Crochet Coats for our Tortoises!

Winter is here in Kuwait, and tortoises are looking for warmth! My daughter has been asking me to crochet coats for her pet tortoises "Shelly" and "Looey", so I decided to raid my bag of samples and scrumbles. I was lucky to find some pieces just their size. The large flower on Shelly was a sample I made when designing the Pillow Corsage pattern for Crochet Me magazine, and the mohair roses on Looey, were leftover from a clowns hat I made for my friend's daughter. I love finding a new purpose for leftover crochet pieces. I am not sure if any other tortoises live in our area, but I think they must be the fanciest in our neighborhood!

In the Designer Spotlight: Berroco Design Studio Blog

I am thrilled to be featured on Berroco Yarn Company's blog, in their most recent Designer Spotlight Interview. Berroco so generously gave yarn support for the Bella Necklace Trio that appeared in Issue 45 of Inside Crochet Magazine. They wanted to know a little more about the necklaces, and about me as a designer. You can read the full interview here.

I love working with Berroco yarn company and many of my designs are created with their yarn, including 6 designs in Crocheting Clothes Kids Love! 

I have also used their yarns in the Beseme Scarf, Echelon Hat, Loken Cowl, Blumen Bouquet, Helleborus Gloves, Fanfare Cowl, Cirque Du Crochet Bean Bags, Mademoiselle Necklace, and the Plaid Wristlet Purse. As you can see, Berroco's yarn often calls my name when I am designing!

When a Crochet Career Dream Becomes a Reality...

Writing a crochet book has been a dream of mine since I started designing crochet patterns back in 2005. Fast forward to 2013: I am trying to wait patiently for my advance copy of Crocheting Clothes Kids Love to arrive! It is somewhere between California and Kuwait right now. Ellen Gormley got her copy last week, and was debating whether to open it or put it under the Christmas tree to prolong the moment of opening it! I jokingly suggested to her on Twitter that she could wait for me to receive my copy, then we could open them together via Skype and go through the book page by page. To my happy surprise, she agreed. I am super excited, not only to share the experience together, but to actually "meet" her. We have never met face to face or even spoken before! When we started the book, we thought we would need to talk on the phone, but as it turns out, email and photos worked well. That doesn't mean that many times during the process, I didn't wish we lived in the same city, so we could get together and talk about details! 

It will be incredible to hold the book in my hands, and being able to open the package live with Ellen will be the icing on the cake. I am looking forward to showing the book to family and friends who supported me when I was working so hard on it. The book will be a reality to me once I actually have it in my possession! Here's hoping the postal service is running smoothly and Ellen and I won't have to wait too much longer!

Bella Necklace Trio Pattern is Now Available!

I am excited to release the Bella Necklace Trio, for individual sale in US terminology. These patterns first appeared in the UK magazine, Inside Crochet.

Once you master the basic concept of making the links, the pattern can be a jumping off point to other necklace designs. You can vary the configuration of the link sizes to create a myriad of looks. Included in this pattern download will be all three versions that you see above. Version 1 features links that are graduated in size, version 2 has a mock bow, and version 3 adds interest with a cord woven through the links.

It is a great project for gift giving, as you can make several with one skein of yarn and it is possible to make them for a group of friends, and choose the style that best fits their personality!

Design Details

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca (50% wool, 50% alpaca; 215 yd [198 m]/ 3.50oz [100g]; CYCA # 4): 6253 (Dijon), 1 skein.

Hook: E/4 (3.50mm)

Tools: Yarn needle, rust-proof pins, blocking or ironing board

The pattern is for sale in my Ravelry pattern store for $4.95.