crochet-pattern – Pearson Handmade

Cosy Crochet Projects for Chilly Evenings

Last week, I introduced you to my latest Tunisian crochet design, the Mistwood Hooded Scarf. This week, as the evenings draw in and the temperature drops, I wanted to share a few ideas for cosy crochet projects that are perfect for slow, comforting making on chilly nights.

For me, truly cosy projects begin with the yarn. Choosing fibres that feel warm, soft, and satisfying in the hands makes all the difference when you’re settling in for an evening of crochet.

One of my long-standing favourites is Drops Nepal, a wool and alpaca blend classed as an aran weight. It has a lovely warmth and weight, and because it’s aran, projects grow quickly – always a joy when the evenings feel short. I’ve recently designed a particularly cosy project using this yarn, which will appear in the next issue of Simply Crochet magazine, out on 23rd December.

I also regularly use King Cole Fashion Aran, which comes in a huge range of colours. With 30% wool, it’s a more affordable option, making larger projects such as blankets feel achievable without worrying too much about cost. More recently, I’ve discovered King Cole Merino Blend DK, a superwash 100% wool yarn that has worked up beautifully and feels wonderfully soft.

Of course, if you’re able to spin your own yarn, you can really lean into seasonal colours and textures. This very Christmassy Corriedale and sari silk blend from Adelaide Walker, called Medina, is a perfect example – full of depth, warmth, and character.

Once you’ve chosen your yarn, it’s time to find a project you’ll genuinely enjoy. A quick search on Ravelry using the yarn weight you have to hand will reveal plenty of hats, gloves, and scarves that work up quickly and make satisfying gifts. That said, I don’t think there’s much better than crocheting a blanket or throw at this time of year. The gentle weight of the fabric resting in your lap is incredibly comforting, and as the piece grows, you almost find yourself wrapped in its warmth.

Over the years, I’ve built up a small library of pattern books, and the ones I still return to most often include:

Crocheted Throws and Wraps by Melody Griffiths
The Art of Crochet Blankets by Rachele Carmona
Rainbow Crocheted Blankets by Amanda Perkins
Beautiful Blankets, Afghans and Throws by Leonie Morgan

If you’d like to try your hand at Tunisian crochet, Toni Lipsey’s The Tunisian Crochet Handbook is full of cosy, inspiring projects. One of my own bestselling patterns, the Winterborn Throw, is a Tunisian crochet design worked in Fashion Aran yarn and is ideal for slow winter evenings.

However you choose to spend your crafting time, I hope these ideas encourage you to embrace slower making, warmer fibres, and projects that bring a little extra comfort at this time of year.

Happy crafting until next time – which will be after the Christmas break, when I’ll be turning my focus to fibre.

Sue

New in the shop: introducing my Mistwood Hooded Scarf

Last week, I explored one of my favourite topics: colour — and how to spark your imagination when choosing palettes for your next project. This week, I’m excited to share something brand new: the journey behind my latest design, from that first tiny spark of inspiration right through to the finished piece.

The Mistwood Hooded Scarf began as a simple question I asked myself while playing with my handspun yarn: what if that cosy autumn wrap I’d just finished… had a hood? I’d been experimenting with Tunisian crochet stitches, enjoying the textures and the meditative rhythm, and the finished wrap had such lovely weight and drape that I couldn’t help imagining more.

But as these things often go, my first attempt taught me exactly what not to do! The original shawl was far too wide to fold into a hood — a quick try-on left me with fabric flopping in front of my eyes. Practical, it was not.

So I went back to the sketchbook and re-imagined the piece as a narrower scarf: still enveloping and warm, but proportioned perfectly for a folded hood. With that settled, I knew the next step was choosing the right yarn. I loved the feel of my handspun wrap, so I set out to find a worsted-weight yarn with a high wool content and good structure.

A browse through Wool Warehouse (dangerous, as always…) led me straight to Cascade 220. It ticked every box — and then came the matter of colour. I like to pretend I considered several options, but the moment I saw Lepidolite Heather, a soft purple with subtle depth, the decision was made. A quick bit of yarn maths told me I’d need four skeins. Maths isn’t my strongest skill, but happily, I was spot on.

The scarf itself worked up quickly. The hood folded neatly, just as I’d hoped. But it needed one final playful touch — something a bit whimsical. So I crocheted a set of curly “tails” to sit at the point of the hood. Completely unnecessary… and completely delightful. They made me smile, and I hope they’ll do the same for anyone who makes or wears this piece.

The pattern is now available in my Etsy shop and on Ravelry (hence this slightly late blog post!)..

Whatever colours or yarns you choose, I hope the Mistwood Hooded Scarf brings warmth, joy, and a little touch of magic to your making.

Happy crafting until next week, when I’ll be focusing on cosy crochet projects for chilly evenings.

Sue

Colour Inspiration for Crochet

Last week, I wrote about my twin passions of crochet and weaving. This week, I’m exploring one of my favourite topics: colour. Choosing colours for a new project can be exciting, but also a little daunting—and you definitely don’t need to stick to the shades shown in a purchased pattern or rely solely on self-striping yarns from the manufacturers.

Let’s look at a few ways to spark your colour imagination.

The Colour Wheel

A colour wheel is exactly what it sounds like—a circular diagram showing the three primary colours and the shades between them. Many wheels also highlight pairs of opposite colours known as complementary colours. These pairings often create bold, high-contrast combinations, such as the pink and pale green I used in my Haworth Wrap.

Using the same wheel, you can also explore Diad schemes: colours that sit two steps away from each other. These pairs offer a harmonious blend. My Tracery Cowl, worked in shades of red and orange, is a lovely example of how this method can bring warmth and depth to a design.

Nature as Your Palette

Sometimes the best colour advice is simply to step outside. A walk in the garden, a woodland path, or even a changing hedge line can ignite instant ideas. Take the rich, russet tones of a beech hedge in autumn—those very colours inspired the palette for my Bracken Scarf. Nature rarely gets it wrong, and its combinations are endlessly adaptable to yarn.

Reference Books & Tools

When I’m sifting through my yarn stash and want fresh ideas for pairing shades, I often reach for Haruyoshi Nagumo’s book ‘Swatch This’. It’s full of clever palettes that help me see familiar colours in new ways. This approach guided my choices for the Isel Throw, bringing together tones from my stash yarn that I might not have paired instinctively.

Whichever colours speak to you, I hope they bring joy to your making.

Happy crafting until next week, when I’ll be focusing on one of my latest designs.

Sue

Why I Spin My Own Yarn

Thank you to everyone who read my first blog post. I thought for my second post, I’d talk about why I spin my own yarn — one of the most rewarding (and sometimes challenging!) parts of my fibre journey.

Initially, I thought a little handspun yarn would add some interesting texture to my crochet and woven projects. So, for Christmas 2023, I asked for a drop spindle kit from Adelaide Walker — a simple spindle, a sheet of instructions, and three fibres to practise with.

I got the basics, but really struggled to make a yarn that was at all useable. I watched a lot of YouTube videos (JillianEve was particularly good), and found the book Yarn Spinning with a Modern Twist by Vanessa Kroening very helpful too. In the end, though, nothing beats a bit of individual tuition, so I spent a couple of hours with the very lovely Zoe at Old School Crafts in Minting.

Drop spindles are wonderfully portable — you can spin almost anywhere — and they range from cheap, homemade versions to beautifully crafted works of art. I have both. They seem to breed.

My drop spindles satisfied my need to make yarn for a while, and the material I produced added interesting texture to my woven projects. But I struggled to make enough to crochet with. So, in February 2025, I took the plunge and bought a used Ashford Traditional spinning wheel. Another sharp learning curve followed — more books, more YouTube videos — but persistence paid off. I can recommend Sasha Torres at Sheepspot for her tutorials and podcasts.

I now spin a little every day, and over time my yarn has improved enough to crochet with. I’ve even written a crochet pattern, the Pebble and Loop Scarf, specifically for my handspun! Like the drop spindles, my spinning wheels are multiplying — I recently added an Ashford Traveller 3 so I can take it to classes and work on improving my technique.

Plying is still a bit of a mystery to me, and definitely something I need to work on. But part of the joy of spinning is that there’s always more to learn. Do you spin your own yarn, or have you ever been tempted to try?

Thanks for reading to the end. Next week, I’ll be sharing how I design for my crochet and weaving projects. In the meantime, happy crafting!

Sue

A New Yarn Begins: Welcome to Pearson Handmade

A new yarn (and a new adventure!) begins as I share my journey with fibre, creativity, and a touch of chaos from my handmade studio.

Hi, I’m Sue — the creative hands behind Pearson Handmade — and welcome to my very first ‘proper’ blog post!
This is my foray into writing a regular weekly blog, so wish me luck. I thought I’d start by sharing a little about what I do, why I love it, and what you can expect in future posts.

My mum taught me to knit, crochet, and cross-stitch when I was a child. Later, when I studied design at college, I discovered that it was possible to work entirely from scratch without a pattern — and that nothing is ever really a mistake (it can always be cut up and reused somewhere else!). I also fell in love with beading, feltmaking, and braiding during that time.

Fast forward to 2020: during the lockdowns, I bought some beautiful yarn and an expensive crochet pattern that turned out to be frustratingly unclear. I ended up unpicking the whole thing, tossing the pattern, and thinking “I could write a better one.”
And that’s how my journey into designing began.

More recently, I’ve taken up spinning and weaving — because, frankly, yarn is my thing and I love having it in my hands. I’m also moving more toward natural fibres and a zero-waste approach, so expect more about that in future posts.

My earlier patterns (pre-2025) are still available on Ravelry and Lovecrafts, but since Brexit, all of my work — both patterns and handmade pieces — can be found exclusively in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll join me each week as I share more about my creative process, inspirations, and projects on the go.

A month of making

New textures, colours, and creative calm

Pebble and Loop Scarf Pattern

I’m excited to share my latest crochet design: Pebble and Loop. This triangular scarf blends plump popcorn stitches with airy chain spaces to create a fabric that’s both light and sculptural. It grows gently along one edge, making it easy to adjust to your preferred size—from a snug cowl to a generous wrap.

This pattern is designed with versatility in mind. It works beautifully in any yarn weight and drapes elegantly when blocked. Whether you’re using handspun or a favourite commercial yarn, Pebble and Loop offers a rhythmic, mindful stitching experience—perfect for wrapping yourself (or someone you love) in warmth and texture.

The pattern is now available on Etsy.
(Written in English using UK crochet terms.)

🎨 Colour Play & Commissions

I’ve been working on commissions for a national crochet magazine this month. One design is finished, and I’m deep into the second. I love the chance to explore new yarns and colour combinations—especially when it pushes me beyond my usual palette.

One of my favourite resources for colour inspiration is Swatch This by Haruyoshi Nagumo. It’s packed with unexpected, effective combinations, and a great tool for rethinking how stash yarns can come together in fresh ways.

🧶 Spinning Joys

July has been all about spinning for me. I took part in Tour de Fleece hosted by Adelaide Walker, and enjoyed working through a gorgeous selection of fibres—from soft blues and greys to creams and browns. Some of that handspun has already become another Pebble and Loop scarf (I will put some images up on my social media next week). It’s such a satisfying way to pair slow spinning with mindful crochet.

🧵 Weaving as Rest

Life has been wonderfully full lately, but I’ve found calm at my rigid heddle loom. I keep things simple with plain weave and let the yarns do the work. Interesting textures and colours from my local yarn shop turn into meditative projects—no pressure, just the gentle rhythm of weaving.

🛠 Free Maker Resources

If you’re looking to support your craft with a few handy tools, I’ve created these free resources:

Project Tracker Sheet
Yarn Gift Tag
Yarn Colour Sample Card
Yarn Fibre Guide
They’re all designed to help you stay organised, inspired, and ready for your next creative project.

🧣 New Crochet Patterns

A few new designs joined the collection this past month:

The Tunisian Tiles Cushion Cover
A richly textured, geometric crochet design.

The Fieldsong Shawl
A large beaded wrap full of movement and grace.

Thanks for reading and being part of this making journey. I hope you found a spark of inspiration here—whether you’re spinning, weaving, crocheting or simply dreaming up your next project.

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you’re working on!Happy making,
Sue