Designing a Crochet Throw

 It’s easier to design a crochet throw or cushion than you think! Even with the most basic crochet knowledge you can create a throw, just by using a basic granny square you can make a stunning crochet throw to your own design. Use groups of motifs randomly, in colour groups or in bands all look effective. It doesn’t matter how simple the motif you choose, pick the right colours and you will have something that looks lovely and is a true one off. 

By combining motifs in rows or strips of crochet interspersed with rows of simple crochet makes keeping the edges of your throw straight and in shape easier to achieve.  

Five ways to create your own design throw or cushion.....

This is one of my favourite designs. Depending on how big you want your throw to be start with 3 or 5 motifs joined together with a back stitch to make a strip. This will make an oblong throw. Now crochet round these motifs around all sides almost as if you are crocheting in the round. Do this for a few rows then make four strips of motifs to add to the four sides of your throw. 

Use any size of motif and join together to form a strip, odd numbers of motifs work best for this. Then with the right side of your motifs facing join your yarn and work into the stitches on the motifs and work a few rows of plain dc’s (sc’s) or tr’s (dc’s). Repeat for as many rows to make the length of your throw.

Use two different design of motifs in your chosen colours, make one of the motifs plain. Then use one style of motif to make the diagonals of your throw and fill in with your other motif.

Make blocks of smaller motifs and stitch together or crochet together to form one large motif, then stitch these larger motifs together to create your throw. This works really well if you use the same simple motif but mix up the colours and introduce some blended yarns. This is an excellent way to make granny square motifs to make something very special.

 Check out pinterest online for more inspiration! Find my throw patterns here.....

Mixing up Motifs

Choosing a crochet project with motifs has many benefits. You can make a motif when time is short and you can crochet on the go when travelling to work or on long journeys. Crochet motif projects grow quickly and motifs work well for just about every crochet project you can think of from traditional throws and cushions to bags, jackets, hats and baby clothes and toys.

When you are designing your own crochet throw and cushions you can use the same crochet motifs throughout the throw and change the look with the way you use colour. However mixing up motifs adds interest to crochet projects and to the finished design. If you decide to mix up your design using different crochet motifs use 3 or 5 different motifs for a more easy on the eye look. Base your throw or cushion design on squares or rectangles.

Incorporate big motifs for impact. Big motifs give you more scope to use clever colour combinations for more impact and big motifs don't have to use a complicated design, I've made them using a standard granny square to good effect. From my experience whatever motifs you use simple designs always work the best. The clever use of colour and yarns is what will make your design something special and original to you.

How to do it?

1. Use one large and four small motifs that when joined together are the same size as the big motif. When you use this method join the four small motifs together before joining to the larger motif. Use the same colour yarn for the last row of your large and small motifs for a very pretty effect.
2. Make a panel the width of your throw or cushion. Doing this means you can incorporate small and large triangles and even hexagons. If you use this method you will have to make sure that your motifs will create a panel that makes a level edged rectangle. 
3. Make triangular motifs and join together to make squares
4. Make square motifs in the round and combine with textured stitched square motifs made side to side
5. Create large squares turn to make diamonds and create triangles for fillers

Crochet Bags

Crochet bags are lovely and you can make them in a whole variety of styles and yarns from simple farmers market shoppers to more sophisticated clutch and trendy beach bags. Crochet bags can be as simple or as complicated to make as you want them to be! What shape or style  to make your bag?

Holdall bags are probably the most useful. My calico bag pattern can be a work bag, beach bag or shopper. Holdall bags are easy to make with either one shaped piece or 5 separate pieces for back, sides, and bottom. Make crochet holdalls big or large.

Half moon shape or clutch shapes big or small. Use motifs or a solid block of crochet. Use a simple crochet button or crochet flower as a fastening, big or small.

Traditional crochet string bags are the easiest and quickest to make. Best made with chunky yarns or thick cottons. The choice of colours in chunky cottons is lovely so you can go bright or subtle.

Lined or unlined bags. A lining prevents your bag from stretching and protects intricate designs from damage by contents. Use a contrasting design for the lining to add a high end look of your bag.

Duffle shape crochet bags with drawstrings are one of my favourite styles. Use motifs or make them intarsia (colour motif) style. Intarsia bags are simple to make but take some expertise in colour changing.

Traditional granny squares make lovely original bags. Use motifs square on or diagonally.

Handbag style crochet bags have a more formal shape and look good in subtle shades or shades of one colour.

Use stripes small or large, 3 large in blended shades of the same colour create a sophisticated look. Combine different yarns of the same weight to create a unique effect.

Embossed or raised designs including surface crochet are very effective particularly on holdalls. Use raised crochet to create tartan effects.

What sort of handles do you want? Crochet, wooden or bamboo handles or round handles all look good and round handles give a retro look. If you make a holdall style crochet bag you can make and line your own crochet handles.

Crochet bags with flowers. I love raised flowers on bags. These look really pretty around the top and handles of your bag. Use the same yarn or a contrast for your flowers and pick out the colours of your bag.

Twenty ways crochet can transform your home

Everyone wants their home to be a warm and welcoming place that reflects their personality and that feels comfortable and safe for family to live in, a place to enjoy and relax in. Here are my twenty ways to do it.

Making your own crochet projects whether you design them yourself or follow a pattern by your choice of colours will always make your home something that is original and created in a style you love.

1. Add crochet blankets and throws to your lounge or bedroom they serve a purpose and look lovely on display.
2. Whatever your style your crochet projects will make your home homely, this might be in a cottagy style or in a modern, contemporary or elegant way, just choose what you like to make
3. Crochet cushions can be as easy as you like to make but instantly transform your lounge and bedrooms.
4. William Morris said “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Use this as a guide when deciding on crochet projects for your home. It will probably be both.
5. Make things that you can’t easily find in the shops such as cushions or throws to match your furniture or table mats, coasters and runners that match your decor.
6. Change your crochet makes with the seasons 
7. Make crochet projects for special occasion such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter or family events
   
8. Take patterns you like and change the colours, the thickness of the yarn you use or the size of the project. 
9. Table runners are very fashionable now. Transform your home with your own original runners and mats for your kitchen diner.
10. Bring your whole family into creating special items for your home, everyone can have a go at tassels or pom poms
11. Crochet bunting for your kitchen
12. Mug holders and pot holders in your kitchen.
13. Make pretty crochet hangers for your children’s special clothes.
14. Add extras such as edgings or tassels to your crochet projects
15. Crochet baskets for your bedroom and kitchen.
16. Crochet mats and rugs for your hall and reception rooms
17. Add crochet flower wreaths on the doors
18. Make crochet pouffe, chair and seat covers
19. Something as simple as a crochet edging to a bought cushion or throw will transform your home

It doesn’t all have to be on display at the same time so you can create different moods for the different seasons or just to suit your mood.

My Favourite Yarns

Bergere de France Ideal

I first came across this lovely soft yarn at my local farmers market one cold autumn day in 2012. I crochet all year round, but come the autumn I love a big project for the dark and cold winter nights. A throw to cover my dining room basket chairs would be good! A basket full of colours on the stall was irresistible to me. I took home 6 balls each a different colour to experiment with.

Using a 3.25 size hook I tried out a few circular motifs and a traditional granny square, which with clever use of colours could have looked really good. But I wanted something to challenge me, so out came the books, cuttings and patterns. This is where I found the motifs I needed. http://amzn.to/1kC4tXB

I like to do projects that include challenging patterns with repetitive bits I can do when I'm tired. I tried out several motifs but these caught my eye. 

For such a big project the colours had to be right. I love autumn colours so brown, rust, copper came to my mind. Taking the dogs into the garden one day in October a bright sun lit the trees with golden yellows, deep browns and sludgy green browns. Amazingly the little stream that runs through the village and passes by our cottage sparkled a lovely bright blue in the sparkling sun. These are the colours I chose, brown, golden yellow, sludgy brown and bright blue.

Beregere de France provided the golden yellow(girolle), brown (elephant) and blue (myosotis). I love combining more than one yarn to throws and cushions it adds interest and is more fun to crochet. A bit of research online and I found a double knitting sock yarn online that had a mixed yarn that included sludgy brown and blue.

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Warmest wishes

Ann

Designing a crochet throw

What yarn to use?

• Use the best yarn you can get and afford for a better finish, bigger choice of colours, easier to work with, better dyes so better colours
• What thickness your yarn? I like double knit but the choice is yours - thinner grows more slowly but shows more definition
• Using scraps - throws are an amazing way to use up scraps of wool. If I'm doing this I like to have one or two main colours, this brings your designs together saving it from a messy finish.
• Using the same brands and mixing thicknesses. I always mix brands in throws because I like the choice of colours textures you can get. Sometimes I use sock wools for the lovely blends you get in one ball, sometimes I use them as double thickness.
• Do dye colours matter? I've only once fallen foul of dye colours. Because throws are usually multi coloured different dye lots don't usually matter. 

My favourite crochet yarns

Bergere de France Ideal

I first came across this lovely soft yarn at my local farmers market one cold autumn day in 2012. I crochet all year round, but come the autumn I love a big project for the dark and cold winter nights. A throw to cover my dining room basket chairs would be good! A basket full of colours on the stall was irresistible to me. I took home 6 balls each a different colour to experiment with.

Using a 3.25 size hook I tried out a few circular motifs from memory including a traditional granny square, which with clever use of colours could have looked really good. But I wanted something to challenge me, so out came the books , cuttings and patterns from my craft cupboard.

Jan Eatons book, 200 crochet blocks gave me the inspiration I needed. I like to do projects that include challenging patterns with repetitive bits I can do when I'm tired. I tried out several motifs but the combination of 'popcorn flower', 'alternate bobbles', 'sunshine and flowers', 'and 'lacy cross' were the ones I loved the best. I also created my own version of bobbles and a raised flower square for the corners.

For such a big project the colours had to be right. I love autumn colours so brown, rust, copper came to my mind. Taking the dogs into the garden one day in October a bright sun lit the trees with golden yellows, deep browns and sludgy green browns. Amazingly the little stream that runs through the village and passes by our cottage sparkled a lovely bright blue in the sparkling sun. These are the colours I chose, brown, golden yellow, sludgy brown and bright blue.

Beregere de France provided the golden yellow(girolle), brown (elephant) and blue (myosotis). I love combining more than one yarn to throws and cushions it adds interest and is more fun to crochet. A bit of research online and I found a double knitting sock yarn online that had a mixed yarn that included sludgy brown and blue.

Making the throw I loved using soft Bergere de France. It comes in loads of lovely bright colours, but you can see how I used more subtle colours to create my favourite patchwork cushion.

To begin with I made one motif in each colour and decided to use the sock yarn only for this motif. Then out with the graph paper and I came up with my design. This is an oblong and features a diagonal of the same motifs which I think looks really good and you can see in the image.

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