Jody Witt, Featured Crochet Designer

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Welcome to our blog tour! Here at Crochetville, we celebrate National Crochet Month with our NatCroMo Blog Tour. This year, we’re interviewing crochet designers, teachers, and hobbyists throughout March and our theme is crochet memories. You can browse all of this year’s blog tour content on our page NatCroMo Blog Tour 2020.

Some of the links on this page will earn us a commission if you make a purchase through them. View our disclosure policy for details.

About Jody Witt

Please allow me to introduce our featured designer of the day, Jody Witt of CoziCrafts. Jody enjoys designing accessories, home decor, and garments. You can buy her patterns in her Ravelry pattern store. Today Jody will share some of her crochet memories with us and we’ll showcase some of her crochet designs.

Jody’s Special for Our Readers

As a special treat for the NatCroMo Blog Tour, Jody is offering a discount coupon for 50% off her Veggie Buddy Market Bag Pattern (small or medium), enter code 50VBB in your Ravelry cart before checkout, good through March 31, 2020. (Regular price each $6.50 – 50% off = $3.25 per pattern.)

Use your 50% off code on these patterns:

Jody’s Crochet Memories

Would you share with us one of your earliest memories of crochet?

My grandmother was always crocheting. I would sit and watch her hook methodically working magic. When I was about eight years old, she began to teach me. We started with the basics but in no time, I had mastered granny squares. It wasn’t long before I wanted to try what she was doing – crocheting with thread. My first project was a small 8-inch round doily with a pansy flower border when I was about ten years old. I crochet with all types and weights of fibers now – but I still love thread and lace weight fibers the most.

Would you share with us one of your memories of becoming a crochet designer?

After joining our local, newly-formed guild group in 2010, one of our first donation projects was making scarves for the Special Olympics. Our president, Kate, commented on one of my ‘made-up’ patterns for my contributions, that it was unique, and she encouraged me to submit it to Interweave. She guided me through the submission process. I was shocked and elated when I received news that they wanted to publish it in an upcoming issue. That was it – I was bitten by the bug. I couldn’t stop ‘making things up.’ I’ve learned to document my ideas and have learned how to properly write patterns and draw the schematics. I love the process.

There are so many amazing creative designers out there and I’m so happy to be included in this group of talented people. I hope to be able to continue to have other designs published by the magazines, but my current objective is to better establish my website and online presence and do more self-publishing.

Would you share with us one of your most memorable experiences as a crochet designer?

I attended my first CGOA conference in 2011. The whole trip was fabulous – four glorious days of nothing but crochet and bunches of people who were as passionate about it as me! Classes where I could learn something new and expand my knowledge and an opportunity to meet so many new people.

I happened to be on an elevator with Jenny King one of those days, and she noticed the crocheted ring I was wearing. She commented how much she liked it. She walked with me to the Designer Meet & Greet and introduced me to Marcy Smith of Interweave and the next thing I knew, I was sending in the submission paperwork for it. I was thrilled once more, to have another one of my designs published with Interweave the very next year – Mod Rings – published in Interweave Crochet Summer 2012 (Thank you again Jenny! AND thank you to Crochetville for showing the rings at conferences in the past).

Showcase: Crochet Designs by Jody Witt

Veggie Buddy Market Bag (Small & Medium)

Get the pattern: Veggie Buddy Market Bag (small) and Veggie Buddy Market Bag (medium) (on Ravelry)

About the pattern: My idea with this little bag was to create something to use in place of plastic bags for veggies whether at the grocery store or the farmers market. Larger bags are fun but everything you buy gets lumped together in the bottom of the bag. Smaller bags separate items and keep them from getting mangled like they would in a larger bag. When made with cotton or linen, you can even wash the produce in the bag!

Love Me Knot Scarf

Get the pattern: Love Me Knot Scarf (on Ravelry)

About the pattern: This was an idea that developed when I was at a beach retreat. An open lace design with a simple pattern repeat. A great summer accessory – lightweight and not too hot.

Length can be adjusted by how many repeats you choose. Width will be nominally different depending on your fiber and your stitch tension. Use #5 thread or fingering yarn — something that has a tight twist or will have a nice drape.

Noel Pines Ornament

Get the pattern: Noel Pines Ornament (on Ravelry)

About the pattern: I have recently been designing a new line of Christmas ornaments. I love working with the thread, beads, and colors. I especially like the way this one turned out. Long vertical lines and contrasting beads make this larger ornament pop. Tiny hemlock pine cones were sprayed gold and tossed with glitter and used to fill the ornament. The dark filling provides a background to help the design to stand out.A great size for larger trees or make several place in a large bowl for a centerpiece with some greenery.

  • 12.25” round plastic ball ornament / #10 thread
  • 45-red 6mm beads & 54-green 6mm beads are used in the pattern
  • Stitching is done with #7/1.65mm hk and #14/.85mm hk is used to attach beads.
  • Explore color options and use interesting filling for a parade of colors for your tree.

More Patterns from Jody

Civic Shrug

My Civic Shrug pattern was published in Interweave Crochet Spring 2017. This started out as a shrug for myself. I wanted something for a summer spaghetti-strap dress, but needed “a little coverage” to feel comfortable. The first draft of it had more drape, probably because of the yarn I used. I hope to rework it with a higher neck line and perhaps a bit of collar.

Bedazzled Swing Jacket

My Bedazzled Swing Jacket pattern was published in Crochet World Magazine 2015, the holiday issue. I had so much fun making this. I’ve made three of them and they have all been gifted. I made a red one for a friend and added a few sequins in addition to beads — it was quite sparkly!

Mod Rings

My Mod Rings pattern was published in Interweave Crochet Summer 2012. I’ve been making different versions of these for over 15 years. More designs have sprung since the “gumdrop” Mod Ring was published. The flower rings are fun and popular. They might be one of the designs available later in the summer in my Ravelry shop.

Follow Jody Online

Here’s where you can connect with Jody online to be sure you don’t miss any of her new designs!

Jody’s Crochet Restorations

My love for crochet has spanned the last 50 years. I’ve discovered a new venue to explore in the last decade — restoration. I’ve been repairing and restoring heirlooms — well loved and used crochet that is in need of repair. I have restored several bedspreads (made in thread), tablecloths, afghans, and even thread place mats. The placemats were a challenge. I had to ‘read’ the work and create two new mats to replace ones that were not repairable. I am documenting my work and hope to write an article at some point in the future. You can see pictures from various repairs I’ve done on my Facebook page.

Above: Before and after photos of a spot on a bedspread repair.

Jody Recommends

Jody says, “Interweave Crochet Accessories 2011 is still one of my favorite issues. There were so many wonderful projects in this issue. A great addition to your crochet library.”

The Interweave Crochet Accessories 2011 digital edition is currently on sale for $3.00, originally $14.99.

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