I’ve been working on a secret project for the past year that I can finally share with you; it’s an e-book! Last year, when I had no idea where time would take me, I knew I wanted to work on a book-like project and I wanted to do it myself. The Malabrigo Freelance Pattern Project was the perfect opportunity: malabrigo donates the yarn, the designer makes the e-book. It’s already a favorite yarn of mine–it’s soft, with wonderful colors, and a good value because of the generous yardage. I got the green light on the project and got to work.

Luckily I finished all of the designing before I accepted my job at Craftsy, and was able to turn around the tech editing process (with KJ Hay) before I moved. I hired Caro Sheridan as my photographer–and she did a wonderful job showcasing the details in the fabric. Since I was making steady money and had a lot less time, I decided to hire a graphic designer (Heather Crank, who I work with at Craftsy) to put it all together. And now I present you with Sugar and Spice: Six Bakery-Inspired Crochet Fashions! All of the projects are named after desserts, and most of them feature post stitches, bobbles, or other crochet texture. Piped Petals Cardigan is shown on the cover, it’s a top down cardigan that builds post-stitch petals into the yoke along with the increases. It’s actually quite simple to make but with stunning results. I made it to fit me and I wear it all the time: yay, bonus of doing an E-book!

Tart Shrug is a motif-based shrug sized between 31.5 and 56.5″ at the bust (6 sizes) featuring Malabrigo Twist (bulky). The motifs are joined as-you-go and the ribbing is worked into the finished piece so there is very minimal seaming. All of the buttons used in the book were generously donated by JHB Buttons. I love buttons!

Pizzelle Beret is a richly textured hat worked in Malabrigo Lace (one of my absolute favorite yarns for crochet). Since it’s worked in the round from the top down, the right side is always facing you, and it’s somewhat intuitive where the post stitches go, once you get going. Check out the larger photo on my flickr page to really see the details. It creates a wonderfully light and soft fabric, perfect especially for those who don’t live in super cold climates.

Sugar Sparkles Shawlette is another favorite– I was thinking of Thanksgiving pie crusts when I designed it. The  main body is worked from side to side in lovely sock yarn, then the beaded border begins. A total of 675 beads are used in the textured lace border, which give the shawl a nice weight for wrapping as well as a subtle glisten. I’ve designed it in such a way that you can thread the precise amount of beads you need for each row as you go, resulting in a few yarn breaks but a lot less sliding of beads when you are working non-beaded rows. It also worked out perfectly that the beads show where to work the set-up row of post stitches, which was a happy discovery for me. I love to wrap this crescent shaped shawl around and around so I can show off the delicate border.

Cherry Cobbler Beanie is the second hat in the collection, and it’s sized for the whole family (14″, 16″, 18″ and 20″–and they stretch to fit heads about 2″ bigger than that). This one is also worked in sock yarn, from the bottom up, and all of the cables are worked with the right sides facing you. They converge at the top to form radiating lines, and then the ribbing is worked along the bottom edge.

The sixth and final pattern is the Cocoa Wafer Cowl, a textured rectangle with three buttons to add texture and interest. This one has a simple four row repeat and can be pretty mindless once you get going. I actually want to try it using 2 colors to see what that does to the pattern–I’ll be sure to share if and when I do.

The collection is available on Ravelry or Craftsy for $18. If you aren’t a member of either, you can also buy it now through this ravelry link. Happy Hooking!