Tag Archives: Crochet

my workspace

Well…it’s Been a While!

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Well… hello again!

It’s been a very long time since I last posted here. Looking back, I can’t quite believe just how long.

But although Manjri’s Place has been rather quiet, I certainly haven’t been idle!

There has been a lot of making, experimenting, learning and, as always, starting projects simply because I saw something and thought, “I wonder if I could make that?” 😊

In fact, quite a lot has happened.

Earlier this year, one of the biggest things happened when I finally took my love of making a step further and launched Studio Manjri — my little creative studio here in Malta.

Crochet is still very much at the heart of what I do, but over the years I’ve found myself exploring more and more: different techniques, different materials, original designs, commissions, jewellery, textiles and whatever else happens to catch my imagination.

And now another adventure is beginning.

I’ve started taking my interest in art much more seriously, and I’m beginning a new journey into Fine Arts and History of Art. That means there will probably be plenty of drawing, painting, experimenting — and undoubtedly quite a few disasters along the way! 😂

So I’ve decided it’s time to dust off Manjri’s Place too.

Over the next few posts, I’m going to share some of what I’ve been working on while I’ve been away, tell you a little more about how Studio Manjri came about, and document some of this new journey into art.

There will still be crochet. Definitely crochet. 🧶

But there may also be paint, pencils, fabric, thread, experiments, things that work, things that don’t… and probably the occasional project that gets completely out of hand.

In other words — pretty much what Manjri’s Place has always been about.

It’s good to be back. 🌸

Manjri

1970s Vintage-Style Crochet Waistcoat

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Hey all!

It’s festival season and my latest creation is a 1970s-inspired waistcoat. This style is very much in at the moment – and you can use whatever colours you like! 

The waistcoat has been made using cotton sport-weight yarn and a 4 mm hook. In all, the item is made using 24 unique individually made granny squares, each using 8 different colours.  

Hope you get inspired by this! Enjoy!

Beach / Sun Hat Crochet Pattern

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With summer now in full swing, I decided to design my own sun/beach hat. It’s made using cotton yarn, and the pattern incorporates holes to keep it light and allow for good air circulation.

I originally made this in one colour, and the pattern has been written accordingly – however, you can choose to use more than one colour. Yarn used is sport weight cotton yarn – I once again used Katia Menfis . You will need just a bit over one 100g ball, so I recommend you get two.

The pattern is available in my Ravelry store →

The hat will fit an adult. It is made in one piece, but has three distinct sections:

  • the top part, measuring approximately 6.5 inches,
  • a middle section measuring 3 inches in height and
  • the rim, which is 2.75 inches.

Plain Bucket Hat with Flowers Pattern

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Here is another pattern I’ve designed — this one is a plain bucket hat embellished with large flowers.

This beautiful bucket hat is made using one main colour in sport weight cotton yarn, and then embellished with flowers in three colours . The yarn I used is Katia Menfis cotton yarn. You will need just a bit over one 100g ball, so I recommend you get two. In addition, you will need four more colours for the flowers – one colour for the centre of each flower and three colours for the flowers.  I used three round mirror tiles in the centre of the flowers to give it a bit of sparkle.

The pattern is available in my Ravelry store.

The hat will fit an adult. It is made in one piece, but has three distinct sections:

  • the top part, measuring approximately 6.5 inches,
  • a middle section measuring 3.5 inches in height and
  • the rim, which is 1.5 inches.

Crochet Striped Bucket Hat

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As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been working on my own pattern for a bucket hat. This is my striped bucket hat, embellished with flowers.

The pattern is available in my Ravelry store.

This beautiful bucket hat is made using 2 colours in sport weight cotton yarn. The yarn I used is Katia Menfis cotton yarn. This comes in 100 g balls, and you will need 1 ball in each colour.

The hat will fit an adult. It is made in one piece, but has stylistically three distinct sections:

  • the top part, measuring approximately 6.5 inches
  • a middle section measuring 3.5 inches in height and
  • the rim, which is 1.5 inches.

For the flowers, you can choose to make these in any other complementary colours, or stick with the two main colours of the hat.

Here are a couple of colour variations which I have made. Also, as the flowers are crocheted separately, you can decide to leave them out.

Crochet “Crown” Bucket Hat

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If you’ve seen my previous posts, you’ll know that I’m really into bucket hats at the moment. Here is an experiment which I actually quite like — it reminds me of a crown. Basically, I made a few granny squares inspired by a granny square I have used a couple of times in the past (see Colourful Lined Baby blanket), and used these in the middle section of the hat. There is no pattern – again, it has been a bit of an experiment. I used single crochet for the rest. 

Hope you like it and it inspires you! Keep an eye out for the next post, where I will showcase a bucket hat in cotton. If you’d like to try making one yourself, I later designed a striped cotton bucket hat and published the pattern. You can see it in my Crochet Striped Bucket Hat post →

Crochet Bucket Hat

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Bucket hats are really cool — and here are some of the ones I’ve made. There is no pattern, and each has been a bit of an experiment. Basically, I just winged it! 😊

Essentially, there are three sections to the hat. The hat is made as one piece, so these sections aren’t crocheted separately and sewn together:

  • the crown,
  • the middle,
  • and the rim.

I used single crochet as the stitch of choice for the whole hat. I worked the crown in a circle, until it was around 6.5 inches in diameter.  For the middle part, I kept going until it was a band which reached the top of my ear. And then finally, I made the rim – approximately 2.5 inches, but it’s really up to you. As the rim is flared, it was also quite an experiment – and I undid and redid this part several times.

Below are some of the hats I made. Big thanks to Jamie for helping model one of them. These hats were made with acrylic yarn using a 4 mm crochet hook.

Enjoy the “Hatstravaganza!”

Jamie
Safari hat
Inspired by the Panama hat
My first bucket hat

Crochet Flower Sun Hat – Free Pattern

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Hey all!

Finally it seems like summer has made her appearance! The temperature here in Malta is in the high 20s (Celsius), there is a nice cool breeze, skies are blue and days are getting longer. No more COVID restrictions – life is good and it’s definitely the best time of the year!

In warmer weather, I normally switch to using cotton yarns for my projects – that way, I can continue crocheting all year round 🙂

I have long wanted to make a granny square sun hat – and finally, I got round to it and have made a few. I used the Flower Sun Hat pattern by Natalie Beard for Hobbycraft, which is available free online:
Flower Sun Hat – Free Pattern →

For my hats, I used Katia Menfis yarn and a 3 mm hook.

So, without further ado, here are the hats I have made so far. A great big thanks goes out to Ylenia and Alex for being such good sports and modelling them along with me!

This is just the beginning – I’ve got lots more bucket hats which I have been working on – so keep an eye out for more posts in the coming days.

And, don’t forget to use sunscreen and stay hydrated!

Moi 🙂
Alex
Moi 🙂
Ylenia

Commission Lapghan

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Recently, I completed a lapghan on commission for a lovely elderly lady. I did not follow any pattern, but made it up as I went along. I used a variegated yarn and 4.5 mm hook. Here is the end result.

I am particularly pleased with how the edging came out. I used a surface crochet technique to create the beige edging. Here is a close-up:

Hope it inspires you!

An uber-soft baby blanket

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I came across this super-soft, thick yarn from the Katia Bambi range and fell in love with the colours as well as the texture. It’s so luxurious and velvety — and ideal for a baby blanket.

So, I decided to make a modern granny-square version. Not being a fan of the traditional pink or blue, I opted for a more neutral combination of lilac and yellow.

While the yarn is gorgeous, it isn’t very forgiving if you need to do any rework — so avoid making mistakes! 😊

Hope it inspires you!