Here’s a great tip that I learned from my Nana. Her tables (and house) are always dressed to perfection – actually her first job was as a shop window dresser, which I know she must have been amazing at because later on her and my Grandad had a ladies wear shop, and I remember “helping”…
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…
My Indian Summer Lace Top uses a variety of broomstick lace stitches. You may have come across this technique before – but for those who haven’t – don’t worry, I have made videos showing how to do these stitches! I also include the written description for how to work each stitch. To make a sample of…
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…
These Christmas ornaments are really easy and quick to make – once you know how! Check out this video tutorial and you’ll soon have your left over stash turned into tree decorations: For the written pattern (in US and UK terms) click here. Just scroll down for the downloadable pdfs!
How well do you sleep? I sometimes have the problem of waking up really early in the morning, like around 4am, when it’s just getting light, or needing to sleep in the day if I have a bad headache. I think it happens when I haven’t been crocheting enough! Since I chopped off all my…
Having just about got over the mortification of hearing the sound of my own voice, I thought another crochet video tutorial would be in order. (Thank you to everyone who gave me lovely feedback about my first crochet video – Diamond Trellis Stitch!) This time it’s the turn of the puff stitch flower. This stitch…
I got an exciting new toy this week! I’ve been wanting to get a new camera for a while. It’s always a bit of a struggle using my old compact camera to get good photos of my projects, especially when it’s cloudy outside. So I finally convinced my husband that now was the time to…
How cute are these little hearts? These heart strings are quick to make and can be used for lots of craft projects. Mini garlands, gift wrapping, bracelets and even as a fancy edging. I tied some round a jar candle as an easy alternative to making a jar cover! The best bit is it is…
I have been working up to this project for a while. Arguably since I was 15 and my parents bought me this awesome leather jacket. I have literally loved it to bits! It has been soaked in the rain, thrown about, scuffed up, had acid dropped on it (chemistry class), lost its lining in most…
Make My Day Creative 