Two New Designs in "60 Quick Crochet Projects for Beginners"

This book has been a few years in the making, so it was hard keeping these designs a secret for so long! The first design I submitted to the "60 Quick Crochet Projects Book", was the "Tying the Knot Bag". It features one of my favorite techniques of creating shaping by using varying stitch heights. It is super fun and satisfying to crochet. It is also crying out to be crocheted using more than one color, for example alternating two shades of a color, or sections using different colors to define the bag's shaping.

TYING THE KNOT BAG

WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY SCARF

I love designing for chunky yarns and finding new ways to incorporate them into my work. Sometimes it can be difficult when you don't want the item you are making to be too thick or stiff. For the "Windows of Opportunity Scarf", my second design for the book, I had the idea to crochet a light weight base scarf with a lot of drape, and then go back and embellish it with surface crochet in a chunky yarn. It adds an unexpected detail which reads as a magnification of the underlying stitches.

 To see all of the designs in the book and details of each and every one, visit the book's page on Ravelry.

Pillow Corsage Pattern Re-release!

Recently a crocheter on Ravelry contacted me to ask about this pattern. She wasn't able to find it via the link on Ravelry. I was unaware that it had disappeared! It was originally published in the online crochet magazine Crochet Me back in 2005, and more recently it was available in the Interweave store. I dug through my back files and was able to find the original pattern, plus a second version!

I created a new pattern page and uploaded it to my Ravelry pattern store. I am offering them as free patterns. Here are both versions if you would like to download them. 

It is a fun little home decor accessory pattern that could also be used for other things, like a brooch if you use lighter weight yarn or thread. If you end up using the pattern, I would love to see what you make and how you use it! Feel free to post a photo on Ravelry. :-)

Version 1 Close Up

Version 2