Crochet – Page 2 – Emma Varnam’s blog

Snuggling under your hobby

Right I am just going to say it – sometimes I just like making for making. Sometimes I have no intention of making a project into a published pattern and then it just becomes such a joyful make that I can’t help sharing it with you.

This is true of the Cosy Croknit blanket. Like many of my most favourite designs, the idea came following a few conversations and a little bit of necessity. I had received some Aran weight yarn in the post and I began making a few garter stitch squares to see how it behaved. There is something so tactile about aran and garter stitch knitting. So satisfying and joyful. I am not eloquent enough to explain. But if you know – you know.

Then I remembered a conversation with my Granny. She often collaborates with friends to create blankets for charity. They work on different squares, some crocheted and some knitted. Due to tension and style, the squares can be a bit challenging to align and sew together. It got me thinking…. could I write a pattern which combined both crafts? Could I create a pattern with an easy size guide, a basic colour scheme and plan which would include both crafts?

My mind began to whir… And that is how I began to work on the Croknit pattern. I have used the juicy Highland Heathers Aran from Stylecraft. If you are a knitter…you can just knit all the squares… if you are solely a crocheter why not just have a blanket full of granny squares. I have enjoyed combining both skills. I flitted between both crafts as my whim took me.

It wasn’t easy for me to decide how to join the squares. I had several aborted attempts. Then I landed on a zig-zag slip stich join. The crisscross motion allows for just the right amount of ease between the differing drape of the knitted and crochet squares. I also went for a linen stitch edging which is just intricate enough for interest but doesn’t detract from the beautiful jewel like colours of the squares.

The finished item has a pleasing amount of heft. So much so, that it is being argued over most evenings! Stanley is winning.

So whilst the pattern is very simple I have written it up for you with hints and tips on how to collaborate to get your squares to match. You also get the colour schematic and the edging stitch pattern.

Whilst it is important to give yarn suggestions for published patterns. In my mind, this pattern was always intended for stash busting and the pattern has stitch suggestions for DK yarn too.

Well I hope you like it. The Cosy Croknit Blanket will not be leaving our house I am afraid it is far to snuggly for that.

What do you think about patterns that combine knitting and crochet? There don’t seem to be many about. When you are working as a team…or a yarn bee, what are your handy hints or tips to make sure your blanket squares fit together? I would love to know.

**** I am hosting an instagram live about the blanket at 11am GMT on Sat 14 Jan 2023 if you would like to join me ***

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Bailey Bear – a teddy to hug

It is a plain fact – I make things that I love. With toys, I’m often inspired by the children I know – I look at their soft toys and observe how they carry them – how big they are. Are they held by the paw, the ear?…frequently by the foot.

You might have thought that I have made enough bears and bunnies. But there is always a new yarn, a new size, a new child that inspires me and so I have to make a new design.

Bailey Bear is a good ‘best friend’ size. Not a baby bear – but a traditional ‘this is my very special soft toy’ size. I have made the feet in a way that I really like. I have thought about the length and width of his arms. This bear also has a tail. Being specific the bear is approx 35cm tall (excluding the ears) and 20cm at the widest part.

You know that the face matters a lot to me. A kind smiley face is very important. In the majority of my designs I like to work from the nose out, as this enables me to place the ears exactly where I want them. I have gone for a larger eye, because this adds to the friendly appearance.

If we want to go all technical I have used a nice tweed DK yarn. I’m loving tweed yarns at the moment. The little flecks in the fibre gives a little life to the finished crochet fabric.

Because winter is around the corner, I occurred to me, wouldn’t it be fun to add in a little cardigan, perhaps even a bobble hat and a key hole scarf. Let’s be honest I have been making key hole scarves for me – why not Bailey?

The bobble had is striped – but you could very easily make it plain. The cardigan is a new pattern. I made the sleeves first and then worked on whole strip for the body of the cardigan and added in the sleeves as I got towards the yoke. All you need to do when you finish is to sew up the sleeves under the arm and sew on a little button.

I have made the first clothes in my festive favourite of Duck Egg Blue with Red and Cream. But you choose what you have in the stash.

In my imagination, this is the sort of bear that would look just gorgeous peeking out of a stocking on Christmas morning. All smiles and cheers of joy. Immediately the ted would be tucked under the arm and new adventures would be planned.

I think I could add to the wardrobe – what do you think? But for winter I think Bailey will be just warm enough. I have placed a PDF pattern in my blog shop for just Bailey and if you want to make the clothes there is an additional pattern. Just to be safe you will need 100g of DK yarn for Bailey.

Well I hope you like my new bear. I really rather fond. Do tell me about new clothes ideas and I will add them to a list. Have a happy hooky week.

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A Gingerbread House…for a mouse

The past few weeks have been busy work weeks, long days and full of the traditional plate spinning. The crochet making has been very much at the end of the day. A couple of rows here and there.

But…but…I have had a yearning for a new (old) idea. A little gingerbread house. A gingerbread house just right for a mouse. These are the sort of projects that help me drift off to sleep in the night. What kind of base shall I use ? A plastic…no…I have loads of cardboard. What yarn shall I use? Cotton? No… The correct answer was staring at me. It had to be Stylecraft Special DK in Gingerbread. Sometimes I wonder what my yarn shop must think of me. I go in and buy a ball of brown, cream and pink…what on earth are you making!

When I began designing for the Houseplants book I strode to the till of Black Sheep Wools with 17 balls of green. All different. They know now not to bat an eyelid.

‘What are you making now Emma?’

‘Oh a book of Houseplants’.

‘Of course you are…. (an eye brow is raised by the customer behind…overheard at the yarn shop).

So when I return home with my random balls of wool, I begin to stitch as soon as I can. I had already worked out the size of the house panels. Years ago, 2015 to be exact, I designed a little dolls house for the fabulous Inside Crochet Magazine. I loved this house. The original was given to a little girl who I adore and she had many hours of fun play with it. I haven’t made a second since. But I have always known I would improve it. Coincidently it is one of my most pinned images on Pinterest. That has always put a bookmark in my mind that I should return to it.

I finished my gingerbread house yesterday and had fun decorating it with some surface slip stitch and some buttons. This Christmas I see that huge bows are making a come-back to I thought it would be fun to make a huge bow for this little door.

At this stage I haven’t finished the interior. I will do that hopefully this week. But me being me….I have made a little inhabitant. Peep-bo…

So there you go, midnight imaginings of a crocheter. Old ideas revisited to create new seasonal decorations. The little girl is still inside the head of this much older crafter.

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Autumnal Grace

Is there a phrase for crafters who have finished a project and they can’t wait to wear it or use it? A WIP fashion-dash? A quick knit flit? Crochet crush race? I don’t know but if there is one will you tell me?

In the past few weeks I have been finishing off old projects and started dwelling on new ones. Let’s start with the finishing. When I got my sticky mitts on the new aran mohair from Stylecraft ‘Grace’, I knew I just had to make something. The colours are scrumptious. Soft but with a depth that creates brilliant combinations. My order arrived in the late Spring and other projects and quite frankly higher temperatures persuaded me not to start my project.

I even began to noodle around with ideas at the end of August, but the humidity was still a little high for mohair making. Honestly this yarn is so beautiful, but it is very suited to cooler weathers. The patterns for the yarn are incredibly tempting and very very ‘NOW’ in terms of what is currently on the high street.

I have opted to make a scarf which I know will be great for the Autumn and goes nicely with my blush pink coat.

I will now infuriate the crocheters by saying the dreaded words….’I just went with the flow, and made up the pattern as I went along.’ Sorry – but sometimes I don’t want to rigour of pattern writing and just want to stitch. But the idea is based on the ‘Zesty Scarf’ which I designed for Inside Crochet Magazine Issue 121 in 2019 and this pattern would work for this yarn.

I have chosen the colours: Oyster, Petals, Hibiscus, Hip, Long Grass and Storm. I have just one ball of each and there was loads left over and I have used the rest to knit a few cute beanie hats for friends.

If you are worried about shedding with this scarf (fibres coming off onto other clothes) I haven’t noticed much at all and I have worn it this week many times into the office. There is nothing nicer than finishing a piece of clothing, realising that it doesn’t disappoint and then wearing it almost immediately. That my friends is the adrenalin rush of craft – the WIP Fashion Dash – if you will.

So I have a couple of other projects on the hook. My ‘Croknit’ blanket, which I am just joining together. It’s an evening comfort project. You know, snuggled under the squares in front of the telly. Then I have a yearning to make another teddy. A new size and pattern, just in time for the festive season. If I am going to get this ready for you I had better hurry up. But I will concentrate on this one in the next week. I really am enjoying chatting on Instagram and Facebook with followers about names and colour choices. The best ideas come from you. So while the bear in nearly finished, I need to make a mini cardigan and a bobble hat. Hopefully he will be a fun addition to the festive makes.

So there you go a bit of an up date. My new book launched this week on Create and Craft TV and you can get signed copies there – and in my next post I promise I will give you a bit of an update. Have a lovely week!

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The Stargazer Blanket

There are some projects that you know will be very special even before you start them. This blanket belongs in that category.

I have always loved patchwork quilts and I was browsing some beautiful designs on Pinterest and thought, ‘If only I had more time to sew and make a beautiful traditional quilt’. I am realistic – this is never going to happen. But then it occurred to me that I can create a similar effect in crochet. For me, this is a much faster goal.

I definitely chose a joyful colour palette to be cheery. I love using Stylecraft Bellissima and Bambino (its the same yarn). The yarn has a lovely soft quality and the hues are clear but slightly muted. As I played around with the colour I adapted my design. As you can see from one of the earlier images, I mixed up the colours. But then I felt it would be lovely to create a muted rainbow… and the more I played, the more I enjoyed the combination.

Honestly this was just going to be a ‘me’ project. No plan for at written up pattern, just crochet for the love of crochet. But I was so encouraged by how so many of you messaged me with your love for the pattern.

stargazer-crochet-blanket-patchwork-emma-varnam

I have made a large ‘kingsize’ square. It has 9 stars. I have designed 2 motifs – one way of combining the colours is used 5 times and the other motif is used 4 times. I think it would be easy to make a lovely baby blanket just using one star – or a lap blanket using 4. I have given the yarn quantities in the pattern for all three sizes.

I have written the pattern in UK crochet terms and there is a colour diagram showing how the colour squares fit together for both motifs. There is also a stitch diagram for the solid square and for the half and half square. This diagram shows you how to work the stitches up to row 3, it gives you the idea of the pattern. But each square has 5 rows. The photographs provide a suggestion of how you can fit the stars together. But don’t feel restrained by my design, place each star on the floor and see how you like them to fit together. For the edging I used a very simple double crochet stripe. When the blanket is this colourful. You don’t need to have a fussy border.

My top tips for making this blanket are:

Have fun and enjoy making it.
Make up enough squares to make a star, then block those squares so they are nice and neat. I would sew or crochet those square together so you have the wonderful sense of the blanket growing.
You might find you solid squares are much looser than your half and half squares. If this is the case, try working your solid squares in a small hook – perhaps a 3.25mm or a 3mm.
Make sure you are economical with your tails. A large blanket uses a lot of yarn. I make sure I fasten off my yarn with enough to weave in the ends 3 times. But I am economical with my yarn
I have enjoyed used this yarn – but if you have yarn in your stash please use my design as a guide and whittle down your yarn collection

For me this design flew off my hook. I began it in June and finished it in mid-August. But right from the beginning I knew it would be a perfect Autumn project. As the blanket grows you can snuggle under it with your hook and yarn in hand.

If you make up this blanket (big or small) I would love to see how you get on. It is such a brilliant feeling to see us all working together to create something special. Finally, thank you for your encouragement and enthusiasm. It makes the world of difference and motivates me to keep on making.

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Late summer making

I am not sure if this is true for you, but the season seems to have sped up. The very hot weather has made plants and trees believe it is early autumn. Blackberries and plums appear to have ripened almost a month ahead of time. I’ve had a few days off this week and have used the time to do bit of experimentation with autumnal crochet and to enjoy one of the my favourite activities…jam making.

Some friends of mine have a beautiful old plum tree in the garden and kindly offered me their crop to make some jam. Usually at this time I make raspberry jam, but having some fresh fruit straight from the tree couldn’t be missed. All the better because I could spend some time preparing the fruit and standing over the pan. Making any kind of marmalade or jam is a bit like alchemy. You are creating a preserved pot of captured flavour. But I can never guarantee how it will end up. The acidity of the fruit, the colour, the depth of flavour… or the distractions of the door bell…taking my eye off the boil. These are all factors that change the end result.

In all of the preserving books they suggest that for plum jam, you take a nut-cracker and open up the plum stone to release the kernel inside. This is about the size of a pine nut. You then cover about 2-3 of these in some boiling water and leave them for a couple of minutes. After a while you remove the outer skin. These pure white nuts are then added to the boiling jam. I had never appreciated that they smell exactly like almonds. A beautiful strong smell of marzipan. Incredible.

On the hook, I have been inspired by the soft tones of the flowers in our garden pots. I have some balls of Stylecraft Grace which I have been playing about with. This is a mohair aran yarn. It has beautiful subtle tones and I know it will make a lovely scarf for late autumn. I have begun my making… but on hotter days this project is set aside for other less sticky pursuits.

In the midst of pattern writing and checking of the Stargazer blanket, I have two new ideas of blankets in my mind. One has knitted squares another is new crochet patchwork pattern. My mind flicks between the two.

So there you go at least 3 projects on the go and other pattern checking and preparing for pattern releases in the Autumn. I wonder if this is my favourite part of the yarn year. We seem to be on the cusp of the next season and my mind turns to cosy plans. What have you got on your hook or needle? Has the next season begun for you too?

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Stargazing – getting yarn ready

I love it when I really enjoy a project so much that I almost don’t want to finish it. Last year I made two blankets that I totally adored. The Soft Summer Blanket and my Hexagon Blanket. They were slow makes that were a joy. This year I saw a patchwork quilt colour scheme and thought; ‘Wouldn’t that be beautiful in crochet?’.

I love patchwork so much, it has such a nostalgic place in my heart. But I cannot stretch time enough to properly work on sewing quilts. When I see an attractive patchwork pattern I wonder if it would work as a crochet blanket. For me it is a much faster make.

I’m a big fan of Stylecraft’s Bellissima and Bambino yarn. I love the softness of the yarn and the tones worked well for the design. For the large blanket you only use 1 ball of each of the colours for the star motif. It is the background cream which you need to adjust for different sizes.

By my calculations you could make a very sweet baby blanket with just one star in the centre – approximately 60cm x 60cm (24in x 24 in) square. A very useful lap blanket could be made using four motifs – 115cm x 115cm (45in x 45in). I have made a larger blanket with nicely covers two thirds of a kingsize bed which is approximately 165cm x 165cm (65in x 65in).

I have drafted the pattern and will be asking my gorgeous tech-editing friend to help me spot all the mistakes, typos and where my ramblings don’t make sense. I plan then to release the pattern for a introductory small amount to cover the costs and those of you who want to can start your making. Many veteran crocheters will probably be able to make the pattern up themselves.

So if you are planning to make a Stargazer blanket – here are the yarn quantities:

For the Large Blanket – Stylecraft Bellissima DK – 7 x 100g ball: Single Cream 3921 (A)

1 x 100g of the following: Rio Red 3932 (B), Papaya Punch 3977 (C), Mellow Yellow 3925 (D), Sugar Snap 3926 (E), Denim Dungarees 7219 (F) Orchid Haze 7217 (G)

Stylecraft Bambino DK – 1 x 100g of the following Soft Pink 7113 (H) Little Boy Blue 7118 (I)

For a Baby Blanket you will only need 1 x 100g of yarn A and all the contrasting colours.

For a Lap Blanket you will need 4 x 100g of yarn A and 1 x 100g balls of each of the contrasting colours.

Honestly I think this blanket is going to be a huge favourite in our house and I know Stanley has already adopted it. The colours are bright and cheerful and it will bring cosy comfort in the Autumn and Winter. If you are thinking of making it I would love to hear. My plan would be to do a few short videos on how the work a half square and attach the second colour. I also want to show you how to sew squares together using mattress stitch.

Please do subscribe to my newsletter as I will post news of the pattern to my followers first. I do hope you have a lovely weekend. Here’s to planning new crochet adventures.

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The confessions of a fly-by-night

If I was a very clever crafter, I would concentrate on just one thing. You would say – Emma Varnam – the crochet toy designer… or Emma – she designs lovely blankets…or Emma – she is the creator of crochet cacti. That would be my focus and it would make such brand sense. It would make better business sense.

But that isn’t what floats my boat. As a creative i enjoy dabbling in a range of crafting activity. Don’t get me wrong the crochet is always with me, but in the last month I have paddled in quite a few creative pursuits.

The garden as you know is a place that I love to be in. This year I have concentrated on growing more flowers to cut and have in our house. It has been great that I have drastically cut the number of cut flowers I buy. Most of the flowers we now have indoors come from the garden. I have also been able to grow plants that it is not easy to buy from the shops. We had a really really hot time a few weeks ago. Some of our plants look very crispy and they have suffered. Since then (even within the same week) the North West of England got quite bit of rain. I now have quite lush looking foliage and so few flowers. I keep going outside to will them on. But I am worried now that my dahlias and sweetpeas have suffered too much.

We have also had our main summer week away. I did take some crochet with me, but can you believe it was almost too hot to stitch! Outrageous. During the first lock-down I kept a little painting diary and decided it would be fun to take the paints away on our summer holiday.

Painting 3 or 4 sketches each day became my daily routine and I loved getting back to this fun. I’ll try and share a few more images with you, but I feel I need to finish off my little painting diary.

The Stargazer blanket is my current private ‘work-in-progress’. Thank you if you have enjoyed seeing it develop and once it is finished I am going to try and write up the pattern for you. I do need to finish it first as it will give me an idea of yarn quantities. If I could stretch time I would find a little space to make sewn quilts. I simply adore patchwork and it holds such a nostalgic place in my heart. I know I don’t have the sewing time, but the patterns and colour combinations do have a great influence on my blanket making.

All in the background is the ‘design-work’. The projects I am working on to bring you either a new design in my shop or a new book. I have just finished the first part of my next book, and at the same time I have received my very first copy of my new book; Crocheted Houseplants. I could never have guessed that so many of you have enjoyed making cacti and succulents from my first book. It is crazy to imagine. But as lots of us have found a new love of real houseplants in our life, it is also fun to recreate their beauty in yarn. In the next month I shall share more of the patterns with you. But for now, here is the front cover. I do hope you like it.

Now I am off back out into the garden and I am going to feed my pots to see if I can stimulate them into flower for August. Have a lovely week – Emma

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The new campervan – lets go for an adventure!

My campervan pattern which I first shared on the blog perhaps nearly a decade ago is perhaps my most popular pattern. That is hard to believe if you are a fan of crocheted cacti or succulents – or if you are a maker of my cuddly toys. But across the world people who have always wanted to own the best symbol of adventure and escape have enjoyed making a crocheted version

The first one I ever made was a gift for a friend. I often find my best ideas come from that place. Imagining a great of fun gift. Inside Crochet Magazine published the first version of the pattern and then a few years later I revisited the pattern. I think it has been reprinted maybe 2 or 3 times.

The latest version is slightly different from my first creations. How so? Well the first and second editions used grey felt for the windows. I really enjoy working in mix-media and using felt or fabric in my designs. But some crocheters find sewing a bit daunting and they asked me to integrate crochet windows into the pattern. Secondly I did use HUGE buttons for the wheels. I think they looked super cute but some people found them difficult to get hold of. So the new version has a crocheted wheels and hub-caps.

You will be pleased to know that the new pattern doesn’t only have the written instructions for the colour changes. It also contains a stitch schematic which has the colours shown in a simple colour graph. So simple to follow. If you want to download this pattern it is available in my shop here.

My top tip would be to add a bag of lentils or rice to the base of the campervan if you intend to use it as a doorstop. But the design would also make a really fun cuddly toy for the campervan enthusiast. As usual please do share if you have made your own version. I love to see them.

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