I feel rather like a ten year old in Home Economics (showing my age there, I guess!), but the truth is I’m rather proud of my knitted hot water bottle cover, completed this week 🙂 I’ve learned to cable cast on with needles, which was no small feat as I have only been able to cast on the regular way and with a crochet hook to date! I also managed to get to grips with increasing using the M1 method, both purl and knit, and the shaping also involved decreasing (a lot easier to master). I used oddments of lovely bright Nundle Chaffey. It’s a 100% Australian wool produced by Nundle Woollen Mills in New England, NSW; a lovely little working mill which I have visited several times and which is one of only three remaining mills in Australia. The pattern is from“Handmade Style: Knit” by Janine Flew.

Back in my crochet comfort zone this week I have been reflecting on June’s efforts, and planning for July. I finished no less than three crochet blankets last month (!!): a granny square blanket using a design by Margaret Hubert called ‘Blooming Granny” (from “The Granny Square Book”) in Stylecraft Special DK; the Hydrangea Stripe Blanket by Attic 24 n Stylecraft Special DK; and Sophie’s Universe by Dedri Uys in Patons Cotton Blend. Needless to say I did not begin all these in June! They were all started in 2018 though, unlike the block blanket wip which I began in 2015 and which I am finally finishing this week (maybe, haha).

While tweaking and joining blocks in the past day or two my thoughts have been turning to design once more. Searching back through my Instagram feed this very early morning (thank you, cat!) I found a square I finished designing but never got around to writing up last winter. It’s called ‘Winter in the Glen’ and I’m going to go through my notebooks and see if I can find my scribbles; failing that I’ll have a go at redoing it from the picture. Then I’ll be hunting out my pattern tester spreadsheet to find those lovely hookers who tested ‘Winter Sun‘ for me last year and said they’d love to test for me again, to see if they are still willing. And thus I hope to publish my second Ravelry pattern in the not too distant. I’m a bit excited 😀

Are you a crochet designer? What’s your favourite part of the design process?