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.

Reloved Magazine

This Summer, I made the difficult decision to leave my role as editor of Inside Crochet to spend more time with my daughter before she started school this September and so far it is proving to be the right choice. I am not only enjoying spending more quality time with my family but I also have the opportunity to contribute to other publications. One I have recently had some work published in is Reloved. It is a magazine devoted to upcyling and slow living, so of course its ethos is one I am very interested in at the moment, as I am both trying to encompass a slower lifestyle while at the same time trying to do up my new home on a budget and ensure that my daughter has a lot of craft and making in her life.

Image by Lucy Williams, Make up Nicki Henbrey, Styling Claire Montgomerie

I have had a feature in each of the last two issues. The series focuses on upcycling old sweaters, something I have been passionate about since my degree and MA in textiles. Reworking old clothes is a great way to extend your wardrobe on a shoe string, but in the first feature, I also give some ideas for other interior and accessories projects you can create with some felted knitting and a bit of embellishment, including these pictures.

Image by Lucy Williams,  Styling Claire Montgomerie

I had a fabulous old sweater, possibly from the fifties of sixties, which was sent to the charity shop because it had been felted in the wash. As its lucky new owner, I made not only a stylish hot water bottle cover from it, but also some cute cuffs and still had some lovely cabled fabric left over, which I need to decide what to do with! If you are careful with your knits and don't have any felted pieces to utilise, I also give my tips for successful fulling.

Image by Lucy Williams

In the second issue (out now!) there is an interview with me and I look at how to unravel old jumpers to utilise the yarn in new ways, creating a cute beanie from an old wool and mohair sweater. This way of upcycling is not new - people have been ripping back old knits for the yarn as long as we have been knitting. WWII was probably the last time the practice was performed in earnest due to the wool shortage cause by the war, but it is just as relevant now, with fast fashion filling our landfill sites at an alarming rate. I love the idea of a handmade wardrobe which is lovingly repaired and reworked with the seasons and fashions. I do love high street shopping, but I am much more thoughtful about my purchases these days and now I have more time on my hands, I am hoping to hone my sewing skills to match my knit and crochet ones to create more and more beautiful items for my family which will last a whole lot longer than some of the cheaply made items available in the shops contemporarily. If you feel the same, go pick up a copy of the magazine, it is full of great inspiration from wonderful designers like Annie Sloan, Kate Beavis and Charis Williams.

image by Lucy Williams, Styling Claire Montgomerie

Image Kirsten Mavric, Make up Nicki Henbrey

Ava sweater

Ava Sweater Inside Crochet Issue 62, image by Lucy Williams

The latest Inside Crochet, issue 62, is out now and contains a rather cosy little number by yours truly. It is an easy, boxy sweater made from simple graphic square motifs with circles inlaid into them to create a striking geometric pattern. The yarn is Louisa Harding Susurro. As soon as I used this yarn for a sample in the review pages of Inside Crochet, I knew I had to make something in it, and so I hooked up a quick hat for myself in tweed stitch. (The pattern - below - will be available on the Inside Crochet website soon, will let you know when!) 

Tweed Stitch Beanie, image by Emma Gutteridge

After that I was hooked (pardon the pun!) and decided to make a sweater, too, as it is so smooth and beautiful to work with, warm against the skin and has a lovely soft drape. Ava was the result, and I must say, I rather like her! Hope you do too.

Inside Crochet issue 34

Just a quick one to post a few pictures from Inside Crochet issue 34 - you only have a few more days to buy this magazine as issue 35 comes out very soon - get a preview here. Hope you like it, I loved the shoot for this one.

thanks to Britt Spring for the photography, Nicki Henbrey for the makeup. I did the styling.

Patti Wrap

As an addition to the last post, the Patti Wrap pattern in issue 33 of Inside Crochet is one of my own, inspired by the fabulous crochet in Marc Jacobs' fall collection. Just love Britt Spring's photography in these shots, especially the one above, such dreamy lighting and colours.

crochet magazine relaunch!

Since I have been away, I have been working hard on the relaunch of Inside Crochet magazine, the first issue I have worked on is out now! Let me know what you think, we have plans to make it even bigger and better.

crochet cables

Here's another from Inside Crochet 15! This time, cabled. This issue has a bit of a cable theme, and I had lots of fun working these out - the J C Rennie yarn was also a dream to create crochet cables out of. It is a bit fiddly, but well worth it I think!

Inside Crochet

After two long and veryveryveryveryvery busy months the launch of the now monthly, re-designed Inside Crochet is here! And for those of you who don't know, I am the new editor!

Fancy that, eh? L'il ol me, editing a magazine. I am very excited! And over the next few months, I shall be adding to the new look of the magazine, developing the new website which is coming very soon, working on styling, getting in new designers to fill all the projects we shall need now we are monthly and basically getting very little sleep indeed!

Oh well, things could be worse, I could hate getting up for work in the morning!

If you are a crocheter, do let me know what you would like to see featured in the magazine, if you want to talk anything crochet, you can find me at clairem@kalmedia.co.uk

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!

let's get crafting!

I am very excited as I have just received my copy of the special baby knitting issue of Let's Get Crafting in which I am interviewed. If you do not own Easy Baby Knits, the adorable little wrap cardi from the hardback version's cover is featured, so you can try before you buy!
My top five knitting tips are very useful even if I do say so myself, so I shall feature them here tomorrow. Watch this space...