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
Another great filming day with Jennie and Valerie
Before the whole of the UK seemed to be shut through snow Jennie and I managed to get together with Dave and Matt for a most productive day in front of the camera's. There were cats, chickens, hexagons, patriotic red, white and blue, a serger, some crazy - and that's just from Jennie !!!!! Valerie managed some recycling (of men's shirts), a trip to a cafe and some grandmother's fan handwork as well as this delightful Caddy Pad - which is a travelling tote for your iron with some heat resistant fabric so it doubles up as an ironing pad.
We love it that you love it
I love it ! not much more to say except that it is all so much better than the majority of the American Quilting Sites, and your new inovations are GREAT ! Gillian
Comments from an inspired viewer
Hello Valerie, The issue of trying to view the videos has been resolved. My you are a whizz kid!! Have just viewed your stripey quilt "how to" and Valentina's painted landscape using Bondaweb and I am itching to have a go, I drove to my nearest stockist for Bondaweb earlier today through sleet and snow in the hope that I would see the video and know how to go about it.