Interview
| Rachel John
itting surrounded by huge crochet Ic: Do you ever crochet with regular-sized hooks?
S
hooks and massive yarn, Rachel John RJ: Not really – I find the bigger tools much more
looks a bit like she's been shrunk á exciting to work with. I really enjoy the speed
la a hollywood movie! In fact, it's the of making and the drama of the pieces. I love
hooks and yarn that have been enlarged, as mixing the yarns to create unique colour
part of her innovative extreme Textiles project - combinations. Having explored one technique, I
a whole new way of crafting! We caught up with move on in my investigations to see what other
Rachel to find out more... new possibilities there might be for me.
Ic: What inspired you to start Extreme Textiles? Ic: What can you make with your extreme
RJ: The innovation in my Extreme Textiles work crocheted fabric?
is that I have changed the way yarn is used. RJ: There are a great many possibilities with these
Instead of a typical one to four strands in larger, longer tools – rugs, carpets, throws,
‘normal’ textiles craft, I regularly use up to 200 curtains, wall hangings, apparel. The very large
strands of yarn, string, rope and ripped cloth one-piece wonders are so quick to do, using
simultaneously. Mixing up to 200 strands in large tools and lots of yarn, and no sewing up is
multiples of stranded fibre creates a wealth of a real bonus.
new design possibilities for textile craft. Compared to
In order to do this, I had to reconsider all single-strand
the tools that work with yarn and cloth – none work, it is
of the existing products available could handle incredibly
“
I often use some form of crochet
the ultra-thick strands I was mixing. I could not fast – making
on the big pieces… and I like
find the hooks and needles that I wanted, so I up in hours
to sit in the centre of the sofa to
ended up making some big prototype tools back or days rather
in 2002. I started making the knitting needles than weeks
crochet big pieces!
first and used them to make the first few sample and months.
pieces if my collection. Once I had done that, I This applies to all Extreme Textiles techniques,
quickly realised that all textile hand tools, such dependent on size and purpose of the piece.
as crochet hooks, could also be made to work I like to play with the techniques of Tunisian
with the mixed yarns. crochet, which has some interesting stitches – it
”
I regularly thank my dad for teaching me to almost looks more like a woven piece of fabric
work in wood when I was a child, even though I than a crocheted piece. I often use some form
was a girl – it just goes to show how those early of crochet on the big pieces because you can do
experiences can prove so valuable throughout it in a smaller space with one large tool rather
life. It certainly gave me the confidence to set than the two tools required for knitting. But I do
up a workshop and craft those first tools, which still like to sit in the centre of the sofa to crochet
are proving to be such an inspiration for both big pieces – spread myself out a bit!
designers and home crafters since I brought For this type of crafting, you do not need
them into the textiles market place. I have found special yarns – you can use any yarn that you
Rachel's creations use
that it is not just the tools that are important, it find – odd balls, leftovers, ripped fabric, rope
the same techniques but
is the application of those tools – the ideas of – really anything that you can find. If you have
with up to 200 strands
what you can make with them. a stash of yarn in your cupboard, you can use
» of different yarns!
I developed the title Extreme Textiles (which
includes Extreme Knitting, Extreme Crochet
and Extreme X-Stitch) when I was making a
really thick carpet using 150 strands of yarn.
The size of the particular piece in question is
2x3m and 4cm thick – this piece will probably
last 500 years it is so strong. We were playing
SSX Tricky on the Playstation, which is an
Extreme Snowboarding game. While watching
what was happening in the game, I was
sat there struggling with the last bit of this
enormous piece of knitting, which by then was
weighing in at 17kg! It occurred to me that the
knitting I was doing was just as extreme as the
snowboarding and certainly, on these very large
pieces, it was a physical exercise. Hence the
name Extreme Textiles.
www.insidecrochet.co.uk
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