CROCHETERS TO WATCH

Nine makers you need to know about

L ooking for some innovative crochet designers and creatives to inspire your next project? We’ve found a whole galaxy of fresh hooky talent to motivate and amaze you! Here are the ones to watch.

ALL SEASON SHAW LS

Who: Sandra Paul What: British crochet blogger

You should know: Her first foray into crochet was far from smooth, but she stuck with it. “After a little practice, I mastered a granny square and started making my first blanket, and by then I was well and truly smitten,” she says.

She soon recognised that she was having ideas for crochet patterns she wanted to make that didn’t already exist in the world. “At first, I’d try to modify existing patterns but it wasn’t long before I realised that it was usually much easier to just start from scratch and do my own thing. One idea seemed to lead to another and so far, they haven’t stopped coming to me.”

Favourite projects fall into a certain theme. “I’m very into neckwear so it’s all about shawls, scarves and cowls,” she says. “I wear them for most of the year – snuggly warm ones for autumn and winter, and lighter, more open ones for spring and summer.”

Sandra’s proudest crochet achievement so far came when she saw one of her creations on the cover of a magazine. “It was an amazing moment – it’s great that I can say I’ve had patterns published!”

Sandra has a busy time coming up with lots of exciting hush-hush commissions to get hooked. ‘I’m really looking forward to the yarn festivals too,” she says. “I was lucky enough to visit the Edinburgh Yarn Festival for the first time this spring and have plans to go to Yarndale and Festiwool as well.”