2013 in review

So far this year, I have had quite a few conversations about when it is best to stop saying "Happy New Year!" In a way, it feels quite clumsy to carry on saying it to everyone you see for the first time this year. However, on the final class of my beginners crochet course last week at City Lit one of my lovely students told me a lovely story, with the moral being that you should always say it to anyone you haven't seen, even if it is in August! 
So now I feel confident instead of awkward saying it and, with that in mind, I am going to start the year off right, if late, with a "Happy New Year" to you all and a little review of last year, especially because the last part was so eventful in both exciting and worrying ways - hence my lack of posting about it. The City Lit class on Friday was a catch up session as I had to cancel the actual class at the end of last year due to ill health. I am hopefully finally on top of it and having a medical action plan for at least the next year or so is making me take stock, look after myself and my family and to celebrate some of the wonderful things I have done and have planned. Hopefully without stressing too much over them! So this is a sort of montage of what I got up to last year - some parts will be elaborated upon as I hoped to do originally over the next few posts.

BOTTOM PICS, from left to right, top to bottom: shot from The Knitting Collection, taken by Britt Spring; view from Gawthorpe Hall on a trip to the textiles collection; shot from Inside Crochet taken by Britt Spring; drawing at the anorak summer fair; shot from Inside Crochet taken by Britt Spring; at DK books; the beautiful Midland hotel, morecambe; at shoot location; The Knitting Collection; photoshoot coffee break; Pauline Turner's library; Home London; drawing at babyccino shopup; Eric; at shoot location; student's work at Pauline Turner's anniversary celebrations; my Jess headband from The Knitting Collection, taken by Britt Spring; Toft at the Stitch and Knit show; my throw on the cover of Crochet, which I consulted on, contributed to and commissioned for; shot from The Knitting Collection, taken by Britt Spring; swatch for the Gawthorpe collection project; teaching how to crochet at City Lit; judging the textiles prize at the Stitch and Knit show; photoshoot action shot. TOP PICS: fragment from the amazing Gawthorpe textiles collection; party bags, Alice in wonderland party; beautiful double rainbow while judging student's work at Pauline Turner's house; my beginner students' grannies.

3d crochet workshop

Details of my upcoming class at citylit, perfect for crocheters who know the basics and want to try out some new techniques in a fun way, we will be going through shaping techniques, to create pieces which could be jewellery, toys or art pieces. Get booked on!

i knit london

I am very ashamed to say that until last week I had not made a visit to the infamous I Knit London store in Waterloo. I should hang my head in shame as a London based knitter, but I finally made it on Friday, after an epic bus journey across town through multiple roadworks (next time I shall get the tube!)

It is a small yet packed to brimming store, full of fun, bright, colourful and interesting yarns, products, samples, books and much more. I loved seeing George the sheep in person, clothed in what seemed like hundreds of skeins of Colinette Point Five in rainbow hues and placed in the prime spot in the window.

As per usual, I cannot leave a yarn store without a purchase, and seeing as I have finally succeeded in reducing my stash after an epic move, I settled on these wonderfully sweet Lego stitch markers by Bothered Owl.

I think I saw them first on the Stitch London newsletter and have been meaning to buy some for ages. They take me right back to my childhood, recalling hours spent following instructions for making houses, cars and spaceships. I also end up loosing so many stitch markers when I am knitting in the round - they pop off at the end of the round and disappear down the side of the sofa - I am hoping these will be big enough to spot! Ah well, if I lose any of these, it shall just be an excuse to pop back to I knit!

Independent shopping - Islington

As I have mentioned here before, I am becoming more and more frustrated by the homogenised nature of the British high street. British consumer choices and trends has been a special interest of mine ever since my MA thesis; a comparitive study of teenage girls' consumption choices in the 1970s and the noughties. Praised throughout the world for the mass availability of high trend, low priced fashion, I nevertheless find our standardised town centres and shopping malls increasingly repetitive and boring. The long term sustainability concerns of such consumerism is another factor in my turning away from most of our well known stores.
With all that in mind and before I get too preachy, self righteous and hypocritcal (I still can't resist a cheap copy from Topshop, so long as I know I will wear said bargain loads!), I am going on a bit of a treasure hunt around London to see if I can root out some truly unique and interesting independent boutiques and I thought I would share my findings here.

As it is a bit chilly at the mo, for my first trip, I did not wander far but stuck with what I know - the Angel, Islington. Seeing as there are so many great independant stores here, I am going to blog in two parts and will hopefully keep you waiting with bated breath for the next installment!! Part one covers make do and mend, with vintage and craft stores.

It seemed logical to begin in Islington, seeing as I spend a lot of time in one of the best independent stores in London, Loop, which is situated in the fabulous Cross Street. Walking down this little road makes me feel I am as close as I can get to what London used to be like in the past, with its cobbled alleyways, terraced houses and colourful shop fronts. I don't need to tell you much about Loop as I mention it here so often, but if you are a craft addict, its rainbow of tactile yarns are a temptation too strong to ignore. Buying yarn to knit my own bespoke garments also ticks all the boxes in my desire for unique and interesting fashion. There is even the handy sewing shop Sew Fantastic round the corner, and The Make Lounge up the road on Barnsbury Street, making Islington a handy crafty hub.

While we are here, Cross street also has Wild Swans, which is one of a small chain of boutiques offering desirably subtle and sophisticated Scanadinavian brands, the sensuously pretty lingerie store Tallulah and a smattering of other interior shops and galleries.

Since Loop opened almost five years ago, the street has seen quite a few small businesses come and go, a sad sign of how hard it is to stay afloat in the tough and expensive capital.

Another sad tale is of the vintage and antique stalls and shops in and around Camden Passage, which used to be much more extensive. Now there are fewer, while in their place are a few more well known stores from the high street. However, many are still going strong, and the market on a Saturday and Wednesday morning are worth a trip. Here, Annie's is my favourite shop, a treasure trove of vintage clothes and textiles. On my latest visit, I could not resist some beautiful hand worked Victorian lace trim. Just over the road, Cloud Cuckoo Land comes a close second, with more affordable yet just as high quality vintage pieces.

While on the subject of second hand stores, the Essex Road is home to the one store I can never walk past and one I rarely leave without a purchase: Past Caring. It sells anything from the tiniest buttons to huge sideboards and just about everything in between. On this weekend's visit I coveted a retro 60s olive glass pulldown light, a Star Trek annual from 1975, some brightly coloured assorted glass objects and the fabulously kitsch horse and sultry lady paintings. Ah, such bliss. If only I had the space for yet more clutter...

A store which encompasses a little of all the shops I love to frequent is My Sugarland, which stocks a little bit of vintage, a little bit of contemporary fashion and a little bit of hand made, all packaged in a stylish, yet effortless way. They also host yoga and craft classes and exciting events such as wedding and styling evenings.

Phew! As you can see, there is a lot of shopping to be done around here, which is possibly why I was out all day on Saturday! Next up, the quirky contemporary fashion stores, some less ubiquitous high street shops and my tips for where to grab tea, lunch or something a little stronger!

happy knitting new year!

Happy new year to all, I have had a wonderful relaxing holiday and now it is time to start looking forward into the new year and planning lots of knitting related activity.

I am launching the new decade with a series of classes at City Lit in January, which I believe is full to bursting; a great sign of how popular the craft has become. I am however holding more knitting and crochet classes throughout the year at the same venue, so check it out anyway.

The place I am most looking forward to visiting this year is Les Soeurs Anglaises in France. They have just updated their website, which is looking fabulous, with fantastic courses running throughout the year. The beautifully sunny pictures are proving extremely alluring for me, sat wrapped in layers of clothes and a wooly blanket while temperatures drop below freezing outside. Roll on May, I say!!

My Autumn/winter collection is still coming along nicely; will post pictures later in the week and I already have one eye on next season's offering, perhaps it has something to do with longing for warmer weather...!

Finally, I am hoping to really run with my new workshop venture Make Do Mend this year, so expect lots of new classes booked soon.

Phew, looks like it is going to be a busy year! Here's to a creative and happy new year to everyone.

merry christmas!

...and a happy new year to all. Taking a break to knit something for myself for a change - back to normal in 2010, see you then. x

time for tea

Last week I took my knitting into High Tea of Highgate in North London. While I knew that it was a quaint, lovely little tea shop with delicious cake and warming tea all served up in dainty china, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is also a fabulously stylish shop, stocking all kinds of quirky, handmade and British wares. These are all hand picked by owner Georgina Worthington and having worked in fashion in a previous life, she has a discerning eye for contemporary, chic yet charming pieces.
High Tea stocks a broad spectrum of interesting cards from independant designers and illustrators as well as selling art pieces, traditional sweets, textiles and crockery. Worthington likes to support British businesses, selling stunning Burleigh Ware ceramics from the last working Victorian Pottery in the UK and beautiful blankets from Johnstons, where every last item is produced from scratch in their Scottish mills.

The shop is decorated with a thoughtful, elegant cosiness and I personally loved Charlotte Hardy's monochrome trompe l'oeil illustrations drawn straight onto the walls.

Hopefully I will be running a few knitting lessons and workshops At High Tea in the near future, which you can read a little more about here.

In the meantime, get yourself down to highgate for tea and a piece of home made cake - she even does gluten free alternatives, so there should be little excuse for not making a visit...!

big bunny

I am slap bang in the midst of teaching a beginners knitting class at City Lit at the mo. One of the nicest things about teaching there is being so close to Covent Garden market and walking around it to relax at lunchtime.

Last week, there was a massive Jeff Koons inflatable bunny hoisted in the rafters to promote the Tate Modern's Pop Life exhibition. I saw Koons' show at the Serpentine in the summer and loved that too, so I shall have to scoot off to the tate to see more of his and other great modern artists' work.

Will post some pics from the City Lit class soon.

knitting classes

Below are some of my upcoming beginners knitting classes and craft workshops in London, the South East and the rest of the world!


Hand knitting for improvers April/May 2010
City Lit College

Textiles Jewellery - Innovative Knit and Yarn techniques, 30th April - 2nd May 2010
West Dean College, Sussex

Knitting classes in the South of France! Next class will be in May 2010 and will be designing your own knitting. Contact Les Soeurs Anglaises for details

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to arrange your own bespoke knitting, crochet or craft classes in London.

If you want to book classes for groups, please check out my alter ego, Make.Do.Mend

Hairpin Lace

All last week I was in hairpin lace land. This was due to being at City Lit college for three evenings, teaching my first ever class on the technique and it was really fun. Hairpin lace, or crochet, is basically an advanced crochet technique using a hairpin, prong or, more often these days, a frame like the one above. The frame helps to create large loops held together by the basic crochet stitches; strips made in this way can then be joined together to make open, lacy fabrics, which are very quick to make up.

The technique is very absorbing and hypnotic due to its repetitive nature and as a result the class was the quietest I think I have ever taught!

Once the technique has been learned, you can play with the strips in many ways creating textural motifs as well as regular flat fabrics. A traditional way to use the strips is as braids and edgings.

Hui Ting tried an old pattern for a delicate edging using a thin strip made on a small width of the frame. The strips all come off the frame looking almost the same; the variations occur in how you treat the individual or groups of strips. Here, she used some simple crochet to join groups of the loops, creating a beautifully lacy piece which would make a stunning edge if she recreated it over a longer length.

Jo worked some fabulously striking circular motifs out of the originally straight strips, using varying shades of green. This would make a fun yet sophisicated throw when finished.

I also showed the ladies how to bead the strips and Carolina brought in some very bright, beautiful red wire and orange beads, which worked fabulously well in her strip, which may well become a bracelet. (bottom)

If you do not crochet, let that not be a barrier to learning the craft of hairpin lace, as most of these ladies were not confident crocheters, and a couple had never crocheted before, but all came away confidentally able to wield the hairpin looms and try some of the basic techniques.

If you are interested in learning the skill, I would heartily recommend it, for its theraputic qualities, simplicity and speed. Contact me if you are interested and I may be able to point you in the right direction.

busy bee

It has been a manic week preparing for the big day on Sunday. I cannot believe the date has crept up so soon, but I am really looking forward to the Kiosk this weekend. I shall be there, sandwiched between City Hall and Tower Bridge from about 10 am, along with the lovely Bee from Chain Creative, providing the passers by with free knitting, sewing and crochet help, while feeding and watering them.

These are some of the kits I have lovingly hand made....

...and here's a taster of some of the delicious wares I shall be selling...

...not to mention the mess I have made whilst creating it all. Let's just hope it doesn't rain...!

hope to see y'all there.

P.s. Model Robot will be there too, selling tees, bags an badges adorned with the typical fun and fabulous 'Robot style imagery.

city lit knit

I finished what I thought was a very successful class at the City Lit College in Covent Garden last week. It was an improvers knitting class, but most of my learners were more advanced than improvers, so we ended up progressing onto designing patterns, which was fun, if stressful! (I thought designing one pattern at a time was hard...try helping with six at once!)

The talented knitters on the class let their creativity fly really quickly and produced some very pretty samples - I wish I had taken some more pictures. I think the three lots of five hour sessions just allowed them to sit and only concentrate on knitting, which I know it is really hard to do at home in between work and when the ironing and housework are calling you. I can't wait to see the results of the very imaginative first designs, I have set up a ravelry group for this very reason and hope to see some finished products soon.

This slightly creepy but fab piece was knitted not in the class, but by one of the students who is also a sculptor and attends Camberwell college of art, I am hoping to get down to see her show later this month. This piece is a latex cast of her body which she has cut up and knitted - weirdly wonderful!

City Lit is offers a great variety of courses, academic and recreational, get over there and have a look, you may find something you really want to try. I am leading a course in Hairpin Lace in July, with more beginners, experimental and improver knitting classes in the next academic year. After that I shall be planning more different classes, so if you have any ideas of something you may want to come along to, let me know. I have already had requests for recycling and customising classes, as well as a pure designing patterns class, so keep them coming!