huge target - they have 3 different patterns to start you off and there will be lots more going up on their website very soon. You can find the patterns by searching 'Innocent’s Big Knit' on Ravelry and the pdfs will also be going up on the website over the next weeks
Every hat counts- so why not get together this Saturday with your Knitting chums and make a few hats for Innocent’s Big Knit?
They want to raise £160k this year for Age UK by knitting 650,000 little hats which will go on their smoothie bottles and be sold in stores in November. For every little hat knitted, they will give 25p to Age UK to help them make winter a little warmer for older people across the UK.
Innocent need your help to reach this huge target - they have 3 different patterns to start you off and there will be lots more going up on their website very soon. You can find the patterns by searching 'Innocent’s Big Knit' on Ravelry and the pdfs will also be going up on the website over the next weeks
Every hat counts- so why not get together this Saturday with your Knitting chums and make a few hats for Innocent’s Big Knit?
The Crochet Club Project 2011
Here we are in June and I can’t believe that the members of my Crochet Club 2011 have now been sent their final set of patterns and that I am getting reports of completed projects from my current members. It is incredible how quickly the last 6 months have gone by – terrifying actually – as my life seems to be flying by me at an absurd rate, but I guess being busy is better than being bored and wishing time away.
I hope that members have enjoyed working through the Crochet Club Project for 2011 and are pleased with the end result. I know that a lot of them have used the project as a learning tool and I have had a lot of feedback from members saying that they have been pushed to master new techniques and try new things that they would not have tackled before. I hope that they have found the way I have written the patterns along with the blog postings a useful learning tool and that they feel have benefitted from being a member of the club - even if they might not be entirely in love with the design!
The project for next year will be based on traditional lace designs and as such will have a more feminine feel with a much softer colour palette. It is really hard trying to design something that will appeal to a large range of people and for a while I found it difficult to get going on the design, spending a lot of time worrying about whether you guys might like it, but eventually my lovely husband got fed up with my turmoil and made this very astute observation:
The second biggest selling album of all time is ACDC’s ‘Back in Black’; the third best seller is Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark side of the Moon’ and the fourth is the sound track from the film ‘The Bodyguard’ featuring Whitney Houston. All these albums sold over 40 million copies each.
I like ACDC and can just about put up with Pink Floyd (in small doses) and I could probably sit through the soundtrack to the ‘Bodyguard’ so long as there was a glass of wine and a good magazine handy, however (and this is my husband’s point), what would fill me with a feeling of complete horror would be the prospect of listening to ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson which takes the number one spot in the list of best selling albums of all time and has outsold the other 3 I have mentioned by over 60 million copies!
Now – I realise that I have probably mortally offended those of you who loved the late MJ, (those of you who can do the moon walk and have a bit of a thing for sparkly gloves and face masks) but unfortunately his music would not even make it into my top 100 even though the equivalent of double the population of the United Kingdom own a copy!
With this analogy in mind I am now well and truly within the throws of my new design (with the saying ‘you can’t please all of the people all of the time’ ever present in my mind) and although I have not yet managed to post the images I promised you at the end of May things are now on track and there should be some images to show you pretty soon. Please be patient with me – I hope to get the images sorted within the next month and will let you all know when everything is finalised. There is still plenty of time before participants for next year need to confirm their places and you guys will be offered places first so please don’t worry about the time scale. If you havent yet submitted your details so that you will be offered a place for 2012 you can do so by visiting my web site and filling in an on line registration form.
Hook Yarn and Tinker
Rowan’s team of Design Consultants was set up in 1995 when Kate Buller recognized the need for a team of expert knitters to work within stores to help demonstrate and teach, and of course ultimately sell, all the wonderful yarns that Rowan had to offer. Kate realized that a premium brand such as Rowan needed to have an in store ‘face’ and point of contact for the many knitters who would find themselves in need of expert help. Kate’s team of consultants grew quickly over the course of a few years as knitting became more popular and it was around this time that the media began to talk of the knitting revival.
So here we are, 15 years later, a few more wrinkles and grey hairs along our paths of life, still hearing through different sources that knitting is the new yoga and bang on trend, that it is still big news and a great lifestyle choice. Every few months the Sunday Newspaper supplements will run an article on this ‘new’ trend and suggest that soon ‘everyone’ will be busy knitting! Statistics support the growth of the interest in the field, indeed a survey in 2005 found that over 6% of the female population of the UK and 36% of the female population in the US frequently knitted or crocheted, whilst a more recent survey has shown that the percentage of women under the age of 45 who know how to knit and crochet has doubled in the past six years. I don’t know about you – but this hard statistical proof goes a long way to making me feel a little less of an abnormality amongst my peers and; whilst I don’t imagine that one day I will hop on the bus and discover every single person getting busy with a pair of knitting needles in their hands; I do accept that chancing upon a person sat knitting in public or discovering that someone I know is a knitter is far more common place than it once was.
At times of economic down turn it is common to see an upsurge in people looking to the craft market for ways of filling their spare time and learning new hobbies. We have all seen a massive trend towards the whole ethos of the ‘make do and mend’ era with traditional crafts making a speedy come back and the vogue for all things vintage is abundantly reflected in current interior design, fashion and lifestyle choices. Sewing has been one of the success stories in this new trend with many people either learning to sew or coming back to the craft after many years away. More recently it is the craft of crochet that appears to be at the forefront of this increased interest in crafts as a whole. Indeed, in a recent poll conducted by Channel 4 for the TV programme ‘Kirstie’s Homemade Home’ crochet was the most requested craft that people wanted to learn more about.
Although I learnt the basic crochet stitches whilst at Art School in my late teens/early 20s and was shown the basic methods by my Great Grandmother when I was a small child of perhaps just 8 or 9 years old, it was only relatively recently that I really go to grips with the craft. As Rowan increased the amount of pattern support for the craft I found the desire to improve my skills also increased. In order to remind myself of the craft I attended a ‘Learn to Crochet’ workshop run by a fellow DC and soon found myself completely hooked - even though my first attempts at pattern reading were a complete sham with me producing a misshapen hexagonal piece rather than a traditional Granny Square! Over the past 4 years I have practiced hard and learnt loads of techniques -crochet has become my passion and I rarely go anywhere without a ball of yarn and a hook crammed into my hand bag or pocket! It is brilliantly portable and easy to manage and requires very little in the way of equipment. It is also incredibly speedy and even though it uses relatively more yarn per stitch than it’s knitting counter part it is still a relatively cheap hobby with many projects using up left over bits and bobs or requiring just a few balls of yarn to complete.
It is difficult to establish quite where the craft of crochet originates and for how long it has been around. Unlike the craft of knitting there has yet to be a discovery of crocheted relics from a bygone age, with the oldest pieces of crochet appearing to date back only as far as the late 17th Century, although there is speculation that the craft was practiced by Nuns as far back as the 15th Century. This lack of hard evidence means that we can only be sure of the existence of the craft in relatively recent terms.
It is believed that the craft evolved from an ancient method of embroidery called ‘Tambouring’ which was practiced in China, India, Persia, North Africa and Turkey. Tambour was a form of embroidery which was worked onto a background fabric stretched on a wooden frame. Stitches were made using a small crochet type hook which was pushed through the fabric to catch the yarn which was held to the back and make chain stitches. Tambour hooks were as fine as sewing needles and the thread used was compatibly delicate. It is believed that embroiderers realised that the background fabric was not imperative to hold the stitches in place and that the chain formation of the stitches would remain in position without it. Historians refer to this theory and consequent practice as ‘tambour in aria’ or ‘tambour in the air’.
At the end of the 18th Century there are references to ‘crochet in the air’ which seems to have been popular predominantly in France. Indeed the word ‘crochet’ comes from the middle French word ‘croche’ which means ‘hook’. Fashions of the time included lots of hand made lace; this was costly and time consuming to make and could only be afforded by the rich. The poorer members of the population tried to duplicate the fine lace fabrics using crochet techniques and for a while crochet was stigmatised as ‘poor mans lace’ and seems to have been practiced by only a small number of crafts people, however the reputation of crochet was given a reprieve in the later part of the 1800s when Queen Victoria enhanced the popularity of the craft by crocheting and wearing her own pieces. Indeed in the Victorian era crochet lace was used not only to adorn clothes, but also to decorate household items and accessories too. Hooks used were very fine as were the threads.
From the early part of the 20th Century crochet became a leisure craft for women to practice in their spare time and by the 1940s and certainly during the second World War crochet seems to have taken a bit of a back seat, perhaps this was because yarn was on ration and as crochet uses up substantially more yarn than knitting the latter was the logical choice. However, after the war, crafts such as knitting, crochet and embroidery saw an upsurge once again and by the late 1960s and 1970s crochet had became a popular craft once more. Designers began to push the boundaries of the craft and sourced unusual ‘yarns’ such as string and wire to create their designs and it became fashionable to make quirky fun items such as place mats, blankets and bags and of course who could forget those crochet toilet roll covers? Crafts as a whole took a bit of a nose dive in the later part of the 20th Century, but thankfully (as I have already pointed out) we have seen a steady return in popularity of both knitting and crochet in the early part of the new millennium.
Even though I am a relative new-be to the craft of crochet I have been lucky enough to author my own crochet title in the shape of The Ultimate Crochet Bible which was recently published by Collins and Brown. Working on this title was a massive undertaking for me and the decision to take on the book was not one that I took lightly. As a relative new comer to the craft I was concerned that my depth of knowledge may not be adequate to ensure that I was au fait with all that was needed to complete such a massive project. After a few weeks deliberation and research I was convinced that I really wanted to write the book and that my passion for the craft was enough to overcome the hurdles of working on such a mammoth title.
Once mastered, crochet is quick and portable, equipment is minimal and inexpensive and there are really only a few basic hook movements to master. Today’s crocheters are a new breed of crafter compared to those of a bygone age. They do not crochet to pass away their time, to make a living or as a money saving exercise as in the day of ‘make do and mend’, but rather they see crochet as a life style choice not merely a hobby and are prepared to spend many hours (and plenty of money) on their projects. They are looking to expand their knowledge of the craft and use it not only as a hobby, but also as a therapeutic medium. Indeed it has been proven that crochet not only helps you relax, but can induce a state similar to meditation and can even lower blood pressure and feelings of anxiety.
At a time when financial pressures are high on us all and we all have little choice but to work full or part time it appears that the concept of domesticity appears to be making a come back with many people deciding to spend more of their leisure time at home carrying out domestic based hobbies such as baking, card making, knitting and of course crocheting. At a time when anything ‘vintage’ is the epitome of fashion both for the clothing and interior trades it is no surprise that this wonderful craft has once again come to the forefront of popularity.
So here we are, 15 years later, a few more wrinkles and grey hairs along our paths of life, still hearing through different sources that knitting is the new yoga and bang on trend, that it is still big news and a great lifestyle choice. Every few months the Sunday Newspaper supplements will run an article on this ‘new’ trend and suggest that soon ‘everyone’ will be busy knitting! Statistics support the growth of the interest in the field, indeed a survey in 2005 found that over 6% of the female population of the UK and 36% of the female population in the US frequently knitted or crocheted, whilst a more recent survey has shown that the percentage of women under the age of 45 who know how to knit and crochet has doubled in the past six years. I don’t know about you – but this hard statistical proof goes a long way to making me feel a little less of an abnormality amongst my peers and; whilst I don’t imagine that one day I will hop on the bus and discover every single person getting busy with a pair of knitting needles in their hands; I do accept that chancing upon a person sat knitting in public or discovering that someone I know is a knitter is far more common place than it once was.
At times of economic down turn it is common to see an upsurge in people looking to the craft market for ways of filling their spare time and learning new hobbies. We have all seen a massive trend towards the whole ethos of the ‘make do and mend’ era with traditional crafts making a speedy come back and the vogue for all things vintage is abundantly reflected in current interior design, fashion and lifestyle choices. Sewing has been one of the success stories in this new trend with many people either learning to sew or coming back to the craft after many years away. More recently it is the craft of crochet that appears to be at the forefront of this increased interest in crafts as a whole. Indeed, in a recent poll conducted by Channel 4 for the TV programme ‘Kirstie’s Homemade Home’ crochet was the most requested craft that people wanted to learn more about.
Although I learnt the basic crochet stitches whilst at Art School in my late teens/early 20s and was shown the basic methods by my Great Grandmother when I was a small child of perhaps just 8 or 9 years old, it was only relatively recently that I really go to grips with the craft. As Rowan increased the amount of pattern support for the craft I found the desire to improve my skills also increased. In order to remind myself of the craft I attended a ‘Learn to Crochet’ workshop run by a fellow DC and soon found myself completely hooked - even though my first attempts at pattern reading were a complete sham with me producing a misshapen hexagonal piece rather than a traditional Granny Square! Over the past 4 years I have practiced hard and learnt loads of techniques -crochet has become my passion and I rarely go anywhere without a ball of yarn and a hook crammed into my hand bag or pocket! It is brilliantly portable and easy to manage and requires very little in the way of equipment. It is also incredibly speedy and even though it uses relatively more yarn per stitch than it’s knitting counter part it is still a relatively cheap hobby with many projects using up left over bits and bobs or requiring just a few balls of yarn to complete.
It is difficult to establish quite where the craft of crochet originates and for how long it has been around. Unlike the craft of knitting there has yet to be a discovery of crocheted relics from a bygone age, with the oldest pieces of crochet appearing to date back only as far as the late 17th Century, although there is speculation that the craft was practiced by Nuns as far back as the 15th Century. This lack of hard evidence means that we can only be sure of the existence of the craft in relatively recent terms.
It is believed that the craft evolved from an ancient method of embroidery called ‘Tambouring’ which was practiced in China, India, Persia, North Africa and Turkey. Tambour was a form of embroidery which was worked onto a background fabric stretched on a wooden frame. Stitches were made using a small crochet type hook which was pushed through the fabric to catch the yarn which was held to the back and make chain stitches. Tambour hooks were as fine as sewing needles and the thread used was compatibly delicate. It is believed that embroiderers realised that the background fabric was not imperative to hold the stitches in place and that the chain formation of the stitches would remain in position without it. Historians refer to this theory and consequent practice as ‘tambour in aria’ or ‘tambour in the air’.
At the end of the 18th Century there are references to ‘crochet in the air’ which seems to have been popular predominantly in France. Indeed the word ‘crochet’ comes from the middle French word ‘croche’ which means ‘hook’. Fashions of the time included lots of hand made lace; this was costly and time consuming to make and could only be afforded by the rich. The poorer members of the population tried to duplicate the fine lace fabrics using crochet techniques and for a while crochet was stigmatised as ‘poor mans lace’ and seems to have been practiced by only a small number of crafts people, however the reputation of crochet was given a reprieve in the later part of the 1800s when Queen Victoria enhanced the popularity of the craft by crocheting and wearing her own pieces. Indeed in the Victorian era crochet lace was used not only to adorn clothes, but also to decorate household items and accessories too. Hooks used were very fine as were the threads.
From the early part of the 20th Century crochet became a leisure craft for women to practice in their spare time and by the 1940s and certainly during the second World War crochet seems to have taken a bit of a back seat, perhaps this was because yarn was on ration and as crochet uses up substantially more yarn than knitting the latter was the logical choice. However, after the war, crafts such as knitting, crochet and embroidery saw an upsurge once again and by the late 1960s and 1970s crochet had became a popular craft once more. Designers began to push the boundaries of the craft and sourced unusual ‘yarns’ such as string and wire to create their designs and it became fashionable to make quirky fun items such as place mats, blankets and bags and of course who could forget those crochet toilet roll covers? Crafts as a whole took a bit of a nose dive in the later part of the 20th Century, but thankfully (as I have already pointed out) we have seen a steady return in popularity of both knitting and crochet in the early part of the new millennium.
Even though I am a relative new-be to the craft of crochet I have been lucky enough to author my own crochet title in the shape of The Ultimate Crochet Bible which was recently published by Collins and Brown. Working on this title was a massive undertaking for me and the decision to take on the book was not one that I took lightly. As a relative new comer to the craft I was concerned that my depth of knowledge may not be adequate to ensure that I was au fait with all that was needed to complete such a massive project. After a few weeks deliberation and research I was convinced that I really wanted to write the book and that my passion for the craft was enough to overcome the hurdles of working on such a mammoth title.
Once mastered, crochet is quick and portable, equipment is minimal and inexpensive and there are really only a few basic hook movements to master. Today’s crocheters are a new breed of crafter compared to those of a bygone age. They do not crochet to pass away their time, to make a living or as a money saving exercise as in the day of ‘make do and mend’, but rather they see crochet as a life style choice not merely a hobby and are prepared to spend many hours (and plenty of money) on their projects. They are looking to expand their knowledge of the craft and use it not only as a hobby, but also as a therapeutic medium. Indeed it has been proven that crochet not only helps you relax, but can induce a state similar to meditation and can even lower blood pressure and feelings of anxiety.
At a time when financial pressures are high on us all and we all have little choice but to work full or part time it appears that the concept of domesticity appears to be making a come back with many people deciding to spend more of their leisure time at home carrying out domestic based hobbies such as baking, card making, knitting and of course crocheting. At a time when anything ‘vintage’ is the epitome of fashion both for the clothing and interior trades it is no surprise that this wonderful craft has once again come to the forefront of popularity.
Knitting in Stockholm September 16th - 19th 2011
With it's charming architecture, green spaces, 14 islands and 57 bridges, the aptly named 'Venice of the North' is one of Europe's most beautiful cities. Combine this with a chance to enjoy a workshop in a cosy knitting cafe, plus view some exquisite mitten making, and you have have a fascinating long weekend for knitters of all persuasions.
Led by myself, this tour offers a superb mix of knitting and sightseeing. A visit to a friendly Rowan Wincent shop in the city's Vasasten district ensures a chance to discover some wonderful yarns and sample knitting Swedish Style. A journey out of the city and into the countryside will also give you a real flavour of Swedish Life and traditional knitting techniques.
I am really looking forward to this tour and can't wait to see what Stockholm has in store for us. I'm a real Steig Larrson fan too - so the prospect of bumping into the girl with the Dragon tattoo is adding extra excitement!
If you would like to come along and spend this weekend with me then why not take a look at the Arena Travel Web site.
Finishing Techniques For Handknitters
My first book - Finishing Techniques For Handknitters - was first published in 2003 and has been reprinted ever since, however this title is now out of print and according to the publishers there are no plans to republish it.
The book is currently for sale at ridiculously high prices (£248 being the highest price I have seen so far!), but you can still get used copies on line for relatively cheap prices if you are prepared to hunt around.
The book was first published in the US under the title 'All Stitched up' and there are new copies of this book available at the recommended retail price should you be prepared to hunt around for it - although the price appears to fluctuate quite alot - of course second hand copies are cheaper! The US version is EXACTLY the same as in the UK it simply has a different title!
Knitting Tours
Exciting News!
Debbie Abrahams and myself have been asked to tutor a range of exciting tours aimed at knitters and the destinations include Stockholm, the Shetland Islands, Tuscany and Marrakesh. Debbie and I are really chuffed to have been invited to accompany and tutor on these exciting tours which are arranged by travel company Arena Travel and have the added bonus of a holiday guide throughout.
The tours are aimed at knitters who wish to visit these amazing locations accompanied by like minded people with the added bonus of some knitting workshops within the itinerary. For more information take a look at the Arena Web site.
Crochet Flowers @ Charleston House
On Saturday I tutored a crochet workshop at the amazing Charleston house in Lewes.I felt extremely privileged to be invited along to take this workshop and was luckier still to be given access to the house kitchen for the day - a room usually out of bounds to visitors.
Within the incredible setting of the house kitchen, surrounded by Quentin Bell's pieces of pottery and Vanessa Bell's beautifully painted furniture, the workshop participants - many of whom had never crocheted before - set about producing their own crochet flowers. By the end of the day many of them had made their own floral design which they could take home and make into a corsage or use to embellish something else.
Charleston run many lovely workshops and events including the Charleston Festival which is an annual literary event which takes place over a 10 day period at the end of May. Now in its 22nd year, the festival takes place in a traditional marquee in the beautiful grounds of the farmhouse garden and regularly attracts a stimulating array of writers, performers, politicians and thinkers, both high profile and up and coming, national and international.
For more information about the house, to check out visiting times and see the list of inspirational workshops, take a look at the web site.
The Crochet Club
Members of my exclusive Crochet Club are now half way through their project and have tackled the techniques of beading and colour work and through the exclusive on line blog have been given some handy hints and techniques.
If you are not a club member this year and would like to be offered the chance to do the project in 2012 you can register your details on my web site, by following the link then clicking on 'registration form' at the bottom of the page.
There is also a Ravelry group that you may want to take a look at.
