Crochet Classes

Swedish Crochet Nålebinding Socks Course

October 23, 2016 // by mezza// Leave a Comment

This is a very special course and a chance to learn a really ancient and almost lost, Scandinavian crochet stitch.

I was fortunate enough to have attended a weekend course this year where I was taught “Crochet Nålebinding” by an expert in Scandinavian textiles, Lucinda Guy. She was very pleased when I asked if I could teach it to my students. Her and the lady that rediscovered the stitch, Ulrika Andersson are very keen to make sure this ancient stitch isn’t lost again!

It’s a really lovely stitch that’s easy to do once you get the hang of it and it creates fabric quite quickly. I hope you’ll love it as much as I do!

Additionally, you will also get the chance to do a little bit of “Slip Stitch Colour-work” which was often used to decorate traditional Scandinavian accessories.

The socks are quite thick, so they are more of a slipper sock or welly sock than one you’d wear with shoes.

You’ll learn:

Crochet Nålebinding stitch
Starting off and finishing with Crochet Nålebinding stitch
Increasing and decreasing
Toe-up sock construction
After-thought heel
Slip stitch colour-work
Braided bind off (a very traditional Scandinavian technique)

All of the sock construction techniques can be applied to normal crocheted socks.

Tools:
3mm hook
3.5mm hook
Pjoning hook (£5 handmade by local woodworker)
Locking stitch markers
Scissors
Darning needle

Materials:
80-100g 2ply Sport weight 100% wool for the main colour (so some of the smaller hanks are fine)
30g each of 3 different colours.

The yarn is a 2ply Sport weight Swedish yarn from Ullecentrum:
http://www.ullcentrum.com/…/y…/wool-yarn/2-ply-sport-weight/

Once tax and shipping is added on, the it’s about £9 a hank.

Group order:
You can use less than 4 colours but to get the proper Scandinavian effect I wouldn’t recommend going for less than 3 colours.
To save costs, I would suggest ordering one hank of your main colour and then choosing your heel and decorative trim colours from the skeins I already have which I will each split into 3 balls. Unless you’re happy to order 3 or 4 full hanks.

Yarn order deadline:
Monday night, 24th October
PLEASE CHECK YOUR COLOUR CHOICE IS IN STOCK otherwise I will just order the next closest colour(s)
Also, let me know if you need a Pjoning hook so I can make sure enough are made.

Course Dates (5 week course):
Tuesday 1st – 29th November 2016, 7:30pm-9:30pm

Course Venue:
Riverhouse Arts Centre
Manor Road
Walton-on-Thames
Surrey
KT12 2PF

Starter Packs For Beginners Crochet Course

October 9, 2016 // by mezza// 1 Comment

I can offer a started pack for the beginners course. This includes a hook and yarn that I have found to be best suited for learning and that won’t break the bank! Over the years I have discovered that many would-be crafters have been put off or impeded in learning to crochet by using unsuitable yarn and hooks.
I always encourage students to start off with the pack I offer or at least buy themselves the same brand of yarn & hooks rather than trying to struggle with cheap acrylic yarns and aluminium or plastic hooks.

The pack includes:

3.5mm Knitpro Waves Crochet Hook.
3 x 50g balls of Stylecraft DK Classique Cotton.
2 x locking stitch markers
1 wool needle pack

I have four colour combinations available:

The cost of the kit is £12. If you would like one, please drop me an email stating your preferred colour option.

New 4 Week Beginners Crochet Course – 29th October – 19th November 2016

August 28, 2016 // by mezza// 1 Comment

I am running a new beginner’s course at the Riverhouse Arts Centre in Walton-on-Thames starting at the end of October 2016.
This course is for you if :

You have never crocheted before.
You have crocheted in the past but are a bit rusty.
You are self taught either from books and/or the internet and want to clarify areas that you are unsure of or worried that you might be doing incorrectly.

I use a specially developed small project to teach you how to make a solid granny square.
You will learn all the essential techniques that can be applied to most basic projects such as:

choosing the right size hook and yarn
how to hold your hook and yarn
chaining
slip stitch, single & double crochet
how to make a square
how to change colours
how to join motifs using sewing and crochet
how to make a cord
how to finish off

The course includes:
4 x 2 hour practical classes, spread over 4 weeks.
Detailed class notes including photos to help you practise at home.
Email support during the duration of the course.

Course dates:
Saturday 29th October 2016 – Saturday 19th November 2016, 14:30 – 16:30.

Cost: £45

Booking:
Please download the booking form from here. A deposit of £20 will be required (paid to Riverhouse Barn) to secure your spot.

Materials required:
3.5mm crochet hook.
200g of DK cotton yarn, preferably in at least two different colours. I would strongly recommond using Stylecraft Classique Cotton. Acrylic, chunky and novelty yarns are not the best choice for learning.
Wool/tapestry needle.

I can provide the materials above as a starter kit for £12 which can be purchased at the first class (please order beforehand).

This is a great way to learn a new hobby in a friendly setting where you can meet other students with similar interest!

To express and interest or for more details, please contact me.

Chipstead Mitts – A Slip Stitch Crochet Pattern

May 11, 2016 // by mezza// Leave a Comment

At the beginning of the year, I taught my class about Slip Stitch Crochet and these mittens are what they made to master the technique.

Slip stitch crochet to creates a dense and warm fabric – perfect for mittens.
Working in a spiral, the hand and cuff are made first followed by the fingers and mitten tip. The yarn is re-joined to make the thumb and thumb tip. The cuff is made last and is worked flat and then sewn on with a simple whip stitch.

As previously mentioned, I originally developed this pattern for my crochet group, “The Riverhouse Hookers” to learn about slip stitch or Bosnian crochet – working in the round and flat. I have incorporated some of the class notes into the 9 page pattern so it includes additional information, photos and tips, as well as the pattern instructions for making the mittens.

Available in three sizes, with finished hand circumferences:

Size 1 : 15.5cm, Size 2 : 18cm, Size 3 : 21cm

These mittens are best worn with positive ease so choose the nearest size that is wider than your hand.
Materials:

Thick Aran (sample shown uses Artesano Aran in Nightfall).
2 x 100g (288 yards / 264 meters) is enough for all sizes.
5mm & 6mm hook (see note about hooks below).
Tapestry/Wool Needle.
Thin thread for marking the gusset increases (optional).
4 locking stitch markers.

Hooks:
For slip stitch crochet it’s best to use a pjoning or sked krok hook (these are generally one size).
You can use a normal crochet hook. Either choose one with a sharp tip or you can carefully modify the head of a cheap bamboo hook with a Stanley knife/craft knife and smooth with a nail file/emery paper to make the tip smaller.
Hooks with blunt heads or very rounded heads are not suitable as you will struggle to get the hook through the stitches.

My Chipstead Mitts Pattern is available from Ravelry.

Riverhouse Art Scarves – New 5 Week Course February 2016

January 27, 2016 // by mezza// Leave a Comment

I’m excited to announce my new 5 week course at the Riverhouse Arts Centre in Walton-on-Thames.

For this project you will create a piece of art that can be worn as a scarf as well as being beautiful enough to be displayed in a gallery!
Using small and simple motifs such as circles, squares or hexagons you will create a scarf or wrap using hand-dyed yarn by British independent dyers.
The course will cover making motifs, joining motifs as you go and working out how much yarn you’ll need or what size scarf you can make with the yarn you have.
Your tutor will guide you through making your own, unique scarf that you can put up for sale at the exhibition, if you can bear parting with it!

As with all the Rivehouse Hookers’ courses, you’ll have class notes and printed tutorials to keep.

Skill level:
You’ll need basic crochet skills such as chaining, US single/UK double, US double/UK treble, slip stitching.

Materials (not included):
Hand-dyed 4ply / sock yarn (I’ll post soon with a list of suggested suppliers), minimum of 2 colours (2 x 100g) but the more you have the better the effect!
2.5mm hook
tapestry/wool needle

Dates:

1. Monday 15th February 2016
2. Monday 29th February 2016
3. Monday 7th March 2016
4. Monday 14th March 2016
5. Monday 21st March 2016

Please note there is no class on Monday 22nd February!

Time:
8-10pm

Cost:
£45 for 5 week course

Booking is essential – please email me at mezzamay at icloud dot com for a booking form.
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Simple Round Coasters – Free Crochet Pattern

November 21, 2015 // by mezza// Leave a Comment

This Simple Round Crochet Coaster Pattern is nice and easy for beginners’ and improvers’… which is why I use it when I’m teaching beginners. It helps you practise the double and single crochet stitch as well as chaining and slip stitching. I have provided it here, free of charge.
It’s also a perfect, quick little project to make as a gift. Why not make the matching place mats too?

Simple Round Coaster Crochet Pattern

PLEASE NOTE: This is the US crochet terminology version, if you’d like the British version, please click here.

Materials:
Aran Weight Yarn* – colour A red; Colour B cream (or any combination you like)
Hook – 4.5mm / G
Tapestry or wool needle

Key:
beg- beginning
ch – chain
sc – single crochet
dc – double crochet
tr – treble
rnd(s) – round(s)
sp – space
st(s) – stitch(es)

Crochet Instructions

With colour A make a magic ring/sliding loop. Alternatively, ch4 and join to form a ring.
Rnd 1: Ch3 (counts as a dc on this and following rnds), 11 dc in ring; join in 3^rd ch of beg ch 3. 12 dc
Rnd 2: Ch3 , in same sp work 1dc; 2dc in each rem st; join in 3^rd ch of beg ch 3. 24 dc
Rnd 3: Ch3 , in same sp work 1dc; 2dc in each rem st; join in 3^rd ch of beg ch 3. 48 dc
Fasten off.
Rnd 4: Join colour B in any st; ch1, dc in same sp; sc in each rem st; join in first sc.
Finish off and sew in all ends.
Press with a damp cloth on a medium iron heat to make coaster nice and flat (this bit is really important for a neat, professional finish!)

* a note about the yarn – I would recommend natural fibres for these coasters such as wool or cotton. Here I’ve used Drops Alaska, 100% wool. Although you probably will never place a searing hot cup onto the coaster, materials such as acrylic can melt when subjected to extreme heat. Acrylic also doesn’t block too well either, plus synthetic yarns tend to be worse for the environment that natural yarns, especially acrylic as it is derived from the petro chemical industry.

New Intermediates Crochet Course – Crochet Border Edgings

April 16, 2015 // by mezza// Leave a Comment

I’ve been busy preparing for my intermediate group’s next project – Crochet Edgings Using Traditional Crochet Thread. The aim is for my students to get to grips with cotton crochet thread and smaller hooks and apply a pretty border to an item of their choosing.
Each student has a “hanky” (which I made out of cotton sheeting) so that they can practise the skills before applying to the real thing! They will learn how to prepare the fabric with either blanket stitch or back stitch as the foundation for the crochet stitches. Then they will learn how to set up the first crochet row to accommodate a simple shell motif.
Following on from this, they can then choose one of the two additional border patterns I have created or find their own pattern from a book or the internet. I will guide the students on how to make the border fit and also how to tackle problems such as corners, should they arise.

Materials needed:

1.75mm or 1.5mm crochet hook.
1 x 50g ball of cotton crochet thread between 5-20 thickness (you may need more than one ball if you’re planning on edging something large)
1 x sharp, large eyed needle.
tape measure / ruler.
tailor’s chalk (I jhave some students can borrow if they don’t want to purchase any).
small pair of sharp scissors.
removable stitch markers.
plain hankie (I provide one per student, free of charge).

Course Details

Dates: Tuesdays 7:30-9:30pm, 21st April- 30th June (no class on 26th May – half term)
Venue: In the Courtyard Studio, Riverhouse Barn, Manor Road, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
Cost: £45 for 5 weeks

Examples of things that could be edged:

The hem, cuffs of neckline of a t-shirt, vest or top.
The hem of a skirt.
Towel or flannel.
Pillow case or cushion cover.
Table cloth or napkins
The edge of a plain pashmina or shawl (that would be quite adventurous but we do have 5 weeks!)
….I’m sure there are many more and I look forward to seeing what my students decide to trim!

I have really enjoyed preparing for this course – thread crochet creates such a pretty, vintage feel.
Today I also received a lovely large box from Purple Linda Crafts containing my students hook and yarn orders. In my opinion, Linda has the best selection of hooks and threads for crochet and her service is always great too. It’s exciting to see all the things my students have chosen – can’t wait to see what they make with it!

I teach beginner and intermediate crochet at the Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre in Walton-on-Thames during term times.
I am also available to teach private groups in the privacy and convenience of your own home and I can offer one-to-one tuition in my home studio in Hersham, Surrey.
I am available for one day/half day workshops at craft fares and other events.
I can also teach for charities free of charge, as long as participants pay to cover the cost of materials.

Lacy Shawl – Riverhouse Hookers 5 Week Crochet Project for Third Term 2014

October 2, 2014 // by mezza// Leave a Comment

I have designed the beautiful, lacy “Lake Agnes Shawl” to introduce the students to top down, triangular shawl construction.

During the 5 week course they’ll learn:
• How to create a top down, centre start triangular shawl.
• To read from a chart.
• The V stitch.
• Picot stitch.
• How increases affect the shape and size of the shawl.
• How to customise the size of your shawl.
• How to apply a fancy border stitch.
• How to block your finished shawl.

Skills required:
US single, double and half double crochet stitches (UK double, treble and half treble crochet stitches)

Materials required:
Natural 4ply, yarn such as Holst Garn Coast and/or Holst Garn Supersoft 100% Wool in two shades, 2 x50g cakes for the main body of the shawl, 1 x 50g cake for the trim
4mm crochet hook

Course dates:
Tuesdays 7:30 – 9:30pm 16th September – 14th October 2014

Venue:
Riverhouse Barn, Walton-on-Thames

5 Week Beginners Crochet Course – 8th October – 12th November 2014

October 2, 2014 // by mezza// Leave a Comment

A 5 week course starting at the beginning of October at the Riverhouse Barn, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey and will consist of a group of 6-10 students. The course costs £45 for 5 x 2 hour lessons.

Week 1 Beginners Crochet Course: Wednesday 8th October 2014, 7:30-9:30pm
Week 2 Beginners Crochet Course: Wednesday 15th October 2014, 7:30-9:30pm
Week 3 Beginners Crochet Course: Wednesday 22nd October 2014, 7:30-9:30pm
Week 4 Beginners Crochet Course: Wednesday 29th October 2014, 7:30-9:30pm
Week 5 Beginners Crochet Course: Wednesday 12th November 2014, 7:30-9:30pm

Please note, Week 5 was originally scheduled for 5th November but since that’s Bonfire Night it’s been moved to the following week to accommodate more students.

Details:

Suitable for complete beginners or those wanting to brush up on their basic skills, I use a specially developed small project to teach you how to make a pot holder using a solid granny square.
You will learn all the essential techniques that can be applied to most basic projects such as:

choosing the right size hook and yarn
how to hold your hook and yarn
chaining
slip stitch, single & double crochet
how to make a square
how to change colours
how to join motifs using sewing and crochet
how to make a cord
how to finish off

The course includes:

5 x 2 hour practical classes, spread over 5 weeks.
Detailed class notes including photos to help you practise at home.
Complete pdf pattern at end.
Email support during the duration of the course.
Suggestions for other projects you could attempt using your newly acquired skills.
I can also offer a starter kit containing the correct yarn, hooks and other accessories needed for the project.

This is a great way to learn a new hobby in a friendly setting where you can meet new people and hopefully make friends too!

To express and interest or for more details, please contact me.

Owl Door Stop – Riverhouse Hookers 5 Week Crochet Project for Second Term 2014

May 13, 2014 // by mezza// 4 Comments

We are now into the 3rd week of our latest project – the Amigurumi Owl Door Stop.
This is a project I have specially designed for my students to build on the skills they acquired in their first 10 week course. From being complete beginners they are now able to tackle a relatively complex project such as this! I am really proud of them!

Do you have basic crochet skills? Would you like to join the Riverhouse Hookers and take part in guided courses and projects such as this? Get in touch! mezza_may@yahoo.co.uk
Alternatively, for complete beginners we’re hoping to run a second crochet class on a weekday evening at the Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre in Walton, Surrey, United Kingdom starting in September. Please contact me as above.

Don’t live nearby and would like to make this owl? This pattern is now available for purchase, in both British & US crochet terminology. I will be donating a portion of the sales to the Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre.