Malabrigo quickies: Queen of Gems
Hurricane Helene shifted our Quickies plans just a bit, but we are grateful and willing to wait for one of Ruth Nguuyen’s fabulous designs! That means that we get 2 quickies surprises in October instead of just one, so I’m super excited to share this little bonus with you all today. Queen of Gems is the most stunning crochet scarf that truly highlights the brilliance that is Malabrigo. The cluster stitches mimic a stunning pearl, and you can go as wild in your color selection as you choose because the stitch pattern works very well with all of the variegated options Malabrigo offers.
Ruth was incredibly kind to share her design with our team along with some insight into her process. Grab your favorite beverage, 2 skeins of Arroyo in Archangel colorway, and be ready to be stunned!
We are happy to share that with you today:
1: What is your favorite part of your Quickies design and why?
Like many crocheters, I love all of Malabrigo’s splashy, variegated dye effects, but it’s not always easy to find interesting stitch patterns that show those off well. But the lace pattern in Queen of Gems actually highlights and shows off the flashes of color in variegated yarn, and that makes me pretty happy!
2: What should crocheters pay attention to when working this pattern? Do you have any tips or tricks that will make crocheting this pattern easier?
Queen of Gems is pretty straightforward, but my biggest recommendation is to keep an eye on your tension for the starting chains and any chain spaces. Chains that are too tight will constrict the edges and keep the fabric from blocking out properly, but chains that are too loose can look a bit sloppy. So just being mindful of that will be super helpful.
3: What do you think crocheters will enjoy the most about this project?
Probably how relaxing it is! There’s just enough repetition for the pattern to be easy to memorize, and it grows quickly since the rows are tall.
4: What does your design process look like?
It’s a bit different for every project, but Queen of Gems started with the yarn. I was dying to use one of Malabrigo’s highly variegated colors and played around with some swatches to see what worked well.
5: Was there any particular inspiration you had when creating this piece?
The final stitch pattern I settled on while swatching reminded me of baroque pearls—irregular pearls where no two are the same—hence the name, since pearls are often referred to as the queen of gems.
6: What is the one thing you wish people knew about you as a designer?
Probably how much I design with them in mind. My customers are at the heart of every decision I’m making as I choose stitch patterns, silhouettes, and more—I’m always trying to streamline things for them and make the crafting experience more enjoyable.
You can find Queen of Gems on Ravelry or Payhip:
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/queen-of-gems
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Ravelry ID: Ruth Nguyen
