Sue Pearson

I am an avid reader, but it's not possible to hold a book and turn pages while working with yarn in your hands. At those times, I love listening to a book being read to me. This is a list of the books I have really enjoyed listening to: crime/detective novels, historical novels, classic literature and autobiographies.

I learned to weave on an inkle loom a few years ago, and I started spinning my own yarn on a simple drop spindle in January 2024. Somehow things escalated. I now use a spinning wheel, use the yarn I make to weave on a rigid heddle loom, and my home is full of fibre to be spun. Wonderful. These are the books and suppliers I have found helpful on my journey into spinning and weaving.

I knit, crochet, spin and weave. I'm at my happiest with yarn running through my hands. Here, I've pulled together some of my most frequently used yarns, from large commercial suppliers to small one-person independent dyers.

When you start a new craft there are lots of online resources available, but I've always liked to have a physical book to refer to. These are a selection from my bookcase to support your exploration of crochet.

I work with yarn all the time, in many different ways, one of which is crochet. I have tried a wide range of hooks, both standard and Tunisian, and I've tried to list my thoughts here. There is never any need to go out and buy a complete set of hooks in any range - you might find you stick to mainly two or three types of yarn and so only need to buy the appropriate hooks as you need them. I've also included the accessories that I use the most often.