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: Tatsiana Kupryianchyk | Jennifer Pionk | Kirsten Ballering | Yarnatopia
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!)
[button-blue url=”https://www.facebook.com/groups/nationalcrochetmonth/” target=”_blank” position=”center”]Facebook: Click Here[/button-blue]
Kirsten Ballering, Haakmaarraak
Crochetville is very proud to have designer Kirsten Ballering of Haakmaarraak with us today, March 24, as one of the featured designers on our 2017 Designer Blog Tour in honor of National Crochet Month (NatCroMo).
About Kirsten:
My name is Kirsten Ballering and I’ve been crocheting for over 7 years now. I live in the Netherlands and I love to design colourful crochet. Projects can range from blankets to potholders and from scarves to pillows, as long as they are colourful!
Do you crochet in public? If so, when and where?
Yes! Back when I was still in college I crocheted every day during my commute. And when I know I will be waiting for longer periods of time such as in a hospital, I’ll bring crochet with me. It both comforts and passes the time, very efficiently!
Do you have a special place at home where you crochet? Tell us about it.
I always sit behind my desk, or on the couch in the living room. I prefer the desk because I can collect all other materials around me without having to clean up after me, which I have to do in the living room!
Share the story of your favorite thing you’ve ever crocheted or designed.
My favourite design is the Charlie Blanket. It was one of the first designs in which I used the popcorn stitch and a relatively small colour palette! In multiple facets this was a challenge, but I’m glad I took it and it has helped my creativity flow!
Tell us about any other fiber-related hobbies you enjoy.
I mostly crochet, although I have also dabbled in spinning my own yarns. Oh, I’m also a novice knitter too. But I don’t know much more then purling, knitting and dropping stitches, ha!
How do you decide what to name your patterns?
That’s always so hard! Sometimes I have a name in mind when I start the project. Other times I name it after what it reminds me off (for example, the little flowers in the Edelweiss garland). I don’t have a particular ‘method’ for this, I just go with whatever I like!
Tell us about your most popular pattern.
My most popular pattern is the Anchor pillow. It’s an alternative method for overlay crochet, and results in a very modern and sleek looking pillow. And you can go wild with the colours too, if you like!
Visit Kirsten’s Site: NatCroMo Specials
Click the link above to go to Kirsten’s site to see what she’s offering for National Crochet Month.
Kirsten’s Designs:
If you’re not familiar with my work already, I’d like to share three of my designs with you.
1. Hot Spot Pillow, $5.50
The hotspot pillow is an easily customizable pillow case that brings a little pop of colour into your room! You can create any colour combination you want. This particular colour combination has two sides: One sunny and bright side, and one side for when you’re looking for more calmer colours. The pattern is suitable for beginners and is accompanied by a photo tutorial. The pattern is written in US terms. The displayed pillow is 40×40 cm, but the pattern can easily be adapted to other sizes.
2. Marlize Blanket, $5.50
The Marlize blanket uses textured stitches to create a raised pattern in this bold and bright baby blanket! Because the raised stitches are crocheted in one piece, the blanket is perfectly safe for babies and toddlers. The pattern comes with a cheat sheet, on which you can easily see how many stitches you need to make in the different segments, and instructions on how to alter the size.
3. Charlie Blanket, $5.50
The Charlie blanket is a modern twist on the ripple blanket. The textured popcorns form a crisp pattern on the background in an ‘alternative’ ripple pattern. It’s a joy to make this blanket as you see the pattern emerging row after row! Plus, the blanket is perfectly safe for babies and toddlers, as the popcorns are crocheted in the blanket so there are no loose parts. Instructions on increasing the size of the blanket are included.
Find Kirsten Online:
Website: http://haakmaarraak.nl/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/haakmaarraak
Instagram: http://instagram.com/haakmaarraak
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/haakmaarraakNL
Additional Blog Tour Information:
Links to All the Info
Daily Giveaway Schedule
Daily Designer Schedule
Daily Local Yarn Store Schedule
Daily Yarn & Product Company Schedule
Discussion on Facebook