Home ware Crochet

What’s nicer than a home personalised with handmade cushions, throws and candle cosies you have made yourself. Big or small if you’ve made it yourself its special and will reflect your taste, skills, favourite colours and loves, so enhancing your home.

If you are making home ware crochet for gifts, crochet is a fantastic way to give a friend or relative a gift for a special occasion something unique for them. Everyone values handmade quality gifts and treasures them. 

What can you create? The choice is only limited by your imagination. If you are making something for yourself then choose to make something that fits in with and enhances your home decor. It’s a good idea to personalise what you make to the colour of one room of your home.

William Morris said’ Have nothing n your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful’. I use this to guide me when making something for myself and for friends. This especially applies if you are making something for a gift such as a house warming or wedding present.

Crochet home ware makes fantastic house warming gifts and wedding and engagement presents. Make it special for your friends by making your gift in their favourite colours and styles. Here are my ten favourite crochet home wares to make.....

Baskets – for storage in bedrooms, craft rooms and children’s bedrooms

Cushions – not just forlounges, make then for conservatories and garden rooms

Table mats – make these in the more traditional style of fine lace crochet or in more modern styles using bright colours and thicker cottons

Pot holders – perfect for kitchens, make a pretty stack and tie with a ribbon for a small but thoughtful gift

Table runners – these lookgorgeous on modern long tables and sideboards. You can make them by using lacymotifs or stripes of pretty cottons Throws – these are really special to make and are a lovely heritage housewarming gift, or wedding present

Candle cosies – gorgeous and useful  in bathrooms and bedrooms

Door and bedroom wreaths – the perfect housewarming gift , you can also make them for children’s bedrooms

Rugs – made in thickercotton, make them round, square or oblong

Door stop – make these round, square or in the shape of dogs and cats and add weights!

Not all Crochet motifs have to be square or round

Choosing a crochet project with motifs has many benefits. Firstly you can make a motif when time is short, secondly you can crochet on the go and lastly motif based crochet projects grow quickly. Traditionally we make motifs square or round, but not all motifs have to be shaped this way. With a little imagination you can add a new quality to your crochet projects and give yourself more design options with more unusual shaped motifs.

Irish and free style crochet traditionally use free form shapes and you can use these for inspiration. Don’t think that anything other than a square or round motifs will be difficult to make or difficult to crochet together. Triangular motifs for example can be easily fitted together to make a square giving you flexibility to create spectacular designs with the colours you use.

Joining together
As with square or round motifs you have many options when joining your more unusual shaped motifs together.  You can add a filler to make joining easier and this works well with crochet shawls. Base your filler on the centre of your main motif. Most non square or round motifs start in the same way with the same basis as square and round motifs, allowing you to use the middle part of your main motifs to create your filler. Check out my fan shawl to see how this works.

As with more traditional motifs you can use a lacy stitch to join your motifs together or use a simple slip stitch join motifs.  Alternatively stitch your motifs together and doing this will create a denser effect to your finished project. The motifs of my peacock scarf crochet were crocheted  together to create a pretty ridge effect.

If all else fails and you would like to make a throw or shawl using more unusually shaped motifs but  lack the confidence to do this, you can turn your square motifs on their side to create diamonds. You don’t even have to make filers just leave the edge of your throw jagged to give a pretty effect.

Creating your design
As with square or round motifs make your unusual shaped motifs plain or multi coloured or use plain motifs with a different or blended coloured joining stitch. Graph paper does help create designs with more unusually shaped motifs and I sometimes make a few motifs and experiment to work out the best way to join them together. You can use this method as the basis for creating shawls, throws and blankets. Make four or six motifs and find the best way to join these together then use multiples of the six motifs together to create your project.

Tapestry Style Crochet Cushion with Large Squares

Designing and creating beautiful crochet designs that are simple and rewarding to make is my life’s work! This cushion designed in 2018 is a modern contemporary design and the large squares and blocks of colour have big impact.

My inspiration was the wonderful Aztec tapestry design bags created by South American crocheters. While tapestry crochet has been around for a while these crocheters have taken it to a whole new world of possibilities. Tapestry crochet is very simple to make and can be used to create elaborate designs and pictures.

I used two toning colours for the design I created the cushion so the colour changes are easy. Make it in black and white for a very contemporary design perfect for a modern home. The design uses only double crochet (single crochet) stitches so is very easy to make, once you have mastered how to change colours and the pattern include a tutorial on how to do this.

Make the cushion bigger by adding more blocks widthways or lengthways, just keep your proportions OK and the design would make a lovely floor cushion with six blocks square. As with all designs change the colours you change the look of your project completely.

I added a checkerboard effect border to add interest and to make the main design stand out as if framed. Full instructions included in the pattern. Grab the pattern here.....

The Story of My Key collection

I love crochet and find it always inspiring. I love the flexibility and artistry of crochet. What other craft can be used to make such a variety of items, from lace mats, to rugs, clothing and even works of art? What other craft is as flexible and can be used in so many ways as crochet and what other craft evolves and develops in such new and fascinating ways.

My key crochet collection of classy patterns and designs is filled with my crochet favourites and showcases the way my crochet has matured! I wanted my classic crochet designs and patterns all together in one collection. All the crochet projects in this collection are stylish simple designs that look stunning and are easy to follow and make. No more reams of complex text and blurry charts!

The collection includes gorgeous scarves, cushions and bags, all the things I love to make. All the patterns are adaptable so you can easily use them in any number of different ways. Scarves become cushions and cushions become scarves. Small cushions become big ones and big ones become smaller, even the place mats in my key collection would make a lovely scarf! You’ll find some classics here and some truly original designs using motifs in a different way but all are easy to achieve.

The collection is my take on traditional crochet styles and traditional methods of making. I wanted to show you how by changing stitches and using crochet in new and different ways, you can easily change and improve the look, originality and feel of your crochet projects. I guarantee if you use one of my crochet patterns for your latest project you will produce something stunning and truly original to you, something that will be loved by your family and friends.

For this collection I picked my yarns with care, all are good quality and well priced. Spending time making something for yourself or as a gift it’s worth the investment. However all my designs can be made with your favourite yarns just make sure your tension is OK!

The designs and patterns in this key collection are based on my 40 years of crochet plus a lot of research and experimentation. My mission is to simplify designs and patterns but at the same time create original stunning crochet. I want to move crochet along to a new level of fun and innovation, so you can make something that says ‘wow’.

Who is my key collection for? Any crafter who can make the basic crochet stitches with confidence and is now ready to try make something new, something that looks different but is still within your  capabilities with a slight stretch! All of my patterns and designs grow quickly and you can make them in bite size pieces so they are perfect for when you are on the go.

If you love crochet and feel it’s time to make something special take a look inside my collection. Visit my key collection here.....

West Yorkshire Spinners

There are so many yarns and yarn suppliers to choose from, that it’s difficult to decide who to buy from and what to buy. Many companies import wool and yarn from a variety of sources and dye on mass others buy in yarn and hand dye! It’s lovely to come across a company that spin, dye and produce their own yarns and if you are in the UK the good news is that if you buy from West Yorkshire Spinners you are supporting a UK company and UK sheep farmers.

From a relatively small range of West Yorkshire Spinners have expanded and now offer choices in 4 ply, DK and Arran, including Blue faced, British Wool breeds, Jacobs, Mohair, Norweigean and Wensleydale. The selection of yarns they offer are all lovely quality and well priced with a good choice of colours and blends.

The British Wool breeds range, Aire Valley which I’ve tried in a double knitting blend comes in very punchy cocktail colours and blends in DK and Arran, it’s a wool rich blends with 75% wool.
I’ve used Illustrious, 70% Falkland wool and 30% British Alpaca, which comes in 100grm balls which produces 225metres.

Blue Faced Arran comes in 4 ply, DK and Arran in multi shades and a good selection of sock yarns. The gorgeous country birds collection is self striping and the autumn collection is has lovely greens and deep rusts. 100% blue faced Leicester DK 100 gm balls (224 metres).
Buy direct from West Yorkshire Spinners

Mixing up Yarns

There are many reasons to combine different yarns in your crochet projects and lots of benefits for doing this. For a start this is a great way to use up yarn scraps! Adding a different yarn adds another texture to your crochet work and gives a completely different look. This makes your work completely exclusive, no one will be able to create the same look even if they are using the same pattern.

How to do it?

Combine a different yarn from your main yarn as a stripe

Put an alternative yarn at the centre of a motif
Use a different yarn from your main yarn for the edging of a crochet blanket or throw
Mix up yarns as part of your whole project by using two yarns together e.g. a plain 4 ply yarn with a silky 4 ply
Use a different yarn to make crochet buttons to decorate your project. This works nicely on children’s clothing, when contrasting buttons looks lovely.
Use a different yarn for surface crochet, silky and tweed on plain looks good
Add your different yarn to a motif. For example if you are using a double knit yarn for your project  twist 2 yarns of 3 or 4 ply together to make alternative rows.

Hints

Use different weights and twist together
Use a tweed yarn with a plain yarn
Use a silky yarn with a plain yarn to turn your project into something really classy

Use other weights together in contrasting colours to your main yarn and you can double up 4ply and combine to a double knit based project. If you do this please be careful to check your tension is OK. Make a test piece to check your tension and to check the yarns look OK together and it’s worth experimenting.

Your alternative yarn doesn’t have to be the same type of yarn as your main yarn. I often combine tweed yarns with plain double knit and this looks really good and it’s surprising how many yarn colours a tweed yarn will complement.

It’s worth bearing in mind that if you use different type of weight yarns but from the same manufacturer you often find the dyes are the same, so colours will blend together well.

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.

Colour Block cushion - turquoise

My inspiration for the first colour block cushion came with a visit to Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire this summer. Built of stone in the 15th century with stone stairs, stone walls and floors the house could have been gloomy and dark but instead the rooms of this family home were bright and cosy.

I love colour and colour combinations wherever you see them in nature, in clothing, gardens or interior designs. Creamy curtains with a large print of bright colours in one room of the castle made me see how the combination of turquoise, taupe and white would make a bright fresh looking cushion. Once home I searched for a double knit wool in the right colours and hit on Sirdar Snuggly.

Choosing teal, taupe, white and orange when the wool arrived the combination of teal and white looked better without the taupe or orange and would keep the cushion looking fresh and modern.
I designed a very pretty round motif earlier this year which I’ve used in many different ways. In this cushion I’ve used it to make a square motif. I experimented with the two colours trying a white centre and a turquoise surround and then a turquoise centre with a white surround which was my choice. Either combination looks good and creates a very different look for the cushion.

I experimented with the panels. The small motifs looked too much on their own so I made a long thin strip of them and made a couple of textured panels to go alongside. From there the obvious solutions was another bank of the motifs and the design was complete. For the panels I chose a very simple textured stitch. I’ve become a bit addicted to textured crochet recently. It creates a lovely Arran style knitted finish and it’s very therapeutic to make.

As so often I finish a design before I think too much about how to finish it, if a fastening is needed and whether to add an edging. For this cushion design I had a mind to use the centre of the motif for buttons and a simple crochet loop to create a fastening. When this was done I was very happy with the finished look and decided an edging would spoil the simple fresh modern look.

Third Kaleidoscope Cushion - design 14

The colours for the third design of my summer Kaleidoscope cushion collection was inspired by a visit to the seaside on a sunny warm day in June. The dog played on the beach we paddled in the sea and indulged in very big ice creams! The sea was very blue and the cliffs were two shades of rusty brown and in bright sunshine the sand was a pale beigy grey.

The colours didn’t seem like an obvious combination but if they work in nature.....When we came back from the seaside I had the inspiration for my 3rd cushion in my head and I couldn’t wait to start. For this 3rd cushion I wanted to show more detail of the crochet stitches so I needed to use a finer yarn.

Searching my stocks of yarn  I found some Shilasdair which is made using natural dyes  and is a lovely yarn  from independent spinners on the Isle of Skye. It has slubs of wool something that I love as it brings another dimension to the finished designs. In this cushion I used an oatmeal colour. For some reason finer yarns seem to have more subtle colours. I combined the Shilasdair with West Yorkshire Spinners 4 ply from the Spice range. The blue is Sirdar Country Style 4 ply. I used a 3.5 crochet hook.

The theme that runs through the Kaleidoscope collection is the colours and using colour combinations to define the designs. All of the Kaleidoscope collection were made by me when sitting in the garden when it was not always warm and I sometimes had to dodge the showers!

The garden in June

Join me here.....

You can see the first Kaleidoscope cushion design 12 here and the second Kaleidoscope cushion design 13 here.

As you know I love embellishments and while I loved the finished design it looked a bit masculine with an all square design so I added the 3d roses. As you can see I loved making them and got a bit carried away. Find the pattern here

Third Kaleidoscope Cushion

The colours for the third design of my summer Kaleidoscope cushion collection was inspired by a visit to the seaside on a sunny warm day in June. The dog played on the beach we paddled in the sea and indulged in very big ice creams! The sea was very blue and the cliffs were two shades of rusty brown and in bright sunshine the sand was a pale beigy grey.

The colours didn’t seem like an obvious combination but if they work in nature.....When we came back from the seaside I had the inspiration for my 3rd cushion in my head and I couldn’t wait to start. For this 3rd cushion I wanted to show more detail of the crochet stitches so I needed to use a finer yarn.

Searching my stocks of yarn  I found some Shilasdair which is made using natural dyes  and is a lovely yarn  from independent spinners on the Isle of Skye. It has slubs of wool something that I love as it brings another dimension to the finished designs. In this cushion I used an oatmeal colour. For some reason finer yarns seem to have more subtle colours. I combined the Shilasdair with West Yorkshire Spinners 4 ply from the Spice range. The blue is Sirdar Country Style 4 ply. I used a 3.5 crochet hook.

The theme that runs through the Kaleidoscope collection is the colours and using colour combinations to define the designs. All of the Kaleidoscope collection were made by me when sitting in the garden when it was not always warm and I sometimes had to dodge the showers!

The garden in June

As you know I love embellishments and while I loved the finished design it looked a bit masculine with an all square design so I added the 3d roses. As you can see I loved making them and got a bit carried away. Find the pattern here

Kaleidoscope cushion - design 13

Crochet Kaleidoscope cushion

My first Kaleidoscope cushion launched in April this year, featured multiple square motifs. The Kaleidoscope collection of three cushions are all inspired by my garden which is a bit wild and rambling! For the second of my Kaleidoscope cushions  You can see the first one here...I had the idea of one big square motif for the middle of the cushion. I had been experimenting with free form crochet and making ruffles which in free form add a 3D element to flowers and shells. I could see how using a ruffle would make a lovely edging for the cushion, so the two ideas came together!

When I designed this cushion late spring was here and wild campion was growing alongside ‘Lady's Mantle’ (alchamelia mollis) in the garden. It’s amazing how nature creates lovely combinations all by itself. The pretty pink of the taller campion was surrounded by the lime coloured leaves of Lady’s mantle and late spring showers made sparkly rain drops on the leaves lady’s mantle. This gave me the idea for the colours and the yarn for the second of the Kaleidoscope cushion.

My first Kaleidoscope cushion has a homely style. I wanted the second one to have a summery look and feel, something that would look good in a conservatory or on a garden chair. What yarn to use? I love Baby Bamboo! It’s a soft yarn with a lovely sheen and comes in a gorgeous choice of colours so it seemed the perfect choice. I use Baby Bamboo a lot, you can see it here in my summer holdall. When I designed this bag I used baby bamboo for the popcorn flowers and it really stands out.

For my second Kaleidoscope cushion, which is design number 13 I used 3 colours of baby bamboo, I used a lovely bright green and turquoise blue for the centre motif and added a pale pink for the ruffle edging. Read my Baby Bamboo review here.

Whatever I am designing I love combining yarns and the effects this produces. It makes a big difference to crochet projects. Baby Bamboo is reasonably priced but does not go as far as other 50gm yarns so it makes sense to combine it with something else. 

I decided on Sirdar baby cotton it is a rather dull looking yarn but is very soft and lovely to crochet with. Better still it goes a long way. The idea I had was to create a basic background effect with a heavier weight yarn to the finished cushion which would show case the lovely shiny baby bamboo and I think this has come off.

For the second Kaleidoscope cushion, Auriol Crochet design 13, I used 3 colours of Baby Bamboo a lovely bright green and turquoise blue for the centre motif with a pale pink for the ruffle edging.

I love fastening and I feel very strongly they should be a fundamental part of the design not just an add on. Kaleidoscope cushion 1 has big buttons on an envelope style fastening. Kaleidoscope is a bit more sophisticated with a different style of button. I added 2 buttons, but a row of buttons would look really good. You could pick any colour you sued in the cushion for the buttons or ix and match!

 I used hook size 3.50 (E4)

Like more? See the pattern here....

Hooked on Crochet FREE monthly!

Kaleidoscope Cushion

Earlier this year I was practising some bullion stitches as part of a freeform design I am planning. Bullion stitches however you make them are a bit fiddly and take time to make. At the same time I was looking at my collection of textured stitches and I came across this variation on a treble which gives a similar look to a bullion stitch and is a lot easier to make.
Depending on how big you want your bullion stitch lookalike you make the clusters bigger by using more trebles.
You can find more of my hints and tips on how to improve your crochet here.....

I find inspiration for new designs from various places. Sometimes it’s something as simple as seeing flower combinations in the garden.

My summer bolster cushion with popcorn flowers were inspired by some pale lime Christmas Rose flowers that looked so lovely alongside the pale sage green/grey of the Brunnera that grows next to it.


I’ve been planning the design of my Kaleidoscope cushions collection since last autumn but a busy winter with crochet workshops and commission designs took up my time. You can follow the story of my Kaleidoscope Collection here......

Finally getting around to thinking about the new cushions I spotted a woven tapestry cushion in a shop window. It had squares of different bright colours with stripes of a main colour between them. As often happens this set me off on a myriad of ideas so I decided to design the first kaleidoscope using the tapestry idea and incorporate the treble cluster around stitch which is very nice to make. I offset the multi coloured squares which looks really nice, but it would equally as good if the squares were all in the same position.

I thought the style of the first kaleidoscope cushion would be better suited to an envelope style cushion. I made these decorative buttons which match the cushion and include the cluster around stitch. The first kaleidoscope cushion is easy to make and grows quickly, changing colour always stops me getting bored!

The pattern is ready to go click here 

Rainbow colours

Hi Crochet friends

I wonder why it is that when we think of nature we think of subtle and subdued colours? Looking out of the cottage window on a sunny day this spring the new grass in the field is vivid green.   Bright yellow celandines give the grass a hazy gold look. The new growth on the trees is lime green and the sky is bright blue.  The contrast of brilliant white blossom on the damson tree is anything but subtle!

It's not so long ago when bright coloured crochet blankets were made up of fluorescent coloured granny squares that gave crochet a bad name! Thankfully now wools and yarns give us quality, variety and a fantastic range of colours to choose from subtle to bright. Rainbow colours to turn a simple motif into a lovely bright design. And who doesn't on a dark gloomy day love to dive into a basket of rainbow coloured yarn.

To make something with rainbow colours you need a good spread of colours and they definitely work better when you use the same brand as the dyes work better together and this will show in your final design. If you are looking for rainbow yarn in one ball, sock yarns are a good choice and create interesting results.

Bright colours work well in motifs whether made in the round or in rows and are lovely used with ripple stitches when you can create lots of effects.

From a simple granny square to a more complicated motif, you can use close shades together, contrasts or pick one colour to feature a row of textured stitches.

Don't restrict your rainbow colours to standard double knitting yarn, there are so many wonderful choices from artisan spinners to bigger brands and retailers such as Deramores, Bergere de France and West Yorkshire spinners. Bigger brands and artisan spinners can give you a range of rainbow yarns - some wispy some and others with silk and mohair added. 

A plea to you! Whatever you make always use the best yarn you can afford. Quality yarn is easier to crochet with, the colours are better and the finished item that you have spent so much time making will have a quality finish.

For so many years I've used subtle colours to create throws and cushions, this really fought against my nature as I've always loved bright colours. My favourite winter throw always cheers me when its cold and dark, but I also love rainbow coloured throws and cushions set on the bench in my garden in the summer.

On warm summer evenings  watching the dogs rootling around the garden and paddling in the stream that runs along the bottom of the garden, listening to the birds and relaxing after a busy day. Not forgetting my basket of wool, crochet hook and tablet for ideas!

This post is my submission to the Deramores Craft Blog Competition 2015. Deramores is the UK’s number one online retailer of knitting and crochet supplies. Visit www.deramores.com for more details. 

What is your favourite colour?

The variety of yarns and the choice of colours available now seems limitless making it difficult to make a choice for crochet projects! From mass produced to hand spun and hand dyed yarns are wonderful today.

Rather than decide that I want to make a specific item I look for patterns and stitches I like first with a bit of inspiration from home magazines, Pinterest and sometimes my garden. Then I look for a yarn. You can see some of my favourite yarns here!

Bergere De France Ideal

This cushion I made this winter. I was looking for something to make and and I saw a baby blanket made using popcorn stitches. It gave me an idea for a cushion with a popcorn stitch bow central motif, with double crochet motifs surrounding it.

I always order too much wool so I had some Bergere de France Ideal in my large wool basket, including some red and turquoise blue. The cushion is made using squares 3 x 3 and the stripey squares are made with double crochet. It's a double sided cushion and was lovely to make.

Everything I make has memories associated with it. This cushion I made on dark winter nights, hence the bright colours! It makes me thing of my new dog who sat at my feet in front of the wood burner while I crocheted and listened to the radio.