Merry Christmas (and some quiet days crochet inspo for you)

Hello! I wanted to take the time to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and to offer some crochet inspiration for the quiet days between Christmas and New Year!

This past week has been a mix of getting ready for Christmas (some cleaning & tidying, present wrapping, cheesy music playing, menu planning, list writing, carol services, crocheted presents finished, testing the mince pies are good enough to be handed round, bedrooms prepared for guests, last minute gift buying) and finishing things off for my business so I can enjoy a good break (emails like this to write, pattern finalising, with my tech editor, working on that new design I can't talk about yet, podcast recording, planning ahead for 2023).

What about you? Are you organised for Christmas and the festive break?

Maybe you're looking forward to putting your feet up at the end of the big day and realxing with some chocolate and a new project. If so, I've put together my top 3 best selling patterns of 2022 to inspire you!

 

No.3 Scrappy Blanket III

This pattern only came out in September this year and has already shot to the number 3 position!

• super easy to remember repeat pattern

• great stash buster, can be worked in any yarn weight and has instructions for 5 sizes

• beginner level pattern

Baby it's cold outside!

Brrrrr, it's cold out there! We're experiencing a real cold spell at the moment, with temperatures just below freezing for nearly a week now.

On the plus side, it has been dry and sunny so I've been out for lots of beautiful winter walks with my dog Jazz. She is perfectly happy to sniff around while I fill my camera roll with icy puddle photos - future inspiration for a crochet design, perhaps?

The bonus of getting outside every day is the way walking gets my blood pumping and warms me up. I always feel so much warmer afterwards and I know the sunshine must boost my mood too, win-win!

The other good thing about going out in winter is the chance to show off all my crocheted accessories! I now have such a big selection of hats, scarves, cowls and mitts to choose from I love it!

If you're looking for something to crochet up for yourself or perhaps as a gift, there are lots of patterns to choose from as pdf downloads on my webiste. I'm going to share 3 of the most popular ones below, but there are more to choose from if you click through to my website.

Bandwaggon Mitts

 

The perfect pair of mitts to wear on a winter's walk! I patiently waited for snow back in February 2021 for this photo and I can confirm they did keep my hands cosy that day!

 

• Written for DK weight yarn
• Available in 5 sizes (child - adult, large
• Intermediate level pattern

Pattern release in The Journal of Scottish Yarns

 

Hello! I've some exciting news to share today! Another of my patterns has been published in print, this time in The Journal of Scottish Yarns (affectionately known as Yarn for short).

Susan Anderson, the editor, reached out to me back in May and we had a video call about possible designs for issue 2. I left the conversation fuelled up with ideas and inspiration, Susan has such a lovely personality and is full of energy. Both our dogs made an appearance on screen too, cute!

Once my head stopped whirring with possibilities, I settled on creating a robust pair of scocks for wearing in the house. The yarn used is from New Lanark Spinning Co. and it aran weight, 100% pure new wool - perfect for the look I was going for!

It's a toe up sock with a fully turned heel and gusset, finished with a rounded toe. 

The journal contains several in-depth articles on the history and tradition of wool in Scotland, lots of knitting patterns and a few crochet patterns.

 

My Dunkeld Slipper Socks pattern is currently exclusive to Yarn and I'm going to wait until next early autumn to release the pattern myself. 

 

If you'd like the pattern before then, go to Yarn's website where you can find physical and digital copies of issues 1 & 2 as well as kits to make many of the patterns.

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Not socks for Christmas again!

 

Yes! But what if the socks were lovingly crocheted, cosy and comfy?

I'm receiving more and more positive feedback on the fit and comfort of the socks you have crocheted following one of my patterns. I'm really pleased because I'm always trying to improve on my last design to create an even better pair of socks!

I currently have 9 sock patterns out there and number 10 is on it's way! Why not have a look and see if there's a pattern there that would make someone special very happy on Christmas morning?

• There are 5 patterns to choose from on my website (you'll find Lyre Socks in my Winter Coorie Collection)
• I have 2 designs which are currently exclusive (Spring Into Autumn Socks with Crate Crochet subscription box and Dunkeld Slipper Socks in The Journal of Scottish Yarns, issue 2)
• Two of my patterns are only available on Ravelry & LoveCrafts (simply because I'd like model photos before I list them on my website)

The good news (for this time of year) is that socks work up fast and they're a very portable project that you can add a few rounds to here and there when you have a moment.

My patterns all come with video tutorial links, giving you the confidence to go create that perfect pair of socks!

I hope this post has been inspirational for you. Sign up to my mailing list to receive a weekly dose of crochet news, tips and advice here. 

Until next time,

Marta xx

Pattern of the month for December!

 

Hello! I'm here to introduce the December pattern of the month - Printer Ink Scarf - chosen because it's perfect for Advent mini skeins!

 

The scarf was written for 12x 10g mini skeins of 4ply, but it would work equally well for DK weight yarn - you'd simply end up with a thicker, wider scarf (longer too, but you could crochet less rows).

 

This is one of my favourite designs and I actually sold the prototype at the craft fayre last Saturday. I was quite sad to see it go, but it's gone to a lady at my church so I'll see it from time to time.

Here are ALL the pattern details ... I used Printer Ink Shades from The Knitting Goddess (fingering/ 4ply weight, 480m/ 120g, 40% British Blue Faced Leicester/ 20% British Wensleydale/ 20% British Alpaca/ 20% nylon) but it would work well in any colours. it's an intermediate level pattern, written in UK & US terms. when you reach the border the colours are worked until they run out, making the most of your pretty yarn. the finished scarf is 15cm x 200cm the pattern includes a few ideas for taking the design further by adding your own twist. 4mm hook required. there's a chart for the main scarf pattern. I'm here to help if you ever have any questions, no matter how big or small.

As usual, there's 10% off my pattern of the month - to take advantage of this offer, use the code DEC22 at the checkout on my website. If you'd like a bigger discount than anywhere else on the internet, simply sign up to my mailing list, there's 20% off waiting for you there! Until next time, happy crocheting, Marta xx

My Christmas hashtag is back!

Hello! I'm really pleased to let you know I'm bringing back my Christmas hashtag this December! Last year I started #christmasmugsandwips - asking people to take photos of their current WiPs (works in progress) alongside their drink in a Christmas mug and it went down so well!

So, this year, same thing! All sorts of crafts are welcome to join in, it's not restricted to crochet and I will be sharing my favourites to my stories on Instagram. Start sharing your photos!

Here's one of my photos from last year ...

Yesterday I popped up to the attic for our box of Christmas mugs and it was so lovely to unwrap them and see them again ... which mug will I choose first?

If you're on Instagram, you can find me @marta.mitchell.designs and share your photos with #christmasmugsandwips

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

No Black Friday deals here!

Like Monica says, no. Just no.

I've been thinking long and hard about Black Friday over the last few weeks and about the pressure on small businesses to compete with the huge corporations out there.

The trouble is, we can't. Most of us have set our prices the way they are to allow us to make a living and if we create big discounts then we're eating right into our profits, possibly even making a loss.

That's why you won't see an enticing Black Friday offer from me today, but I hope you understand why.

I have TWO FUN THINGS INSTEAD FOR YOU!

Firstly, I'd like to draw your attention to my crochet pattern of the month for November - Mavis Mitts. I like to highlight one pattern each month, put it in the spotlight, give it some love and this month it's my lovely mitts design.

This pattern works up fairly quickly because it's mostly shell stitch - working into the same space is always faster. If you're running out of time on the Christmas gift front, this one will be ideal for you.

Did I mention there's an adorable little toddler size?

10% off with the code NOV22

Secondly, I'm having a GIVEAWAY! It's super easy to enter; simply pop over to my website and enter your email address into the competition box.
 
Everyone who enters will be in with the chance of winning their choice of 5 patterns from my website!

Head over to my website NOW and enter! Giveaway closes 7pm on Monday and the winner will be chosen by random number generator shortly after.

Good luck,

Marta xx