Yarn Review - King Cole merino blend DK

Today I thought I would continue with another yarn review - this time King Cole merino blend DK. These review posts are not sponsored by the wool companies, it's simply me, adding my thoughts and opinions on the yarns I like to use.

I have used King Cole merino blend DK for a wide variety of projects, from large blankets to teenie amigurumi to baby cardigans - it's a fantastic all purpose wool! Not all the yarn, but a significant amount of it, was King Cole merino blend DK in my Sophie's Universe Blanket (pictured below).

One of the reasons I love this wool is the amazing range of colours it is available in - there are 45 different colours ensuring there is a colour for everything and a colour for everyone! I enjoy making and designing amigurumi in bright colour combinations and I like choosing just one colour to make hats and baby cardigans. My most recent crochet project (and the prompt for this blog post) uses the gorgeous mustard colour!

King Cole merino blend DK is a superwash wool making it ideal for baby and toddler garments. It's nice and soft too which is lovely to work with and lovely to wear because it is not itchy. There are 104 metres in a 50g ball which works really well when pulled from the centre and worked from the inside out. King Cole merino blend DK is widely available online and in many local yarn shops. 

The friendly amigurumi monster called Malunna (pictured above) was designed and crocheted in King Cole merino blend DK. I love this colour combination - blues and oranges have always been a favourite of mine. If you are interested, the free pattern for this monster is available in my Ravelry store here. 

Have you used this wool before? What do you think of it? I am interested to know your opinions - please pop a comment below xx

Fields of Lavender Cardigan - the design process

Over the last few weeks I have been working on various crocheted cardigan designs, with most of my focus being on the Fields of Lavender Cardigan, pictured below in 0-3 month size. This new design came about in an unusual way for me, it was suggested by one of my pattern testers, Jill Porter. 

Jill had tested out the pattern for my Fields of Wheat Hat (above - photo used with kind permission) in a beautiful purple coloured yarn and when she posted it online she received comments about how the wheat stalks looked like lavender and suggestions for designing a cardigan using the same motif. You can see Jill's pretty Instagram photos here. You can see my photos of this hat design in my last blog post.

After doing a few calculations (sighing once again at how much maths is needed in the crochet design process!) I was ready to start and using spare white pure wool in superwash DK I began to turn my hat design into the flatter format required for a cardigan. One thing which really pleases me about crocheting baby garments is the speed in which they are finished, I quickly had a completed design that I was pretty much happy with. There were a few niggles that I wanted to sort, the collar line wasn't quite right for starters, but overall I was satisfied and ready to embark on the next version using lavender coloured wool.

The lavender design is crocheted in King Cole merino blend DK which I have chosen for both its superwash qualities and because it is warm and cosy for a baby to wear. On this second cardigan I worked the design in the next size up (3-6 months), so that I will have a variety of sizes to offer when the pattern is published.

All the cardigan needs now is buttons, which sadly I can't buy in my town (I have tried the button boxes in the local charity shops, but no luck this time) so the buttons will have to wait until I am next off out on an adventure. The next steps in the design process are pattern testing and photography, both of which I am looking forward to!

Working with a Pattern Editor

I have been designing crochet patterns for about 5 years now and this year my goal is to reach an even bigger audience. My patterns have been available on Ravelry.com for a few years and recently I started adding them to Etsy. On Ravelry many of the patterns are free with several of them proving very popular, which is fantastic!

In January I began a new design for a hat which caught the eye of one of my followers on Instagram. Sam, known as @samsimplemelody approached me and asked if I would like to try out the services of her new technical editing business. I of course jumped at the opportunity, fascinated by how exactly the process worked.

So, after having my pattern tested by two of my online friends, Michelle Willis and Jill Porter, I sent a copy of the pdf to Sam to have a look. I received a quick response and a brief idea of what to expect. Within a week my pattern was returned to me with an overlay of changes which needed to be made and changes which were more optional, down to individual preference. I have to say it looked like my pattern was riddled with mistakes but once I began working through them they were easy to fix.

After I had made the changes I sent the updated pdf back to Sam for another look. There were still a few tweaks needing to be made (my fault, some of my corrections had brought to light new problems!) which were again added in overlay form. Once these were sorted the pattern was sent back for final approval. The whole process was very satisfactory and I now have a pattern that I am very pleased with!

If you are interested in having a crochet or knitting pattern technical edited then I would thoroughly recommend Sam! Her new blog, A Simple Melody, has details about her technical editing, what to expect and pricing.

Yarn Review: Ginger's Hand Dyed Bleating Velvet 4ply

I have only been crocheting with Ginger's Hand Dyed Bleating Velvet 4ply for a week and it has shot into 1st place in my top yarn list! Dyed on a base of 80% superwash merino/ 10% cashmere/ 10% nylon it has a soft texture that feels wonderful to work with. But the main appeal for me is the stunning colourways available!

Last Saturday my husband and I had a child free day in Edinburgh. We took an early train through and spent the day exploring the city of my birth with no real fixed plan or agenda ... except a visit to Ginger Twist Studio! I had visited Ginger Twist Studio's stall at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival in March and although I didn't buy anything, knew I had to go and visit the shop and see all the gorgeous yarn together.

So, after leaving Waverley train station we wandered down to Edinburgh's east side and found the pretty shop with a little help from Google maps (how did we cope before all this technology?). The shop really is like it says on its website description - "a sweetie shop for knitters, crocheters, spinners and weavers"! There were so many colours to take in, I had a hard job choosing just one or two colour palettes for future projects!

There is an extensive choice of the shop's own hand dyed range called Ginger's Hand Dyed. The above photo shows the 2 skeins of Bleating Velvet 4ply I chose. They were hanging side by side from the shelf and I thought the vibrant orangey red was perfect beside the cooler blue grey. I had a shawl in mind from The Shawl Project: Book Two by Joanne Scrace and Kat Goldin which required 2 different coloured skeins of 4ply and thought these two would do very nicely.

The colours I chose have descriptive names - they are "Grey Gardens" and "Girl on Fire" and the pattern, by Joanne Scrace, is called "Missed Kingfisher". The subtle shifts and changes in the colour of the wool make each row unique and compelling to crochet. 

I'm using a 5mm crochet hook, slightly narrower than the recommended 6mm but I'm particularly loose with my tension. The large hook helps the shawl flow and takes away any rigidity a finer hook would produce. Ginger's Hand Dyed Bleating Velvet 4ply drapes beautifully and feels so soft against my skin, I can't wait to wear it around my shoulders (oh yes! This one is for me!!).

My new-to-me vintage basket holds this project perfectly, I just had to take a photo or two for my Instagram gallery ...

If you are in or around Edinburgh I would highly recommend a visit to Ginger Twist Studio, if you're further afield you can buy online at www.gingertwiststudios.com. 

At the moment I am only a few rows away from finishing this shawl, then I will give it a light blocking before I can wear it. I can't wait!

Crocheting at Loch Tay

Last week I was fortunate to head into the heart of Scotland to Ardeonaig, Loch Tay. I was a parent helper on my middle son's Primary 7 adventure week; a residential holiday with lots of outdoor based activities. Of course, I brought along a new crochet project!

Loch Tay, viewed from our house 

on the evening of our arrival

Last month I had received "The Shawl Project: Book One" by Joanne Scrace for The Crochet Project as a birthday present, so this seemed the ideal inspiration for a new WIP to take with me! I chose some random, no label yarn which had been passed on to me and decided on the "Transposition" pattern. 

Crochet, tea and a beautiful view!

The children had a fair amount of free time to explore the grounds so I had some time to sit down, take in the view and crochet! The pattern is easy to understand and written in 4 sections which are very easy to memorise - an ideal project if you are going to be distracted.

I crouched down in the grass for

this atmospheric shot of Ben Lawers

in the clouds

I accompanied the children on a hike one day. We climbed up into the hills which gave us fantastic views of the loch and surrounding mountains. Ben Lawers, across the loch from us, is the 10th highest peak in the UK and I remember climbing it when I was 17! On our final full day we sailed across Loch Tay and back in a gig, a substantial sized sailing boat. 

The "Dawn Treader", our trusty boat

shawl progress

Back home now, I am about two thirds of the way through the shawl and it is working out beautifully. I shall enjoy finishing it and remember my special time away as I do so.

Why This Shawl is on the Naughty Step!!

I have been crocheting this shawl, designing the pattern as I go, since the 2nd of March this year. It's been one of those projects I've picked up and put down, working on other things as the mood takes me. It's also been the work-in-progress (WIP) that I've taken with me to appointments, on train journeys, to cafes and most recently on our short break to North Berwick.

the shawl, with my notebook

So, why is it on the naughty step? Well, because it has been picked up and put down so often and not looked at too closely or stretched out for photographs I hadn't noticed the shape had all gone wonky! If you look at the photo below you can see it tapers from left to right - this should be the straight stretch - Noooooooo! When I noticed I threw it in the corner in disgust and it's only now, 4 days later, that I can look at it and figure out where to go from here!

tapering when it should be straight!

beginning the shawl

The shawl started out well with a simple 2 row repeat, worked back and forth, creating an ever increasing triangle. I was happy with how it was progressing.

progress

Then I decided to mix things up a little and add a section of plain double crochet stitches. This would help to break the shawl up - both for the crocheter and for the look of the finished item. Again, I was happy.

getting bigger!

At this point I had created a large triangle and I knew the shawl could go in two directions; keep increasing the triangle until it reached the right size or stop the increases, work a straight section and then decrease to a point again. I thought option 2 would suit me and my crochet style best and went for that, first working out (or so I thought, ha!) how to stop increasing and crochet in a rectangular fashion. 

So, what now? Well, me and the wool (which is gorgeous Artesano alpaca silk 4ply by the way, should have mentioned that!) have become friends again. I think I will rattle back to the start and see where it takes me. I like the pattern repeat and it is perfect as a project for on the go, I just need to pay more attention when I'm designing!

Marta xx

How to Crochet a Simple Flower

Hello! I've a simple crochet flower pattern to share with you, right here in this blog post! The pattern is also available as a free download on Ravelry. The pattern is suitable for a confident beginner.

This all came about because last night I was playing about with some cotton yarn, trying to make a very small flower and getting frustrated because the centre was so big and taking up a lot of wasted space! I was using the magic loop method, ch 1, 12dc (UK terms) into the loop and then on to round 2 for the petals, when I suddenly thought "can I skip round 1?" ... And yes, I can, so you can too!

finished flowers

I'm going to give you a complete step-by-step photo tutorial for the flower below, but firstly I'll give all the instructions in the written format for both UK and US terms. 

NB. You will need to know how to make a magic loop! If this is new to you, my YouTube tutorial below will guide you through the process.

Materials

Small amount of yarn

Appropriate size of crochet hook (I used Erika Knight vintage wool and a 5mm crochet hook for the step by step tutorial)

Needle for sewing in ends

finished flowers turned into a simple greetings card

UK instructions

ch - chain

dtr - double treble

ss - slip stitch

Begin with a magic loop, [ch3, 2dtr into loop, ch3, ss into loop] 5 times. Pull starting tail to tighten magic loop. Finish off.

US instructions

ch - chain

trc - triple crochet

ss - slip stitch

Begin with a magic loop, [ch3, 2trc into loop, ch3, ss into loop] 5 times. Pull starting tail to tighten magic loop. Finish off.

That's it, a very small flower which can be used for all sorts of decorative purposes! Top tip - if you leave your tails nice and long these can be used to secure your finished flower to your project.

Step-by-step photo tutorial

begin by wrapping the yarn around

your fingers to make a magic loop

insert yarn from front to back, pull 

a loop through

extra photo to show the start of the magic loop

chain 3 (to begin petal)

first dtr (UK) / trc (US) into the loop

second dtr (UK) / trc (US) into the loop

chain 3 (to finish petal)

slip stitch into loop

Continue around the loop, working the above pattern 5 times in total

Here's the start of petal no. 2 

2 completed petals

5 completed petals

pull the starting tail 

to tighten the loop

you can leave the centre open or

pull it completely closed.

Weave in your ends and you are finished!

a pile of finished flowers in various 

different yarn weights and textures

Conclusion

I would love for you to get in touch and show me your flowers or let me know how you have found this pattern! You could comment below or tag me on Instagram with the tag #martamitchelldesigns. This pattern is now available as a free pdf download from Ravelry.com!

Happy hooking!

Marta xx