The Story Behind a Pattern Design: The Leilany Tricolour Throw
Last week, I shared my design process and where some of my ideas come from. This week, I’d like to take you through one of my favourite patterns, from first draft to finished item.
I enjoy visiting art galleries, and have several art books at home for reference. One painting that caught my eye was Arithmetic Composition by Theo Van Doesburg — striking black squares on a white background. I played around in my sketchbook with geometric variations, then began translating some of those ideas into crochet stitches. Many didn’t quite work (I’ll be honest), but eventually I created a few sample swatches that showed real promise.
The next decision was the colour palette. I could, like the original painting, have restricted myself to black and white, but I wanted to introduce colour. Often I’ll refer to a colour wheel or one of my trusty reference books when choosing combinations. For this design, I settled on three colours — purple, blue, and gold — a trio that felt rich and balanced, offering contrast without overpowering the geometric shapes.
Yarn choice is another major consideration. This was going to be one of the largest throws I’d ever made, so I had to balance quality with cost — both for myself and for anyone who might make it. Although I’m moving toward natural fibres, there’s still a place for a wool/acrylic blend. Aran yarn is particularly satisfying for larger projects because it grows quickly, so I chose King Cole’s Fashion Aran range. This UK company kindly supplied the yarn I needed.
Notebooks are key when I’m designing (you can never have too many, in my opinion). I keep one beside me as I work, jotting down the pattern row by row. For a large design like this, once I’ve finished one full pattern repeat, I’ll type up my notes and work from the printed page, checking that what I’ve written down makes sense as I go.
Then comes the finishing stage — weaving in ends, blocking (more about that next week), photographing, checking everything (and checking again), and finally, publishing. The whole process takes time, but I enjoy every minute of it.
Sometimes the hardest part is choosing a name for the pattern! When I finished this design, I was working through an alphabetical list of girls’ names — hence the Leilany Tricolour Throw. More recently, I’ve been asking my AI assistant for name ideas, which has definitely taken some of the pressure off.
Next week, I’ll share some of my favourite tips for blocking your work for the best possible finish. In the meantime, happy crafting.
Sue
Pearson Handmade 