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
Quilt Now Readers’ Makes Competition Winner – Issue 65
Quilt Now magazine love to see what their readers have been making. This months Star Make winner for Issue 65, was Alison.She renamed Sarah Ashford’s quilt from issue 61 to Hearts and Kisses and made a colourful wedding gift for her niece. The hearts and kisses are pieced with characterful fabric designed by her friend and designer Amanda Jane Ogden!! Congratulations Alison, and enjoy your year's subscription with justhands-on.tv
Book of the Month September 2019 : Nicki Trench Color Block Knits
This month, our Book of the Month is coming specially from the publishers. This is why you can find the details here in the Blog and not in our usual Shop. This is the new book from Nicki Trench - Colour Block Knits. It is bursting full of 35 beautiful projects with Nicki Trench's vibrant knitting patterns. We have it at a special price of £10 for the book and you will get free P&P in the UK.
Subscriber Giveaway for September 2019 – Rose Trellis cushion pattern from Sylvia Critcher
Sorry the competition is now closed. The pattern is available in the Shop