A trip round the East End

Last week was the start of many a college's autumn timetable. Tutors and staff were shuffling papers and generally gearing up for a bunch of new students. The University of East London was certainly in a fevered state on Friday as it was a staff training day and there were busy groups of tutors and librarians having fun trying out new skills.

Circus skills, origami, photography and (I'm pleased to say) the most popular, crochet. Sixteen of the library staff rolled up at the door for an hour's speed-learning. I must say it was pretty impressive as the majority had never lifted knitting needles let alone a crochet hook and by the end of the hour all of them had got off the starting blocks and some had even got the basic knowledge to enthusiastically go off and continue the good work.

I've since heard that this is exactly what happened and that scarves and I don't know what have been crafted since!

Forget about paint-balling or brain-storming. Just learn to crochet for your training days!!!

Crochet a dress - creative stamina required!

When Claire and I finish a beginners' or intermediate crochet class for makedomend I often wonder what our happy, smiley crocheters are going to make when they get home with their new-found skill! When we ask people why they are particularly interested in learning how to crochet they might say that they want to be able crochet flowers or motifs (granny squares, of course!) or they would love to make trims for well-loved garments that need an update.
I always hope that there will be some maverick who will pipe up that they want to make clothes. It sounds ambitious, I know, but it's not outside the realms of possibility. Problems arise when you realise how few really good commercial patterns there are. In desperation you can resort to the world of vintage. Crochet pattern central is a good place to start if that's your chosen route.I'm quite excited at the moment as I've been asked to design an evening top for an online pattern company (I'll keep you posted when the deal's sealed!!) but on the whole there is a very large and gaping hole.
Inspiration is all over the catwalks and has been for some time. I'm happy to draw your attention to all the wonderful crochet from Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana and Yamamoto. I love fashion and I want to encourage all crochet-addicts to get stuck in and design their own clothes.
Here's some more inspiration from a new kid on the fash block. Mark Fast, a Canadian based in London, has caused quite a stir by using what I would call normal looking models. Women of shape!! Why I appreciate him for in particular is his use of crochet styling in his very fitted garments. It might not be very 'high street' but it certainly is inspiring. Talking of high street, his collection for Top Shop goes on stream in June and there's a wonderful crochet skirt that will have you puzzling how it's made and feeling rather pleased with yourself when you know! The examples I've shown are all from his spring/summer 2010 collection.

Simple samples

When life is a bit too busy to even draw breath it's even more important to have my crochet with me. Lots of train journeys give me plenty of time to get to grips with the project mountain. My latest was using some of my favourite yarns in some simple mesh scarflettes. I had some Habu yarn on a cone which was more beautiful in it's raw state than worked up so I left it. Then I couldn't stand it any longer and out came the 1.75mm hook and away I went with a really simple mesh pattern. I was so pleased with the result that I made another muffler out of Berroco Alpaca Light in the divinest shade of marine blue. I love both of them and was so pleased with the pattern. It's drawn comments but is so basic that it taught me a lesson. Keep it simple for maximum impact.

I like these other examples too.There are still a couple of places left on the Intermediate Crochet at Kingly Court, W1 on Sunday for anyone interested. Contact makedomend@live.co.uk for details.

Flying the flag - From Britain with Love

In my other life as a Mender at makedomend I am so pleased to say that we are listed amongst the wonderful new design-gathering at From Britain with Love. You really can't better their mission statement "Hello and welcome to FromBritainWithLove.com - the brand new online guide to all things beautiful and British made.
Our mission is very simple... we want to let people know that there are beautiful things being made in studios, workshops, factories and farms across Britain every day, and our aim is to help you find them." and I heartily raise a cheer to that!! There is so much talent churning around in field and backstreet and we do need to nurture that. Amazingly, despite the growth and decline of the high street this country still keeps a strong design heart beating but we do need lovely websites like this to keep it in good health. Hurrah.

I thought I'd make a little personal selection from their comprehensive list and this is what I found in a very unmethodical 5 minute survey!!

Smith & Coates - handmade, recycled clothes for adults and children with cute crochet trims and embellishments.

Andrea Williamson - colourful and cosy knitted accessories
Jennifer Collier - innovative textiles and craft pieces

Of course, that is a random and small selection. If you're a design and handmade freak like me then you're going to love visiting From Britain. God save that!!

Waste not!! - 'Handemadeness is an antidepressant'

I love yarn. Texture, weight (or lack of it as I love fine yarns more than chunky), colour and all it's wonderful variety. I've got a confession though. I've never really been attracted to the possibilities of undoing long-lost garments. Well-worn and well-loved jumpers and sweaters just get more well-worn until they're a rather threadbare wisp of a garment. There are alternatives and I stumbled on them thanks to a new friend on Twitter (I know, it's got it's critics but there are little gems there), Joyce Crochets, and she passes on some great little crochet links and I've followed many a tip-off from her tweets.This week's trail was to the methods of undoing woollen fabric and I never realised what an art there was to it. There are two really informative resources from two favourites of chaincreative, crafty stylish and craftzine. Different seams pose different problems and then there's prepping involved before you can wind up and get working. It's all worth it in the name of wasting not a precious resource and that's a big deal right now. While you're feeling virtuous hanging your freshly laundered yarn on the line (hmm) just think what a saving you've made. Enough to maybe treat yourself with some gorgeous little gem from Loop!
Once you've finished all the processes to turn that sad sack to crochet gold then you need some inspiration and I followed some more trails to a recycling diva called Cecile whose philosophy is very much of the moment and is the quote in the title of this post. Calling her business Recycled by Hyena and quoting her from her Etsy profile, 'My work is infused with my ethic and each of my creations is the result of passion and dedication. My clothes are made from scratch but not from new materials. They are made with fabric from clothes I purchased in Goodwill stores and non-profit thrift stores.

I "believe" in the craft revolution and I think it is our future. The handmade and eco-friendly life is the only alternative to the consumerism destroying our planet and the living beings surrounding us.'I must say I love her designs and the twist she puts on them. Of course, the fact that they're made from the sad, lost and forgotten makes them even more precious. Above is an example of how she encorporates crochet into many of her designs called Empire and below is the patchwork of fine fabrics that she combines in her work which she calls Comie.

As a little postscript, I've been frantically preparing for makedomend's first outing to Stoke Newington's Tea Rooms for our granny squares workshop. I've been making up samples and patterns for the event and I'm very excited with Sarah London's Wooleater Blanket which is worked as a square and which uses as much scrips and scraps of yarn as you would wish to see the back of!!! It's not quite recycling but is certainly not waste!!!
Here's my humble offering of the pattern but I would suggest you go to Sarah's blog for the definitive example.

Granny squares - crochet workshops in London

Following on from the last post about the wonders of granny squares, Claire and I at makedomend are in the final stages of planning our crochet granny square workshop at the delightful establishment, Tea Rooms in Stoke Newington, North London. Our new venture is certainly beginning to hum with activity and we've added some new venues to our portfolio. The Gallery Cafe in Bethnal Green, Bake-a-Boo in West Hampstead, High Tea in Highgate and of course, the Tea Rooms. Our first event is for the Grannies on Thursday 18 February so if you're in London and are interested then pop over to the makedomend blog and sign up.I was teaching a lovely bunch of crocheters over the weekend and they were rather proud (with justification, I might add) with their latest project of making a beautiful motif rug for a friend. However, the problem of how to join all the motifs together was very much at the top of their agenda. I must say that I wouldn't hesitate to point them in the direction of moonstitches. Alexandra is European but lives and works and creates in Japan. She is an observer of life through her lens and takes the most beautiful pictures of her creations and daily life which she posts on Flikr and on her blog. Some time ago I came across her hexagon tutorial and saved it up for just such an occasion as this. Now you can perfect your joining technique as well as enjoy her lovely clear pictures. Each stage is given close attention so if you're feeling unsure you can just wait at each stage until you're really up to speed.
Well, must get back to planning world domination by crochet hook. Hope to see some of you in Stoke Newington. Until later...