new issue

Cover, image by Lucy Williams, cowl Emma Varnam

New issue alert! 
Issue 63 of Inside Crochet is out now and it's a corker this month! I love the cover image for this issue, taken by Lucy Williams, which features a beautiful cowl by Emma Varnam.

Rooster by Shannen Nicole Chua, Image Claire Montgomerie

The Rooster on the cover is a project perfect for Easter, designed by the very talented Shannen from Sweet n' Cute Creations and made by me for my littlun - that's her little hands in this picture. She loves him, he now has a new home in her doll's house! 

Eggs by Nicki Trench Image by Claire Montgomerie

Talking of Easter, there are some very cute eggs to make with the pattern in Nicki Trench's column this month, which the littlun has also taken to playing with - in the basket they are pictured in above. I think this will be a popular egg hunt on Easter Sunday this year, mixing the crochet and chocolate eggs up so that she doesn't get a tummy ache!

Folk Art Jewels by Esme Crick, Image Lucy Williams, Model Frankie Moore, styling Claire Montgomerie

One of my favourite shots in the magazine this issue is the above Folk Art Jewels shot, project by Esme Crick. I do SO love that ring (and yet another of the littlun's fave things to play with!) and I am particularly enamoured with a breton stripe, red lip combo. So wish I could get away with a casual red lip every day...

Hirst blanket by Loopsan, image by Claire Montgmerie

Finally, there are tonnes of projects I adore this month, but this blanket is going to be so popular with our readers this spring, what a perfect new baby present or lap blanket. San Bee of Loopsan has a great eye, I adore every pattern she submits to the magazine. When she submitted this idea, I instantly saw it in the colours of a Damien Hirst spot picture, so I sent her some yarn in a selection of gorgeous hues, and she picked out the perfect selection to produce this little stunner. I am going to make one as soon as I have time - it is great for using up scraps, just buy yourself a base white or cream yarn and have fun with colours from your stash! 
Don't miss this amazing issue - there is also the final part of a gorgeous blanket CAL and a basic broomstick crochet tutorial amongst tonnes of other great stuff, even if I do say so myself...!

popcorn flower blanket

This blanket was returned to me in the post from DK books recently and I am really rather pleased, as it is lovely! Littlun agrees and has taken to hiding under it, snuggling under it and wrapping it round her while she pretends to be a rather colourful ghost!
It was originally published in Crochet, from DK books, a bible I commissioned for, consulted on and contributed to. It is rather fabulous, as I have highlighted here, so if you are looking for a how to crochet guide, do check it out. (And yes, that is it on the cover!!)

This image is by the wonderful Britt Spring, who is leaving the UK to return to her native Australia later this month, and I will miss our monthly photoshoots immensely. More about that soon...

Pauline Turner

An exciting place I went last year was Morecambe, for Pauline Turner's 30 year celebration of her International Diploma in Crochet. I had wanted to go to visit the beautiful Midland hotel for a long time, so the chance of mixing business with pleasure was too good to miss. 

Lunch at the Midland Hotel

Neither the Midland, nor Pauline and her students disappointed. The weekend I spent in Morecambe was fabulous, even down to the wonderfully changeable and dramatic weather and views across the bay - we got double rainbows, bright sunshine and dark, foreboding rain clouds, all of which were spectacular when looking out across the sea. 

Pauline herself turned out to be the most wonderful, intriguing, interesting woman, who's life and career have spanned a multitude of different paths, leading eventually to developing the crochet diploma, which has students across the world. I hope that after 30 years or more in the business, I am as knowledgable about crochet as Pauline, what she doesn't know about it would fit on a pin head - and she has even aided in the creation of new crochet disciplines in the past - scrumbling or freeform crochet being one of them. Pauline wore a few of her more spectacular crochet and knit creations throughout the weekend and displayed even more, including her own wedding dress. This woman is prolific, and her talents as a teacher and crocheter shine through her students work. I had the honour of helping Pauline and Helen Jordan of Thread of Life judge the final entries to the competitions that Pauline had set up for the celebrations. The students work was absolutely amazing, from fine thread christening gowns to gorgeous chunky cables and freeform, the variety and skill was amazing to see. 

There was students work representing many diverse parts of the world, including as far afield as South Africa and New Zealand. There was a student who had used bent roofing nails to hook their samples as their part of the world does not have the access to hooks and yarns that we take for granted. It really was an education through craft for me and a fabulous celebration of how crochet can bring diverse communities together.

There was one student, called Unagh Macullough, who had completed the whole diploma and was graduating at the event. Her work was so varied and beautiful. She is obviously a very methodical crafter, who makes the most beautiful beaded jewellery as well as fine crochet lacework, but her final projects were gorgeous freeform pieces, which seemed to demonstrate how the diploma explores and introduces techniques and that are new and exciting and often bringing out an unexpected side to the work. 

If you are looking to improve your crochet skills, or want to learn how to begin designing your own work or exploring new techniques, definitely go check out Pauline's course - it is a unique and exciting challenge for any crocheter, and I have even considered taking the higher levels myself to make sure I am up to scratch!

Samples of Unagh Macullough's work.

Sample of the range of threads available from The Thread of Life.

A tiny part of Pauline's vast crochet library.