Crochet Heroes - Lillabjorn

If you hunt for overlay crochet you're bound to find this lady. You'll find Tatsiana Kupryianchyk at LillaBjorn. There is even a pattern called 'Sophie loves LillaBjorn'. So tempted!
I've done a few patterns by Tatsiana and yeh! I do have an image to show you. Every time I feel the need to learn something new I make another one. fortunately she's a very prolific lady!

Here is my version of Spanish Mandala.

Occasionally Tatsiana tells us where her inspiration comes from, this one was inspired by a plate design. And sometimes it's obvious, like the Peacock Bag. But I'd really like to witness how she works on an idea. For me working out an idea is a really painful soul searching process. Having to settle on just one idea and throwing the rest away, choosing this stitch over that stitch, sifting through all the possibilities. I'd really like to be a fly on the wall in  the LillaBjorn house!
The other thing I'd like to throw in here, is colour. First you choose your yarn and then you choose from the colours available. So often I get it wrong, or I'm unsure, even though I know the theories behind colour. But I love Tatsiana's colour choices. Sometimes she uses a limited palette, but usually she uses rich colours that really make your heart sing!

I've been waiting to publish this post because I've been waiting for my cousin's wedding. I couldn't show you what I'd made for Natalie until now! It's the Sunny Mandala pattern with the Dandelion border. 

The colour choice was quite risky for me, but I'm really thrilled with the way it's turned out. Using colour theory I picked two pairs of complementary colours.

Here's a little Serendipity, the Scheepjes autumn CAL this year is by LillaBjorn, and it's very exciting. Using Overlay crochet, Mosaic crochet and Corner to corner crochet. So Pop over to the LillaBjorn website to find out more about the Spirits of Life CAL.

Interlude - All about yarn and hooks.

I was going to start telling you about my crochet heroes but I distracted myself by thinking about my journey so far and the initial learning curve. 

If I could pass on one thing it would be this.  

There is no wrong in crochet!

If you find a new or different way of doing something, then you've probably just invented a new stitch or technique!

So there's no wrong way to hold the hook or yarn. This worried me for ages. As long as it feels comfortable then it's OK and it may well be that you change things depending on what you're working on.

How the 'non hook' hand holds the yarn effects the tension.

For something really thick like Bonnie Macrame Cord then a loose tension and a long strong handled bamboo hook is perfect.

For fine work with Cotton Crochet Thread you'll need a lot more tension and a steel hook. I'm currently using the Prym Soft Handled, but I'd like to play with the Clover Armour steel hooks.

For everyday work I like the ergonomic Clover Armour. It helps the hook to stay at the right angle and is very comfortable to hold. Nan Jan disagrees with me on this. So my advice is to play with as many hooks as you can get your hands on before you spend a lot of money. 

Often a project begins because you like a particular yarn. I've messed up on this one quite alot! As I'm allergic to wool it reduces my choices quite alot. I was about to say simplifies it but that's not true. What yarn to use as a substitute is a whole other blog that I'm not yet qualified to talk about!

What I can say is this:

• Cotton and Bamboo are great to work with. They have good stitch definition and wash well. On the down side they're heavy and take forever to dry.

• Acrylic yarns are cheap, wash easily and dry fast, but they can bobble and stretch.

• Wool is great to work with and looks good. (As long as you're not allergic to it or a vegan!) but it tends to be expensive and is easily shrunk or felted, or both! 

Of course there are other choices like linen, silk, nylon, polyester. and bamboo. 

The best solutions for me are Softfun and Stonewashed which are combinations of cotton and acrylic, producing a soft light weight fabric which retains stitch definition and washability.

If you're in the UK looking for Crochet Cotton Thread, I go to Purple Linda she has a great selection.