3 Bags Full

We're running a packed programme of woolly workshops aimed at experienced crafters, complete beginners and those in between. We really hope you'll be able to come and enjoy them.

To book, visit or telephone the Liskeard Tourist Information Centre in Forresters Hall in Pike Street, PL14 3JE (with the museum) 01579 349148

You can pay by cash or card.

To download the leaflet with information on all the workshops click here

All the workshops will be held at the Liskerrett Centre this year. For a map and more information click here.

Weaving without a loom

Tutor: Nikki Little

Learn how to weave a seamfree bag on a simple cardboard loom. Make a small bag or cover for an item such as a phone or kindle. You will learn how to warp the loom and some simple tapestry weaving patterns such as spots and stripes. Those who have some previous experience can learn how to weave a bag with a flap.

Materials – please bring a piece of strong cardboard; ruler and pencil; scissors; warp thread eg crochet cotton which won't stretch; wool or other fibre for weft in one colour or a variety of colours and thicknesses (this is a great way to use up your stash); blunt ended wool needle – ones with flexible plastic eyes are ideal.

Suitable for: everyone

Selbu mittens

Tutor: Anniken Allis

Traditional Norwegian 'Selbu' mittens are popular with knitters around the world. Traditionally knitted in black and white wool featuring traditional Norwegian 'fair isle' patterns but these mittens can be worked in a variety of colours for a modern look.

This workshop will teach you how to knit fair isle, how to knit in the round with a circular needle using the magic loop technique and how to shape your mittens.

Techniques taught in this class can also be used to knit traditional Latvian and Estonian mittens.

You will get a Selbu-inspired mitten pattern to take home.

Materials – all provided

Suitable for: intermediate knitters

Hairpin crochet

Tutor: Diane Stewart

Hairpin lace is a beautiful variation on crochet, in which an ordinary crochet hook is used with a hairpin loom to create lacy, openwork designs. Hairpin crochet involves creating strips around the loom and these are then crocheted together in a number of ways to create different and varied designs.

We will be learning to do the basic technique plus cable joining with a pattern to make a chunky cable cowl.

Anyone who attended last year’s workshop will have the opportunity to try out further techniques such as making circular shapes.

Materials – the looms and crochet hooks will be available to use on the day. Please bring smooth DK or chunky yarn (not a dark colour).

Suitable for: anyone with basic crochet skills.

Tunisian Crochet

Tutor: Dianne Stewart

Tunisian crochet is a form of crochet that uses a long hook to gather up and then work off stitches, making a compact fabric, suitable for bags, cushions, hand warmers and many other projects.

You will learn the basic techniques and stitches of Tunisian crochet and how to use different colours to make great effects in your projects.

The workshop will include instruction sheets for the basic stitches and techniques.

Materials – Tunisian crochet hooks will be available to borrow at the workshop. Please bring 2 colours of DK yarn to practice with (not dark colours).

Suitable for: anyone with basic crochet skills.

A Hat in the Round

Tutor: Eileen McTague

If you can cast on, knit and purl but are not sure about using circular needles this is the workshop for you.

You will be knitting a baby sized hat and will leave with a pattern to make an adult hat at home.

If you haven’t done circular knitting before it is well worth learning. The magic loop technique allows you to knit any size in the round. It is the ideal way to knit hats, socks and garments without seams, giving a better finish, increased comfort and no seams to sew up at the end!

Materials:

50g Aran baby wool (or 2 strands DK)
6mm circular needle
stitch marker
tapestry needle

Suitable for: anyone with basic knitting skills.

Tatted lace – a beginner’s guide

Tutor: Molly Tufnell

Tatting has an intricate beauty, is versatile, easy to learn (left handers too) and is made using a shuttle. Molly will guide you through the basics where you will learn to make rings, picots, chains, how to join and then of course, how to read a pattern. Master these steps and you will be ready to start your first project. Molly will give you a comprehensive step by step guide, as well as a pattern that she has especially designed for beginners. This little pattern is called ‘Crowning Glory’ and is suitable for use in most craft blanks like cards, coasters, paperweights etc.

More information about Molly and her course can be found at: www.mollytufnell.co.uk

Materials: all materials will be provided, but bring 2 tatting shuttles, crochet cotton and a 0.6mm crochet hook if you have them.

Suitable for: everyone.

Free machine embroidery - tension techniques

Tutor: Molly Tufnell

This workshop is intended to give you a grounding in the exciting and varied textures you can produce with your sewing machine by exploring tension techniques. We will look briefly at how to produce whip and feather stitch using the top tension but the main focus of the day will be on working with bobbin tension and learning the possibilities of Cable Stitch. The emphasis will be on experimentation using your own range of threads and these might also include smooth yarns more usually associated with hand embroidery to include: ribbons, stranded cotton, stranded crewel wool, fine knitting wool, perle threads, silk and so on. The day is for you to produce your own interesting range of samples.

Note: We will be altering the bobbin tension on vertical loading machines (some people prefer to buy a spare bobbin case to play with but this is not necessary as there is a simple trick that you will learn to reset your bobbin case back to normal) and bypassing the tension mechanism on horizontal loading machines.

Materials: Sewing machine in excellent order where the feed dogs can be lowered or covered and where you can control top tension and set stitch length and width to 0/calico/any pre-dyed fabric/machine embroidery threads/threads as described in publicity/usual sewing kit/8” wooden embroidery hoop/a proper screw drivers/your sewing machine instruction booklet

Suitable for: people already confident with simple free machine embroidery.