Crochet your own wardrobe in 2019

Have you ever dreamed about crocheting beautiful garments but jut don’t know where to start?

Then come a little closer, this one is for you!

This year, instead of making new year’s resolutions, I decided focus on how I want to feel about myself and my work. One of the things on my list was to feel part of a community. Something that is bigger than me.

This desire has been brewing for a while now and was the inspiration behind my brand new facebook group “My Crochet Wardrobe”.  

If you are interested in crocheting garments, this group is just for you, and I want to tell you a little more about what I have planned!

What’s My Crochet Wardrobe All About?

My goal, at its simplest level, is to create a community of crocheters with a shared interest in making garments.

I’ve failed to find a group which focuses on crochet clothing so decided to start one!

After giving up buying any new clothing for a year, I have become a firm supporter of slow fashion. I love it every time I pull a crochet garment out of my wardrobe and get to wear it with pride. 

I believe clothing should be made with love, made to be worn and made to last.

When designing garments, I always do so with this in mind.  
I ask myself “Would I actually wear this?”. If the answer is no, then I frog it and start over. This simple question helps keep my focus.

Everyone has their own sense of style and taste, but for the most part I think that people want to create practical garments that they can get regular use from. If you’re going to spend 20 hours making a sweater then, as I see it, you had better bloody well wear it! (Or frog it and reuse the yarn for something else – waste not, want not!) 

The facebook group will be a place where we can discuss approaches to garment making, ask questions and share tips and ticks. I would love to see your recommendations for patterns you love, things that have worked for you, things that haven’t and challenges you face.

On the first of each month, I will release a new garment pattern which will focus on a particular area or technique. This will give some focus for discussion and be a great chance to learn and share with the group.

I’m currently busy working on February’s, but the first pattern, the Cosy Up Sweater is already out! We are going to use this one to look at creating ribbing and the various ways it can be used.

I will post regular prompts to get the discussion going, but I hope that you will all join in to make the group something that works for you.

I truly believe that each an every one of you are capable of creating any of the garments you see here and, through this community, I would love to help you try!

The truth is that I’m not 100% sure how the group will develop, but my dream is to see it blossom into a welcoming, collaborative bunch of crochet wardrobe addicts!

If you want to know more, check out thes FAQs below

I am super excited about this and hope you will join me!

Big Love

Dx

FAQs

Who can join?

Anyone!! 
Whether you have only just started crocheting and not yet got further than a scarf but have a sweater in your sights, or have been making cardigans for decades, there is room for everyone. The more diverse the group the better as far as I’m concerned – Crochet is all we need to have in common!

Just make sure you answer the questions and agree to the rules to keep it a warm and welcoming place.

What will I learn

That’s down to you, the members!
Although I have been designing for some time, I am not an expert and learning new things all the time. I would love this community to be a place where you can ask questions (there are no stupid questions), call for help when you get stuck on something and generally learn from other members as well as myself.
I want everyone to share their experiences and recommendations whether good or bad! I know I have a few epic fails I want to share with you because we all mess up – it’s a big part of how we learn and reminds us never to take ourselves too seriously!

How can I get involved

I hope everyone will join in the discussions, give advice as well as seeking it.
The group is open so any member can post to it. Get asking questions, celebrating wins, sharing awesome hacks you’ve discovered, championing your favourite yarns and tools, and showing us your latest wips and finished items.

I will be posting regularly but as the group grows, I hope you will contribute too!  Don’t be shy!

I’ve never crocheted clothes before, is this for me?

This is absolutely for you! 
One of the reasons I decided to focus this group on garments is because there is such a big sense of fear around making them.  

I know that I was incredibly intimidated the first time I made a proper sweater. But it went just fine and suddenly I was like “Oh, that wasn’t so hard”. I was lucky because it was a fantastic pattern – the Urban Crossover Sweaterfrom A Crochet Simplicity to be specific – Jennifer offered a lot of support through her facebook group and is amazing at explaining things. She has been a huge inspiration to me as a designer.

If you’ve never crocheted a garment before, I want to help build your confidence, just like Jennifer did with me. I want you to believe, to KNOW that you can do this!

I’m a crochet designer, can I join?

Absolutely! I’m excited about having a varying skill level in the group so we can help each other out.
If you’re a designer, I’m happy for you to share you garment patterns with the group but if you do, please do join in as an active member and help out the less experienced members.
No affiliate links, advertising other groups or spammy posts are permitted though.

Are there lots of rules?

Nope! – So long as all posts are crochet garment related, anything goes!

The only thing I ask is that everyone be respectful of each other. 

I am always up for a good debate and think it’s really important that people can feel free to share different points of view, but I have zero tolerance for abuse and anyone who crosses that line will be removed. This is intended to be a safe collaborative space so, keep it constructive!

When I see a debate going on on facebook or twitter and want to add my two cents to the fray, I try and stop for a moment and ask myself; Is it kind? Is it helpful?  If the answer to either question is no, then I keep my thoughts to myself! As my mum always used to say, if you haven’t got anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all!

I hope this has answered all of your questions about the group but if not, please feel free to ask!

Otherwise, if you’re each, click here to join the group and let’s do this!!