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National Crochet Month
Welcome to Crochetville’s third annual Designer Blog Tour, taking place all throughout March 2015 in celebration of National Crochet Month (NatCroMo). Each day on our blog, you will find 1) in-depth profile posts for two crochet designers, with a link to their blogs so you can see what specials (free patterns, discount coupon codes, tutorials, etc.) they may be offering for NatCroMo, 2) a daily giveaway post with entries open from 8:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST the following day, and 3) during the last week of the month, daily posts from a Crochet Guild of America board member. Join us each day for a new surprise!
Today’s Posts: Jennifer Pionk, A Crocheted Simplicity | Lorene Eppolite, Cre8tion Crochet | Daily Giveaway | Halos of Hope Hat Collection | Complete Designer Schedule
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Jennifer Pionk, A Crocheted Simplicity
Crochetville is very proud to have designer Jennifer Pionk of A Crocheted Simplicity with us today, March 5, as one of the featured designers on our 2015 Designer Blog Tour in honor of National Crochet Month (NatCroMo).
Jennifer’s Designs:
If you’re not familiar with her work already, we’d like to share two of Jennifer’s designs with you.
Nautical Knots Beach / Yarn / Tote Bag, available for $5.00 on Ravelry
This pattern comes with instructions for making 2 different sized bags/totes, and it’s easily adaptable to make custom sizes if you’d like an even smaller tote.
Women’s Slouchy Slipper Boots, available for $5.00 on Ravelry
Jennifer says, “I am in LOVE with everything about these slipper boots! The fit is FABULOUS…I have had several comment about how comfortable they are! The versatility is great too…create several different looks with one pattern. And let’s not forget how stylish they are. They’re perfect for gifts, but let’s not kid ourselves…you’ll need to make yourself at least one pair!”
About Jennifer:
Just over three years ago, shortly after moving 10 hours away from her family, Jennifer realized she needed something to do to keep her mind busy. She purchased a “Teach Yourself to Crochet Kit” that included a book, a couple of hooks, and a ball of cotton yarn. She sat down, worked her way through the book stitch by stitch and page by page, and the rest is history!
Jennifer’s first project was supposed to be an earflap hat. However, it was her first time working in the round. She wasn’t very familiar with joining rounds and was unsure where to place the first stitch of each round and where where to join so her stitch count didn’t increase. As a result, her hat grew to epic proportions! She couldn’t bring herself to throw away all her hard work, so she transformed her creation into a doll carrier for her youngest daughter, who still uses it to this day. What a creative solution to an unexpected problem!
If you’re familiar with Jennifer’s patterns, you’ve probably realized that she enjoys using a particular stitch pattern or technique to create a set of coordinating patterns. Her first line that gained popularity was her Chasing Chevrons line. She has since come out with other pattern lines, such as Perfectly Plaid, Sweet & Sassy, Houndstooth, and Knit-Look.
Jennifer feels her greatest crochet accomplishment to date is when she was contacted by a well-known publisher and asked to submit designs for publication. She now has a book of five designs that will be published in 2016.
Advice for New Crocheters:
Sitting in an architectural design class in college, I heard my college professor ask, “How do you eat an elephant?” We all looked at him with glazed over eyes and he answered, “One bite at a time.” Although he was referring to designing a home, that phrase has stuck with me since. My advice for a brand-new crocheter is to constantly push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Continually push yourself to learn something new. “How do you complete a pattern that is above your current level? One stitch at a time.”
Some of Jennifer’s Favorites:
Favorite Designers: Other alumni from the Design Wars challenge
Favorite Hook: Clover Amour
Favorite Thing to Crochet: Never the same thing twice!
Visit Jennifer’s Blog: NatCroMo FREEBIE Sneak Peek
You will definitely want to visit Jennifer’s blog post today! She’s giving away a set of her very favorite Clover Amour hooks! She’s also going to make her latest crochet design available for FREE for one week!
Find Jennifer Online:
Ravelry: Jennifer Pionk
A Crocheted Simplicity blog: http://www.acrochetedsimplicity.com
Ravelry Designer Page: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/jennifer-pionk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ACrochetedSimplicity
Craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com/user/962597/pattern-store
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ACrochetedSimplicity
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ACroSimplicity/a-crocheted-simplicity/
Additional Blog Tour Information:
Links to All the Info
Daily Giveaway Schedule
Daily Designer Schedule
Learn About CGOA
Halos of Hope: Make Hats
I love that she taught herself. I too, made a hat as my first project and it was enormous! Same thing happened to me. I also think her patterns based on one stitch for a few things is genius. I too love Clover Hooks and I hate to make the same thing twice, boring! Thanks for sharing. I am loving NatCroMo 2015!
~Crystal
Crochet A Day In The Life
http://kystlewv.blogspot.com
I love that phrase – never the same thing twice. I tend to do things twice – once because I’m making it for someone, and I’m testng the pattern, once to prove I’ve mastered the technique. I think you’ve mastered it all.
i like the nautical bag and never heard of this designer.
Definitely going to be invested in some patterns!! Love them!
I love all of Jennifer’s patterns, she is the greatest.
I love your Nautical Knots tote bag. It actually looks substantial enough to carry stuff without stretching down to the ground!
I love the Nautical Knots Beach Tote
I love that nautical knots bag!
I so want to make that bag
Love her designs!! And that’s really good advice!
I love the tote bag! Perfect for a lot of things!
Jennifer’s always been on of my fav designers!
My feet feel cold the the women’s slouchy slipper boots look warm.
Everything is so fun that Jennifer makes!!!
I love EVERYTHING that comes from Jennifer!
Love the slouchy boots
So many great designs!
I learned from the same kit! And OMGsh those boots are to die for! <3
I love the designs!
I love those boots!
I love A crocheted Simplicity <3 I love these "meet the designers" interviews, it makes these women I idolize (for real!!!!!) seem so relatable!! Thank you!!!
I love her designs! So many on my to do list 🙂
I love her designs! I can’t wait to get started on the chevron bag pattern!
I really like how you suggest “one stitch at a time” I find that when I’m working on a pattern that a lot of times I rip back to a certain point and redo. It’s not so bad anymore since crochet is so easy to fix. Before I would just let it go but now I prefer your way, just take it easy and enjoy is pretty much how i understand what you’re saying.
I love those boot slippers you’ve just put out, they look like they will fit well. I just hate it when I make slippers and the next thing you know the toes are ripping out. Then that’s a pattern I just file 13.
Thanks for sharing
Welcome to Jennifer!
What lovely cozy slippers (esp. for us here out on the East Coast with never ending blizzards!). And very handy beach bag. Thanks for sharing!
Love these. I need this pattern.
The name A Crocheted Simplicity fits. I like the designs for beng simple yet sophisticated.
Apparently a hat is a very common first project for self taught crocheters since that’s the first thing I remember making too and had the same problem where it was too big. However, I didn’t come up with such a clever solution, I just ended up ripping mine out 🙂
I’m not a new crocheter but I wouldn’t consider myself advanced either. I love Jennifer’s advice to new crocheters. I have to tell myself that often when I’m getting frustrated w/ a project I’m working on. Matter of fact I did that today.
P.S. Jennifer, love those slipper boots.
I’ve explored crocheted footwear, in an effort to create things that fit my extra wide foot, so I’m always glad to see another pattern. And after this bitterly cold winter, slipper boots are just what we need.