Petal Pullover: In Print!

This project caused The Fab Four Amigurumi to be set aside for a time. Readers of Interweave Crochet magazine's Spring 2013 issue might know all about it!

(There's a clue in the preview's  'Departments & Features')


Excerpt from Fashioning the Fab Four (Part 5): Rehearsal:

“In April I had to set it aside to work on an urgent Autumn project–to complete a garment that I wanted to wear that season! So the Fab Four Amigurumi had to wait until May.”

That project was the Petal Pullover designed by Robyn Chachula. I first saw it on the cover of  Interweave Crochet magazine’s Spring 2011 Issue.  Immediately I fell in love. So did many others.

My neighbour and good friend Adrienne loved the design too. Interweave had hosted an official ‘Crochet Along’ (‘CAL’–don’t ask me why the abbreviation has an ‘A’ in the middle even though it is not spelt ‘Crochet A Long’, it just seems to have evolved from the syllables) but, being in the southern hemisphere where the magazine arrives a season too late, we missed it; so we decided to have our own CAL together.

I began the project on 30 November 2011 and completed it on 16 May 2012.

It was a joy to make and a great learning experience on so many levels:

• We were challenged in different ways
• Adrienne wanted to learn how to crochet a garment that would be unique and express her individuality
• I wanted to modify the sizing to fit my petite frame  in a fibre and colour of my own choice
• We substituted a different yarn to that recommended by the pattern
• I found myself in a mentoring role, yet Adrienne taught me a lot in return
• I am a right-handed crocheter and Adrienne is a left-handed crocheter
• We discovered our mutual competitiveness

When we had completed our Petal Pullovers, we were so proud. I shared the experience with some online friends and posted a picture on the internet. What a complement we received when Interweave Crochet indicated that they would like to publish the photograph of the two of us in our Petal Pullovers!

Naturally, we agreed and you can see the photo and read the article in the Spring 2013 issue of Interweave Crochet magazine.  It has finally reached the newsagents here in Australia (yes, a season late!) exactly a year after that first photo was published online. If you cannot find it in print at your local newsagent, you can also purchase a print or digital copy online directly from Interweave Crochet.

Interweave Crochet is my favourite crochet periodical for many reasons.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank all concerned starting with crochet designer Robyn Chachula for a beautiful garment and for writing clear logical patterns; Interweave Crochet’s Editor Marcy Smith and Assistant Editor Sharon Zientara (and the whole production crew) for creating a consistently excellent publication both technically and in its content; and crochet writer Kathryn Vercillo of Crochet Concupiscence who was gracious and respectful in researching our story. 

Kathryn’s article was an accurate reflection of our experience and was well-received by family, friends and colleagues both at home and abroad. In fact, Kathryn is now a regular columnist for Interweave Crochet and our story was her first instalment in her series of articles about ‘Everyday Crochet’. Well done, Kathryn!

If you would like to know more about our Petal Pullovers, or if you know how the abbreviation 'CAL' came to be, please add your questions and comments below or email jodiebodiecrochets@gmail.com

Cheerio!