JOURNAL: JOHANNA LINDAHL

Johanna Lindahl of MijoCrochet on creating beautiful shawls and the importance of swatching

When I met Johanna of MijoCrochet I knew she designed the most exquisite crochet shawls, but it wasn’t until after we’d spoken I realised she is the mind and hook behind two of the most stunningly successful shawls out there! Secret Paths and Lost In Time shawls have been made by thousands of crocheters around the world and are universally admired (it’s not difficult to see why!), so it was an honour to find out more about how she designs them and what it takes to create the perfect shawl. Johanna, who lives with her husband and dog in a town next to a forest in Sweden, has been crochet blogging since 2016. In 2018 she launched her crochet business MijoCrochet and describes it as a huge and scary step, but one that has been amazing and worth all the work.

DESIGN AND MAKE WHAT YOU LOVE

Johanna stumbled upon designing after realising that not only did she change a pattern she was using but often put it aside and re-wrote it entirely! People started asking her where she found her beautiful patterns and when they discovered they were Johanna’s they pleaded for her to publish them. An important aspect of design for Johanna is making what she loves. Both shawls and blankets are her favourites because she uses them herself and both can be really expressive in terms of subtlety of design, playfulness of stitches and use of colour. Shawls are her go-to make as she feels they are the perfect sized project; not too big so there’s no end in sight (we’ve all started and not finished one of those!), and not too small so you can relax into the project and enjoy it for a good while.

STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE WITH COLOUR

Shining through in Johanna’s designs is her love for colour and bravery to experiment with different combinations. It’s something that most shy away from, perhaps because it takes time and we often choose a palette of colours we always work with. Many of Johanna’s colour choices are discovered whilst making items from scrap yarn. If you’re just using up what you’ve got then you’ll find a way to make it work and I can definitely identify with this. Johanna says that the key to success with beautiful colour gradients is experimenting – just try and see how it looks, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. It’s worth it!

THE PERFECT SHAWL SHAPE AND THE MATHS OF IT ALL

Mostly Johanna doesn’t know what a project will look like when it’s finished. The intricacy and detail in her designs led me to

go-to make Shawls are Johanna’s as she feels they are the perfect-sized project