POS Syndrome!

Well, I knew there was a syndrome for everything these days, and today, I’ve discovered I’m suffering from POS—Pattern Overload Syndrome.

Sounds serious!

Well… it could be.

Definition of POS (Pattern Overload Syndrome):

To be officially diagnosed, the following criteria must apply:

  • You must be a crochet designer.

  • You must have at least three reasonably complicated designs in the testing phase.

  • You must have at least one pattern ready (or overdue) for launch.

  • You must have signed on to design at least one more pattern for a company.

  • You must have at least three additional designs in progress—because why stop at chaos?

  • You must, at least once daily, stare at a tester’s corrections, take a moment, and then desperately try to remember which pattern they’re talking about.

  • You must have at least ten more design ideas swirling in your brain, just waiting to derail your focus.

  • You must be actively contemplating the best approach for at least two new designs.

  • Your brain must have, at some point, attempted to go on strike.

If you meet all these criteria… congratulations! You, too, may be suffering from POS.

Now, if only there were a cure that didn’t involve frogging my sanity…

*Picture shows my latest release: Heart to Heart Scarf

Valentines Day is Almost Here

Valentine’s Day is looming ever closer, and my latest design was made especially for this special occasion. The Heart to Heart Scarf is no ordinary scarf—it's worked in the round to create a super warm, tubular-style scarf, adorned with hearts, of course!

Pom-poms are attached to the ends, adding an extra touch of flair to the design.

The Heart to Heart Scarf was created as part of Hobbii Yarns' Basics yarn campaign. A huge thank you to Hobbii for the lovely Friends Cotton Silk yarn!

I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this yarn is to work with.

Please follow this link to view Hobbii Friends Cotton Silk (click here).

Yarn stats are as follows:

23 Colours

77% Cotton, 23% Silk

  • Weight:

    50 g (1.75 oz)

  • Yarn Length:

    120 m (131 yds)

  • Yarn Weight:

    Light

"Love isn't measured in grand gestures but in the quiet moments—warm hands, knowing smiles, and the unspoken promise of always... but it’s also measured in yarn, stitch by stitch, wrapping hearts in warmth." Happy Valentines Day!

Stolen!

Picture just for attention

Today I am slightly on the grumpy side!

Yet another one of my designs has been stolen and is now popping up on some random webpage. This is likely another scam where someone tries to purchase the design, pays the money, and ends up with nothing.

This particular design seems to have made an impression—it’s been copied and posted in seven different places. They must really like it! Sigh.

When I first began designing and discovered my very first pattern had been stolen, I was devastated. I remember being reduced to tears, sobbing uncontrollably into my yarn stash. Now, I just think, “Great, time to file yet another DMCA takedown notice.” It’s frustrating, and often feels futile. Even if the stolen content is removed, these thieves just set up another page and carry on as if nothing happened.

Some of these scammers are so brazen that they even steal genuine customer reviews from legitimate platforms to make themselves seem credible.

The impact of stolen patterns on designers is very real. I spend hundreds of hours creating each design, and once I’ve completed a pattern, it goes to my testers—an incredible group who invest their own time and energy to ensure the final product is clear, accurate, and enjoyable for customers. This is no small task, especially for my more unique designs, and it’s a labor of love for all involved.

When someone steals and sells these patterns illegally, it creates a domino effect that hurts not just me, but everyone who contributes to the process.

I’m always happy to help anyone who has purchased a pattern from me through legitimate platforms. However, I do ask where the pattern was purchased. If it turns out the pattern was obtained from a stolen source, I cannot provide support. While I sympathize with those who might not realize they’ve been scammed, I won’t enable or assist in the theft of my copyrighted work.

To buyers: please take care to support your favorite designers by purchasing only from trusted platforms. This not only ensures you’re receiving a quality product but also helps keep small designers in business.

If you need help with a pattern, always let the designer know where you purchased it from and, if possible, provide proof of purchase. Don’t feel offended if this is requested—it’s just part of safeguarding the hard work that goes into every design.

Daisies Make Me Smile Wall Hanging and Table Centre

"Roses are the majestic beauties of the flower family, but daisies make me smile."

This pattern has two uses. It can be made into a Wall Hanging or used as a Table Centre.

This pattern combines flowers and shapes to create an interesting piece suitable for a wall hanging or table centre.

Additional instructions for attaching the piece to a mandala ring are included.

19 small daisies are combined to create the central hexagon shape. Larger daisies form square shapes that attach to the hexagon. Groups of 3 small daisies make up the triangles that sit in between the squares. This is all designed to fit neatly together to create this lovely piece.

Triple Bypass Heart Scarf

This is a heart stoppingly gorgeous pattern!

Now I am not saying I am a mastermind of superior intelligence, but… this new stitch I have created is Mar-vel-ous!

I took the simple front post/ back post stitch and made it fully reversible. The pattern is exactly the same on both sides!

So you can judge if Auburncraft Design needs to be inducted into the league of brillant minds for this innovation.

All jokes aside. I love this stitch and will no doubt be using it for future designs. It is my stitch. I did it and I am very prepared to share it (for a price). Designing patterns is hard work!

The Triple Bypass Heart Scarf uses three colours with the colours not being carried across rows.

I used Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4ply for this. It is just soooooo soft!

For further details on materials click here




coming soon

Coming soon

Vintage Dragonfly Masquerade Blanket

My new design Vintage Dragonfly Masquerade Blanket, is of a confident intermediate level, with some high-end intermediate components in some parts.

I never run out of ideas and ways to combine my signature dragonflies into new designs, and I love creating designs using them. I did need to modify the dragonflies slightly in order to fit three on each side of the hexagon shapes. I wanted to make this design special and unique, and so the cables in the corners form the corner increases to add a bit of texture and interest.

I was still not completely convinced this was unique enough, but then I moved on to joining the shapes. What way could this be done to make it unique, different?

I tried a few different ideas, and then the thought of using a jacobs ladder combined with a flat seam joining stitch popped into my head. I have never seen this done before, so I will claim this idea as unique to Auburncraft Crochet Design. I have named this new join a Jacobs Ladder Flat Seam Join.

Videos are not my thing—well, usually they are not—but I finally dipped my toes into the murky waters of video work with my feeble attempts at showing off this new joining stitch.

I am going to try and do more video work in the future if these are received well. What you won’t see in my videos are perfectly manicured hands and a smooth, dulcet voice. But I can crochet,  and hopefully that will be enough.

Please support my small effort in videos by subscribing to my YouTube channel.

But back to the blanket!

I used quality Bendigo Woollen Mills 8-ply cotton for this beauty. The colours are limited edition Cotton Crush in Peach and Dove Grey, and while these are not being run at the moment, they have many gorgeous colours to choose from. Please take a look. BWM have been fabulous to myself as well as other independent designers.

I hope you like my new blanket, Vintage Dragonfly Masquerade, and will give it some love!

Being a Crochet Designer

Before I sat to write this, I decided I would give AI a chance to state what it is like to be a crochet designer and see if they were right.

This is what I got back:

Being a crochet designer requires creativity, patience, and attention to detail. Start by mastering basic stitches and techniques, then experiment with different yarns and patterns to develop your own unique style. Practice regularly to hone your skills and don’t be afraid to frog projects that aren’t working out. Remember to take breaks to prevent burnout and stay inspired by following other designers and trends in the crochet community. Lastly, believe in yourself and your abilities – confidence is key to succeeding as a crochet designer.

—————————————————————————————————-

I guess most of the above is true, and I do agree that patience is very much key to being or having a chance to be a successful designer. Having the strength to be unique is also very important, at least to me.

I am constantly in touch with other designers, but I would rather be me and not worry about what others are producing. I am never on trend and don’t intend to be.

I was asked recently about tips for being a designer, and below are my top eleven:

  1. Know your own pattern.

    You need to know what you are talking about. Your pattern could have been published a month ago, a year ago, or several years ago, and you will have customers who don’t understand an aspect of it. You need to be able to help these people, and the only way you can do that is if you know what you are talking about.

  2. Stitch counts and clear instructions really do matter.

    If I am crocheting just for me, I can easily fudge something and make a count work by adding a stitch or decreasing. But if you are expecting others to create the same item, they expect that your pattern makes sense and that all counts work. Every stitch must be accounted for. Just because one customer understands a section doesn’t mean all will, and this is where pattern testing is important.

  3. Yes, pattern testing is important.

    Having brilliant pattern testers is a must. I put my testers through the ringer to get a pattern ready to publish. I have one particular tester who claims that they talk Auburncraft. Meaning they can figure out what I mean even when I am not sure myself. I can look at something forever and not see the glaring mistake right in front of me. Thankfully, my testers are very prepared to keep at me till I get it right.

  4. Listening.

    It is important to listen to those on your team who are trying to help get your pattern out into the world. I am not saying they are always right, but when one of my team members states I have something that needs attending to, and I am thinking, Nuh! I am right, most of the time I am not. Their opinions are important!

  5. Have very broad shoulders, and check your ego at the door.

    I used to find it upsetting that I could not get everything perfect right away. I am now very used to feeling like a dill for making an error. I have learned not to rush to a corner and cry if someone posts a review that is not five stars, as there is just no way to please everyone.

  6. Social media is a necessary evil.

    You need to be out there and show off what you have, as otherwise you will be overlooked.

  7. Being available.

    The world is a small place, and being a crochet designer means that questions come in from all corners of the world. These need to be answered within a reasonable time frame. People do not like to wait!

  8. Great photographs are necessary.

    I am not a photographer, and I most certainly cannot afford to pay a photographer to photograph every stage of my work, including final photographs for marketing. I do try to get the best photographs that I can with what I have. The more engaging the picture, the greater the likelihood that your pattern will pique interest.

  9. Copyright and trademarks are real things.

    As a designer, I take the stance of not creating anything that I am aware has a trademark attached. Large companies such as Disney, Hello Kitty, and many others take copyright and trademarks very seriously and will track you down if you choose to use any of their copyrighted or trademarked characters. It is not smart.

  10. Your own copyright

    As for your own copyright, it is important to add copyright information to your own patterns and be prepared to lodge takedown notices if someone does infringe your rights, but in saying that, sometimes it is pointless. You have to know when to turn a blind eye and walk away and which battles you can win. It is not if someone steals your pattern or photographs; it is when.

  11. Do YOU!

    It is very important to be creating what you feel. Sounds a bit deep and yeah I guess it is! I have at times been asked if I will create something specific for someone and generally the answer is no. I create what I feel at the time and if I have to start creating things that I don’t like or are not me, then it is time to stop designing.


    These are my own views, and I am sure many other designers have a different idea of what is important, but these are mine!



Below: Just a sample of some of my blanket designs. Click here for the blankets webpage.

Perfection is Overrated

So you think my crochet looks okay?

Ah, but you don’t see what’s behind the curtain!

When I first began designing, I wondered if I was good enough to even attempt to do so.

Would people even like my designs? Was I clever enough, unique enough to even try?

A number of years down the track and over 140 designs later, I try not to question myself further on this topic. I design what appeals to me and give it my best efforts, and that is all one can ever do.

I know a lot of people worry that what they produce, whether it be of their own design or from a pattern, is not good enough. Well, I say who cares!

No one is perfect, unless of course we are referring to Auburncraft's CEO, Stella. Stella consistently tells me she is! I tend to agree with her assessment mostly.

Although I do not for a minute believe that it was Mr. Billy Thunder (the cat) that pulled the bag of rubbish from the bin and all over the floor. She insists this is the truth!

But, back to the crochet. I know my crochet is certainly not perfect, and to be honest, I do have some ability (almost perfection, one may say) in fixing boo-boos (what I call my errors).

I have become very good at hiding an error a row or round back, by adding a missing stitch in as I go or doing a maneuver that I like to call a cut and paste.

When you have 800 plus stitches per round of a project, the last thing you want to do is frog the whole round. I simply cut and patch, then continue. The end result looks perfect, but it isn’t.


He Loves Me He Loves Me Knot Blanket CAL. Part 1 will be release tomorrow. Give it a go! The pattern is available on Ravelry.

Perfection is really overrated in my opinion!

I prefer to let the creative side of my mind loose, and often this can produce some interesting results. I have been known to get partway through a design and realize that I did something completely different from what I intended.

The design turns out miles away from what I first thought of.

But it’s all good!

Don’t be afraid to give things a go. If it turns out different than what you intended, who is going to know?

Some of the best artwork comes about by mistake!

He Loves Me He Loves Me Knot Blanket CAL 2024. Part 1 will be released tomorrow! The pattern is for sale on Ravelry!