PONY’S JOURNAL
...from the studio
Designer Pony McTate is getting ready for the year ahead by making some New Year’s resolutions with a crochet twist!
Come January, lots of people like to set themselves New Year’s resolutions. I’m not one of them. I confess, I’ve never done well with the ‘shoulds’. You know the kind: I should exercise more, I should blame the cat less, I should not lie to my dentist about how often I floss. If my track record is anything to go by, those kinds of resolutions are doomed to fail and I end up feeling miserable. Instead, this year I’ve been thinking about ‘want to’ resolutions instead. I want to take my old roller-skates out for a spin. I want to grow giant pumpkins with my children. And I certainly want to do lots of new things with crochet.
NEW TECHNIQUES
I’d like to improve my stitch game this year. Despite all the clever combinations out there, I tend to rely on that old workhorse, the trusty half treble.
If you find yourself in a rut, stitch dictionaries are an excellent source of inspiration. I’ve gathered together quite a collection of books now, both old and new. My favourites are dog-eared old vintage pamphlets, especially those with handwritten notes in the margin. I found a wee gem in my local shop that suggests Little Fish Scale stitch “would make a dainty frock for Fanny”. It goes on to include a recipe for something called A Pudding Men Love. I am yet to try it.
One stitch that I’d like to explore further is Celtic basketweave. It’s a fascinating stitch, one of those immensely complicated jobbies with a pattern worked over many rows. It is not for the faint-hearted. I gave it a go once, and simultaneously loved it and loathed it. It took bucket-loads of concentration and caffeine, but the results were mindblowing and yet so pretty. I want to see what else I can do with this marvellous stitch. Maybe cuffs on a cardigan?
NEW PROJECTS
Perhaps I will also spread my wings in terms of the projects I make. Socks are something I have dabbled in briefly. I’d like to give them another go, especially since there are so many pretty sock patterns about at the moment. I like how hard-wearing they are. And – added bonus – they really set off a head-to-toe crochet ensemble.
As well as new projects for me, I am thinking about who else I can share my craft with. My eldest son has been asking me to crochet him a jumper. I must admit, I’ve been a bit reluctant to make wearable things for my children thus far. I find boys tend to grow too quickly and attract too
“I’d like to give socks another go – there are so many pretty patterns about at the moment”
“I'd like to improve my stitch game this year"
much mud. A crocheted garment is quite the undertaking and you want your makes to be appreciated, wherever they end up.
So, still a bit wary, I asked my son what colours he would like this hypothetical jumper to be. He rooted around in my stash for a while and unexpectedly came back with a selection that made my heart skip with excitement: a glorious deep green, a rich sparkly mustard and sparkly hot pink. That’s my boy, I thought – what fabulous colours! And that’s when I decided to get over my hang-ups and give the child what he wanted. Well. Almost what he wanted.
Funnily enough, the particular yarn combo he picked out found its way onto a hook and is currently working up a Pony-sized jumper. I can’t think how…
…AND OLD WIPS
My nemesis, the Never-ending Blanket. Ah yes, we meet again. As much as I want to launch myself into a pretty new pattern, I know that this ancient project deserves some hook time. It still reigns supreme as my longest-standing WIP – something in the region of seven (eight? Gulp, nine?) years. It features regularly on my social media posts in various states of neglect. But I think 2020 might be its year. Firstly, because it ticks so many of my crochet boxes (bold colours, dramatic geometric design, squishy). And secondly, because the guilt associated with it is beginning to burn.
Stampy the cat has been doing her bit to motivate me. I took the blanket out of its crate to snap a few photos and she promptly moved in. There’s no room for the blanket anymore, so I guess I’ll have to finish it.
“My Never-ending Blanket deserves some hook time”