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
What sewing machine would you recommend for a 6 year old.
Question: Can anyone advise me on a suitable electric beginners sewing machine for my 6 year old grand daughter who wants to appliqué and quilt! Help please!
Many thanks Answer: How great that you have the next generation so interested. Two of my ladies have children also sewing and they have started them off with a small machine, around £100 I think; if you buy something cheaper they will often not have the grown up options of applique and quilting - so you should check that she won't outgrow whatever you purchase too quickly.
Chris Porter and Mary Gamester join Valerie in the studio.
We had a great day as always and some great workshops were filmed; Chris shared with us her love of Flying Geese and Dresden Plates, for which she has designed her own templates, as well as showing us how to put a sleeve on the back of a quilt, which she personalises with text and lovely pics too. Valerie gets ready to sew some Yo-Yo's and Mary reminded us how great she is at transfer printing with woven strips, printing blocks and lace (all of which are in her book - Transfer Painting) so keep watching!
Update 20th February 2015
Out and About Encore! - today we get to enjoy [...]