This crafty octopus

frances ayres - UK textile artistPortfolio Website

Products

Jewellery

decorative

wearables

practical items

other

I am not currently taking any orders. I am currently creating for my own enjoyment.If there is something you are interested in purchasing you can email me [email protected].But I might not have it in stock and am not planning on making for orders at the moment.

Contact

I run my small business out of my attic craft studio.
I have a full time job so please be patient when waiting for a reply to emails or messages.

Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UKemail me: [email protected]message me on facebookFind all my social media links here

q&a

Who are you?
I’m Frances (xe/xem). In my spare time I run a small craft business called This Crafty Octopus. Doing crochet, knitting, felting, papercrafts, weaving, sewing and jewellery making. But I like to try other crafts when I get the chance.When did you start?
I started This Crafty Octopus in 2018 when I moved back home to Huddersfield. I wanted an outlet for my crafting. Its always growing and changing!Why are you called This Crafty Octopus?
It was a hard challenge to decide on a business name. I like Crafty as an adjective because I do lots of different crafts. I like Octopus as an animal because which crafter doesn’t wish for more hands! Then I commissioned a friend to design my logo. Now there are octopuses everywhere!What materials do you like to work with?
With crochet my favourite fibre is cotton. Its lovely and smooth when crocheting and creates sturdy fabrics. With knitting I like to use wool because it’s warm, and Huddersfield has a long history with the woollen industry. With paper crafts I love using old maps, it links back to my geography roots. As much as possible I source materials second hand or locally.How do you create products?
I design all my products myself, which means I also sell crochet and knitting patterns so crafters can make their own. I start with ideas and write them all in notebooks. Then I will spend some time doing sketches and draft patterns. I have a lot of craft books to see how others put shapes together. Then comes the iterative process of making and taking apart until I create the right shapes.Tell us about your favourite place to crochet.
I have an attic craft room where everything is at hand. There are messy shelves with all my yarn, and various sets of drawers with the small materials like buttons.I think my favourite is crafting outside though. I almost always have a crochet or knitting project with me so if I have a spare moment I can sit and make. Bonus points if I am near a river or lake. It might not be as convenient but it’s great for small projects.How do you keep your business as environmentally friendly as possible?
I try to be as environmentally sustainable as possible so I like making practical items out of second-hand materials; like my eco tinsel, map paper bags, rescued-beads stitch markers, and face cloths. All my packaging is from second hand materials. And I stamp my own logo so I don’t have to buy stickers. There is always the battle between consumerism and the environment though.What makes Huddersfield a great place to have a craft business?
There is a lovely local textile history for inspiration. If you are interested in historic knitting and crochet the Knitting & Crochet Guild has their collection in Slaithwaite, I did some part time work with them promoting their 100 objects project on social media.How long does it take to make your products?
It can vary dramatically. Things like my hats and scarves can take a few days to a few weeks. My micro crochet earrings take about 3-5 hours per charm. The quicker earrings like my simple flowers and studs take about 2 hours per pair. My hanging decs take about 2 hours each. I make my paper products in bulk so 20 packs take about 24 hours.Where can people find you?
I can mostly be found on social media @thiscraftyoctopus (Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok). This page is a good place to find all my links: linktr.ee/thiscraftyoctopus.

Artwork

rock pool - sold

moonlight

Whirlpool and Mini Whirlpools

Untitled