KATE MADE IT - Kate Made It

The Ripple Effect Mandala

15/12/2018

The Ripple Effect Mandala Wall Hanging Crochet Pattern by Kate Made It

The Ripple Effect Mandala is the most natural design I have ever created. It flowed out of me so easily and I just love this design. Now the time has come to publish the pattern as my testers have finished their gorgeous versions of it!

This pattern is perfect for someone wanting to dip their toes into the Mandala /Doily world of crochet. The stitches and repeats are simple, you will just need to know the back post stitches and where the third loop is on a Half Double Crochet.

I am a Lotus Flower Doily

9/12/2018

Crochet lotus flower mandala wall hanging pattern by Kate Made It

The Lotus Flower really speaks to my heart after the last few years of adversity that my family and I have endured. The Lotus Flower grows in a murky, dirty pond, beads of mucky water dripping off its petals to reveal its beauty. It tells me that beautiful things can grow out of the mud sludge of life. That even in the hard times, beauty is possible.

Summer Slumbers Throw

9/12/2018

Summer Slumbers Free Crochet Pattern for beginners

I love Summer, I love how much happier people are in Summer. I love eating dinners outside while the kids play in the sprinkler. I love having a swim before bedtime on those balmy hot nights and sleeping in my bathers. I love sitting outside at night as the sun goes down and feeling that heat ease off while you relax and enjoy Christmas events with loved ones. Basically I love everything about Summer.
(I could live without 40 plus degree days, but that's life!)

The Ferris Wheel Doily Pattern

20/10/2018

Ferris Wheel Doily Wall Hanging Crochet Pattern by Kate Made It

Today is an exciting day for me.
Today I publish my very first crochet doily pattern.

Working on having fun

23/9/2018

Why I am working on having fun as a Mum

A number of times in the last year I have said to friends and family that I don’t think I’m fun. It’s always responded to with

‘of course you are, don’t be silly, what on earth do you mean?’

A-Z of Self-Care for Mums

3/9/2018

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my blog and my business lately and making sure I am heading in the right direction and there is one thing I want to make sure I am doing... or not doing.
I do not want to be a 'Mummy blogger'.

12 things I've learnt in my 10 years crocheting

3/9/2018

12 Things I Learnt in 10 years crocheting

Someone asked me the other day how long I'd been crocheting and it took me about 20 seconds to count back to work it out! Nearly 10 years! In the whole scheme of things, I see that as a short period of time especially considering my Mum has been knitting on and off for 40 odd years.

But I figured there are a lot of things I have learnt in all this time waving a hook in circles that might help others on their crochet journey.

Octagon Fireworks Blanket

7/7/2018

Octagon Fireworks Blanket Crochet Pattern

Better late than never, I am finally getting around to posting about my very first original pattern. This pattern appeared on my hook while I was pregnant with my third baby, when my sciatica started pinching and the Melbourne Summer heat started wearing me down.
We didn't find out the sex of any of our babies and I wanted to make a nice bright colourful blanket that would go well with either a boy or a girl.

The last piece of our puzzle

18/6/2018

Our gorgeous happy girl

Holy cow it's easy to let this blog fall way down on the list of to do's.
A lot has happened since I posted on here last... most importantly, we welcomed a new baby girl into our family. Introducing Paige Maree Collins.

My Mission for 2018

15/12/2017

Kate Made It 2018 mission

Happy New Years Everyone!!

Reflecting on 2017 and preparing for 2018

11/12/2017

Reflecting on 2017 and preparing for 2018

The last few weeks I've been doing a lot of thinking. Reflecting, reliving, and going over things in my mind. Why? Because it's generally about this time of year that everything starts to wind down and I start to think OK what's next?

Our surprise baby after Postnatal Depression and Anxiety

2/10/2017

Our surprise baby after Postnatal Depression and Anxiety

7th August 2017.
It wasn’t any ordinary Monday at the start of August.

August - What are you doing Mummy?

3/8/2017

A snap shot of my life in August 2017

Rainbow Ends Blanket Crochet Pattern

27/6/2017

Rainbow Ends Hexagon Crochet Blanket Pattern by Kate Made It

2017 is turning out to be the year of the handmade present!

The ''Mummy is about to lose it'' checklist

15/6/2017

The Mummy's about to lose it checklist. Bring calm back into your mind by trying a few of these tips to give you space to breathe.

It's Wednesday morning and you still have three days alone with your kids before for the weekend, when your husband is home to share the load… but your brain is mush, you haven't slept well this week and you’ve lost control over your temper. What do you do? You need a quick fix.

Grab and go crochet clutch pattern

12/6/2017

Grab and go fabric yarn clutch purse crochet pattern by Kate Made It

Oh how I love these clutches! They are quick and easy to whip up as you use chunky t-shirt yarn which makes it hard wearing, sturdy and modern!

Handmade gifts people love to receive

4/6/2017

Most of my friends and family know how much I love to give handmade gifts, and since my crochet skills have gotten better, so have my gifting skills!

I started out making granny square blankets for all my friends who were having babies, along with a couple of lap blankets for friends going to the footy in the freezing Melbourne weather. Then I wanted to start expanding my crochet abilities and started making different blankets.

How I reduced anxiety as a Mum of two toddlers

3/6/2017

How I identified and reduced my anxiety as a Mum of two toddlers

Recently I've had a few of my wonderful Mum friends say to me that anxiety is their default setting and it's no bloody wonder a large majority of Mums (and Dads) suffer from anxiety.

Learning Crochet: The Basics

2/6/2017

So you want to learn how to crochet?? YES!!
Sorry... I do get a bit excited when people want to pick up this amazing craft. It has helped me so much over the years, helping me reduce my anxiety and stress, so I get very excited when people are willing to give crochet a try!

What are you doing Mummy?

31/5/2017

Crochet flatlay

I hear this question 49 times a day so it seemed to be an appropriate title for this recurring blog series!
At the end of every month, I will to share my 'currently doing' situation and I would love to hear your currently things too!
I want to get to know my readers and I think this is a great way to get a snap shot of what people are all about, what they are feeding their souls and how they are taking care of themselves!

Practice makes permanent... rarely perfect

15/3/2017

I often have people tell me they wish they could crochet and they have tried but just can't quite get the hang of it. My answer is always practice. Half of the battle with crochet is getting your hands comfortable and then the rest flows when you spend some time practicing.

10 lessons I learnt through adversity

14/3/2017

The last year 18 months of our lives has been quite challenging as I battled Perinatal Depression and Anxiety following the birth of our second son, and then more recently, my 31 year old husband had a cardiac arrest while at football training, had a two week stay in hospital and had an Automatic Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator put in his chest.
There are a number of lessons I have learnt from struggling through these times that I like to remind myself of when my anxiety starts to flare up. I want to share some of these lessons in the hope that it helps some other people who might be dealing with their own tough times.

Done is better than perfect

14/3/2017

A while back I decided to break up with perfection and I have found a symbol to remind me of that every day.
This is a blanket I am making for my sister-in-law. She sent me a picture of a similar blanket and asked me to recreate it. I love a crochet challenge so I jumped in! Having not done a granny square blanket in a long time I forgot about the dreaded twist you experience when you don't flip the square after each round.

Self-care is not selfish

7/1/2017

Self-care seems to be the new trending word across blogs at the moment, but it really is vital to maintaining your physical and mental health. Whether you’re a new Mum or Dad, don’t have kids, or are an empty-nester. Taking care of yourself first is so important in making sure you have the energy, both physical and mental to be able to give your best at work, at home, to your kids, in your marriage or anywhere really.

Creativity is my self-care

7/1/2017

Cont from part 1... here

Creativity helped me get through my last few months of my second pregnancy as I had severe hip and back pain which restricted my walking. In particular crochet, whenever I felt frustrated, anxious or depressed I would sit and crochet. My mind would slow, and my thoughts would only be on what my hands were making. The pattern, the stitches and when it got a bit repetitive, the TV as I stitched.
It has to be said though, I am not artistic. I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler and I’m so average at colouring in it’s embarrassing! But I am creative. I can crochet, I can knit (a little), I can do cross stitch and I am always willing to try a different way of making things.