Easy Crochet Patterns - My Designs From 2016

I've been working on a few new designs for The Knitting Network, which is really cool because they appeard in Love To Knit And Crochet Magazine, and now they're going up online. So I just thought I'd share a few of them with you where I perhaps haven't shouted wenough about what I've been designing this year.

Essentially, building design time into your work time in an office environment is tricky, so they're simple and quick easy crochet patterns but there's some great stuff here if you're a beginner.

Kicking right off with my pride and joy;

Slash Neck Womens Top Knitting Pattern

This one is very special to me because it appeared as the cover shot on issue 2 of Love To Knit And Crochet magazine.

It's essentially two big squares with some felt-style mesh side panels which gradually turn opaque towards the neckline. I had all sorts of mad ideas for this one including all-mesh with an opaque strip around the bust, but in the end went for this more subtle effect.

The shoulders are tied at the top with crocheted chains so really for this one, all you need to know is how to crochet a double-treble and a chain, all pretty simple stuff. I used Stylecraft Cotton Classique DK, a cotton which has gone on to become a favourite in the crochet cottons of my mental design pallette.

Download your easy crochet top pattern from The Knitting Network website. I have got some Sirdar Cotton DK put aside for me to make one for myself in navy blue - with some AB Purple knitting beads for the front panel - I thought this might give it an evening-y look.

Striped Scarf With PomPom Trim

This was another fun one, mainly for the fact that it was a fun brief, actually.

I don't get many opportunities to design in 4ply (it just takes too long when I'm on a deadline), but with this which was set to be a slightly smaller project, I had the chance to fill my boots with some delectable Rowan Super Fine Merino 4ply.

Really lovely stuff to work with for a soft scarf against your skin.

The brief was fun because myself and several other designers including Anna Nikipirowicz and Kath Webber, were each given a pack of embellishments including beads, pompom trims and embroidery threads, and asked to design a knit which showcases these little flourishes.

A photo posted by Knitting Network (@knittingnetwork) on Nov 3, 2016 at 7:25am PDT

I kept it simple with this easy crochet pattern for a filet striped scarf - it's all trebles and chains (speaking the UK abbreviations speak here), so you can't go wrong if you fancy making my lovely, easy pattern. Download the easy scarf crochet pattern here.

Womens Chevron Poncho

I had lots of fun and slightly mad ideas for this one

Briefed to create a beach cover-up, I'm always a bit of a lover of design sketches. I love to draw, having studied the sculpture of anatomy and faces at high school.

Sadly my tinge of green in the above sketches didn't quite make it to the chopping block, and as such I ended up doing a design in just the duck egg and yellow [which is a little sharp on the eyes to be honest - but you can do it in whatever colour you want, of course!].

I managed to crochet the finished poncho in two and a half days, so this really is designed to be a quickie. I remember the conversation in the office about how good this particular design would be if you were heading off to a festival and needed something quick.

I added armholes just for the sake of being practical - I can't bear snoody and poncho things where you can't get your arms in.

Made in Lily Sugar n' Cream, this is a worsted/aran crochet, which you might think would be really heavy - but with the granny-square style finish, technically the fabric is 'half-empty', so it's surprisingly light. And as the finished item is a big square, it makes a pretty decent beach blanket too. Download this easy crochet poncho pattern from The Knitting Network.