FAY DASHPER HUGHES
As well as creating beautiful handknit and crochet patterns, Fay runs her own store selling sustainable craft products
Sustainable crafts & design
WELL KNOWN for her lovely crochet patterns, Fay Dashper-Hughes also enjoys designing knitwear, and created the ‘Aloe’ hat and mitts for us in this issue. As well as her design work, Fay is the owner/curator of Provenance Craft Co., an online shop which specialises in practical, beautiful, sustainable and environmentally friendly products. We caught up with Fay to talk about her adventures in yarn.
When did you learn to knit and crochet?
“After a few false starts trying to learn through YouTube, I finally signed up to evening classes at my local Adult Education Centre. The classes were run by the designer Lynne Rowe, and I took a beginner’s crochet course, a beginner’s knitting course, and then an intermediary crochet course. I was smitten with all things yarn, and have never looked back!”
Can you remember the first original piece of knitwear you ever created?
“If we push aside the little personal things that I designed like a Fair Isle cafetiere cover or a knitting needle case, the first ‘real’ design that became a pattern for sale was a shawl called ‘Doppio Colosseum’. I often start out with a crocheted design and then also convert it to a knitted design.”
When and why did you make the move into freelance design?
“It didn’t take long from learning how to knit and crochet to realising that I had found my thing. So after about a year, I had a plan for exiting my long-term career as a recycling manager to set up an online crafting shop, and to sell my patterns. Being self-employed isn’t for everyone, but I find it really liberating and love being able to channel my creativity into my business.”
You’ve created designs for the likes of John Arbon Textiles and RiverKnits. How do you find the process of collaborating with yarn companies?
“Collaborations are one of my favourite things about designing. I have a real passion for British wool and yarns produced in the UK. By working with a handful of companies and people that
I admire, it brings another level of passion to the pattern. I want to design nice things with their wool and yarn because I know how hard they work and what great people they are. We have amazing producers and dyers in the UK like John Arbon Textiles, RiverKnits, Garthenor, Nellie & Eve (an amazing natural dyer working from a Welsh mountainside), and it’s great to design with wool that has so many UK touchpoints.”
Can you tell us about your online shop, Provenance Craft Co.?
“When I was in my old day job as a recycling manager, the idea of this shop came to me first. It was a way of pairing my environmental principles with my refound love of crafting. At the time, there was a lot of interest in British wool and where it was being grown and spun, but nobody was applying the same thinking to their notions.
“So, I used that as my starting point and every single item that I sell has a traffic light indicator. Green is manufactured/ assembled in the UK; amber is Europe; and red is the rest of the world. My focus is on trying to showcase UK-made products wherever possible - many of which I have designed or actually manufactured myself.
“I love creating, so it didn’t take much for me to decide that I wanted to buy my own laser cutter so that I could control a new line of wooden notions such as needle and hook gauges, tension squares and Kitchener Stitch reminders. It’s always fun testing out new woods to see what works, and to be able to keep a tight control on where the raw materials are coming from. Next up from my laser cutter will be a set of sock blockers, then glove/mitten blockers, then…”
What has been your proudest achievement?
“Oooh, there are so many things. Without wishing to sound sycophantic, I have wanted to have a knitted pattern in a magazine for a long time, but didn’t really do anything about it. When I worked up the ‘Aloe’ hat and fingerless gloves, I thought they were a really good match for
The Knitter and was jumping about in my studio when I got the email to say that you would like to use the pattern. There are some patterns that you just love creating and ‘Aloe’ was one of them, partly because I think that the two-coloured dip stitch is a completely new technique that has never been done before – I’m proud of that!”
Where do you find inspiration for your designs, and who are your design heroes?
“Most of my inspiration comes from architecture or nature. The ‘Doppio Colosseum’ shawl is based on the Colosseum in Rome, and the Doppio part of the name was added because the design uses two skeins.
“Without a doubt, my number one design hero is Erika Knight. I have most of her books, and she has made an art of sticking to simple, effective design. Anyone can throw all the things at a design, but creating chic, simple designs requires the skills to distil your creativity right down, and Erika excels at this.
“I also love the work of Lorna HamiltonBrown. She creates amazing pieces through knitting, machine knitting and crochet as social commentary. Lorna lights up Instagram (@lhamiltonbrown) with her singing and love of bright colours, and never shies away from what needs to be said - I admire that.”
Do you have a favourite yarn to work with?
“There is no way that I can pick one favourite, but the ones that I will go back to time and time again are Harvest Hues and Yarnadelic by John Arbon; the new non-superwash Bluefaced Leicester base from RiverKnits, called Nene ( and because Becci is a yarn dyeing genius!); and Preseli and Beacons from Garthenor.”
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from another knitter or designer?
“Bizarrely, the best piece of advice was someone telling me that I couldn’t do a specific pattern because it was beyond my skill level. Being underestimated is like an energy boost button for me – watch me prove you wrong!
“So, my advice to people is to always give something a try. You learn by moving your skills on, and you learn even more by failing and trying again.”
Do you have any plans for 2021 that you can share with us?
“When we all went into lockdown in 2020, I vowed to use that time to create more designs and better connections with our crafting community. I think that 2021 is going to be a continuation of that.
“I do have a really exciting project that is bubbling away at the moment, where I hope to marry up my podcasting skills by interviewing yarn folk from within the UK. The plan is to go to the mills, shepherds and dyers and talk to them about their process, showcasing what makes the UK yarn industry so special.
All of that rather depends on being able to be face-to-face with people, so it may be a while yet but it’s definitely coming.”
What do you have on your needles today?
“I am about to start knitting a new sample of my Loft shawl for John Arbon Textiles. It’s a simply striped shawl that was designed around its Knit by Numbers yarn - an extensive range of 90+ colours - and can be knitted in DK or 4ply.”