Growing up, I moved a lot. With each new place we would unpack the boxes, hang the quilts and paintings on the wall, and make the beds with lots of blankets and pillows. Textiles that my mom made and collected were a huge part of what made a new strange place a home. I love how handmade blankets, pillows and cozy sweaters can become heirlooms that help create a home wherever you roam.
The Berroco Home collection (single PDFs coming soon!) came from excitement to take our favorite Berroco yarns and create beautiful garments and fun pieces for our homes. It was a true collaboration with everyone from the Design Team. Each pattern is named from something that symbolizes home to one of us. It is a project I am so happy to be a part of!
Daisy Gertrude is one of my favorite pieces in the book. It is a beautiful crocheted throw designed by Amy Christoffers, named after her grandmother’s most beloved grammy. She was a strong woman, with one fabulous name!
Leighton is a beautiful cabled knee sock worked from the top down by Alison Green. Leighton is named in honor of Thomas Laighton, though we went with a slightly different spelling. Laighton was an important man in the Isles of Shoals, a group of small islands that includes Alison’s favorite vacation spot, Star Island. Today, the ferry boat that leaves from Portsmouth, NH to Star Island is named the M/V Thomas Laighton. It’s a boat that brings Alison and many others to their home away from home.
Sutton is a comfy crochet bolster pillow designed by Amy Christoffers. We named it after Ashley’s (our Social Media Director) sleepy hometown, Sutton, MA. Ashley has already started working on a Sutton of her own for our Berroco Home Crochet & Knit-Along! She’s using North Star for the main yarn and embellishing the ends with bobbles in a contrasting color of Kodiak.
Lo is a soft pink floral pillow that I designed! I it named after my mamma, Lorinda – a talented painter, who loves of florals and the color pink. Even our dining room is a soft shade of pink! When I was little, I loved hearing my Dad call my mom “Lo.” My parents (and all of our blankets and pillows) and friends are home to me.
Hopedale is a beautiful, striped blanket that reminds me of tulip fields! It is designed by Brenda York, our talented technical editor and designer. When I asked everyone what means home to them, I adored her answer:
“I have lived most of my life in Hopedale, MA. Home, to me, means the same old house I grew up in – it’s 102 years young! In a world that moves very fast and in which people move readily from one part of the country to another, I guess I’m the odd one. I still live surrounded by things that remind me of my grandparents (who lived with us) and my parents.”
There are so many beautiful patterns in this collection. I want to knit them all for my home and my friends’ homes.
Think these patterns would look good in your home? Join our Berroco Home CAL/KAL!
Happy Making!
Emily
So true that textiles make a home!
Hi Emily. I may we a bit off track here, but I have seen a baby blanket on Ravelry that I adore, and the link leads me to the Berroco Designs website. I have searched and can only find the pictures of the blanket – but no pattern, as Ravelry suggests. The pattern I am searching for is called the “DARLA BLANKET” by Brenda York.
Here’s the Ravelry page: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/darla-blanket
Please could you tell me where I can find this pattern? My contact email address is: heather at micanip dot com
Thank you so much!
heather 🙂
Darla is a beautiful blanket! It is a pattern featured in Comfort Knitting & Crochet: Babies and Toddlers You can find this book online or at your local yarn shop.
I hope this helps!