About Gaynor
Gaynor is a crochet-obsessed teacher and pattern designer from Wokingham in Berkshire.
She learned to knit and crochet as a child, trained and worked as a French teacher for over 10 years, and then picked up her hook again 10 years ago. Gaynor jokes that she is “lucky enough to call myself a full-time hooker…”
In 2012, Gaynor set up The Barkham Hookers crochet group with a few friends in her living room. They now run 4 group sessions a week as well as many regular private lessons with over 600 members on Facebook alone. You can find them on Facbook via The Barkham Hookers’ Charity Group, where many of their charity projects can be seen.
She is very proud of the fact that The Barkham Hookers raised over £60,000 for various national and international charities, £52,000 of that for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Click here to watch Gaynor share a quick and easy method for crocheting a poppy.
Gaynor loves designing and making blankets, many of which can be found as free CALs (crochet-a-longs) on her blog: Confessions of a Barkham Hooker. During the pandemic, she designed the Coronavirus CAL, posting a new section daily then weekly with colourful pictures and detailed notes.
Signature Technique
Crochet Blankets incorporating a variety of patterns and colours
Top Tips
- Crochet is very forgiving. Don’t be afraid to adjust or change the pattern to suit your needs or likes. And remember, if in doubt pull it out!
- Use a larger hook to work a long foundation chain to avoid it curling up.
- If you work quite loosely choose a slightly smaller hook than advised and a larger hook if you work tightly.
- When working in rows do not forget to work into the last stitch – – which is probably the chain 2/3 made at the start of the previous row.
- Use military buttons as the centre in poppies to add something special.
- If you are working with several balls of yarn, chuck them on the floor and let gravity help you keep them untangled.
Videos
Patterns
Posts
18 March 2016
New Videos Every Friday [...]
Simply E-Z wth Jennie Rayment
Spent the day working with Jennie - I was the quilt slave! - and she the presenter working on a series of 'how to use' videos for the E-Z company/Simplicity. Had a very full and productive day and if you want to learn more about why we are looking through the cut-out heart - you'll need to keep watching!
Terial Magic Spray
So what's all the magic about? This product has been flying off our shelves so I decided to have a look and see why. Terial Magic is a spray on fabric stabilizer that washes out of your garment, quilt or art after it's finished; - it stablizes the fabric so that you can use it a little bit like paper - so cutting out shapes such as feathers or petals to create designs with your fabric scraps becomes very easy - how about giving this idea a try (pic taken from issue 41 of Homemaker); Terial Magic Spray: - has been created to prevent the fabric from fraying for 3D textile art - Stabilizes fabric ready for embroidery - even stretchy fabrics and then just washes out.