New Year Resolutions

I really enjoy the time spent reflecting around the new year. I wasn't sure I was going to set any goals or resolutions this year, but it seems I just needed a little more time.

I have a professional goal; which for the time being, is going to be kept secret. I have a personal crochet goal that this year I will be more charitable. Making things to be donated, or donating yarn.

I have come across a program that is after 8 inch squares in cotton, for Australian farmers.
You can find the original post on instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by gumleaf_crochet (@gumleaf_crochet) on Jan 5, 2019 at 1:59pm PST

I happen to have a pattern to make 8 inch squares back from 2016. Big Circle Grannies. It needed a couple of tweaks, but perfect for this appeal. You can find the pattern here

Have you got any regular charities you crochet for, or do you like to be spontaneous?

Happy New Year

I hope that the holiday season has been good to you!

I have been AWOL from the blog, but very busy designing and hosting a Mystery Crochet a Long over at Yarnish.com.au. as well as participating in the Ravlery Gift a long.

I will be taking January off, so there won't be much to catch up on!

Finally - I found out today that one of my designs - the Belle Brioche Beanie - made the top 50 crochet patterns of 2018 in I like Crochet Magazine. you can find the link here

Here's to a great 2019! 

Emma

Here Comes September!

Hello! It's officially Spring in the Southern Hemisphere!

What's Happening? Well, on the 6th of September I have a new pattern release - Wamberal Waves. A lightweight scarf, inspired by the ocean, and named after the beach I was married at. 6th of September also happens to be my wedding anniversary, so it's a special release. either way, if you are heading into Spring or Autumn, you will find this the perfect scarf for the season. It will be a good time to subscribe to my newsletter, if you haven't already!  I'll have more details about this pattern once it has been published.

Last month saw the release of a ribbon yarn bag; simply called Textured Bag and an infinity scarf - Druzy Infinity, which are linked in the text. And the Berrilee Square, which I wrote about last post. This will be a free download until the end of September, and then something special will be happening with it!

I love seeing your projects, so if you do make something from one of my patterns, please share on Instagram, or add a project to Ravelry!

I'm gearing up for some Summer Crochet (think light, airy cotton) as well as some Christmas ornaments, that can be used no matter what the weather will be!

Thanks!

Granny Square Day 2018

To celebrate Granny Square Day (August 15th) I've written out my pattern for the Berrilee Square, which was originally entered into the Amigurumi Patters.net Granny Square comp earlier this year.

It is currently available as a free download on Ravelry until the end of September 2018. So, add it to your library now!

Single motif measure 8 x 8 inches / 20 x 20 cm when using a 5 mm hook.

Use this direct link >> here<<

Crochetzine

If you are on Instagram, I recommend you check out Crochetzine, and that's not just because they have featured my pattern!

I answered a call out for designers, as I was really taken with there unique idea, a mini magazine, with a new edition each month, over 12 insta squares.

Named after the wind rose, an early name for a compass on a map, the Wind Rose Heart motif uses spike stitches to mark north, south, east and west. . Pattern by Emma Wilkinson @emma_crochets . All patterns are written in standard UK terms. See the link in our profile for the Stitch Library and abbreviations. . #crochetzine #creativehappylife #slowliving_create #crochet #haken #crochetlove #crochetaddict #instagood #slowliving_create #crochethook #ourmakerlife #handmadeisbetter #yarnporn #crochetgram #craftastherapy #maker #girlboss

A post shared by CrochetZine (@crochetzine) on Jun 27, 2018 at 10:57am PDT

New editions come out the last Wednesday of each month.

Chunky Hexies - Join as you go - Free Pattern.

PIN FOR LATER

I have been playing with a large hexagon motif, that is 'joined as you go' (sometimes called Jaygo) This extra large hexagon measures 25 cm x 28 cm (10 x 11 inches)

Post has been been updated (Oct 2020) 

At the end of last year, in this post, I started making a hexagon motif with Bernat Big Ball Chunky in teal from American Yarns. In that post I thought I might keep going and make a huge hexagon, but I changed my mind and kept it at just 4 rounds. In the photo below you can see three motifs joined together, the join is incorporated in the 4th round.

IIf you'd like to make some hexagons of your own: 

Chunky Hexie- the Pattern. 

In US terms.

1 ball Big Ball Chunky in Teal (100% acrylic, 400 g, 394 m) 

12 mm Crochet Hook. 

Abbreviations (in US terms)

ch - chain

dc - double crochet

sl st - slip stitch 

st/s - stitch/es

sp - space

( ) - indicates stitches worked in same st/sp

[ ] or * * - indicates section to be repeated 

Single Motif.

Make a magic ring. 

 

Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc) dc, [ch 2, 2 dc] 5 times, ch 2, sl st to 3rd ch; sl st to next ch-2 sp. (12 dc, 12 ch)

Round 2: (Ch 3, dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into same ch-2 sp as sl st. [(2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc) into next ch-2 space] 5 times, sl st to 3rd ch, sl st into next ch-2 sp. (24 dc, 12 ch)

Round 3: (Ch 3, dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into same ch-2 sp as sl st. [2 dc in next sp, (2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc) into next ch-2 space] 5 times, sl st to 3rd ch, sl st into nect ch-2 sp. (36 dc, 12 ch)

Round 4:  (Ch 3, dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into same ch-2 sp as sl st. [2 dc in next sp, twice (2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc) into next ch-2 space,] 5 times, sl st to 3rd ch, sl st into next ch-2 sp. (48 dc, 12 ch)

Jaygo.

All the joining will take place in Round 4. To start with, you will only need to join one side, but you will need to join more than one side eventually! 

You can join the motifs at any point around, I have chosen to do the join on the second side. You will need to make at least one single motif to join to! (you might make a pile of single motifs in one colour, and use a second to join)  

Jaygo Motif - 1 side.

Rounds 1- 3: As above

Round 4: (Ch 3, dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into same ch-2 sp as sl st. 2 dc in next sp, twice, (2 dc, 1 ch) into next ch- 2 sp; sc (marked as 1) into any ch-2 sp of single motif; 2 dc into same ch-2 space, 2 dc into next sp; sc (marked as 2) into sp between two dc groups of single motif,  **2 dc into next sp; (2 dc, 1 ch) into next ch- 2 sp; sc (marked as 3) into next ch-2 sp of single motif; 2 dc into same ch- 2 sp; (2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc) into next ch-2 space, rep from ** 4 times, sl st to 3rd ch, sl st into next ch-2 sp. (48 dc, 12 ch)

Jaygo Motif - 2 sides

Rounds 1- 3: As above

Round 4: (Ch 3, dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into same ch-2 sp as sl st. 2 dc in next sp, twice, (2 dc, 1 ch) into next ch- 2 sp; sc into any ch-2 sp of single motif; 2 dc into same ch-2 space, *2 dc into next sp; sc into sp between two dc groups of single motif,  2 dc into next sp; (2 dc, 1 ch) into next ch- 2 sp; sc into next ch-2 sp of single motif; 2 dc into same ch- 2 sp; rep from * once,  **2 dc into next sp; (2 dc, 1 ch) into next ch- 2 sp; sc into next ch-2 sp of single motif; 2 dc into same ch- 2 sp; (2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc) into next ch-2 space, rep from ** 3 times, sl st to 3rd ch, sl st into next ch-2 sp. (48 dc, 12 ch)

Continue in this fashion to join 3 or more sides. 

If you would like to make this pattern, please share a project on Ravelry, or tag me #EWDMakes on social media so I can see! 

This post contains no affiliate links, however I did receive the yarn as part of the linked review post. 

If you are in a position to donate - please consider a donation. Your support allows me to produce free patterns.

Until next time, Happy Crocheting 

Emma

Mustard Scarf - free Pattern

I made my sister a new winter scarf, and thought I would share the simple pattern with you. A great pattern for beginners.

I used 3 x balls of Abbey Road 'Wool to be Wild' in Mustard (Aran / 10 ply, 125 meters, 52% Wool - Merino 48% Manufactured Fibers - Acrylic) 
7 mm hook
Pattern written in US terms, with UK in brackets.

finished measurements; 24 cm x 140 cm (9.5 x 55 inches)

A post shared by Emma Wilkinson Designs (@emma_crochets) on Jun 5, 2018 at 7:43pm PDT

Make a chain of 35
Row 1: Miss 2 ch, 33 hdc (htr), turn.
Row 2: Ch 2, 33 hdc (htr) in BLO, turn.

Repeat Row 2 until desired length.
Fasten Off and weave in all ends. 

ch = chain
hdc = half double crochet
htr = (UK) half treble
BLO = back loops only

If you are in a position to donate - please consider buying me a coffee. Your support allows me to produce free patterns.

June!

June is busting out all over!

After all the admin related things that took up a lot of my time in May, June is shaping up to be a great month.
If you aren't on my email list, I urge you to join! Some exciting news is dropping on (around) the 10th, and email subscribers will see it first.

(You can sign up here!)

June will see a couple of free patterns on the blog - hexagons, and a join as you go (jaygo) tutorial to join them!

A revamp of an older pattern is fresh up on Ravelry ; The Op Shop Shawl: Recycled. Pictured above. It's got a long name, I know. The old 'Op Shop Shawlette' is now longer, and has new yarn suggestions.

You can find the pattern here.

For non Australians, Op Shop (short for opportunity shop) is a second hand or thrift store. The original shawlette was inspired by a bed jacket I bought many years ago, and it's stitch pattern.

There is one more thing happening on Instagram at the end of June, but that's also going to be a surprise, I look forward to sharing it all with you.

GDPR email compliance

This might be a bit of a boring blog post, but it applies to anyone on my email list, you have been sent out an email to re confirm that you would like to keep receiving emails!


I really hope that you choose to keep receiving them!

Why?
The short answer is that new privacy laws in Europe require that anyone who collects data (your name and email are included) have to be specific with what they do with it. This is a very short answer, and I suggest you read up on it if you are interested in the long answer!

I have always stated that anyone who signs up can trust that I will never use their information for anything other than the monthly email, and this remains the same. It is just now more official.

But I'm not in Europe, and neither are you?
Well, Australia does compete in Eurovision.. we came second in 2016! Ok, but seriously I do have to comply as I have customers and email recipients in Europe. It is much easier this way, and a good way for you to review the contents of your email inbox. If you are no longer interested, I won't be upset!

If you want to sign up - click this link >> Sign Up <<

You can find my full Privacy Policy here

Bracken Scarf- new pattern release

The bulky cotton is soft and works up fast, to make a fashionable and fun asymmetrical scarf.
Pattern can be increased or decreased in length to personal tastes.

Uses Abbey Road “Kung Fu Cotton” (100% Cotton; 140 m/100g) 2 x balls in Fatigue (MC) and 1 x ball in Chartreuse (CC)

I had a lot of fun designing and making this scarf, as it all just came together! No need to frog endless rows to match my vision, it just worked!

I would love to see a project if you make one, either by adding a project to Ravelry, or using the hashtag #EWDMakes on social media.

Finished Measurements:
Width at Final Row: 50 cm/ 19.7 inches
Length : 167 cm/ 65.7 inches

Enjoy! 

Bobbleberry Washcloth Free Pattern

To complete the set of berry washcloths, I bring you the Bobbleberry washcloth. The yarn was provided to me by American Yarns, and you can read my thoughts on Lily Sugar and Cream in this post. You can find the first washcloth in that same post,and the second here.

A post shared by Emma Wilkinson Designs (@emma_crochets) on Apr 22, 2018 at 9:53pm PDT

I am using Lily Sugar and Cream in Blue jeans, and a 5 mm hook. This washcloth uses variations of both bobble stitch and berry stitch in alternating rows to create a really textured piece. US terms are used.
This will make a 20 x 20 cm square / 7.8 x 7.8 inch square

Special stitches used:

Bobble stitch: (Bo) - (YO, insert hook, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 2 loops) 4 times- all worked in same st. YO pull through 5 loops on hook.

Starting Bobble: (SBo)- 2 ch (YO, insert hook, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 2 loops) 3 times. YO pull through 4 loops on hook.

Berry Stitch (Be): YO, insert hook, pull up loop, YO, pull through 1 loop, insert hook through same st, YO pull up loop. YO, pull through 4 loops on hook.

Make a Chain of 28.

Row 1: (RS) Skip 1 ch, sc across. (27 sc)
Row 2: (WS) 2 Ch (not counted as st), *Be into first sc, sc in next. Rep from * across, finishing with a Be. (14 Be)
Row 3: 1 ch (not counted as st) sc across (27 sc)
Row 4: SBo, *sc, Bo. Rep from * across (14 Bo - including SBo)
Row 5: as Row 3.

Rep rows 2-5 five times.

Fasten off and weave in ends.


Thank you for reading,

and Happy Crocheting! 

Emma

Slouchy Strawberry Fields Beanie- Abbey Road Yarns

I was sent a few balls of the new Abbey Road Yarn from Spotlight, and have been having fun testing it out! The Strawberry Fields Mohair was a bit of a challenge (link here) as fluffy yarn can be hard to see stitches!The yarn is a blend of  50% Acrylic, 22% Mohair, 20% Merino and 8% Polyester, with a soft, brushed look. 

Nevertheless, I worked out the perfect stitch pattern - moss stitch, and with a 9 mm hook I was able to get a fabric that is super stretchy and perfect for a slouchy beanie.

The yarn is challenging, stitches are hard to see, but spaces aren't! Almost impossible to unravel, but it's also very forgiving. If you don't quite get the stitch in the right place, you are not likely to see. Although I just made a beanie, I think this stitch pattern would also make a lovely cushion cover or throw blanket for some gorgeous texture. 

You will need 1 ball of Abbey Road Strawberry Fields Mohair (50 g/ 90m) I used Orient Blue, and an 9 mm crochet hook. This beanie is worked flat in one piece and sewn at the end. a yarn needle is also required

Written in US terms
Make a Chain of 32.
Row 1: Miss 3 ch, *sc, ch, miss 1 chain. Repeat from * to finish with sc in final ch (14 SC)
Rows 2- 30.: 4 ch, * sc in 1-ch sp, ch. Repeat from * to finish with sc in 4-ch sp.

With yarn needle, join foundation chain to Row 30.

To sew top, fold in half and make one stitch joining the two sides. You will have a shape that looks like a figure 8. Pinch the top and bottom of the '8' in and make another stitch. Continue pinching in the 'loops' until you gathered in the top sufficiently. Weave all ends in.

Enjoy!

If you are in a position to donate - please consider buying me a coffee. Your support allows me to produce free patterns.

Berrilee Square - Granny Square Competition - win 100 balls of yarn!

I would like to formally introduce you to the Berrilee Square

I made it specifically for the All Crochet Patterns.net Granny Square Competition. Voting is now open, and I would love for you to vote for your top 10, and hopefully mine will be included!

Click to Vote

You will need an email address to vote and confirm vote. Voting ends at Midnight on April 22nd (UTC+1) You are also entered in to win voters prize of 100 balls of yarn! 

The pattern is not yet available, but will be released. I named it Berrilee after a suburb in North Western Sydney, that is on the banks of Berowra Creek and the Hawkesbury River. It also sounds similar to Jubilee, which seemed appropriately joyous. 

Thanks, and good luck! 

Denimberry Stripe Washcloth - American Yarns

Hello! Today I have a second berry washcloth pattern for you. It is made from Lily Sugar and Cream in Blueberry and Blue Jeans. If you haven't already guessed, there is a berry theme going on!

If you have a look at this post, you can find my review of the yarn, and the first washcloth of the series- Blueberry washcloth, pictured below; rolled. The yarn was provided to me by American Yarns. Based in Victoria, Australia, they have a fabulous range of imported yarns

Washcloths are fun to make; they take very little time, might teach a new stitch or technique, and are usable and make great gifts.

The Berry Stripe Washcloth uses the Suzette Stitch, which is a one row repeat!.

Materials needed are:
Lily and Cream Cotton in Blueberry and Blue Jeans
5 mm hook.
A yarn needle is also required.

Pattern is written in US terms.

Make a chain of 28 with Blueberry.

Set up row: Skip first ch, (sc, dc) into same st. *sk ch (sc, dc) into next st. Repeat from * till the last ch. sc only into last ch. Turn.

Pattern Row: Ch 1, (sc, dc) into first st.(the is the sc from previous row) *sk st (sc, dc) into next st. Repeat from * till the last st. sc only in last st.

Change to Blue Jeans, without breaking cotton. Repeat Pattern Row, twice.
Change to Blueberry, without breaking cotton. Repeat Pattern Row, twice.

Continue alternating colours for a total of 26 rows

This will make a 20 x 20 cm square/ 7.8 x 7.8 inch square.


Border-Without turning, rotate 90° right. Ch 1, sc into side of each row, and twice into corner. Continue all the way around making sure to cover the colour change passes.

I also made a strawberry version! Striped and plain.

Thanks again,

Happy Crocheting

Emma

My Top Acrylic Yarns - And Where I Buy Them.

I use a variety of yarns, but I am most often drawn to DK (8ply) Acrylic. It is often dismissed as cheap, but I use it for a variety of reasons. Some of them are:

- It's easy accessible, and easily substituted.
- It comes in a wide variety of colours.
- Washes well and hypoallergenic.

Not all acrylic is created equal, and there are definitely good and bad brands. The followng is based solely on my own personal experiences and has absolutely no scientific data to back it up :) You may completely disagree with me! I have also listed the places where I buy my yarn, which may be of interest - this post is not sponsored. You can click on the names of the shops and patterns for the links.

Scheepjes Colour Crafter. (100% Premium Acrylic. 100 g/300 m DK/8ply) This premium yarn is soft, washes and wears well. It comes in 93 shades. The softness is definitely what makes it my favourite. it's light, which also increases the yardage in a 100 g ball.  It is on the pricier side of Acrylic, but I feel like it is so worth it. I purchase mine from Yarnish.com.au, who also are my (sort of) Local Yarn Store. (there's a bit of a drive for me!) I have used this yarn in a few patterns - some are to be released later this year, but one example is The St Niklaas Star

Paintbox Simply DK. (100% Acrylic, 100 g/276 m DK/8ply) is available in 60 shades. This yarn feels like more of a 'standard' acrylic yarn to me. I still find it high quality and soft. Washable and smooth. Excellent stitch definition.  It is exclusively available at LoveCrochet or LoveKnitting (same company) and you can save by purchasing lots in 5 or 10. I have used this yarn for the Hug Cushion Cover.

Special mention to Paintbox Simply Chunky- (100% Acrylic, 100 g/136 m Chunky) Also available in 60 shades, just as soft as Simply DK, but also thicker, meaning faster projects! I love this yarn for blankets. Also only through LoveCrochet. I used it for my Zesty Throw.

Stylecraft Special DK  (100% Acrylic, 100 g/295 m DK /8ply) To me, this feels like a good middle ground between the colour crafter and paintbox, soft and durable. Has less stitch definition.  It comes in 80 shades. I do also get mine from LoveCrochet. I used this yarn for my Valentine Gloves. 

Special Mention to one more yarn, as I was mainly focused on DK weight yarn, but I also love Bernat Big Ball Chunky (100% Acrylic, 400 g/394 m Super Bulky) It is so thick and wonderful for chunky throws, scarves and blankets. It is only available in a few shades. I get mine from American Yarns. I have used for a few personal projects, but will have a pattern coming out later this year using it.

Thanks for reading. I am always open to trying new yarns, in all sorts of fibres. If you have a favourite, let me know!

Competition Time! Win a Pattern.

I'm running a fun competition at the moment, which has been announced on Facebook and Instagram.

Recently I've been paying attention to my free patterns on Ravelry- how many downloads, which ones are popular and so on.

I have a handful of free patterns, some started out as blog posts, others were components, and some I just wanted to have as a taster to my style of writing.

So the competition is to make something from a free pattern, and upload the project to Ravelry, between now and the 10th March 2018. Simple!

You will go in the running to win any paid pattern (of mine) of your choice.

I would love to be tagged to be shown what you are making!

The winner be be decided by myself and announced on Facebook, Instagram and here on the blog. All results are final.

Any questions? Please don't hesitate to ask!

Finally the link >> Ravelry Patterns.

Any free pattern is eligible, like the three pictured.


Competition not affiliated with Instagram, Facebook or Ravelry.




Winner has been selected! Lee, who has been contacted with the prize.

Crochet Hearts and Hugs - Pattern Round up!

Did you know my first crochet blog was called 'How to Crochet a Heart'? I had quite a few heart patterns, and they still remain close to.. my .. heart!

Today.. In time for Valentine's Day, I'm sharing a few of my favourite heart themed patterns. Click the pattern name to get to the pattern site.

"Hug"

This is my newest pattern - a cushion cover with a patchwork heart. Made with paintbox yarns, this is currently avaliable on the LoveCrochet site. 

Heart in Bloom

A gorgeous heart, with a floral centre, by Vivid Kreations.

Valentine's Gloves

Keep your hands warm (while you crochet!)

Windrose Heart

A compass rose; let those travelling know your thinking of them. 

'Heart Garland'

This sweet granny square themed heart is By Jennifer from Crochet to Play. I imagine this would make some fabulous rustic wedding decor.

Mini Heart

A free pattern on this blog!

If you do make one of these crochet heart patterns, please let me know! You can add a project on Ravelry, or tag us on Instagram!

Newsletter- sign up for FREE C2C tutorial.

Everything that is 'old' is new again, and by that it seems that the best way to stay up to date is via newsletter subscription.

Click here for form

As I'm still learning *HOW* to manage an email newsletter system, there are a few kinks.. I've just learnt how to send out a Welcome message! (You know I'd rather be crocheting and designing!) 

Included in the welcome message is a mini tutorial 'How to C2C'. This is going to come in very handy this year, as I have a few C2C patterns coming out!

If you would like to sign up AND learn how to C2C, then fill out the form below!

Subscribe to the mailing list

click this link: 

Please note that this is different to the Pattern Signup List, which are sent out as required. You can find the link to this list HERE

Hello New Year!

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to quickly post to say Happy New Year! We're in that bit of the new year where the dust is slowly settling on the festivities, but in Australia we're in the midst of Summer and life hasn't quite returned to normal, and won't for a few more weeks.. when the kids are back in school. 

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what to expect from me and the blog this year.  I've got a few patterns ready to be released, but I'm timing them with the seasons, so Autumn is going to be busy! Three free tutorials will be published - the samples I worked up from my yarn from American Yarns, plus one more!

My Etsy shop is currently offline (in holiday/vacation mode) while I reassess it.

That's mostly what I can reveal at the moment - I'm working with another brand currently, but that will have to stay secret for now (hopefully that doesn't sound too pretentious!) 

Take care, and don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to get news of pattern releases first!