I think we can all agree that 2020 is not the year we expected and hoped it would be. We have been forced to change our lifestyles and the way we interact with other people. Some of these changes will revert back to normal once the pandemic is over, other things are here to stay.
Lockdown has meant that both me and my partner are now working from home and we’ve had to create a space that is both for work and for leisure. Apart from it being my job to create knitting and crochet patterns, it’s also a way for me to relax. As a pattern designer I often end up knitting on a design in the evenings, which has become a bit of a no-no during lockdown.
In order to keep the evenings different from the days, I’ve had different projects to work on as my leisure projects, a good way of doing this is different crafts. Embroidery has been my go-to craft for evenings and weekends. I’d forgotten how relaxing and cathartic it is to let the needle draw a pattern over the fabric and see an image emerge from tiny cross stitches.
I have an old book of traditional Scandinavian knitting patterns and another with old cross stitch patterns, turns out they are very much alike! Playing around with some patterns I’ve knitted from cross stitch patterns and embroidered from a knitting pattern.
Sometimes we lock ourselves into an identity as a knitter or an embroiderer and forget that craft is fluid and the different crafts merge into each other sometimes. An emotional turmoil, like the lockdown has been to most of us, can bring a lot of inspiration and for me it has been in mixing crafts and trying new techniques. When the body is confined to the house, let the mind go wild outside the box.
It’s a lie to say that I’ve felt inspired every day during lockdown. Just like most people I have felt incredibly sad and worried and not wanting to craft some days. It’s important to take a break when hitting that wall, do something different, read, cook, bake, watch TV. Inspiration and creativity do come back, often with new ideas and new energy.
This spring I’ve tried macramé, sewn project bags, explored new yarns, mixing crochet, knitting and embroidery in the same projects, doodled, baked and cooked. I feel like I’ve got new ways of expressing myself through mixing it up a bit, and I’m ready for the second half of 2020. Bring on the crafts!
My top tips for crafting this summer
Macramé – who knew tying knots was so much fun!
Embroidery on knitted fabric – spruce up a simple sweater with embroidery
Cross stitch text on cool backgrounds – Graphic text with a coloured background, perfect beginner project!
Cotton sweaters – I’m knitting my first sweater in cotton yarn and I’m loving it! I’m going to get so much use of it during the UK summer.
Brixton Purl 