Interweave Crochet Accessories

© Harper Point

I have to admit that I never expected to see my designs published in Interweave Crochet. When I first began thinking about submitting designs to magazines last year, I thought the sort of toys and blankets I tended to design, mostly for my kids, did not belong among the beautiful runway-worthy garments that fill the pages of this magazine.

When I took a pattern writing class through Crochet Insider last year, the instructor Charles Voth pointed out that Interweave was among the few publications which often feature new and unusual techniques. I knew that the editor of the magazine, Marcy Smith, had been one of the judges of the CGOA Competition in 2011, so she had seen my work up close. My Mystery Machine Afghan won several awards, and was the design on which I first developed the Reversible Intarsia Technique.


© ReCrochetions

I was very excited when I saw in the call for Accessories that they were looking for toys and small items (like a book cozy!). Just my cup of tea. I pondered what sort of toy I could make using reversible intarsia, and decided on the Playmat. I had crocheted various playmats for my son, and was excited by the challenge to make it reversible.

When they asked me to write a technical article to accompany my patterns, I made a few changes to my original "Reversible Intarsia Book Cozy" sketch, to make it the ideal project to learn everything you need to know for completing any of my other intarsia designs in half double crochet. But if you want go straight for the "Happy Day Playmat", that also begins with straight stitches, before introducing each of the different angled stitches. Check out my new Reversible Intarsia Resources page for more help getting started!

It is quite exciting to see my first pattern published in a US publication, and even have it mentioned on the cover. I truly appreciate the opportunity Interweave gave me as a first time designer and writer, and am really looking forward to working with them in the future!

© Interweave

G's (Award Winning) Crocheted Garden

My son G loves to help me out in the garden. But living in the northwest it is often too wet to get outside in the real dirt. So now he can harvest vegetables even when it is raining. So I designed this garden for his Easter basket in 2009.

He knew I was making the vegetables. I was planning to surprise him with the garden mat, but one night when I was tucking him in he told me, "Maybe we can find some brown yarn and make a garden for my vegetables." I told him I would talk to the Easter Bunny. Little did he know I had already made him a mat with 20 pockets to plant in while he was sleeping just the night before.

When he saw the Garden sticking out of the top of his basket Easter morning he exclaimed, "That's my Garden! It's just what I asked for." He spent the rest of the morning harvesting his vegetables, cooking them into a "stew", and then planting them again. My sister, a school psychologist, has used them to help G practice patterning.
G's Garden is made from cotton and alpaca yarns (with a couple acrylic blends), and contains:
1 Tomato plant, 2 Broccoli,

3 Radishes, 3 Carrots,
3 Potatoes,

4 Strawberries (they tend to spread), and don't forget the 2 Lettuce (though I forgot a pic).

With an easy button, G's Garden rolls up and is ready to go!

Everyone who sees it wants one for their kids (or themselves), but I could never charge enough to be worth the time but into all those little plants. I have been working on writing up the patterns for all the little veggie plants for awhile now. I considered adding Watermelon and Squash vines to complete the collection, but decided to stick with root vegetables and those that grow close to the ground.

When I heard about the CGOA Design Competition this month, I sent in a complete set (minus the broccoli & tomato plants, and 4 of each of the others). I just found out that my Garden placed 3rd in the "Small Wonders" category. Such an honor among so much talent!

More Play Mats... Ocean & Papermache

Another Easter surprise in Griffin's basket was an Ocean Playmat which I made for a Craft Challenge on DiaperSwappers.com. Every two weeks they choose a different theme. When I saw the Ocean theme I raided my craftroom and came up with 3 different Ocean themed craft ideas, just using the materials I had on hand (okay, I'm a hoarder and have a huge craftroom, but at least I am using what I have).
This Playmat began it's life as yet another unfinished hat project. I added some waves and light blue ripples, along with a touch of white foam in the pull string around the outer edge. Of course it needed an island, made with chunky cotton.
The ocean is inhabited by a felt & wire mermaid and her fishy friends. She was totally inspired by Princess Nimble Thimble's marvelous bendy dolls on Etsy. She is the first bendable doll I have tried to make. The Ocean Mat pulls tight into a pouch to carry the mermaid and her friends for travel.
Griffin also made a Playscape himself over Easter weekend. With a little help from Mom, he taped foam peanuts and balls (cut in 1/2) onto a piece of cardboard, along with a cardboard tube and a wavey scrap from someone else's creation. Then paper mached the whole thing with recycled newspapers and newsprint. The next day we painted and decorated his creation. When asked if he wanted his world to have aliens or dinosaurs, he responded, "Aliens AND Dinosaurs!"
As soon as he got home, Griffin lined up all his playmats on the couch to play with them.

Playscapes for little Mr. G.

Griffin's main Christmas presents this year were a couple of foldable Waldorf-style playmats. I designed them to go with tubes of little Farm Animals and Dragons I knew that my aunt was giving him. I used almost all recycled materials, combing through my scraps, unfinished projects and freeform scrumbles to piece together a Farmyard and a Fantasy World. The only piece made from scratch was the Tower, and only had to add a few stitches to existing pieces to create the Water features and Cave. I love the bit of fiery red running through the blue, like it was meant to be a Dragon's River.
Notice the compost pile and chicken coop in the Farm Yard (fun freeform scrumbles I collected from some knitter friends, thanks JJ, Jasper & Tahlia!).

Was going to make ties, but decided buttons he could do himself! The backings were made with the sleeve of a sweater I will never finish and recycled fleece and fabric scraps. The unicorn fabric was left from a crazy quilted baby album my sister made for Griffin.

Now I just have to decide what to make next! A world for Dinosaurs, Under the Sea/Coral Reef, Frogs and Bugs, or a Jungle? I am thinking a Vegetable Garden for his birthday, with pockets to "plant" felt or crocheted carrots, etc... I have to thank Brenda for her inspirational ideas & pictures. I think you have created a monster!

See more playmats here and here.