Tag: crochet

  • A Crafty Christmas

    A Crafty Christmas

    A row of tiny Christmas elves with red hats
    Christmas elves made from corks, Tunisian crochet hats, with kumihimo braiding scarves

    There’s no doubt that Christmas is going to be a little different this year. With a lockdown once again in place, we are looking to crafty ways to stay occupied and even make some Christmas presents.

    Here are some of the creations by Weavers’ Workshop member, Anne-Marie, decorations and gifts, all home-made.

    A pair of cheerfully coloured rugs made of recycled materials:

    The ‘warp’ is the long pieces of yarn or other textile which is held in place on a loom or a frame. In the above left example, ribbon has been used.

    a wooden loom stands on the floor of the kitchen
    Making the twined rag rug from old linen fabric strips on a weaving frame.

    Looms and frames can vary in size from small handheld frames to huge industrial looms, but the principle is the same. You don’t need a loom or a frame to weave, simple weaving sticks or backstrap are other traditional methods. Find out how we set up our large replica medieval loom here.

    cream and grey oval rug
    Amish style rag rug, made from old linen strips, a weaving needle and blanket stitch.
    This style is also called a toothbrush rug
    A row of tiny Christmas elves with red hats
    These festive little elves have been made from repurposed corks. Their hats are made from Tunisian crochet which blends techniques from knitting and crochet. Their scarves are kumihino, a traditional Japanese braiding craft.

    Have you taken up or revived any textile crafts this year? We’d love to see your creations on our social media pages.

    Huge thanks to Anne-Marie for sharing her beautiful creations.

  • Knitting and weaving and cakes and sunshine!

    Knitting and weaving and cakes and sunshine!

    Our June Open Day coincided with World Wide Knit in Public Day, so we invited knitters to come along and take part alongside our usual activities. It was a warm day, but it was pretty windy, so we tethered the gazebo securely and ensconced the knitters and their handiwork inside.

    a group of women knitting with colourful array of knitted and crocheted work
    Knitting central in the gazebo!

    The knitters brought plenty of examples of their wonderful work, (and yes, there was also some crochet).

    After the success of our previous open day it was really lovely to again share the space with more creative crafters.

    We had a fantastic day with enthusiastic visitors leaving fabulous feedback:

    “Had a great time worth a visit. Lovely people beautiful building and gardens”

    “Fascinating 15th century medieval terrace house in Spon End. The staff are welcoming, friendly and informative. A lovely garden with weavers and knitters showing you how to make craft work. The tea room again has friendly staff selling a lovely selection of cakes and hot / cold beverages. We had a tour of the house which was informative and fascinating. Well worth a visit.”

    “Had an absolutely wonderful time, interesting conversation & demonstration of spinning and very informative & lively talk by Tina in the Weavers House itself. Great time in the garden too ?”

    “Fantastic see you all soon, and thank you again for giving me a new place of interest and new interests ??”

    The garden is certainly looking full of life at the moment. Plenty of time to see it in full bloom over the course of our next few Open Days, including our Tenth Anniversary celebrations – details soon!

     

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