l learned to crochet one summer holiday when I was about eleven. My Mum was doing a lot of crochet (among other things) at the time, mainly from projects in ‘Golden Hands’ magazine (anybody remember that?), and she taught me the basics. I’m left handed, but Mum taught me the right-handed method, which has stood me in good stead, because I can now teach both ways. (Mum never managed to teach me to knit - a friends mum who was left handed did that, but I now knit right handed too, when I can be bothered - it doesn’t grow fast enough to satisfy me, lol).
I remember in my first effort to make a large single granny square blanket, I missed the joining point on one round, and just kept going around in a spiral. Mum rescued it eventually, and it was a lesson well learned!
I loved crochet from the very beginning (you could say I was hooked), and have always had something on the go ever since, trying a whole range of stitches and methods. Depending on the spare time available, it may take ages to finish a piece, but finish them I must!
In fact, the amount of time it takes to complete a large piece makes it virtually impossible to sell it, because to charge for the time taken would make it very expensive. In any case, nowadays my 13 year old puts her name on the pieces and squirrels them away in her increasingly-bulging wardrobe!
And now I’m able to pass on my lifelong passion through Crochet Club at Kimberley Crafts in Edwinstowe, every Monday afternoon 2pm until 4pm for just £10. It’s as though I’ve come full circle, from that unforgettable summer holiday many years ago. I also have a crochet bowl workshop coming up for Rural Antics at Hanwell Wine Estate in April - check out their website for full details.
Patchwork
This is a newer passion, but now ranks up there with crochet. A couple of years ago, I was hugely impressed by an exhibition of quilted patchwork pieces made by prison inmates along with the charity Fine Cell Work, and heard fascinating talks by one of the ex-prisoners and the novelist Tracey Chevalier, another patchwork quilt enthusiast.
As a seamstress, accuracy is of huge importance - bags, dresses, ties, curtains, whatever you’re working on. I admit I’m a bit obsessive about accuracy (ask my family!) in order to make the end product as good as it can be, so it’s probably no surprise that I became intrigued by patchwork quilting, where accuracy is paramount.
Any slight variation in measurement, cutting or stitching becomes so obvious to a ‘picture straightener’ like me, and I love the challenge of overcoming all the variables to end up with a visually-pleasing finished piece.
I’ve tried out many blocks, to the extent where, as with crochet, I’m able to run a Patchwork Class at Newark Craft Hub on Thursday’s, 10am until 1pm, for just £10.
Anyone can come along and ask to learn a specific block or technique, bring their own projects, or simply just come and work on whatever block we’ve chosen to do that day. All anyone needs to bring is a couple of pieces of contrasting fabric, and a willingness to listen to me going on about up and down pressing, and trimming your ends, and nesting seams, and all sorts of other black arts. ;-)
I think myself really lucky that I’ve been able to pass on the skills I’ve developed over the years, and still do projects of my own in my spare time - the best of both worlds!
Sally’s Snippet
This month’s Sally’s snippet is how to create a magic loop, as the start of a piece of crochet, but until I learn how to put a video onto this lovely website of mine, I’m afraid you’re going to have to check out my Facebook page to see it, and it’s far too complicated to explain easily without pictures - sorry! Www.facebook.com/sallyannsews
It‘s not complicated to do, just to explain in words, lol.
The April blog.....
I will have some of those products in my exclusive fabrics that I talked about last month to show you, hopefully, plus I may have some exciting news following my first commercial advertisement in a local magazine, and I will have to do a scroll through the memory banks for a decent Sally’s Snippet for you. In the meantime, have a great month.
