Children's Colourful Cowl

Hello! My Children's Colourful cowl pattern is the first crochet pattern that I have published for sale on Ravelry, a massive online knit and crochet community. 

my youngest boy, modelling the finished cowl

I began this pattern back in the spring of this year when I was bursting with fresh creative ideas! I had chosen the 4 colours, thinking they looked good together but hadn't decided exactly what to make with them. After a little playing around, I found that this zig zag pattern worked well.

work in progress

I like to post progress photos online, especially on Instagram, because I can usually tell from feedback whether my idea is going to be successful or not. There's a lovely community feel on Instagram, I like to support fellow designers too!

the cowl from the back

The yarn I used for this project is King Cole merino DK which is available in a superb variety of colours! Since making it, I have found a lovely colour combo for a more feminine cowl; swap "sky" for "fuchsia" and swap "cranberry" for "bilburry".

the crochet curls this way naturally, no need to block!

Up until now, my crochet patterns have all been free, so is this the end of free patterns? Not at all! I will continue to develop both free patterns and patterns for sale. At the moment I am at the pattern testing stage of 2 free patterns and 1 pattern which is more complex and will be available for sale.

my young model is rather attached to the cowl!

If you are interested in buying the pattern for this cowl, you can find it here. Please share if you follow my pattern, I'd love to see how you get on!

Marta xx

Summer Projects

Oh dear, I seem to have neglected my blog over the summer! To help ease myself back into the habit I'll start with this easy post and share a few photos of some of the items I have made over that period.

At the start of the summer I made this 'Sunday Shawl' as a retirement present for my mum.

This is the first childen's garment that I have designed and crocheted.

I made 2 pairs of Happy scrappy Wrist Warmers. This pair is still available in my Folksy shop

I upcycled a handful of curtain pole hoops into cute little brooches, this is one of them.

Not a finished piece of work but a work in progress! This is my 'Sophie's Universe' blanket.

My first ever knitting design! A knitted washcloth with crochet border, in soft linen yarn.

Finally, my latest finished item; a Happy Scrappy Crocheted Scarf. I have just listed this in my Folksy shop 

That is a quick update of what I have been up to. I hope you have enjoyed my colourful photos because colour is such a key part in my creative work! You can keep up with my crafty adventures by 'liking' my Facebook page or following me on Instagram. 

Free Crochet Pattern - Alpaca Wrap - a Christmas gift to all my readers!

Merry Christmas everyone! I am sharing this alpaca wrap pattern as a Christmas gift to all my lovely readers! This pattern has been thoroughly tested and I am happy to share it with you for your personal use. Please respect my original design and do not reproduce this pattern or the wrap made from it for your own financial gain. Happy hooking!

 main photo

Alpaca Wrap Pattern by Marta Mitchell

A warm wrap which drapes beautifully over the shoulders. Worked in one of the neutral King Cole Baby Alpaca shades, this wrap will look pretty worn over blouses and dresses.

Materials

8 x 50g balls King Cole Baby Alpaca, DK (110yds/100m per ball) I used shade 500, “Camel”

4.5 mm crochet hook
tapestry needle for sewing in ends

Tension

20 stitches, 8 rows in 10 cm². The tension should be fairly loose, move up a hook size if you crochet tightly.

Abbreviations (UK terms)

ch chain

ch-sp chain space

dc double crochet

tr treble

shell shell motif (see notes)

fdc foundation double crochet

sl st slip stitch

WS wrong side of work

Notes

This wrap is made of two symmetrical sections which branch out from the centre. It begins with a row of foundation double crochet stitches. I chose this method because it produces a stretchy piece of crochet without any gathering or tightness. If you are unfamiliar with this technique it is worth looking up or you could create a similar effect by chaining 67 stitches and working a dc into the 2nd chain from the hook, and carrying on with 1dc into each ch (65dc across).

The shell motif is produced by working 2tr, ch1, 2tr into the dc stitch indicated.

detail of wrap

Pattern

Edit: This pattern was only free for a short time. It is now available to buy for only £3.60 in my Ravelry Store (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crocheted-alpaca-wrap) and in my Etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/462745672/alpaca-wrap-a-crochet-pattern-for-a-cosy?ref=shop_home_active_3)

I am extremely grateful to my online friend Anthea for testing this pattern for me. Anthea's blog is well worth a look - it's full of creative ideas!  http://www.talesfrommountpleasant.com/

If you have a go at making this wrap please send me photos, I would love to see how you get on!

Marta xx

Free Crochet Pattern - Zig Zag Scarf

I have designed this easy crochet project which works up really fast! It is a versatile pattern, the finished scarf is suitable for both men and women to wear and it can be made in any colour you choose! This pattern has been thoroughly tested and I am happy to share it with you for your personal use. Please respect my original design and do not reproduce this pattern or the scarf made from it for your own financial gain. Happy hooking!

finished scarf

Materials

2 x 100g balls Rowan big wool (approx 80m / 87 yds per 100g), in any colour

10 mm crochet hook

tapestry needle (to sew in the ends)

Tension

Because it is a scarf the tension is not too important, just keep your stitches loose. Approx 9 stitches and 3 rows per 10cm²

Finished size approx 140cm x 15cm

Abbreviations (UK terms)

ch chain

ch sp chain space

tr treble

cab st cable stitch (see notes)

Notes

The zig zags are created by working 1 cable stitch in the missed treble space; work 3 trebles, then yarn round hook, insert hook in the skipped treble space, pull through, yarn round hook, pull through first 2 loops, yarn round hook, pull through last 2 loops.

detail of scarf

Pattern

Edit: This pattern was only free for a short time. It is now available to buy for only £3.60 from my Ravelry store (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zig-zag-crocheted-scarf-pattern) or my Etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/476227831/zig-zag-scarf-a-crochet-pattern-for?ref=shop_home_active_2)