Simply Crochet

Thoughts this time of year often turn heart-shaped, so we encourage you to curl up with your love – we mean crochet of course! We’ve got lots of patterns inside to quicken your pulse and get those happy endorphins running through your crafty fingers.

Carolyn enjoys all forms of crochet from basic to advanced techniques. Her love of colour and texture are reflected in her unique designs. Find her projects in the Tunisian supplement. Val has been a passionate crafter for over 50 years. The hexagon

Every month, three subscribers win a prize as thank you for their loyalty to Simply Crochet. This month, the winners (below) will each receive receive this bumper TOFT animal crochet pack worth a huge £50, with not one, but three cute amigurumi desig

Editor Sara Huntington Art Editors Kimberly Price, Claire Watkins, Jude Curle, Carolyn Bunt Production Editor Sarah Newman Technical Assistant Paula Green Digital Assistant Jennifer May Cover Photography Phil Sowels Photography Philip Sowels, Dave Ca

These patterns showcase the beauty and flexibility of crochet, for those who love to create. Emma has designed projects in her romantic style featuring ruffles, flowers, beautiful stitch patterns and the soft neutral colour palette that she is known

11 MAR Yarn dyeing workshop £25, online www.theslippedstitch.co.uk/workshops 18 MAR Yarndale Monthly virtual making club Free; booking essential www.bit.ly/CraftClubYarndale John Arbon Textiles have started a video blog on their YouTube channel to

Crochet a beautiful yin yang basket for someone special to store their precious things in. Around 10cm in diameter, it’s just right for coins, beads and jewellery. The pattern is £5.08 from goolgool’s Etsy shop. Be nifty thrifty and use your yarn

Since starting out as a crochet designer back in 2012 I have always set myself challenges. I love to push my abilities and see what I can achieve with anything in life and crochet is always a place where I feel safe to go that little bit further and

1. Collect images that inspire you. 2. Use colours that make you happy. 3. Try out a new technique. 4. Change that border, make the sleeves longer; just go for it! 5. With each try you'll get better. ■

1 Sewing with a tapestry needle is the regular and neat way to join seams. Place two pieces of crochet wrong sides together and oversew them as shown above, using a tapestry or yarn needle. 2 To slip stitch a seam, place the crochet pieces right s

1 Insert hook under top 2 loops of next stitch. Start working a dc stitch: yrh, pull loop through (2 loops on hook). Without finishing this dc, start a second dc in the next stitch: insert hook, yrh, pull up loop (3 loops on hook). 2 Without compl

For a more budget-friendly make, try Stylecraft Life DK, 3 balls of Parchment (2445, 2 balls of each: Cream (2305), Rose (2301), Heather (2309), Cascade (2308) For yarn stockists contact www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk ■

“I’ve retired as a gallery curator and I now spend a lot of time in the garden growing vegetables. I also like to fossick [rummage] through thrift stores, not for anything in particular; I just like the thrill of the hunt. Follow Trevor on Facebook a

1 Identify the post of the next stitch. Then work yrh (as usual for a treble stitch) and insert hook into the back of the fabric, around the front of the post, and bring out hook on other side of post. 2 Work the rest of the stitch as you usually

For a more budget-friendly make, try Cygnet Silcaress DK, 4 balls of Yarn A Pearl Grey (2672), 1 ball of each: Yarn B Cornflower (2119), Yarn C White (2080) For yarn stockists contact www.cygnetyarns.com

1 To make a double treble crochet stitch, yrh twice and insert the hook under the top 2 loops of the next stitch on the previous row. Yrh and draw through the stitch only (4 loops on hook). 2 Yrh and pull the yarn through the first 2 loops only (3

• Alpacas in the UK are registered with the British Alpaca Society. The Society safeguards the quality of the national herd, while setting high standards for alpaca welfare. • Alpacas are usually sold in twos and threes as they can become distressed

1 Start a treble in the next stitch or space in the usual way: yrh, insert hook, yrh, pull loop through (3 loops on hook), yrh, pull through first 2 loops (2 loops on hook). Stop here, without finishing. 2 Start treble in the same stitch/space: yr

1 Identify the post of the next stitch. Then work yrh (as usual for a treble stitch) and insert hook into the front of the fabric, around the back of the post, and bring out hook on other side of post. 2 Work the rest of the stitch as you usually

1 Start by inserting the hook under the top 2 loops of the next stitch on the previous row. Begin to work a double crochet stitch in the usual way, working yrh and pull loop through (2 loops on hook). 2 Without finishing the first dc, begin the ne

1 First, make sure you fasten off, weave in ends and block pieces. Place pieces right sides together. Insert hook into the first stitch on both pieces. Make a slip knot and place it onto the hook. 2 Pull the slip knot through both stitches to brin

It’s simple to be in with a chance of winning a great hooky prize in a future issue! Show us your Simply Crochet makes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or via email by 25 February. For all terms and conditions, and more information, visit www.gathered

Crochet Unravelled aims to deep dive into the techniques, tutorials and terminology that will make you a better hookster. Have you got a question you want Becky to unravel? Send it in to us at simplycrochet@immediate.co.uk ■

Here’s Laura Robinson’s exact copy of the throw from issue 104, and we can see why she’s kept to the same colour scheme – it coordinates so well with her strong interior decor. It’s such an eye catching combination that even her cat’s head is turned!

These citrus fruit coasters from issue 101’s supplement have brightened the midwinter days for Isobella Callaby aka @thatcrochetgirl onthetrain Jacqui Crawford, aka @jacquicrawford1959 has hooked up the star yoke jumper from issue 103 in teal, wit

Being able to count your stitches is very important and helps you to ensure that you’re following a pattern correctly. It’s a good idea to count your stitches at the end of every row. To count short stitches such as double crochet, look at the plaite

Each chain or loop counts as one stitch. Never count your first slipknot or the loop on the hook (called the working loop). So that you can be accurate, make sure the chain is not twisted and that the front is facing you. ■

Most crochet patterns state the tension required, in rows and stitches of a specific type. Make a swatch at least 15cm square and check that your tension matches. Place a ruler across the swatch and insert two pins, 10cm apart. Then place the ruler a

Some patterns are worked in rounds that are joined together at the end of each round (see left). Other patterns are worked in a spiral, so you don’t need to join the rounds at the end, just keep going, working into the next stitch on the previous row

We crocheters often start the new year with thoughts of trying a new challenge, so here’s our Tunisian crochet edit to whet your appetite. With projects designed for your head down to your toes and exciting stitches to try, these patterns have got yo

Complete the final stitch, then cut the yarn about 15cm from the work. Pull it through the last loop on the hook and pull to close the loop. Thread the yarn tail onto a tapestry needle and weave into the back of the work. Most crochet items don’t nee

1 Elongate the loop on your hook and place onto a broomstick lace tool. *Insert hook in next stitch along, yrh and pull through loop, elongate loop and place on broomstick lace tool. 2 Repeat from * in Step 1 until you have the required number of

At school, in art class, we were always being told about the importance of preparatory work. You should explore different avenues before arriving at the final art piece you want to create. When I was fifteen I didn’t care about the prep and wanted to

1 Follow your pattern to work as many rows of Tunisian crochet as you need to create your fabric. 2 When you want to finish your work, complete the return pass of the final row. You could just fasten off at this point, but you can create a neater

1 Sewing with a tapestry needle is the regular and neat way to join seams. Place two pieces of crochet wrong sides together and oversew them as shown above, using a tapestry or yarn needle. 2 To slip stitch a seam, place the crochet pieces right s

1 Place your two pieces out flat with right sides facing up. Line up the two edges you want to join, matching up each crochet stitch or row end carefully. It’s best to work the mattress stitch seam vertically from bottom to top so start at the bottom

1 Work a foundation chain as usual, with the same number of chains as stitches you want (so ch15 for 15 stitches). To begin the Forward Pass of your foundation row, *insert the hook into the second chain from the hook. 2 Work yrh and pull a loop o

ex-Tks (extended Tunisian knit stitch) Loop on hook counts as first st, with yarn at back of work *insert hook through fabric between the loops of the vertical bar, yrh and pull up loop, yrh and pull through 1 loop on hook, leave loop on hook; rep fr

1 Keep your yarn’s ball band safe and check it for care information. The band will tell you what temperature to wash the yarn at and whether it can go in the machine or if it needs to be handwashed. 2 To handwash, soak for around 30 minutes in a b