I Like Crochet Magazine | Countryside Pillow

Posted in Crochet, Crochet Accessories, Inspiration, Magazine, Pattern Release, Tah-Dah, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

How is it already nearing the end of march already? I can’t quite believe how fast this year is going by! I’ve not yet told you about the second design, of the three, that I created the April 2023 edition of I Like Crochet magazine. This next design is inspired by bright cheerful Spring walks; allow me to introduce the Countryside Pillow.

A textured cushion, featuring a pattern inspired by the English countryside, rests on a white chair. — © I Like Crochet – April 2023

The layered landscape of the countryside on a bright day inspired this pillow. Next weekend is one of my favourites time of the year here in the UK as our clocks go forward.

It means we’ll gain an extra hour of daylight everyday, making it so much more bright and cheerful all round. That of course means that we have longer days to crochet by – woo hoo!

Side view of the crocheted Countryside Pillow. Pattern available in the April issue of I Like Crochet magazine. — © I Like Crochet – April 2023

For my pillow I used a combination of John Arbon Textiles yarns and a 3mm (US closest size D/3). The main section of the pillow is made with 200g (250m per 100g) of Appledore yarn which is 40% Devon Closewool / 40% Romney / 20% Exmoor Blueface.

I then combined this with some of their Appledore Mini DK skeins (25g / 62m) and some Knit by Numbers Mini DK skeins, which is (at the time of writing this) is 100% Merino to create the hills and valleys on the front of the pillow.

Image of several John Arbon Textile mini Appledores in seven vibrant colours on a desk, a hand is reaching into the scene to hold up the yarn tag towards the camera.

I really enjoy crocheting with both of these yarns, each skein is dyed with a beautiful vibrancy to create a palette of shades that work together beautifully.

Crocheted using the altered berry stitch and a smattering of different yarns and colors, this pattern could also be a great stash buster to create a landscape at sunrise or sunset, fields of green or fields of wheat.

The only other things you will need to make your pillow is a tapestry needle, scissors, 14 inch (36cm) cream zip and a 16×16 inch cushion inner.

💕 SAVE THE COUNTRYSIDE PILLOW ON RAVELRY 💕

Close up of the crocheted Countryside pillow showing vibrant colours and texture. — © I Like Crochet – April 2023

As well as my flower hair accessories and countryside pillow the April 2023 edition features loads of lovely seasonal patterns and a range of interesting articles. If you SUBSCRIBE you can get the magazine straight to your desktop or iPad as well as access to lots of other extra crochet bonus material.

Front cover image of the I Like Crochet e-magazine for April 2023 — © I Like Crochet – April 2023

If you haven’t heard of I Like Crochet magazine before it’s a US bi-monthly digital magazine which is published by the creators of AllFreeCrochet.com. With it being a US publication patterns are written using US crochet terminology – if you are not sure how that differs you may find my post British vs. American Crochet Terms: What’s the difference? of use.

If you hook up the any of the designs in this issue 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! 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 and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

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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.

17Dec2021

Simply Crochet Magazine | Cabled Cushion

Posted in Crochet, Magazine, Pattern Release, Tah-Dah, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

Hi folks! I’m just popping on today to let you know I’ve got a brand new pattern available in the latest edition of Simply Crochet magazine. Issue 117 is out now with a range of cosy projects including a fun cabled cushion design from me.

It’s Christmas time and crochet is here to help you decorate your home with some wintery and cosy projects – like my ‘Cabled Cushion’. I wanted to create something that would hopefully compliment any style home, that you could make to match your own colour scheme – and because I love texture so much I threw some of that in too!

I’ve used linked treble crochets (US linked double crochets) to create a dense texture, amongst the cables, to create a durable cushion that should hopefully last for ages!

I made the cushion with Cygnet Chunky yarn and a 5.5mm hook, and I used six balls in total, in the lovely Willow colour (Shade 515), which is a sort of greyish-greeny sage type shade that’s just gorgeous.

The yarn is approx. £1.95 / $2.59 per 100g ball (156m) and you also need a 50 x 50cm / 20″ x 20″ cushion inner, 6 x 3cm wooden buttons and some stitch markers – so you can easily make the whole cushion for less than £25 / $33.12.

Cygnet Chunky was a new yarn for me, I’d not used it before, but I’d use it again, it’s a nice and plump chunky 100% acrylic yarn (so machine washable on a mild 40°C wash), and if I wanted to make the cushion in a different colour Cygnet Chunky is available in 36 different colours.

The six buttons are attached to the back centre of the cushion (or at the front if you like the buttoned up look, which I do) which means you can easily remove the cushion cover for washing – perfect if you have pets or kids!

So whether it’s for your bed or as an occasional pillow for your living room – I think the Cabled Cushion will instantly add a bit of style and texture – what colour will you make yours in?

❤️ SAVE THE CABLED CUSHION ON RAVELRY ❤️

Issue 117 of Simply Crochet magazine is available to buy from your local supermarket or you can grab a digital or print subscription from buysubscriptions.com.

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! 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 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, thank you for your support.

31Mar2021

Simply Crochet Magazine | Gamer Cushion

Posted in Crochet, Magazine, Pattern Release, Tah-Dah, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

Hi folks! I’m just popping on today to let you know I’ve got a brand new pattern available in the latest edition of Simply Crochet magazine. Issue 108 is out now with a range of amigurumi and spring projects including a fun gamer cushion design from me.

© Intermediate Publishing – Simply Crochet 108

This cushion was inspired by the old ‘space invaders’ game which was one of the earliest video games (released in 1978) and it’s viewed as the pioneer of modern gaming. The premise of the game is that a host of aliens dramatically descend on your spaceship and you have to blast them before they reach the bottom of the screen.

Although the game was created before I was born I do actually think I remember playing it with my brother on an old arcade game at a caravan park when we were younger.

Space Invaders’ pixilated alien have become icons of gaming and I thought that I could re-create the blocky look of the alien using the corner to corner (c2c) technique and I think it worked out really well.

© Intermediate Publishing | Simply Crochet Issue 108

I made the cushion with Cygnet DK Acrylic Yarn and a 4mm hook. I used four balls in total, three in Slate (1790) for the main cushion and then the bright contrasting Apple (6711) for the alien.

Cygnet DK is not actually a yarn I think I had used before but I’d describe it as a classic sort of double knit 100% acrylic and as such it’s machine washable on a mild 40°C wash (which is one of the things I love about acrylic yarn!).It’s very reasonably priced, around £1.89 ($2.61) per ball which means that you can pretty much make the whole cover for about £8 ($11). It also comes in over 50 colours so you could potentially match your alien to your room colour for a more personalised touch.

To finish off the cushion you also need 6 x 2cm buttons for the back fastening of the cushion which makes it easy to get the 50x50cm (20×20 inch) cushion inner out so you can wash the cover if needs be.

So control your comfort and let this iconic arcade game alien invade your gaming space! I think little gamers young and old will love this cosy cushion as the ideal finishing touch for any den or bedroom – who would you make one for? This one has already been claimed by my 10 year old ‘gamer’ daughter who loves the green.

❤️ SAVE THE GAMER CUSHION ON RAVELRY ❤️

Issue 108 of Simply Crochet magazine is available to buy from your local supermarket or you can grab a digital or print subscription from buysubscriptions.com.

If you hook up the Gamer Cushion 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

21Aug2020

Free Crochet Pattern | Perfect Puff Pillow

Posted in Crochet, Crochet Accessories, For Adult, Free Patterns, Pattern Release, Tah-Dah by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

It’s free pattern Friday – woo hoo! And in collaboration with the lovely folks from Anchor Yarns I’ve got a brand new pillow pattern to offer you. Please allow me to introduce the Perfect Puff Pillow which is available to download for FREE from the Anchor website (see link below).

I wanted to create a classic contemporary looking pillow in a solid colour with lovely texture so that crafters could match it to their own decor – though you could totally mix and match the colours of the motifs to create something totally unique!

I used Creativa Fino 4ply for this project, which comes in a fabulous range of shades for beautifully coloured homeware. It’s 100% twisted cotton which is lovely and soft and has a silky feel – and it gives stitch definition to drool over!

I used a 3.25mm hook (US size D/3) to create the pillow which measures 35 x 50cm (14 x 20 inches) making it a perfect accent pillow size. I used a cushion inner from Amazon for my centre and a 30cm zip that I had in my craft cupboard – similar to this one.

This pattern uses simple stitches throughout making it a great project for a beginner – but it has enough interest for an intermediate crocheter. Motifs make great projects to work on in between other projects when you just want to work on something quick, and they’re small enough to to enjoy when you are out and about for a project on the go. The finished cushion also has a gorgeous texture that you just want to run your fingers over.

The Perfect Puff Pillow is a free download available directly from the Anchor Yarns website where you can just download the pattern or register for an account. It doesn’t cost anything for an account, but by signing up you’ll gain access to loads of other free patterns by other talented designers too.

FREE ANCHOR PATTERN DOWNLOAD

The pattern is written in UK crochet terminology and I’ve linked it up on Ravelry too if you’d like to save it to your favourites on there (at the link below).

SAVE PATTERN ON RAVELRY HERE

It’s a simple modern pillow which I think would make the perfect addition to any bedroom, dorm room, or comfy couch. What colour would you make yours in?

And if you are looking for a few more FREE patterns, by me, using Anchor Yarns check out the following links:

If you hook up the Perfect Puff Pillow I hope you’ll tag @kcaco.uk on Instagram using the hashtags #kcacouk and #proud2craft or #anchoryarns (so the folks at Anchor Yarns can see too) or share your projects in my Facebook group as I love to see your finished work!

Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx

27Feb2018

A Splash of Neon | Free Zig Zag Zing Crochet Cushion Pattern

Posted in Crochet, Designing, Free Patterns, Inspiration, Pattern Release, Yarn by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

Do not adjust your computer screens we are going bright, bright, bright!!

Lovecrochet.com often put together themes for collections and you may remember that I took part in their Coastal Adventures Anthology in June last year with my Pembroke Shawl. For their first collection for 2018 lovecrochet.com decided they wanted to go bold and bright with a Splash of Neon!

Now neon obviously works great for signs and lights in the real-world but used in yarn…hhmmm you say….I can hear you aren’t convinced…but wait, by the end of this post you’ll want to add neon to everything (possibly)!

Now I’ll confess neon is something I’ve never included in a design before and so when the call came out for neon inspired designs, using Paintbox Yarns, I knew I had to take up the challenge!

If you aren’t familiar with Paintbox Yarns they are a practical (machine washable) high quality premium acrylic and cotton yarn available in various weights. For premium yarn it’s really soft and super lovely to hook up a project with and the range comes in over 60 shades in a modern colour palette which, for any crafter, is fabulous to see. It’s also great value and lovecrochet.com often run Paintbox Yarn sales which you can keep up with by signing up to their newsletter.

You might think that neon colours would be tough to use without clashing and that they are too loud and brassy. Scary combinations for crochet right? Well when carefully implemented I’ve learnt that they can be a super fun addition to a project. Take a look at the the eight designs that make up the Splash of Neon collection for instance. Aren’t they all fab! Can you guess which is my make?

Did you guess the cushion with the pink pom-poms? Well you’re right!

I’m really excited to now reveal my new Zig Zag Zing cushion!!

Now you can express your creativity by adding the bright on-trend zing of neon to your home in a fun, not scary, way.

The Zig-Zag Zing Cushion is perfect either on its own or coordinated with other cushions and is a great way to bring a pop of colour to any living room or bedroom.

This free crochet pattern is very straightforward pattern so that it can be readily picked up by beginners. There are written instructions, a chart and I’ve also included instructions for adding a zip opening for a clean look and easy care.

So have I changed your mind a bit about neon? I hope so! I can’t wait to see your finished neon projects. Why not start with my Zig Zag Zing cushion cover which you can get a free copy of right now on Lovecrochet.com

Until next time – keep calm and crochet on my friends xx