Free Crochet Mother’s Day Card

Posted in Crochet, Free Patterns, Getting Crafty, Pattern Release by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

There is less than two weeks to go until Mother’s Day here in the UK and, as many of us haven’t been able to see our mums in recent months, it got me thinking about how nice it would be to pop something handmade in the post this year!

Butterfly-Card — © Intermediate Publishing – Issue 81 / February 2019

You may or may not remember that back in February 2019 I took part in the Simply Crochet magazine ‘Hook to Hook Challenge.’ This was a fun mini competition between two designers to come up with a unique pattern for a Mother’s Day Card using the same yarn – my design was the ‘Wings of Love’.

The rights of the pattern have now returned to me and I thought I would share the design here on the blog in case you would like to create your own crochet Mother’s Day card this year.

Mother’s Day in the UK this year is Sunday 14 March and in the US it’s Sunday 9 May so hopefully I’m giving you plenty of time to hook up your own cards, but as the butterfly motifs are small they really don’t take long to hook up!

Pattern

The pattern below is written in UK crochet terminology.

Yarn: Scheepjes Catona (100% Mercerised Cotton) 10g/25m) I used the following colours for my new card:

10g x Lemonade (403) – Yellow (A)
10g x Fresia (519) – Pink (B)
10g x Cherry (513) – Dark Pink (C)
10g x Kiwi (205) – Bright Green (D)
10g x Apple Granny (513) – Green (E)

Hook: 2.5 mm (US size C/2)

Notions and Accessories: 21 x 15cm embossed card, PVA glue (or glue gun), washi tape or sellotape

Tension: Tension is not critical for this project

Measurements:

Small Butterfly 2.3cm (0.8in)
Medium Butterfly 3.3cm (1.3in)
Large Butterfly 4cm (1.6in)

Small Butterfly | Make 2.

Rnd 1: Using Yarn A / C, make a magic loop, 6dc into the ring, sl st to the top of the first dc to join. 6sts

Rnd 2: (Ch2, 2htr in the same st, ch2, sl st to the same st) sl st into the next st, repeat ( ) once, sl st into the next 2 sts, ((ch1, 2dc in the same st, ch1, sl st to the same st)) sl st in the next 2sts, repeat (( )) once. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Using Yarn B thread a small section of yarn through the middle loop and tie in a knot between the two larger wings, snip off ends to form antennae.

Medium Butterfly | Make 2.

Rnd 1: Using Yarn B / A, make a magic loop, 6dc into the ring, sl st to the top of the first dc to join. 6sts

Rnd 2: (Ch2, 2htr in the same st, ch2, sl st to the same st) sl st into the next st, repeat ( ) once, sl st into the next 2 sts, ((ch3, 3tr in the same st, ch3, sl st to the same st)) sl st in the next 2sts, repeat (( )) once. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Using Yarn C thread a small section of yarn through the middle loop and tie in a knot between the two larger wings, snip off ends to form antennae.

Large Butterfly | Make 2.

Rnd 1: Using Yarn C / B, make a magic loop, 6dc into the ring, sl st to the top of the first dc to join. 6sts

Rnd 2: (Ch3, 2tr in the same st, ch3, sl st to the same st) sl st into the next st, repeat ( ) once, sl st into the next 2sts, ((ch4, 3dtr in the same st, ch4, sl st to the same st,)) sl st into the next 2sts, repeat (( )) once. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Using Yarn A thread a small section of yarn through the middle loop and tie in a knot between the two larger wings, snip off ends to form antennae.

Embroidering on Card

Your blank greeting card should be made of a fairly heavy, sturdy cardstock. You’ll be handling this card a great deal as you stitch, so you need something that will withstand bending without tearing.

Sketch your design, of grass and heart, onto the card lightly with a pencil.
Then using a sharp needle punch the holes (about 0.4cm / 0.157 inch apart) along the lines.
Rub out your pencil marks before you start stitching
Using Yarn D embroider the grass onto the card, then repeat with Yarn E for the heart, use a bit of washi tape or sellotape to secure into place

Finishing

Leaving a space at the top of the card for any message with PVA glue add the butterfly motifs around the card.

Thank you for crocheting along with me – I can’t wait to see the cards you make. Please tag me @KCACO.UK on Instagram (or use hashtag #kcacouk) as I always love to see your makes. You can also share your projects photos by linking them on your favourite social media sites: Ravelry, Facebook page or Facebook group and Pinterest if you aren’t on Instagram.

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

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14Feb2019

Simply Crochet 81 | Hook to Hook Challenge

Posted in Crochet, Designing, Getting Crafty, Magazine, Pattern Release by Keep Calm and Crochet On UK

If you are a fan of Simply Crochet magazine then you are probably familiar with their ‘Hook to Hook Challenges’ where two designers compete to come up with a unique pattern, to a given brief, using the same yarn. I always love seeing these challenges as the results are always so different! So I was super excited to be asked to be one of the challengers for Issue 81. And this is what I came up with…

The theme for this challenge was ‘Mother’s Day Card’ and I was given five 10g mini balls of Scheepjes Catona and some card with which to design some motifs suitable to create a card to give on that special day.

I actually came up with a few different ideas for card designs but in the end I settled on creating some butterfly motifs. I love butterflies, I just think they are wondrous creatures and always delight in seeing them so it was fun to come up with some small designs in keeping with my card idea.

I also decided to add an extra handmade twist of embroidering with the yarn directly onto the card. That was really fun to do and it produced exactly the effect I was looking for with the card.

As it was my mum that taught me how to crochet this Mother’s Day card would just be perfect for her!

I did laugh when I saw that my competitor was none other than Eleonora from Coastal Crochet! You may remember that I’ve met her a couple of times and interviewed her here on the blog too (read that here). It’s so fun to be up against someone I know and I certainly wouldn’t mind if she won. I love Eleonora’s cat and floral motif card – it certainly is purrrfect for Mother’s day too!

One of the fun bits of the Hook to Hook Challenge is that YOU can vote for your favourite of the two designs on the Simply Crochet Instagram page. To vote, simply double tap and comment on the design you prefer, and one lucky reader will win all the yarn that you need to make the project.

A winner will be announced on Wednesday 20th February 2019 at 1pm (GMT) on the Simply Crochet Instagram page, the competition is open to UK entrants only and T&C’s will apply.

So please, go check out the challenge, vote, and then I hope you’ll pop to the shops to pick up your copy of Simply Crochet Magazine for both Mother’s Day card patterns so you can have a go at making them yourself!

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

24May2018

Simply Crochet Magazine |Sierra Summer Diamond Blanket

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

Yay! Simply Crochet issue 71 and I’m very excited to say that I’ve got a brand new blanket pattern inside which is perfect for summer picnics.

I’d like to introduce the Sierra Summer Diamond Blanket…

Add a little touch of flair and warmth to your outdoor parties with my fun geometric bold granny diamond blanket…

Made with Stylecraft Special Double Knit this blanket is made up from lots of lovely diamond motifs made in the round and then joined together. I do so love a motif, they are small and relatively fast to hook up so you feel like you are accomplishing something quickly and they are easy to take out and about with you.

Move over orange and black, the way forward is definitely orange and navy!

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As well as my blanket there are some other great patterns in the magazine, it’s got a very sporty vibe this month with, amongst other things, a fab stylish sporty t-shirt, some great socks (I still need to crochet me some socks!) an uber-cool Tunisian jean trims pattern from my lovely friend Eleonora’s from Coastal Crochet and I just adore

the adorable Jammy Dodger tape measure free kit with the print edition – I’m definitely going to be making that at some point!

Simply Crochet issue 71 is now available both in-store at and online and they also offer worldwide subscriptions! If you do make the Sierra Summer Diamond Blanket I hope you’ll share a photo with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) – I love to see it!

Until next time, keep calm and crochet on my friends x

3Jan2018

Simply Crochet Magazine | Crochet Edits Supplement

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

Happy New Year everyone!!! I know it’s the new year and all that but I’m going to have to take you back a wee bit to the end of 2017 – to December 28 in fact. Unbelievably, in my fevered state, I almost missed the release of one of the biggest projects I’ve ever undertaken! Out now in Issue 66 of Simply Crochet magazine there is, along with a fab little blocking tool, a Crochet Edits Supplement for three granny stitch projects designed by yours truly.

It’s a bit of a floating on a cloud moment for me and I’m feeling quite proud (and still a bit incredulous that they are actually in their very own supplement) and of course I want to share my exciting news with you my wonderful constant readers.

It all started just after I’d received back my Perfect Pansy Bag. I was chatting to the lovely Sara, the editor of Simply Crochet magazine, via email when she happened to ask how my granny square making abilities were – well after working on the gazillion variations for the Groovyghan that’s one crochet skill I do feel I have down pat. Sooo it was arranged that I would do three projects for a supplement for the magazine. A whole supplement, all to my very own – I couldn’t believe it!

Unfortunately the project did not start off smoothly! The yarn went missing during delivery – we eventually found out the parcel had been delivered to a neighbour of mine who had subsequently gone on holiday. So I lost about ten days from the time I had planned to start the deadline was looming to finish of all three projects so there was some anxiety about proceedings but eventually I got my hands on a deliciously large box FULL to the brim of the squishiest King Cole Luxury Merino DK.

Picture the moment, if you will, when someone with a yarn obsession receives a giant box full to the brim of yarn – it was a pretty glorious moment I can tell you! Eight of the most lovely colour’s of which I’d be hard pressed to pick a favourite (though loving the mustard!), were enclosed inside the parcel of joy and the yarn is sooooo soft that it really was an absolute pleasure to crochet with it.

I’d always wanted to make a multicolour hexie blanket and so I can now tick that off my crochet bucket list. Although the colours appear random there was a structure to the colour placement with no outer colours the same touching and every colour represented in seven hexagon flower arrangement. I’m not going to lie – the placement of colours was something I agonised over for AGES (don’t worry a schematic for the colour placement is included in the pattern). But when it finally came together I was so pleased with how it looked.

It’s definitely one of my favourite makes of 2017…

Actually scratch that, it may just be one of my favourite makes EVER! What’s not to love about a pretty merino shade rainbow!

The other projects included in this supplement are my Blooming Bunting…

And my Bohemian Beauty Granny Slouch Bag which I also adore.

Simply Crochet issue 66 is available both in-store and online, and you can see an online preview of the magazine here. They also offer worldwide subscriptions!

If you make any of these projects I hope you’ll share a photo with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) – I love to see what you make!

Until next time, keep calm and crochet on my friends x