The really great thing about the new Inside Crochet Magazine blog is that you can view the patterns featured in the next month’s magazine, before it even hits the newsagents. As a designer this is doubly exciting. I get to see how my hookery will be featured way before I get my sticky mits on the paper copy. I was really excited to see this photo of my Granny Skirt which is featured in Issue 22.
When I designed Granny Skirt, Claire the Editor was kind enough to let me make it in black. You might have noticed that whilst most of us wear quite a lot of black or navy for both flattering and practical reasons, very few knitting and crochet magazines feature patterns in those colours. I think mostly it because the dark colours are fiendishly hard to photograph well, it is hard to get the definition of the stitch without washing the whole image in a flash. But I have to say that the photos in Inside Crochet are really very good. When I design something I have in mind the outfit would put together with the garment. I try REALLY hard to design things that I actually want to wear and are practical. This does mean that sometimes I imagine myself to be taller and of a slimmer shape than I actually am, but generally I hope to be wearing the design myself.
So to cut a long story short, I really wanted to Granny Skirt to be in a practical black colour. The idea is that you would wear a contrasting colour slip underneath or perhaps a silky black slip for evening. I imagine it would be teamed with black boots and a denim jacket, an unfussy top (as in the magazine photo), so that the skirt did all the talking.
A couple of years ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing a crochet skirt… but this season is crochet season and I can’t wait to pop it on. I have seen a number of designs which use an i-cord to gather the skirt at the waist. However I have put an elasticated waist in this design, to ensure I cover my modesty. Otherwise knowing me I would stand up and find that the I-cord had worked loose to leave me standing in my underwear – you see practical and polite!
Anyway I hope you like it, x
In the middle of a silly busy week I wanted to pop by and tell you about this lovely little book which is sat permanently by the bed-side – Tilda’s Studio. This is the second volume I have from Tone Finnanger. If I am honest I was so excited on getting my mits on this volume, I pre-ordered it.
Tone Finnager is a Norweigan craft guru. Her beautiful creations are fun, decorative and very easily explained. I think she is a very generous author, providing easy clear instructions with brilliant hints and tips on how to make her crafty patterns really work.
If I am honest I am finding it difficult to fit sewing into the crafty schedule at the moment, but in many ways I bought this book for the picture eye-candy. The images are very beautiful. My images do not do them justice. I love the Scandinavian aesthetic, but she takes the natural simplicity and injects colour and pretty detail into the whole look. Very enviable, very inspiring.
