Crochet Extra - December 2023/January 2024

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It’s the end of the year – can you believe it?

With the beginning of 2024 fast approaching have you got your New Years’ Crochet Resolutions sorted? New projects, new techniques to learn, new yarns to try? I’ve got so many noted down that I have a feeling I will run out of time! But I will have fun trying. Take a look at our classes for 2024 here to see how they will help achieve your resolutions. Our Monday online classes are attracting people far and wide. We are also fortunate to have a special one day workshop with Emily Littlefair to crochet a mandala from her book Making Mandalas.

And of course Christmas is just round the corner. Are you still looking for gifts to give to your friends and family? Check out the items on our Christmas Gift Giving Page.

Are you being asked by your family and friends what you would like for Christmas? Don’t forget to add your Crochet items to your Christmas wish list – while your at it, why not add attendance at our Hunter Valley Crochet Retreat – and tell them all donations are welcome! What a magical gift that would be to have your loved ones fund some or all of your Crochet Retreat package. Making memories is so much more valuable than buying things.

We still have a few more spots left, so get in ASAP to secure your spot….. I guarantee you won’t regret it. There is a reason why our Sunshine Coast ones book out within the week of release and it’s not about the location.

We had some excitement this month as the new colours in the Wren 8 ply cotton arrived, along with new colours in the Stash ‘n Store. We also have a new yarn arriving soon – Jody Long Flora – a beautiful cotton tweed, perfect for our summer weather.

Sadly December is the month we say goodbye to both Shaz and Sheelagh! Shaz departs to travel with her family around Australia once again, after being her for 4 years. But don’t worry, she assures me she will still be designing patterns as she goes and I will be still be able to purchase them from her to sell in the shop. Sheelagh and her family meanwhile are relocating to Bundaberg – she tells me the commute is just too long!

So that leaves an opportunity for 1 or 2 people to join me at Crochet Australia to create a whole new team. If you are in the Sunshine Coast area and would like to work in a creative environment, reach out to us here to learn more!

Next week we begin our December classes – two items that will make great gifts! Monday nights online 7pm – 9pm, Tuesdays in store 9.30am -11.30am and Wednesday evenings 5.30pm – 7.30pm. The first week we are making a cute Christmas mug cozy called the Gnome-a-licious Mug Cosy designed by @livelovecrochetshaz. These cute cosys make great gifts and can be modified to suit any mug size. You can also change the colours to create one for any season or time of year. What’s your favourite colour?

The second and third week we will be making a Door Caddy designed by Crochet with Lynda where we will be teaching winding post stitches. Use your door caddy anywhere to hold your phone, keys, make-up, jewellery and the list goes on. Such a great compact storage solution.

As a reminder, our final day of trading is Friday 21st December. While we planned to reopen on Monday 9th January, there may be some changes to this depending on staffing. So keep an eye out on our website for updates!

From the team here at Crochet Australia, we wish you all a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and a happy New Year. Until next time

Lynda

Theme— Vintage Crochet, Knitting & Tatting – If I Could Turn Back Time

When I think of Vintage Crafting, I have memories of my elderly family members and all the beautiful crochet, knit and tatted items they used to make. How many of you have old patterns you’ve inherited from mothers, grandmothers or aunts that are over 30 years old or found them in second hand stores? Or perhaps you’ve inherited or found old hand made pieces for a bygone era. I always marvel at the intricacy and creative talent that we have in our history.

Lace, pineapple, and filet as crochet techniques featured heavily in vintage patterns. Home décor such as doilies, chair toppers, curtains, table runners; lace inserts, gloves, and collars also appeared regularly, as did baby clothes. We have in stock many of the older crochet magazines from the 1980s and 1990s that feature these patterns, the Paragon patterns from the 1920s and 1930s that have been reproduced by Craft Moods, Elizabeth Hiddleston patterns from the 1950s and Mary Card from the early 1900s – just to name a few. These older patterns made with the latest beautiful yarns and threads we have at our disposal today would look amazing and be quite on trend.

Much of the vintage patterns use thread. However, many of the threads that the patterns were done in have been long discontinued. The finer threads do of course still exist, but as newer brands – DMC threads – cebelia and babylo; Lizbeth threads by Handy Hands and Madame Tricot Maxi and Daphne threads are all modern-day equivalents of some of the traditional threads, with many more colours to choose from. Many of the designs can also be modernised using many of the other vast array of threads and yarns that are now available. I’ve seen many people make Irish lace and doilies in the 4 and 8 ply yarns to create something truly magnificent. And of course, rayon still appears for that silky look for baby christening gowns and comes in 1kilo cones and 25g balls.

While there are some beautiful designs from these times, vintage patterns are not without their troubles – namely they seem to use a completely different language and refer to yarns and threads that have been discontinued long ago. This unfortunately puts many people off recreating the vintage designs that sit in their pattern library or even acquiring old vintage patterns to make.

Many of the vintage pieces may also be used to create something more useful today. I have seen many people create artwork and frame it to keep their heirlooms safe and easy to display, such as this from Regina’s Art Supply Exchange. Refer to her blog for other ideas http://artsupplyexchange.blogspot.com/2021/06/vintage-doily-art.html. Or use older pieces to embellish their clothes and bags. Don’t keep them locked away in a cupboard, let them out and make them shine again. Or if you come across a historical piece that has frayed or been damaged, if it means something to you, have it mended – talk to us about how!

Vintage Crochet also brings to mind the ever-faithful Granny Square which has seen its own transformational journey through the decades. The good old granny square is making a huge come back in fashion this year and next year with many items such as dresses, bags, hats, jackets, scarves, blankets, and more being increasingly popular amongst the younger generation. Many of the big stars have been seen sporting their latest crochet fashion piece. Even Dior has crochet items for sale based on the granny square or vintage style lace.

DIOR PRESENTS THE SAVOIR-FAIRE OF THE DIOR BOOK TOTE IN ...

At Crochet Australia we also have a wide range of vintage patterns, including the faithful granny square – with something to suit everyone’s tastes and skill Pineapple Fan Chair Set Pattern #7515 level. Check out next section to see just a selection of what we have available. To help you get started, why not try one of these vintage patterns from freevintagecrochet.com – the Pineapple Fan Chair Set.

Book of the Month

A Paragon of Crocheted Gifts

Throughout the pages of the Paragon knitting books the Editors discovered crochet patterns that have not been reprinted for decades. ﾠAnd they are all gathered together in this edition for some nostalgic fun. ﾠ Enjoy crochetedﾠtea cosies, bags, pot holders, gloves, cushion cover, coat-hanger cover and sachet, beret, ladies hats, pram cover, ladies blouse, baby slippers and toddlers dress. The book also includes thread and hook conversions for your convenience. ﾠ

17 pages Australian terminology

This is part of the Paragon Heritage Seriesﾠ(Project Editors Ray and Vicki Moodie) . This is an unabridged version of patterns from original Paragon books and has been reproduced using the latest laser scanning and digital printing technology.