How To Write Up a Crochet Pattern course

 

Hello! Today is launch day! I'm really chuffed to be able to offer you my How To Write Up a Crochet Pattern course! This course is packed with top tips & advice on how best to start writing up your own crochet patterns.

What's included in this course? 

• A crochet pattern template for you to use every time you write a pattern (please do not purchase this seperately!)

• Written tutorials walking you through all the steps you need to know to start writing up your own patterns 

• Video tutorials talking you through best practice

All the tutorials and the pattern template are yours to keep and will be there for you to refer to as often as you need.

Since it's a new course and I'm looking for feedback, it's at the early bird price of just £12! I'm also giving you a discount of 15%, bringing it down to just over £10! Not only that (I must be feeling the heat), I'm making this discount valid on both my crochet courses! How's that for good news on a Friday? The discount will be automatically applied on my website no need to enter any codes. Early bird discount ends 23:59, 31st July 2022, BST.

So, if you've ever thought about starting to write up your own crochet patterns, now is the time to start! Maybe you'd like to begin publishing patterns to bring in extra income? Perhaps you simply want to be able to write a pattern up so friends can follow it?

Whatever the reason, this affordable course is just what you need!

Well, I'm off to work on the second sock for my Lazy Days CAL, making video tutorials as I go!

Catch you next week,

Marta xx

Too hot to work!

 

Hello! I'm posting this much later than usual this week because it's been so HOT! I know some of you will laugh, but the temperature here on the east coast of Scotland was around 25°C which for me was too hot to get much work done! The pic above was from the weekend when the hubby and I went for a cycle - I really was boiling!

Today is much more pleasant, we have a breeze and it's about 19°C, phew! I need to get my head down and add the finishing touches to my How To Write Up a Crochet Pattern Course which launches tomorrow! It's pretty much done, I'm tinkering with it now and I'm really pleased with how it's come together. Look out for tomorrow's blog post with the early bird discount code!

I also now have the financial backing to put everything in place for my Lazy Days CAL. Woohoo! This CAL is coming your way late summer and there will be an option to purchase the kit which will come in a bag printed with the gorgeous illustration by Katie Birdie Designs. Included in the bag will be the printed pattern, hand dyed yarn from The Wool Shed, crochet hook, stitch markers and little extras which I am off to go and finalise this afternoon!

If you're new to following me or missed my previous blog posts, you can find out more about my CAL in this blog post.

That's all my news for now, catch up with you tomorrow,

Marta xx

New crochet course, coming soon!

Hello! This week I have more crochet news that I'm bursting to tell you about! I've been really busy over the last couple of weeks creating another new course!

Have you ever tried something new out in crochet, scribbled notes as you've gone along and then wondered about writing up the pattern but not had a clue where to start?

Perhaps you've dipped your toe into pattern writing but you're slightly lost about what to include or need more clarity on certain aspects?

This is where I'm here to help you! 

Over the last few weeks I've had my head down working on a brand new course called How To Write Up A Crochet Pattern! I've finished typing up the written tutorials for it, all I need to do now is film the video tutorials. I've also created a super useful pattern template so you can easily start to create your own crochet patterns. Does this sound like something you'd be interested in?

If you want to be first to know when this course is released, sign up to my mailing list here! I hope to have everything in place to release it next week, so you'll be able to check your inbox for the biggest discount code!

Happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Pattern of the month for July!

Hello! A quick blog post from me to announce my pattern of the month offer for July! It's my Tweed with a Twist Scarf and it's my latest pattern release and I'm really chuffed with it!

Here are the details of this super squishy design ...

• A textured scarf in aran weight (10ply) yarn.
• It’s worked up in crossed double trebles to create texture & squishiness!
• The pattern repeat is really easy to remember which makes it a good choice for a mindful crochet project.
• I used 3x 50g balls of debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran.
• It's an INTERMEDIATE level pattern, written in UK & US terms.
• I’ve made a captioned YouTube video, showing you exactly how to work these crossed stitches.
• There is no right and wrong side to this scarf, simply throw it on and wear it!
• The pattern is available on LoveCrafts, Ravelry and on my website.

Use the code JULY22 for 15% off this pattern throughout July! Did you know that by signing up to my mailing list you'll receive the 20% off code each month? You can sign up here.

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

I have a finished sock for the Lazy Days Sock CAL!

Hello! Would you believe that I designed the sock for my Lazy Days CAL and wrote it up (in all 4 sizes) in just 6 days?! Last Friday afternoon I tidied and did the housework so there were no distractions and so I had a clean, fresh environment to create in. Once that was out the way I sat down, looked at the beautiful illustration by Katie Gammie, the yarn from Liv at The Wool Shed and began to crochet! The design simply flowed off my hook, it was the most natural thing. Usually, I have a clear idea in my head or even on paper before I start, but not this time! 

The sloping lines around the cuff are is influenced by the long grasses and the detail around the ankle is inspired by the individual foxglove flowers. The speckles which Liv created as her response to Katie's drawing are carried throughout the sock and I love them - they're as scattered as the wild flowers themselves.

If you've missed my previous posts about this project, you can catch up here. 

The pattern will be released in the usual places (my website, Ravelry & LoveCrafts), there are going to be 100 limited edition kits! The kit will include the exclusive handyed sock yarn from The Wool Shed, a crochet hook, stitch markers & a few surprise extras and it will all come in a project bag with Katie's illustration printed on it. How amazing does that sound?

Next steps ... the sock pattern is going to my tech editor today and as soon as it's edited I'll send it to my lovely testing team. I'll be sharing photos of their projects to let you see how they get on with it.  After that I need to finalise the extras and begin ordering them in. I will be opening up for pre-orders towards the end of July - sign up to my mailing list to make sure you don't miss out! You can sign up here on my website.

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Winding yarn and other distractions

*this email contains affiliate links, meaning I get a small percentage if you order through them*

Hello! I've been a bit quiet this week with no email on Tuesday and fewer posts on social because on Monday afternoon water was pouring through the bathroom ceiling! Fortunately it stopped as quickly as it began and I had a plumber out yesterday who has found the source of the problem (no need to bore you with that here!). Needless to say it's been a bit of an anxious time and my focus hasn't really been on anything in particular - though I did manage to finish writing a sock pattern for a magazine yesterday, yay!

Other distractions have been winding up my yarn for the upcoming Aestival MCAL. My hubby bought me one of the beautiful kits from Vicki Brown Designs and I can tell you the yarn is just as stunning in real life as it looks in those photos! If you missed my email about The Crochet Project's MCAL you can read all about it in this blog post. 

In order to gain access to this mystery pattern, you need to subscribe to The Hub, an amazing space away from social media which Joanne Scrace of The Crochet Project has created. Inside The Hub there are crochet patterns, tutorials, articles, stitch here.dictionaries and a forum - right now it's just £2 a month to join with the code HUBINTRO. I have an affilliate link for you below, take a look to find out more here. The link (with a discount code) for Vicki's yarn can be found in The Hub too!

© Joanne Scrace

The other thing which has been keeping me busy is my craft room transformation. The room used to belong to my eldest but now he lives in Dundee I've slowly been changing it into a space for me to work and crochet. At the weekend someone bought the single bed from Gumtree leaving me with lots of space to continue decorating! I've kept 3 walls green and painted 1 wall off-white to bounce the light and for taking photos.

Today I'll start putting up things on the walls and moving some of my supplies from my bedroom through to there. I will deal with the big pile of mess too - there's a load of "stuff", which I've shared on socials, that I'm not quite sure where to put (you know the kind of accumulated stuff!). Next I need to find a comfy 2 seater sofa to sit and crochet on with my dog Jazz curled up beside me!

Hopefully I'll share a photo in my next email, until then, happy crocheting,

Marta xx 

PS. Looking for a project for the weekend? There's still 15% off my Air Balloon Beanie with the code JUNE22, valid on my website or on Ravelry

Update on my collaboration with an illustrator and a yarn dyer.

Hello! As promised I'm giving you an update on my collaboration with the illustrator and yarn dyer. Things have progressed and I now have the yarn and I've had a play around with some lettering. If you've just started following me, I'm working with illustrator Katie (https://www.instagram.com/katiebirdiedoes/) and a yarn dyer to bring you a CAL (crochet a-long)! If you missed it, you can read my first installment in this blog post.

So, I can now update you with news of the yarn dyer! I'm collaborating with Liv at The Wool Shed (https://www.instagram.com/the_wool_shed/) and she has brought her creative energy to the drawing which Katie made for me. Initially she dyed up 3 skeins of yarn, each with varying degrees of colour and I selected the middle one in the range. I was super excited when the yarn arrived at the start of this week, eeeeek!

Can you see the gorgeous colours? Can you see the speckling? Do you agree that it represents the drawing absolutely beautifully? I'm certainly happy and Katie is really pleased with the outcome too, which is great!

What now? I'm going to wind the yarn up into a lovely ball and then begin designing for the CAL. I can reveal that I'll be taking inspiration from the drawing and the yarn to crochet socks, my 8th pair! Once the designing stage is complete, I'll pass the pattern on to be tech edited before it's crocheted up by my lovely team of testers.

I'm not going to make this a mystery CAL so I shall be posting photos as I progress (sign up to my mailing list to receive first peeks there!). Before I get stuck in I've 2 designs I'm working on that need to get to the tech editing stage before I begin anything new (a baby cardigan and my 7th sock design), so I'll leave it here and go crack on with them!

Catch you next week,

Marta xx

PS. I uploaded a new video to YouTube this week, it's a step-by-step tutorial for my free Scrappy Blanket II, go take a look! My latest podcast episode is up on YouTube too - you can find my channel here.