Crochet and lace

On October 12, 2015 By agrarianartisan2 Comments

Whilst there is plenty to see and do in Corfu Town, Corfu has many lovely villages to visit and so a hire car was an essential for some of the holiday. The first day we had the car we travelled up to Kassiopi, a small port on the North East coast.

It was quieter than we have ever known it, mainly because it was so late in the season but also because the economic crisis in Greece has had an impact on tourism (such a shame as the island remains largely unaffected and there is no reason not to go there on holiday to enjoy the best Greek hospitality). However, we like quiet! Plenty of space for a wander along the seafront, stopping to spot fish, watch boats and enjoy the views. Time also for a leisurely latte by the water’s edge.

Thankfully, despite many businesses being closed already in October, the place I wanted to visit was open – Agathi’s lace shop.

I have visited this shop several times over the last 20 odd years and it always had plenty of customers, but this time it was quiet. Agathi was crocheting as I entered and I was the only one there, so it was an excellent opportunity to have a chat. She had just started crocheting a top-down cardi in white cotton – she pointed at all the crocheted tops hanging up around the entrance – all made by her. She makes so many glorious things: garments, tablecloths, doilies, rugs – and in many different fibre crafts: lacework, crochet, traditional Corfu Venetian lace (a sort of tatting), weaving, cutwork, embroidery, ribbon embroidery, cross stitch – the list is endless, she is extremely talented.

Agathi opened her shop 43 years ago, in that time she has seen many changes. The season used to start early (March) and end late (November), but it has changed many times over the years. Today the season depends very much on the airline timetables and so do her sales – she has so many beautiful woven rugs but they will be too heavy for taking home on an airline and I expect many of her sales are for the smaller items. Next time I go to Corfu I will pack light to save room for a rug!

Each item in the shop has been made by her (well, apart from the carved olive wood by her son!) and the range, quality and beauty of them is unbelievable – she is so very talented.

I purchased 2 beautiful square doilies, in very fine crochet:

This one is 4 motifs joined simply in very fine cotton.

This is a single motif, with texture.

Each one will have taken 2 days to make. I explained that I crocheted as well and she suggested I should copy them! But I won’t as I doubt I have the patience or talent to make such very fine work. However, she has inspired me – and when I returned to the hotel I started swatching a motif based loosely on a simpler part of one of her doilies, it won’t end up anywhere as good as her work but it will remind me of how wonderfully talented she is.

Agathi’s is well worth a visit if you go to Corfu. Kassiopi is easily found and Agathi’s is on the main street down to the harbour. Next time I’m in Corfu I will visit again, it’s a must!

Tomorrow I’ll post a final blog about my fibre adventures in Corfu…..the last day was a bonus which I’m keen to share with you 🙂

Happy crocheting xx

Tis the night before Yarndale….

On September 25, 2015 By agrarianartisan4 Comments

……and I’m getting excited! Also, I am preparing for the day in my usual fairly organised way. So I thought I’d share how I prepare as a visitor:

What do I wear? It’s pretty obvious really – some comfy trainers (the floor is solid concrete and warm socks are a necessity), trousers (not a skirt as it may be chilly!) with a secret security pocket, lots of layers, a pair of fingerless mitts (excellent for being able to fondle yarn and get your cash out easily) and my favourite type of neckwear for shopping – a cowl. When I thought about this I came to a bit of a standstill, you see I do like to co-ordinate what I wear and I’m taking some lovely crocheted fingerless mitts in blue but I don’t have a blue cowl! So my last minute challenge was to stash dive and make a cowl that matches. So that’s where I’ve been this afternoon – searching through piles of stash (which makes me wonder just why am I going to Yarndale!?). I have found some lovely NDS dk yarn called Stardust in blues and lilac, not an exact match for the mitts but should be ok. And my challenge for this evening is to make a cowl……wish me luck!

The next stage of my prep is to get the bag packed. Ah yes, the bag – it is a good sized canvas bag which I can fling over my shoulder, not too large as I don’t want to inadvertently bump it into other visitors (which is very easy to do in a crowd).

I have reviewed the exhibitor list and floor plan already, so I have a printed copy marked up with my ‘must visit’ stands. This is the first item to go in my bag. .

I always take a packed lunch. There are cafes in Skipton and food stalls at the show, but the queues can be long. So I find it easier to pack my own lunch – and a few snacks. I’m travelling there by coach so I have a snack before arrival which helps keep me going until lunch! So this afternoon I made sure I had sandwiches, snacks and some bottled water ready in the fridge. They will all go into my bag just before I leave tomorrow morning.

Also in the bag is a market shopping bag, you know the sort of old fashioned string bag – you could crochet one yourself but I have a few ‘turtle bags’ so I use one of those. It’s perfect as an overflow expandable bag.

A lightweight fleece is the next item – just in case it gets really cold.

The last item in the bag is a pack-a-mac. I prefer this to an umbrella for two reasons – firstly it can provide an extra (and windproof) layer if it gets cold and, second, umbrellas can be difficult to manoeuvre in a crowd and possibly a bit dangerous! I have checked the weather forecast and it looks good, but this is England so it is best to be prepared for rain.

Also, I have a small cross body handbag for money, phone, lippy, comb, small packet of tissues, keys etc. It has some good little zipped pockets which are great for security. I put my mobile on charge overnight, so it is fully charged for tomorrow.

Money is another thing to consider. Some, but not all, stallholders have mobile visa machines but the signal isn’t always good, so it’s much better to have cash and cheque book. I don’t keep cash all in one place which is why those little security pockets in trousers and bag are handy. And it’s good to have small denomination notes and a good supply of pound coins, stallholders love them!

Finally, an early night is in order. I want to be fresh as a daisy tomorrow!

I’ll be wearing my Ravelry badge at Yarndale, so if you spot me you’ll soon tell if I won my cowl challenge, although I may still be crocheting it on the coach!

Happy crocheting xxx

Pre-Yarndale treat!

On September 24, 2015 By agrarianartisan2 Comments

I had a lovely afternoon today 🙂

My friend, and amazing crochet designer, Amanda Perkins popped round for a chat. We don’t often get the opportunity to chat face to face, since I live in the North West and she lives in Devon! But today she stopped off on her way to Yarndale, the festival of woolly wonders which is on this coming weekend. Amanda has a stand there and it will be the first time she is exhibiting purely as a designer. It was fantastic to see her and get a real opportunity for a good chat.

I will be going to Yarndale on Saturday, and will see her again, but we won’t really have any quality chatting time as Yarndale will be buzzing! She has told me her plans for her stand, which include some of her amazing blankets, some yarn (the last of the now very rare Natural Dye Studio yarn, and some of the gorgeous John Arbon Knit by Numbers) and an array of her gorgeous patterns. Her stand is right in the centre of Yarndale, very close to Lucy’s Knit n Natter lounge. So please look out for her on stand number 80.

The second thing to make me happy today was what Mrs Postie delivered – my contributor copy of Inside Crochet issue 70. I have a design in it, the Medina Cowl. This is made with some luscious silk from Willow Knits.

I am very pleased with this design. It uses 3 beautiful colours of silk and the components are quite simple, but the joining is a feature which may prove a bit challenging to some (although it will become easier the more you practice). Willow Knits is also at Yarndale, so please pop by and see Anne on stand 101, I am sure she’ll have these beautiful autumnal colours of silks!

Finally, do also pop by the Inside Crochet stand (159) – you may even see Medina Cowl ‘in the flesh’! And I’ll be there at around 2.30pm.

I do hope to see some of you at Yarndale.

Happy crocheting xxx

Magical Mandalas

On September 17, 2015 By agrarianartisan2 Comments

At long last I have put the finishing touches to my ebook on mandalas. This was a task I started a couple of months ago but something always prevented me finalising it. It is now complete!

Did you know that the word mandala is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit which loosely translated means “circle”. It has great spiritual meaning and also is fabulous for colour therapy and healing.

There are 8 designs in the ebook:

From left to right: Julie’s Mini, Sunshine, Simply Solid, Mary’s, Lace & Texture, Starry, Buxton and Simply Alternative.

It has been published in all the usual places – Ravelry, LoveKnitting/LoveCrochet, Etsy and Craftsy. It contains 8 different designs, 5 of which are already available as individual patterns, but 3 of which were made available only in workshops previously. So there is something new for almost everyone!

I thought this would be my final work on mandalas, which have entranced me this year, but I have another special design waiting!

Happy crocheting xxx

Anniversary Mandala Cushion CAL – the reveal!

On August 14, 2015 By agrarianartisan2 Comments

I’ve just published the full and final pattern for the anniversary CAL. So here’s the reveal:

As you can see, the front and back of the cushions I made are different, as I like a little variety. Of course, if you make a cushion you could make the front and back the same…….but which would you choose?

The full pattern is now on Ravelry, Lovecrochet, Etsy and Craftsy and is now full price. But there’s still time to join in the CAL on the Ravelry forum 🙂

Happy crocheting xx

A round up!

On August 9, 2015 By agrarianartisan5 Comments

The last few posts on this blog have been about the Anniversary CAL, but I have been doing a lot more than just finalising the pattern for the CAL. Patterns are generally written well ahead of publication, then tested and refined – the publication hasn’t taken much of my time at all.

So today I will share a round-up of activity from the last few weeks.

First I was happy to have 2 designs published in different magazines both of which were released on the same day! What a very happy co-incidence! Again these were prepared and written months ago, but the excitement of receiving the magazines and seeing the designs in print (and beautifully styled) is immense. And, of course, I give myself plenty of time to read the magazines over a cup or 2 of coffee!

The first item is the Lariat Belt I designed for Inside Crochet, issue 68.

This one is a flexible design – it can be a skinny scarf, a lariat necklace or a belt – the perfect item to pack for holiday. It is made in some of my favourite yarn, WillowKnits handdyed worsted silk, and it is relatively quick to make, so even if you are off on holiday next week I am sure you can make this in time.

The second design is a retro Boho Top for Mollie Makes, issue 56.

I had such fun making this! It comes in 2 sizes and I designed it so it is made in one piece and requires very little sewing up. I know that finishing a crocheted or knitted garment is generally one of the most disliked tasks, and I know of many pieces that languish in cupboards and drawers awaiting sewing up. For the boho top the motifs are joined as you go and the bodice is made upwards from the motif section, the edging is incorporated into the bodice as you make it and there are probably less than a dozen sewing stitches required to join the shoulders. So once you finish hooking it takes minutes to finish the garment!

You may recall I mentioned a while ago that I treated myself on the spur of the moment to a set of Hamanaka crochet hooks from Janie Crow. I had my eye on these for a while, they looked small and neat, and being double ended meant that I could carry a large range of hooks in a small bag. They haven’t disappointed me at all. I haven’t used anything else since I bought them!

I bought a set of 5 regular sizes, a set of 3 small sizes and a small case for them. The hooks are lovely to handle and, for my small hands, a perfect size. I added a small pair of scissors, some tapestry needles and stitch markers to the front pocket in the case and I now have a perfect little crochet kit.

Hamanaka - heaven in a hook! — Hamanaka – heaven in a hook!

I have been working on a simple granny square cushion in lovely handdyed 4 ply silk, and you can tell from this photo that I have used the hook a lot (evidenced by the dye accumulating on the handle near the hook shank – don’t worry, I know from experience that this will wash off easily).

Another thing I like about these hooks is that the 3mm and 4mm sizes are on the same hook, and these are the sizes I use the most – so if I want to travel light with crochet, that is the only hook I need carry.

I’ve also been indulging in some more mandala designing, this is a special mandala which is just in the pattern writing stage:

And I have been making some ‘mini bunting’ from a pattern by Emma Lamb published in Mollie Makes Crochet, another great selection of crochet patterns. This now adorns the headboard of the spare bed. Previously my Anniversary Crochet Flower mini bunting adorned the bedhead but I felt it was in need of a refresh and a narrower colour palette – 2 of Emma’s flowers from the book were perfect for this.

So what has been keeping you busy this last month?

Happy crocheting xx

Part 2…

On August 7, 2015 By agrarianartisan2 Comments

Today part 2 of the Anniversary CAL is published. You can find it on Ravelry and LoveCrochet.

Part 2 has a new motif – a large one! And it is included in this mini cushion I made:

As you can see the 2 motifs work together well, I designed the sizes so that they did! Part 2 of the pattern includes a suggested layout if you’d like to make a blanket or throw with just these 2 styles of motif, but there are plenty of other options available – just use your imagination (and maybe a little maths!).

If you haven’t already joined in the CAL, please do – I love seeing what everyone makes with the motifs.

Happy crocheting xxx

And we’re off!

On July 31, 2015 By agrarianartisan1 Comment

I have just pressed the publish button on Ravelry and the 3rd Anniversary CAL is launched!

The pattern is now available at a discount for a week – part 1 is included now, parts 2 and 3 will follow. You can find it on Ravelry and on LoveCrochet.

As usual this ia a scary moment for me – will you like the design? Will anyone want to join in the CAL? These and other questions are flooding my mind!

To tempt you here’s a sneaky peek at part 1:

Please do join in the CAL on the Agrarian Artisan Designs’ forum on Ravelry – you can chat about progress, ask questions and generally have great fun. And post finished projects on the thread to be eligible for the prize draw.

As well as all the excitement of the CAL I’ve had another couple of designs published – Lariat Belt in Inside Crochet and Boho Top in Mollie Makes – what a week!!? I’ll post more on these in another blog post, meanwhile……

Happy crocheting xxx

Introduction to the Anniversary CAL

On July 26, 2015July 31, 2015 By agrarianartisanLeave a comment

I am pleased to announce details of the Anniversary CAL 2015.

It is motif based and mandala inspired – so definitely colourful!

The pattern will be released in 3 parts and will be available on Ravelry and on LoveCrochet/LoveKnitting. Part 1 will be published on 31^st July and parts 2 and 3 follow at weekly intervals.

The motifs can be used together in just about any project using whatever yarn you like (stashing busting is very appropriate!). I am making a cushion with mine, but I would love to see other uses – a blanket, a scarf or whatever you like. As it is mandala inspired you may even like to make a set of mandalas!

The pattern costs £3. However, on publication on 31^st July I will release a coupon code for those purchasing on Ravelry – the first 10 people using the coupon code will be able to get the pattern free. Once those coupon codes are used up the pattern will be automatically discounted on Ravelry by £2 for the first week and £1 for the second week. These discounts will also apply on LoveCrochet/LoveKnitting, which will be handy for those of you purchasing yarn.

There will be a prize draw at the end of September, all finished projects published on the FO thread on Ravelry will be eligible for the prize draw – whatever the FO is! Multiple entries will be allowed. Prizes TBA in due course.

If you want to make a cushion then this is the yarn I used (but this isn’t compulsory!):
Drops Alpaca, 100% alpaca, 50g/164m/182yds per ball. 1 ball each of:
Goldenrod (2923), Red (3620), Orange (2915), Lime (7300) and Off White (Main colour) (0100)
3.0mm (US D/3) crochet hook
My cushion had a different front and back, if you want to have them the same you may need 2 balls of the Main Colour.

Any questions? Join my Ravelry group and ask questions here: Agrarian Artisan

Happy crocheting xx

A spontaneous project

On July 4, 2015 By agrarianartisanLeave a comment

Do you suffer from spontaneous projects? You know the sort – you have plenty of projects to finish but an idea erupts in your head and you have to run with it and start a spontaneous project.

That happened to me this week, but it was worse than just a spontaneous project. You see I tidied my stash cupboard, and I had a bag full of yarn to give away. First stop was knitgroup on Tuesday, and some yarn was gratefully received but there was plenty left. Second stop was knitgroup on Friday, more yarn was gratefully received and there was still some left. The next stop should be the charity shop. But before I go further I should add that my knitgroup are very charitable and anyone receiving yarn from a de-stash pops a donation into the ‘charity purse’, when the purse reaches £50 that money is donated to a charity chosen by one of the knitgroup. So every stop along the de-stash route is charitable.

Except I didn’t plan to go to the charity shop until next week and on Friday I just looked at the remaining de-stash and well…..the spontaneous project erupted! It was all because I’d been inspired by a rucksack I’d seen in a magazine, it was made using the V stitch. I didn’t want a rucksack but I just loved the idea of a V stitch in a bag. So I used some of my de-stash; a couple of skeins of Rowan Creative Linen became this:

I feel a bit guilty, because the remaining de-stash was destined for the charity shop and I’ve probably deprived them of some much needed funds. So even though it was my yarn, I ended up popping some money in the charity purse!

I’m not writing up the pattern, but it is pretty straightforward – just make a base the size and shape you like and make the sides using V stitch, finish the top any way you like (I made a few rows of dc and added handles by making some slits in the dc section and threading the handles through like a drawstring or dolly bag).

What sort of spontaneous projects have you done recently?

Happy crocheting xx

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