Sashiko Happy Coat pattern launch

I am in New York, three days after the Excellence in Crochet event where the Design Competition awards were announced, and the graduates of the CGOA Masters program are recognised for their study of this craft. I am so thrilled that my designs won awards and this coat design won 2nd in the fashion category!!! SO happy!

It’s been a head-spinning week meeting people like Jenny King, Melissa Leapman, Robyn Chachula and Lily Chin. All the big names were there!! I didn’t ask for any autographs to play it cool…. but then I blubbered when I said hello to Robyn (doh! - over tiredness got the better of me).

I am excited to finally share my design: my SASHIKO HAPPY COAT - I released the pattern as an ad-free paid pdf download on Ravelry moments ago!!!

Scheepjes Our Tribe 968 Happy in Red is used double stranded for the coat fabric, and Alpaca Rhythm in 662 Paso and 669 Cha Cha for the Sashiko style embroidery. Okay - I realise my imagination has not run wild for the name here, but I also think it’s a coat that makes you happy when you wear it, so I am sticking with it!

When I dreamed up this design, I knew I wanted to make something that would suit a range of body shapes and make a really bold visual impression (I actually imagined a coat Audrey Hepburn might have worn out to the theatre), but when it got down to it, was an achievable make for an intermediate level hookster. It’s easier than you think. One of my testers has only made two other garments before, and she whipped through it like nobody’s business.

The Sashiko Happy coat is crocheted in 4 pieces which are individually wet-blocked, and then embellished with elaborate slip stitch crochet before being crocheted together. There is only like 6-10 cm of hand sewing hidden in the shoulders – the rest is all crochet! Virtually no-sew….

And the great thing is that it’s all basic stitches – the difficulty comes down to tension control and figuring out how to hold everything for the slip stitch embroidery technique. I have made a couple of videos to demo this. Once you have that down on a practice swatch or two – it’s all go! If you can make and embroider the swatch, you can make this coat. (Definitely wet block your swatches before you practice the embroidery – this is strong advice - the fabric transforms to become more open, and soft!)

THE DEETS:

My pattern is a 33-page document with many schematics, stitch charts and explanatory photos to help guide your project. It was quite an effort to write, test, edit and have tech-edited over a four-month period, and I am so glad its finally “out there”!!

PATTERN is available from my Peppergoose Designs Ravelry store – paid ad-free pdf downloadable in UK terms and US terms.

SIZES:

S, M, L, XL, XXL

To Fit Chest (cm)

81-86, 91.5-96.5, 101.5-106.5, 111.5-117, 122-127

To Fit Chest (in)

32-34, 36-38, 40-42, 44-46, 48-50

Pattern support is through tutorials on this blog and via my pattern support group Pepper-Gaggle.

YARN:

Scheepjes Our Tribe 70% Merino Superwash 30% Polyamide (100g/420m) x 10 (11: 12: 13: 14) balls in colour 968 (Happy In Red)(allowance includes 1 ball extra for 2 swatches and “just in case”)

Scheepjes Alpaca Rhythm 80% Alpaca 20% fine merino (25g/200m) in 2 colourways: 3 balls for main colour (all sizes), and 1 ball of secondary colour (all sizes)

Yarn is available from Scheepjes retailers worldwide, including these handy shops:

Wool Warehouse (in the UK)

Caro Atelier (in the Netherlands)

Black Sheep Wools (in the UK)

Jimmy Beans Wool (in the US)

Knotty House (in Canada)

& shopping at Yarns For All helps to support a small Australian business in my local city of Perth Western Australia (a good option if you live in New Zealand - they ship worldwide).

Happy stitching…..

Susannah (Peppergoose)

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