Loops and Leads

Loops and Leads 🐾 Loops & Leads by Jennifer Ann | Handmade crochet gifts, paracord dog collars, leads, key fobs, lanyards & bracelets. Featuring the Inspired by Gus collection.

Handmade in Cumbria with over 65 years of crafting experience. ❤️

The pooch pouch.'I wish' said someone in earshot, ' that i could find a small crossbody bag, just big enough to hold my ...
18/09/2026

The pooch pouch.

'I wish' said someone in earshot, ' that i could find a small crossbody bag, just big enough to hold my phone, perhaps my keys, and a roll of poo bags'.

And Hey Presto, and feeling like a fairy godmother, may I present:

New to Loops and Leads, the Pooch Pouch.

Big enough to keep the phone safe, keys handy, and poo bags there for when you, (or your dog!) need them.

And here's Buddy again, helping to model our new range.

Crochet matters Having spent quite a bit of time building up the 'Inspired by Gus' paracord range of Loops & Leads, croc...
15/09/2026

Crochet matters
Having spent quite a bit of time building up the 'Inspired by Gus' paracord range of Loops & Leads, crochet has taken a bit of a back seat. Not ignored, just relegated to a couple of hours a week.

Paracord, by its very nature, keeps me firmly attached to my worktable. Forty feet — sorry, metres — of paracord, anyone? I can't see myself sitting on a bus with that lot!

I'm looking forward to simply sitting with a crochet hook and a ball of yarn again.
There's something wonderfully rhythmic about crochet. The hook, the yarn, the repeated movements, stitch after stitch. I often find myself crocheting in time to music — Mozart is a particular favourite — and before I know it, I've disappeared into the rhythm of it.

It's relaxing, almost meditative. And unlike a tableful of paracord, a small piece of crochet can go almost anywhere.

Crochet matters to me, not just because I make things to sell, but because it's been part of my life since childhood.

It makes me sit still, keeps my hands busy, and somehow gives my mind permission to wander wherever it wants to go.

And sometimes, that's exactly what I need.

Come and say hello to me at Loops and Leads and to Rachel of Eat her gluten free cookies today at Penrith Tuesday marke...
15/09/2026

Come and say hello to me at Loops and Leads and to Rachel of Eat her gluten free cookies today at Penrith Tuesday market.
We are here till 1.30.

14/09/2026

Windspinner Revolution! 🌀
I've crocheted quite a few windspinners recently, and usually have one or two hanging from the gazebo at Penrith Tuesday Market.

I've often looked at them and thought they must be terribly complicated to make. But when I finally started my first one, I discovered that the construction is actually surprisingly simple.
And that's made me think...

Sometimes something looks complicated simply because we haven't yet discovered how it's put together.

So, if you're a crocheter and have looked at a windspinner and thought "I couldn't possibly make that", why not give one a try? You might surprise yourself!

Let's start a windspinner revolution! 🌀
And if you don't crochet, but like the look of them, you can always buy one. 😊

I'll have a selection of windspinners with me at Penrith Tuesday Market, under the gazebo belonging to my good friend Rachel from Eat Her Cookies. Look out for her trademark pink sign!
If you'd like one but can't make it to the market, send me a message.
£5 each or 2 for £8
Loops and Leads

RebelWhat can I say about Rebel?A 12-page chart, 255 rows and 215 stitches, designed by the very talented Dutch crochet ...
11/09/2026

Rebel
What can I say about Rebel?
A 12-page chart, 255 rows and 215 stitches, designed by the very talented Dutch crochet artist known as the Crazy Crochet Cat Lady.
For about 250 hours over three months, I lived and breathed Rebel — sometimes quite literally, as he grew into a 152 × 122 cm crochet dog, from underneath which I regularly struggled to extract myself.
Then came the day he won 2nd place in the crochet section at Penrith Show.
And afterwards came the realisation that I don't actually have a room big enough to hang him and still be able to see him properly. You need to be at least six feet away to appreciate him in all his glory.
I'm not moving house just to give a crochet dog a wall, beautiful though he is.
So, sadly, Rebel needs a new home.
If you have a castle, baronial hall, or other suitably spacious residence in need of a large, handsome dog who doesn't need feeding, walking or insurance, then Rebel could be the dog for you.
He is, after all, very well behaved.
Just don't ask him to guard the door.
He'd only spin you a yarn.

Please send a message if you are interested in owning this handsome boy.

08/09/2026

Meet my new piece of kit.
This allows me to make a collar or bracelet much more easily than I have done before. It provides anchor points for both ends, is adjustable for length, and keeps the core cords I'm weaving around at an even tension.
In other words, it has stopped me having a wrestling match with multiple cords while questioning my life choices!

And what am I making, I hope I hear you ask?
It is a 15 iinch dog collar in navy and purple grey. The knot is called a Sanctified Knot, although I'm not entirely sure there's much sanctity left after trying to weave it before the jig arrived.
It involved cursing.
A lot.

And thank you to Buddy's dad for making the jig. (A different Buddy from the dog modelling in my previous post.)

Sadly, following a Loops & Leads tradition of Naming Things, the jig is most likely to be called Arbuthknot.
I know...

And Gus's End? After total confusion over which was left and right when staring at a photo of Gus, I adopted Gus's left and Gus's right.
Confusion solved.
So it seemed appropriate to adopt the same system on Arbuthknot.

05/09/2026

The flower displays are lovely this year. Lots of independent shops to investigate too.

Making Loops & Leads visibleThe last week has taken Loops & Leads to two very different events — a craft fayre at Great ...
04/09/2026

Making Loops & Leads visible
The last week has taken Loops & Leads to two very different events — a craft fayre at Great Salkeld, followed three days later by a shared gazebo at Penrith Market with my good friend Rachel from Eat Her Cookies gluten-free baking.

Both were well worth doing, but for very different reasons.

At Great Salkeld, people came out to support their local event. I made a number of sales, but just as importantly, people stopped to talk — particularly about the Inspired by Gus paracord range. I also came away with some great ideas for new products, including a rather specific description from one gentleman of his perfect lanyard for holding a dog whistle.

I didn't get his name, but I did get the idea. So, the perfect dog whistle lanyard is now officially in development!

Then came Penrith Market. Sadly, we were the only stalls there this week, but that didn't make the morning a wasted one. I made fewer sales, while Rachel almost sold out, but once again people stopped, looked and talked.

This time, the conversations were mostly about my crochet — and people's own experiences (or lack of them!) with a crochet hook.
Two venues, two very different experiences, and both valuable.

Because sometimes it's not about how much you sell. It's about people seeing Loops & Leads, talking to me, remembering me, and perhaps mentioning that new craft stall they saw.
And next time, maybe one or two familiar faces will come back to say hello. 😊

Short Close-Control Lead 🪢Sometimes shorter really is better.This little close-control lead is approximately 21 inches l...
01/09/2026

Short Close-Control Lead 🪢

Sometimes shorter really is better.
This little close-control lead is approximately 21 inches long, making it ideal for situations where you want your dog close and under control.

The main body is worked in a box knot, giving it a firm, substantial feel, but with a slight amount of give, while the handle is finished with a crown sinnet, more comfortable in the hand.

And here's a little bit of paracord maths: each lead uses one 20-foot length of each of two colours. That's 40 feet of cord becoming just 21 inches of finished lead!

A lot of cord, a lot of knots, and quite a satisfying little result.
Modelled by Buddy.

Inspired by Gus — part of the Loops & Leads range. 🐾

Loops and Leads is with Eat her gluten free cookies at Penrith Market until approx 1.30 today.Come and have a chat and ...
01/09/2026

Loops and Leads is with Eat her gluten free cookies at Penrith Market until approx 1.30 today.
Come and have a chat and see our stall.

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