It was a thrill to present my first workshop this weekend in Apollo Bay. A beautiful township on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, very appropriate for a morning of nautical knot tying.

I opened the vault to some of my 
best-selling knotted designs from Crayon Chick

The workshop featured a decorative sailor’s knot, sometimes known as a Monkey’s Fist Knot, which starred in many of my knotted bead designs from necklaces to

 

It's been a few years since I stopped making product for Crayon Chick and there was a mad moment where I thought I might have forgotten how to do it. What was I thinking, I've only made about a million* over the last 15 or so years (*liberal use of my artistic licence!)

What I hadn't anticipated was how abstract it was to put into words what is deeply ingrained in my muscle memory. But that's the joy of a face to face, hands-on workshop where we get to work together and I get to demonstrate

My background has been running an independent design brand since 2005. Exploring the history of knots and developing products and designs based on this fabulous and ancient craft was the core of my business. And I underestimated how affectionately and proud I was to share my story.