You’ve arrived at the annual NatCroMo Blog Tour! What is that, you ask? It’s a virtual celebration of National Crochet Month with new blog content daily throughout March, including featured crochet designers, free patterns, discounts, giveaways, and more.
This year our theme is The Crochet Concert and we are celebrating music as creative inspiration. Each featured designer’s showcase will include an “Opening Act” (a quick or easy pattern); “Intermission” (the designer’s favorite crochet tools, yarn, or books); a “Showstopper” (an impressive or unique pattern); and “Designer’s Choice” (any pattern of the designer’s choice).
See all of this year’s tour here: NatCroMo Blog Tour 2021.
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 Kathryn Clark
Our featured designer of the day is Kathryn Clark of Kathryn Clark Crochet. Be sure to visit her blog to read her post celebrating National Crochet Month! You can find Kathryn’s patterns on her website kathrynclarkcrochet.com, her Ravelry designer portfolio, or her Etsy shop.
Hi, I’m Kathy Clark!
I love to crochet and have been crocheting for about 50 years. I have always enjoyed creating my own projects. My designing career started with creating snowflakes, which have been my favorite projects to make.
My publishing career started by submitting my designs for magazine contests. Being successful in a few contests, I decided to submit my designs for publication and have published several books with Leisure Arts, such as my “White Christmas in Thread” book.
In 2009, I began publishing my own designs as Crochet by Kathy and now as Kathryn Clark Crochet.
I hope you’ll stop by my website to learn more about me and see all my creations!
Happy Crocheting!
Kathy
Kathryn’s Special for Our Readers
I’m so happy to spend my birthday on the NatCroMo Blog Tour again this year! To celebrate, I’m offering 27% off my patterns from 3/27/21 to 4/4/21 MST! Use the coupon code natcromo327 to receive this discount! Code may be used in the following shops:
Kathryn Clark Crochet – Pattern Shop
Kathryn A. Clark – Ravelry Pattern Store
Kathryn Clark Design – Etsy Shop
Kathryn’s Creative Inspiration
Is music a source of inspiration for your crochet creativity? Or do you listen to music while you crochet? If so, tell us about it. If not, what is something else that helps fuel your creative inspiration?
Crochet always brings back memories of my mom. When I was in sixth grade, I wanted to learn to crochet. Since neither my mom nor I knew how, we sat down and learned to crochet together. My mom loved to sing and would always have a song for anything you said. She was once told by a choir director that “she couldn’t sing off-tune if she tried!” While I didn’t inherit her singing talent, we shared a love of crafting. My mom was also talented in many areas such as needlework, sewing, pastel portraits, colored pencils, watercolor, paper-making and collage, especially projects using natural products and found objects. As my sister said in her eulogy, my mom was “the original recycler!”
Design Showcase: The Opening Act
Pattern name: Chained Melody Afghan
Get the pattern: https://kathrynclarkcrochet.com/chained-melody/
About the pattern: Naming patterns is always challenging! When I was deciding what to name this reversible afghan, I thought of the song “Unchained Melody” sung by the Righteous Brothers. Since the grey design on this afghan resembles a linked chain, I decided to name the afghan “Chained” Melody.
This reversible technique is not as complicated as it looks! The design is created using only single crochet and half double crochet stitches, making the main color more prominent on one side and the contrasting colors more prominent on the other. There are several coaster patterns on my Free Patterns page to try out this fun technique!
Intermission
My absolute favorite projects to make are snowflakes! Since no two snowflakes are alike, the designing possibilities are endless! The inspiration for all of my snowflake designs comes from the photographs taken by Wilson A. Bentley, the “Snowflake Man,” in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. My “Snow Crystals” book by Mr. Bentley is filled with Post-it notes marking the snowflakes I have tried to capture in crochet! If you’d like to try one of my snowflake designs, you can download the free Watercolor Snowflake pattern here: https://kathrynclarkcrochet.com/watercolor-snowflake/.
Design Showcase: The Showstopper
Pattern name: Shimmering Leaves Shawls
Get the pattern: https://kathrynclarkcrochet.com/shimmering-leaves/
About the pattern: While I designed these shawls with the holidays in mind, which is why I chose the metallic thread, they can truly be worn for any occasion at any time of the year. I can envision wearing these shawls on a cool summer evening and listening to the Seals & Crofts’ song, “Summer Breeze.”
This pattern set includes two versions. The Horizontal Shawl (pictured) is worked from the top border down in one piece to the lacy leaf border across the bottom edge. The Vertical Shawl is worked from the center out with the lacy leaf border at each end. The field pattern on both shawls creates the outlines of leaves, and the leaves along the border are created using foundation stitches.
Design Showcase: Designer’s Choice
Pattern name: Simply-Squared Table Set
Get the pattern: https://kathrynclarkcrochet.com/simply-squared/
About the pattern: This table set is my latest design! It includes a table runner, placemat, coaster and napkin ring. Alternating solid and mesh connect-as-you-go motifs, using a flat join technique, create this design. The table set could be made with one accent color for the entire set, or unique accent colors for each individual table setting.
The soft green border on this table set makes me think of Spring and the Irish singer Enya. Two of my favorite Enya songs are “Orinoco Flow” (also called Sail Away) and “Wild Child.”
Unique Technique
Corner-to-Corner + Filet Crochet
One of my favorite techniques I use in designing my patterns is a hybrid of corner-to-corner and filet crochet. My Vintage Rose Motif Shawl combines this hybrid technique with connect-as-you-go motifs to create three different size shawls making it perfect for a mother-daughter shawl!
You can read about more of my patterns using this technique in my blog.
Vintage Rose Motif Shawl
Follow Kathryn Online
Here’s where you can connect with Kathryn online to be sure you don’t miss any of her new designs!
- Website: kathrynclarkcrochet.com
- Blog: kathrynclarkcrochet.com/blog
- Instagram: @kathrynclarkdesign
- Facebook: @kathrynclarkcrochet
- Pinterest: @kathrynclarkcrochet
- Etsy: Kathryn Clark Design Etsy Shop
- Ravelry: Kathryn A. Clark – Ravelry designer portfolio
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