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I am Louisa Thompson - owner and head designer at Handmade In Norfolk.

Having grown up in Norfolk, I have spent my life being inspired by the beautiful coastline, scenic fields and historic towns and cities our county has to offer. I am also fortunate enough to have grown up surrounded by some fantastic artists and creative minds. 

I would often spend my school holidays with my grandmother who has a penchant for watercolour landscape painting. My ever-patient father encouraged my creativity by purchasing craft kits and allowing me to spend almost all my pocket money in King's Lynn's "Pastimes" or "The Feat Shop" on fabric, yarn and paint galore. My mother (a sculptor and painter) encouraged this love of creativity still further and took me to some of my first craft fairs at around 16 to sell some of my makes. You can easily see how I became inspired by viewing some of her fantastic work on her website at www.sarahallenartist.com 

I became interested in crochet when my godmother Debbie bought me a set of hooks for my birthday one year and to be honest, it was love at first sight. Luckily, YouTube had been invented by this time and I spend hours watching video after video to master the granny square, the magic circle and other useful techniques and stitches.  Fast forward to 2023 and every child in my family and friendship group is given a handmade blanket when they are born. This has amounted to quite a number as I am now auntie to three beautiful children and honorary aunty to many others.

I am a firm believer that my craft is all about the process rather than the final result and I will often spend many hours in the garden or relaxing on the sofa with my latest project. There's a running joke within my friendship and family group that it's all I ever do!  My love of fibre arts really helped me to support my mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic when we were all stuck indoors. I find crochet and knitting hugely therapeutic and whilst experiencing depression and anxiety during this time, I was able to to wonders for my mental health by diving into make after make. It was a tough time and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my wonderful husband for his patience, but now when I wear those jumpers and snuggle up under those blankets I remember just how far I have come. 

If you are interested in taking up crochet or knitting as a way of supporting yourself and expressing your creativity please feel free to get in touch with any questions you might have.