Meet the maker: Olivia from Hopeful Honey

I’ve always been slightly obsessed with all things creative, and thankfully I was blessed with a wonderful mum who encouraged me in all my crazy (and messy) endeavours.

When I was younger I always associated crochet with doilies and granny squares, and it wasn’t until I discovered Pinterest that my eyes were opened to the endless possibilities crocheting held. After that I became very passionate about reinventing crochet into a modern form of creativity. A few months later I decided to start a website called 'My Favourite Things', and it was literally love at first sight!

It wasn’t long before I felt the urge to change my blog’s name as I really wanted my blog’s name to be unique, special, as well as encompass who I was as a person and individual. I desperately racked my brain for that particular name, and was about to give up before I randomly blurted a name out and I adored it! That was the day Hopeful Honey was born.

I’ve always been fond of living in a small town on the south coast of Australia. From an early age I’ve been very blessed to be constantly surrounded by artists and photographers, which inspired me to start on my own creative journey which eventually lead to crochet.

Ooh, that’s a tough one! I think it’s impossible to round it down to just one thing, as I not only adore vintage items, but I also love creating baby booties as you can quickly crochet them up in an afternoon and bring a smile to the face of any mum-to-be.

I’m currently working on some vintage inspired leg warmers, using cotton yarn in neutral colours to add a French twist. One of my favourite projects to date would have to be the Coastal Fog Chunky Cardigan I created a few months back, as it’s such a classic design and perfect addition to any winter wardrobe.

Definitely my chunky over-sized hooks, since I love working with all types of chunky wool. The hooks are also so large, that the items also work up very quickly and the chunkier yarn leaves a beautiful earthy feeling and texture to it. I love chunky wool so much, that I once challenged myself to create a gigantic over-sized scarf, which has turned out to be a favourite.

There’s no doubt in my mind that I would be 'Drops Paris'! Not only do I love working with this soft and luxurious cotton yarn, the colours in this collection are to die for and complement each other so well that it’s hard not to create something beautiful every single time.

I’ve been noticing a lot of usage of bright, bold colours this winter with simple designs that have a sprinkling of retro charm about them.