A Chat with Fay Dashper Hughes
If you haven’t already met, we’d like to introduce you to Fay Dashper Hughes, one of the most prolific and busiest designers we’ve met, and she’s also a very talented crochet artist and teacher, and all-around lovely person. Fay designed the beautiful Rambling Rose Wrap and Blanket in our Annual, Issue Four, and her newest pattern – the glorious ‘Crochet by Numbers’ blanket has just been released in our Knit by Numbers DK. (Of course we couldn’t help making a few kits!) We caught up with Fay to pick her creative brain!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started in the design business?
Amost as soon as I picked up a hook and needles ten years ago, I started designing. My design aesthetic has always been quite specific, so rather than fiddling with other people’s patterns, I just started making my own up. British wool and the provenance of the materials I use has always been important too. So, I am always found advocating for the use of wool and natural fibres for crochet and knitting.
Tell us about your beautiful design featured in our Annual 4. What was your inspiration?
I am always drawn to projects and ideas that use a mixture of techniques, especially nature-inspired ones with an earthy colour palette. As a very small child I was using wool and cotton for sewing and embroidery and so the idea of adding embroidery to bring texture and life to the Rambling Rose Blanket and Wrap (pictured below) wasn’t a massive leap.
What do you get up to in your spare time, when you’re not designing?
If I’m being honest, I usually have a hook or needles in my hands, even when I am relaxing – I am a total Bridget McFidget and like to have busy hands. That said, I really love traveling to new places and getting back to my homeland of Scotland. You will also find me growing our own food and cooking really spicy Indian cuisine!
Our Annual this year is inspired by cottage gardens, are you a gardener yourself?
Yes, I am and rambling, organic cottage gardens are my absolute favourite!
What do you love most about being a designer?
Sometimes, a fully formed design will just ping into my brown like somebody downloaded a file with all the answers. It’s really magical when you can then translate that file into a crocheted or knitted fabric and it comes out exactly as you imagined it.
Your crochet patterns are always so modern and ingenious, can you tell us about your design POV?
Sometimes, people pick up my designs and you can see them questioning “this is crochet?”. In my head I am thinking “Ha, I got you! I have made you think differently about crochet!”
So, I love to push the boundaries of what people think crochet is and can be. Crochet is often ridiculed as a poor cousin to knitting and I want to change that outlook with timeless designs that show crochet in a new light.
Let us know where we can find out more about you and your designs.
The best places to find me are my spangly new website www.fadhdesigns.com where I have all sorts of tutorials and blog posts for crochet and knitting. Then you can also find me on Pinterest as FayDHDesigns and @faydhdesigns on Instagram.
Fay’s newest pattern, the ‘Crochet by Numbers’ blanket is a beauty. We just had to make some kits, which you’ll find here.
