MY HOOKY TREASURE

How an oversized cardigan broke Michelle White out of her crochet comfort zone

M y most important make to date has to be the Everyday Hugs Cardigan. It was the first cardigan I ever designed, and the research I did to get the shaping and structure right started an unexpected obsession with understanding crochet garment design, and a passion for demystifying the process for others.

I started the design for this piece with the intention of creating a really comfy, really wearable, really cosy cardigan. We all have those old faithful items in our wardrobe that we pull out time after time, the ones that go with anything and we feel comfortable and confident in. That’s what I wanted the Everyday Hugs Cardi to be.

Designing this pattern was the first time I really started digging deep into garment construction and began to learn about shaping and sleeve styles. I probably remade it about three times before I was happy. While frogging hours and hours of work is enough to make you weep (and I did!), I learned so much from all my missteps that the tears soon faded – it was an invaluable learning curve.

The cardigan itself ended up as a very simple construction, suitable for adventurous beginners and is still one of my most popular designs. It lives on the back of the chair in my office, always there to give me a hug when I need it!

Everything I learned from designing this pattern, and the reason it’s so special to me, planted the seeds of my current mission; to make crocheting garments more accessible and give crocheters the confidence to have a go at creating clothes.

So many people are intimidated by crocheting wearables. There is so much terminology which can feel completely overwhelming. Just the word ‘tension’ used to make me tense! But I have learned that it really doesn’t have to be scary.

My goal is to help others push past those fears and find the joy and satisfaction that comes from crocheting your own clothes. This was the original inspiration behind ‘My Crochet Wardrobe’, a Facebook group for anyone who is interested in crochet garments but doesn’t quite know where to start – for me, it started with this cardi!

Find the Everyday Hugs Cardigan pattern on Ravelry @doraexplored, read more about garment design on doradoes.co.uk, or join the My Crochet Wardrobe Facebook group: search MyCrochetWardrobe