catch up

An insanely busy few months has meant that recently I have been rather neglecting the blog I am afraid, so sorry! I have been trying to cater for all you lovely folk who want to learn how to knit and crochet, and so have been running round London teaching with my friend and co-crochet obsessive ChainCreative. Alone we are just two mad yarn freaks but together we are the dynamic duo Make Do Mend, so do let us know if there is anything you wish to learn!

All this means that I have forgotten to tell you about the interviews with li'l ol' me in a few craft mags around and about and a few patterns in Yarn Forward which have come out recently. So there you are, I was in Yarn Forward a couple of times and in a Baby Knits Craft special of Lets Get Crafting and with an exciting new collaboration with Yarn Forward coming in the next few issues, you may be fed up of me soon! More of that very soon.

Therefore, I shall keep it short and just let you know that I am off running round London Teaching improvers knitting classes this weekend, firstly at High Tea of Highgate on Saturday morning, then at City Lit college on Sunday, which is a three week course. Let's hope the weather stays nice as I love walking round Covent Garden on my lunchbreak - spending my wages as fast as I can earn them!

Oh, and I shall be in Bethnal Green on Monday teaching some crocheters to make granny square motifs, not just square onesbut also granny circle, triangles and rectangles! Pop by if you fancy making yourself one of these Paul Smith inspired cowls, which is one of my latest projects. Crochet seems to be overtaking the knitting recently, I am also working on a crocheted cushion, a bag and a hairpin lace top - everyone is going mad for crochet! If you don't yet know how to do it, now is the time to give it a try!

happy easter knitting!

Just before I rush off to relax my knitting fingers over the Easter weekend, I wanted to let you know of the Easter workshops I am running for children next week at Sally Bourne in Crouch End, North London.

You have a choice from Wednesday 7th or Friday 9th in the morning from 10.00 - 11.30am. We will be aiming to make little wonky toys, a little like my mad alien friend above, with buttons, felt and the basic knitting stitches. So if your kids are driving you mad this holiday already, send them to learn a craft with us!

Have a happy Easter and don't eat too much chocolate!

my top five knitting tips

People often ask me what little tips and tricks I can give them to help with their knitting, especially when they are beginners. I have compiled my Top Five with regards to practicality - how to try to prevent strained wrists, tennis elbow and cramp, finishing - different techniques for a professional finish, and enjoyment - how to make knitting as relaxing as possible. So here goes...

1. Try to have at least two projects using differing weights of yarn on the go at the same time. I find it eases any RSI related aches and pains – a knitting project and a crochet project is especially good at varying the repetitive motions. Also, don't knit for long periods at a time - especially as a beginner; build up your tolerance to the repetitive motions.

2. Always buy more yarn than you think you need – most good yarn shops will allow you to change that extra ball if you find you don't need it later.

3. Learn a few different cast ons – they all have specific jobs, like durability or stretchiness – which will suit different projects.

4. When learning to knit, get into the habit of counting your stitches at the end of each row so you can catch mistakes when they have just happened – it is easier to rectify straight away, and you usually don’t have to frog, you can correct most mistakes on the next row.

5. ...and most importantly – Practice makes perfect! Anybody can knit, it just takes practice and patience at first - you will soon be doing it without thinking, in front of the telly and really quickly. Push on through all your first 'beginner' mistakes and don't get too precious at first - remember the mantra 'knitting is relaxing!', don't tense your shoulders, try not to think about what you are doing too much and most importantly, don't forget to breathe!

Next, I shall try to compile my top five for more experienced knitters (although all these 'beginner's' tips can apply to you too). If you crocheters out there think I have forgotten you, maybe I will get round to my crochet 'top five' too!

mothers' day knitting class

If you and your mother have always wanted to learn to knit, or you are a mum who wants to knit with her children, then here's some good news; I am teaming up with the fabulous Millamia knit company to teach a class over Mothers' Day weekend in London, the 13th and 14th March, using their fabulous kits to create a beautiful scarf.

High Tea and Knitting

New Beginners knitting class booked for Saturday 6th February from 10 am-12 pm at High Tea of Highgate £25.
All materials included, as well as lovely home made cakes and lashings of tea!
You will have enough yarn to make a small scarf or modern cowl.
Contact me for bookings.

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.

roll up, roll up!

The time has come for another day at the lovely kioskiosk. This Thursday the 27th August I shall be selling my wares and helping with crafty queries by the Thames.

This time alongside my own knitted toys and other goodies, I will be selling Model Robot screen printed t-shirts and bags, and some beautiful jewellery by Jenny and the Bead Stall, as well as starting a mini knitting bee with Mrs G.

Do drop by to have a little knit by the river, or to just say hello, I'll be there from 10am.

kioskiosk

Yesterday I was at the Kioskiosk selling my wares and teaching a load of unsuspecting tourists and daytripping families how to knit and crochet with my trusty sidekick Bee from Chain Creative. Here are a few shots of us in action:

Setting up

Bags and tees from Model Robot. Check out the website if you want one!

The fantastic view of Tower bridge from inside the kiosk

Workshops in full swing...

...and moving inside to shelter from the elements...British summertime, eh?!

A natural knitter and just eight years old, Olivia had never picked up the pins before but was a whizz!

More young knitters and crocheters with Bee; afterwards they treated themselves to a yummy Sugar Rose cupcake as a reward for their hard work...

...my little knitted birdies couldn't resist the cakes either!

My favourite part of the day was when a little girl fell in love with one of my tiny aliens and went away with it, with a bright smile on her face. It was so nice to see that other look upon my characters as lovingly as I do.

I will be at the Kiosk again on the 27th August, so if you fancy popping by to say hi, to ask for advice with your knitting or crochet project or to get a copy of my latest book, please do, I would love to see you!

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!