Hi folks! I hope you are all safe, well and happy. We are still in lockdown 3 here in the UK – but as I write this, the use of the first vaccines are being rolled out so we can feel that glimmer of hope and optimism. But in the meantime we can just hope to find some time to settle down with some crochet – and if you are looking for something new then you might want to check out the latest issue of Crochet Now magazine.
Issue 64 is out now with a range of ‘windswept’ themed projects including blankets, wall hangings and a new little amigurumi from me.
Meet Petrok the Puffin! He’s a short and stocky little fellow with a fondness for herring and playtime. His bright beak and pretty spearmint plumage always turn the heads of his other puffin pals.
The spearmint plumage was actually made with Paintbox Cotton DK, which is lovely yarn to work with, and a 3.25mm hook. I used six colours of Paintbox Cotton DK in total to create Petrok, but there was a fair bit left of the 50g balls so there would be enough to make a couple of puffins if you wished to.
I love the opportunity to create something new and a puffin was actually a creature that I had on my list that I wanted to make at some point. It’s also a bird I’ve always wanted to see in real life, they just have such a cute appearance.
The beautiful Isles of Scilly is one of only a handful of sites in the UK where you can go puffin spotting. Back in 2005 we had a holiday there which turned into rather a momentous trip as Mr KCACO.UK asked me to marry him.
Whilst we were there we went on a sea safari boat trip, from St Mary’s, to see if we could spot a glimpse of the elusive bird. Unfortunately we didn’t! We saw seals and gannets, but no puffins – so it’s still on the bucket list!
If you hook up Petrok the Puffin I hope you’ll share your photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
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Here in the UK it’s definitely the time of year for wrapping up warmly and if you are looking for a bright way to start the new year then you might want to check out the latest issue of I Like Crochet magazine.
I’m excited to share with you my first design of 2021! The Sweeping Swirls scarf is out now in the February 2021 edition of I Like Crochet and what better way to wrap up is there than with a warm and woollen scarf. It’s inspired by the comeback of swirling tie dye patterns which have seen a resurgence during the pandemic.
To wanted to try and pull in the mixture of colours you can find in tie dye patterns so I used a Lion Brand Mandala yarn cake, (100% Acrylic); [540 meters] / 150 grams) in Chimera (Shade 204, 1 ball), which is made of blended colours which change as you crochet. The shade I used (Chimera) is actually a range of muted jewel tones which I love; though Lion Brand Mandala‘s are available in a wide range of ‘enchanting’ colours.
Lion Brand Mandala is a double knit yarn which I used previously on my Shades of Grey Scarf. It’s actually really nice and soft to work with and I do like to create patterns that just use a single yarn cake, which this one does. I decided to edge the scarf with a cute turquoise bobble trim, picking up on one of the shades in the yarn cake, and I love the final look.
This scarf utilises filet crochet to create swirls on a backdrop of colour; if you are new to crochet then a filet scarf might seem a bit far out of the range of your talent, but filet crochet is made up of two simple stitches: the chain and treble (US double crochet). This is also a great beginner project as once you get started you will just work back and forth in rows.
This scarf was actually designed with a beginner in mind, though I’m sure a more accomplished crocheter would enjoy it as an enjoyable project too. The pattern is very easy and repetitive, perfect for crocheting on the go or in front of the TV.
As well as my scarf the February 2021 October edition features loads of seasonal patterns and a range of interesting articles. If you SUBSCRIBEyou can get the magazine straight to your desktop or iPad as well as access to lots of other extra crochet bonus material.
Hooky New Year everyone! I’m going to start of with a positive greeting to everyone – and I do hope you are all well. 2020 for me and my family has been rather a horror, but I’m not going to dwell on that here, I’m going to talk about what you are all here for – the crochet!
Somehow amidst home-schooling and lockdowns I managed to do ALOT of crochet in 2020. But like so many of you I’m sure, crocheting was just one of those things that helped to calm me, kept me sane and helped me to get through the year.
So let’s have a quick look back at this amass of crochet shall we…you might want to grab a cuppa first, it’s rather a long post.
January 2020
I can’t believe how long ago last January seems now (what a long year 2020 has been!). I created eight patterns in January, which is quite a lot! There were unicorns and a fairy with a toadstool and a pool that I designed for Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine, and donkeys, horses, and dogs galore for my Deramores Designer Shop.
There was also little Reginald Rat to celebrate 2020 as the Year of the Rat. I’d actually set myself a mini challenge to try to release 12 new independent designs in 2020, I only managed 9, but I’m not going to beat myself up about it, I can always try again this year…
February 2020
February started off quite exciting with the Waverly Kisses scarf shortlisted in the Unravel a Festival of Yarn 2020 design competition! I still love how the design and the hand dyed yarn work together on this scarf – I really want to make myself another one of these one day in a different hand dyed colourway to see how it comes out.
There were bunny bonnets and lambs for Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine and another new release from me the Bramble Saddle Bag, I still love how that one turned out, it just worked out just how I envisioned – I love it when designs work like that.
March and April’s colour scheme seemed to be filled with oranges, reds, yellows and pinks. It was filled with bunnies, which are actually one of my favourite animals to make, such as my Battenburg Bunny and my Deramores Bunny which I think is my first creature to sport a snazzy pair of dungarees.
There were also monster bags and flamingos for Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine and another of my favourite designs of 2020 which was my Pomtastic Tassel Basket which appeared inside issue 55 of Crochet Now magazine.
There was also the Nessa Cowl and a blanket called Don’t Box Me In (which is available for free) that I designed especially for Dear Ewe as sometimes I sneak in some new crochet designs over there too!
It’s hard to make a designer choose a favourite design but if you twisted my arm some of my favourite designs of 2020 were created in May and June; including Timmy the Tribal Cactus, and possibly one of my most favourite shawl designs ever, the Pelagia Shawl which was inside issue 56 of Crochet Now magazine
The rest of the month was filled with amigurumi’s like the caterpillar for Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine and a Teddy Bear for Deramores, and blankets like the Boxing Rainbows (which is free here on the blog) and the XOXO Anchor baby blanket (that one’s free on the Anchor website).
July / August 2020
There was a mammoth twelve new designs released in July and August – sometimes I find that things you are working on do come together all at once!
There was an amigurumi surfer girl, a unicorn, a bag and a bottle holder for Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine, there was the Chevron Flair Cowl (which I really LOVE) and a mug cozy in the U.S I Like Crochet Magazine and the Summer Wrapsody Shawl in issue 58 of Crochet Now magazine.
As the the weather turned cooler and our thoughts perhaps turned towards Christmas there were some more autumnal makes for September and October – another twelve designs in total, and one for Dear Ewe for luck!
The one that I was really honoured to be part of was creating the pattern for the Remembrance Day poppy for The Royal British Legion and Deramores.
Then there was the Granny Squared brimmed hat for U.S I Like Crochet Magazine, the Come Bye Cowl for Dear Ewe, and another cowl, the Flourite Filet cowl, which is a great quick and easy stash buster. Then there were the Pastel Pandas and the start of the free Festive Skittles crochet along for Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine in which an angel and a solider also appeared.
Then there were parrots and pumpkins for my Deramores Designer Shop and the Sweet Sighs Shawl and mini hanging Haus decorations in Issues 60 and 61 of Crochet Now magazine.
November / December 2020
And that brings us nearly up to date with some more recent pattern releases (in fact I’m sure some of the later magazines designs are still available in the shops). There was actually 17 patterns that came out in November and December – though I’ll hasten to add that they were spread out a bit through the year when I was actually making them!
There was the end of the free Festive Skittles crochet along for Let’s Get Crafting Knitting and Crochet magazine along with a sweet camel and a kitten. Another cat, one of my favourite designs of 2020, it’s Pusheen! Then there were also stockings, wreaths and the whole Wonderland Gang also in issues of Crochet Now magazine.
Then there was the fabulous collaboration with the wonderful Yarn Whisperer for the Solstice Garden MAL! It was so wonderful to see the projects you crafted along with us for that. Then there was the Iska Mitts in the Wool on the Exe book (available here), the free Anchor Angel amigurumi, a Polar Bear and two types of Christmas tree designs for my Deramores Designer Shop and finally my free Christmas Mushroom tree decoration.
Woah when you look at it like that, that seems like a crazy amount of crocheting! Who knows how many items I’ve actually crocheted this year but counting multiples of things both large and small I’d have to say my output much be reaching the over 100 mark, what do you recon?
It’s been a busy ole year! I’m not sure I’ve ever had a year where I’ve crocheted so much! But I’d like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you, my design work goes to support my family, so when you buy a pattern or a magazine, no matter how big or small, it really does mean the world to us.
What’s in store for 2021?
Well I’m delighted to say that I’ve got some new patterns coming to you soon from some of my favourite crochet magazines, there are a couple of new designs planned for my Deramores Designer Shop, a new exciting summer collaboration with the wonderful Yarn Whisperer, more collaborations with the lovely folks at Anchor Yarn and of course (finally) a BRAND NEW Crochet Along!!! More on that soon soon!! I can’t wait to share it all with you!
I’m not going to set any resolutions specifically for 2021, but what I want to work on is to try and making sure my patterns are more accessible. This will including updating old patterns, releasing patterns that once appeared only in magazines, and making sure that my patterns are available on different platforms like Ravelry, LoveCrafts and Etsy to give people the choice of where to purchase from. As you can imagine it’s quite a feat to get all my patterns in order – and it won’t be quick, as if I’m honest they do get pushed to the bottom of the list more often than not, but it is on the list!
I’m also looking forward to bringing you some new free patterns here on the blog for you to enjoy too, I’d love to hear what you’d like to see, more amigurumi? Blankets? Things for the home? Let me know below!
Here’s to a thoroughly hooky 2021!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
