GOOD READ
Subscribe at http://www.simplycrochetmag.com WWW.SIMPLYCROCHETMAG.COM 67
C
hristmasandcraftinggohandin
hand:gettingcosyandworking
onyourwoollies,mulledwine
bubblingandjoyfultuneshumminginthe
backgroundis a dreamscenario.Butit’stime
tothinkbeyondthechunkyknits– crochet
canoffersomuchmoretothefestive
season.We’veteamedupwiththeexperts
to find out exactly what that is!
GORGEOUSGIFTS
There’snothingquitelikemakinga
handmadegiftfora lovedone– personaland
touching,it bringsjoytobothmakerand
receiver.“Crochetmakesa lovelygiftfora
lovedonebecauseofallthehoursandlove
youhaveputintoit,”sayscrochetdesigner
FranMorgan(www.franmorgan.co.uk).“It’ll
alwaysbemorevaluablethananyshop-
boughtitem.Eachgiftis a littlebitofyou.”
Thepossibilitiesofwhatyoucanmake
reallyareendless.Letyourimaginationgo
crochet-wild;clothes,jewellery,bags,toys...
it’stheperfectopportunitytotailoryour
designtosuitthepersonyou’remakingfor.
“Thinkaboutwhatyourlovedoneenjoys
most,”advisesFran.“Ateacosyfora tea
drinkingfriend,forexample.It’llbesowell
received.” Pay attention to their favourite
clothestoo,tohelpguideyourcolourchoices- matchingyourfriendtotheirmakehelps
ensureyourhookworkwon’tgotowaste.
CrochetandknitpatterndesignerErin
Black(www.midknits.com)comesupwith
somethingusefulandfun each Christmas for
herchildren.“I think
thefavouritessofar
werethechenille
hoodedcuddle
blankets,”shetellsus.
“Theyusethemevery
day.I liketothinkit
feelslikea hugfrom
mumwhenthey’re
‘burrito-ing’ on the
sofa!”
Thefundoesn’t
stopwiththeactual
giftseither.Fransuggestscrocheting
personalisedgifttags,whichcandoubleup
askeyrings,whileErinlovestomakesmall
itemssuchasbaubles,ministockingsormini
mittenstoaddasgifttoppers.“Even
somethingassimpleasa pompomcanreally
adda funandfestivetouch,”shesays.
However,if you’replanninga bigger
project,suchasa throworblanket,you’ll
need to factor in the time this is going to take
inadvance.“I wouldrecommendstarting
largeritemsmanymonthsbeforeChristmas,”
saysbloggeranddesignerEleonoraTully
(www.coastalcrochet.com).“It’sa labourof
loveandI wouldonlygivethistosomeone
who truly appreciatesthetimethathasgone
into making it.”WINTERWEAR
Thechillywinter
weatherlendsitself
perfectlyto
crochetedwoollies.
Thisisn’trestrictedto
Christmasjumpers
either– there’sa
wholehostof
winterwearyoucan
maketogetcosyfor
theseason.Hats,gloves,scarvesandmittens
arealleasilyconstructed.“Crochetedshawls
andhatsareessential!They’resoontrend
andcanbemadeinsuchamazingcolours
andstitchcombinations,”saysEleonora.“Or
tofeellikeyou’rewrappedina cosyblanket,
trya poncho.Thesimpleconstructionmeans
they’reeasytomake,andtheywill warm up
thewearerinnotimeatall.”
If there’s ever a time to sport matching“ C r o c h e t m a k e s
a l o v e l y g i f t
b e c a u s e o f a l l
t h e h o u r s y o u
have put into it ”
ErinBlackshows
winterclothing
doesn’thave
to be complexSweetprojectslikethese
waistcoatstitchhearts
can be used for décorThesecrochet
knotpillowsmake
amazing one-off gifts