My Latest Garment Design For Moorit, Issue 6!

photo courtesy of Amelia Claudia Photography

My Latest Garment Design For Moorit, Issue 6!

I gave you a sneak peek at something which I had to keep secret for AGES in my last email - my latest garment design for Moorit, issue 6! Gosh, it really was hard to keep that one quiet because I was so excited to have a piece accepted by such a prestigious crochet magazine!

 
For those of you who haven't come across Moorit before, it's a fantastic magazine which aims to elevate the status of crochet. Here's a snippet from the Moorit website which explains its values:
 
"Moorit is an independent crochet magazine based in Scotland and run by Alyson Chu. Launched in 2021, it was imagined as an antidote to the dearth of print publications made especially for crocheters. Focussing on wearable, modern garments and accessories made in natural fibres, Moorit is a high-end craft magazine with true indie spirit."
 
I've been buying the magazine since the very first issue came out and it is such a beautiful thing to behold each time a new issue is released, they just keep getting better!

 

photo courtesy of Amelia Claudia Photography

Today I can tell you a little more about my new design and share further photos, which I'm sure you'd like to see. The theme for issue 6 is balance and as soon as I found this out I was buzzing with ideas for a two colour garment! I was in the middle of a garment grading course with the super-knowledgeable Lynne Rowe, so the timing was perfect, I could put my newly learnt skills to use!
 
If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that my favourite yarn thickness to work with is 4ply (fingering weight), and I wanted to use this thickness to create a lightweight drape to my design. I decided to form the jumper of two sections: an upper section, crocheted in horizontal rows and a lower section crocheted in vertical rows. Two different textures which would counterbalance each other, which gave my sweater the name Counterbalance.
 
Alyson at Moorit chose a very similar yarn to the yarn I had suggested in my proposal, but I was very happy with the swap, it was Eden Cottage Yarns Milburn 4ply (85% British Bluefaced Leicester, 15% Mulberry Silk). I had used it before and I can tell you, this stuff is a dream to work with!! The colours I used were Crocosmia and Dusk - two colours which definitely balanced each other.
 
I began by crocheting all the lower panels, and if you go on to crochet this sweater, that's the way I'd suggest you go about it too. The upper panels came next before the seaming and finally the back loop only ribbing around the neckline. 
 
Moorit 6 is currently at the pre-order stage and you can check out the options (digital/ print or even a subscription) here. You can also view the other designs in the issue - there are some beauties - I can't wait until my copy lands on the doorstep!

That's all for now, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

 

New Pattern Published In The Journal Of Scottish Yarns!

Hello! I'm really pleased to be able to share one of the secret projects I was working on in June this year - I have a new pattern published in The Journal Of Scottish Yarns!

It's called the Sunset Song Top and it's a vest style sweater which can either be worn alone or used as a layering piece. I took my inspiration from the many beautiful sunsets I watch from my window as I crochet and from the novel Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon.

I'm especially happy with the styling on this one and the way the garment suits both men & women and both young & old; it's very adapdable depending on the look you're going for!

I chose a lightweight yarn from J. C. Rennie, their Supersoft 4ply which is 100% wool, in 3 colours to create the look. The garment is crocheted from the bottom up in 2 pieces which are worked flat and then seamed together using mattress stitch. Instructions have been carefully graded for 9 sizes - a big thank you to the tech editor Samira Hill for her help with this.

In the photo above you can see the beginnings of my design journey. When I started the ribbing worked out exactly as planned and then I swatched to see if the stitch idea I had would work well in the J. C. Rennie yarn - looking particularly at the drape and stretch. I was pleased with this so went ahead with stitch and row calculations for the body of the top.

 
All in all, I'm chuffed with how this design worked out. There's opportunity to go as wild as you like with the colours or to go super simple and crochet it all in one colour! Like I said last week - the choice is yours! 
 
You can buy The Journal of Scottish Yarns, issue 4 on their website and in many local yarn shops in Scotland and beyond.

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

PS. Be sure to tag me on social media if you make a Sunset Song Top!

My crocheted sock pattern in Cosy Life Boxes!!

 Photo credit: Cosy Life Boxes

Hello! This week I'm feeling extremely happy because a collaboration I've been working on since last November has finally come together and I can share it with the world!

The latest box from Cosy Life Boxes features one of my crocheted sock patterns!! 

I can't tell you how giddy I felt with excitement when I read the message from Amanda from Cosy Life Boxes, inviting me to design for her! I think I may have caused my husband permanent ear damage with the amount of squealing I did!

For this box, Amanda chose Juniper Moon Farm Herriot Extra Fine (3ply weight, 75% baby alpaca/ 25% nylon) in two of their natural colourways; Wolf and Travertine. She also invited knitting designer Helen Birch to write a pattern for knitted socks, giving people the choice of crochet or knitting.

When I received the yarn it spoke to me immediately and I could envision the finished sock - I love it when this happens! I quickly set to work and the pattern did come together smoothly, just as I hoped it would.

Then there was the waiting. It's always so hard to keep things like this quiet - although I did mention it in passing as "an excinting project I can't talk about just now"!

As you can tell from the photo above, it's a toe-up design, worked in the round with a heavily textured upper foot. There are gusset increases before the heel turn and heel flap are created, allowing for plenty room across the instep.

I loved creating these socks, my 10th crocheted sock pattern, and I hope you enjoy them too!

To order your own kit, with all the expertly curated extra goodies, click here.

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Are you lefty crocheter?

Hello! I'm looking for some feedback today - specifically from left handed crocheters! Before you scroll on ... if you're not a left handed yourself, perhaps you know someone who is that you could share this with? 

The need to answer this question has popped up because I saw a post celebrating International Left Handed Day by one of my followers on Instagram last week and it got me thinking; what can I do as a designer to make life easier for left handed crocheters?

I've created a simple Google form with a few questions which shouldn't take more than 3 minutes to complete. If you are left handed and you'd like to help me with this research, please take the time to fill it out.Your answers should help me improve my patterns for you!

Thank you in advance for your help with this. Happy crocheting,

Marta xx

PS. If you're not signed up already, please sign up to my mailing list to be kept in the loop about all my crochet news and receive the biggest discount codes for my website!

Teenie, Tiny Bunting crochet pattern release!

 

Hello! I have a lovely crochet pattern for you to work up and add to your Spring decorations! If you've been following me for a while, you may remember my Teenie, Tiny Bunting from this time last year when it was my free pattern - maybe you got it as a 'thank you' for being on my mailing list? Anyway, since then it's been sitting in my "no longer published" folder until I dug it out the other day, gave it a bit of a dust down, added a sprinkling of Spring freshness and it's now been uploaded to LoveCrafts and Ravelry! So if you missed it last year, here's your chance to get your hands on the pattern. 

My Teenie, Tiny Bunting is perfect for hanging on an Easter tree, across a vase of flowers or draped over a photo frame to add a pop of colour to your home! This is a super simple crochet design that’s also quick to make up, crocheted using embroidery thread and a 2.5mm hook. It's a beginner level pattern, written in both UK & US terms with charts and a video tutorial demonstrating the invisible join.

I love that It's a great way to use up scraps of embroidery thread you may have, you know how much I love to stash bust! 

Sign up to my mailing list to be forst to know of all my releases and to receive the biggest discounts here.

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Would you believe that I was banished from knitting group in Primary School?

Yep, I was banished from the knitting group because I was so bad and was sent to go and make peg rocking chairs with the boys! I was 11 and every Friday afternoon the class was split in half with the girls doing knitting and the boys making things with wooden clothes pegs. I seemed to be constantly at the teacher's desk needing help, I really struggled - dropping stitches, knitting too tightly, adding stitches! One afternoon my teacher had had enough and I was banished to the boys' corner to make a rocking chair out of clothes pegs! Naturally I found this humiliating but I'm glad it didn't put me off forever.

Fast forward 20 years and I took up crochet followed by knitting and I realised that instead of creating a tangled mess I could actually make something beautiful with yarn. I started making scarves & hats and soon delved into the world of amigurumi. By this time I had a degree in Fine Art (specialising in Sculpture) and found that the sculptural aspect of crochet was something I enjoyed playing around with. 

I'm sharing this story with you today following a poll I ran on my Instagram Stories this week. My question was "Have you crocheted socks before?" and I was astonished at the result that 65% of people replied with "no". I then published a post on Instagram asking for feedback in the comments or via direct message, asking what put people off and what would help convince them to try. Answers to this varied - some were unable to find a good pattern, some felt a video tutorial would really help, some people thought that crochet would be too gappy for socks, some were worried about starting but not being able to get answers from the pattern designer if things didn't work out, others simply couldn't get their heads round the heel. 

Next week my Synthesizer Sock pattern will be released and I'm confident that this pattern will address all these hang ups ...

• The pattern has been tested in all its sizes by a team of 6 testers, reassuring you that most of the little errors and niggles have been ironed out. If any further errors do pop up (I'm only human) you will be sent an updated pdf.
• I've spent a lot of time over the last week putting together videos for each stage of the pattern - a total of over 30 minutes worth of video - I think I have everything covered.
• The extended double crochet stitches of the sole fit snuggly together creating a really good stretch but also a flatter finish under foot.
• I'm here and committed to answering any questions you may have about my pattern. You can reply to any of my emails or you can drop me a message on Instagram, I'm more than happy to help!
• And that heel? My advice would be to make sure you are relaxed, free from distractions and take each line at time. Try not to overthink or second guess what's coming up, focus on the row you are on.

I would love to see more people crocheting socks! I'm sure that once you try a pattern you will be hooked and want to try another one, especially with all that pretty sock yarn out there!

If you can't wait till then to give socks a go, check out my previously published sock patterns. Ravelry here and Lovecrafts here. 

Marta xx

Book Review - Crocheted Succulents by Emma Varnam

Hello! This week I have a gem of a crochet book to review for you - Crocheted Succulents, Cacti & Other Succulent Plants to Make by Emma Varnam. I was super fortunate to win this book in an Inside Crochet magazine giveaway, especially as it was already on my must read list! The book arrived signed too which makes it super special.

Flicking through I saw so many inspiring photos of different cacti and succulents to crochet, I knew it was going to be tough to choose which one to start with. There are a few that require specific types of yarn, such as fluffy eyelash yarn for the Old Lady Cactus, but most of the designs call for regular DK weight yarn in cotton or acrylic.

I like the way that each succulent or cactus is introduced with a short paragraph about where in the world they're from and their characteristics as a plant - every day is a school day! I chose the Saguaro for my first project, simply because I needed to stash dive on this occasion and I had some DMC natura that was a good green, together with a tiny oddment of Paintbox Yarns cotton which would work for the soil. I didn't have any florist's wire to keep the "arms" in shape, but paper clips worked just fine! 

I'm happy to report that the design worked up beautifully and I had no issues with the pattern (I should add at this point that this is not a sponsored post, all views are my own). The instructions are clear to follow and set out with plenty of colour photos. If you're new to crochet, there is an excellent getting started and a crochet techniques section at the back of the book. There's also a section devoted to displaying your plants and how to crochet plant pot cosies. So, I would thoroughly recommend this book - there's something in it for every level of crochet ability and enough patterns to keep you busy for a long time!

Here's a final photo of my finished Saguaro hiding amongst my other houseplants, just for fun! I hope you found this book review enjoyable and useful. Have you got a favourite crochet book you think I should take a look at? Is there a book you'd like me to review? Let me know in the comments or send me a direct message on Instagram @marta.mitchell.designs

Happy crocheting,

Marta xx

June round up - what have I been up to?

Hello everyone! I hope you are all well? It's been a while since my last post because I've been having issues with my laptop (technology, urgh!). Today I'd like to get back into it by sharing with you some of the things I've been up to this month. Let's dive in ...

At the start of the month my Sunshine Patch crochet competition came to a close and I am pleased to announce the winner was Jane Reid (@created.uniquely on Instagram). I was amazed by the variations and was blown away by some of the creativity on show! The collage above shows some of the entries and you can see Jane's winning coin purse in the bottom left. 

One project that I have returned to this month is my hexipuff blanket. This is a knitted blanket designed by Tiny Owl Knits which features hundreds of 3D knitted hexagons. It's been in hibernation since the end of 2020. Basically, I pull out, work like mad on it, get fed up with it and throw it back in a corner - this has been going on for nearly 2 years, it's definitely a slow craft! However, I can say that, as of this morning, I have kept up with one hexie a day for the whole of June! Whoop!

Another long term blanket I've been working on is my crocheted scrappy blanket. For this one I'm using all sorts of leftover odds and ends of sock weight yarn to create a wavy, bobbly blanket. It's progressing well, I add a few rows most days and I'm enjoying the way the colours are forming. My followers on Instagram are going mad for it too - it's one of my most popular projects! Many of you have asked if I'm publishing the pattern and due to its popularity the answer is a resounding YES! I just need time to finish it and then get lots of pretty photos ...

At the end of May I started a new crochet design for a pair of socks and I'm really pleased to have finished the design, written up the pattern and sent it off to testers! It's my 4th sock pattern and it was a real joy to work on, things went very smoothly. I used Rusty Ferret sock yarn for the design in a bright pink colourway called Concoction 52. The colourway is semi-solid creating lovely little hints of subtle colour change which I love! I'm half-way through crocheting my second pair, testing out the smallest size (it will be available in 4 adult sizes). I plan to release the pattern in July so, if you haven't already, please subscribe to my email list to be kept in the loop on this one. You can subscribe here.

And finally, I finished this cute little donkey! I absolutely love making amigurumi and I'm particularly fond of the designs by Pica Pau Yan. I've so far made about half a dozen of them and they never fail to disappoint me. I really appreciate the attention to detail in the designs and the fact that the animals all have clothing or accessories - it gives them so much character.

Well, looking back like this I can see it's been a busy month (there were a few things I didn't share in this post too) and I'm looking forward to seeing what the month of July brings! What about you? Did you have a productive month? Why not leave me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you,

Marta xx

Playing about with adding Liberty fabric to crochet

Hello! This week I've been playing about with adding pretty Liberty fabric to one of my crochet projects and I've been having a lot of fun with it! I love the way that fabric totally changes the way a crocheted item looks and how the different texture & surface pattern brings the whole thing to life.

The project I've been working on is an amigurumi wolf pattern. She is called Iris and she is the follow up to Agnes the bunny pattern that I created in 2017. The Agnes pattern includes a photo of the bunny wearing a Liberty Tana Lawn dress with the caption "Feeling creative? Why not make your bunny a dress!" - I certainly wasn't feeling creative or experienced enough at the time to write up the instructions for the dress I had cobbled together!

Fast forward 4 years and I decided to create another amigurumi pattern in a similar style to Agnes. I decided on a wolf because I knew the proportions would work out similarly and because wolves have large enough ears to embelish with fabric. Don't worry, she's definitely a friendly wolf!

I used Agnes the bunny as a template for the main body parts which gave me the opportunity to refresh her pattern at the same time (as I've mentioned here before, my pattern writing style has changed in the last few years and it's much more consistent now). Obviously the ears, snout and tail are very different and I had fun designing those elements. I used the same yarn as I had for the bunny, but a different colourway - Juniper Moon Farm extra fine baby alpaca in Travertine. Agnes is free to download from Lovecrafts here and from Ravelry here (please note that Ravelry may cause issues for people with visual disturbances, proceed with caution).

For Iris' ears I used Liberty Tana Lawn in Ffion because I had a little scrap left over from an english paper piecing project which was the right size. When it came to the dress I couldn't choose between Betsy (the grey pattern) and Poppy and Daisy (the brighter red, yellow & blue pattern) so I popped a poll in my Instagram stories to see what my follwers liked best. The vote was a near 50/ 50 split so I decided to make 2 dresses, one in each fabric! Which one do you prefer? Let me know in the comments.

I used my sewing machine to make the prototype dress in Poppy and Daisy and besides a few minor adjustments I was happy with how it went. For the Betsy dress I wanted to make it entirely by hand, firstly to check it was possible and secondly because it's easier to stop and start for taking photos. The dress pattern will be accompanied with step-by-step photos because I want it to be as clear as possible to follow.

The good news is that the dress pattern will fit Agnes the bunny and Iris the wolf which I am really chuffed about! At the moment the entire pattern is with my testing team and when I have their feedback and once I've done the official photo shoot the pattern will be ready to release - hopefully in the next couple of weeks. 

Until next time,

Marta xx

Bee Happy - child's scarf crochet pattern published!

Hello, I'm on a roll with the crochet pattern releases this year with yet another pattern published this week! The latest pattern is my Bee Happy child's scarf - a practical, cosy accessory with a fun twist - there's a honeycomb shaped pocket with room for a little amigurumi bee! 

This scarf is designed for a young child, 3-8 years of age. It's inspired by my 4 year old niece who does not like layering up to go out in the cold and I thought the little bee would make putting on a scarf more fun. The bee can go along for all her adventures!

To make the scarf you will need just 3x 100g balls of Paintbox Yarns wool mix aran (50% wool/ 50% acrylic); 1x pure black, 1x champagne white, 1x daffodil yellow. You will also need 2x 6mm safety eyes and a small amount of toy stuffing. The pattern is rated intermediate; the scarf is worked in linked half trebles and the bee is crocheted in the amigurumi style.

The pattern is available from Lovecrafts here. This listing has direct links to the correct colours of yarn sold on Lovecrafts, so only 1 payment required. It's also available to download from Ravelry here.

I designed the pattern at the end of last year and quickly had it tested ready for release in the new year. However, I was holding off for a photo shoot with my niece to show it off at its best. With the current Covid restrictions I can't see her and her family at the moment so decided to go ahead and publish without model photos. I can always rerelease once we do get together later in the year! I hope you like the current photos, I tried to aim for a playful look.

I'm chuffed that I am keeping up with blogging this year too, next post shouldn't be too long,

Marta xx

Recent crochet pattern releases

Hello everyone, I'm excited to announce the release of 2 crochet patterns; my Bandwagon Mitts and my Elsie Beanie. The photo shoots for both patterns were done on the same day and they do go well together.

Last week I published the Bandwagon Mitts design and I'm pleased with the response so far. They are the perfect pair of mitts to wear on a winter's walk - indeed, I wore them to go sledging on several occassions! 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 the Bandagon Mitts pattern on Ravelry here and on Lovecrafts here. The pattern is available in 6 sizes ranging from child to adult XL and requires between 50g of DK weight yarn for the smallest, to 150g of DK weight yarn for the largest. On Ravelry one of the download options is for a full photo tutorial accompanying the pattern, ideal if you are fairly new to crochet.

Here I am wearing the Bandwagon Mitts and the Elsie Beanie throwing a snowball at my eldest, Niall, who was my photographer for the afternoon!

Yesterday I published my Elsie Beanie pattern. This pattern was originally a collaboration with Crate Crochet Subscription Box in Australia, and the pattern was exclusive to subscribers. I wrote the pattern for DK weight for the box but since then added a 4ply weight version too. Again, it's an intermediate rated design. If you purchase the pattern your pdf will include both versions - you can find it on Ravelry here and on Lovecrafts here and if you're quick you can catch it at the early bird price of £2.50.

The Elsie Beanie is crocheted sideways and has a lovely drape to it created by modified linked trebles. If you haven't tried linked crochet stitches before this small project is perfect for you to give them a try. The pattern is a simple 4 row repeat which will soon become very rhythmic and mindful. There is an accompanying YouTube video which will help to keep you right here (note to self - film in landsacpe next time!). These last 2 photos were taken by Niall back in May 2020 and show the DK version of the hat.

I hope you like these new patterns, please do share your photos online if you follow one (or both!) I do love to see them.

Catch you soon,

Marta xx

Happy Scrappy Blanket Instructions

Hello everyone! I'm starting this year's blogging off with the FREE instructions to crochet your very own happy scrappy blanket! Does that sound good? This is a blanket I began making last summer, working just a few rows at a time as the mood took me and allowing it to gradually grow as scraps of sock yarn became available from knitted or crocheted sock and shawl projects. I'm using the term "instructions" rather than "pattern" because I'm simply going to give basic information for you to use and make this project your own.

So, what do you need? Lots and lots of scraps and odd balls of sock weight yarn. If, like me, you are addicted to knitting or crocheting socks and shawls you will know how quickly these leftovers mount up and it seems a shame to leave them and not turn them into something beautiful. Of course, this blanket would work in thicker or thinner yarn too - simply adjust the number of chains at the start. If you don't have a stash of scrap yarn you could always skip the collecting stage and buy sock minis, many indie yarn dyers sell these (I caved and treated myself to 1 or 2 pretty skeins such as this one below from Lichen and Lace which I bought from Loop London).

UK terms and standard UK abbreviations.

Using the appropriate hook for the thickness of your yarn, begin by chaining a load of chains to the length you would like the width of your blanket to be. Chain a multiple of 6 + 4 (I chained 184, my finished blanket is 90cm across excluding border). 

Turn, 2tr in 4th ch from hook, (miss 2ch, 1dc in next ch, miss 2ch, 5tr in next ch) across to last 6ch, miss 2ch, 1dc in next ch, miss 2ch, 3tr in last ch. Cut yarn.

Row 1. RS facing, join new yarn in top of ch3 at beginning of last row (ch1, 1dc in same sp), miss 2tr, (5tr in next dc, miss 2tr, 1dc in next tr, miss 2tr) across row to last 3tr, miss 2tr, 1dc in last tr. Cut yarn.

Row 2. RS facing, join new yarn in 1st dc of Row 1 (ch3, 2tr in same sp), (miss 2tr, 1dc in next tr, miss 2tr, 5tr in next dc) across to last 6st, miss 2tr, 1dc in next tr, miss 2tr, 3tr in last dc. Cut yarn.

Rows 1 and 2 form the pattern, just keep going until your blanket is half the length you would like it to be. Next, with RS still facing, you are going to work into your chain stitches and begin crocheting out in the opposite direction. You can begin this stage at any time, I liked to work on both ends simultaneously.

RS facing, join yarn in 1st ch (ch3, 2tr) in same sp, (miss 2ch, 1dc in next ch, miss 2ch, 5tr in next ch) across to last 6ch, miss 2ch, 1dc in next ch, miss 2ch, 3tr in last ch. Cut yarn.

Continue as before, repeating Rows 1 and 2 until you have the same number of rows each side of your foundation chain (or perhaps do 1/3 in one direction, 2/3 in the other - the possibilities are endless here, I'm simply giving you a starting point). For reference, I worked 68 rows (57cm) in each direction.

Once you have crocheted the blanket to the size you're happy with, it's time to an add the side borders - these edgings really bring the blanket to life!

RS facing, beginning in either top left corner, join yarn into the side of the last tr created (ch1, 2dc) in side of tr, (ch1, 1dc in side of next dc, ch1, 1dc in side of next tr) across to end. Cut yarn.

Row 1, RS facing, join new yarn in 1st dc, (miss 1dc, ch1, 1dc in chsp) across to last dc, 1dc in last dc. Cut yarn.

Row 2. RS facing, join new yarn in 1st dc of Row 1, (1dc in chsp, miss 1dc, ch1) across to lastdc, 1dc in last dc. Cut yarn.

Work Rows 1 and 2 until you are happy with the width (I did 13 rows on each side).

To finish off the blanket I went right around the whole blanket in crab stitch (also known as reverse double crochet) to give a slightly weighted corded edging. You could simply go round with dc stitches if you wanted - or any other variation. I would love to see how you interpret these basic instructions and make them your very own. You can email your photos to martasecocrafts@gmail.com or share them on Instagram, tagging me @marta.mitchell.designs and using the #marta.mitchell.designs hashtag - please help share the love! Also, if you enjoy this pattern you can find lots more of my patterns on Ravelry and Lovecrafts.

Until next time (I'll try not to leave it too long this time!),

Marta xx

crocheted doll CAL

Hi everyone! I have decided to launch my very first CAL (crochet-a-long) starting next Wednesday 8th July! You can follow ANY crocheted doll pattern, it doesn't have to be my pattern - however, if you do follow mine it will give you double the chances of winning a prize!

Coral, Gabriella & Leo

Last week I published the crochet pattern for these dolls (known as Coral, Gabriella & Leo) on Ravelry, you can find the pattern here at the early bird price of just £3.50! I will keep it at this intoductory price until the start of the CAL. You may remember seeing Coral and Leo back in January of this year, they were part of my Fun-a-Day Dundee project. When I was preparing the pattern for release I decided they needed a friend and crocheted them Gabriella. I think the trio make a lovely set, don't you?

close up of Gabriella

If you are working on a crocheted doll just now (or maybe have one lurking in a cupboard somewhere?) feel free to dig it out and use it for the CAL, WIPs are definitely welcome!

close up of Leo's shoes

The time frame for the CAL will be 3 weeks, ending at midnight on Tuesday 28th July (BST). This should allow plenty of time to crochet a doll and make some lovely clothes for them to wear. If you have time left you could crochet another season's wardrobe, or a bag, or a toy for them, or ... the possibilies for creativity are endless!

Coral has the amazing hair!

At the end of the CAL I will look through all the photos on Instagram under the hashtag #crocheteddollCAL and choose the winners! There will be an overall First Prize for my favourite crocheted doll - the winner will receive the pattern for Coral, Gabriella & Leo (or reimbursement) AND all the yarn to make their own doll! There will be lots of runners up - every photo posted will enter you into the daw - and these prizes will be pdf copies of my doll pattern (or reimbursement). Like I said at the start, if you follow my pattern each photo you post will count as 2 entries.

me and my crocheted dolls
all photos in this blog post by Niall Mitchell

If you have any questions please leave them in the comments or get in touch directly via Instagram. I can't wait to see all your creations,

Marta xx

Drawing out crochet charts

if at first you don't succeed ...

Hello! A short blog post because there are not so many colourful crochet photos to share this week, it's been all about drawing out crochet charts instead!

my set up

The above photo is from my Instagram stories, it shows my usual drawing set up: sketch pad, pencil, laptop and a mug of rooibos tea (with soya milk). I have just finished drawing out the chart for my Fields of Wheat beanie, and it's been one of the trickiest charts I have ever drawn! I had to think long and hard about exactly how to depict the intricate 3D form of the beanie as a 2D chart. However, it was well worth persevering with and I am pleased with the finished result. The photo at the top of this post shows the finished chart in the top left corner and I love how pretty it turned out, it's like a big flower!

example of a finished chart

This chart, for a yet-to-be-named project has a fascinating geometric pattern going on too! It's only now that I am into crochet pattern writing that I wished I was better at Maths - it's all so mathematical - it must be good exercise for my brain, so that's a bonus I suppose!

Daffodil Shawl chart in progress

I like to daw the charts out in pencil and then carefully go over them in fine coloured pen, usually 2 colours to clearly define the different rows or rounds. I then either scan them or take a high resolution photo before adding them to the pattern pdf. Most of my recent patterns have charts and I am going back and adding them to earlier patterns because I know they can be a real help to people. Personally I prefer following a written pattern but if a chart is included too I will refer to it, especially in the early stages, it helps to visualise what the pattern writer expects. What about you, do you like to follow charts? What do you like about crochet charts? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time,

Marta xx