JOURNAL: STEFFI GLAVES’ MICRO CROCHET
Say it with micro crochet – tiny makes with enormous meaning, from Ste Glaves
“Tight tension and lightly waxed cotton gives just the right stitch definition”
Do you ever get so inspired by another crocheter that you absolutely have to try out a new technique? I was lucky to be introduced to Steffi Glaves who specialises in designing and making the most exquisite micro crochet jewellery and now I can’t wait to have a go! I crocheted some earrings once and they were clumsy and awkward but Steffi has the most amazing way of making items that are delicate, professional and simply beautiful. Travelling meant Steffi needed a much more portable craft than her background in metalwork and enamelling and so she found micro crochet. Alongside her work as a design and technology teacher Steffi has a flourishing business that includes designing for magazines and creating bespoke pieces for customers. She shared with me how much they can mean to those who wear them and also gave me her secrets to achieving these magical little jewels so we can make some too!
Steffi credits her North Yorkshire surroundings as the inspiration for much of her work. Exploring flowers in nature is the perfect way to spark the design process but sometimes it comes from specific requests too. She recently created earrings based on a family heirloom crochet blanket with a beach scene colour palette so there really are no limits to what can offer inspiration. Steffi tells me her favourite projects are those with symbolic meaning and I see exactly why. Forget-me-nots to remember, granny squares that are sacred to us crocheters, cherry blossoms for spring, rainbows for Pride and more recently to uplift us all, holly leaves for festive times – the list is endless. We all have symbols that mean so much and micro crochet lets you share that with such elegance.
DESIGNING AND MAKING BESPOKE JEWELLERY
Most of the design process for Steffi is just getting right down to the making. She rarely sketches or plans but experiments with different stitches and colour schemes until she gets it just right. It normally involves some tweaking and then gets added to her record of stitch diagrams so she can recreate the pattern. From there, beads are added if needed and then finally the jewellery findings are attached. People often wonder if the work is stiffened in any way but it’s not. Steffi tells me her tight tension and lightly waxed cotton gives just the right stitch definition and the perfect structure to form the intricate fabric with its own unique characteristics that makes it so special.
THE CHALLENGES OF MICRO CROCHET SOUND FAMILIAR?
Funnily enough micro crochet has most of the same challenges as regular crochet! Keeping your tension just right, weaving in
STEFFI’S TOP TIPS FOR MICRO CROCHET
those fiddly ends, making sure you work into the right part of the stitch – all the woes of crochet we overcome with every project we make. One of the trickiest things is making identical pieces so that a pair of earrings match. Crocheting multiples of the same piece and then picking out matching pairs from them solves this, but means she has a box of singletons waiting for their partner to be created! People worry that hand dexterity, grip or eye sight might be a challenge but Steffi assures me that this shouldn’t be the case, anyone can try their hand (and hook) at it!
CAN I REALLY TRY IT?
Absolutely. Steffi promises me that anyone can master the technique. All you need is time and practise, just like any other craft. A great idea of hers is to start your usual yarn and hook to make a piece and then work your way down yarn gauges and hook sizes. You end up with tangible items that show your progress and size difference isn’t so much of a shock this way too! Steffi suggests a few key materials when you start: shop around for the best hook for you in terms of shape and ergonomics; invest in a magnifying glass (she doesn’t use one yet but fancies one that goes round your neck and sits on your chest); make sure you have fine but strong needles so they don’t disturb your stitches; and experiment with different fine threads to see what your tension and stitch definition looks like. I’d bet that most of us have a set of teeny hooks that we bought for some project years ago and embroidery thread lurking at the bottom of a sewing box so why not get your micro crochet on? Make something tiny, beautiful and full of meaning.
Anyone can master the tech nique with a few key materials