When I tell people that I crochet, they usually envision some tacky acrylic monstrosity of a sweater that is way too itchy and smells like mothballs that their grandmother made for them when they were 12. This is not that! Crochet is making its way to tropical beaches and to the boho-chic midwest. We are even starting to see crochet garments jazz up the runways of the most idolized designers of the fashion industry. Today I will tell you about my top five favorite modern crochet designers taking the fiber world by storm, making our yarn look good!
1.) Amanda Mannas
Amanda is known on the web as Mandobug Crafts and you can find her patterns on her website, Mandobug.com. She has been published in several magazines and has a really informational and entertaining YouTube channel that I can not recommend enough. This designer has some serious knowledge and she is happy to share it with the crochet world. Amanda designed one of the most breathtaking crochet shawls I have ever seen. The Halloweb shawl is the perfect mash up of solid crochet and lace in a half-circle-shaped shawl, with the perfect spooky, spikey border to finish it off. This shawl is next up on my hook because I can’t go another Halloween without it on my shoulders. Amanda prefers lightweight yarns, which always beg to be worked up with that perfect fingering weight skein you could not turn down at the yarn shop. Another of Amanda’s very unique drool-worthy shawl patterns, the Ripple as You Go shawl looks so fun and versatile. I want to make this shawl in rainbow stripes, I want to make it in black and white, I want to make it in a tan to blue beach theme ombre and wear it on a cruise! I mentioned earlier that Amanda has a YouTube channel. If you are interested in learning about different fibers and how to use different types of yarn to their fullest benefit, you must join in on her next live stream. She goes live on Saturdays at noon eastern time and it is always a great time. Who doesn’t love a meet-the-maker opportunity? TheseSaturday live streams are a great way to pick the brain of this spooky genius and to gain valuable knowledge to help take your crochet projects to the next level. Be sure to head over to the Mandobug website and sign up for her newsletter so that you can stay up to date on all of the great things coming from this fabulous designer. Spoiler alert: there is a can’t miss Mystery Crochet Along coming out in September. Trust me, you want to be ready for this event which is sure to Lift Your Spirits!
2.) J. Hook Crochet
The next designer on the list is the lovely Reggie of J. Hook Crochet. I found Reggie through, you guessed it, YouTube. She is a well-known presence in the crochet community which has exploded on this video streaming platform. I absolutely love how Reggie has brought crocheters directly into the sock-making game. You can find several modern and stylish crochet sock patterns on her Etsy shop, which lists out her beautiful patterns. The Chester’s Mill socks are seriously fun, putting a new twist on an old favorite. For so long crocheters were left on the sidelines, jealously looking in on all of the beautiful knitted socks all over the fiber arts field. No more! Modern crochet means that crocheters can do anything that knitters can do (and oftentimes better, in my humble hooker’s opinion). In addition to the growing selection of sock patterns, Reggie has alsoproduced some seriously stunning shawl patterns. The recently released Asgard shawl is one of my favorites! It is huge. It is lacy meets solid. It is uniquely shaped. What more could you ask for? This is the perfect gift crochet pattern that will leave a huge impression on any recipient, even our muggle friends. And I could not mention Reggie’s patterns without trying to convince you to crochet the Rivendell shawl right now. This is one of the most clever constructions I have ever worked up on a shawl. It goes fast and really could be a one-hank-wonder because you can get a perfectly sized shawlette with just one 100g skein of fingering weight yarn. I used a skein of Trilogy Yarns fingering weight Razzle Dazzle base in the colorway Sea Urchins. My finished shawlette looked like a watercolor dragon tail, and it wraps so perfectlyaround my neck when I wear it as a scarf. The Rivendell Shawl is the perfect pattern for beginner crocheters who are ready to spread their wings a little bit and try something new.
3.) Zeens and Roger
If you have not noticed by now, I am a sucker for a good fibercast (podcast of the yarn arts world). I have fallen in love with most of my favorite designer by way of watching them on their YouTube channels. The same is true for Zeens and Roger. This free spirited create of modern crochet patterns is a master of the stripe! Zeens and Roger patterns often exhibit the most wonderful striping and color block aesthetic that allows bold colors to be easily worn by even professionals in an office environment. The general feeling that I get when browsing through her patterns is one of a free spirit, fearless woman who is not afraid to stray from the neutrals and beiges that have become so prevalent in patterns pinned to everyone’s Pinterest boards now days. Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice greige as much as the next girl, but sometimes I want a shawl that exhibits all of the primary colors in one piece. I think we all deserve the permission to be bold and unapologetic with our color scheme from time to time, am I right? Take a look at her Hotchpotch C2C bag and convince me that every adult doesn’t need one of these fantastically whimsical bags in their life. If you are craving a project with clean lined geometric shapes and bold, fabulous colors, you need to rush right over to the Zeens and Roger pattern library either on Ravelry or her website.
4.) Fiber & Fox
You guys! If you have not seen the Fandeco Tee by Fiber & Fox, you are going to love it. Bella is the crochet designer behind Fiber & Fox and she is a lover of fingering weight yarn in crohet garments. On behalf of modern crocheters everywhere, thank you Bella. It is quite a magical combination, fingering weight and crochet. I suppose it always has been, but for so long we thought that skinny yarns were for doilies and worsted weight is for everything else. At least, that is how it felt here in the states. The way she describes the Fandeco top is so funny; business in the front and party in the back. I quite loved it. The shirt includes nine small stitches for the majority of the construction, and then this most unexpected and exciting lace panel in top of the back, using a contrasting color of yarn. This pattern is one of my bucket list patterns that I see in my very near future. So many beautiful patterns, so little time. While you are there checking out the Fandeco, poke around a bit and find out for yourself what a “Graynbow” is. Simply put, a Graynbow is a rainbow… but better!
5.) Alt Knots
This last designer is one that is so unique, so unlike anything you will find anywhere else. Her name is Kayla and she has cornered the market on “spooky crochet”. Kayla’s channel on YouTube is all Halloween all the time. She creates some of the edgiest cardigans that you can find. The Ghoul squad (her followers) have amassed quite an impressive wishlist of themed cardigans that this eerie crochet designer is making her way through with all the excitement that these cult favorite themes deserve. The most recent cardigans that have been brought to life through the Alt Knots channel, which are usually released in a crochet along format, are the Nightmare Before Christmas Cardigan and the Hocus Pocus CAL (short for crochet along). Kayla’s designs are known for the gothic goodies that add that extra edge to her designs such as patches, spikes, and the most fabulous buttons Etsy has to offer. One of my favorite designs from the Alt Knots pattern line up is her Killstar Crochet sweater. This fun sweater actually incorporates drooped stitches to create the look of a ripped fabric. Another of my favorite patterns from Alt Knots is definitely the Moon Crossbody bag. This is a colorwork bag that is made with a simple construction and a graph that you can grab from her website, altknots.com making it a great first step into the world of colorwork crochet. The general vibe from Kayla’s patterns is super beginner friendly, super accessible, and super extra. She just wants create amazing alternative crochet patterns that she can work on in the yarn dungeon with all of her ghoul squad friends. Seriously, who doesn’t want to get in on that? This alternative crochet designer busted on the scene and quickly gained a cult following of crochet misfits looking for a place that we belong. With a high energy, everyone is welcome, super excited to be there personality her weekend live streams are a cauldron of fun. I always look forward to seeing what this beautiful mind comes up with next because it is so nice to see patterns that are different and not the same thing you see everywhere else. So, if you are looking for a killer new project, make Alt Knots your first stop.
https://www.altknots.com/.
Now you know them, and to know them is to love them!
Now, dear reader, it is your turn. Do you know a designer that we must check out? Whose patterns do you just love to get on your hook? I hope that you check these five ladies out and see what they have to offer. Their designs really bring crochet into the modern world, makingmaking this old art form into what we know, and love today.