April 2020 - Rows And Roses

Month: April 2020

April RoundUp

Posted on April 29, 2020January 18, 2024 by Sati <3

Looking good, April!

Well now. April definitely treated me better than March did. What do you think? Are we starting to hit our stride with being homebound? Is the weather maybe, just maybe, starting to improve into a true and glorious spring? We all know that Mother’s Day is just around the corner, my Ambassadorship with WeCrochet is off to an amazing start, and I’m starting to feel really good about this. Please allow me to offer you an April RoundUp. We finished some items, wrote some patterns, became a Brand Ambassador and affiliate for WeCrochet, got two patterns accepted by Interweave, and man oh man, things are feeling GOOD just now!

Crossing the finish line

I had some pretty fun stuff falling off my hook and needles this month. Mittens for Alice, ear savers donations made from leftover Brava for our medical staff who are fighting so hard for all of us right now, a cat barf scarf, another Peaceful Poncho for the lovely Hattie, a Geodesic Cowl for Miss Sarah Ashley, and the Mother’s Day sets are still coming. Phew! Add to that the Blooming Hand Towel pattern I’m almost ready to release, the lace-weight shawl pattern I’m having a time with, the two patterns I’m getting ready to send to Interweave Crochet, and the sweater for EFA…. y’all. It’s been a busy month.

Patterns, you say?

The sweater I’ve been designing for Expression Fiber Arts is finished! Now I’m looking for testers. Let me know if you want more info on testing this textured beauty!

My very first garment pattern, Carnival Glass, went live in April. Crocheted in WeCrochet’s Muse Sock Yarn, this top is super stretchy and forgiving. The smaller size only takes a single skein!

Trivet In Bloom is the free pattern for April, and it has exploded! So many of you loved it, and are making your own. In fact, it’s so popular, it’s been voted in for our May crochet-along! Jump into the Ravelry group and join us for some trivets!

Changing and growing...

If I can break from this April roundup and get serious for a moment here, I just want to let you all know some things. It’s pretty clear that Rows and Roses is growing rather quickly. Affiliation, Ambassadorship, patterns accepted by Interweave (!!!), working with Expression Fiber Arts, a new YouTube channel… a whole lotta blessings being crammed into such a small package! It’s exciting, and scary, and sometimes really frustrating.

I want you all to know that Rows and Roses will always stay committed to the roots of this little business. I will always be here to provide you with specials and customs, as well as FLASH’s for the holidays (most of them, at least.) We may reach a point where events are closed up sooner than you’re used to, and turnaround times will probably, eventually, be extended. I intend to release two patterns per month for the foreseeable future, one for free on my blog and one for sale in my Ravelry shop, so that we can stitch together, those of you who are also crocheters.

You are all my people, and I won’t take off from here with starry eyes. I’ve seen it happen and that’s not me! You are all so important to me, and I appreciate your continued patronage more than I could ever put into words. You all are the life blood of R&R and I would never have gotten to where I am today without you. So thank you all for sticking around and cheering me on. My adoration for you all knows no bounds ♥

R&R and WeCrochet

Posted on April 17, 2020January 18, 2024 by Sati <3

A match made in yarny Heaven <3

I am maybe the most excited person ever right now. Allow me to share my big news. Drumroll………………..

Rows and Roses has forged a partnership with WeCrochet! That’s right, Rows and Roses is now not only a proud affiliate, but also a brand ambassador. I could not be more thrilled! I have long been a huge fan of Knit Pick’s yarn, so of course when they launched their sister site WeCrochet, dedicated to everything crochet, I had to jump on in and check it out.

I am bouncing up and down at all the opportunities they have given me, and I want to share them all with you now so you know what’s going on in my little business. Most of you have been with me for the whole 9 years Rows and Roses has been open, and I know you’re all ready to celebrate with me, so here’s all of the amazingness in one neat little blog post.

Affiliate

Rows and Roses just became an affiliate for WeC last week. For those of you who may not know what that means, here’s the rundown:

I have a whole little clutch of trackable links to their website that I will be using from now on instead of the standard links. When someone clicks one of these links and makes a purchase, I get a small cut. That’s it. You don’t have to do anything different, and you are not being charged any more. You’re just helping R&R pay the bills each time you make a WeC purchase through one of my links 🙂

Brand Ambassador

Brand Ambassador is maybe my very FAVORITE title, and makes me sound super important, yeah?

As a WeCrochet Brand Ambassador, I will be designing patterns each month using WeCrochet’s yarns and posting them all over! In return, WeC will be posting my patterns for me in their various channels. More exposure for their yarns, more exposure for my patterns!

They’ll provide the yarn I need to be creative, and I will be networking with other Ambassadors while we help get each other’s patterns out there.

Pictured here is my lovely friend, fellow hooker, and rockstar tester Sarah M. of the Carolina Hooker. She’s modelling my very first ever Ambassador pattern, Carnival Glass! I’m hoping this pattern does really well, so please go check it out and share share share! Help me prove to WeCrochet that I’m a great Ambassador for their brand.

Tester

As many of you already know, I’ve been an independent contractor for WeCrochet for a little while now, testing out crochet patterns for them and stitching up samples. To the right here is the Sweet and Simple Table Runner, written by Kristen Clay. I made that sample there in the picture! This runner, as well as many other amazing patterns, is featured in WeCrochet’s magazine, issue 2. I have a HUGE amazing test I’m working at the moment, and I can’t wait to show you all once it’s released! Go grab that magazine, you’ll thank me.

Independent Designer

And of course, I’ve been in the Independent Designers Program (IDP) with Knit Picks for a long time now, so my patterns have been moved over to WeCrochet! Here you can purchase my Felici On The Double cowl pattern, as well as many others. I’m adding more all the time, so be sure to check back often!

That's a wrap!

So as you can see, I’m pretty smitten with WeCrochet, and I think we’re meant to be. I plan to work with them for as long as they’ll let me. For those of you who are just starting out your business, and may be struggling for exposure, listen to me and listen well: work hard and do your best, let your products and customer service speak for themselves, be active on Ravelry and Instagram and Facebook, make friends with other artists, and always remember to shout out others when you get the opportunity. Stay at it, keep going, and great things will happen for you. I’ve been in business over nine years, and I’m just now starting to get a foothold to where I want to be in the yarn community. Don’t give up, remember that everything takes time, and you will make it ♥

If you found value in this post, pleas share it! Post to facebook, instagram, pin it, tweet it, leave me a comment, and thank you so much for all you do!

Trivet In Bloom

Posted on April 8, 2020January 18, 2024 by Sati <3

FREE crochet pattern!

How about a FREE crochet pattern for Mother’s Day? I present to you, Trivet in Bloom! While I was running a CAL for my Best Potholder You’ll Ever Own, I got the idea that maybe for Mother’s Day this year, I could create a matching trivet and kitchen towel to make a set. I knew that flowers would be great, but I just wasn’t exactly sure how I could make that work for a trivet. It came to me while in bed one night trying to get to sleep (isn’t that always the way??) The next morning I gave it a shot, and the most lovely little flower just fell off my hook. This is what I give you today, a Trivet in Bloom for the special lady in your life (and yes, that could totally be YOU!)

If you want a printable .pdf version of this pattern, find it here.

Stitches: Ch, sl st, SC, DC

Yarn: 2 colors of worsted weight cotton, approx. 50 yards each

I love Queensland Coastal Cotton and Coastal Cotton Ocean Mist (speckles!)

Hook: J/10

Sizes: 8” across from tip to tip

Gauge: 6 DC x 4 rows = 2”

Trivet In Bloom. Let's do it!

Pattern:

Flower

Ch 4, join with sl st to form a circle.

1) DC 12 inside the circle. Join. = 12 DC

2) 2 DC in each st around. Join. = 24 DC

3) *(DC, ch 1, DC) in next st, sk next st* around. Join. = 24 DC, 12 ch-1 sps

4) *(2 DC, ch 2, 2 DC) in next ch-1 sp, 2 SC in next ch-1 sp* around. Join. = 24 DC, 6 ch-2 sps, 12 SC

5) *8 DC in ch-2 sp, ch 2* around. Join. = 48 DC, 6 ch-2 sps

6) Sl st your way to the middle of the 8 DCs so that you are starting this round BETWEEN the 4th and 5th DC. *(DC, ch 1, DC) in sp between 4th and 5th st, ch 4, DC in each ch of the ch-2 sp, ch 4* around. Join. = 24 DC, 6 ch-1 sps, 12 ch-4 sps

7) *SC in DC, 3 SC in ch-1 sp, SC in next DC, 4 SC in ch-4 sp, SC2tog in the next two DC, 4 SC in ch-4 sp* around. Join. = 84 SC

Cut yarn. Weave in ends.

Now for the backing hexagon

Ch 4. Join to form a circle.

1) DC 12 inside the circle. Join. = 12 DC

2) 2 DC in each st around. Join. = 24 DC

3) *DC in next st, 2 DC in next st* around. Join. = 36 DC

4) 2 DC in first st, (DC in each of the next 5 sts, 3 DC in next st) 5 times, DC in each of the next 5 st, DC one more time in the same stitch as your first two DCs of this round. This puts 3 DC in that very first st. Join. = 48 DC

5) 2 DC in first st, (DC in each of the next 7 sts, 3 DC in next st) 5 times, DC in each of the next 7 st, DC one more time in the same stitch as your first two DCs of this round. This puts 3 DC in that very first st. Join. = 60 DC

6) 2 DC in first st, (DC in each of the next 9 sts, 3 DC in next st) 5 times, DC in each of the next 9 st, DC one more time in the same stitch as your first two DCs of this round. This puts 3 DC in that very first st. Join. = 72 DC

7) 2 SC in first st, (SC in each of the next 11 sts, 3 SC in next st) 5 times, SC in each of the next 11 st, SC one more time in the same stitch as your first two SC of this round. This puts 3 SC in that very first st. Join. = 84 SC

DO NOT CUT YARN!

Time to assemble

Now you’re going to stack your flower piece on top of your backing piece, with both right sides facing up, NOT facing together. Line up the first st on each of these pieces. Remove your hook from the loop on the backing piece, insert it through the first st on the flower piece, grab that loop, and pull it through.

Ch 1, SC through both pieces at the same time, all the way around, joining them together. Cut yarn, weave in ends.

Now for a little surface crochet, but only if you want!

Taking a new strand of the same color you used for your backing piece and holding it in back of your trivet, stick your hook through both trivet pieces together in the top of the VERY FIRST stitches you made, in the first round, and pull up a loop of yarn. Slip stitch around through the tops of all of your round 1 stitches, through both pieces, joining the centers together. When you get back around to your first stitch where you started, slip stitch into that one one more time, cut your yarn, and use a tapestry needle to pull the yarn through the first stitch to the back. Weave in ends.

And do it again if you want to, through the stitches in the second round! Do it all the same way, weave in your ends, and now the center of your trivet is connected together. This surface crochet used to join isn’t absolutely necessary, but it keeps the two pieces from flopping apart in the center.

All finished!

I hope you love this pattern as much as I do! If you want to make a matching set, check out my Best Potholder pattern and keep an eye out for a hand towel pattern that I’m working on, as well.
I’d love to see your trivets. Post yours on social media with the hashtag #RowsAndRosesTrivet so we can all see what you’ve made!

If you’ve found value in this post, please considering sharing it. Forward the link, post on facebook, instagram, pinterest, twitter, and anywhere else you hang out. Check out my shop (there are Best Potholders!) join my facebook group, and crochet along with us in the Ravelry group. Every little thing you do to support my little business is so appreciated ♥