Inspiration

With Made in Winchester I have designed patterns and a range of  project-based workshops for you to enjoy making, inspired by my beautiful Hampshire surroundings and the changing seasons. Some projects can be made in a quiet afternoon, others will take longer to complete…

During the summer months I enjoy working with crisp cotton yarns which help to accentuate delicate stitches such as the Honeycomb Pouch filled with fragrant lavender locally sourced from Long Barn in Alresford.

Another project….pretty Stars & Flowers for a string of summer bunting. 

In Autumn, clear blue skies, the changing colour of leaves and the fronds of brown bracken found nearby in the New Forest were the inspiration for my Bracken Cushion Course. For this I used a combination of earthy- toned coloured yarns and intricate crochet stitches.

Winter becomes the perfect season for creating warm, woolly projects to cocoon and snuggle up in. What could be more cosy than this soft, squishy cowl? In the Beginners Knitting Kit, I use a beautiful 100% Wool & Alpaca yarn for making your first project ~ a Button Cowl enhanced with a combination of simple stitches to create this wonderfully chunky fabric. This kit also works alongside my new Online Beginners Course teaching you how to knit with step-by-step tutorials and two Zoom sessions.

For more experienced knitters, there will be Isla, a new Online Project & Kit based on a traditional stranded colour-work Fair Isle design.

As a crochet project you can buy and download my chunky Bobbles Cushion pattern which uses a combination of bobbles and stripes for layering texture and adding dramatic visual impact.

Choosing yarns can be at times overwhelming, so this has been simplified.  As with my Made in Winchester custom-made kits provided at all my face-to-face workshops, my new Online Project Kits will provide you with everything you need, individually packed and wrapped up in a recyclable bag ready to post to you.

I have carefully sourced a range of beautiful natural fibre yarns at affordable prices from independent UK online wool stores including Laughing Hens based in Cheshire and Wool Warehouse in Leamington Spa.

In each kit I have also included one of my favourite cake recipes for you to follow and enjoy while you are knitting your woolly project!

The class sizes are small (maximum 5 people) to facilitate help readily giving everybody personal tuition.

If you would like a one-to-one session I can be flexible and arrange a time that suits you.

Workshop space at Made in Winchester at home

I absolutely loved the beginners class. I had the best time! Rebecca was a great teacher and I’m already excited for more classes” 

Workshop at Bobbin Sewing School, Stockbridge

The Yarn & Natter sessions are at present postponed but are a time when you can bring anything along that you are working on or wish to get started. There is no formal tuition but it is a perfect way to meet other like-minded makers and there is always delicious homemade cake!

Work in progress