DW6 | Issue 18 by Design Wars Challenge

2014

It’s the most wonderful time to be involved in the Design Wars challenge; all our designs are out in the open, you get to vote for your favorites, and Red Heart Yarns has donated a huge prize pack for one of our fans! Red Heart Yarns has always been a wonderful supporter of our challenge, and this round is no exception! See page 24 for the prize pack, with a link to enter for a chance to win it! Looking for some great free patterns and crochet tutorials? I’ve done all the hard work for you! Check out page 30 for some fantastic new free crochet patterns and tutorials from our Design Wars alumni and my favorite crochet guru – Moogly! Our February CAL is not quite over yet, so be sure to submit your projects and enter to win 7 skeins of With Love! That’s not all; we’ll be hosting a Mystery CAL in March with a brand new pattern from Rohn Strong! See pages 28-29 for details! There’s a brand new crochet book on the market, and I’ve got a signed copy for one of you! Check out page 27 for the details on my interview with designer Stacey Trock!

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As you can see from the array of projects this round, Red Heart With Love turned out to be a perfect multi-purpose yarn for our designers! Drink in our final reveals, then be sure to vote for your favorite designs in each of our 5 categories (see page 23 for details)! These designs are not yet available for sale, but a store wide coupon and shop link for each pattern will be available in the next Design Wars newsletter. Enjoy! 3

There’s nothing like the comfy cozy feel of a favorite sweater...and even better...a sweater dress! The “Jewel Dress” features a sophisticated topdown seamless yoke construction with front-post double crochet details at the arms and waist. The body of the dress is a trendy v-stitch that is easy to repeat. Once you get going this pattern is rather simple to complete and the worsted weight yarn helps it stitch up quickly (and keeps you warm in the chilly winter months)! It is sized for women XS-XL and also features a keyhole closure on the back. The length of sleeves and skirt can swiftly be modified by adding or omitting rounds. The “Jewel Dress” looks great in the rich jewel tones available in Red Heart’s With Love line and the outfit is complete with your favorite pair of knee-high boots. Wear it with confidence, a sense of whimsy, and you’ll be ready to tackle cold weather with bold color and style!

With a blizzard out my window, and yarn and hook in hand, I found that I kept turning to thoughts of spring! The Butterfly Breeze Poncho was designed with visions of open fields, warm breezes and beautiful sunshine! It is light and airy, easy to wear over your clothing without adding a lot of bulk and has enough detail to really set it apart from anything else you may have in your wardrobe! I have written it in sizes toddler to adult, and used a pattern repeat that allows you to use a solid color for something more modern, or any number of colors in the rainbow for a fun, fresh look! I had a lot of fun designing this, and I hope you love it as much as I do!

I've recently discovered a love for the 1960's vintage style and knew that I wanted my design to reflect that! I've had this design concept in the back of my mind for over a year, but it wasn't until I fell in love with the 60's that the design came to fruition. Perfect for yearround wear and when paired with the right ensemble it can be either casual or dressy, but nonetheless trendy! The young lady in your life is going to look fabulous in her very own Vintage Houndstooth Jacket.

I'd like to introduce my Ultimate Hat & Mitts pattern! Lately my designing has been all about texture and Red Heart with Love is the perfect yarn for this project. It's so soft and comfy, and it shows off the stitches of this set amazingly well! Since there seems to be no end to the snow and cold here in Michigan this is the perfect timing for some warm and cozy mittens for those freezing fingers, and I couldn't resist designing a hat to match! The texture is fun to create and the project works up fast. These will make for a great last minute gift for all your friends and family too! Men, women, boys, & girls of all ages will love sporting this matching set, and I hope you love them as much as I loved designing them!

I've always wanted to create a little world for my daughter, where she could develop her amazing stories. To do it, I needed to make a larger project with a thicker yarn and bright colors. For this "With Love" from Red Heart is perfect, so my design for this round of Design Wars 6 is Adventure in the Woods Playground. I think it's great to promote the creativity and imagination of children. Also, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wonderful to share and play with friends. You can customize it as you prefer, adding and modifying elements. I really enjoyed designing it, and I hope your little ones enjoy so much playing!

A lot of what I design is targeted for children and their parents. When selling items I've made, I often receive messages from parents telling me just how much their children love the hats or stuffed toys they've received from me. My inspiration for this piece is much, much closer to home. A couple of Christmases ago my husband and I had some photos taken of our daughter, and this piece is inspired by those photos. I love the pink, aqua and yellow together, and I really love the bare feet! I've always loved miniature things, so the bowl and the cupcakes are the icing on the cake! I've designed lots and lots of animals, but this is the first doll I've designed. I feel as though I've partially stayed in my comfort zone with amigurumi but I have stepped one foot out and into uncharted territory for me. I'm so proud of this piece; I hope you love it as much as I do!

Millie is one of those Afghan designs that will be around forever. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an heirloom piece that never goes out of style and is easy to customize! The afghan is worked in a classic Mile-a-Minute fashion, center strips are completed in one color, while the main color wraps each center strip. The strips are then joined with a simple single crochet to complete this classic design. A pop of color is added by working one full section of the Afghan in bright neon colors for a modern and fresh feel. The great thing about Millie is that it can be customized to make ANY size afghan you want. From a newborn wrap all the way up to a king size bedspread. Simply lengthen each strip and connect more and more until it is the desired size! This technique can also be adapted for garments, scarves, pillow covers, potholders, washcloths, and more! You really are only limited by your imagination.

I designed a bag that can be used as a tote, market bag, or messenger bag! The design could be for men or women but in the purple and lilac colours of the sample it is more of a female version. The bag is written in one size only, and I designed it because bags are one of my favourite items! I use them lots; I make bags from my own patterns, and I sometimes get attached to the same item and make it a few times in different colours just because! I used purple, lilac and grey on this design and I think there are great colours that will renovate an autumn bag into the spring quite nicely!

The Prism Slouch & Cowl are fun, casual garments that can be worked up in any combination of colors. They were designed with a unique, geometrical texture; and are enjoyable projects for new and seasoned crocheters alike. My husband said the stitching reminded him of math symbols, so when I made my slouch in rainbow colors (not shown), I knew I had to name it "Prism". The patterns include instructions for toddler, child, and adult sizes; and provide ideas for adjusting your Prism Slouch & Cowl to your liking. I truly believe you will love creating these garments & you'll find that the hardest part about them is deciding what color yarns you should use!

Welcome to the scandalously luxurious world of Furls Crochet; this is crochet paradise. With the most exacting ergonomic specifications, design elements, and sustainable features, our hooks are the ultimate crocheting machine. Our hooks are guaranteed to even your stitches, relax your hands, and make the art of crochet easier, faster, and more enjoyable for you. If our hooks do not live up to this promise, send your hook back for a 100% money-back refund.

"A Positive Twist on Yarn" - We stand for: •Self-Expression •Bold Creativity •Paying it Forward. As a result, a percentage of all profits go toward carefully selected charities, such as Kiva.org, Womenforwomen.org and Heifer.org. So not only do you get delightfully exciting yarn, you are making a positive change in the world. Every small act makes a difference.

Mark your calendar! My interview with crochet designer and Craftsy instructor Stacey Trock begins on March 3rd, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be giving away a signed copy of her newest book; modern baby crochet!

Find Stacey online! 27

Get inspired, enter projects, find fun new projects, chat with other crochet lovers, and enter to win 7 skeins of Red Heart With Love in our February Crochet Along! This CAL will end on 28 February, so click on over to participate before itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s over!

Click here to

ENTER!

In need of some fun crochet to kick those winter blues? Get ready for a new mystery shawl crochetalong from Design Wars and Rohn Strong! There are 3 clues that will lead you on a wonderful and interesting adventure. Just grab your yarn, hook, and get to town! Follow the Design Wars fanpage to see how you can enter to win a free copy of this pattern! 29

March 12 >>>

 DW6 Poll Winners – find out which patterns were voted the best in each category!  Red Heart Prize Pack Winner – Enter on the blog, find out who won in the next issue!  DW6 Designs – Coupons & Pattern links!  Swanky Mini Challenge – More details to come… 32