Filet Crochet to Wear

Having been a craft dabbler my whole life, I finally turned fully to crochet in my early thirties. I tried knitting but I made too many mistakes and found it impossible to fix them. I dipped my toes in the cross-stitch pool, but those teeny tiny details weren't for me. I even tried the most aggressive of the yarn crafts, needle felting, but I just couldn't get those facial features right! I settled on crochet when I managed to make my first ever blanket (a corner-to-corner chunky make that has since been donated to the dogs) and by the spring of 2020 I was a competent beginner. When lockdown began and my dog grooming business was shut down for a while, I embraced the hook as a way to keep my hands busy.As much as I enjoy making quick projects, I really love the meditative process of working away on something big and repetitive while watching the television or listening to a podcast in the garden. As soon as I started on my first filet project, I knew it was perfect for me. It needed just enough of my attention that I didn't quickly become bored with it, but not so much attention that I couldn't focus on my box set. I didn't even mind being on sleeve island!It started with the Time After Time and Festive Firs sweaters. Creating cute little icons within crochet was a revelation to me, and they're still two of my all-time favourite makes. I then began experimenting with texture, combining twisted and touchable stitches with filet in repeating, geometric patterns.Fast forward a couple of years and a lot of patterns, and here we are enjoying filet crochet together. I hope you find plenty to keep you busy within these pages and that these patterns bring you as much joy as they do me.

Lauren Willis is a crochet designer and technical editor specialising in garment design. She is committed to creating size inclusive patterns for all and is a filet crochet addict. Find her on Instagram where she posts as @manatee_squares.