Free Easter Pattern

Happy Easter to one and all! This is a little late, but I have decided to re-post an old pattern of mine that I use in special Easter classes. File it away for next year, or decorate with different face as the perfect project to teach you kids how to knit - and a very happy Easter bank holiday Monday to you all.

Claire xEgg Cosy Pattern copywrite Claire Montgomerie 2010

Materials
Any scraps of dk weight yarn, 4mm needles, darning needle, felt and buttons for decoration

Simple Cosy Pattern, ideal for beginners

With 4mm needles, cast on 30 sts and knit every row for 6 cm, knitting in stripes if you wish.
Cut off yarn, leaving enough to sew up seam. Thread through all stitches and pull up into a round. Sew up seam and fasten off yarn.

Stocking stitch pattern

With 4mm needles, cast on 30 sts and knit every row for 4 rows. Change to stocking stitch and work for four cm, ending with a p row. You can knit in stripes of four rows of each colour if you wish.

Next row: (k3, k2tog) 6 times (24 sts)

Next row: purl

Next row: (k2, k2tog) 6 times (18sts)

Next row: purl

Next row: (k1, k2tog)6 times (12 sts)

Next row: purl

Cut off yarn, leaving enough to sew up seam. Thread through all stitches and pull up into a round. Sew up seam and fasten off yarn.

Use buttons or googly eyes for eyes and felt shapes for beaks. Use oddments of yarn for hair, faces, eyelashes.

Rabbit ears

(These are worked in garter st, but you could do them in stocking st, or in a mixture of stitches.

With 4mm needles, cast on 7sts.

Work two rows garter st, inc one stitch at either end of next row, then work a further 3 rows garter st. (9sts)

Dec one stitch at either end of next row, then work further 3 rows garter st (7sts)

Dec one stitch at either end of next row, then knit one further row (5sts)

Dec one stitch at either end of next row. (3sts)

Next row, sl 1, k2tog, psso. fasten off final stitch.

Make two the same. (you could also make two more ear shapes in a contrast colour and attach them to the inside of the main shade ear shape) and attach to the top of the cosy.

NB. Please feel free to use this pattern to make your own cosies but please do not reprint or resell this pattern on. Copywrite Claire Montgomerie 2013.

Merry Christmas!

As the festive season approaches, some pictures of my tree. Child friendly fake fir with bright, retro decorations and topped by a lovely pattern from Inside Crochet issue 36 by Phyllis Serbes.

 Love my glass robot baubles given to me some years ago by the lovely Susan from Loop yarn shop.

 Retro mushrooms and chiming owls make my fake fir somehow more real...

 ...while I also have quite a few personalised baubles given by dear friends. What have you got on your tree?

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone.

Fashion Crochet for summer

Some summery pieces from Fashion Crochet today. The first two are by Helda Panagary, the last by Victoria Stott. The waistcoat/cardigan above is perfect as a beach cover up while the pretty flower corsages can be worn singly, in groups or as a necklace or around a neckline.

Vicky's stunning halterneck design centres around the fashionable pineapple motif and will be a fabulous statement piece when the warmer weather arrives.

Beautiful bags from Fashion Crochet

Today's projects from Fashion Crochet are all bonnie bags designed by Zoe Clements. Zoe is the editor of Yarnwise magazine and founder of Love Crochet website. If you haven't checked out her website, you should, it is full of gorgeous patterns available to buy.
For these pieces, we had the inspiration of a Stella Macartney bag, a Gerard Darel bobbled number and a Chanel crocheted shopper. Zoe created these original pieces from the initial inspiration.
I was going to say which is my favourite, but I couldn't decide. I like the practical beach style of the 'straw' bag inspired by Chanel, which you could make even more embellished with tonnes of the flowers sewn on. The bobbled bag uses a stunning subtle metallic yarn and the texture is delectable, while the Macartney inspired bag is an every day bag, with unusual chain detailing and again an option for all out crazy embellishment, you could use the flower motifs as a fringe for an on trend accessory.

Fashion crochet projects by Emma Varnam

Today I am showcasing some of the lovely Emma Varnam's designs from Fashion Crochet.
The cute shorts are perfect for the beach, I love the royal navy crab stitch edge which looks like piping, while the mini is right on trend and perfect for any young ladies who have the legs to show off!

Go check out Emma's Blog she is a very talented designer and a gorgeous person to boot! 

fashion crochet projects

 A couple more patterns from the book - summery beach/festival attire today...dreaming of the sunshine! :)

This is a very simple cropped waistcoat perfect for layering over a vest, tee or maxi dress at a festival, while the mesh dress is a perfect cover up for the beach. Strangely enough, now is probably the perfect time to get making stuff like this for your summer holidays (once the Christmas present crochet is out of the way!)

Fashion Crochet by...me!

Finally I am getting round to posting these images from my latest book, Fashion Crochet. I wanted to write a book that showcases how wearable crochet is - it is often relegated to homewares - and with so much on the catwalks, I wanted to use the modern pieces around to inspire the projects.

This week I am hoping to post all the projects from the book so you can take a peak inside. I am proud of this book, and it will forever remind me of my little babe - I shall have to post the picture my mum has of me crocheting the ruffle scarf over her lying in my lap when she was but a few months old. Most of the projects were completed like that....anyway, here's the projects:

 

LBD. Everyone's gotta have at least one, right? So why not have a crocheted one, too? this is probably my favourite project as I don't see many crocheted dresses I want to wear, but I love wearing this one. It was also difficult working in the black yarn, but so worth the final effect I think. Also got to use some of the assorted bootiful sparkly buttons I have been collecting over the years in one project! (if you can't see them very well, they are the back fastening)

The Granny cowl was inspired by a Paul Smith number, as soon as it went down the catwalk, I knew I wanted one...so made it from scraps in my stash. A perrrrfect stash buster.
Hope you like these...more to come!