A new Laine crochet publication?! So exciting! I meant to write about Let’s Crochet last week when it was released but I am a little bit behind. Better late than never, hey? And the same can be said of this beautiful crochet publication. I am thrilled that the wider crafting community is taking crochet more seriously. It feels like we have been waiting a long time….
Laine magazine and Laine publishing have always had a focus on beautiful knitting patterns, and it now adds crochet to its oeuvre. Let’s Crochet is a one-off special, but who knows? If it proves to be popular, wouldn’t it be amazing to see more?
A Laine crochet magazine is really exciting. And what makes it all the more exciting for me is that I have designed one of the crochet patterns that’s featured!! Alongside 16 other contemporary crochet designs, there is Sheila, a cotton tee that is super easy to make.
If you’d like a peek at the other crochet clothes and accessories, check out the Let’s Crochet! Ravelry page. There are some gorgeous patterns within its pages. It’s a long story, but Sheila isn’t on that Rav page yet (not at the time of writing, anyway). It has attached itself to another publication and refuses to let go! Arghh.
Sheila, Crochet T-Shirt Pattern
Shelia is the name of this summery, oversized crochet tee. It has lots of positive ease, so if you want a super relaxed and slouchy fit, this is the crochet top for you. It is a truly laid-back garment design, and I love its super chill attitude. Despite the relaxed vibe, it is also a very practical and wearable crochet tee.Â
Because of the oversized nature, I have made this top with a modified drop shoulder. That means there is simple shaping at the arm holes, but still very basic. It’s kind of one step closer to “set-in” sleeves, but more casual and way less intimidating. Have you tried a modified drop shoulder before? I think I’ll be trying it again as it’s pretty easy to do and slightly more sophisticated than regular drop shoulder garments.
A Wearble Crochet T-Shirt
My favourite thing about Sheila is that it is wearable as crochet clothing and not gimmicky in any way. It also isn’t holey! If I wear this crochet tee, I don’t necessarily need anything underneath it, as you can’t see through the stitches like you can with other crochet clothes. Sometimes I don’t want a vest underneath, especially in the summer.
It’s also made of 4-ply cotton, which is perfect in good weather. I think I may have been convinced to design more cotton garments, which is something I never thought would enter my mind (winter sweater enthusiast here!).
Inspiration for My Laine Crochet Design
Sheila was inspired by a couple of different things. My Nanna was named Sheila. She nearly always wore short-sleeved lacy knitted tops in the summer (I have a few hastily taken snaps to prove it too! I’ll share one of them below). This drapey design is a more relaxed interpretation of the tops she made for herself over the years.Â
Nanna wore a lot of greens, blues and turquoise, so I reached for a shade of mint green to go in a Laine crochet magazine.
Also, last year, I designed and made my sister’s crochet wedding dress (the bodice part, at least – our other sister made the silk skirt). I took inspiration from that crochet top as I knew I wanted to explore the ideas of that design further. In particular, the cuffs and neckline. I mean, it’s quite a loose interpretation, but it helped in the design process because I had already been thinking about the little details that could feature in other pretty crochet tops. I’d also learned about set-in sleeves, which gave me to confidence to make modifications for Sheila.
Crochet Testers for the Win!
Testing the Sheila top was quite an unusual process in that I was still designing as the test was happening. Thank you so much to the handful of crochet testers who stuck by me and Sheila. I couldn’t have done it without them!!
The deadline was very tight, and I did not have time to finish the design and then test it, so a small group of heroes helped me as everything was pulled together simultaneously. It was no mean feat, and they are brilliant!! They knew it would be a challenge from the beginning, but they came along for the ride anyway. Thank you to Luce, Meline, Julie, Babz, Naomi and Chia!!!
And that’s it. A short and sweet blog post! If you’re still reading, don’t forget to check out my free crochet patterns page, and why not visit my YouTube channel for crochet tutorials and chats! I hope you enjoy crocheting Sheila, too!
Thanks for stopping by. Cheers! x
