Easy-to-create knitting and crochet patterns for anyone new to the craft!

Meg Carey — Inspiring people new to knitting with easy-to-make patterns

Meg Carey has been knitting all her life. She creates knitting patterns that inspire many people new to knitting to start an achievable project. She also loves promoting her work on Instagram. We recommend anyone wanting to start knitting to look at her work on Instagram for inspiration to get started!

Meg Carey with one of her grandchildren.

Knitting — why I love it , when I started, and how you can start too

By Meg Carey (@tigtogs)

Even as a pre-schooler listening to Kindergarten of the Air I was determined to knit. I designed and knitted a dolls dress when I was eight. When I was ten, I knitted myself a yellow jumper by following a pattern in a book.

I learnt to crochet when I was 21 years old. I love the puzzle aspects of designing a knitting or crochet pattern.  I take a hands-on approach with the yarn and needles or hook and write down my pattern as I knit as I don’t plan the pattern on paper first. Even my first design of a doll’s dress, when I was a kid, happened this way.

Although I’m a life-long knitter I never imagined that I’d ever publish my own patterns. However, about seven years ago I decided that the patterns I was knitting and crocheting — my own patterns — could be written up and published so that people who’d never knitted or crocheted could start making things. I hesitate to use the word “beginner” for anyone just starting to knit because when you’re learning to drive a car, you launch right in and start driving (with an instructor). Same with knitting.

With my patterns I try to make the instructions as clear as I can so that if you are just starting to learn, the patterns will be easy to understand. It’s difficult to find test knitters, so I often do multiple tests myself and donate the spares to charities, give them to the grandkids or sell them on Etsy.

When it comes to yarn, I’m inspired by the quality and colours of the wool first, then I think of a design. My designs reference the decades I’ve lived through — a person, place or short story about landscapes or places I’ve lived in or visited. I’m also inspired by other designers whose work I see on Instagram or their websites, wool farms / mills and yarn shops.

The oldest item I still own is a yellow-mohair helmet made to match a Patons Jellybean Yellow cable jumper I made in 1967 when I was fifteen.

You can see lots of my knitting and crochet on Instagram.

Meg’s Instagram tag is @tigtogs

Meg (second from right) back in the ‘70s, in the yellow mohair helmut she made and still owns!

Meg wearing her crocheted vest.

The Holland Crochet Vest pattern, chosen by Meg Carey as one of her first crochet projects.