If you love crocheted blankets with texture for days, colours that make your heart skip a beat, and a ton of personality, Sarah Brown of Little Duck Crochet has it sorted. Her blankets are the kind that grab your attention straight away and to say that I adore her designs is an understatement. I’ve been a fan of Sarah’s work for what feels like forever, so when I started making a list of people I’d love to chat to about their craft, Sarah’s name went straight to the top. Not only because she designs some of the most beautiful crochet blankets around, but because she’s built a style that’s instantly recognisable in a sea of lookalikes. One glimpse of those colours and textured stitches and you know exactly whose work you’re looking at – such a compliment to any crafter!
So, I’m delighted to share this conversation with the woman behind Little Duck Crochet with you, where we talk colour, creativity, blanket-making, crochet as anxiety relief, getting her daughter into the craft and knitting hats as a yarny palate cleanser.
So many of us makers can trace our interest in yarn crafts back to family members, often being taught the basics by grandparents or even at school (if you’re old enough)!
I’m interested to know what sparked your interest in crochet and how long did it take for you to get, forgive me, hooked?
I remember being taught crochet at a very young age by my mum. She always knit us cuddly teddies and crocheted many a blanket for my sister and I, and our dolls. As I got older, though, I seemed to forget about it and it fell by the wayside, as many things do. It wasn’t until I turned 30 that I picked a hook up again. I was in need of something to keep my hands busy. At that point, I was a single parent and though my partner and I were together, we worked hospitality and often opposite shifts with him working mainly nights, so there were a lot of nights where I was on my own. It gave me something to focus on in an evening.
I definitely didn’t expect to get quite as addicted to it as I have done, and certainly no regrets there. I have since taught my daughter, Aimee, to crochet a few years ago. She’s now got her own little ever growing yarn stash and has made herself a number of tops and accessories, her crochet even goes on the shortest of car journeys – to say I’m a proud crochet mama is an understatement!
What does your workspace look like and where do you do most of your crafting in general? Do you have a craft room where you work and store your yarn and craft goodies?
I really would love my own dedicated craft space but at the moment, we don’t have the space – there’s a plan for the future when the kids have grown to have an office/craft room so we can retreat there when we need some peace from the chaos of a very hectic house! At the moment, the majority of my crochet takes place in our lounge, normally with the dog trying to nick off with yarn. It’s one of my favourite spaces to be honest as it’s at the back of the house, quiet and cosy, just an overall calming space. As for storage… Well! My partner Rich is forever finding boxes of yarn stashed in various places! I do have a large cupboard on the landing where the majority of my stash is kept – close to hand to grab a ball or two.
You primarily focus on designing and making big, cosy blankets with a lot of emphasis on texture. I adore how you use stitches to create depth and make your work look so alive. What draws you specifically to large-scale, comforting projects instead of smaller pieces?
As daft as it may sound, I need something to hold my focus and attention. I often feel with smaller projects I lose interest quicker for some reason, or I’ll decide to start another small project because, you know, it won’t take long to do another small project! Before you know it, I have what feels like a million and one wips in the go, I get overwhelmed and abandon all of them. With a blanket, I find that I’m much more focused. Aside from when there’s an abundance of ends to weave in, of course! I know with bigger projects that I need to lock in, otherwise it’ll take me an absolute age to complete and I do find it therapeutic to have something to keep my hold of my attention.
I absolutely adore how stitches can be worked up to create so much texture. For me, the more texture the cosier. I love experimenting with different stitches, seeing what works well together, and blankets just showcase that texture so well. Plus the biggest upside? When it’s freezing cold and in the midst of winter, they keep you so unbelievably warm and cosy.
Talk us through your design process. Do you sketch out ideas and inspiration, do you just pick up your hook and yarn and go for it, or does it depend on what you’re making?
Once I get to the end of one project, I’ve already started thinking about the next wip, from potential colour palettes (though never too far from my trusted blush pink and mustard) to what stitches I might want to use. I’ve got a note book where I tend to scribble down rough ideas of potential designs. It’s also got pages upon pages of stitches – from the stitch and chain count, repeats for the stitch and a small hand drawn chart.
Once I’ve decided on the main stitch I want to use, I’ll sketch out a small chart and then figure out what stitches will best compliment the main stitch. Next come the swatches to see if the maths works out and how the stitches look together once they’re worked up. Sometimes, that’s when I find it’s back to the drawing board and I might completely switch up my plans. For my bobble stitch or colour work blankets, I use a website called StitchFiddle to plan out the designs. I love that I can see how the design would look for the end result – it certainly motivates me to keep going when I’ve decided a bobble stitch pattern with a lot of colour changes.
Following on from that, what’s your favorite part of the design process – the idea, the making, the photography, or seeing other people recreate it?
There’s so much of the process that I really enjoy. There are times where I plan a design and even though I’ve sketched or graphed a design, it’s hard to really see what it will look like until it starts to work up.
There’s also definitely something about getting tagged in photos of people who have recreated wips made from my patterns. Even now, I still find it completely baffling that people want to make the patterns I’ve designed – there’s most definitely a touch of imposter syndrome, because what do you mean someone form the other side of the world is making a blanket that I designed?
Do you ever make items specifically for yourself or do you focus 100% of your making time on designing patterns?
I do try and make myself something solely for me every now and then. Typically it’ll be an item of clothing (I’m currently winging a cardigan and praying to the crochet gods that I’ve not made it too big once it’s blocked) and I also make hats for myself. I am a little obsessed with making a couple of hats every year, because you can never have too many, right? Normally with blankets, those are designed solely for pattern designs. Though there are a few, specifically my Christmas designs, that I’ve made to for me.
Do you ever revisit old patterns and think, “I would design this completely differently now”?
Absolutely! There’s a few patterns that I want to look a tweaking and are in need of an upgrade, and that’s definitely part and parcel of becoming more experienced with the design process. It’s a constant learning curve and in my earlier patterns, I wasn’t too familiar with the whole gauging part of pattern design and there are some earlier patterns that this area has been neglected.
Many fiber artists talk about crochet being meditative or healing, and the beauty of the repetition or stitches of your work must be so calming to work up. Do you find crochet calming, even when you’re focusing on writing up a pattern?
Most definitely! I find the stitches rhythmic and soothing, and it’s very noticeable when there’s been a day when I might not have had time to squeeze even a couple of rows in. I particularly found it the escape I needed when my partner was very sick in hospital. I remember telling him I was stopping crochet while he was in there, there was so much going on and I felt that I couldn’t focus on that as well as how he was doing and trying to hold everything together at home with the kids and Covid.
The impact of not having my crochet as an escape was very noticeable quite quickly and my partner encouraged me to pick it back up, knowing I needed something to try and occupy my mind. The repetitiveness of the stitches and just keeping my hands busy helped me to deal with my thoughts, even through some of the darker days. I can find myself drifting away with my crochet, whether it’s processing the events of the day or thinking what the next project may bring. I can easily have crocheted several rows without realising it.
I do also find that with my day job, which can have quite heavy impact mentally, I need crochet to be able to let go of some of the calls I deal with. Though I do try not to being the day job home with me, it’s difficult at times and I need a release, otherwise, I do find that I dwell on things that are completely out of my control.
I do find that I encourage my daughter to crochet at the moment. We’re in the process of A-Levels and her heading off to university in September. She’s very similar to me, so I know that her having a couple of hours of craft can calm her mind and let her process her thoughts. Without it, I do feel there would have been a greater impact on my mental health over the last few years.
What were the earliest challenges of learning pattern design that people probably underestimate?
Oh, the maths! Why is there so much maths involved? It’s not my strong suit and Aimee and Rich quite often get asked the most simplest of sums, much to their amusement! There’s been numerous times where I’vs thought I’d completely nailed the maths and then, it’s all gone dreadfully wrong, and, also, just how time consuming pattern writing is. There was times where I felt so much pressure to get a pattern released, that I’d rush it and there’d be mistakes that people would then pick up afterwards. I’ve certainly learnt to take my time, read through and re-read before even hitting that “Publish Now” button.
Are there any crafts that you’re looking forward to trying out soon, and what does the future of Little Duck Crochet look like? Do you have anything interesting coming up?
I’ve dabbled in a few different crafts over the years, from weaving, punch needle and I do love a little bit of macrame. I’m planning on (hopefully) attempting a little bit of knit at some point this year, though it actually scares the life out of me! I’ve tried in the past to cast on and, well, let’s just say it did not work. Let’s see if I actually brave it and pick up some needles… You really do inspire me to have a go, so who knows! A couple of years, I was approached about publishing a book – that sadly wasn’t meant to be, but it did make me realise that I’m happy where I am currently. I’m enjoying my craft, enjoying being able to create at my own pace and be part of such a wonderful, supportive community without the pressure of external deadlines.
More more information on Sarah’s creations you can follow her over on her Instagram, visit her website and her Etsy store.
Thank you so much to Sarah for answering this week’s questions. Don’t forget to check out my other 10 Crafty Questions here.
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