Choosing Yarn

The patterns, designs and styles you choose for your crochet projects are probably the first thing to inspire you, but the yarn you choose is as crucial to the success of your crochet project.

Cheap or expensive yarn what’s the difference? 

Cheap doesn’t always mean inferior, as a better guide, gauge the yarn content against what it is you are making. Important is the yardage on the ball band and bear in mind that not all yarns of the same gauge and weight per ball or skein produce the same amount of yarn. Some expensive yarns for example have a greater yardage than cheaper equivalents.

Bamboo yarn is usually artificially produced yarn. Depending on the spinner this yarn is very soft with a slight sheen, perfect for classy crochet shawls. It often has a lower yardage per ball and can be expensive, so keep it for special projects. King Cole and Sirdar have a lovely range of bamboo yarns.
Cashmere and merino yarn blends are grown up yarns! Soft and luxurious they are perfect for special crochet clothing and scarves.  Debbie bliss and Rowan both have a good range of cashmere blends.

Wool the original yarn with cotton for crochet is warm as is angora and alpaca, usually blended they are perfect for crochet garments and make very warm soft scarves. They are usually at the pricier end of the market with lower yardages. When it comes to pure wool try the Rowan range,  Wensleydale Wools and Uist yarns. Hard wearing cotton is perfect for rugs and provides rigidity so is ideal for crochet baskets. For cotton yarns it has to be Sugar N cream!

Acrylic yarns and blends wash well and are hard wearing with some specifically spun for baby projects perfect for baby clothes and adult scarves and cushions.  Both Caron and Sirdar have a wide range of acrylic blend baby yarns.

Should you stick to the yarn recommended in the pattern?

There is no doubt that yarns of the same weight vary greatly in the finish they produce. I’ve experimented with different yarns of the same weight and the same pattern and produced very different results, from smaller stitches to different length and different widthways tension. If you want to use an alternative yarn to the one recommended in your pattern check your tension carefully and adjust your hook size as necessary.

Should you go for mass produced or independent spinner and dyer?

Hand dyed yarn is gorgeous, try Eden Cottage range, and usually produces unique colour ways. If your project is a gift or something for a special occasion then buying from an independent dyer is the one to go for. If it’s a gift make sure your recipient knows that you’ve used a special yarn.

Colour choice 

Mass produced yarn ranges offer the greatest choice of colours. The more popular the yarn the bigger the choice of colours. Acrylic baby yarn blends usually come in a wide range as do economy yarn ranges.

What’s new in crochet designs?

Like everything else there are trends in crochet, influenced by access to worldwide crocheters through social media and by developments and trends in yarn. What’s new this season and what you should be looking out for? Whether you are looking for inspiration for a new crochet project or simply want to keep ahead of trends these are my six favourite crochet finds for late 2017. 

1. Tapestry crochet is one of the big new themes. Originating in South America where crocheters make spectacular and very bright crochet drawstring bags, you can now see the tapestry trend in softer colours used to make cushions and scarves from crocheters around the world. Tapestry crochet can be tricky to work depending on the complexity of the pattern and the number of colours you use, but with a bit of practice these repeating pattern become easier to work.

2. Ponchos are big news in fashion and this has trended across to crochet. Crochet is perfect for ponchos and crochet ponchos can be made in many different styles and methods from traditional granny squares and round motifs to large chunky motifs, popcorns and cables. Stripes work well on crochet ponchos made either in one large piece folded or worked in a triangular way all work well.

3. Crochet rugs are always on the scene but now there are many crochet rug designs based on vintage crochet fine cotton mats and doily patterns, used to make rugs using larger weight cotton yarns. They look spectacular!

4. Sparkly and iridescent yarns are big news at the moment in fashion, at one time sparkly yarns were reserved for evening shawls. Now you can find them in traditional scarves and infinity scarves? Combine them with plainer yarns for gorgeous effects.Zig zags stripes are everywhere. 

5. Crochet zigzags made in the traditional rise and fall method have always been popular, but also now come in tapestry crochet form. Use subtle blends or more punchy colours. Zig zags look fantastic used in poncho designs.

6. Stripes large and small are always in fashion, but this season they are everywhere in crochet. I’ve seen them, narrow and wide, used in scarves, cushions, throws and ponchos. Combined with rows of specialist stitches such as popcorns or shells stripes look wonderful.

Rowan Tweed Hemp Yarn

This lovely Aran weight yarn is made up of 75% wool and 25% hemp with flecks. It comes in a wide range of lovely soft tweedy colours. Choose from fabulous almond, plum, denim, treacle, pine, duck egg, paprika and moss. I’d be happy with any of these! Nothing says Autumn and Winter more than Tweed.

50gram balls have 95metres of yarn. If you are knitting use a needle size 4.50mm, for my crochet project I used a 4mm hook. The great thing is this lovely rowan yarn is machine washable at 30°C. I used Kelp shade to make my tweedy hat. Dense, warm and super cosy Rowan Tweed hemp would be perfect for scarves, winter jumpers or ponchos. I can’t wait to try some cables with it!

Where to buy – Deramores &  Wool Warehouse

Raised Stitches

There are many different crochet stitches, but all are based on the basics of chains, single crochet, double crochet and trebles. Learn a few special stitches that combine the basics and you can begin to introduce them into your crochet projects and create something truly unique to you.

Raised stitches are special stitches that are easily achieved once you have mastered the basics and are easy and satisfying to work. Raised crochet stitches are trebles, double crochets and combinations of both usually created by working around the post of the stitches in the previous row.  This creates a firm, textured crochet finish. Post stitches can be worked around the front or the back of the post.  Doing this raises your crochet work in different ways.

Raised stitches can be used to create ribs, ridges and ripples. Crochet in the front, into the back into both alternatively or diagonally, they produce different effects.Raised stitches add another level to crochet projects. Most raised stitches create a double thickness finish, so they are lovely when you want to make something warm, such as baby blankets, throws and crochet jackets. But be warned using raised stitches uses a lot of yarn!

The yarn you use makes a difference when working raised stitches and you should be careful with your choice. An uneven yarn can look odd and create bumps as you work around posts.
Basket weave is one of the most popular and useful raised stitches it’s lovely to make and is perfect for baby blanket. Wave stitch, brick stitch working in the front give a softer look, working in the back creates ridges in your work, adding much more texture and design to it.

The abbreviation for these stitches is usually FL for front loops and BL for back loops.  These are put in front of the abbreviation of the basic stitch, for example double crochet worked in the front loop would be FLdc.

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.....

Choosing Colours – Where to find inspiration

Deciding what colours to choose for your crochet projects can be difficult. What colours go together, complement each other or contrast. What colour are your favourites and what colours match your surroundings? What colours will highlight the stitches you have chosen, or perhaps the colours you choose help you decide which stitches and design to use.

Subtle shade combinations of the same colour create a sophisticated look and are an easy option. Repeating colours through a design brings harmony, it works in gardening and it works in crochet design. For example if you have five colours, repeat two or three times through your design as a repeating pattern.

Looking for something original or to fit with your home decor? I use a variety of sources for inspiration and here are some of my favourite sources of inspiration.

I often use the colour wheel that clothes stylists use. This works really well and can throw up some unusual combinations. Generally stylists use the colours of the four seasons, for example, summer colours are bright pinks, blues and lavenders. Winter includes colours such as forest green, dark grey and indigo blue. Autumns are copper, teal, bronze and deep oranges. Spring colours are subtle pinks pale greys and pale blue. The key to using the colour wheels is to choose colour combinations from the same season. Using autumn colours for example very deep orange, teal and bronze make a wonderful combination.

I also use kitchen, fire and bathroom tile designs for colours and patterns getting ideas from brochures, online and from home style magazines.Nature always produces the best colour combinatio
ns including different shades of green so check out gardening catalogues.

Interior design magazines always provide the latest trending colours and pattern inspiration
Paint catalogues are one of my favourite sources for colour combination inspiration. They not only provide inspiration but their colour ideas and combinations are bang up to date with new combinations coming out every year.

Finally check out the pantone web site for the latest colour trends for this season.

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