2017 NatCroMo Blog Tour, March 14: Abbey Swanson

A-Glamping We Will Go: 5th Annual National Crochet Month Blog Tour

Welcome to Crochetville’s fifth annual National Crochet Month (NatCroMo) blog tour, taking place each day of March 2017. Join us for a month of virtual glamping (aka glamorous camping), as we visit crochet designers, crochet-friendly local yarn stores, and yarn companies, as well as offer some fun giveaways.

Today’s Posts: Abbey Swanson | Rhondda Mol | Daily Giveaway

Want to Chat about the Tour?

Part of the fun of glamping is the daily round-up around the campfire, chatting and stitching with friends. We hope you’ll join us in our NatCroMo Facebook group, where we’ll be sharing daily camping recipes, campfire songs about crochet, and so much more! We’d also love to hear about your favorite things you’ve discovered on the tour and see photos of your current crochet projects. You’re invited to join us daily for virtual cocktails/appetizers and dinner. (We’ll be sharing links to some fabulous recipes!)

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Abbey Swanson, The Firefly Hook

Abbey Swanson, Crochet Designer at The Firefly Hook — Abbey Swanson, Crochet Designer

Crochetville is very proud to have designer Abbey Swanson with us today, March 14, as one of the featured designers on our 2017 Designer Blog Tour in honor of National Crochet Month (NatCroMo). If you’d like to know even more about Abbey, check out our post from last year’s blog tour.

About Abbey:

I learned to crochet when I was eight years old. I will never forget the feeling I had when my mom let me stop practicing chains and start working on a blanket. Just simple single crochet stitches back and forth, back and forth. I remember the sinking feeling I had when I held up my first twenty rows and realized my beautiful blanket looked like a trapezoid. With eyes hot and stinging with tears, I asked my mom (with little hope in my heart) if she could fix it. I was amazed at how she worked on the sides of the stitches and somehow made it even again. She just knew how to master hook and yarn.

Since then, I have learned many things: how to do various stitches, how to read a pattern, how to create my own designs, and how to write those designs into a pattern someone else can follow.

Do you crochet in public? If so, when and where?

I crochet all the time and everywhere… even in church!

Do you have a special place at home where you crochet? Tell us about it.

I crochet in my chair in our living room. My husband likes to watch sports in the evening and it’s nice to crochet while something is on that I’m only half-interested in (then I can cheer during the exciting parts… haha:)

Share the story of your favorite thing you’ve ever crocheted or designed.

My photographer is a dear friend of mine and she REALLY wanted a plaid blanket scarf. I pitched a design to a yarn company and released it as an indie design (for sale in my shops) and gifted the piece to her after the photography was done. It’s her favorite accessory. Isn’t it the best to make something for someone that they end up loving so much??

Summer Tatnan Wrap by Abbey Swanson — Tartan Wrap by Abbey Swanson

Tell us about any other fiber-related hobbies you enjoy.

I love spinning with my drop spindle. It’s so exciting to make yarn with your own hands. It makes me feel connected to those in the past who had to spin wool to make yarn… to make clothes!

How do you decide what to name your patterns?

Sometimes I name a pattern after what inspired it – like my Dragonfly Stole – I had the idea to put dragonflies in the design so that’s what I named it. But sometimes a design is born as I work with the yarn then I think what the design reminds me of and I name it after that – like my Casper Mountain Cowl.

Tell us about your most popular pattern.

The Casper Mountain Cowl is my most popular pattern. I’m not always savvy enough to understand why one thing is more popular than another. Sometimes it just gets shared with a popular site and takes off! But I love this design because it’s named after a place that is very dear to me – Casper, Wyoming.

Tell us about your favorite camping location.

My family owns property in northern Minnesota – a place Minnesotans affectionately call “Up North.” Going Up North means you are vacationing and more like camping or roughing it of some sort. We have a little campsite in the middle of the forest about 20 miles from Canada in that little sliver of a triangle of Minnesota that’s above Lake Superior. We all have the best time being together as a family without technology… there’s no wifi people!

Abbey's favorite camping location — Abbey’s favorite camping location

What is your favorite camping tip?

Glow in the dark necklaces make a great nightlight if you are camping without electricity!

What is your favorite camping snack/meal/recipe?

Smores. I don’t even care if that’s everyone’s favorite. It’s just the best! And I only ever eat them while camping, so it’s a special treat.

Visit Abbey’s Site: NatCroMo Specials

Head on over to Abbey’s site to see how she’s celebrating National Crochet Month.

Abbey’s Designs:

If you’re not familiar with my work already, I’d like to share three of my designs with you.

1. Autumn Paradox, $5.00

Add chic color to any outfit with this soft handkerchief scarf. It can be worn over the shoulders or around the neck. This scarf is great for those who have mastered basic stitches (sc, dc, etc.) and are ready to learn a few advanced stitches.