Busy busy patterns

HELLO


It has been a busy couple of weeks in the Hook Geek studio. I have been finishing my crochet a long blanket, Which I highly recommend doing by the way. it is a project you can easily do alone or with other people, you can pick it up and put it down at your leisure.

for more information check out hoophaberdashery for classes or Hannah Davis for the designer.







We have also been busy designing two new patterns a frog and a sweet little mouse. The frog (Frederic) is all ready to be typed up. He even comes with instructions for a top hat and a bow tie. This is a fairly easy pattern to follow but like most of my patterns I suggest you have some knowledge of crocheting in the amigurumi style. This style is an easy process of increasing and decreasing and has a pattern that is written in basic terms.

This particular frog has stripy legs and I've used the method of changing colours where I continue the thread on the inside of the leg. so instead of fastening off each time I finish the last stich of the round off with the next colour and just leave the other thread there until I need it two rounds later. this way you can just pick up and drop each thread as you need them. it is a quick and easy method and once you get into the rhythm you never use a different method.

The mouse pattern (Dotty) will be available  nearer the end of the week as I'm yet to design a little jacket for. upon doing my research I found that not many characters have clothes. A lot have capes and things which is great for me to be able to bring a different style of clothing to the characters I make and hopefully you too. This little muse is quite special to me because I used mohair and DK together to create her. which has left her very soft and fury. not quite suitable for little babies but I wouldn't give her to a baby any due to her glass eyes.  I'm thinking my next pattern will also be made of the mohair and DK combination because I like doing it so much and it has such a great effect at the end. I know this means she works out to be a little more expensive to make but it is so worth it in the end.

During these last couple of weeks we've also tried out hand at making crowns for children. My children have grown and are not quite little enough for these crowns so gauging the size has been hard and I have had to borrow the heads of friends children.  Plus my children seen to have massive heads so getting an average size crown is difficult in my house. Never the less I think I have managed a couple of styles and techniques. One crown I was quite proud of would not keep its shape as well as I hoped so I ended up straying it with a glue and water mix and this worked quite well. so well in fact I have a huge crown in mind for my next task.

My next step is to get typing these patterns up. they will be available via Etsy and Revelry.

Penelope the rabbit

Penelope the Rabbit

When first designing a soft toy my first port of call is talk to the children. After the million ideas they have given me and asking if it would be better in rainbow colours or even better if I could make the toy fly using magic yarn, I get some sense of what I am aiming to create.
I draw my design and pick the colour and then get crocheting. I tend to stick with basic stitches at first and see where it takes me. Adding details and different styles of stitches as I go. 

Depending on how much I am paying attention have to re start a few times just to make sure I get it right. So no listening to music that I want to dance to during this part of the process.

After I have made my design, I type up the pattern and then comes for me the difficult bit. giving it a name. This rabbit was named by someone else. Once a name is chosen a character is then formed. This particular rabbit was made from the Women's Institute range of yarn brought from Hobby craft, using a 3.25 hook (uk). approx. 100gms of yearn was used to make her.

It can be washed at 40 and put in the dryer on a low heat. It has small beads for eyes and a beany bottom to aid it sitting. It is 33cm tall.


If you are designing your own patterns I would suggest you write down as much information about what you are doing then when you come back to it at a later date all the information will be there. especially if you intend on selling your designs because people will want as much information as you can give them.
You can buy the pattern or the finished product at my ETSY store.
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thehookgeek

Today's the day

Todays the day!!

Today marks the first day in which I am switching careers, from illustrator to (dare I say it out loud?) Designer. I am a self taught crocheter and have been designing my own patterns for a while. There came a time when my love of crochet and everything that comes with that, from the yarn to designing the patterns was more than just a hobby.  

Why crochet? I hear you ask (or was that just the voices in my head screaming why woman why!!!). Every time I enter a wool shop I feel like a child at Christmas, like an elf in Santa's workshop I know what I can use every strand for. I started by knitting but could only ever make scarfs and even at best they were awful. I turned to the trusty old internet to show me the way. After a few knotted attempts I could make a granny square. The knowledge of the square turned in to a blanket, which turned in to a bag and so on until I found myself designing patterns to make monsters for all the children I know and few adults too.

Skip a few days, weeks and months and it leads us to today!

With my new blog ready to go here is what you can come to expect from me. A lot of waffling on about my love of yarn and crochet, my bad grammar (which I hopefully will improve), a guided tour of how my creations are made, plus you lucky ladies and gents I will treat to a free pattern every now and then.    

There will also be some information on how you can purchase one of my designs from Etsy and I will also help you design your own creations.  

 Wow lets get started.

With everything ready all that is left to do is get crocheting.