Description
Sat 9 May: 11am – 4pm
Join us as part of Dunblane EcoFest 2026 for a relaxed and welcoming introduction to crochet with Cynthia, learning this timeless craft one stitch at a time. We’ll begin right at the start, exploring how to choose the most suitable yarns and materials for your project before picking up a hook, casting on, and beginning to stitch. Over the course of this hands on, skill building workshop you’ll learn the classic granny square pattern alongside three essential stitches, chain, double and treble crochet, as well as how to achieve smooth, seamless colour changes.
Starting with selecting a unique blend of recycled yarn, you will put together your material. Then hook and yarn in hand, you’ll learn to crochet the ever-popular granny square and learn how to form larger finished pieces. Your new skills can be applied to practical, long lasting items such as coasters, table runners, cushion covers or reusable shoppers, projects designed to be used, repaired and enjoyed for years to come.
Crochet is a wonderfully sustainable skill. It encourages mindful making, helps extend the life of textiles, and offers an alternative to fast homeware and accessories by giving you the knowledge to create your own durable pieces. Once learned, crochet requires very little equipment and can be practised using reclaimed or leftover yarns, making it an accessible way to reduce waste while developing a creative and useful lifelong skill. Learning practical hand skills and making objects from scratch using reclaimed materials offers a powerful, everyday approach to sustainable living. Working with what already exists encourages resourcefulness and creativity, helping you see potential in offcuts, worn textiles and overlooked resources rather than waste. In this way, hand making becomes more than a craft practice, it becomes a practical and empowering tool for living more sustainably.
Cynthia will guide you throughout, helping you build confidence while enjoying the rhythm and sociability of stitching together in a supportive group environment. This workshop is suitable for complete beginners, as well as anyone looking to refresh their skills and enjoy some creative time in good company.
- How to hold your hook and material
- how to start a project by learning the different cast-on methods
- common stitches used in crochet patterns
- how to read a written pattern (we’ll cover UK and US terminology so you can read any pattern)
- how to read a crochet chart illustration
- how to combine your stitches into a project.
- And at the end of the course you will be able to step away with a collection of swatches and ideas of how you can incorporate them into homeware projects, as well as a brand new easy crochet project to keep that knowledge and muscle memory locked in.
Your Tutor
Trained as a fashion knitwear designer, Cynthia has been intertwined with woollen goodness since she was young. Cynthia was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Bristol, and obtained her BA Fashion design with Knitwear at Central St Martins in London. She is now based in Dunblane. Cynthia has worked with London based designers such as Cooperative Designs and James Long, as well as internationally, at Valentino in Rome. At the moment Cynthia is working with Stitch & Story and Fabrics Store. With the belief that knowledge is power, she enjoys expanding her skills in teaching and passing on crafting skills to those at various levels. At the same time, improving her own identity as a designer.
- All materials for your Crochet for Beginners workshop are included in the course cost.
- Tea and coffee are provided but participants should bring their own lunch and utensils
- All of our classes are suitable for over 16s, younger crafters may be accommodated if accompanied by a participating adult but please contact us before booking
- If the workshop you were looking at is fully booked drop us an email and we’ll add you to the waiting list. We will add extra dates to our most popular workshops too, join the mailing list to be the first to know
- All of our workshops are held at Craft Central, High Street, Dunblane, FK15 0EE
- If you need to cancel or reschedule your workshop we need at least three weeks notice. Please read our cancellation policy before booking
