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A Personal Insight: Ruth Maddock
I was about seven years old when the elderly babysitter - in between feeding peppermints to the dog - taught me to crochet. I immediately loved it, partly because I’m not very patient and it grew so quickly, and partly because of the lovely, lacy stitches.
Later I learned to knit - my first attempt was bright yellow and full of holes. But my first completed objects were all crocheted, and I still have some of them. I went on to study fashion and then worked as a freelance designer and pattern cutter. It was during this time that a friend of mine, unable to continue her teaching, ‘donated’ her knit and crochet classes.
And so I began to teach crochet and hand knitting at local adult education centres. Being a designer at heart, this of course led me to try my hand at designing crochet and knit items. This is how I found my niche. I began to design for most of the major yarn spinners and women’s magazines and I wrote a book called ‘Designer Knits’ which was published by Hamlyn.
Apart from a break to bring up my children, - the youngest is now eight - I have continued to design. I still love the variety of stitches that can be worked in both knit and crochet, and I especially like making up new stitches. I often combine these skills with my knowledge of pattern cutting, so that I can make unusually shaped items.
I’m really glad that crochet has made such a comeback, and that it is now so wearable. I hope this is not just a whim of fashion but that it lasts; and that the skills, of both crochet and knitting are once again learned by our children.
For commissions, I can be contacted by sending an email to: ruthmaddock@tiscali.co.uk
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