Millie is a staple in your fall wardrobe this year! She’s perfect for layering on the cool mornings and nights. This top down raglan is intermediate or adventurous beginner friendly! She’s written in two lengths - cropped and full/hip length. So here she is: Millie is a bookworm and you can almost always find her with her nose tucked in a murder mystery. She will go to any length to carve out time in her day for reading! My testers have showcased how this pattern works on different bodies, with different fibres & colours, and in the two different lengths! Check out their versions and exact ..read more

Hello & welcome back to the blog! Today is part 2 of the pattern testing series, but this time we’re chatting pattern testing from a designer’s perspective. I’m covering the dos and don’ts, how to run a test from start to finish, and diving deep into the hot topic of whether we should be financially compensating pattern testers for their work! Testing vs tech editing Tech editing is when a professional tech editor looks over your pattern for errors. Tech editors thoroughly check math, grammar and inconsistencies in formatting which is very valuable if you are prone to typos like me or feel ..read more

In today’s blog post we are going to be talking pattern testing! First, we will do a brief overview of what pattern testing is & why it is important. Then, we will get into the nitty gritty of being a pattern tester – from how to become one in the first place, to being the best rockstar pattern tester that every designer is going to want to work with! Much of the focus of this post will be around garments and wearable items, but all the non-sizing specific rules apply to all tests whether you’re making a crocheted sweater or an amigurumi! There is also a corresponding YouTube video with to ..read more

Maria, Maria! The dress I’ve wanted forever but didn’t know until I made her! After making the Piper Pocket Dress last summer I knew I wanted to create another dress with pockets but sleeveless and in a heavier weight yarn so it works up faster. My testers have showcased how this pattern works on different bodies, with different fibres and some variety in skirt length! Check out their different versions and exactly what yarn & how much they used, as well a couple testers chose not to do the elastic waistband so you can see how it looks with and without the elastic (it is noted if they did ..read more

**NOTE: This blog post contains affiliate links. At no extra charge to you, a small commission will be given to my small business when you shop using my links.** Choosing the right yarn for your crochet wearables can be a difficult task but it doesn’t need to be! In today’s blog post we are going to walk through the most important things to consider when choosing your yarn including budget, fibre content, colour, ethics, and of course GAUGE! The 3 Most Important Things to Consider In my opinion the three most important things to consider when choosing yarn for your wearable crochet items are ..read more

**ACCESSIBILITY WARNING** This blog post contains a screenshot of www.ravelry.com as part of the tutorial for finding unique design ideas. Ravelry has been reported to have headache & seizure triggering graphics. If you would like to access this information without the screenshots please email me at courtney@ilovetinderbox.com and I will send you a plain text copy of this blog post. Who am I? My name is Courtney and I’ve been designing crocheted garments since 2017. In this blog post I will walk you through how to ensure you are designing unique pieces and what to do if someone accuses you ..read more

The Daisy Shorts were a long time coming! I first tried making this design a year and a half ago and couldn’t get it quite right. Thankfully, with time and patience I was able to pick her back up and get her out into the world finally! With the help of my lovely testers, Daisy was made SO much better. The pattern is entirely based on your unique measurements. You input 4 of your measurements into the spreadsheet and it populates the numbers you need to make your shorts. You can also change your desired rise and pant leg length. My testers have showcased how this pattern works on different bodi ..read more

If you find yourself wondering how on Earth designers make money, thinking “what does “affiliate link” mean?” or wondering which platform to purchase a pattern on to make sure as much of your hard earned income gets into the pocket of an indie designer – then you’ve come to the right place! As a maker and pattern enthusiast it may be difficult to know how to best support your fave designers, and we don’t blame you! It’s a confusing world to navigate. I’m going to run through all the ways designers make money and how you can help support designers – from things that will cost a bit more to thin ..read more

Hey hey it’s Part 5 of Gauge Week! Today we’re talking swatching with different fibres and the *dreaded* blocking of swatches.  The first thing to note is that not all yarns that are labelled the same weight are indeed the same. Unfortunately, this just isn’t as globally regulated as we would all want it to be. Some DK yarns are thinner than other DK yarns, some worsted weight yarns are thicker than other worsted weight yarns. No two is created equal! The second thing to keep in mind is that different fibres respond differently to being crocheted or knitted. Wool has little teeth that hel ..read more

Welcome back to Gauge Week! Today is probably the most important day yet – how to adjust your gauge! This blog post will cover when and how to change your hook and how to adjust when no matter which hook you try either the height or width is off. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get your gauge as close to the pattern as possible. Each person crochets slightly differently, each yarn works up slightly differently, your tension can change based on your mood, there are just so many factors to consider! For example: I used DK weight yarn and a 4.5mm hook to make each of these (unblocke ..read more