Crochet Life

It's the penultimate section of the Odds Are Shawl crochet along here on Moogly! We've explored crossed stitches, and wrapped stitches, and now we'll go texture crazy in Part 3! Relax and enjoy this free CAL over the month of January 2025! Disclaimer: Materials provided by Yarnspirations; this post includes affiliate links How the Odds […]

The post Odds Are Shawl: Part Three appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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The Rustic Diamond Hat is a simple and versatile crochet beanie pattern that features a simple repeating diamond cluster stitch design! Make it your new favorite hat with this cozy free pattern on Moogly! This pattern was originally published in November 2020 and has been repolished and reposted in January 2025. Disclaimer: This post includes […]

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The Starter Guide to Tunisian Crochet: Expand Your Crafting Skills with 16 Must-Make Projects by Mary Beth Temple is full of gorgeous designs and thorough crochet instructions! Take a peek inside below, and then enter to win your own copy, right here on Moogly! Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book for review; […]

The post Starter Guide to Tunisian Crochet: Book Giveaway appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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Welcome to Part Two of the Odds Are Shawl crochet along here on Moogly! This comforting one-skein wrap features a mix of stitches, and is being shared here on Moogly as a free CAL over the month of January 2025! Disclaimer: Materials provided by Yarnspirations; this post includes affiliate links How the Odds Are Shawl […]

The post Odds Are Shawl: Part Two appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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The Mimosa Crochet Cowl Tutorial will show you how to make your own delicious neck warmer - in both right and left-handed video tutorials! A simple stitch combo gives it texture, and Caron Simply Me adds the gorgeous color and stitch definition. Be sure to follow along with the free written crochet pattern on Moogly! […]

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MooglyCAL2025 Block 1 is an undulating, mesmerizing, chevron-inspired design by Jessie At Home! The High Tide Square pattern is interesting, just a little challenging, and sure to impress. Get all the details for this free crochet along and the free pattern link below! Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links; materials provided by Yarnspirations. Just getting […]

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Happy New Year! I hope your year is off to an amazing start and that you got all the yarn, hooks, and treats you hoped for over the holidays. Here at Moogly, we may have taken a day or two off, but we're off to a fast start, with 3 different crochet alongs - and […]

The post Crochet and Catch Up with Moogly - January 8, 2025 appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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The Muppets Official Crochet Amigurumi by Drew Hill is the first officially licensed crochet book featuring the Muppets! Featuring more than a dozen of the most cherished characters, these patterns just make you smile! Take a peek inside below, and then enter to win your own copy, right here on Moogly! Disclaimer: I was given […]

The post The Muppets Official Crochet Amigurumi: Book Giveaway appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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It's time to begin the Odds Are Shawl crochet along here on Moogly! This stunning one-skein wrap is worked in rows with a mixture of textured stitches, and is being shared here on Moogly as a free CAL over the month of January 2025! Disclaimer: Materials provided by Yarnspirations; this post includes affiliate links How […]

The post Odds Are Shawl: Part One appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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The Mimosa Crochet Cowl is soft, warm, bright, happy, and a free crochet pattern on Moogly! Treat yourself to something cozy this winter, in your favorite colors! Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links; materials provided by Yarnspirations. Part of the 2025 Gift to Myself Crochet Along with Underground Crafter! It's time to treat yourself! And […]

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The Odds Are Shawl is a soft, luxurious, one-skein crochet pattern! Worked in rows with a mixture of textured stitches, it's a joy to stitch and the perfect gentle start to the year. This pattern is being shared here on Moogly as a free crochet along over the month of January 2025! Disclaimer: Materials provided […]

The post Odds Are Shawl: Moogly January 2025 Crochet Along appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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Writing my Year in Review post every year helps me to see what I’ve accomplished, think about what I’ve learnt, and decide what I’d like to do differently in the following year.

This is my 16th Year in Review blog post – one for every year of my full-time self-employment. Back then, I couldn’t have imagined what my life would look like today, but here I am, still loving the process of designing nature-inspired crochet patterns – and still in no danger of running out of ideas!

Although I only published 9 new patterns plus one re-release in 2024, almost all of them included multiple designs, so they represent a total of a respectable 21 new designs:

I’m adding a new section to these annual review posts: my top 10 best-selling patterns of the year! It’ll be interesting to see how the bestseller list changes from year to year…

2024’s Top 10 PlanetJune patterns:

1. Temperature Snake
2. Bearded Dragon
3. Polyhedral Balls & Gaming Dice
4. Tortoise & Simple-Shell Tortoise, Turtle & Terrapin
5. Baby Sea Turtle Applique & Hatchlings
6. Turtle Beach Blanket (Teal Ombre version)
7. Beaver
8. AmiCats Tuxedo
9. Emperor Penguin
10. Baby Sea Turtle Collection

Business Report

2024 has been filled with behind-the-scenes projects to improve PlanetJune and make it run more smoothly:

• Shop upgrade: I relaunched my shop with a complete upgrade and improvements to the photos.
• CAL automation: I automated the submission process for both the Team PlanetJune Ravellenic Games gallery and the Reindeer Games gallery, which removes my huge time commitment from running both of those CALs, making them much more sustainable (and fun for me!) going forward.
• Etsy app: I built a private app to semi-automate processing of my Etsy orders and customer service. (I keep my Etsy shop mainly for visibility, as many people only look for patterns there. I was spending more and more time answering messages, as Etsy prioritises their own messaging over the info customers actually need. My app helps me to send detailed customized messages to my Etsy customers in a timely fashion so they know what to expect, with a much reduced daily workload on my part.)

While each of those projects was a huge challenge that required weeks of my time (and far more than that for the new shop!), I’m already enjoying the results, and they should all continue to buy my time back for years to come.

And now I have a new business report to add here: my second business, the Turtle Beach Press publishing imprint! The first year of selling my masterpiece book, The Essential Guide to Amigurumi, has gone really well.

Even though I haven’t had the capacity to do any kind of marketing for it, word is spreading organically – thank you so much if you’re recommending it to new crocheters and amigurumi fans – and the reception has been fantastic! There are lots of amigurumi pattern books out there, but only EGA gives you all my tips and techniques to make the best amigurumi – from any pattern. And I’m especially happy that the left-handed edition is proving to be a treasure trove of dedicated help for new lefty crocheters. It’s so gratifying to see how much people are enjoying it! ❤️

Personal Report

2024 was a year of bucket list experiences right on my doorstep: an hour’s drive took us into the path of a spectacular total solar eclipse (and, more by luck than talent, I also managed to capture a beautiful photo!) and I finally saw my first (and second, and third…) aurora borealis. Amazing!

I made friends with a baby cow at a local cheese farm, and I finally achieved a long-term dream of having a pair of doves nest in my front porch. I’ll share the full story later, but my doves and their babies were a constant source of joy for me this year.

My health is an ongoing challenge: I’ve been dealing with chronic fatigue for many years now, and my energy is much more limited than my time. I also had my first run-in with COVID this summer, which has left me with some ongoing side-effects.

But we all have to play the hand we’re dealt, and I’m focusing on creating a simpler, happier life, and not beating myself up for the things I don’t have the energy to do. I’m learning that creative hobbies, enjoying nature and resting are all vital for giving me the capacity to do my best work while enjoying my life in the process.

In that spirit, I’ve been trying new things as well as enjoying my long-time favourite crafts and hobbies: crochet, gardening, baking, latch hooking, beading, dehydrating, machine knitting, candle making, yoga, diamond painting, birdwatching, reading, mushroom growing…

Top achievements for 2024 include growing 30kg (66lbs!) of vegetables (and fruits) in my garden, and making reading a priority – I surpassed my goal of reading 52 books in 2024, and feel so much better for making time to rest and read.

Looking Back

Going through this process is so valuable – I always feel like I haven’t accomplished much, but looking through all my photos and taking time to think about everything that has happened over the year puts that in perspective.

Last year, I wished for a simpler, more serene life: for making time for what really matters, and for leaving behind the things that don’t. And looking back through the year, I think I’ve mostly achieved that, and my first year of trying to respect my limits has gone pretty well.

There’s still a voice in the back of my head saying ‘Don’t waste time! Be more productive!’ but the most important parts of the PlanetJune magic – creativity and clear communication – are next-to impossible unless I have the energy to think clearly. I won’t compromise on my standards, and only I can do the work of bringing my ideas into the world, so the only option is patience for the process and accepting that everything I do will take a lot longer than I’d like.

Looking Forward

I feel like I’m on the right track with my goal of a simpler, more serene life. To bring my most creative self to my work, I need to prioritize looking after June the person first. Fewer hours of work and more time to refuel will not only help me manage my health but also make life more enjoyable.

I’ve realised that I’m much happier avoiding the noise of today’s social media (although I’ll always reply if you @ me!) Instead, I’m cultivating a quieter online community in the PJ Discord, that’s more like the old days of forums and early social media, where we can share thoughts and pics from our daily lives and build genuine connections and friendships. (You’re very welcome to join us there if that sounds good to you!)

I’m inching my way back into blogging, re-learning to share what interests me and trusting that there’s something there that you’ll also find interesting. I get deeply fascinated by the things I enjoy, whether that’s a new craft, the wonderful natural world all around us, learning how to grow delicious food, or developing new crochet designs and techniques. All those interests feed back into my crochet and give me the inspiration to create new work.

I’d also love to share some behind-the-scenes posts about the process of writing and independently publishing books, and compare that with traditional publishing. Going through the entire process has opened my eyes to what it takes to create beautiful, high-quality books, and I’d love to explore that with you.

Nerding out on what fascinates me in long blog posts doesn’t really mesh with the current fast, short-form, video-based trending content, and I think that’s okay! I don’t have the energy to create things that drain me, and writing slow, considered pieces is what I do best, so I’m going to lean into that.

In the end I’d much prefer to create a few richly detailed patterns, tutorials and blog posts in a year than hundreds of pieces of lightweight fluff. There’s a lot of noise and busy-ness out there – especially now with the rise of trashy AI-generated content, and constant ads – and not a lot that’s real. I don’t want to contribute to that noise; while I do need to earn a living, money isn’t my driving force. I’m looking for a simple, quiet, and valuable life, and that’s what I’m feeling my way into.

2025 Wishes

Re-reading what I’ve just written, I think the words that sum up my wishes for 2025 are calm, wholesome and honest. Wholesome isn’t a word I’ve related to in the past – my younger self would have equated it with being boring – but now I think it encompasses much of what I’m looking for: a healthy, positive and good-hearted life, both in my pastimes and outlook. I think the world could use more of that!

I wish the same for you too, no matter what your goals for the coming year may be, and I hope 2025 brings you health, happiness and fulfillment. Happy New Year!

The post 2024: year in review appeared first on PlanetJune by June Gilbank: Blog.

We made it through another year, and it's time at last to finish up MooglyCAL2024 and get ready for MooglyCAL2025! We had an amazing year full of gorgeous, wildly varied squares, fantastic designs, and wonderful crocheters all supporting each other. Now, it's time to show off what we made in 2024, and plan MooglyCAL2025! In […]

The post Beginning MooglyCAL2025, and Wrapping Up MooglyCAL2024 appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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Caron Simply Me combines the beauty of wool, the strength of nylon, and the easy care of acrylic yarn! This new bulky-weight yarn is perfect for everything from home decor to sweaters and accessories! Read more below, and then enter to win 4 skeins of Caron Simply Me on Moogly! Disclaimer: This post was sponsored […]

The post Caron Simply Me Giveaway appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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The Grapey Goodness Wine Bag is a gorgeous one-skein luxury bottle cozy that will take any gift to the next level! Featuring Red Heart Unforgettable, it's perfect for last-minute occasions! This pattern was originally published in I Like Crochet Magazine in 2014, and as one of my holiday gifts to you, I'm now sharing it […]

The post Grapey Goodness Wine Bag appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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The Autumn Blooms Kitchen Towel and Dishcloth Set is a pretty pattern pair that will perk up your kitchen no matter the season. Pick your favorite colors to create your ideal set, or make a bunch to have ready as hostess and holiday gifts!  This crochet pattern set was originally published in I Like Crochet […]

The post Autumn Blooms Kitchen Towel and Dishcloth Set appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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When you want to crochet something cute and fast (and I do mean fast!), turn to the free Red Heart Crochet Sock and Clog Charms pattern! Not just for your feet, these adorable appliques are fun to add to any project or gift! Watch and learn how to make your own flower, bow, and heart […]

The post Crochet Sock and Clog Charms: Free Patterns and Tutorial appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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Latch hooking is one of those crafts that’s always intrigued me. I always walk past the colourful kits in craft stores, as the large kits are pricey, and the smaller kit designs are more child-focused – think cute puppies and cartoon flowers – and I want a design I’ll like if I’m going to invest my time in making something!

I thought latch hooking would be a good addition to try for my Relaxing Crafts series, so I hunted around and finally found a kit with a beautiful design that spoke to me: plumeria flowers on a rocky beach.

What is Latch Hooking?

Latch hooking is a little like cross stitch – you have a pattern made of coloured squares, and a canvas you work stitches into. But instead of making a stitch for each square, you have a short length of yarn that you tie onto the canvas with a latch hook. I’ve used latch hooks before for machine knitting, and of course working with a hook is second nature to me from crochet!

In a kit, the yarn is bundled into pre-cut strands of each colour, so you don’t need to cut endless little pieces of yarn:

The advice, as with cross stitch, is to start from the middle of the design, in the centre of the canvas, and work out from there.

That’s a good way to make sure the design is centred on your fabric, but I ended up regretting that decision (more on that later…)

How to Latch Hook

The instructions I found online all said to latch each strand of yarn in a one-step motion: wrap the centre of a yarn strand around the hook below the latch, insert the hook under a bar in the canvas, wrap both ends of the strand into the latch, and pull through:

I found it fiddly having to use my non-dominant hand (that’s my right hand, as I’m left-handed) to do all that wrapping. Instead, I treated the latch hook more like a crochet hook, and did a two-step process:

Step 1: Insert the hook under a bar in the canvas, grab the centre of the yarn strand with the hook (below left), and pull the hook back through. Push the hook forward until the yarn sits behind the open latch on the hook (below, right).

Step 2: Grab both yarn ends with the hook, and pull it back through the loop on the hook – the latch will close around the yarn ends as you pull the hook back (below, left), which makes it very easy.

As you can see by comparing the result (above, right) with the photo from the one-step process, with the two-step process the yarn is latched on in the opposite direction (i.e. ‘upside-down’), but that doesn’t matter at all – there isn’t a right or wrong way to attach the strands of yarn, provided you attach them all in the same way. So that’s my top tip for crocheters: use your latch hook like a crochet hook and grab the yarn with the hook instead of manipulating the yarn around and into the hook with your other hand!

Whichever method you use, the end result is a beautiful, plush fabric like a rug.

My Review

The hook that came with my kit was a bit thin and not very comfortable to use, so I invested in a more ergonomic Boye latch hook that has a soft comfort grip that fits my hand well, and an offset head that keeps your hand further from your work. Buying a better hook was well worth it – you’ll be spending hours and hours hooking even a small project, so there’s no point in suffering!

L: cheap hook, R: ergonomic hook

I found the process of latch hooking to be relaxing, but working the right-hand side of my canvas was a bit frustrating, as the yarn I’d already hooked into place kept getting in my way. As I’m left-handed, I found it much faster to hook from right to left, which meant I only had blank canvas beneath my hand. As I started in the middle, the half of the canvas I worked from left to right (away from the middle) was much more of a slog than the half I worked in the more natural (to me) direction.

It’s much easier to work from the side where your hook isn’t blocked by the stitches you’ve already made!

In future, if I make another latch hook project I think I’d mark the centre stitch, and then count my pattern carefully up and across from the centre to the top right corner and start from there. That way, I could work left and down across the canvas to the bottom left corner, and always have blank canvas beneath my hand as I work, so the previously worked stitches wouldn’t get in the way of my hook.

Right-handers: if you want to try this method you’d start at the top left corner and work right and down to the bottom right corner! 

To speed up the process of selecting yarn strands, I ended up counting and pulling all the strands I’d need for a small area (10-20 stitches) at once, lay them all down on the project, and then I could easily grab the next one from the pile without having to pull them individually from the plastic wrappers for each stitch. This definitely helped me feel like I was making faster progress.

Once I realised how much easier the left side was for me, I forced myself to finish the entire right side before I was allowed to start on the left side, and I’m glad I did! As I suspected, it was much faster when I got to the left side, and the project became much more enjoyable. I zoomed through hooking the left side, and finally had a completed project:

Isn’t it pretty?

Relaxing Craft Verdict

Latch hooking definitely qualifies as a relaxing craft! Once you’ve mastered the technique, it’s just counting the pattern squares and hooking each strand into place – lovely and restful. And if you can find a design you like (there are some tempting latch hook kit designs on amazon!), it’s a nice way to pass the time and keep your hands occupied without having to think too hard about what you’re doing.

Comparing latch hooking with other crafts where you also follow a gridded pattern, I think I prefer diamond painting and cross stitch – with either of those crafts, once you’ve prepared one colour of diamond or threaded one length of floss, you can make dozens of squares of that colour without stopping. With latch hooking, you need to stop and pick up a new piece of yarn for every square, so I found it to be a slower process. But I get bored with any of these crafts after a while, and when that happens I like to mix it up by switching to a different relaxing craft!

I really like my finished project (although I’m tempted to pull out the flower centres and rework them in the dark brown instead of the grey) but… what do you do with a latch hooked piece? I feel that the yarn may be too soft to use it as a functional rug, but I’d like to be able to do something with this piece though (for reference, it’s about 20×12″/50x30cm). If you have any ideas, please let me know!

Have you ever tried latch hooking? Or are you tempted to try it now? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

The post Relaxing Crafts: Latch Hooking appeared first on PlanetJune by June Gilbank: Blog.