Damson jam crochet wristwarmers (free pattern)

My resolve to blog between Autumn and Christmas was impossible to fulfil sadly. Commissions, poorly daughters (seven weeks' worth of poorly!), writing for the wonderful Standard Issue Magazine and the Big Comic Relief Project meant it was perpetually shunted to the bottom of the priority list. Evening would come and we were mopping brows or staring exhaustedly into the middle distance.

I can't reveal the full story about the Comic Relief plan. It's hugely exciting and I can tell all on the 9th January but essentially I have been working with a truly fantastic and kind group of people to make a craft magazine filled with tutorials and patterns from hugely talented designers and bloggers. I'm bursting with the details but I have to keep a crafty lid on it for secret squirrel-ish reasons. If you're on Facebook it's here. Above is a picture of Ron and Audrey the felt guinea pigs, the patterns for whom will be in the magazine. You may be able to guess who designed them.

I wrote about an alternative handmade Christmas in Standard Issue several weeks ago along with a tale of a pair of wristwarmers I'd crocheted using Mrs Moon 'Plump' yarn. I made up the pattern (I'm fairly gobsmacked about this development). It's only the second crochet pattern I've written -more about the first very soon- and I promised readers I'd send it to them. Failure number 2. I'd half written it and then another cough reared its head, requiring Florence Nightingale action. The pattern was a shameful UFO until today. 

I discovered Mrs Moon Plump at Yarndale. Yes, I visited Yarndale as part of a craft retreat weekend organised by The Coffee Lady, and accompanied by Monica, Tess and Ali. We met Lucy. I have blogged none of this. For shame. 

Each skein in this yarn range* is like a jewel-like, baby rabbit-soft long sausage of woolly joy. It's chunky. I love chunky yarn-crocheted things grow so quickly that it makes me feel yarnily accomplished (far from true). The wristwarmers are crocheted in 'damson jam' -  a perfect name for such a rich, delicious colour. They also make me think of damson gin. Ahem. 

The pattern is below. It's an apology and a thankyou to those who still read my blog. Massive thanks to Monica who has helped me to translate my hooky doings into readable patterns recently, with her astonishing knowledge, skill and patience.

Hello and Happy New Year! 

Thankyou for clicking over here despite my erratic and infrequent posts. x

Damson gin crocheted wristwarmers

You will need:

1 skein of Mrs Moon 'Plump' yarn in damson jam.

10 mm crochet hook

Yarn needle

With 10mm hook: 16 foundation ch, join to work in the round making sure you don’t twist the chain. 

Row 1 1ch (count as a dc), *tr in 1st st, dc in next st* repeat to the end, sl st to top of initial chain to join

Row 2 2 ch (count as a tr) *dc in 1^st st, tr in next st*, repeat to the end, sl st to top of 2 chain to join

Rows 3-10 Repeat rows 1 and 2 (8 more times)

Row 11, 1ch, 2tr in first stitch, continue with pattern (alternating tr and dc) for 3st, 2 tr in the next st, continue with pattern for 3st, 2tr in the next st, continue with pattern for 3st, 2tr in the next st, continue with pattern for 3st,  sl st to top of chain to join – 20sts (4st increased)

Row 12 2ch, beginning with a dc work in pattern (alternating dc and tr) to end, sl st to top of 2 chain to join

Row 13 1ch , beginning with a tr work in pattern (alternating dc and tr) to end, sl st to top of chain to join

Row 14 2ch, work in pattern for 3st, 2ch, skip 6sts, tr st on 10^th st, continue to work in pattern to end, join with sl st to top of 2 chain to join. (16 working sts)

Row 15 1ch, beginning with a dc work in pattern (alternating dc and tr) to end, sl st to top of chain to join (treat the 4ch that have created the thumb hole as regular st to work into)

Row 16 2ch, beginning with a tr work in pattern (alternating dc and tr) to end, sl st to top of 2 chain to join

Row 17 Repeat row 15, sl st to top of  chain to join 

Weave in ends

Revel in the floofy hand joy.

*This is not a sponsored post, I haven't even received any free yarn, I'm simply very excited about Plump as it's truly gorgeous.