THE JOY OF GEO

We talk to Esme Crick, aka Red Sparrow Crochet, the designer behind contemporary geometric patterns, obsessor of colour palettes and master of mosaic crochet

-  Lucy Evans

Mustard yellows, hot pinks, navy blues, plus bold monochrome shades – Esme Crick’s designs are fizzing with contemporary colours, matched with striking graphic geo patterns. Look at her work and you realise that the style of some of the latest must-have accessories you see in homeware shops can actually be created, but better, in crochet by using Esme’s patterns. From cushion covers to throws and from tote bags to placemats, her projects are irresistible, with each the product of Esme’s twin passions for pattern and colour.

PURE IMAGINATION

Asked how she comes up with her ideas and Esme’s approach can best be described as visionary. “This is going to sound strange, but the ideas and patterns appear before me, I’ll often wake up with a pattern in mind,” she says. “I tend to see patterns in things I look at; anyone who knows my work knows how influenced I am by nature – trees, leaves, insects – there’s a pattern in all of them. I use an online grid and draw out the design quickly, before I have time to get distracted and forget it. I currently have 362 charts on file, maybe that’s a bit obsessive?”