About AHSC



Collection of baskets crocheted with recycled yarn
 Photo of Nicky Ward from A heart shaped cherry






 
A heart shaped cherry is a contemporary crochet brand with a range of joyful hand crocheted homewares, gifts, crochet kits and patterns.   
   

I'm Nicky Ward, owner and founder of AHSC and I'm based near Bicester, in beautiful rural Oxfordshire - less than half an hour from central Oxford.  
I was lovingly taught to crochet by my grandmother - she also taught me to knit, embroider "lazy daisies" and bake melting moments!  I have continued to crochet throughout my life.  When my daughter was very small, I had the perfect excuse to make cute baby clothes and little bags!  Now my focus is working with recycled and other sustainable yarns, with the aim of creating items to be treasured for years.

 
With a background in graphic design, I have always felt the need to craft - whether it's with fabric, paper, yarn, clay or wood!  (I'd be the one making daisy chains whilst sports day was going on!).
   

I teaching 1:1 and 1:2 crochet lessons in my home studio, crochet courses and workshops at Westbury Arts Centre in Milton Keynes, The Grain Store Cafe  in Middle Aston, and in various other locations across Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.  I love showing others how to make their own sustainable gifts, experience the de-stressing effect of crochet, and become crochet addicts!  Check out upcoming crochet workshops...  
 




Sustainability & AHSC

I started A heart shaped cherry a few years back, designing personalised items, but over the last few years it has evolved into a brand concerned with helping customers make considered gift and home decor purchases. 
 

So I began designing for the compostable cloths - individually screen printing them by hand using eco inks make by a brand with Soil Association accreditation.  I still print and use the compostable eco cloths to explain to new customers why my brand is concerned with environmental issues and the climate change challenges we face today.  If just one person, whilst using their cloth one morning, recalls our chat and makes even just one small positive change, then that has to be a small win for our planet's future.  If they come back for more and tell all their friends about the eco cloths, so much the better!  I only use the original compostable cloths manufactured in Germany to strict sustainable standards.
 



About the time I started selling these cloths in some lovely upmarket garden centres and independent shops, I discovered the wonderful yarns from Hoooked - the founder started out with the aim of trying to tackle all the textile waste - it all just ended up in landfill.  So the original Zpagetti Recycled T-shirt yarn was born!  And so my passion for crochet was reignited!
 


I still use this very yarn for many of my items and kits, along with other recycled cotton yarns from Hoooked, and their yarns made from sustainable fibres like jute, eucalyptus and linen.  My patterns are often written around these yarns and I also use them in my workshops.

Solar Panels are an invaluable addition to our home and my studio and we use an Air Source Heat Pump for heating!

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