A Spikey Story

I could never had imagined the fun I have had with crochet. I love to make as part of my relaxation…smoothing out my ruffled brain at the end of the day.

However there are plenty of moments that just make me laugh out loud. I can remember the day I made my first crochet cactus.

My book editor had seen that Little B and I were enjoying growing Cacti and Succulents and she said; ‘Why don’t we see if you can create crocheted versions?’

I thought…’don’t be ridiculous…that will never work…and then about 2 days later…the obsession began.

That weekend I had found the Rico Bubble yarn at my local yarn store (Black Sheep Wools) and I knew immediately what I would do with it. It was perfect for cactus spines. I sped home and immediately sat down in my favourite chair to start hooking. An hour later my first, crazy, spikey cactus sat on the mantlepiece. I began giggling away to myself at the pure joy of making something quite so ridiculous. Not long after my book was published and now there are copies in French, German and Dutch.

One of my greatest joys is to see photos of cacti and succulents posted on social media, People change the colours and the sizes and some even sell their woolly creations on market stalls.

Recently I thought it might be fun to create a small starter pattern for those of you who might like to dip your toe into woolly spikey plants. I have added a new downloadable pattern to my Etsy shop which has two basic patterns for your to follow. You can create a Ball Cactus with flowers and a ridged spikey cactus. I have also included the pattern for the crochet soil and all you need to do is pop them in a spare pot or teacup.

New exclusive kits will be available for purchase which have all you need to create this pattern. If you enjoy making these two cuties you can return and buy the book. To give you some help with the process I have posted a video tutorial in my tutorial section of my blog. But I have got to tell you… they are addictive.

Please do tell me what you think. I know that I will be beginning my Festive Cactus present making so very soon.