By Helen

04/17/2014

Happy Easter…

Happy Easter to you all! I really hope that you have a lovely long weekend, enjoy the sunshine and see the opportunities for new beginnings. Do you remember a few weeks ago, when I was preparing my Easter crochet project, and I didn’t quite know what to do? Well, inspiration hit: and I ended up combining two of my favourite crafts – crochet and embroidery. I am very new to embroidery; I have dabbled in it a little and been to a couple of classes, but as yet I haven’t really found my way of doing it. I think that this may be about to change. I know myself and know there is little point in aiming for fine embroidery, maybe one day…but not yet. For me it needs to be slightly more instant, that’s way I love crochet – that instant hit. Somehow combining crochet and embroidery, seemed less daunting and more natural, and I can’t tell you how happy I am with the result. I hope you know that very special feeling that you get (occasionally) when you are soooo pleased with what you have made – it actually makes you glow? Glow: without being smug, because you know the amount of projects you are less pleased with greatly out-numbers the ones you love. That is how I feel about my Easter crochet. Are you ready? Ta-dah…

They were inspired by the AMAZING chocolate eggs, which Bettys (the famous Bett’s tea-room in York) has in their window each Easter…

I was also inspired by these which I came across on Ravelry. On each of my crochet egg, I embroidered a different stitch. I wonder if that makes them contemporary embroidery samplers?

There is whipped wheel stitch (sometimes known as spider’s wheel stitch)…

Detached chain stitch (also known as lazy daisy stitch)…

French knots…

Running stitch…

And pistil stitch…

I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter…

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Ps – if you feel like crocheting the daffodil (in the foreground of the pictures) the pattern can be found HERE andHERE.

17 Apr 2014 15:42:26 | celebrations, Crochet, inspiration

04/11/2014

up-cycling crochet style…

I love crochet. I know that I have told you that over and over and over again. But I really do, love, love, l-o-v-e, it. I love the simplicity of the stitches, the soothing rhythm of treble crochet blanket, the speed at which a crochet flower appears, the endless possibility and versatility that crochet can give you. I love the sharing, recycling and passing-on of the love of crochet. Recently I came across the most amazing crocheted covered chair…

Isn’t it brilliant? I love the idea of taking something un-loved and ugly and up-cycling it into something fabulous. Right there and then I wanted it: I wanted to crochet me one. I just had to convince Si, that we needed to give a crochet chair house-space. Si, was less convinced. I think, he thinks that our home is already been overtaken by crochet and a crochet chair might be a step too far. But something smaller, something I could sneak in, something that would get passed his crochet-radar! Then few weeks ago, I had a lovely day out with my friend C and her gorgeous daughter I (who could forget I and those crochet hats), we spent a happy few hours mooching around charity shops near where we live. In one of the shops I found this…

Isn’t it awful? I wish I had taken a photo of Si’s face when he saw what I had brought home! I had an idea in mind. If a whole crochet chair was too much: then why not start small - with a foot-stool? I could up-cycle the stool. Pass on something unloved and unwanted and make it lovely. I got to work, removing the (very synthetic) velvet and fringe…

Painted the legs and re-covered the foam with a plain white cotton…

Then the real fun began: crocheting granny-squares! I love a granny-square and really need to crochet more of them. A granny square really does sum-up crochet brilliantly, in one (well) square. One little (or large) square: so many possibilities. Slippers, cushions, blankets, the list could go on…Back to the stool. Using some lovely style-craft yarn, which you can get from Deramores, in my favourite colours of purple, teal, burnt orange and a neutral called oat-meal, I got to work. Very soon I had my granny squares, ready to be double crocheted together…

All that was left was to sure the granny-squares to the stool...

And ta-dah…

My very own up-cycled crochet foot-stool. Not quite to OTT (Si’s words not mine) as the chair: but definitely in the style of! I’ve started small, but you know what they say out of small acorns n’all-that…one day I might have the chair.

So, go on have ago at up-cycling, start small: re-love and make pretty something un-loved and ugly. Pass on the love of crochet…

Happy hooking!

xxx

This blog entry is my submission to the Deramores Blog Awards 2014. Deramores is the UK’s number one online retailer of knitting and crochet supplies.

For more information, please visit Deramores' website

11 Apr 2014 11:50:59 | Crochet, How to..., inspiration, making

04/06/2014

crochet for Easter: ideas…

I love making my crochet seasonal: and try really hard with the flowers that I share with you (nearly) each month. This time last year I loved crocheting my Spring wreath, I am still so happy with it, it is back hanging on the door of my living room. I loved crafting for Christmas, only four months ago – but seems like much longer. I loved crocheting the Valentine's Day wreath. I am looking forward to crocheting for Easter. I have yarn, hooks and polystyrene eggs…

But I’m not too sure what to crochet creation to turn this into. Any ideas…?

6 Apr 2014 12:59:00 | Crochet, Seasons

03/28/2014

simple Spring flower…

I don’t know about you, but for me March has been really, really, really, busy. My feet haven’t touched the ground, and I’m not sure how come we find ourselves heading into April next week. April next week?!? When things get busy: I find that crochet gets more and more necessary. There is something relaxing about row after row of trebles, which go into the making of a blanket. There is something about the quickness of crocheting lazy flowers. Lovely simple crochet flowers. I thought that share with you the flower which I used for my Valentine's Day wreath...

You will need some ends of yarn, I used DK – but whatever you have to hand is fine, a hook suitable for your yarn, a darning needle and some buttons (if you are feeling especially lazy)!

To start, crochet 3ch, ss to join, 5dc into the ring, ss to join (6 stitches)…

Finish off and weave in ends, to stop them getting in the way. Change yarn, joining into any dc, secure with a ch (this stitch doesn’t count)…

*dc, htr, tr, htr, dc* into dc…

Repeat *-* into each dc, ss to join the last petal to the first, finish off and weave in ends…

If you are feeling really lazy, then don’t bother changing the colour of your yarn: but use a cute little button for the centre of your flower…

Happy crocheting!

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28 Mar 2014 10:13:35 | Crochet, Flower of the month, How to...

03/20/2014

more spring fabric flowers…

It’s Spring and that means you can’t have too many flowers. Right? You can never have too many flowers in your life. This was certainly the case last Friday at The Silver Thimble, where I hosted my third (yes third) fabric flower class...

My first coursed looked at the basics, the second saw amazing Christmas wreaths been made, the third was slightly more challenging! Well: the lovely ladies at Silver Thimble, did ask for it! We were working with organza. A fabric, that seems to have a mind of it’s own – as it slips and slides as you try to persuade into the shape you want. The lovely ladies all coped really well, and lots and lots and lots of flowers were made. We started with simple (but very effectively) with one layer of organza and flowers with rounded and pointed petals…

Soon confidence grew, and layers of organza were stitched together, to create flowers with more depth…

The creativity started to flow, with some of the lovelies crafting amazing daffodils and orchids…

Soon the lovelies were ready to start burning…

Burning the organza gives the edges an amazing finish, and really changes the look of the flower…

The day was just wonderful: I especially loved seeing all the creativity and different flowers that were made…

I can’t wait to see all of the lovely ladies again very soon…

xxx

20 Mar 2014 10:51:49

03/15/2014

hello: Spring!

Hello Spring: it is very lovely to see you! Gosh the weather here in York seems to have really warmed up over the last few days. Yes, evenings are still very chilly and the morning fog, makes the city look like scenes from a Gothic-horror movie: I keep expecting to see a headless horseman riding towards me as I walk to work. But with the warm days, which are getting longer and longer with every day that passes, flowers and leafs seem to be beginning to bud. The world is beginning to wake-up after its l-o-n-g Winter sleep…

15 Mar 2014 10:57:06 | inspiration, Seasons

03/06/2014

Spring fabric flowers…

Gosh, it’s been a busy few weeks. I can’t quite believe that it is already (nearly) half way through March: that means 2014 is (nearly) a quarter way through! I’ve been busy, busy, busy, crafting, lots of crochet but also lots of fabric flowers. Actually I made these a few weeks ago, as next week I'm running a class on making Spring flowers, so these were my samples to get people interested. The lovely Kath, from The Silver Thimble, which is where the class is, says that the class is almost full. I’m guessing that I’ll be busy with all the lovely ladies (and men?) that come along. Here’s what they are going to be making…

Remember if any of you lovelies would like to come along, let Kath know. Or let me know and I’ll let Kath know! If you can’t make it on the 14th I’m sure there will be other classes.

See you soon…

6 Mar 2014 14:53:03 | 1st post of the month, Fabric fun, making

02/27/2014

pure inspiration...

Usually my inspiration comes from nature (cliché I know), but I’m guessing you might have worked that one out my now. But it also comes from visiting museums and galleries; York has a really great selection of these. Inspiration also comes from visiting some of England’s great houses. I have to confess I have a real thing for wall-paper. The proper, old, good stuff: I’m not talking Anaglyptic here! Occasionally I find inspiration in books. I love to rummage through boxes of books in charity shops, I love the promise of what you might find. The other day: during one of my rummages I came across this…

I love Orla Kiely's use of colour and how she uses shape. I find her style so inspirational. Not in a way I want to copy, but flicking through her book really made my mind think of all the crochet possibilities. Using shape as a starting point…

…and letting my hook lead the way. Over the next few months there are going to be quite a few crochet projects that have been inspired by this book. I can’t wait to share them with you…

27 Feb 2014 11:29:35 | inspiration, Review

02/20/2014

something a little bit different: nålebinding…

The Vikings are coming! Every February half-term, York sees its annual invasion of Vikings, who come to the city to help celebrate its Viking heritage: during the Viking Festival. It is a brilliant week, full of activities, talks, traders and demonstrations all based around, well, Vikings. The week ends with a re-enactment of a Viking battle and massive firework-display (that’s on Saturday if any of you can get here for that). None of that pillaging, or the likes here! I have a really soft-spot for the Vikings, as a period of English history, as I spent several years (three to be exact) dressing up as one (and getting paid for it) working at a local outdoor classroom, Murton Park. Just in case you don’t believe me…

That’s me: with TG! It was during my time at Murton Park that I got really interested in textiles, historical textiles. It’s an interest that has never really left. No crocheting back then though: it didn’t come to England until the sixteenth(ish) century. I did learn to tablet weave and use the lucet: then finger braid when I moved to the fifteenth century. If you look closely at my Viking apron, you can see some of my tablet weaving: I made that! While I was working as a Viking I did dabble in nålebinding (Viking knitting). I wasn’t very good. To be a good Viking wife you should know at least twelve different nålebinding stitches: I mastered two! I’ll let you work that out, as to where it would have left me on the marriage front – off with a random Anglo-Saxon no doubt! Fast-forward to 2014. I’m no longer a Viking, but still fascinated by the period and historical textiles. So, imagine my joy when I saw a nålebinding course advertised as part of the Viking Festival.

The course was brilliant. Fantastic. Excellent. We had the most amazing tutor Mari Wickets from Gothenburg Museum. What Mari doesn’t know about nålebinding: we probably don’t need to know. She made it look so easy. After a couple of false-starts my fingers seemed to remember what to do, and I was away…

Mari even taught me to do an advance (yes advance stitch) where you use your thumb and seem to create two rows at once. For someone like me, who likes things done quickly, this was genius…

I now know that there are literally hundreds of different stitches: so I have a very long way to go. Not just twelve stitches like I thought. I think the very best thing about nålebinding is the freedom you have with it: as Mari kept saying you’re the pattern creator. This appealed to me: you know I’m not one for following patterns. There is an advanced class tomorrow, but I already have plans: a lovely day out with my friend, mooching around charity shops and lunching. So I guess I’ll spend the next year practicing and hoping that Mari comes back to York next year. What was brilltinat was that by looking at how the nålebinding stitches are formed, you can really see how knitting and crochet developed.

The morning was truly special: it brought back some happy memories from my previous job and with Mari’s infectious enthusiasm inspired me back to early Medieval textiles.

Thank you Mari, Thank you Mari’s friend (I’m soooo sorry I’ve forgotten your name), thank you Zoe and thank you Vikings!

Ps – I didn’t make the above, I just included these so you can see what the stitches look like and what can be made!

20 Feb 2014 13:44:23 | inspiration, making, re-enactment, York

02/14/2014

Happy Valentine's Day…

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I thought I’d share the love with you all, crochet style…

I am so pleased with how my little Valentine's Day wreath turned out, I can’t tell you. The wreath was meant to have fourteen little flowers on it. I couldn’t quite squeeze the last one in: so here it is with a true bakers-dozen. I like the fact that there’re thirteen flowers, it makes the heart a little wonky: just like love is – a little wonky at times!

We don’t celebrate Valentine's Day in my house (not since Si offered to buy me a sack of potatoes – don’t ask): but that is no excuse for not spreading the joy of love, especially when so many people are facing difficulties at the moment.

So, whatever you do this Valentine's Day, do it with love!

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ps – I’ll write up the little flower pattern, for you very soon, it’s been a very busy month so far!

14 Feb 2014 09:48:24 | celebrations, Crochet