Hoop Haberdashery

Temptations aplenty at Hoop in Tenterden

It's always a lovely thing to spend a Saturday morning in spring pottering about a a quintessentially English market town. And when that market town is Tenterden in the Weald of Kent, it's even lovelier. The whole experience is at its loveliest when you stumble across a new haberdashery at No. 92 the High Street.

You go inside. And then we're in a world beyond comparatives and superlatives. We've reached a new level of "lovely" and may even deploy a "fantastic" and "wonderful" with an exclamation mark thrown in for good measure in any ensuing description. Or possibly a pseudo foreign word to convey a similar sense of excitement.

A wonderful and light space to show off the fantastic range of craft goods on offer

For Hoop Haberdashery is marvelous. It's an elegant, light space with Scandinavian overtones (oh, how I love a bit of Skandi minimalism) and enough room to have a proper look at the wares on offer. There are buttons a plenty, which make wonderful entertainment for toddlers when sorted in trays whilst Mama surveys other crafty delights. 

Buttons. So many buttons.

Yarns by Rowan, Debbie Bliss and Rico will keep the knitters and crocheters content and colouful ribbons at the back are demanding their use in a project. Any project. Just buy lots of ribbon. Now.

Ribbons. Lots of ribbons.

Ribbons aside, Hoop (as the name might suggest) has a focus on embroidery. With embroidery flosses by DMC, linens from La Croix & La Manière in Paris as well as - quelle surprise - hoops you're set with all the kit you need. 

Wow. I didn't even see these drawers full of embroidery threads when I went into Hoop. Gosh. Where to begin?

And now for a pattern. Fortunately Hoop has many books to choose from including a number of French ones. Fear not, there's no need to dust off the GCSE French notes. Like those whizzy Japanese crochet patterns, these books have clear charts for which being billingual is not a prerequisite.

Oh, and if you can't crochet, knit or embroider but wish to learn or you're a Kentish crafter looking for a space to socialise and do your thing there's a table in Hoop. Around this table classes are taught, tea is drunk and crafters can natter. Brilliant.

The table around which tea is drunk and classes are taught.

Vanessa Davies is the lady who set this all up in late 2012 because she was  "... getting tired of going into dark, cluttered craft shops run by old ladies that simply didn't have the quality of products I was used to working with". And by the phrase "working with" Vanessa doesn't just mean using in her own projects. After twenty years as a professional photographer working with publishers like Jacqui Small and manufacturers like Rowan, she knows a thing or two about quality. 

On an aside what a fascinating two decades to be working in the world of craft, watching it go from the doldrums of a perceived frumpery and folkery to the slick and chic beast that it is today. Hmmm... methinks a small interview with Vanessa sporting her photographer's hat might be called for.

What's the collective noun for a heap of embroidery hoops? A cluster? A chaos?

But back to Hoop... Hooray! Thank you, Vanessa for bringing us, The Masses in Kent (although an online shop is pending for The Masses beyond the Garden of England. Do sign up for the newsletter) such a lovelissima haberdashery. For of course if "haberdashery" were an Italian word it probably be feminine.

(Images: Vanessa Davies of Hoop Haberdashery. I did take some of my own on the point-and-shoot but upon discovering that Vanessa is a pro, sheepishly put my camera away and asked if I could use her much prettier images. Bless her, she did smile and say "all photographs are valid!" in an encouraging way but I just don't think my wibbly pictures taken with a writhing toddler in a sling before the introduction of a tray full of buttons would have done her shop any justice)

The Ricefield Collective: Knitting by a Rice Paddy

Let me introduce you to Anna Maltz, textile artist and knitwear designer. She’s a bit fabulous for the following reasons:

1.     She’s an enviably quick knitter. Look! Look at the photo! Her fingers and needles are ablur with speed and intensity. All this whilst chatting away over a cup of tea. Oooh!

Anna Maltz. The fastest knitter known to this blogger.

2.     She’s knitted a mermaid costume. I am in awe of this feat of technical prowess and total whimsy. I think you should be too.

Carl, San Francisco, 2003. Chromogenic Print, 14” x 9 3/8”

3.     Anna and a certain Meredith Ramirez are on a mission to introduce an exciting spot of social enterprise to a small corner of the Philippines THROUGH THE POWER OF KNITTING.

I know there’s little that can top the thrill of Anna’s woolly mermaid ensemble but her proposed knit purl action near a rice paddy field just might do it. “How could this possibly be?!” I hear you cry. If you want a whizzy televideo answer then check out the Ricefield Collective’s Knit 4 Life Kickstarter. Carry on reading for an old fashioned, written clarification…

You see, the soon-to-be Dr. Meredith Ramirez was pottering about the rice terraces of Ifugao doing a some doctoral fieldwork.

For the geographers out there, here's a map of where Ifugao is.

Chatting with Jean, one of the local farmers, Meredith discovered that although families in Ifugao own the land and have done for generations, these rice paddies often only produce enough to feed a family. There’s little if anything left to sell.

The rice terraces of Ifugao

And beyond rice income is limited for the farmers of Ifugao. Cue the prospect of selling their land, risking the money on an internal (or international!) migration, the high chance of urban poverty, the slow disintegration of rural communities and erosion of the landscape as the abandoned terraces collapse.

This isn’t good. Not at all.

Would you want to leave this? Probably not. And if you could stay here and knit? That wouldn't be bad at all.

Whilst having this chat with Jean, Meredith was knitting. And then started teaching knitting to Jean and other local women. And then inspiration struck: by the power of knitting the communities of Ifugao - the women in particular - could have a source of steady income beyond the humble rice paddy. Economic diversification in action.

In addition the women could down needles during the harvest and planting seasons before picking them up again when the rice didn't need attention. They could also fit the knittery around their families and children. It would be proper flexitime for working mothers. Brilliant.

Meredith Ramirez (3rd on the left) with the women of Ifugao

There is one minor flaw that I am sure you have spotted. The Philippines are tropical and there’s not much call for a woolly hat amongst the indigenous community. However thanks to the world wide intermeweb…

… there’s a lot of chilly consumers in the West seeking socially conscious knitwear. And so the RicefieldCollective was born.

Western consumer seeking socially conscious knitwear, meet Filipina knitter.

It was at this point that everything got terribly exciting. Meredith asked Anna Maltz to join as chief designer of a small collection of knittery and finger puppets. Their plan was to visit Ifugao to teach a 6-week knitting course and produce the collection in time for the autumn of 2013.

This was only intended to be a tiny foray into the world of fair trade fashion. A sort of “let’s-see-if-this-could-work-and-it-would-be-brilliant-if-we-could-help-this-community-but-let’s-be-realistic-and-you-know-it-might-not-happen-but-at-least-we’ve-brought-knitting-to-an-interesting-corner-of-the-world” attitude.

This lovely hat could be yours if you support the Ricefield Collective's Kickstarter. You'll have to find your own dog though.

But then the designer Stephen West got excited and came on board, offering up a pattern or two for the collection. Luscious American yarn company Quince & Co are supplying the wool. In March the Ricefield Collective Kickstarter launched. And made 200% of its funding within 3 days.

Gosh. This could be a sensational initiative. Maltz and Ramirez might have an ongoing enterprise on their hands with a contented collective of Filipina knitters who can stay by their rice paddies. I’m rather excited at how deeply good this whole endeavour is. You should be too.

So if you fancy supporting this marvellously interesting venture (it’s worthy of an entire thesis of research, it's that socially, artistically, economically, anthropologically and interculturally fascinating) AND need a new woolly bonnet, wrist warmer or scarf come the autumn… then I’ll see you over at their Kickstarter. Hurry! It closes on April 19^th

http://ricefieldcollective.org/

The Ricefield Collective Kickstarter

 

(Images: Zoë F. Willis, Anna Maltz, Eugene Alvin Villar, Agricmarketing, The Ricefield Collective)

Wool House at Somerset House

Oooh! Colourful Sheep! Hooray for Wool House!

It’s a jolly good thing March in 2013 has proved the coldest in fifty years. The Campaign for Wool’s pop-up of pop-ups, Wool House (March 13-24), couldn’t have asked for better weather to showcase the warm magnificence that is… well, wool. London’s Somerset House was where contemporary artists, crafters, fashionistas and interior designers showed off just what can be done with a bit of the fluffy stuff.

A rather impressive bit of "Crochetdermy" by the fair hand of Shauna Richardson. Yes, this bear IS made of wool.

There was some wonderful overlap between the disciplines. For instance knitter’s favourite, Donna Wilson, had a spot in the interior’s section. Toddlers dashed under barriers to get into her whimsical child’s bedroom, complete with knitted raincloud and a menagerie of her distinctive knitted animals. 

A dream bedroom by Donna Wilson.

The upcyclers amongst you would have approved of Josephine Ryan’s aran jumper’d arm chair. Comfy as anything and totally desirable.

The best way to upcycle an aran jumper. Thank you, Josephine Ryan.

The craft area was a buzz with activity. The loom of Jason Collingwood, artisan rug-weaver, was a popular focal point with an intrigued and fascinated crowd in constant attendance. I think a new generation of keen weavers was born in this corner of Wool House.

And as for the free events that were on offer… gosh, where to start! Beginners could revel in knitting demonstrations courtesy of the Sublime Design Studio and Rowan Yarns whilst Debbie Bliss herself was present to help improve the techniques of more established knitters. For the brave and experienced there were lace and Fairisle master classes with Sandra Manson of Jamieson and Smith at the helm. Beyond the realm of knitting, Tom of Holland was teaching his Visible Mending Programme (think of it as “darning for the daring”).

Keen knitters.

Meanwhile the soothing whir of spinning wheels filled the air. But this wasn’t something out of a fairytale, oh dear me no. Spinning is undergoing a renaissance. Exhibit A: Rachel Brown of Porpoise Fur and Allison Thistlewood of Champagne and Qiviut spinning a stunning DK out of a hot pink and neon yellow fleece.

Hot pink and neon yellow in freshly spun DK form, courtesy of Porpoise Fur

Indeed, that is as amazing as it sounds. I rest my case.

Feeling inspired yet? I certainly was. Imagine what delights await us for this autumn’s Wool Week (October 14^th – 20^th). This is only going to get bigger, better and hopefully more neon.

(Images: The Campaign for Wool & Zoë F. Willis)