Thursday 24 February 2022

Crochet tip for you!

 


Hello! I'm back this week to share my latest YouTube video with you. Have you ever crocheted a huge number of chains, turned to work into them, reached the last chain only to discover you are 3 chains short? It tends to happen with projects such as blankets or shawls. Well, I have the solution to this and I've shared it on my YouTube channel.



I hope you find this tip useful - please let me know if you do! I'd appreciate your likes, comments and subscribes on YouTube too, they'll help me to grow and gain visibility on the platform.

Happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Wednesday 23 February 2022

Pattern of the month - Bandwagon Mitts




Hello! I relaise I've let you know about my pattern of the month, but haven't told you much about the pattern. I'm here in this post to set that straight and give you all the information you need ...
  • The pattern begins with a stretchy rib worked as a long strip, next it's joined to make a round and then crocheted up to the fingertips in a continous spiral. A gap is made for the thumb and the thumb is crocheted in at the end.
  • It's rated intermediate level.
  • You can find my Bandagon Mitts pattern on both Ravelry & LoveCrafts
  • The pattern is available in 6 sizes ranging from child to adult XL.
  • Yarn requirements range between 50g of DK weight yarn for the smallest size up to 150g of DK weight yarn for the largest.
  • It's written in UK and US terms.
  • I used West Yorkshire Spinners Aire DK which sadly seems to be discontinued in solid colours but is still available in variegated colourways.
  • On Ravelry one of the download options is for a full photo tutorial accompanying the pattern, (ideal if you are fairly new to crochet).
  • I held off releasing this pattern for a few weeks because I really wanted a snowy photo shoot! Last February we had the best snowfall we've had in years! Photo credit goes to Niall Mitchell.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I'm happy to answer any queries you may have about yarn choice and suitability for example.

A big thank you to everyone who has dived in already and bought the pattern. I truly appreciate you supporting my small business.

The discount code is FEB22 for 15% off the pattern on Ravelry. If you can't access Ravelry, have a look at the pattern on LoveCrafts and send me a message because I can arrange your discount through email & PayPal.

Offer ends 23:59 on 28th February GMT.

I'll be back soon with more crochet news. Until then happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Wednesday 16 February 2022

Crochet pattern release - Air Balloon Beanie


Hello! Popping up with an extra blog post this week with news of my Air Balloon Beanie pattern release! This is my 8th crocheted hat design and I am super pleased with the way it turned out!

Let's dive in with all the details ...

  • It's an intermediate level hat pattern designed to be crocheted in 2 colours.
  • 4 sizes are available; child, teen, adult M, adult L.
  • The pattern is very easy to adapt to suit any size of head.
  • It's written in UK and US terms.
  • The pattern gives instructions for 2 colours but you could be as creative as you like with the number of colours!
  • I used Rico Essentials Merino DK for this design. 2 balls are enough for each size.
  • It's available on both Ravelry and LoveCrafts.
  • There are charts and video tutorials to guide you.
  • This project has that "one more row" quality I know so many of you love!



I'm offering an early bird discount on this pattern for the next 48 hours only - an amazing 30% off! Simply add the code AIRBB at the checkout on Ravelry and your discount will be applied. As always, please get in touch if you can't access Ravelry and we can make other arrangements.

Hurry, offer ends 8am, Saturday 19th February GMT.


As you can probably tell by the pictures, the day of the photo shoot was absolutely freezing! I had to keep putting my hood up to block the strong gusts of wind. My eldest son, Niall, took the model shoot photos and I'm really chuffed with the way he has captured my design.


I'll be back tomorrow with more information on my pattern of the month, until then, happy crocheting,

Marta xx









 

Thursday 10 February 2022

February's crochet pattern of the month

 


Hello! Sorry if you missed my weekly blog post last week, I had Covid so I was taking it easy. Hubby had it too, despite us both being fully vaccinated. At the moment only our youngest is home and he seems to have escaped the virus, phew! I had a bit of a cough & sore throat, violent sneezes that pulled stomach muscles and generally just felt tired & achy. I tell you, I'm glad I had been vaccinated, it could have been a lot worse!

Anyway, the silver lining was the extra hours for crochet and knitting! It's times like these that I'm so grateful to have such creative and relaxing hobbies - I don't know what I'd do without them! The main project I've been working on is Dutch Houses Throw (below), a mosaic crochet pattern by Esme Crick. I'm using Scachenayr Merino Extrafine 120 and I love how this pattern is working up! 



Like I said, the over riding symptom I had with Covid was tiredness. I really had no energy for over a week, which I'm sure any of you who have had the virus can relate to. So, as well as lots of crochet time I have had time to think about my business and the direction I want it to grow in. I recently had a 1:1 business strategy session with Jenny from Female Entrepeneur School which was amazing! Jenny tells it as it is and praised me for what I was doing well, pointed out a few areas that need improving (and how to take action to sort them) and gave me some inspiration to take away and think about for the future. 

2022 is going to be a big growth year for my crochet business so stick around for what's coming next!

I shared the sock tip at the top of the page on Instagram this week and I thought you might find it useful too. I almost always make socks for big feet (size UK9 - 14 in this household!) so I find this tip really helpful, especially on a toe up sock - I can stop the leg when the yarn seems to be running out. Try it and let
me know how you get on!




February's crochet pattern of the month is my Bandwagon Mitts! The good news is that I've given the pattern a once over to bring it up to date and in line with my more recent patterns AND added US terms! Use the code FEB22 for 15% off the pattern on Ravelry! If you can't access Ravelry, have a look at the pattern on LoveCrafts and drop me a comment or a DM over on Instagram and I'll arrange the discount via email and PayPal.

Sign up to my mailing list to keep up to date with all my news, receive free patterns and for the biggest discounts! https://mailchi.mp/920715760d7a/striation

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx


The Art of Yarn Substitution: Four tips to find your perfect yarn match!

  Hello! Have you ever fallen in love with a crochet or knitting pattern, only to discover the specified yarn is unavailable, discontinued, ...