Thursday 27 January 2022

Square Stitch crochet tutorial

 


Hello, this week I have a crochet stitch tutorial for you - it's for the square stitch! To give you some background, throughout January I'm taking part in the Fun a Day project by crocheting a swatch each day to explore new textures. At the end of the month I'm going to join the squares into a 6 x 5 blanket.

If you haven't heard of Fun a Day it's an initiative that started in Philadelphia where participants work on a small creative project every day in January. My nearest city, Dundee, has a thriving Fun a Day community and I've been taking part with them for a few years now. In the spring there is an exhibition where everyone who has taken part can showcase their projects. The last 2 years this has been online, but perhaps it will be a real, actual exhibition this year ... we'll see! You can find out more about Fun a Day Dundee here.

Anyway, one of the swathches I've crocheted had a fantastic look and texture to it and I thought it was worth sharing with you. I made a pink version - the photo at the top of the page - for the tutorial.



Abbreviations (UK terms)
ch - chain
chsp - chain space
dc - double crochet
tr - treble

Begin: ch multiple of 2.

Row 1: 1dc in 2nd ch from hook, (ch1, miss 1dc, 1dc in next ch) across, turn.

Row 2: ch1, 1dc in first dc, (1tr in chsp, 1dc in next dc) across, turn.

Row 3: ch1, 1dc in first dc (ch1, miss next tr, 1dc in next dc) across, turn.

Row 4 onwards: repeat row 2 to 3.

If you prefer visual instructions, you can watch my video tutorial on YouTube here.



Let me know if you use this stitch, I'd love to see what you make!

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx



Thursday 20 January 2022

Socks, socks, socks, socks and socks!




Hello! I have so much sock news to share with you! First up, as you may have seen on social media, I have launched my Fiddle Sock pattern on Ravelry & LoveCrafts. I have been blown away by the amount of sales coming in for it, especially since it's January! It seems that you guys are really pleased that I've written a pattern for DK weight yarn because many of you find 4ply a little too fiddly to work with. Thank you very much if you have bought the pattern, I truly appreciate your support. If you're still thinking about, hurry - the 20% discount ends at midnight, Friday 21st January! Use the code FIDDLE to get 20% off the pattern on Ravelry. (As always, give me a shout if you can't access Ravelry).


Secondly, a reminder of my crochet sock workshop next month. Spaces are filling fast for this all day workshop at the Central Scotland School of Craft. By the end of the day the heel will be demystified and you will be confident about crocheting socks! All the information is in the link above, but feel free to ask me any questions.

My 3rd piece of sock news is about my Fabulous Socks! crochet pattern. This design is my most popular paid-for pattern and I thought it deserved some attention and some video tutorials, since most of my latest designs have them. I have significantly changed the look and layout of my patterns since designing these socks in 2018, and I've updated this pdf to bring it in line with the newer ones and put in a lot of hours creating videos for each stage. If you originally bought this pattern on Ravelry you should have had an email about the update. If you didn't or if you bought the pattern on LoveCrafts or via your local yarn shop - please get in touch and I'll send you the updated version.

I'm really chuffed with this new version and I hope you like it too! You can buy the updated pattern on Ravelry and LoveCrafts.

My next piece of sock news is that I'm currently knitting socks! I'm taking part in Christine Perry AKA Winwick Mum's Winter Haven KAL - a knit along which is all about making space and taking time out a habit, even if it's just for January. The idea is that you follow one of Christine's patterns - I'm keeping things super simple and going for a vanilla sock using the Basic Sock Pattern, which I've knitted up many times before. 

In case your wondering, although I do like to have a knitting project on the go, I only write crochet patterns - knitting is simply for the fun of it!


My final piece of sock news is something huge but also something I need to keep under wraps! I have had my 6th crochet sock pattern accepted by a magazine for publication! I am absolutely over the moon about this and I can't wait to share this design with you! For now, here is a sneak peek, that's all I can share - sorry for being a tease!

I hope you've found all my sock news interesting, but if socks aren't your thing, don't worry - I'll be back next week with more varied crochet news!

Marta xx



Wednesday 12 January 2022

Have you booked your space on my crochet workshop yet?


Hello! It's less than a month until my crochet sock workshop at the Central Scotland School of Craft! Have you booked your space yet? 

In this workshop you will learn how to crochet a pair of socks using the toe-up construction method following my own Synthesizer Sock pattern. This design features the heel turn, heel flap and gusset technique and under my expert guidance you will crochet through each stage in turn, giving you the confidence to make more socks in the future!



The course takes place on Saturday the 12th February from 10am until 4pm at the CSSC in Dunblane. All tools and materials are included in the course cost. Tea and coffee are provided but participants should bring their own lunch. If you are travelling from further away, accomodation recommendations are on the CSSC website too.

I'm really looking forward to teaching this workshop and I'd love to see some of you there!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch,

Marta xx

Tuesday 4 January 2022

Free Crochet Blanket Pattern!

Image shows a rainbow coloured crocheted blanket casually draped over an olive green armchair.

Free Crochet Blanket Pattern!

Hello! I'm kicking off 2022 with the first of my free crochet blanket patterns for you! It is, of course, the long awaited release of my Scrappy Blanket II! I was making and designing this crocheted blanket through the second half of last year and because I knew it was going to be a free pattern, other paid for work kept taking priority. I was also crocheting it in 4ply yarn which was very slow going (yet relaxing and enjoyable).


If 4ply yarn isn't your thing, fear not! I have done the maths to enable you to create this blanket in 4ply, DK, aran and chunky! Not only that, I've also worked out the number of stitches & rows for 5 different sizes of blanket, from pram to single bed size (you can see why it's taken me a long time to produce this pattern!)




This is a BEGINNER level pattern, written in UK terms.


You will need …

  • lots and lots and lots of scraps or odd balls of yarn in the same weight. I made mine in fingering (4ply weight).

  • appropriate size hook for your yarn thickness (I used 4mm) 

  • scissors

  • tapestry needle for sewing in ends


Abbreviations (UK terms)

ch

chain

dc

double crochet

puff

formed of 3x (yo, pull through), ch1

tr

treble

tr2tog

trreble 2 stitches together

st(s)

stitch(es)

yo

yarn over

Tension - main pattern repeat per 10cm, in rows 

  1. fingering/ 4ply and 4mm hook 23 dc stitches x 14 rows (3.5mm hook)

  2. DK/ 8ply 21 dc stitches x 12 rows (5mm hook)

  3. aran/ 10ply 16 dc stitches x 9 rows (6mm hook)

  4. chunky/ 12ply  10 dc stitches x  6 rows (8mm hook)


Special stitches

Puff stitches are made as follows; yo, pull through a long loop (3 loop on hook), yo, pull through a long loop (5 loops on hook), yo, pull through a long loop (7 loops on hook), yo, pull through all the loops on the hook, complete the stitch with a ch1 = 1 puff made. There's a link below to a useful YouTube tutorial if you need it.

Notes … 

  • I’ve designed this pattern in fingering (4ply weight) yarn but it could be made in whichever thickness you like. Simply add more chains for a thinner yarn and create less chains for a thicker yarn. See measurements table for variations.

  • The pattern is easy to remember once you’ve crocheteded a few rows. On the puff stitch rows pay attention to where your first puff stitch falls, you’ll soon get into a rhythm.

  • Ch1/ ch3 at the start of rows does not count as a stitch and is not included in the stitch count. 

  • For your stitch counts, I suggest you use the measurements table, select your desired size and work out (17 x ▢)  + 1 and then work out (12 x ▢)  + 2 and write these figures down at the end of the rows.

  • To achieve neat colour changes, start using the new colour on the last yarn over of the stitch.

  • Weave in the ends on whichever side they fall, making your blanket reversible. I tried to keep my colour changes close to the puffs so that they could be well buried inside them.

  • My top tip for crocheting huge numbers of chain stitches is to add a good few extras - these can always be undone later!


A special thank you to CJ, Tammy de Nobrigo, Hannah Wingfield, Michelle Willis & Jenny Winter for testing out this pattern for me - thanks ladies! xx


Measurements 


Click table to enlarge!



For guidance, my finished blanket was worked in 4ply yarn and measured 100 x 130cm (unblocked) and weighed around 700g. I started with ch235 and crocheted for 182 rows.


You could wing it and make chains until it looks the right width, turn and begin Row 1. If you have any redundant chains at the end of your first row, simply undo them.


Crochet Blanket Pattern 

Begin by looking at the measurements table and finding how many chains you need to make. If you are going for a different size the maths for this is ch(17 x ▢)  + 5 

Row 1 1tr in 4th ch from hook, (tr2tog in next 2ch) 3 times, [(1puff in next ch) 5 times, (tr2tog in next 2ch) 6 times, ch1] repeat from [ to ] until you have 7ch left, (tr2tog in next 2ch) 3 times, 1tr in last ch. Turn. (12x ▢ + 2sts)

Row 2 Ch1, work 1dc in each st & 1dc in each ch & 1dc into the top of each puff across. Turn. (17x ▢ + 1st)

Row 3 Ch3, 1tr in first dc, (tr2tog in next 2dc) 3 times, [(1puff in next dc) 5 times, (tr2tog in next 2dc) 6 times, ch1] repeat from [ to ] until you have 12dc left, (1puff in next dc) 5 times, (tr2tog in next 2ch) 3 times, 1tr in turning ch. Turn. (12x ▢ + 2sts)


At this point lay your work out flat and assess it for size. If necessary, go back and alter your chain number at the beginning by increasing or decreasing by a multiple of 17.


Row 4 onwards  Repeat Rows 2 to 3 until you have the desired length, ending with Row 3. See the measurements table above for the approximate number of rows.

Cut yarn and fasten off.



Video Tutorials

I’ve made a few YouTube videos to help you succeed with this pattern because I really want everyone to feel confident about crocheting this blanket! My pattern should be clear to follow, but if you find yourself stuck the videos should help. If you are still stuck please reach out to me in the comments or via Instagram DMs - I’m more than happy to help!


Starting with a huge numer of chains https://youtu.be/BNvUeegDrfI

How to work the puff stitch  https://youtu.be/-ooO5MmU0YA

How to work the main pattern https://youtu.be/KNeKHtJXSAk

How to sew in those pesky ends!  https://youtu.be/gb9DK1CUZzE


Finishing off 

Weave in all your ends on whichever side they fall. Block your blanket to make the stitches pop!


I hope you enjoyed this pattern! Please subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date,

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Take it further …

If you’ve followed any of my other patterns, you’ll know that I love to see you taking one of my designs and truly making it your own! A few ideas I have for taking this design further are ...

  • use only 1 colour - there’s plenty of texture to keep this blanket interesting.

  • add a border, with a shell edging.

  • make your puffs with 4 yarn overs to make them pop even more!

  • do a variation on the puff stitches - pineapple stitch perhaps?.

  • use the pattern to make a scarf, chain 39 for your width.



What will you do differently with this pattern?

Whatever you do, I’m sure it will be awesome! 

Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @marta.mitchell.designs



This pattern is free and always will be! If you’d like to support my work and help me to produce

more free patterns you can Buy Me a Coffee



Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Monday 3 January 2022

January sale on all my crochet patterns!

 


Happy New Year to you! My January sale has begun - throughout the month of January I'm offering you 3 for 2 on all my patterns!

This is the BIGGEST sale I have ever done and I'm looking forward to seeing you follow my designs - whether that's for the first time or whether you're a loyal fan! Below is a collage of some of my patterns, but there are 30 more patterns to choose from!


All you need to do to take advantage of this offer is go to my Ravelry store, add 3 patterns to your cart then use the code JANUARY at the checkout and the cheapest pattern will be yours for free!

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

PS. Don't forget that I'm here for you if you have any questions about my patterns - before purchasing and after - please ask! xx

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