My favourite part of designing my own patterns is that I get to decide what colour(s) I am going to use. Selecting the colour of your yarn is a personal choice and if a certain colour or combination of colours makes you happy then go for it! In my final post of my How to…
Choosing the right yarn for your project (or project for your yarn) is usually what makes or breaks your project. When considering yarn there are several factors – weight and hook size, fibre content, yarn construction and texture. Yarn Weight and Hook Size Most of us who have crocheted or knit a few projects will…
Triangular shawls are a great way to place to start with designs involving increasing and decreasing. It’s easy to see if your design is coming out how you like from the beginning. And you can modify them to make scarves in the event of a yarn shortage! Last time I looked at how to increase…
Increasing and decreasing in pattern can sound tricky, but with a few tips you can save a lot of wasted time. I have previously spent a lot of time trying to work out how to increase (or decrease) a stitch pattern and then wondered why the result isn’t quite right. The main reason is I…
Increasing and decreasing in pattern is, in my opinion, one of the hardest things to do when designing a pattern. So if you can master it then nothing can stop you! I’m going to cover shaping in this post and then increasing and decreasing complete stitch patterns next time. If you’re wondering what the difference…
Last time I looked at selecting the right stitch pattern for your project. Well what’s next? Once you’ve selected your stitch pattern(s) and identified what you’ll make with it, it’s worth having a think about the repeat of the pattern and your design. Make it adjustable I like to make my items such as baskets…
I still feel like I’m only just getting started with crochet designing, particularly if judged by the number of my projects which get started and scrapped. But I wanted to write this series because I’ve picked up a few things along the way which I think will be helpful whether you’re a designer or someone…
This cowl was one of my husband’s Christmas gifts so I have been waiting to share it for a while. When I was making the plaid cowl for my brother I fell a bit in love with this yarn. Not a surprise because I am a fan of chainette construction yarns. (Read more about…
It’s been really exciting to see a lot of new followers to this blog recently. If you’ve only just signed up then you might have missed these fun bracelet projects. I’ve decided to go through my old posts and make pdf printables for the crochet patterns (something I only started doing quite recently). Since it’s…
This is a slightly more closed pattern than my last design, Shells and Lace, but it is still lacy enough to let light through. The shell repeat is offset which I think makes for a prettier pattern. I planned to make this cover out of green only, but as I was using up old stash…
I designed this lacy pattern to let out plenty of light as the candle burns down, and cast pretty shadows around. If you want to make your own candles, as I did, see my previous post! Look out for the remaining jar patterns in my next couple of posts. Materials: Left over stash yarn and…
Pattern Notation I use standard American terminology in my patterns: ch chain sc single crochet (UK double crochet) hdc half double crochet (UK half treble crochet) dc double crochet (UK treble crochet) tr treble crochet (UK double treble crochet) dtr double treble crochet (UK triple treble crochet) sl-st slip stitch (UK single crochet or slip…
Remember my living room make over? Well, it’s taking me an embarrassingly long time to sort out the final details. I’m wondering if anyone else feels like they are never done when it comes to decorating? Maybe I am just too easily distracted… Anyway, this week I made some good progress in that I bought…
I’m interrupting my series on How to Design Crochet Patterns to bring you my latest project. Don’t worry though, I’ll be continuing this next time, I just thought it was time for a new crochet pattern! Following working on my Atlantic Lace Shawl I thought it would be fun to work on some more ocean…
Some things will be different to usual for a while. If you’re a regular you may have noticed the lack of posting as of late. Don’t worry – I haven’t stopped making! In fact I can share that having a creative outlet has been particularly helpful to getting me through this last year. 2016 was…
Make My Day Creative 