Beginners & Beyond Crochet-Along | Floral Hot Water Bottle Cosy

I’m Sharon. I've been sewing and making stuff for as long as I can remember and went on to study Embroidered Textile design at Glasgow School of Art, but my interest in textiles goes way beyond stitch and I have a range of textiley skills which I bring to my work. 

I always wanted to learn to crochet when I was wee but with no-one to teach me it took until 2011 when I decided I was just going to have to teach myself! I was too impatient to take it step by step so jumped straight in at the deep end and just had a go at all the things I really wanted to learn to make - flowers, fruit, vegetables, animals, Amigurumi; regardless of whether the pattern said they were for beginner, intermediate or expert! Within a month or 2 I was doing some simple designing and began selling crocheted goodies and patterns through my Etsy shop. I'm totally hooked! Making up for lost time I literally haven't put my crochet hook down as I continue to fine tune, develop skills and discover even more.

My approach to teaching is pretty similar. Learning a new craft is all about repitition but that doesn't mean you have to make things just for the sake of it, or because someone says it's suitable for a beginner. I would encourage anyone thinking about taking up crochet or looking to develop their skills to choose things to make that appeal to you, why not challenge yourself and I'll do my best to help and encourage you along the way. I firmly believe that if you love what you're making, even if it's a little beyond your skill level, you're more likely to enjoy, learn and be inspired by the process. And the results are all the more rewarding, even if they're not always perfect. But if you prefer to build your skills from the basics up I do suggest what skill level classes are suitable for and how tricky they are on the fiddly diddly scale!

Everything we make during a CAL is designed by me and patterns are written using US crochet terms. You can create the most amazing things with the most basic of stitches and that's what I try to highlight as a designer, but I don't always do things the easiest way; where necessary I prefer to show you slightly more advanced techniques and share tips that I think will help you achieve a better and neater finish to your projects; things I wish someone had been able to show me when I was learning. 

Crochet-Alongs are held online via Zoom with patterns and access being sent the evening before. On the day I have an additional camera to give guests close up hand views as we're working.

A Sew Silly Lily Crochet-Along is an amazing opportunity for me to share my passion for crochet and hopefully inspire you to find out more about this beautiful and versatile craft. And I'm always available to help beyond classes. 

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