Patterns, projects and techniques
When it comes to craft and patterns being able to copy or replicate a design is very easy. I was always told as long as you change it by 10% then it’s deemed NEW. We see lot’s of copyright issues all over the internet from copying Disney Characters to out right design stealing by big name stores. Here is an article that might make you not only recognise a stolen design but also make you understand why it is wrong.
If your saved crochet patterns are starting to resemble a small digital library and your yarn stash contains enough “future projects” to keep you occupied until approximately 2047, you might need a crochet vision board.
And yes, I absolutely understand the irony of spending craft time making a board about all the other crafts we intend to make.
But hear me out.
A crochet vision board isn’t simply a pretty collage of yarn photographs. It can be a genuinely useful way to decide which crochet projects you actually want to make, which techniques you’d like to learn and — perhaps most importantly — which yarn you already own that deserves to become something.
Instead of scrolling through hundreds of saved crochet patterns every time you feel like starting something new, you create one visual collection of your crochet plans for the next few months or the year ahead.
Think blankets, cardigans, granny squares, amigurumi, Christmas gifts, new stitches, beautiful colour combinations and those slightly ambitious projects you keep telling yourself you’ll tackle “one day.”
Let’s turn one day into an actual plan.
A traditional vision board contains pictures, words and ideas representing things you’d like to achieve.
A crochet vision board simply gives that idea a yarn-loving makeover.
Your board might include:
It can be physical, digital or a combination of both.
Personally, I rather like the physical version. There is something satisfying about seeing all that colourful crochet inspiration sitting above your craft desk — especially when the alternative is having 387 screenshots buried somewhere on your phone.
You really don’t need anything fancy.
For a physical crochet project vision board, try:
A simple cork noticeboard from Amazon works particularly well because projects can be moved, removed and replaced as your crochet plans change.
And they will change.
We are crocheters. A new yarn colour can derail six months of carefully organised plans in approximately three minutes.
Before printing gorgeous photographs of 27 blankets you couldn’t possibly finish, think about what you’d genuinely like to accomplish.
Try dividing your crochet plans into a few categories.
Start with the projects you’ve been thinking about repeatedly.
Maybe it’s:
If amigurumi has been sitting on your “someday” list, browse these 21 crochet amigurumi projects and choose one or two favourites rather than attempting to populate your vision board with an entire crocheted zoo.
Your board doesn’t have to be purely project based.
Add techniques you’d like to learn, such as:
If you’re still building your basic skills, our Crochet for Beginners stitch and project guide is a useful place to start.
Don’t make every goal difficult, either. One challenging project surrounded by several comfortable ones is far more likely to keep you crocheting than a board full of projects that require concentration, counting and complete silence from everyone in the house.
This might be my favourite part.
Instead of choosing individual projects first, try choosing colours you’re drawn to.
Pin up snippets of yarn, paint chips, fabric scraps or printed colour palettes.
You might discover you’re repeatedly choosing:
Soft neutrals: oatmeal, cream, sage and dusty pink.
Retro brights: mustard, orange, avocado, turquoise and brown.
Coastal colours: aqua, navy, sand and white.
Cottage colours: faded rose, lavender, cream and soft green.
Jewel tones: emerald, plum, ruby and deep blue.
Once you’ve spotted a colour direction, finding projects becomes much easier.
It can also stop the classic craft-shop problem where you buy six beautiful balls of yarn individually and arrive home to discover none of them actually want to be friends.
This is where a crochet vision board becomes genuinely useful rather than simply decorative.
Take photographs of yarn you already own.
Especially photograph those yarn purchases that were bought because:
“It was too pretty to leave behind.”
You know the ones.
Print small photographs and add them to your board with a note showing approximately how much yarn you have.
For example:
8 balls cream DK — cardigan
4 balls mustard worsted — cushion?
Mixed sock yarn — scrap project
Leftover cotton — market bag or coasters
Then match your existing yarn to potential projects.
If using up leftovers is high on your list, have a look at these scrap yarn crochet project ideas for inspiration.
Suddenly your crochet vision board becomes part inspiration board and part stash-management system.
Which, frankly, some of us desperately need.
Now you can indulge yourself.
Choose several crochet projects you would absolutely love to make, regardless of whether you’re quite ready for them yet.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to crochet:
For blanket inspiration, something like this Woodland Wonders Crochet Blanket makes a brilliant “stretch project” because it incorporates several textured crochet techniques.
Don’t put ten enormous blankets in this section.
Pick one or two dream crochet projects.
Otherwise it stops being a vision board and becomes evidence against you when someone asks why there are another twelve boxes of yarn arriving.
This is important.
Not every crochet goal should involve 2,000 metres of yarn and several months of your life.
Add quick projects too:
Quick projects keep your crochet motivation going between larger makes.
They’re also wonderful stash-busters and handmade gifts.
I particularly like adding a little “Weekend Crochet” section to the board. These are projects you could realistically start on Friday night and have finished — or at least recognisably underway — before Monday rolls around.
If you crochet gifts for birthdays and Christmas, dedicate one area of your board to recipients.
For example:
Mum: shawl
Grandchild: amigurumi
Teacher gift: crochet mug cosy
Christmas: four ornaments
New baby: blanket
Add deadlines underneath.
This is considerably better than suddenly remembering on December 17 that you’d planned to crochet eight handmade presents.
Ask me how I know.
Crochet kits can also be useful for gift projects because you’re not hunting around for matching yarn and supplies at the last minute. Mary Maxim crochet kits are worth browsing when you want a complete project ready to start rather than assembling everything separately.
Give yourself one goal that involves yarn you already have.
For example:
Crochet 12 projects from my existing stash before buying more yarn.
Or, if we would like to remain within the realms of reality:
Use three skeins before buying another six.
Your challenge could be:
The goal isn’t to make yourself feel guilty about owning yarn.
Yarn collecting and crocheting are, after all, closely related hobbies.
The idea is simply to reconnect some of that beautiful yarn with the reason you bought it in the first place: to make something.
Ah yes.
The WIPs.
Most crocheters have at least one project quietly judging them from a basket.
Take photographs of your unfinished crochet projects and create a small Finish These First section.
Don’t add everything.
Choose perhaps three.
A blanket needing twelve more rows feels far less intimidating when you can actually see how close it is to completion.
And there’s something deeply satisfying about removing a project from the board when it’s finished.
Not everything on your crochet vision board needs to link to a particular project.
Add things that simply make you want to create:
A photograph of autumn leaves might eventually inspire a rust-and-mustard blanket.
A vintage floral wallpaper might become the colour palette for granny squares.
You don’t always need to know why something appeals to you.
Pin it up and see where it takes you.
If a big board feels overwhelming, divide yours into twelve smaller monthly crochet goals.
For example:
January: finish an old WIP
February: crochet something red or pink
March: learn a new stitch
April: make a bag
May: stash-busting project
June: crochet something cosy
July: start a blanket
August: crochet a wearable
September: begin handmade Christmas gifts
October: Halloween crochet
November: Christmas decorations
December: finish gifts and choose next year’s projects
You don’t have to follow it religiously.
This is crochet, not military training.
Move things around when inspiration strikes.
Prefer everything on your phone or tablet?
You can make exactly the same style of board digitally using:
Create sections for projects, colours, yarn stash, techniques and gifts.
Pinterest is particularly dangerous — I mean useful — for this because one crochet blanket inevitably leads to another blanket, which leads to a cardigan, which leads to a granny square tote bag and suddenly it’s midnight.
The important part is to curate rather than continuously save.
Choose the projects that still excite you after you’ve looked at them several times.
Those belong on your actual crochet vision board.
This is probably the most important part.
Your crochet vision board should make you want to pick up your hook.
It shouldn’t make you feel behind.
Crochet is meant to be enjoyable.
If you lose interest in that enormous neutral-coloured blanket you pinned six months ago, take it off.
If you suddenly fall in love with ridiculously colourful crochet flowers, add them.
If your carefully planned beige-and-sage year becomes bright orange granny squares by March, congratulations — you’re a crafter.
Plans change.
Creativity should be allowed to change with them.
If you’re not sure where to begin, try this:
1 Dream Project
Something ambitious that you’d love to accomplish.
2 Wearables
Cardigans, scarves, hats, bags or other crochet accessories.
3 Quick Projects
Projects you can finish when you need an easy win.
1 New Technique
A crochet skill that stretches you slightly.
1 Stash Project
Something made primarily from yarn you already own.
3 Handmade Gifts
Specific projects for specific people.
1 WIP to Finish
Because we both know it’s sitting there.
That’s enough inspiration to keep you interested without turning your craft room wall into a five-year production schedule.
The best crochet vision board isn’t necessarily the prettiest one.
It’s the one you actually use.
Put it somewhere near your yarn or crochet chair. When you’ve finished a project, remove it, date it or add a little tick beside it.
Over time you’ll have a lovely visual record of what you’ve made — and probably a few projects that have stubbornly survived on the board for several years.
Those are allowed too.
Sometimes we need practical projects.
Sometimes we need to learn new things.
And sometimes we simply need a beautiful photograph of an absurdly complicated crochet blanket pinned above our desk so we can continue telling ourselves:
One day. I’m definitely making that.
May I reproduce this article and distribute it to members of the two quilt guilds I belong to? (Quilt designers have the same problem as crochet pattern designers, isn’t it a shame.) I will include the URL to the original article, of course.
Thank you for sharing this article. I was unaware of the problem. It provided very good information which should shared with all. Thanks again!
I once worked for a childrens designer doing machine applique. She had 4 designs each with matching t-shirt, flip skirt and knee length shorts. She always used good quality fabrics and we were both meticulous about the quality of the applique and it’s ability to withstand a child and washing. One day I’m wandering through Target, on the Gold Coast, Australia and I see the whole range on a stand. Thought that’s great for my boss until I had a close look at the items. Cheap quality fabrics, badly sewn and then the applique. I still hadn’t twigged and wondered how I had done such bad applique and how she had let me get away with it. Then the penny dropped. Target had copied the complete range.
I have a question that’s been bothering for a long time. I found a a beautiful Cowl that I fell in love with. It was knitted and I do not knit. So I set out to reproduce it in crochet and I was successful. Many of the ladies want my pattern, But I am not sure if I fall under copyright, theft or what? Can you clarify for me please. thanks
Hi,
If you have changed a pattern to knit I would think you would be okay. They say if you change it by 10% than it’s okay. Anyone got some “official” input on this?
yes of course
“Theft” of a crochet.. pattern?? Are you kidding me? There isn’t anything crocheted that is truly original. Change a color yarn here, add a stitch there, that’s a pattern. This is kind of ridiculous. I can see a dress pattern maybe- or someone smuggling a coveted fabric that is only sold to specific sellers – but Crochet?? Really? Just because lots of people “work very hard” 80 hrs a week coming up with this stuff does not legitimize it, to me. By the way- what turned me off of this whole “copyrighted crochet patterns”? Seeing a woman who sells her COPYRIGHTED patterns- and is VERY adamant about people “not stealing” her patterns? They are all public domain, vintage and antique patterns. She’s changed nothing- she even uses the same images that were in the public domain publications (not naming names, but she goes by a single female moniker). In my opinion you can’t “copyright” a crocheted, or for that matter, a knitted item. Everything’s been done, nothing’s truly new, and like I said- it ain’t rocket science we’re dealing with here.