SHARNA MOORE JOURNAL

Sharna Moore talks corner-to-corner crochet, surprising uses for granny squares, and rediscovering her love for creating

With every new season I find fresh inspiration. But no matter the season, you will usually find me sitting in my cosy space drinking coffee out of one of my favourite mugs, surrounded by the softest yarn. I take my design inspiration from everyday life, the weather, shop windows and even my mood that day.

This past year I’ve been taking a laid-back approach to my crochet, trying to remember what got me hooked in the beginning, which was the simple granny square (which I’ll go into later). Mainly I’ve been playing with new ideas, and practising different stitches, such as the crochet knit stitch and waistcoat stitch. I’ve already hooked up a new hat and cowl using these techniques – I love to put my new learnings into practice straight away. My refreshed perspective has also given me the opportunity to play with lots of different textures and colours, from thick, chunky wool to the softest cotton yarn. My favourite yarn has to be chunky Peruvian wool – it gives an amazing texture even with the simplest stitches, and photographs beautifully.

HOOKED INTO A CORNER

Despite having been a crocheter for nearly four years, I only tried corner-to-corner crochet a few months ago after being influenced by the IG crochet community. I’m so glad I did – it’s huge fun and really gets my imagination flowing. I love mixing different yarns within one project – contrasting soft and fluffy with pretty and sparkly. My favourite C2C make to date is my mustard and grey fluffy pompom hat.

COWL LOVE

Over the past year I’ve got great enjoyment from making cowls. They’re such a fab accessory and can change a whole outfit – and cosy too! You can wear them all year round by changing up the stitches and yarn. There’s no exact dimensions required as long as you can pop it over your head, and anyone can wear them. Crocheting a cowl gives me that quick crochet fix when I need it, plus they’re great for trying out new yarn and stitches, and for playing with texture. I especially love using the bobble and puff stitches when I crochet cowls. My giant, pale pink bobble stitch cowl is my favourite one to wear, especially on a chilly day.

HIP TO BE GRANNY SQUARE

Granny squares remain my first love – who doesn’t love a granny square? The crochet IG community are wild for them, and if I post a square on my feed its gets tons more love than

“Crocheting a cowl gives me PD=P MQE?G ?NK?DAP T when I need it”

any of my other makes. They are my go-to project if I’m lacking inspiration and want to create something. They’re super-quick to whip up and great for trialling new colour combos, plus sometimes I appreciate that they’re a no-brain-power make – hooking them totally relaxes me.

I do enjoy a chunky granny square, especially stitched into a cuddly blanket. But they’re also far more versatile than people imagine. This past year I’ve made a whole host of things with granny squares, including gloves, bags and cardigans, even a doily, if you can believe it. In fact, one of my most popular patterns is my star doily, which starts off with a two-round granny square. I’m amazed at how many people have made one and every single one uses different colours. Granny squares totally rock!

RECAPTURING MY CREATIVE SPIRIT

I realised recently that I had been concentrating on solely producing crochet makes I thought my Instagram followers would enjoy. The fun, creative side I’d had at the beginning of my journey was slowly disappearing as I put too much pressure on myself to keep constantly producing, and this was killing my motivation. So, this year I promised myself I would slow down and get my creative side back instead of pushing myself to output for the sake of it. I want to take my time and make some truly stunning, unique designs. But don’t worry, I will still be posting lots of cosy scenes on my IG page, which will mainly consist of lots of pink, mustard and grey colours with all the coffee and a cute pair of scissors…

WINTER WOOLLEN WONDERS

When it comes to designing patterns, I’m always more drawn to winter designs, big cosy cardigans and chunky pompom hats. I love that feeling you get when someone asks where you got one of your makes, and you reply, ‘I made it myself’.

“I’m amazed at how many people have made my star doily”