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!

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.

Crooked Knitwear Videography

Behind The Scenes: Crooked Knitwear Spring/Summer Collection 2012 from Hatch'd Magazine on Vimeo.

Hello Everybody,

Sorry it's been a while since you've heard from inside the Crooked House but I assure you this is because we've been super busy, but we've got a long awaited treat in store for you today, our friends at Hatch'd Magazine have published a benind the scenes videography of our day at the Clockworks made by the lovely Lara Elizabeth Elliot who's done a cracking job. As promised the website is now also up and running, we still have some odd ends to tie up but we hope you all take some time to check out all the brand new items on sale for the first time online and I promise you can expect much, much more. Read the article at Hatch'd Magazine here.

A word about the weather

So we've decided to make arrangements to compensate for the impending weather ie. apparently it's going to chuck it down.. Do not fret though, we'll just been moving the celebrations indoors where there will be an indoor theatre screening of the videogrpahy. Also we will be serving nibbles and drinks including some home made sangria from 2pm until 8pm so come early to partake of our hospitality. Remember you'll also have a chance to peruse through our new collection so don't forget your purses ladies as we've got new stock coming out of our ear holes and we're also extra exited by all the new fabrics that arrived yesterday that we spent most of yesterday afternoon chewing the fat over. We've also finally went through an X factor style process of finalizing our choices for photos we're going to exhibit on Saturday so we're off to the printers today, it was agonising choosing our favourites out of so many fabulous shots but we think you'll all be impressed. I'm also particularly exited about the progress we've made on the website, products are being uploaded and everything is almost ready to go! So exiting! So as I've probably mentioned about a dozen times, can't wait to see you all on Saturday!

Struck Gold

Tailored Jacket by Bennett, dress from New Look, bag from Primark and boots borrowed form Megan.

I am rather in love with the Life charity shop on Green Lane right now. Today, not only did they give Bambi a huge bag full of priceless vintage sewing patterns for the modest sum of £3 but I have also just picked up a vintage Bennett camel wool suit for £5.50! I'm so delighted with it, I've been searching for something just like it all year and now I finally have the perfect tailored jacket to go with my summer wardrobe and it fits me like a dream.

Pushing the Boat Out

Well it's been an interesting week in the Crooked House, we've had some great feedback about our day at the Clockworks and now we're looking forward to getting ready for the launch party on April 21st. We've been catching up on commissions and Megan put in a performance on Wednesday as a guest creative professional at the Quad, lending her expertise and advice to young Derby creative. Now we're getting set for the big Crooked House reshuffle so soon we will have a new attic workroom in which we'll be hosting Crooked House workshops so all you budding designers and makers can pick up some exclusive mad skills from our own Megan Crook. Megan is also taking a well earned holiday in Berlin this week where she'll be sporting the new collection for the first time, which leaves little ole me captaining the Crooked ship this week.  Also I'm pleased to see our entrepreneurial friends ElizaLeren getting some great publicity lately, they've been featured in today's Derby Telegraph with an article about their boutique on Green Lane which you should all check out and you can read the article here. Not only that but Bambi managed to find her way into a national Ugandan publication New Vision  courtesy of one a favourite blogger of ours, Isaac Fashionare256.  Nice one guys.

Courtesy of Fashionaire256

Here Comes The Sun

Well we've just got the first photos back from Sunday and are really happy them.  Mother nature decided to be on our side and broke out a another gloriously sunny day for us and now, that we've had some time to relax and digest the day I can tell you that thanks to an overwhelming response from our community we felt the whole day was a tremendous success, so thank you!
Our friends at the Clockworks we're great hosts, everyone pitched in and what can I say? Teamwork makes the dreamwork.  We had some great music, food, performances even had our own rag tag stage that we borrowed from D-man's school. 
It's been great to hear over the last 48 hours or so, that everyone had a lot of fun and there were a lot of memorable moments, like Meg jumping up and down screaming whilst Emilie Lecocq spews fiery breath in a pink handmade tweed jacket that's just the right side of the circus.  I remember feeling glad that I'm not the only one who gets that exited about clothes and I can't wait to see more of the pictures.  Don't forget that this event is just the beginning, we've got a fabulous summer planned and our Relaunch Party is already under a month away where we will be exhibiting all of our favourite photos from the day and celebrating our brand new website so stay tuned. x

Pictures Courtesy of Lawrence De Gruchy

A Stitch In Time

So it's here finally, tomorrow is the big day. All hands are on deck and the Crooked House is brimming with people. The outfit count is up to 31, everybody's sewing cutting and the knitting machines have been whirring relentlessly all day, even I've been pulled of the computer/phone to muck in on the knitting. There have been a few hiccups but we've been doing our best to put out fires all over the place and as far as I can tell everything seems to be finally coming together. We've dropped off the stage, had hair consultations, found a new make-up artist, picked up food, tracked down decks, finalized outfits, been filmed/interviewed and called to remind just about everyone. All these bits and pieces, odd and ends are really taking form, the excitement is brewing, we're kicking this to-do-list in the ass. Not much else to say except can't wait to see you all tomorrow and we can't thank everyone enough for all their help so far.

Look out for ElizaLeren!

We're tickled pink for our very good friends and Crooked House regulars Bambi and Cole. As part of the furniture round these parts we were thrilled when they burst in and broadcasted in stereo "WE'RE GETTING A SHOP!!" This is no small achievement for two girls who are still at university and I have to admit I'm just a wee bit jealous. Megan and I went to visit the shop on Green Lane for the first time yesterday to see it before it get's painted and in a word - it's perfect, for what will be ElizaLeren Boutique. So those of you out there looking for something completely different at competative high street prices get down to the big opening and check it out on March 10th, and for and extra 5% off be one of the first 50 people to like this page. Congratulations girls! Mwah x

Menswear like you don't care.

Here's the first ever mens jumper from Crooked Knitwear. It's  of course 100% handmade and took two days to make. I know it's supposed to be for the guys but how badly do I want want one?

Booty Tooch Skirt!

Yes it is a picture of her bum!

Megan's newest creation, like nothing she's made before and in which she periodically breaks out into the "booty tooch" dance. Jumping round corners and swaggering around the house like a proffessional, er... swaggerrer? Think summer knitwear meets rave princess in flamingo pinks with unmissable florescent orange fringing. Literally as I type Meg is next to me wildly shaking her hips and shouting "Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle Yeah!"