NatCroMo 2016, March 6: Esther Chandler

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The Crochet Express National Crochet Month Blog Tour

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Welcome to Crochetville’s fourth annual National Crochet Month (NatCroMo) blog tour, taking place each day of March 2016. Join us as we take a virtual tour on our passenger steam train, The Crochet Express, visiting crochet designers, crochet-friendly local yarn stores, and yarn companies, and offer some fun giveaways.

Today’s Posts: Brenda Stratton | Esther Chandler | Nurturing Fibres | Daily Giveaway

Want to Chat about the Tour?

Part of the fun of taking a passenger steam train trip is talking with your fellow passengers. This year, we’re providing two locations where our passengers can get to know each other. We’d 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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Esther Chandler, Make My Day Creative

Esther Chandler

Crochetville is very proud to have designer Esther Chandler with us today, March 6, as one of the featured designers on our 2016 Designer Blog Tour in honor of National Crochet Month (NatCroMo).

About Esther:

Hi, I’m Esther and I live in Salford, UK.

When I’m not hard at work in my day job you can usually find me crocheting, crafting, cooking, gardening, or playing board games with my family and friends. I squeeze in blogging in between all these things, which can be a challenge but I love it!

1. Tell us about your favorite travel destination:

I recently went to Marrakesh (Morocco) which was amazing. But I have to say I love Scotland (for the landscape) and also Northumberland (for the beaches and castles).

2. Tell us about a “dream” travel location that you’d like to visit one day:

I’d love to walk the Inca Trail, so Machu Picchu. Also I’d love to see Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and the list goes on.

3. Do you visit yarn stores when traveling? If so, tell us about one of your favorite finds.

Of course! I had fun trying to track down yarn in Marrakesh. Unfortunately, I could only find wool for carpet making, which was too coarse to use for crochet. I picked up some lovely local spun yarn in Bar Harbour (Maine, USA) when I visited New England/Canada in 2014.

4. Packing: Tell us about any crochet clothing or accessories you pack when traveling. Do you have any cool packing tips to share?

I’m not sure if it counts as a tip, but I like to use project bags for each individual project that have a zip pocket for the hook, scissors, and stitch markers, so it is all efficiently in one place and can’t get separated. I rarely use other people’s patterns so I don’t need space for that!

5. Tell us about any crochet projects you take with you when traveling: How many projects do you take? How do you decide which ones to take?

I usually have several projects on the go for traveling. If I need to travel light (like the other week when I went to Oxford by train for a day, which involved walking around in high heels) I take a lacework project because it usually involves only one skein and a single narrow hook. If I’m being driven by car and it is cold, then I take a larger project like a shawl, which I can spread over my knees as I work and keep warm! If I’m going away for a few days, I invariably take too much yarn because I live in fear of running out of projects, and I hate “wasted” yarn time!

6. Do you have any stories or anything else travel-related that you’d like to share with our blog tour readers?

I have a few projects named after places I have been that remind me of travel, like my Atlantic Lace Shawl, which was largely crocheted whilst on a plane over the Atlantic. It reminds me of that holiday. I’m planning more in that series.

Visit Esther’s Site: NatCroMo Specials

Beaded Poppy Bracelet | Esther Chandler

My Beaded Poppy Bracelet, regular price of £2.00 GBP (approximately $2.85), will be AVAILABLE FOR FREE during March 2016.

Esther’s Designs:

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

Arrow Tails Fingerless Gloves, FREE

These colorful gloves are designed to be the complimentary item to my Arrow Tails Shawl (free crochet pattern). The chevron or “arrow tail” effect is made using tall stitches made into unworked loops in the rows below. Alternating the colours every few rows builds up the pattern – but don’t worry about having lots of ends to weave in as you can crochet over them as you go. The design is easily customizable to your hand/wrist size for the perfect fit. You can also work these gloves without the tassel edge and in the round if you prefer a seamless version.