Organised October WiP-Along

 

Hello! Next month, over on Instagram, I'm co-hosting the Organised October WiP-Along and I'd love you to join us!

What's a WiP-Along? Well, firstly "WiP" stands for Work in Progress and is widely used on Instagram to refer to projects that are on the go. The "Along" refers to the community support of cheering each other on to finish these projects.

If you have a project (or 2, or 5, or 95!) on the go, then this challenge is for you! Dig out those WiPs and take a a look at what needs to be done to finish them. Do you need to order more yarn/fabric/paint etc? Do you need help choosing colours? Do you simply need to get your head down and work on it?

As an extra incentive, there are printables to go along with this too! Laura (goslingandplumb on Instagram) has created a monthly planner, a weekly planner and even a fun bingo sheet with rewards! They are FREE to download so if you're into pretty stationary you should definitely check them out!

my current WiP pile - a mix of crochet & knitting

There will be prompts to encourage you to share photos of your progress - Motivation Monday, Share Saturday etc. We would really like you to post photos of your progress firstly to give you something to look back on and secondly for others to leave you lovely comments, motivating you to continue.

As well as myself and Laura, the other hosts are Ruth (@laboursoflovecrochet), Hannah (@andintothetrees) and Nasreen (@sewcraftynaz). There will be to be tips from all the hosts on tackling your WiPs, covering topics such as setting achievable goals, not comparing yourself to others and challenging yourself.

This annual challenge started back in 2017 and it's not just yarny projects that are welcomed either - you could include sewing, reading, gardening, DIY, calligraphy ... anything creative really!

Are you going to join in? We'd love to see as many of you as possible finishing projects, getting creative, making new friends and cheering each other on, Look out for more details over on Instagram and next week there will be a blog post on Tuesday with some top tips for making the most of this challenge. If you'd like updates straight to your inbox please subscribe to my mailing list here.

If you have any questions, please hit reply to this email or drop me a DM over on Instagram (you know that's my fave hangout!)

Until next time,

Marta xx

getting back to it ...

Hello and a belated Happy New Year to you all. It's been a while since I posted on here, hasn't it? Well, I am here today to put that right! Firstly, I want to take a moment to introduce myself to those of you who don't know me, or have just started following me.

me, at the beach on a windy day!

I'm Marta and I enjoy writing crochet patterns. I have been designing for around 4 years and I feel confident that I have reached a level in my pattern writing skills to know that they are going to be easy for others to read and enjoyable for them to follow. All my patterns are tested by at least 3 crocheters and often I send them to be tech edited too. I particularly like using natural fibres in my designs because I enjoy the feel of wool, cotton, linen, bamboo etc on my hands. I do like to knit as well as crochet but crochet will always be my first love!

finished Advent Socks

Of course I follow other designers patterns and want to share a few projects with you which I completed at the end of last year. I challenged myself to knit a pair of socks following Natalie Sheldon's Advent Socks pattern. These were a real joy to knit, I absolutely loved watching each new stripe appear!

Beekeepers' Quilt, a work in progress

close up, aren't they cute?

The Beekeepers Quilt is a long term project that I began in April 2019 with the intention of knitting one hexagon a day for a year! At the moment I have exactly the same number of hexies a s days but I hit pause for 2 months (December - Christmas prep & January - Fun a Day) with the intention of starting again in February. The hexagons are knitted on double pointed needles using scrap 4ply yarn from my stash of leftovers from crocheting socks.

sketchbook work & my chosen yarns

My current WIP is an amigurumi doll that I am crocheting as part of the Fun a Day Dundee project. It's a doll that I am designing myself, crocheting a little everyday and writing up the pattern as I go. I began with some simple sketches and ideas of the direction I wanted to go in - quickly discovering that it should be a boy doll! I am finding real inspiration in following the hashtag #FADD2020 on Instagram and seeing what everyone else is doing every day - we can be a real encouragement to each other in what can sometimes be a long and bleak month.

beginning to look like a little person

So, let's hope this is the first blog post of many! I have certainly scheduled future posts in my diary and have a list of potential post titles. Is there anything specific you would like me to blog on? Share your ideas in the comments below!

Until next time,

Marta xx

Free Pattern Release: Heart Shaped Bunting

Hello! Today I am really pleased to be releasing my pattern for Heart Shaped Bunting - and the best thing for all you crochet fans out there? It's FREE!

Heart Shaped Bunting

I wrote this pattern in the summer of 2017 as an exclusive for Crate Crochet's subscription box. Crate Crochet are based in Australia and they deliver mystery boxes through your letterbox with a pattern and the yarn you need to make the item featured as well as a few other goodies - it's a wonderful idea! I have collaborated with Carmela at Crate Crochet on 3 occassions now and I have found it very rewarding, not only because of the coverage it gives me as a designer but due to the lovely, welcoming Facebook Group which she has formed. I love being involved in this project!

bunting hanging in the garden

So, after this period as an exclusive Crate Crochet design I can now release the pattern into the wild and have decided to make it a free pattern as a first Friday in September treat! Today my eldest son, Niall, helped me update my YouTube video with the tutorial for the back back loop stitch. We filmed this together back in October but the lighting was poor and Niall now has a better camera and microphone so I was keen to reshoot it. Today's video was fun to make - my parents' dog is in it, his head on the table in front of me, just out of focus! You can find it here.

My favourite platform for buying and selling patterns is Ravelry.com and this is where you can download the pattern for FREE: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heart-shaped-bunting

close up!

I hope you enjoy following thi pattern! If you do, please share your creations on social media, particularly Instagram where you can add the hashtag #mrsdaftspaniel for me to see and for the chance to be featured in my Insta gallery!

Marta xx

Guest Blog Post by Kathryn Vercillo

Hello! Today I am excited to bring you a post by my very first guest blogger, Kathryn Vercillo! If you are a crochet fan and an instagrammer you will probably know Kathryn through the amazing crochet community she has brought together on Instagram via her hashtag #crochetconcupiscence (currently sitting at 55,167 posts!). Kathryn frequently updates her blog too - if you are new to crochet, Kathryn has written an in-depth article covering everything you need to know here.

image @Kathryn Vercillo

I have asked Kathryn to write a post addressing the differences between UK and US crochet terms, something which can often get people in a bit of a muddle. I frequently receive emails from people following one of my patterns stating that they are following the instructions and it looks nothing like my photos. Usually when I ask them to send me a picture of their work I can instantly see that they are using the incorrect crochet terms (even though my patterns clearly state which to use). So, if this sounds familiar to you, read on ...

"One of the first things that you need to look at as you begin a crochet pattern is whether that pattern is written using UK crochet terms or US crochet terms. Although the words are the same, the crochet stitches are different in each of these languages, so if you crochet a project based on a wrong assumption about which terms are being used then chances are your gauge for the project will be way off. Luckily, once you know the differences between UK and US crochet terms, you’ll discover that it’s easy to adapt one pattern to the other if you need to.

Basic Differences Between UK and US Crochet Terms

The basic crochet stitches are named for their height, but those names differ between UK and US patterns. The shortest stitch (other than a chain or slip stitch) is called a “double crochet” in UK language but a “single crochet” in US language. From there, the stitches keep getting taller, so the next one up in the UK is a treble but in the US, it’s a double.

Notice, that means that there is a “double crochet” in both languages. However, the UK “double crochet” is a shorter stitch than the “US” double crochet. Let’s look at how to crochet each of these stitches to gain a better understanding:

UK Double Crochet

• Yarn over twice
• Insert hook into stitch
• Yarn over and pull through
• Yarn over and pull through two loops
• Yarn over and pull through two loops
• Yarn over and pull through two loops

US Double Crochet

• Yarn over
• Insert hook into stitch
• Yarn over and pull through
• Yarn over and pull through two loops
• Yarn over and pull through two loops

There is an extra “yarn over and pull through” in the UK version because there is an extra “yarn over” at the beginning. This makes the UK double crochet a taller stitch than the US double crochet (and the same height as a US treble crochet).

This can all seem very confusing at first, but you do get used to it. It really isn’t all that different from traveling between the US and Europe. In Europe, you enter a building on the ground floor and take the elevator one floor up to the “first floor”. In the United States, the floor you enter on is called the first floor and when you take the elevator up one flight you’re on the second floor. In other words, the European first floor is the US second floor. It seems confusing at first but travel enough and it becomes second nature. It’s the same way with crochet.

image @Kathryn Vercillo - UK double crochet/ US single crochet

image @Kathryn Vercillo - UK treble crochet/ US double crochet

Guide to UK vs US Crochet Stitches

Now that you have a basic understanding of the difference between UK and US crochet stitches, here is a helpful guide to the basic stitches in both languages.

UK Term vs US Term

Double crochet vs. single crochet
Half treble crochet vs. half double crochet
Treble crochet vs. double crochet
Double treble crochet vs. treble crochet

So, let’s say that you are reading a UK crochet pattern that calls for a “half treble crochet”. If you are used to working in American terms, you will mentally convert that to a half double crochet stitch and proceed with the pattern accordingly.

A Few Other Things to Know

• Slip stitch and chains are the same in both UK and US terminology.
• Techniques are also usually the same across languages; the “magic loop” for example is the same in UK and US patterns.
• The abbreviations are the same in both languages. Double crochet is always dc, it just refers to a different height of stitch in UK vs US patterns. 
• In contrast, the symbols used in symbol charts match the height of the stitch, not its name. So, an X on a UK chart means a UK double crochet but the same X means a UK single crochet. The symbol for a US double crochet is a T with a line across the middle.
• There are a few other words that might be different between UK and US patterns. For example, what is typically called “tension” in UK patterns is called “gauge” in US patterns; what is called “skip” in the US is “miss” in the UK.
• Australian crochet patterns typically use UK terminology.
• Many crochet pattern designers offer their patterns in both US and UK language so check to see if your desired pattern is available in the language you prefer.

This is a guest post by Kathryn Vercillo, blogger at Crochet Concupiscence and author of several books including Crochet Saved My Life and Mandalas for Marinke."

image @Kathryn Vercillo 

So, a big thank you to Kathryn for being my first guest being my first guest blogger! I hope this post has been useful for you - if you have any questions about UK vs US terms, please leave them in the comments below. If you are interested in being a future guest blogger, please get in touch!

Happy hooking,

Marta xx