Saturday waits. Sunday always comes too late. Friday never hesitates! That's right, it's Friday, and I'm in love. In love with what you ask? With crochet of course. Did you think I meant my husband? (Yeah, I love him, too :p) I am in a rather chipper mood at the moment. The designs of Julie Lapalme and her brand Little Squirrel Designs just have that effect on me. She's today's Friday Focus designer and she has some adorable stuff to show us. Julie's designs are full of life with a touch of sweetness. I'm really excited to share them with you today. Have a look!
Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?
Originally, I think my mom taught me
to crochet when I was about 8. I had ZERO interest in it and thought it
was extremely boring. My sister would crochet all these cute butterflies
and I wanted to as well, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I
later re-taught myself when I was 19. So, I have been crocheting for 11
years now.
Why do you crochet?
When I re-taught myself to crochet, I
was sick and was looking for a way to pass time. I discovered that
crocheting was actually relaxing and helped me feel less stressed and
anxious. Also, in the end I got something really cool and handmade out
of it. Then it sort of became an obsession. Who am I kidding. It’s not
sort of, it is an obsession!
Crochet Favorites
My favourite hook/hooks are these
steel ones that I taught myself to crochet with. I can’t remember the
brand, but they are very basic, cheap hooks. But, I LOVE them. I have
tried other hooks and always come back to my steel ones. I actually
start to panic if one gets misplaced. I need my steel hooks!
My favourite yarn is anything Vanna’s Choice. Since I design and create
things mostly for children, I like to use acrylics. They wash easily and
you don’t have to worry about all your time and effort crocheting being
ruined by a spill. Acrylics can be scratchy and hard, but I find that
Vanna’s Choice is squishy and soft. I have never had anyone complain
about the feel of it.
Honestly, I don’t really have a favourite crochet book. I do have many
books about crochet and techniques, but there isn’t one I am constantly
going back to.
What are you working on right now?
Right now, I am working on making a
whole bunch of butterfly wings and turtle backpacks for a craft show I
am attending in the fall. I haven’t been able to design anything for a
while due to the volume of items I need to create for the craft show.
It’s a little frustrating at times crocheting the same thing over and
over, but I love when a child wears one of my items and it makes them
smile. The possibility of having many children wearing my items and
smiling pushes me through yet another pair of wings. But, I really would
like to get creative! Hopefully by November I will be back to
designing.
A few finished objects...
Little Heart Scrapghan: This is my most popular design. The hearts are
an easy way to use up any leftover scraps you have hanging around.
Little Sheep Lovey: I really love this lovey. I get a lot of requests to
make these up for new babies. I love the feel of the Lionbrand Thick N’
Quick. This pattern works up really fast.
Little Owl Baby Blanket: This is my second most popular pattern. It is a
lot of single crochet, but if you want to challenge yourself with
cables, give it a try.
Such cute designs! I have seen several people on r/crochet make that Scrapghan and folks just love it. My favorite of Julie's patterns is her Big Bag with Fawn Applique. That little fawn is just so sweet! You can check out more of what Little Squirrel Designs has to offer on her website, Ravelry, and Facebook. Thank you for taking the time to visit us today, Julie. Have a great weekend everyone!
Great interview. Julie has some really lovely designs and it's great to get to know a bit more about her.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah, I just love that scrapghan. Maybe one day I'll have time to make it :p
DeleteSara, beautiful the little heart scrapghan
ReplyDeleteAll of the work was done by Julie Lapalme.
DeleteI would really like to make the owl baby blanket. Do you have downloadable instructions available?
ReplyDeleteRose, you can purchase Julie's design here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/little-owl-baby-blanket
DeleteDoes Julie have a pattern for the Heart Afghan. I wanna buy it!
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a pattern.
DeleteIs this Julie? I found this pattern, and it looks a lot like hers. http://www.loveknitting.com/us/little-heart-scrapghan-crochet-pattern-by-little-squirrel-designs
ReplyDeleteYes, and here is another link to the pattern.
Deletehttp://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/little-heart-scrapghan