As a long-time crocheter and knitter, I was excited to participate in a yarn-inspired Spoonflower Design Challenge. I've always loved how granny square blankets look so cozy, but I've never had the patience to get as far as a few squares. I usually stick to amigurumi, coffee cozies, and other little projects. I enjoy making up my own patterns for things, rather than following something someone else has made. It's fun to think through the mathematics of the crochet stitches and planning out a pattern, then seeing how all the shaping works out in the finished project. Once I even used algebra to get a pattern balanced out right. I never thought I would ever have to use algebra in a real-life application!
For this repeating pattern, it was interesting to figure out how to paint crochet stitches instead of crocheting them. I used a combination of watercolors, wash, and pastels in Photoshop to achieve the fluffy, cozy look of real crochet. For the most part, the pattern is realistic enough to crochet, but I did fudge the pattern here and there to get the desired look.
Here are a few of my crochet projects I've done over the years. Once upon a time, I used to run a crochet shop to sell coffee cozies. The appliqué on the front was open on one end, so your fingers would be all snug inside a coffee-heated mitten.
Update: I was so excited and honored to see that my Woodland Frog Mushroom Granny Squares placed 6th place in the Spoonflower Design Challenge: Granny Squares, especially since this was only my second time participating in the Spoonflower Design Challenges!
View Collection • Spoonflower Shop • Instagram
