Hello and welcome to my blog.
Today I am going to tell you a little story about a time when I decided to try something different.
About 15 years ago, just before Needlecase came into existence, I saw a top in a knitting magazine that I really liked the look of and wanted to make.
I may still have the original pattern somewhere but it’s in one of the many boxes I still need to unpack…
How annoying, it had crochet squares around the hem of the body and the sleeve and I didn’t know how to crochet. This was not the first time that this had happened so I decided that there was nothing for it and I would have to learn how to do the crochet thing so that I could knit the things that had crochet elements to them!
I was looking for someone to teach me to crochet and happened to be in York when I saw that a shop was running a beginners crochet class so I decided to book myself a place. At the same time I was interested to read about another class called ‘lace knitting with beads’. I knew how to do lace knitting but was a little puzzled how to knit with beads so I thought I’d get myself booked into that class as well.
So a few weeks later I’m back in York for my crochet class.
The lady running it was really lovely and I had a great day getting my head around crochet finally.
I was super duper happy with my granny square and we made some flowers too.
I remember a few days later, sitting down to try to crochet the motifs needed for the top I was wanting to knit and my mind going completely blank because I had forgotten how to crochet already. A quick trip to see mum so she could point me in the right direction sorted that out and I was very pleased with myself when I managed to follow the instructions in the magazine, making the square needed for the top and feeling like I was on my way to success.
I remember a few days later, sitting down to try to crochet the motifs needed for the top I was wanting to knit and my mind going completely blank because I had forgotten how to crochet already. A quick trip to see mum so she could point me in the right direction sorted that out and I was very pleased with myself when I managed to follow the instructions in the magazine, making the square needed for the top and feeling like I was on my way to success.
Very soon after that I was once again in York for my next class. Another very fun day basically playing with yarn and beads, what’s not to like?
As far as I remember we made some little swatches and tried a few ways of adding beads and some different lace patterns as well. Then I had a lightbulb moment. The knitting of the top was a lace pattern so why not add some beads. Oh yes I was very excited about this and before heading home I had purchased yarn to make the top and lots of beads to go with it.
Before starting to knit I studied the pattern a little bit and decided at which point in the lace pattern the beads were getting added and roughly how many beads I was going to need and then I got my needles out, threaded the beads onto the yarn and started knitting.
The resulting top is still alive and kicking if a little ‘worn’ looking.
I’d had fun with it though. This is the only garment I’ve ever made that’s included either beads or crochet. You don’t want beads all over everything after all.
One of the first occasions on which I wore this top was that summer when I visited Woolfest for the first time. I remember a lady stopping me and asking me about the beads. She described it as ‘the ultimate bling, yarn and beads’ which I took as a complement.
One of the first occasions on which I wore this top was that summer when I visited Woolfest for the first time. I remember a lady stopping me and asking me about the beads. She described it as ‘the ultimate bling, yarn and beads’ which I took as a complement.
The short workshop eventually grew into a full day event when I designed this shawl for participants to make as a project.
A few years later I wrote a similar workshop to run myself. It started as a short session one evening and I especially remember two lovely regular customers of my Tadcaster shop coming along and totally loving the whole adding beads to your knitting idea.
One of these ladies could not stop adding beads to just about everything she knitted just for the fun of it for some time after
I haven’t run many of these workshops and certainly non since lockdown but Amble Pin Cushion has asked me to lead one so we’ve booked it in for the end of April.
I thought I’d better familiarise myself with my own instructions as it’s been some time so I’ve had a little practise at making the swatch that is included in the workshop but then I got a little bit carried away with myself…
I have a few samples of the shawl already so I didn’t plan to make another one but then I realised that the chart that I’d made was a bit basic and I now have the software to make a better one. So I have now found myself unexpectedly making a new sample to test out the chart and to test out the yarn we are using for the workshop. This has come as a bit of a surprise to me but that is better than things not being checked and causing surprises for my students.
So there it is, if you would like to spend a day with me playing with yarn and beads and learning how to read a chart whilst creating strategically placed holes in your knitting…then you can book here