Last day to grab this popular crochet collection!

Hello! I know I've been blogging a lot this week but I want to make sure you don't miss out on this amazing deal! This bundle, curated by Nicki's Homemade Crafts, will be gone forever when midnight strikes (that's midnight Pacific Time!).

I've been crocheting small projects over the summer - amigurumi, and hats mostly because they are small and don't add an extra layer to my (already roasting!) body in the same way blankets, sweaters and other large projects do. If you're feeling the same at the moment, you'll love this bundle for it's small, quick projects that won't over heat you!

When you purchase the collection, not only will you make a massive saving on all the patterns, there are so many bonuses too!

• The bundle is sponsored by Clover USA, so if you're in the States there are huge prizes to be won!

• I've added my own Striation Cowl as a free pattern!

• 2 bonus pdfs from Nicki's Homemade Crafts - a crochet cheat sheet and Love Laundry Tags

• There's an exclusive Facebook group for peer-supported pattern support where you can cheer each other on!

Although it's aimed at crochet sellers, if you love crochet there's nothing to stop you from jumping on this offer and scoring all these cool patterns! I'm loving the look of those crocheted pumpkins down at the bottom of the image above! The pattern is called Popcorn Pumpkin by Chanel Beauchamp and I'll definitely be whipping up a few this autumn!

Don't miss out on 41 designer gift making patterns at 90% off PLUS all the bonuses above! Buy the bundle TODAY!

Any questions about the collection, please ask, I'm happy to help,

Marta xx

Did you pick up your copy of the crochet bundle yet?

Hello! Did you pick up your copy of the crochet bundle yet? Have you decided which pattern to make first? And did you spot the pattern I contributed to the collection?

It was my Air Balloon beanie! It's one of my most popular gift patterns, it's quick to crochet, can be made in 1 colour, 2 colours or multiple colours (great for using oddments of yarn), it's available in 4 sizes and once you've made one you'll be able to produce the hat quickly without needing to refer to the pattern.

Do you want to know my favourite pattern in the bundle? It's the Blodyn Bucket Hat by Lorraine Catterall - it looks fun to make and great for using up scraps of cotton too! The photo below shows Lorraine and her daughter in Mummy and Me hats - isn't it cute?

© Lorraine Catterall

If you missed yesterday's email, this crochet collection has over 41 cute and gorgeous patterns ranging from amigurumi to home decor, clothing to accessories, PLUS 4 printables which are ideal if you're a craft fair seller! One of the printables actually has 12 printables within it - even better!

Hurry! Buy now because this offer ends tomorrow! Any questions, give me a shout,

Marta xx

Amazing craft fair bundle!

 

*** This post contains affiliate links. ***

Hello! This summer has been one of the best I can remember in a long time. The weather has been beautifully sunny, I've been out on my bike a lot or simply crocheting in the garden, we've enjoyed family barbecues, picnics and walks - it's generally been a chiled out time.

Autumn is around the corner and if you're anything like me, you're looking forward to crocheting up hats, scarves, gloves, bags - all the quick winter woolies! Or perhaps you crochet for craft fairs and you're coming up to your busiest season?

Well, today I have some exciting news about a new crochet collection - the Craft Fair Crochet Pattern Bundle! It's a hand picked, carefully selected bunch of patterns chosen by Nicki of Nicki's Homemade Crafts, who I've mentioned here in my emails a few times.As an added bonus, if you buy the collection, I'm giving you a free copy of my Striation Cowl! Details of how to claim your free pattern will be sent to you once you've ordered the bundle.

This carefully selected collection is perfect for those of you who sell finished crocheted items at craft fairs and markets. These patterns all come with permission from the designers to make and sell as many as you like. 

I've looked through all the patterns and whether you're a crochet seller or not it's a fab selection of simple and quick crochet patterns that can be made in small or large quantities. 

The bundle features 41 crochet patterns and 4 craft fair printables. You can get this 90% off the retail value, AMAZING! 

Like all Nicki's bundles, this one is a grab-it-while-you-can deal, it's available for 5 days only! The link below is my affiliate link - as one of the featured designers, I get a percentage of each bundle sale. By purchasing the collection you help my business to grow!

This bundle is sponsored by Clover and they have donated prizes for buying the bundle too - but only for delivery in the USA.

Because of this, I've added my own bonus when you purchase the collection - a free copy of my Striation Cowl (pictured above)! Details of how to claim your free pattern will be sent to you once you've ordered the bundle.

If you have any queries about this bundle, please ask - I'm happy to answer all your questions!

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Crochet hook size guide

Hello! Dropping in with some useful info for you about crochet hook sizes! You may have noticed in crochet patterns that sometimes hook sizes are referred to in metric terms, sometimes with a number and sometimes with a letter & number! This can all be a bit confusing, so I've put together a table with the most popular sizes for you to help keep you right.

The photo above is my collection of hooks, which I like to refer to in millimetres. Most patterns do state the hook size in metric terms (or a mix) so you shouldn't get in too much of a tangle over it!

I hope my table comes in useful for you - why not print it out and keep it to refer to! 

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

PS. Sign up to my mailing list to get crochet posts like this one delivered straight to your inbox! 

3 special offers for August!

Hello! It's the start of August and instead of 1 special offer this month, I'm going to be running 3! 

First up is the pre-order for my Lazy Days Sock CAL kits. These are still available to you at the pre-order price of £49.50 with the code LAZYDAYS10. I've had lots of orders come in for these already - thank you!

The next offer is 10% off both my crochet courses. I've produced 2 courses so far (more are planned!) - How to Write up a Crochet Pattern and Colour & Crochet. The pattern writing course has only been out for a few weeks and it's at the early bird price so I can gather feedback for making it even better! Catch it at this price while you can and any updates will be sent to you! 

10% off with the code COURSE10

Here's some feedback I've had on my design course - 

I have just finished going through your course, and it was great! It's an excellent confidence builder for aspiring pattern designers, and also contains some great information for new designers like me too.

Carly White

My final offer this month is half price on all my amigurumi patterns! I've been having a good look through my crochet pattern inventory and it seems these patterns stick out a little and don't fit in with the rest of my collection. So, I've made the harsh decision to discontinue these patterns at the end of the month. 

This is good news for you if you've had your eye on any of them! I've gone in and updated the prices on Ravelry and LoveCrafts, so no discount codes required this time.

My doll collection, which features instructions for 3 dolls and 6 items of clothing, is now only £3.75! Find it on Ravelry and LoveCrafts.

Agnes the Bunny and Iris the Wolf are now only £2.50! Go grab yourself a bargain - these patterns produce wonderful gifts for children (or adults!). Find them on Ravelry and LoveCrafts.

I hope there's an offer there to tempt you! I haven't gone into any of the items in detail, if you'd like more info please click the links or reply to this email and I'll get back to you! Also, for bigger discount codes (the offers above are at the higher value of 15%), sign up to my mailing list!

Right, I'm off to go and stalk the postie - 100 skeins of yarn are arriving today for the crochet kits! Happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Pre-orders for my super-special crochet kits are now open!

 

Hello! Launch day is here at last and I'm so glad I can finally share these super-special kits with you! They are now open for pre-order on my website and they will be shipped to you at the end of August, ready to start the CAL on the 6th September!

Each kit includes - 

• Fairtrade, organic cotton drawstring bag with the CAL image printed on the front
• 100g skein of exclusive hand dyed yarn from The Wool Shed (75% superwash merino/ 25%nylon, 4ply, 400m/ 100g)
• 4mm crochet hook
• 2 metal stitch markers
• printed copy of the Lazy Days Sock pattern
• 3 surprise extras!

NOTE: This kit is only available for shipping within the UK
You can save 10% off the kit price when you use the code LAZYDAYS10). The kits are available from my website at the pre-order price of £55 and with your 10% discount they are only £49.50!

HURRY though, I'm only producing 100 of these special kits - when they are gone, they're gone!

The pre-order news went to my mailing list first thing this morning and they've been selling fast which is brilliant!

These kits are a collaboration between illustrator Katie Gammie (Katie Birdie) and hand dyed yarn business owner Liv Spencer (The Wool Shed). Recently I've brought Ruth Pedlow (Labours of Love Crochet) on board too, asking Ruth to produce all the stitch markers for me. You can read more about this collaboration in this previous blog post.

I'd like to thank Katie, Liv, Ruth, all my testers (Angela, Carina, Clare, Sara, Sarah & Ulrika), my tech editor Catherine and to Alexander for the model photography. Thanks to you to for all your encouragement on this journey - leaving comments on my blog, sending me emails, comments and DMs on Instagram (and now TikTok too!), it's helped me so much. 

© The Wool Shed

If you have any questions about the kits, please ask! 

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx

Crochet sock terms demystified!

 

Hello! I remember when I first started crocheting socks, I used to get in a right tangle about what all the different parts of the sock were called. Also, toe-up, cuff-down, after-thought heel? What were they all about? I'm here today to help demystify some of these terms for you and also to encourage you to give crochteted socks a go if you haven't already!

The diagram above has arrows pointing to all the different parts of a sock. Most of them you'll be familiar with, the less well known ones are the heel flap & turn, gusset and instep.

The heel flap is worked in rows of crochet and can be on the sole of the sock in some cases.

The heel turn is where the crochet fabric is manipulated to go around the heel - often decreases are used to join the heel flap to the body of the sock (this part is where my degree in Scuplture comes in super handy, I can visualise and design exactly the shape I want!).

The gusset is a series of increases (in a toe-up sock) or decreases (in a cuff-down sock) to allow more room in the heel section.

The instep is the bit which covers the arched upper part of the foot. It's often referred to in a pattern because these stitches are unworked while the heel flap is under construction.

An after-thought heel is used when a sock is crocheted as a tube, without any gusset or heel shaping and a slit is created for the heel. Once the sock is completed the stitches are worked into and then decreased to create the heel.

A toe-up sock begins at the toe section and works up to the cuff.

A cuff-down sock begins at the cuff section and works up to the toe.

Well, I hope this has helped to demystify crocheted socks for you! They really are a dream to crochet - especially because they work up so fast.

My Lazy Days Sock CAL starts in September with the exclusive kits open for pre-order this Friday! I hope you'll consider joining the fun! All the info you need was in my last blog post. Sign up to my mailing list to be notified of the release and to have tips like this delivered to your inbox. 

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Marta xx