Something very different for me today! I’m usually the interviewer but this time I’m the interviewee! I had the opportunity to speak to the lovely Kate Heppell from The Crochet Society.
If you haven’t heard of the Crochet Society before it’s a little bit of crochet luxury delivered direct to your door. Every box from Crochet Society is full of a mystery mix of high-value yarn, crochet goodies and highly collectable extras, chosen by an expert design team to inspire new ideas.
I’ve had the pleasure of designing several different projects for the boxes over the years, and it was lovely to have the opportunity to chat about designing, the crochet community, what we are binge watching and more!
The whole chat is 32 minutes long, so the perfect length to enjoy a cuppa and maybe sneak in a few stitches whilst you listen along.
The easiest way to listen to the podcast is via a podcast app on your phone or tablet. The podcast is listed on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Google Podcasts, so if you use any of those apps you should be able to find it by searching for Crochet Society. You can also listen via the link on the Crochet Society blog.
Although it’s slightly cringeworthy listening to your own voice back I did enjoy chatting to Kate for the podcast, and I want to thank her and the team for offering me the opportunity to step out of my usual comfort zone!
Crochet Society boxes are available by subscription via the website, and past boxes are available, if there are, from Craftstash (whilst stocks remain).
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected. You can read more about my affiliate links here.
Howdy, how are you all today? I’m just popping on today to tell you of my first pattern release of 2023!
The 26th of January was the last ‘official’ day of the latest make along that has been hosted by The Yarn Whisperer and myself. From the 26 December 2022 until now, over a month later, we have enjoyed our winter make along project with a bunch of lovely mal’ers. And now I get the opportunity to share my finished Peppermint Pageant Stocking, and it’s pattern, with you!
Inspired by Christmas colours of red, white and green and by hand made Scandinavian fairisle type patterns I really enjoyed coming up with my own tapestry crochet version of a tradition stocking.
As always it’s been an absolute delight to work with Kitey and his gorgeously coloured yarn, I love these collabs we do – it always provides me with an opportunity to work with gorgeous yarn which in turn makes the design process super enjoyable.
The Aran yarn in this case was such a beautiful yarn to crochet with and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the slight variations of the semi solid colours come through as I worked each stitch.
If this is the first you’ve heard about the The Peppermint Pageant MAL you can read more about it here but in a nutshell it’s the result of a wonderful collaboration between myself and Kitey, aka The Yarn Whisperer, of a unique crocheted stocking designed with a special hand dyed yarn in mind.
It’s made us both incredibly happy to see the photos of folks sharing their progress with us on social media and I hope you will continue to do so as you finish your stockings if you haven’t had chance to make it yet.
Although the official end date of the MAL has come to an end DO NOT feel any panic or worry that you didn’t keep up or haven’t even started yet. The deadline was there just for those people that like a deadline, for everyone else, enjoy it when you have the time to use the yarn and / or make the stocking – there is no rush to this crochet makealong! And sometime in the future you will have a beautiful finished object that you can gift for someone special or to enjoy yourself.
Now that the MAL is over, I have listed the pattern in my usual pattern stores for you to make your own version of the The Peppermint Pageant Stocking.
I would suggest three different colours work best, I used 100g / 166m of a main colour (e.g. White) and 50g / 83m in contract colours (e.g. Green and Red) and a 5mm (US size H/8) hook.
If you’d like to pick up this specific kit colourway then you can pick it up from Kitey and EXCITEDLY the Peppermint Pageant kits are getting an upgrade for 2023. This design and yarn combo are going to be the first make-along kit that will keep going this year. Kitey is coming up with some exciting new colourways as we speak that I can’t wait to see come together (I’m looking at you teal and silver – oooo!)
The pattern has a written version, a chart and comes with a bonus pattern to make your own mini hanging stocking decorations – Kitey and I always like to add a little extra something for those scraps of leftover yarn! The pattern comes with all explanation of stitches used and is available in either UK or US terminology.
We do hope that you’ve enjoyed this fun make-along, I know Kitey and I have thoroughly enjoyed it – in fact we’ve already got our plans in the works for our annual summer make-along! I’m already excited about it – we will be looking to release, as before, in July but details will be sent out before that to give folks plenty of time to sign up if they want to.
Make sure you are signed up to the blog (or my newsletter) and The Yarn Whisperer newsletter to make sure you are the first to know when the new collaboration project is revealed!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Oh my word, you wouldn’t even believe how excited I am to finally announce that a bright and beautiful new crochet-along (CAL) is on the way for 2023!!
Join me in making an enchanted style blanket with a woodland-inspired theme. The Enchanted Wood throw is a versatile piece featuring an intricate collection of textured stitches intertwined together.
Bring the great outdoors indoors using a carefully curated palette of colours and stitches in a project that has plenty of interest as each section emerges – with no sewing together!
Believe it or not I actually started working on the design for this pattern not long after we finished with our 2021 CAL; Filet Fantastic. So for over a year this pattern has been bubbling away in the background getting crafted and honed until it was really to share with you lovely folks.
Everyone seemed to really enjoy the no-sew building block construction (I used in Filet Fantastic) so I decided to utilise that method again for the latest CAL blanket. Whilst it is of similar construction this year’s CAL is focused on texture to produce something that you truly just want to keep running your hands over!
This year’s particular theme came from two places; my favourite walking spots in the woods and one of my favourite Enid Blyton books as a child”
Right then, are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin with some of the specifics for this years design.
CAL Specifics
The Enchanted Wood CAL will be released in 8 parts which will be available for free here on the Keep Calm and Crochet On UK Blog. The CAL will start with Part 1 on Friday 20 January 2023 and runs for 8 weeks, each Friday, ending on Friday 10 March 2023.
The landing page for the CAL is available from the CALS AND MALS drop down at the top of the page (here), where I will link all the details in one place.
The Enchanted Wood KCACOUKCAL23 – Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo and Cotton
Yarn Amounts and Kits
I used Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo. + Cotton DK for my blanket which is a really lovely yarn. It’s a cotton / bamboo blended yarn that uses natural fibres for a luxurious crafting experience that’s kind to sensitive skin. Yet it can still go in the washing machine and tumble dryer (on a cool cycle) which makes it perfect for a blanket for the home. It comes in a gorgeous range of naturally inspired shades, designed to mix and match beautifully, and I picked ten colours for my blanket because there were so many lovely shades I wanted to use as many as possible!
And my lovely mum has been back with her hooks to make a second version of the blanket. She’s created hers in Stylecraft Special DK which I would describe as a bit of a staple in the crafting world. I’ve used it for every so many projects. It’s an acrylic yarn as it’s soft yet durable (making it particularly well suited to blankets – and it also washes well). It also comes in a vast rainbow of colours making it particularly easy to choose 8 ‘natural’ sort of shades
I’m delighted to say, as with the last CAL, that Black Sheep Wools have created some exclusive kits especially for the CAL. There are two kits available, the first is in the beautiful Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo. + Cotton. It contains 16 balls and is just £69.99 per kit. The second kit is in the crocheters favourite Stylecraft Special DK, there are 15 balls in the kits and it is just £29.99.
If you are thinking of hooking up this design using yarn from your own stash I would suggest that you would need at least 8 – 10 different colours and at least 1500 / 1600g / 4425m / 4830yds though I’ll be going into more detail about colours and yarn amounts in my next post (Friday 23 December).
Hook Size
I used a 3.5mm (US size E/4). If you were on the look out for a simple aluminium crochet hook (the kind I learnt to crochet with) then I have some in my Yarnybobs store or I also have other hooks and useful crochet tools linked in my Amazon Store.
CAL Accessories
I’m delighted to say I have once again set up some some special collaborations for this CAL for you. CAL lovers can now buy directly from small businesses that have created something special, specifically for the crochet along, which they will be sure to love!
Beautiful bespoke CAL cards have also been created by Simply Shade Cards with the list of the all the yarns used, for Stylecraft Naturals and Stylecraft Special DK, as a perfect way to keep track of colours for the project.
The Enchanted Wood KCACOUKCAL23 – Stylecraft Special DK Version
CAL Details
There is no charge to join the CAL; anyone can join in as long as they have some yarn and a hook.
Whilst the pattern will be available for free here on the blog sometimes it’s easier to have a printable PDF to refer to. The whole pattern therefore will also be available in a printer friendly PDF version in my Ravelry store (for a one off payment). Each weekly instalment will become ready for immediate download in either UK or US terms. During the duration of the CAL this pattern will be released part by part, via Ravelry updates, so as not to spoilt anyone’s fun.
For those that like a deadline I will be adding new details about each section every week on a Friday – see below for full schedule. For those that want to hook when they have the time then that’s fine too; there’s no pressure to this CAL it’s all about enjoying the journey and having fun!
I will be using both UK and US crochet terminology in the pattern (UK/US) so you can pick your preference. I will also always include any helpful information about each element including links about special stitches with the release of each new section.
The hashtag for this years CAL is #KCACOUKCAL23 for Twitter and Instagram. Though you you can join in with any progress photos by linking your projects on your favourite social media sites: Ravelry, Facebook page or Facebook group and Pinterest.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected, thank you for your support.
I’m super excited to be joining forces again with lovely and talented yarn dyer Kitey, aka The Yarn Whisperer, for our fifth collaboration, to bring you a brand new winter make-along.
Imagine, it’s the betwixmas period, you’re not quite sure what day it might be but you feel a sense of calm in the air after the wonderful madness of Christmas. Now it’s time to schedule a few moments just for YOU! It’s a time to indulge in those Christmas treats, to not get dressed if you don’t want to, to find the best trashy TV you can or put on your favourite movie – and of course settle in with a brand new crochet project with some lovely handyed yarn.
Join us in creating magical memories as we saunter into the Peppermint Pageant MAL. Together we will fashion a lovely seasonal heirloom ready to gift or to bring out each year and enjoy in your own home.
If you are not sure what a MAL is, you can read more on the MAL landing page here, but Kitey and I have actually had this planned since for a while (and we may have already planned more projects right into 2024 – we do get a bit over excited when we start talking!)
This time around we are going to be making a stocking, which I’m not going to show you yet, and I’m not going to give away too much about the project, but what I will say is that I so pleased with how it’s turned out and can’t wait to share it with you!
An exclusive pattern and kit have been created for this extra special MAL. Kitey has worked his magic, as usual, to put together an amazingly special colourway and each kit will include:
1x 100g / 166m skein of 100% Superwash Merino Aran
2 x 50g / 83m of 100% Superwash Merino Aran yarn, in TWO exclusive hand-dyed colourways
A digital copy of the pattern (which will be sent to you 22nd – 23rd December)
And a few extra, exclusive treats, just for good measure!
Pin this project for later:
Pre-ordered kits will be available for £44 + postage, and can be made on The Yarn Whisperer website from 10 am on Tuesday 1st November 2022.
AND if you order your kit in the first 24 hours you can enjoy a 10% Early Bird discount.
Kits will be dyed to order over the coming weeks, with generally a 1 week turn-around from order to shipping. But get in quick to ensure you get yours in plenty of time to crochet along with us!
Kits will be dyed to order over the coming weeks, with generally a 1 week turn-around from order to shipping. But get in quick to ensure you get yours in plenty of time to crochet along with us!
Last International orders will be shipped by 18 November if ordered by 10 November. UK orders will continue to be shipped after this date, but ordering early ensures yours arrives in plenty of time to join us on 26 December 2022.
I’ve put together all the details for this particular MAL on a landing page which you can find here, or find via the top menu of this blog under the tab ‘CALS AND MALS’.
There will be support for the pattern as usual in my Facebook group; the KCACO-UK Crochet Community Group.
You can also pop in and join the Virtual Stitch-n-B*tch sessions hosted by Kitey – Wednesday evenings from 7pm, Friday’s from 5.20pm and Sunday’s from 5pm (see full details on Kitey’s Insta page). These sessions are a bit like going to a virtual knit and natter group, and everyone there is really lovely and helpful.
We look forward to you sharing your WIPs with us and we will be using hashtags #PeppermintPageantMAL #kcacouk and #yarnwhisperer if you want to tag us on socials – we love to see what you make.
We do hope that you will join both Kitey and I for this fun make-along – we can’t wait to see your wonderful new projects come to life!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected, thank you for your support.
The 15th of September was the last ‘official’ day of the latest make along that has been hosted by The Yarn Whisperer and myself. From the 31 July until now, over a month later, we have enjoyed a relaxed summer make along project with lovely fellow crocheters. And now I get the opportunity to share my finished Dragonfly River Cowl with you in all it’s glory with you!
As always it’s been an absolute delight to work with Kitey and his gorgeously coloured yarn, I love these collabs we do – it always provides me with an opportunity to work with gorgeous yarn which in turn makes the design process enjoyable too (slightly obsessed by the sparkle yarn this time round)!
If this is the first you’ve heard about the Dragonfly River MAL you can read more about it here but in a nutshell it’s the result of a wonderful collaboration between myself and Kitey, aka The Yarn Whisperer, of a unique crocheted cowl designed with a special hand dyed yarn in mind.
It’s made us both incredibly happy to see the photos of folks sharing their progress with us on social media and I hope you will continue to do so as you finish your cowls if you haven’t had chance to make it yet.
I’m really pleased with how the design for this cowl turned out and working with the yarn was such a delight! I’m a big fan of slub yarn, because I love the texture it automatically creates, and the lovely dragonfly colourway, with that sparkle, was just wonderful! I think I kept being slightly annoying to my husband as I kept asking him to look at it twinkling in various situations, and it really was a delight to see those beautiful tonal green and blue colours coming through in the stitches.
Although the official end date of the MAL has come to an end DO NOT feel any panic or worry that you didn’t keep up, haven’t got it done, didn’t start it or whatever! The deadline was there just for those people that like a deadline, for everyone else, enjoy it when you have the time to use the yarn and / or make the cowl – there is no rush to this crochet make along! And sometime in the future you will have a beautiful finished object that you can gift for someone special or to enjoy wearing yourself.
Now that the MAL is over, I have listed the pattern in my usual pattern stores for you to make your own version of the The Dragonfly River Cowl.
Use two of your favourite skeins of handdyed yarn with a 3.5mm (US size E/4) hook – I can’t wait to see what colourways you use for your own unique projects. Or if you’d like to pick up this specific kit colourway, although the original version was sold out, it will be available again from Kitey from November as a dye to order.
The pattern has a written version, a chart and comes with a bonus pattern to make your own Dragonfly brooch – Kitey and I always like to add a little extra something for those scraps of leftover yarn! The pattern comes with all explanation of stitches used and is available in either UK or US terminology.
We do hope that you’ve enjoyed this fun make-along, I know Kitey and I have thoroughly enjoyed it – in fact we’ve already made our plans for our Christmas-time make-along! All I’m going to say is that I’m already excited for it, it’s something completely different and it’s going to be a blast!
Make sure you are signed up to the blog (or my newsletter) and The Yarn Whisperer newsletter to make sure you are the first to know when the new collaboration project is revealed!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
So today is the official launch of the BRAND NEW summer crochet make-along (Dragonfly River which you can read about here), and so I thought I needed to get my act together and finally list the pattern for last years make-along, the Whisperers of the Sea Wrap, for anyone who just wants the pattern to make their own keepsake wrap.
The product of the wonderful collaboration between myself and The Yarn Whisperer the Whispers of the Sea Wrap is a crocheted shawl featuring light and airy stitches that give it beautiful drape and flow. Perfect for warmer weather as a cover up on the beach, for strolls along the shore, or maybe a beach wedding!
I’m really pleased with how the design turned out, I absolutely LOVED working with the slub yarn! The texture and the softness and the colours that Kitey had worked his magic with were just an absolute delight with every stitch I made. If you love the yarn I created my wrap you can still pick up the custom dyed yarn directly as a pre-order from The Yarn Whisperer on his website.
Or if you’d prefer to use yarn from your stash, the pattern is now available from my usual pattern stores for you to make your own version of the Whispers of the Sea Wrap – I can’t wait to see what colourways you use for your own unique shawls.
It’s made us both incredibly happy to see photos of folks sharing their progress and finished wraps with us on social media, and I hope you will continue to do so as you finish your wraps if you haven’t had chance to make it yet – you can still tag us with the hashtag #WOTSMAL.
To celebrate the launch of our BRAND NEW collaboration I’m running a sale all three of our previous collaboration patterns. Use the code: COLLAB25 until 16 May 2022 to get 25% discount off Whisperers of the Sea Wrap, Mellow Mallow Scarf and the Solstice Garden Wrap
As I mentioned in my last post, Kitey and I just may have already planned more projects into 2024 – we do get a bit over excited when we start talking!) You may wish to sign up to the blog (or my newsletter) and / or The Yarn Whisperer newsletter to make sure you are the first to know when the new collaboration project is revealed!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
I’ve got something new for you today – surround yourself in love with the Hearts in a Whirl wrap!
With Valentine’s Day nearly upon us it seemed the perfect time to finally sort out this pattern! It’s been a work in progress for ever such a long time, though it’s been nothing more than being down to me to find the time to pull everything together – so I’m so pleased to finally be able to share it with you today.
The Hearts in a Whirl wrap is a lightweight shawl which features a fun filet design with a puff stitch twist – perfect for adventurous beginners that would like to try something new.
The general shape of the wrap is a rectangle with a cute heart shaped stitch for borders on either end, if you were using a single colour, or stash busting it would be fairly easy to make it longer by adding a repeat or extending the border.
It’s a perfect pattern to use with your favourite gradient yarn cake; for this version I used Scheepjes Whirl Tasty Nom Nom (Shade 789) and a Scheepjes Whirlette in Grappa (Shade 855), both of which had been in my stash for a very long time, with a 3.25mm (US D/3) hook.
If you are not familiar with Scheepjes Whirls, they are a 4ply (Fingering / Sock Weight) yarn with a high twist making them perfect for crochet. The cakes are 215g (1000m) each with a blend of 60% Cotton, 40% Acrylic. I used pretty much all of the 215g (1000m) for the main part of the wrap, and approximately 45g (182m) of the Whirlette for the border at each end.
I’m really pleased with how the design for this wrap turned out, The nature of this puff stitch means that it should show on the right side and the wrong side of your work (leaving it practically reversible with no right or wrong side).
In fact my mum, who loves things with hearts on in general, and really loved the colour of the yarn (they really are her kind of colours dark purples and reds) has already laid claim to this wrap now that it’s all finished up, and it seems only appropriate I gift it too her as she kindly wore it for a few of these modelled photos.
So it seems I’m still not totally done with filet crochet yet – it’s just such a versatile crochet technique! Though in truth I started this pattern when I was working on Filet Fantastic so it is a couple of years old – so it really was about time I got it released!
If you are new to filet, you might find my post Top Tips for Filet Crochet useful to look at first, but this wrap has a lovely repetition of stitches that you can enjoy as a perfect mindful make!
The pattern is now available from my usual pattern stores for you to make your own version:
With some many wonderful gradient yarn cakes to choose from these days I’m really excited to see what you come up with!
If you make up the Hearts in a Whirl wrap I hope you’ll share any finished photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! And finally you may wish to make sure you are signed up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected, thank you for your support.
So yesterday was the last ‘official’ day of the latest make along that has been hosted by The Yarn Whisperer and myself. From Boxing Day 2021 until today, a month later, we have delighted in seeing your Mellow Mallow scarves grow! And now I get the opportunity to share my finished scarf in all it’s glory!
If this is the first you’ve heard about the Mellow Mallow MAL you can read more about it here but in a nutshell it’s the result of a wonderful collaboration between myself and Kitey, aka The Yarn Whisperer, of a unique crocheted triangle scarf designed with a special hand dyed yarn in mind.
It’s made us both incredibly happy to see the photos of folks sharing their progress with us on social media and I hope you will continue to do so as you finish your scarves if you haven’t had chance to make it.
I’m really pleased with how the design for this scarf turned out. I’m not sure what it is about working with Kitey, but working with his yarn always pushes me, as a designer, to try new challenges – and this scarf was definitely no exception! With no natural pattern repeat the final pattern ended up as 17 pages!! That’s quite long for a scarf pattern, but it does include charts and schematics.
But don’t let that put you off, whilst it doesn’t have a natural repeat, there is a rhythm to the stitches it which means you can pretty much work it without looking, just by checking the stitches at the end of each row.
Although the official end date of the MAL has now passed, it doesn’t really end because you can still make the pattern later. Kitey has a few of the Mellow Mallow kits left, then the colourway will be available as a pre-order.
Or if you’d prefer to use yarn from your stash, the pattern is now available from my usual pattern stores for you to make your own version of the Mellow Mallow Scarf – I can’t wait to see what colourways you use for your own unique scarves.
We do hope that you’ve enjoyed this fun make-along, I know Kitey and I have thoroughly enjoyed it – in fact we’ve already made our plans for our next summer make-along! All I’m going to say is that I’m already excited for this summer design – you are not going to want to miss it! Make sure you are signed up to the blog (or my newsletter) and / or The Yarn Whisperer newsletter to make sure you are the first to know when the new collaboration project is revealed!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Happy Solstice everyone! Today is the last day of the make along that has been hosted by The Yarn Whisperer and myself – though I know there are still plenty of people around the world who are just starting, or are continuing to make the Solstice Garden Wrap.
If this is the first you’ve heard about the Solstice Garden MAL you can read more about it here, but it’s the result of a wonderful collaboration between myself and Kitey, aka The Yarn Whisperer, on a unique crocheted wrap design called Solstice Garden.
It’s made us both incredibly happy to see the photos of folks sharing their progress with us on social media and I hope you will continue to do so as you finish your shawls.
I thought I’d just share some photos of my finished shawl so you can see the final design if you haven’t already. I’m really pleased with how this wrap turned out, it is one of those designs where the yarn really knew what it wanted to be.
I think I mentioned that for this design I looked into some of the traditions of solstice time. The wrap features circles, which the pagan’s used to represent the year and stylised wreaths or blooms to symbolise the turning of the seasons. There are also symbols of protection, unity and balance with enclosing borders and repeating stitch patterns.
With everything that has happened this year this MAL and design has definitely been a highlight, and as always a lovely part of any MAL, (or CAL), has been the wonderful joining of the crafty community, the taking part, chatting about the design and making friends!
In fact there’s a Solstice Zoom catch up TONIGHT at 8pm for a final MAL meet up – doesn’t matter if you are just starting or finishing off it would just be lovely to see you. You can find the full details over on the Yarn Whisperers instagram grid.
Although there is an end date to the make along, it doesn’t really end because you can still make the pattern later. Kitey is currently taking a short break for the holidays though he’ll be re-opening on 26th December (for stock items). His dyed to order yarn, like the Solstice Garden colourway kits will be available again from January 4th 2021. The bead kits to go along with the yarn will still be included but the extra special kit exclusive ‘freebies’ will no longer be available. Kits cost £37 + postage.
If you’d prefer to use yarn from your stash then you can do the pattern alone will be available from my usual stores from 1st February 2021 onwards.
We do hope that you’ve enjoyed this fun make-along, I know Kitey and I have thoroughly enjoyed it – in fact we might just have some secret plans to work together again in the future! All I’m going to say is that I might just have in my possession THE MOST BEAUTIFUL yarn for a summer design that you are not going to want to miss out on! Make sure you are signed up to the blog (or my newsletter) and / or The Yarn Whisperer newsletter to make sure you are the first to know when the new collaboration project is revealed!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
