A 3 week Beginners course, also at Midtown Makers but open to everyone! This course is £60 and covers 3 2 hour workshops, a full kit of tools and materials as well as tea/coffee and biscuits. Starts on Saturday 18th Jan, and runs for the next 2 Saturdays at 10.30am. Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1092367112439…
Take your next steps in crochet and learn how to read basic patterns, improve your technique and start a project that you can take home with you. Chat with fellow crafters in a relaxed and fun workshop.
All hooks and yarns are provided.
All you need to bring is yourself and a basic knowledge of crochet stitches.
Saturday 28th September
10.30am -12.30pm
Midtown Makers, Church Street, Ballymena, BT43 6DD
I have had a lovely summer of crochet, both teaching workshops and attending craft fairs selling my handmade crochet accessories. First was Belfast Pride’s event Crafted With Pride at Royal Avenue. I spent a lot of time in the lead up to the fairs designing and making granny square cross body bags in colourful cottons, and crocheting small flowers to create fun dangly earrings. I met a lot of amazing people and sold out of my rainbow sheep in the first hour! Hats and earrings were also popular, so thank you to all the customers who bought from me and stopped by my stand for a chat, and to Grainne at Belfast Pride for organising the event.
My second craft fair was at Newtoncrommlein in Glenravel as part of the 200 year celebration of the village. The weather was very changeable but I was safe from the down pours in the marquee. Again there was a fab turn out, and we were entertained by traditional storytelling, games and performers. The sheep were my top sellers again, along with my greetings cards and inquiries for crochet workshops. Thanks to the Glenravel community group and John in particular for organising the event.
Welcome to the Crochet for Wellbeing Workshop. Join us on Sat, Aug 10th, 2024 at 10:30am at Midtown Makers, Ballymena, NI for a relaxing and creative session. Learn the art of crochet and how it can benefit your mental health and wellbeing. No experience necessary, just bring yourself and a positive attitude. Connect with like-minded individuals and unwind in a cozy setting. Let’s crochet our way to happiness together!
New workshop for Midtown Makers: Crochet Soft Toys, using the Japanese style ‘amigurumi’. This workshop is suitable for beginners as well as experienced crocheters. Join me on Saturday 18th May, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Tickets are £25, which includes all tools and materials you’ll need to make your own cute crochet pig, such as yarn, stuffing, safety eyes, crochet hook and pattern.
I recently read about the popular temperature blanket trend in crocheting. After a quick search, I discovered some beautifully crocheted blankets, with the colours inspired by the weather. The makers used a set of colours to represent various weather conditions and temperatures. Each day they would crochet a row of the blanket in the colour that corresponds with the weather, for example bright yellow for sunny, blue for rain, grey for cloudy etc. The project would last a year with the end product being a multicoloured blanket.
I wondered if this idea could be adapted to moods and emotions rather than the weather. Another quick search found that yes it could and crocheters had already developed the mood blanket. I was very drawn to this idea of tracking my mood throughout the year.
Colouring in the feel wheel
I decided for my mood blanket project I would crochet at least one row, at least once a week – preferably every day. Colours represent mood using the feel wheel, which I printed off and coloured in. To change up the basic idea I added the concept of stitches adding another layer of meaning – intensity of the feeling/mood:
bobble
intense stressed
double crochet
quite negative
half treble
medium / neutral
Treble
quite relaxed / happy
shell
very relaxed / happy
table of intensity scale of stitches
I started off doing a couple of rows of half treble stitches in light blue, which represented relaxed, with no extreme. I continued like this for the rest of the week, and now the rows are building up, and blanket is beginning to take shape. I am looking forward to seeing how the project develops and if I find any patterns in my moods.
I am using up the DK acrylic yarn from my yarn stash as I have switched to cotton yarn for making products and teaching crochet. I am also sticking to using the same hook for the entire project – Tulip 4.5mm. I hope to update my blog every few weeks with my progress and any insights.
. Join us for a fun and creative workshop, for beginners and experienced crocheters.
Amanda Jones Art and Design 