Christmas shoot

Just popping in to show you some images from the Christmas shoot I styled for Inside Crochet magazine. This is possibly my favourite shoot I have ever styled. Hope you like it!
All projects available in issue 96, out now!









All images by Kirsten Mavric, Hair and Make up by Nicki Henbrey.

Apple for Teacher

 There is only a week left of school which will mean my baby has finished a whole year in reception. Where does the time fly?! I have also been teaching her to knit and so we are making something together for her lovely teacher, more about all that later. If you want to make something special for your little one's teacher this year, then how about an archetypal Apple for Teacher? I have just published this little pattern over on Love Crochet and the little amigurumi toy would make the perfect gift for a cherished teacher.

 All images courtesy of Kirsten Mavric, styling by me.

Two little birdies

Top of my to-do list at the moment is to pop up all my recent patterns onto Lovecrochet and last week I managed to upload these adorable two little birdies patterns. Originally made in Paintbox DK cotton (robin) and Scheepjes cotton (blue tit) the pattern is relatively easy yet fun to hook.

Head on over to my designer page and you can find the pattern for both this little blue tit and robin red breast in one download!

Robin image copywrite Claire Montgomerie, Blue Tit image copywrite Kirsten Mavric

British Wool Photoshoot

As I sit today and busily prepare for the next photoshoot for Inside Crochet, here is a look a recent shoot I styled and directed for the latest issue, which also includes one of my projects, a classic Fair Isle-style glove pattern made in tapestry crochet.

All images are by the wonderful Kirsten from Mavric Photography, Hair and make up by Nicki Henbrey, model is Kristina Lipinskaite.

My favourite hooks

I am following the marchmeetthemaker hashtag on Instagram and today the prompt is 'tools', so I thought it was a great time to talk about my hook of choice. 
When crochet is a large part of your life, it is imperative that you look after your hands so that you can continue to craft in comfort. It's so easy to get into the crochet groove and, in a semi-hypnotic state, end up having a relaxing few hours (or days!) crocheting, but in the long run it isn't good for your wrists, elbows, back, or anything really! It doesn't really matter which type of hook is your favourite, so long as it is comfortable to work with. I always recommend to my beginners that they try out a number of different hook styles as everyone will have their own preference. Personally, I find that handled hooks make for an easier grip and therefore cause less strain on the fingers and so I would always recommend some variation of handled hooks to anyone who does a lot of crocheting. 
If you looked inside my hook bag, you would discover that my go-to hooks at the moment are the Clover Amour range. I have them all from 0.6 to 15mm and incase you are wondering, the 3.5 and 4mm are the most well used. The chunkiest - sizes 12 and 15mm - are my most recent addition. 
Handles are really useful on the very small sizes as they ensure you have a substantial shaft to grip onto, even with a small hook. However, it is also great that the Amours now go up to super bulky as it is amazing what a difference the rubberised handle makes, even on the large sizes. In fact, the handle section is contoured so that it is actually smaller than the hook, which definitely adds to the ease of use, as bulky hooks are usually quite unwieldy to hook with. I don't even mind the plastic hooks on the largest Amour sizes (over 6.5mm). Usually I am a metal hooks all the way kind of girl, as they are very smooth and snag free, but the plastic on these tools is very smooth and shiny, making the hooking action very nearly as good as the metal hooks on the smaller amour sizes. 

If I haven't yet persuaded you to give the Amour a go, you may be swayed by the gorgeous rainbow colours of the handles. It is amazing how a pretty rainbow can turn my head, and, yes, I may be superficial, but I just love using pretty hooks, especially if they happen to match my crochet! I especially love these neons in the chunky sizes. If all this talk about their good looks is making me seem a little shallow, I do have to point out that there is a practical side to the different shades, which is that it is easy to pinpoint which hook you need to use instantly, without needing to read the number on the shaft. 
So, these are my hooks, which now have chewed up ends, smudged handles and which I have used so much that they feel like an extension of my fingers. I'd love to know, what are your favourite hooks?  

-->

Late autumnal shoot

Just a quickie to say hello and post some beautiful images I have been meaning to share for ages from a shoot I styled and directed last autumn with the amazing photographer Leanne Dixon for Inside Crochet magazine. What a beautiful crisp day we had, just look at those colours and how they zing. The glorious sunshine today reminded me of this day and gave me the impetus I needed to post.

Enjoy!

Beret by Emma Friedlander-Collins, scarf H&M

Tunisian cardigan by Cassie Ward, trousers Dorothy Perkins

Waistcoat by Cassie Ward, top H&M, jumpsuit Matalan

Scarf by Rachel Atkinson, jumper M&S

Scarf by Rhian Drinkwater, Oversized Cardigan M&S

The projects shown were in issues 84 and 85 of inside crochet - you can get back issues from their website.
The hair and make up artist was Nicki Henbrey and the gorgeous model is Erian O'Neill.
Cowl at top of post is by Abbey Swanson. All images copywrite of Leanne Dixon.

Christmas Crochet Photoshoot

Sweater by Rhian Drinkwater, Image Kirsten Mavric, Hair and Make Up Nicki Henbrey, Decorations Pipii

As it is the first of December tomorrow, we can officially get Christmassy! So I thought I would share some images from the current issue of Inside Crochet, as I styled a rather festive photoshoot this month. The gorgeous shots are by by Kirsten Mavric, including some of a wreath and decorations that I designed for the issue.

Cardigan by Ruth Maddock, Image Kirsten Mavric,  Decorations www.pipii.co.uk

Wreath by me, Image Kirsten Mavric

Mini Wreaths by me, Image Kirsten Mavric, Decorations www.pipii.co.uk

Image Kirsten Mavric

Gloves Tracey Todhunter, Image Kirsten Mavric

Image Kirsten Mavric, Decorations Pipii

Hat by Rhian Drinkwater, Image Kirsten Mavric, Hair and Make Up Nicki Henbrey,

Maker Crafts: Hooked

I have been meaning to talk about my new book, Hooked for a while, but life has been getting in the way! Anyway, apologies for the delay, but here is a little preview of the loveliness inside, along with some of the work in progress sketches which I made while writing it.  
 
The book is for absolute beginners and the aesthetic is inspired by simple, modern, Scandinavian-style design and colours. I began by creating a mood board with inspirational images of the type of projects I wanted to include, along with the desired colour palette. 

  The designs needed to take into consideration the things I have learned from many years teaching people how to crochet – I wanted the range of patterns to be achievable for a beginner but also to appeal to more advanced crocheters, which I hope I have achieved. From there, I came up with some sketches and yarn swatches for the final designs in the colours and yarns I hoped to use. Using these sketches and swatches as a guide, I began making the projects. I usually design as I go rather than writing the pattern first, as this helps the project to evolve as you make it, allowing for unforeseen design problems or textures/stitches/colours that aren’t working. After ripping back and beginning again a few times, each project usually then progresses quite quickly and once complete, I can write up my hand scrawled notes into simple, clearly written patterns with as many tips for beginners as I can fit in.  
 Possibly my favourite project is the gadget cosies, as they are so very simple to make but the strong chunky stitch definition, simple double crochet stitch and the bold stripe of bright colour as a contrast to the neutral base really appeals to me. Plus they are very practical, so it is a good all rounder!

The how to crochet guide included everything you need to begin, but also to become a confident, competent crocheter. The three pattern chapters evolve in order of difficulty, beginning with Getting Started, moving to Growing in Confidence and finally, Hooked on Crochet!

There is another book in the series, Stitched! by the very talented Ros Badger, which is just as lovely, so I do urge all you budding sewists out there to check that out, too.  I am very proud of this book and I hope you will love it as much as I do, as well as finding it incredibly useful on your crochet journey.  The publisher, Parragon, have given me two copies of the book to giveaway!* If you want to be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is leave me a comment below, and if you want an extra entry, pop over to my Instagram account and leave a comment on the Hooked competition post. Good luck!

* Competition closes at midnight on Wednesday 30th November.  Prizes are as offered and are non-transferable, non-refundable, non-changeable. No cash alternatives are available. Only one entry for website and one for Instagram is permitted per person and the editor's decision is final. Entries received after the closing date of the promotion will not be considered. No responsibility is taken for entries lost or delayed, by way of technical errors including malfunctions via the website. The winner will be drawn at random. No correspondence will be entered into. The winner will be notified within 28 days of the closing date. Unless specified otherwise, if a prize remains unclaimed for six months it will not be awarded, provided reasonable attempts have been made to contact the winner using the contact details supplied.