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
Wearable patchwork
Thought you might like to see my waistcoat which I have made using your books – it’s my first one and it took me ages to get going on it but when I actually started I really enjoyed it – I have made a few blunders but have learnt a lot and know what not to do next time!!! Hope you are well and I’m looking forward to your new book coming out.
February 2011 newsletter
Well what a start to the year – according to the experts (and the Daily Mail!) we’ve been through the most depressing weekend BUT we’ve also been through Happy Monday. Apparently last Monday was the day on which we start thinking about our summer break. Well that includes me: two of us have booked to go to the Quilt Show in Alsace in September run by Arena Travel; details are on the Quilt Retreat page of the site https://www.justhands-on.tv/small-ads/category/3/
and I am already savouring the idea of sipping champagne at Kings Cross St.Pancreas prior to departure on the Eurostar!
Threadbangers quilting group raise funds for Help the Heros
The event was : Threadbangers 1st Quilt Show. April 9-10 2011. Heighington Village Darlington Co Durham We had a splendid turn out ,over 500 visited us that weekend. We had, as an added attraction the Richmond (N Yorks) Morris Dancers, and the decorated Wendy House went down a storm, It was acclaimed to be the best event in the village for a long time..