New Year Crochet Plans

Now that Christmas is out the way I can start thinking about projects for the New Year. I have one main plan in particular but I'll share that with you later when I have more details. It's lovely to make things for other people but I do like a project you can do at your own pace and then being able to enjoy it once it's finished, so I thought I would spend some time of these things and hopefully learn some new skills.

A while ago, whilst flicking through Simply Crochet magazine I came across a piece on filet crochet  and was intrigued by how delicate but intricate it looked. It seems that there are many patterns to follow, similar to embroidery and lots of things to make, from coasters to wall art. I'm planning to purchase the book by Betty Barnden (link here) to learn some new skills and hopefully create something pretty!

For a long time now I've wanted to make a jumper or cardigan for myself. I've practiced with small people sizes as seen in this post but have not had the time or inclination to set myself the challenge of an adult size. There are some easy to follow patterns on Ravelry and Simply Crochet mag so I'm going to attempt one and hope I get it right! I am tempted to adapt the baby pattern for an adult size as I really like the style! However I'm not very good at doing that so don't think I'll try on this occasion.

My first big project for 2014 is going to be a mood blanket. There is currently a hashtag on Instagram going around for #crochetmoodblanket2014 and despite saying that I was not going to do one, I caved and have just placed an order for 12 balls of lovely coloured yarn! I'm still undecided about what stitch(es) to use - originally I thought of doing a patchwork blanket with each square being a different stitch but realised that some squares may need to be bigger or small than others. I then thought about a multi stitch striped blanket but am now leaning towards a simple one stitch multi colour stripe...I'll keep you posted. 

Currently I am working on baby things to hopefully sell on Etsy once I get enough practice to think they are good enough. The gifts for my Godson went down really well which has given me some confidence but I'm planning to start small and see how I get on.

I have a lot of goals for 2014, both crafty and personal. I hope for a fantastic year and wish you all the very best!

Betty xXx