A Lifelong Dream

To be able to crochet!

It may sound strange now, but until 2019 I couldn't crochet for love nor money. I could knit almost any pattern put in front of me to a good standard and even completed a few commissions over the years. Crochet, however, was a completely different story. Nothing I did seemed to make any sense, and even if I managed a row of single crochet, I'd forgotten how to do it by the next time I picked up a hook.

After several half-hearted and unsuccessful attempts, I finally sat down one day and thought, it's now or never. I started by watching a YouTube video of a lady making a baby blanket and followed along stitch by stitch. Then... BINGO! It finally clicked.

The magic circle was my nemesis for weeks, but then I discovered African Flower motifs and knew I had to learn them. Thanks to some wonderful YouTube videos, I finally mastered that too. It's amazing how something that once seemed impossible can become as natural as tying your shoelaces once you understand where everything goes.

Fast forward a few months and I found myself wanting to make amigurumi animals. I fiddled and practiced and hey presto, I did those too!

In 2024 I looked back at my earliest patterns and realised they all deserved a makeover. Most have now been completely rewritten, and every pattern purchase now includes a free How to Crochet Guide. It covers all the basics, from holding your hook and choosing yarn to mastering the elusive magic circle and the essential stitches. It's illustrated with simple illustrations and is designed to help complete beginners who are kind enough to purchase one of my patterns.

In addition, every African Flower pattern also includes a separate, free guide showing you exactly how to crochet the hexagon motif. With full-colour photographs of every stage and plenty of helpful tips, you'll have everything you need to create a beautiful hexagon. Once you've mastered that, the other African Flower shapes follow the same principles, simply with more or fewer sides.

Some of my patterns are also written with first-time pattern readers in mind. They include both fully written instructions, with no abbreviations or crochet terminology, alongside the standard abbreviated pattern. This allows complete beginners to make their first project with confidence while gradually learning how to read traditional crochet patterns by comparing the two versions side by side.

So there you have it... from complete beginner to pattern designer in just two years, and now with another four years of designing experience behind me. If I can do it, then so can you!

Thank you so much for reading my little story, and for all your past and future pattern purchases.

Kind regards, and thank you so much for your support.

Sarah xxx