Helen Thaker
Posted By Craft Corps on June 23, 2009
Helen Thaker
Name: Helen Thaker
Age: 29
Location: Liverpool, UK
Profession: Human Resources
Craft(s) of Choice: Sewing, knitting, crochet, and the occasional cross stitch.
Blog: http://www.sewstylish.blogspot.com
My mum taught me to knit and sew when I was a kid. As I was the oldest of three, I think she saw it as a way to keep me quiet while she ran around after my little brother and sister! I’d save my pocket money for a trip to the local fabric shop, then pass the hours rifling through her patterns from the 1960s and 1970’s, and sorting her button jars into various colours, shapes and sizes. It inspired in me a lifelong passion for crafting and a love of retro designs.
As a 9 year old, l picked up the mechanics of knitting pretty quickly, but I never understood yarn choice or gauge. I’d choose a nice chunky weight pattern and knit it in 4-ply using tiny needles. The fact that my garments were always a different size than the pattern intended was never a problem – if it didn’t fit me or my little sister, it was sure to fit one of our dolls!
Twenty years on, I’ve learned a lot more through blogging, reading craft books, and attending workshops. I often find myself going back to the same old patterns, reworking and adapting them to suit my changing style – but now they actually turn out the right size (most of the time)!
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