My latest crochet pattern for Woman's Weekly and why grey is full of surprises

I'm really chuffed to finally be able to show you my latest crochet design for Woman's Weekly Magazine.

It's been a true labour of love. I sketched ideas around Christmas 2014 before digging my crochet hook into the final item around February of this year.

My original sketches for what I'd envisioned

I finally handed the finished garment in at the end of the summer and let me say, it was an incredible feeling. I was really proud of it and am beaming now that it's finally made it to print!

This delicate shawl is worked on a 2mm hook. © Woman's Weekly

I've been playing around with fine crochet threads for a few years now. I adore the look of fine yarns in both knitting and crochet, so as soon as this brief came my way, I couldn't wait to get going.

I was particularly happy that the Knitting Editor opted for this cool grey. I adore grey.

Last year, I produced these fine crochet hanging decorations for Christmas © Woman's Weekly

Grey is and always has been one of my favourite colours for two important reasons.

Firstly, it's surprisingly easy to wear. Far more interesting than black, in garments it layers nicely with most colours and creates interesting colour combinations, than black never could.

Black's too easy to wear to the point of being predictable. We all do it. And it's not very nice to crochet with, because it's incredibly dark and impossible to see what your crochet hook is doing.

My favourite baby booklet of all time. I bought it with pocket money when I was about 13 and still knit from it today.

Secondly, it's an excellent unisex shade. It's a wonderful choice for baby knits and a refreshing alternative to sickly yellow or dull white (I really dislike white actually), especially these icy silvers I've shown you so far.

I must have knitted my fiance at least 15 things in grey over the years (although saying that, he only really wears grey, navy and black), but I know it's what he likes so there's really no point in me trying to push something more flamboyant on him. It wouldn't be worth my knitting time!

Here he is in the grey sweater I did him for Christmas last year. A nice easy-care (man-proof) Opal sock yarn.

I've always felt that we can mentally recolour items much more easily when the original is photographed having been made in pale, soft shades.

My felted brooch designs are great fun at crochet workshops © Woman's Weekly

Wishy-washy colours make me feel a bit ill - clear, cool shades are more my sort of thing.

A colour consultant I saw a few years ago sussed out which colours would suit me. Thankfully she confirmed that I was on the right track with the colours I already like to work with and wear, labelling me a 'clear winter' pallette.

For example, I've never worn gold, only silver and platinum. Gold just doesn't feel right when I put it on. Too warm!

Crocheting with wools is always a fiddly business. Fabrics can come out very dense and heavy, so I also prefer the finer yarns in life (namely DMC Petra and Anchor Freccia, or thinner).

As I mentioned earlier, I feel the same way about knitting. I just don't enjoy rigorous hand movements around big hooks and needles and I generally don't like the untidy finished fabrics. They don't stand up to the test of time, either.

A photo posted by Ash (@ajax_spraynwipe) on Nov 17, 2015 at 11:50am PST

I love the sky. Every time there is a meteor shower I drag Ben outdoors at 4am to see them. It makes you feel very small.

In the daytime London is very grey, but I like it. Moody clouds tell a story.

They're never really grey though. Whirls of purples, blue, orange and red. I could honestly stare at the clouds all day. There's a lot going on there. Totally mesmeric. I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as I do.

So enjoy my new pattern I do hope some of you give it a go. I've got it in mind for my future bridesmaids for sure! Happy crocheting everyone.

Read more of my crochet antics at Woman's Weekly's crochet page.

Behind the scenes at Sarah Hazell's house, a KAL, and what Wovember means!

Sarah Hazell is, always has been and always will be, my mentor. I look up to her no end, and I was delighted to be invited for a sleepover last weekend!

But before I dish dish dish, allow me to regail you of how our relationship came to be.

Back in 2007, a select few Rowan Design Consultants gathered at a secret location (well, Hatfield) for initiation into the world of workshop tutoring. Learning with me was Margaret Rowan, Jenny Stilwell, Anne Makepeace, Sara Thornett and Sara Hayton [who since, sadly - has mysteriously vanished].

Sarah (above, right) was always a hugely popular workshop tutor

A 21-year-old me was paired up to be mentored by Sarah and I was completely enamoured with her. She's so cool, bubbly and ozzes passion about the craft. She lends a real sense of fun to her classes. I was totally inspired to be just like her.

A bubbly personality that runs through her whole house, right down to glassware!

She taught me to embrace my knitting strengths [ahem, socks if you haven't noticed] and to be proud of my passion for fibrecrafts, encouraging me to beam it outwards instead of hiding it from my peers in deep embarassment.

I learned a great deal from her and owe her my entire career really. Look at me now!

Sarah's (centre) exlusive poncho designs for Coats AW 2014

After years of working in the same circles, but at opposite ends of the country (she's from up Brummie and I'm a Londoner), opportunitied to work together were rare and we finally had the chance to teach a Christmas weekend knitting retreat together in Yorkshire in 2013.
 
My mum came along and the retreat was a total sellout. Let me tell you, it was such a giggle!

The following year I joined Woman's Weekly and waved goodbye to workshops of old in exchange for something shiny and new. I thought that would be the end of lovely Sarah and me, that I'd never really see her again.

I've always loved Sarah's bold and daring sense of colour

But boy was I wrong! We've been in touch more than ever and last weekend I was whisked off my feet after a workshop in Birmingham and was taken to knitting heaven! Eat your heart out Kaffe, this quirky knit studio is an ambience to be reckoned with.

The house is filled with fibre from floor to ceiling, on both floors. There is yarny greatness everywhere. It was very calming. It just felt... right. Comforting.

The whole studio is one big mood board

The entire living room [as well as other hidden spaces around the house] is devoted to design and bursting with brainstorms of yarn, inspiring images and colours.

There's a reason I call her Aunty Sarah [including when I answer the phone in the office]. She's always teaching me new things, this time introducing me to Wovember, which I'd never heard of!

Essentially Wovember runs through November [shocker!] and encourages the usage and wear of 100% wool. Well she's embraced this with both knitting hands - and designed a whole bunch of lovely things to encourage you to get involved. Meet the Slow Comfort collection;

Colour Block Hat pattern from Sarah's Slow Comfort collection

These 100% Blue faced Leicester hats are a kit which costs only £15 and are simple to make with a bold block colour change and some delightful travelling stitch textures. BFL has always been my fave sheep [dorky, but true] and if you find it a touch rough, just wash it in some of your favourite hair conditioner. It's yummy.

I must have said 'I like the blue one' like, 50 times. But... I like the blue one.

Sarah's daughter Phoebe rocks the yellow with her warm skintone and berry lips

The yellow and grey are nice too but my pale yellow-beige pallor isn't great with yellow - makes me look yellow! Bit jealous of the model really.

Modelled by the absolutely ruddy gorgeous Phoebs Hazell!

Picture it with me, knitters - there's lush knits tucked into every corner, including this above bad boy here [not Phoebs, the poncho!]. Knitted in Wendy Ramsdale yarn, Sarah's announced her first KAL which begins on the 28 November in the Ravelry Group. So get your butts in there and join in!

You can get your kit from the warm and welcoming Slow Comfort collection on sarah-hazell.com.

...there may even be prizes, who knows [well, I do - and there are!].

So yes, this was the reminiscent wooly Wovember goodness that wrapped up a drizzly weekend teaching in Brum. Like a big warm fuzzy cuddle. I had a wonderful time and I can't wait to come back up. And if that's not enough to make me desperate to go back, look who lives there, too!

Oscar is one of the two friendliest, happiest dogs I have ever met. The other is his sister Millie (not pictured)

Before I sign of though, all this talk of gorgeous Phoebs and fairy godknitter Sarah, it wouldn't be fair for me not to mention Sarah's other half, Paul.

....You're not so bad yourself, Paul. :) xxx

Happy Wovember, everyone!!

I taught myself Peyote Stitch to make a Pam's Poppy

So far this Autumn I've been on the Woman's Weekly Magazine tour bus to every end of the UK! We've taught in Manchester, Exeter and Glasgow so far and I'm off to the Birmingham NEC tomorrow.

I can't honestly decide which of the shows has been my favourite so far but Exeter has been the most inspiring.

It was in Exeter I bought a kit to make one of the baubles from the good people at The Spellbound Bead Co and I was instantly addicted. I'd never done anything quite like it before and the instructions were so easy to follow that I assumed I was a total natural.

I finished it quickly and wasted no time in hopping straight on their website, driving the poor retailer completely batty with my incessant questions and multiple purchases.

These included a kit for a Pam's Poppy. The pattern and bead pack which are sold separatelty came to a total cost of about £25, including a £10.50 donation to The Royal British Legion. As soon as I read about the proceeds going to charity, I thought it was an excellent idea! Indulging in my most recent obsession, for a good cause? Done!

There are several colourways available on Pam's website including the classic red

I'm ashamed to say I haven't knitted anything bigger than a baby cardigan for charity [that I can think of] since I was about 10. I just prefer to make things for people I know, and have very little time. But I had a rare few weeks without any design work, so I went for it!

My big-headedness was short-lived - the parcel turned up and I was instantly flummoxed. The list of materials included a whole bunch of gadgets that I hadn't even heard of and stated that the maker ought to already be familiar with 'Brick Stitch' and '3D Square Stitch' which, I didn't have a bollocking clue how to do.

...but I'd paid for the kit and I had three weeks before Rememberance Sunday to get it made.

I do like a challenge.

I'm very proud to say that I taught myself these obscure required stitches using only PDFs from Spellbound's webpage. I'm good at learning from written instructions - far too impatient to deal with the suspense of a long introduction on a homemade video tutorial with questionable lightning and focus. No. Thank you.

The first thing the Brick Stitch PDF told me was not to go straight into the main project but instead to practice, so I found some blue thread and transparent size 9 Guttermann seed beads and had a fiddle.

After an hour or so I was feeling confident so I put down the pink and started sorting through my Poppy beads.

Each poppy petal is made from the centre outwards towards each edge

So above is my first EVER row of Peyote or Brick stitch which I'm pretty sure are the same thing. The instructions told me to start at the centre point of the thread and wind the remaining thread [having been pre-stretched] onto a thread keeper. I don't know what that is nor do I own one, so I've improvised a thread thing from an old yarn label.

The tension on my first petal was very floppy and loose but soon firmed up with practice

I really loved the mixture of transparent and opaque beads - the brown beads are pearlescent (called 'AB' in bead-talk which I believe stands for Aurora Borealis) as are the transparent red and I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture but there is also some opaque red beads mixed in.

The first petal took a few nights to make but in the end I was whipping one off in about two hours

The poppy consists of 6 of these petals which are later joined together to form a ring.

The larger beads underneath have no purpose except to make my picture look pretty

I didn't need any fancy gear like pliers or tweezers but I did invest in a bar of beeswax as the instructions recommended, to 'condition' the thread. Addind a thin layer of yummy-smelling beeswax to your thread helps to prevent knots and holds the threads in place much firmer.

If I did it again I'd go for a slightly lighter green thread as the Emerald Nymo I chose was a touch on the blue side

The leaf was a touch fiddlier - I left a very long thread [as it was bigger and the instructions didn't tell me how much to leave for this] and no amount of wax could stop it tangling as I worked but joining in and fastening off new threads is unbearably fiddly - so I opted for that instead.

Then all that was left to do was to join the circle to the lower edge of the leaf and stitch the green portion to the red portion before adding some funky black stamens in the centre, et voila!

I pinned it on first thing this morning [having finished it last night] and wore it on the commute into work but because itterly fed up with the upper petals flopping downward. Argh!

Perfectionist as I am, it drove me bananas!

As soon as I got to work I plugged in the glue gun and added a few strateigic blobs to the reverse (which dry 3D and firm) and glued some thick felt in strateigic spots to act as scaffolding - inclduing the reverse of the leaf.

Last year, volunteer beaders around the UK pooled their talents and worked towards a giant commemorative beaded poppy wreath made up of these poppies. To think of the man-hours where mine took me 3 weeks, I'm in utter awe.

I am so proud to have been part of #pamspoppy Centenary Memorial Reef Project by volunteering to make a few of these stunning beaded poppies! #royalbritishleigon #pamkirk #poppypam #beads #war #worldwar #100 #100years #centenary #delicabeads #delica #beadwork #britsh #poppy #poppies #flower #beadworkersguild #yumyumbeads

A photo posted by Charlotte Leggatt (@violetrose84) on Feb 5, 2015 at 12:37pm PST

All the other poppies I've seen that people have made [and they've made lots - there was a couple on display at Ally Pally at various bead stands] are dead flat. Now I know Poppies and Poppies most certainly are not dead flat, so I've added a curve to my petals using the aforementioned glue gun blobs.

I am proud to be taking my Poppy with me to the NEC and although I'm about 10 days late of the 'official first day to wear your poppy', I will be brandishing mine with pride in honour of Rememberance Day right up until the 11th.

I'll continue to wear it every year until it falls to pieces [as a first attempt that may very well be tomorrow, but let's see!] but do remember, if you are crocheting a new poppy this year or digging out an old one - even wearing a Pam's, make sure you put some money in that pot.