Crochet

Patterns, projects and techniques

CARLA DE BRUIJN – Crocheter Extraordinaire

by

Carla de Bruijn Orangutan

Carla de Bruijn Orangutan

A lot of us complain about crochet projects which require us to join a lot of motifs together.  I’m probably the loudest complainer.  You’ve read before where I have stated that I dismiss any pattern that begins with wording like “make 37 (or 337) of this motif…” I enjoy making those motifs, usually, and love the look of the projects pictured in a book or magazine, but I am completely thrown off by having to join all those motifs to achieve the finished project.

Not so, Carla de Bruijn!  Carla thrives on projects that are composed of hundreds of squares!  And, most of the design ideas come directly from her own head or from nature or other things she sees in the world around her.

Each afghan is large – about 80 inches by 80 inches (2m x 2m).  Working in this size gives Carla a lot of room to interpret her designs in crochet.  It also requires making a lot more squares than a typically sized afghan that is usually smaller than the size Carla makes.  Since Carla crochets nothing other than blankets, she has perfected her technique, perfectly adapting the images she sees in nature and from other sources around her into those numerous squares.  Each is certainly a labor of love as any realistic price tag would place them far out of the financial reach of most of us – no matter how aware we are of all the labor Carla puts into each piece.

Carla works mostly in cotton, occasionally mixing in some acrylic/cotton blends.  She’s been crocheting for 33 years and crochets only blankets/afghans.  Most of the times, the recipients of her hard work are friends and loved ones.  Like many of us, she finds the cost of materials and the amount of labor would not be returned were she to sell her creations.  Carla estimates that she spends about 300 hours crocheting each blanket that costs her about 200 Euros in materials.

To view more of Carla’s work, please visit her website:

http://www.carladebruijn.nl/

Please stay tuned for Part Two to be published soon.

Comments

  1. Another inspiration for me!! I don’t feel so bad now that I mostly crochet blankets and afghans … I often get the comment on why don’t I do something else, like a sweater, that you can use. Blankets and afghans are usable too!
    I’m half and half on motifs and joining – depending on the mood, I’ll crochet motifs forever, and in the end bag them all to be joined when the ‘joining’ mood hits me! There are times when I just want to join motifs and create the project.
    So if you need somebody to join motifs and squares, let me know!

Have you read?

Free Christmas Worry Worm Crochet Pattern With a Printable Gift Card

There’s something rather lovely about a handmade gift that says, “I was thinking of you,” without needing a large box, expensive supplies or three weeks of frantic crocheting.

Our Christmas worry worm is a sweet little example. It has a curly body, a smiling embroidered face and a pointed Santa hat, plus a decorative printable gift card that turns a small crochet project into a thoughtful festive present.

And yes, those little leftover balls of Christmas yarn finally have a job. Apparently, keeping them all was entirely reasonable.

A Christmas Twist on the Crochet Worry Worm

If you’ve enjoyed our original crochet worry worm project, this Christmas version offers a different construction and a festive finish.

The body is a narrow crochet corkscrew, while the head is a separate, lightly stuffed ball worked in continuous rounds. A small hat with a contrasting brim completes the character.

What I particularly like about this design is that the Christmas detail comes from the colours and that tiny hat. There are no fiddly fingers, miniature boots or elaborate accessories to sew together. The curly body gives it plenty of personality all by itself.

What Skills Will You Need?

This free Christmas worry worm crochet pattern uses chains, single crochet, increases, decreases and slip stitches. You’ll also need to work a magic ring, embroider a simple face and sew the three components together.

I’d describe it as an easy project for someone comfortable with basic crochet stitches and ready to try small amigurumi pieces. The tiny hat rounds may require a little patience, especially if you usually make blankets with a lovely big hook.

The materials are straightforward: DK or 8-ply yarn, a 3 mm hook, a little stuffing, black embroidery thread and a yarn needle.

Choose smooth yarn so you can see your stitches clearly. Fluffy yarn might look festive in the ball, but finding four tiny stitches in a magic ring is quite enough excitement without hiding them under eyelash fibres.

Make Santa, Elf or Snowy Christmas Versions

The same construction works in several Christmas colour combinations:

  • Traditional Santa: A red curly body, cream head and red hat with a white brim.
  • Christmas elf: A green body and green hat with a contrasting red brim.
  • Snowy Christmas friend: A white body and head, finished with a red-and-white Santa hat.

The faces are embroidered, and the hat tip has a few white stitches rather than a separate pompom. Keep those details simple and let the colour combinations do the decorating.

If seasonal variations are your weakness, our Easter bunny worry worm pattern is another idea to save for your next round of small handmade gifts.

The Printable Christmas Gift Card Makes It Feel Special

The accompanying printable card is the detail that brings this project together.

Watercolour-style poinsettias, holly, red bows and gold accents frame a short verse, with To and From lines for your message. A pale green space on the right holds