MY HOOKY TREASURE

A spontaneous design entry took Alessandra Hayden’s crochet career in a completely new direction

There are so many creations that I treasure or which have special meaning to me, but I would have to say that my favourite piece is this sampler blanket. I created it in July 2016 to enter into the design competition of the Crochet Guild of America, as I was attending the conference that year. It was a spur of the moment design and as such I didn’t really have a plan. I had decided that I wanted to use as many colours as the yarn came in, and that I wanted to make a fun, bright, ‘something’ that would cheer anyone up when they saw it. I sat down with all the colours I had and started pairing them up in a way I thought would look good, then I got my drawing pad out and let my creativity flow. I had no idea the blanket would end up winning first place in its category – I was over the moon!

I am attached to many of my designs but this piece is special because it’s the one that really underscored my appreciation of colour and sparked my love for tapestry crochet, and it was that love that eventually led me to write my book Modern Tapestry Crochet! So this last-minute blanket was the first step along a new life path for me. Plus, the response I received after I released the pattern was incredible! This is still one of my best sellers and I love to see how other people play with the colours and make it their own.

This is an addictive design to work on. I only use two colours at a time and it is all made in double crochet and aran yarn. I think it’s the use of colours that makes the design so interesting and fun. The thought of restricting myself to just a couple of shades didn’t even cross my mind – the main reason I made it was to create something really stand-out and vibrant.

While there are a few different versions around, the original is still in my home, used as a throw in my living room or craft room. I simply adore seeing it every day and can’t bear to give it away, to my husband’s despair – my crochet blanket collection has grown quite large over the years! But while the time will come to say goodbye to some of my throws, I can’t see myself ever letting go of my beautiful sampler blanket – it carries so many memories with it now. If you’d like to make your own version of Alessandra Hayden’s sampler blanket, the pattern is available to buy on Ravelry at www.ravelry.com/designers/ alessandra-hayden. Turn to page 41 to see Alessandra’s delightful bobble hat, or take a look at her website, www.justbehappycrochet.com.