New Year's Day 50% off SALE

Use discount code HAPPYNY50 for 50% off everything in stock New Year's Day!!! What better way to start the new year then with a gift from me to you? ...Enjoy xx

Open Studio Invite - 24hr Xmas SALE

We've been very busy bees getting ready for this season's Designer Open Studio where all stock will be 20-60% for just 24 hours. This is great opportunity to see the workrooms and enjoy a glass of homemade mulled wine, cheese scone and maybe even a cheeky mince pie.
Here's a sneaky peek of what's in store...

The Knitting Room  :)

Please come and join us, a warm welcome awaits you! And please remember ...

xoxoxo

New Crackin Colours and Vintage Delights

The Quirky, Handmade and Vintage Fair in Melbourne was an absolute joy today! Met lots of lovely people wanting to come to the Open Studio (Dec 14-15th don't forget) sold some Yarn Necklaces and took a few commissions :) It definitely felt worth staying up so late working on new colourways. With all the sari and handpainted silks that arrived this week I just couldn't resist and still have more fancy yarns on the way!
The Yarn Necklace is my best seller at only £20 or 2 for £30!
 There are no colours options on the site
( http://www.crooked-knitwear.com/product/yarn-necklace ) because you can see below there are just too many colours to choose from and change all the time.  Remember it is not an exact science, the main materials I use are hand painted and recycled sari silk so each one is slightly unique!

This is what I call a good time #ilovemyjob

Colours left to right: Charcoal, Purple/Brown, Aqua/Purple, Electric Lapis/Black, Forest, Fuchsia/Purple, Purple/Berry, Turquoise, Purple/Royal Blue, Blues, Black Multi

Colours left to right: Autumn Leaves/Brown/Gold, Burnt Orange, Turquoise Multi, Cherry Multi, Red/Nuetrals, Pale Green/Pale Blue, White/Pink/Gold, Navy/Red/Gold, Teal/Green/Gold, Emerald/Dark Green/Silver, Wasabi/Plum, Emerald Green, Black Multi

Colours left to right: Zebra/Rust, Aqua/Blue/Purple, Cerise/Pink, Cerise/Black/Purple, Orange/Yellow/Red, Baby Pink/Lilac, Red, Mauve/Nuetrals, Pinks/Browns, Red/Pink/Orange, Rainbow Multi, Red/Autumn Leaves

But it not all about me....check out these amazing vintage goodies I picked up at the show today!

Love my retro kitchen gear! Remember using a hand whisk like this as a child and the toasting fork is ideal for making breakie in my campervan. Amazing fresh tea in glass jars, Chai and Russian Caravan, can't wait to make a brew. And the amazing woven Welsh blanket will make at least 2 fabulous coats!!!! I'm so excited! 

 

What better way to end this weekend then to decorate the tree and sing carols with my little man! I hope you're all getting into the festive spirit as well xxx

The Last Few Months in Crooked HQ

No rest for the wicked. Its been a very busy few months here in the Crooked House. Constant shows and festivals over the summer months ie Larmer Tree Festival, Camp Bestival, Wilderness Festival, Burghley Horse Trails and many more. Thank you to all the loyal customers who enabled me to visit my family back home in the states for the 1st time in 2 years for some much needed TLC. Since October we've been working on a new collection of beautiful fairisles, taking my knitwear in a totally new direction!

 I also have a new found obsession for TWEED, feeling so creatively overwhelmed and looking forward to start yet another new collection after Christmas, ALTERNATIVE BRIDALWEAR. This is going to be MEGA...Mega Good...by Megan Crook...Get Crooked

Look what arrived today! Sari Ribbon direct from Kalkutta and Hand Painted Silk on its way for more Yarn Necklaces. Sold over 70 of these bad boys in the last 2 weeks so will be keeping my hands very busy making lots of new gorgeous colourways. £20 each or 2 for £30 and now offering a FREE Yarn Necklace with every sale over £50.

Upcoming Events

                     Dec 8-9th, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

For all you local lovelies please come and have a nosy at my beautiful abode and studios. Mulled wine, nibbles and a warm welcome await you because at the Crooked House those who come as strangers leave as friends!

As promised, Sun-Dried Tomato Muffins

We served these delectable treats at our recent open house. An instant crowd pleaser and so fabulous between friends or as a nibble with drinks when you want to score some brownie points.


What you will need;
(Makes 12)

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
• 1/4 olives (green, black or stuffed)
• grated parmesan cheese

• Step one,
• Heat oven to 200 degrees (gas mark 6) Line regular muffin tray with muffin cases.
• Step two
• Beat milk, oil and egg in a large bowl. Stir in flour, cheese, basil, baking powder and salt until flour is moistened. Fold in tomatoes and olives. Divide mixture evenly among muffin cups and sprinkle with cheese.
• Step three
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from tray to wire rack. Serve warm if desired.
• 
  

Shiny and New

So I finally took some time yesterday to jazz up the blog a bit having spent approximately 5 minutes on it the first time round. That cloudy background has been driving me crazy. I hope it looks good for you guys too as I have a pretty old school basic screen to work so it isn't always possible to tell. I'm super happy with the template I downloaded and adapted from Pugly Pixel (which has become one of my favourite and most resourceful blogs), it's also where I was inspired to try out our new banner using scans of fabric from the new Crooked collection which I orginally did for the website - so it's nice to re-use them. It also means I finally bothered to have a go with my own clipping masks which probably seems ridiculously  simple to photoshop geeks out there (that's cause it is) but as I'm just figuring it out as I go along, I had neglected to learn this useful little trick, so yay me!

Anyway there are still somethings that I think could do with tweaking but with with the Designer Open House & Arts Trail just around the corner I doubt I'll be getting to it for a while. In the meantime I'd love to hear any comments or suggestion you might have on the changes. I'm really happy to see that comments are starting to trickle so thank you Miss Bangkok and other anonymous commenter, it's lovely to hear your positive feedback.  Tori x

Introducing

Alice Kell

So about a week or so ago I got to meet Alice Kell who popped round for a chat and to discuss her up-coming exhibition as the headlining artist of our Designer Open House & Mini Arts Trail. I saw her work exhibited in an empty retail space on the Derby high-street  a few years ago and never forgot it, so I was very chuffed when one day on Facebook she pops up as someone I might know. I didn't know her but as I was looking for someone new to fill some space on the Crooked House walls I decided to send her a message and a few weeks later on a sunny afternoon she was knocking on our door.

Suddenly I'm aware that I am feeling a little shy as she looks to me to lead the way so thankfully Megan shows up to break the ice, we discuss her art and show her the house I am pleased to find her to be approachable and candid. She tells us about her three main areas of focus; politics, beauty and lesbian art the latter of which intrigues me. Perhaps, like me you wonder what that entails? Well it seems for Alice it involves watching lesbian pornography trying to find 'moments of beauty' which she then interprets into line-drawings. I like this, while I'll happily admit it's the beauty that attracts me to her work, I enjoy her subversive edge and though I'm no art aficionado I am relieved to see she is not overly pretentious, she shares my dislike of artistic elitism and I think her work reflects this. So I'm very pleased to introduce Alice Kell, who also sent us this interview with Marley Butler creator of the artists' collective Naplew Productions, enjoy!

 

Introducing...

With the Designer Open House & Arts Trail only two weeks away I decided to take the opportunity to get know some of our contributers a little bit better so I'm very pleased to introduce to you Erica Godfrey - creator of the deliciously quirky, 'environmentally trendy' fashion brand Oddly Enough. Erica's work was first brought to my attenion by Leren Connor of to-be-irreplaceable as another designer who gets their thrills from breathing new life in objects people once regarded as junk. As a blogger, it probably comes as no surprise that I'm a big fan of up-cycling and more and more these days it seems to be cropping up as the fashion buzz-word of the moment so I'm thrilled that Erica has decided to jump on board as we created the Designer Open House  with a view of it being one of the ways we can help promote local creative talent and I would certainly view Oddly Enough as one to watch. She was kind enough to tell us a bit about her self so here she is in her own words:

WHO IS ODDLY ENOUGH?

Oddly Enough makes handmade and up-cycled, gifts and accessories. All items are handmade from odds & ends, we give them new life in one form or another.

Each item has its own individual personality, and is guaranteed to be 100% unique.

WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF YOUR WORK?

My aim is to show the world that with resourcefulness and imagination up-cyled, ethical fashion should not have to compromise on style or more importantly colour! My designs are heavily influenced by the resources available to me, through gathering and hunting for unwanted or unusable stock.

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION?

Oddly Enough was born as a reaction to waste, responding to the fast changing fashion industry which rids itself frequently of last seasons prints, fabrics and trims. By using traditional craft techniques in new ways and using alternative materials, I turn this waste into something new and desirable.

Taking on a new aesthetic; 'Pop Vintage' our new collection combines garments and accessories incorporating up-cycling and re-use.

In the Crooked Kitchen

Tom Yam (Traditional Thai Soup)

Lately I've been missing Thailand and sometimes it really hits me that this time last year I was happily living and working there. Since coming back though I'd layed off the oriental food for a while, my cravings have tended towards traditonal British grub or mediterranean food, both of which are quite hard to find in South-East Asia.

Last weekend I went to visit my Dad who is currently quite poorly and spending some time in hospital, so I decided to cheer him up with a delicious traditional Thai recipe known for it's immune boosting properties and it's ability to fight off colds and viruses. So much so that it's even been subjected to scientific study. I realise that most people would consider the cold and flu season to be over but I still think this is a great summer recipe packed full of mouth-watering aromatic flavours. Hopefully it will keep any summer sniffles at bay leaving you free to make the most of the sunshine (if/when it returns).

What you will need:

• 3 pints chicken stock
• 4 sticks of lemongrass, lightly crushed
• 1 bunch coriander with roots, crushed
• Tom Yum Paste
• 10 or So cherry tomatoes
• 3 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped
• 1-2 limes, juice only
• 3fl oz tamarind water
• 3 red chillies, thinly sliced
• 3fl oz fish sauce (nam pla), or to taste
• 3oz palm sugar (available from Asian supermarkets), use brown sugar if unavailable
• Pak Choi (optional)
• 1 can on coconut milk 
• 1 Large bag of frozen tiger prawns (shelled and gutted)

 

Just to let you all know we've added a last minute event at Knebworth House & Park, Hertfordshire on the Jubilee weekend to our summer itinerary which we're very excited about. The organizers have also been kind enough to give us an extra 4 feet of space so Megan can demonstrate her mad hot knitting skills for the crowds so if you her demonstrate before and are able to attend you're in for a real treat.

Now that the sun is out and it seems summer is finally starting to win us over, Megan and I have been giving some real thought towards a make over for the trusty Crooked Van. Those of you who know us will often recognise us by the huge, completly consipcuous blue van parked outside the Crooked House that is rather in need of a bit of TLC.  Bless the big blue beast, here he is with Meg.

“Book-love, I say again, lasts throughout life, it never flags or fails, but, like Beauty itself, is a joy forever.”  

- Holbrook Jackson, The Anatomy of Bibliomania

  I don't know about you but I don't just love to read a good book, I like to collect pretty ones, to read and write in. Maybe it's the writer in me but there's something about paper and binding that no Kindle could replace or word proccessor emulate. I'm really glad that Megan understands my fascination with books as she has given me some of my favourites over the years and has some great ones of her own. I present to you now my favourites from around the Crooked House. If you're a book nerd like me we'd love to hear your comments about your favourites or send us a picture, I know I'm not the only one out there!

Spun From Fact

How crazy/beautiful is this notebook? It was hand made and given to Megan buy a woman who makes notebooks from found art. You can literallly flip to any page at random and land on some thing quirky and interesting, which is what I've done here...

Hailey's Cover

This is Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielowski, while not my favourite book of his it is the most astonishingly well made and mind-bogglingly complex. It's a story about two wild and wayward teenagers who are on the run trying to outrace history and never growing old. It alternates betweeen two narratives, Sam's and Hailey's whose story's begin at either cover. This book was meant to read from both ends and each narrative is a strange intermingling of poetry and  stream of conciousness that leaves me dizzy, it is entirely possible with this book to finish either end and then seamlessly circle back to the beginning. Time has no rules in Only Revolutions and for all of the above reasons I love it. There is no one interprettation of this book that I think could ever be wholly correct, but I think most people who have read it on even see it agree that it's beautiful.

Sam's Cover

Hailey's Inside Cover (which you need a mirror to read)

 

Louis Riel

 

An Excerpt from Lewis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography by Chester Brown

Here's one of my favourite comics/graphic novels. Louis Riel is a historical biography in comic form of the infamous Métis rebel leader by Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown. It deals with Riel's antagonistic relationship with the Candian government around the time of the Red River Rebellion and profiles his possible bouts into schizophrenia as Riel struggles with his identity as rebel leader and his belief that his is the Prophet of the New World, sent by God. I love it's minimalist style and unemotional dialogue as it comprehensively documents a relatively abstract corner of history. In form and content it is beautiful and deserves a place here. 

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielowski

Another Danielowski book and without a doubt my absolute favourite book, EVER.  Danielowski's original multi-narrative epic and mindblowing exercise in ergodic literature is nigh on impossible to summarize effectively so instead here I include the cover blurb, I don't know who wrote it but it's about the only explanation I've found that does it justice....

 "Johnny Truant, wild and troubled sometime employee in an L.A. tattoo parlor, finds a notebook kept by Zampanò, a reclusive old man found dead in a cluttered apartment. Herein is the heavily annotated story of the Navidson Record. 

  Will Navidson, a photojournalist, and his family move into a new house. What happens next is recorded on videotapes and in interviews. Now the Navidsons are household names. Zampanò, writing on loose sheets, stained napkins, crammed notebooks, has compiled what must be the definitive work on the events of Ash Tree Lane.

  But Johnny has never heard of the Navidson Record. Nor has anyone else he knows. And the more he reads about Will Navidson's house, the more frightened he becomes. Paranoia besets him. The worst part is that he just can't dismiss the notebook as the ramblings of a crazy old man. He's starting to notice things changing around him...

  Immensely imaginative. Impossible to put down. impossible to forget. House of Leaves is thrilling, terrifying and unlike anything you've ever read before." - Too true.

Excepts from the Glossary.

My Diary Circa 2005-2007ish...

  Now no self respecting bibliomanic's collection could be complete without a few diaries. I've had so many over the years for so many different reasons. It's only been over the last couple of years that I've been busy enough to make it worth keeping a diary in the conventional sense i.e. to help remind me when I'm supposed to be doing something. Nowadays my diary is somewhere in between a calender and a notebook. Megan gave me my travel diary and my current diary which I use to keep a track of all my Crooked House projects. I think it's safe to say that I do not like being caught without one of these and a pen on my person at all times because you never know when that bolt of inspiration will hit and I've lost too many good ideas in the frantic search for something to jot them down on.

I was a lot more secretive about my diary back then...

Travel Diary 2011

Contributions made by my Swedish friends and the Kids of Khao San Rd.

One of Megan's

The Current Diary - A Christmas Present from Meg

My Busy Year