New Pattern: "Luna"

I love this thread. I’m not sure exactly what it is, since it was gifted to me. But I think it might be Ritorto Toscano, which is my favorite thread. I happen to NOT be able to get it here in the states. I’ve seen maybe one or two websites that offer it, but the shipping is astronomical. I wish my entire stash was made of this stuff. The gloss is beautiful and it holds up very well to constant frogging.

However, when I was working this new design, I didn’t have much of it, so this pattern ended prematurely. I wish I could have made it much bigger, but it still turned out to be gorgeous. This one is “Luna.”

It’s strange that when I first started making doilies and through the past few years, white has never appealed to me. But now I find it so stunning. However, it might just be because I have a beautiful black backdrop that makes the white really POP. But this pattern is one of those that really shines no matter what color or colorway you choose. There’s no repeating motif, so you can even use a long color-changing thread like Alize Miss. And it uses just under an entire skein, if you have any on hand.

This pattern is not very challenging. It has a lot of simple stitches and there are no splits at all. So if you’re not a fan of splits, this one is definitely for you. I am really in love with the simple elegance of this one.

All new single patterns are 50% off the first 24-hours, so get yours during this promotional period. It will return to full price tomorrow at 1:30pm EST. Use the Ravelry button to purchase on Ravelry (so you can save it in your library) or use the black buttons to buy directly from me (you will have 24 hours to download and save your file).

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New Pattern: "Fiona"

This pattern underwent quite a bit of frogging during it's design, but finally came together in such a splendid design. And I can never get over how exceptionally lovely this color always turns out. This is "Tyrion Purple" in Scheepjes Maxi Sugar Rush. Such a royal color. I used exactly 64g. 

I set this one down quite a few times, frogged entire sections more times than I can count. I feel as if I'm doing that a lot more lately. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, but I hope it doesn't mean I'm slowly losing my motivation. I'm still in love with the outcome.

With my tight tension, this piece came out to about 16-inches. Even though I do use a larger hook (2.25mm), my pieces tend to come out smaller than when other people work the same designs. I chalk that up to my tension. So always assume yours won't come out to exactly the same size as mine. 

The pineapples on this one look a little more pointed. There are two differences here that I did: ch2 spaces instead of ch3, and I added ch1 spaces to the edges. I'm not exactly sure how that would make the outcome more pointed, but there you go. I do like how they look. The smaller spaces make them look a bit finer, in my opinion.

I have to say that if you're up for a challenge, the center of this pattern will provide one for you. I just love how the dense center turned out. It's a combination of strips and popcorns that can really put you at your limit. If you know anything about you, you know I do love the challenge.

• This pattern will be 50% off for the first 24-hours and then will return to full price.
• Please consider purchasing through Ravelry so that you can save your file to your Ravelry library (make sure you're sign-in first). 
• Any purchases made through my website are only downloadable for 24-hours. This means you must download and save the file within 24 hours of your purchase or your download link will no longer work.

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New books and giveaway!

We recently moved into our new home and it has been absolutely hectic around here. I started to have terrible arm pain, which I assume is from crocheting improperly, so I decided to take a short break and put my next 2 volumes of patterns together in print. And they are finally ready!

Volume 7 contains the patterns Orion, Delilah, Daisy, Saffron, Elysium, Margaret, and Persephone. Volume 8 contains the patterns Ygritte, Florence, Whitney, Nadine, Selah, Vera, and Pearl. These books are formatted similarly to the previous volumes. 

Head on over to the PUBLICATIONS page to purchase or bookmark your own copy.

To celebrate, I am hosting a giveaway for my Facebook group. This group has been my biggest support, strongest encouragement, and the reason why I am still designing. Any member of this group can enter the giveaway. Two winners will be selected; the first will receive a signed copy of volume 7, the second will receive a signed copy of volume 8. Please read the rules in the giveaway entry widget below. 

You must be a member of the Facebook group to enter. If you have already won a book giveaway from me, you are not allowed to enter. 

Signed Copy of Volume 7 or 8

2018 3rd Quarter Crochet Along

We are gearing up to start our 3rd Quarter Crochet Along for 2018! If you've never participated in a CAL, it is a community project where we all work together on the same pattern. This quarter's pattern has already been voted on and we are going to be doing "Selma." Not every Crochet Along you'll encounter is done the same way. So this post's purpose is to inform you of everything you need in order to join. 

If you have done one of my CALs before, you can pretty much skip this post. If this is new to you, you have a lot of reading to do! Please make sure you don't skip any of it. I tend to spend a lot of time answering the same questions, which I've tried to make sure are all answered in this post. So please read through it before asking. But if you do end up with questions, you can ask them on this post.

MATERIALS

1. 325-350 yards of size 10 thread
2. 2.00mm crochet hook
3. Blocking materials 
4. The pattern ("Selma" by Grace Fearon)

Please read through these notes pertaining to each of the materials listed above.

• Your hook size should complement your personal crochet gauge. If you find your work to be too tight, go up a size or two. If you find it too loose, go down in size. This is very important. We want you to be happy with your finished piece. And if the experience is not enjoyable, you may lose your motivation to finish. It is recommend that if you do not know what your preferred size hook is, that you work PART 1 of the CAL using the recommend size listed above, and then adjust accordingly. This may mean you might have to work PART 1 more than once. 
• Your required yardage will depend heavily on what size hook you end up working with. Most people find a 1.75mm hook to be comfortable when working with size 10 thread. However, not all size 10 threads are created equal: some are thinner, and some are thicker. Once you've matched your hook size to your thread of choice and also your gauge, you might find yourself using less or even more yardage than I do. I personally use a 2.25mm hook because my tension is very tight. If you are ever curious about how much yardage I use, you can find the exact measurements on any of my projects here on my Ravelry project page. I usually take the time to go back and add the weight (g) of the piece, and then I convert that to the exact yardage (y and m).
• Not everyone blocks their work the same way. Depending on how you block, you will need different blocking materials. Please do not skip this step. I cannot stress enough to you how important it is to block your finished work. Not only does it refine your stitches, but it creates a much more even look. Your opinion of the piece will change dramatically if you block it. You can see my personally preferred method of blocking down this page where I have linked a video you can watch.
• In order to participate, the only additional thing you need is the pattern. It does not matter in what form you have the pattern (individual pattern, ebook, or book). If you have the pattern, you can follow along just fine. However, one thing that is provided by me as an extra resource during Crochet Alongs is a full picture tutorial. In order to obtain this, you must have purchased (or will purchase) the individual pattern through Ravelry. This is the only way to obtain the photo tutorial. If you already have purchased it sometime in the past directly from that page, you are set. Your pattern will be automatically updated to include the tutorial according to the schedule listed below further down the page. If you own the pattern in some other form, you can choose to purchase the individual pattern through Ravelry right now while it is on sale for 50% off. 
• If you are going to purchase the pattern right now, please sign in to your Ravelry account first. I am not responsible for lost emails or lost patterns. If you are a registered Ravelry user, you will never lose your pattern. It will be in your Ravelry account forever. If you do not register or accidentally purchase while you are not signed in, you alone are responsible for your pattern. You will receive update emails according to the schedule, but you must have provided an accurate email address. I cannot troubleshoot this problem for you if you do not follow the steps I have recommended here. {If you purchased while you were not signed in but you do have an account, simply click the link in the email that was sent to you with your pattern purchase and then click "add to library" after you have made sure you are signed in. Then the pattern will be saved to your library.}

SCHEDULE

The way we do our Crochet Alongs is rather simple. The pattern will be broken up into several parts and then we will work only the scheduled rounds according to the dates listed below. On each day, I will update the Ravelry pattern to include the new part of the tutorial and if you purchased the pattern from there, you will automatically receive an email telling you to update your files in your Ravelry library. You don't have to wait for the email, you can simply follow along in our group and wait for each of my announcements. As soon as I post, you should be able to update your file in your Ravelry library.

Each part of the CAL will be released between 10-11am EST according to the schedule below. This gives me a 1 hour buffer in case I run into snags during upload. On the dates below you will receive an email from Ravelry with a link to update your pattern files to include the parts of the photo tutorial released on the appropriate days. 

• August 6th = TODAY! Introductory post. Pattern discount (50% off) begins.
• August 13th = Part 1 (rounds 1-8) Pattern returns to full price.
• August 17th = Part 2 (rounds 9-15)
• August 20th = Part 3 (rounds 16-20)
• August 24th = Part 4 (rounds 21-25)
• August 27th = Part 5 (rounds 26-29) Finished! 

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Please join our Facebook group! You can ask questions, post progress pictures, and share your finished work! You will receive the fastest help by asking in our group.
• You do not have to work at the same pace. If you get behind, don't worry. Finish when you're ready. The idea of a Crochet Along is that since we are all working together, we can often support each other through the experience. If you choose to work faster or slower, you will lose out on this benefit, but you should still be able to come out on top.
• If you have never worked any of my patterns, you will find this to be an challenge. I strongly suggest you work one or two of my free patterns first to become familiar with the way I write patterns. Most of my patterns are complicated, but the text itself isn't. I attempt to write my patterns with extreme clarity. If you follow my instructions to the letter, you will progress. Don't make assumptions about what I may mean, I try to be quite literal. But if you still get stumped, ask! 
• Block your finished piece. Do not skip this step. See the video below for my blocking method.

New Pattern: "Inara"

This pattern is probably one of my favorites. It's not overly complicated or challenging and it has a very clean look. I know sometimes this has to do with the color I choose and how well I blocked it, but the pattern itself is also very fine.

I really enjoyed working this type of motif again and also incorporating lots of tall stitches around the center to give it almost a sunburst effect.

When we moved into our new house last month, I took the effort to combine all the leftover skeins of thread that I'd had sitting around--and there were a lot. In doing this, I was able to create a few full-size skeins of various colors. It's not ideal because you can end up using different dye lots, but I did not notice any significant color difference with this one at least. I used about 200-250 yards of Aunt Lydia's classic crochet size 10 in the color "peacock."

If you're familiar with my patterns, you should not have any trouble with this one and it should work up pretty quickly for you. There are a few decreases around the center (the tall V's) that you might find tricky only because they are taller stitches and some people find them cumbersome to work, but the effect is gorgeous. It creates an almost ruffled look. 

You can purchase this pattern through Ravelry using the appropriate button below (highly recommended) or use the black buttons to purchase directly from me. All single new patterns are 50% off during the first 24-hours. 

4.99

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4.99

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