JOURNAL: DESIGNING YOUR OWN HOMEWARES

Sarah-Jane Hicks from Flo and Dot shares how the versatility of crochet lends itself to making things practical and pretty for all rooms of your home

Crochet is perfect for homewares. Working in rows or in the round you can hook up a chunky cushion or basket in a matter of hours, or take your time making a beautiful heirloom blanket using colourful motifs. Whether you want something plain, textured or patterned there is sure to be a stitch or technique to suit, using raised stitches to make cables or bobbles, or my favourite techniques, colour work and intarsia, to make pictures.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

Whatever room you choose to make over there is always something you can crochet. I might decide on a warm and cosy throw and rug for the bedroom or some cheerful bunting and a decorative wall hanging for my craft space.

And it doesn’t just have to be decorative, it can be practical too. Maybe I’ll make a set of table mats or coasters and some co-ordinating storage baskets or pots; these are really handy for yarn, hooks, pens and plants and are useful in any room.

Depending on my needs and the time I have available I may prefer quick simple projects using basic stitches and chunky yarn or I may want to take my time working on a new motif or revisit a pretty textured stitch I once learnt. Recently I had fun creating some simple reusable face pads with half trebles and a crab stitch edging and then brushed up on my star stitch to make some colourful washcloths, which were all part of a quick but transforming bathroom makeover.

SET THE MOOD

Some of my designs are impulsive and one-off; I might wake up thinking, ‘I want to make a cactus-shaped cushion’. Though I would recommend the less reckless approach of making a mood board before embarking on creating a collection of crochet homewares or decorations! This can be in a physical format, laying out items on a desktop or board, or a digital format, using the snipping tool and Word or PowerPoint software. I’ll use photos that I’ve taken, together with magazine and internet images of scenes and items that have inspired me. They tend to be of something fun, colourful and quirky. Then maybe I’ll add some swatches of colour or fabric. I will also draw sketches, add notes and make my own crochet swatches in the various stitch or yarn options.

The mood board is a great help when deciding on patterns and the colour palette for designs. Another idea when choosing a colour palette is to play around with yarn pegs until you find the colours or layout you are happy with. Yarn pegs are easy to make; just wrap yarn around a peg, secure

a “I would recommend making mood board before creating a collection of homewares”

the ends in place with a snap of the peg and add the shade name so you don’t forget it. Either that or I simply add yarn to my online basket so I can view the colours all together there.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

There is so much yarn to choose from that sometimes this can be the hardest part of the process. When picking the right yarn, one of my first thoughts, after choosing the colour palette, might be budget. Other things I consider are sustainability, practicality and availability, looking at what eco yarns are available or if it’s suitable for machine washing; there’s not much time for handwashing round here! You may already have a yarn preference; I prefer to use cotton over wool, DK over chunky.

And then it’s time to think about those extras you might need. Do you have all the tools for the job? Do you have the right hook? Will you need stuffing, buttons or a zip? And a fun bit, are you adding trims? Include pompoms, tassels or embroidery details, or even plan a fancy border; it’s those little additions which really bring a collection together.

MAKING THE MOST OF IT

Then comes the best part: not only have you enjoyed the creative process, at the end you will also have the pleasure of having made something for your home, to share with those you live with. And when people come round and admire the new additions to your home you can say, ‘I made that!’ Find Sarah-Jane at www.floanddot.blogspot.com and follow her on Instagram @flo_and_dot

I've been trying to use up yarn from my stash, making new cushions for my craft space with leftovers from a blanket. I'm having great fun using some of my favourite pat terns and

playing about with colour.