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
More great content for Justhands-on.tv
Val: We had a great filming day yesterday when Dave, Matt and I were joined by Dawn Cameron-Dick who told us more about her great new book ‘The Pocket Tutor’ and we also filmed a great workshop on her Snuggle Quilt pattern – perfect for groups to swap fabrics as well as using up your own fabric stash – so look out for those in the new year.
Quilting away from home
Pattern from Carolyn Forster Surrounded by good friends at a great hotel (so food and drink appear at regular intervals) and all we have to do is sew - what bliss. Such a great idea and here is what I managed to achieve so far (Kaleidoscope Hexagon pattern by Carolyn Forster); am also working on making an alternative version of our Block of the Month Rosebud Fayre quilt – Jennie and I made so many samples for the camera that I couldn’t allow them to go to waste – picture will have to follow as camera now has flat battery (forgot the charger!); Dunford House Quilt Retreat Can’t recommend a getaway highly enough – why not think about joining us all at Midhurst in July; here is the link for more details https://www.justhands-on.tv/small-ads/54/scrap-happy-quilts--pieceful-projects/ (and if you just want to sit in a corner and sew our own thing let us know – you would be VERY welcome too)
November 2011
This is a really busy month and with an eye [...]