Tips & Techniques

A Stitch In Time: 2020 Review, Part One

2020-12-22 | 14:13:00

A Stitch In Time: 2020 Review, Part Two

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As I prepare to take my Christmas break and spend some time with my family, I thought it might be nice to share with you how 2020 looked on the Bella Coco Crochet blog. Let’s face it, 2020 has been a strange year. With so much going on across the globe, I’ve worked hard to keep Bella Coco a safe space where you can relax and unwind. Back in March, I made a conscious decision to keep COVID-19 talk to a minimum. For me, crochet is a comfort. The first thing I turn to when looking to do a little self care. My little pocket of escapism when the world gets too overwhelming. I know a lot of you feel the same way. So, I kept my focus on creating cosy, soothing projects that would keep your brain and hands busy and offer warmth and joy when finished. While the world is buzzing with words like virus, self isolate and social distancing, I wanted the words on Bella Coco to be comfort, cosy and creative.

I sincerely hope that you’ve found some comfort here, and that as we move into 2021 together, I can keep supplying you with crojoy.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at 2020 on Bella Coco!

Because this blog is basically a big, fat blog of the year – it’s HUGE. So, I’ve broken it down into two parts. This is Part One. Part Two will publish next on December 24th.

JANUARY

I kicked January off with my sweet little Baby Beanie pattern – the perfect quick make for mums-to-be or new mums.

Yarn swatch showing corded ridge stitch — Solid Granny Square

There were a whopping 7 stitch library tutorials:

Bandana Cowl by Veronika Cromwell — Bandana Cowl by Veronika

Bella Coco Crochet was host to three guest designers:

FEBRUARY

velvet crochet scrunchies in blonde hair — Crochet Scrunchie

February saw me share three patterns on Bella Coco, my quick and simple Crochet Scrunchie, a Bobble Heart Square and my hugely popular Switch It Up Blanket.

There were 4 Stitch Library tutorials:

In February, I introduced a new style of blog post to BCC, a round-up. I LOVE reading these posts on other blogs and they always leave me full of inspiration. When I feel the urge to just crochet, with no end goal I often browse through these posts to spark a little creativity. The first two were:

MARCH

A group of four crochet easter eggs in pastel shades sit side by side on top of chcocolate mini eggs — Bunny Applique

March was a bumper month for content and Spring was definitely in the air. All of the patterns I released were packed full of sunny vibes and pastel colours. There was the written release of my ever popular Sunburst Square, the absolutely adorable Bunny Applique, a simple Easter Egg and the pretty Daisy Bookmark.

A yellow swatch of crocheted zig zag puff stitch — Little Fans Stitch

There were 2 brand new stitch tutorials added to the Stitch Library:

There were a pair of SUPER cute guest patterns from 3amgrace and Lucy Djevdet:

I shared three round-up posts for March, all with a seasonal theme:

APRIL

A white and lilac flower hexagon sits on a white wooden background — Crochet Butterfly

April carried on from March, absolute chock-full of crochet goodness! I shared some more Spring-themed patterns, like the Crochet Butterfly, Flower Hexagon and Porcelain Mandala. I also released a free written copy of my beautiful Bobble Stripe Blanket for the first ever Cosy Club CAL.

The new additions to the Stitch Library were:

There were an absolute wealth of guest designers on my blog this month sharing versatile designs from homeware to PPE equipment:

The round-ups were:

I also launched a brand new blog series designed for new lockdown learners to crochet, starting with 12 Crochet Tips for Beginners. This series was designer to walk people through crochet, from the very basics to more advanced work. It’s been so popular and I’m absolute thrilled to help welcome so many new crafters to crochet!

MAY

I launched my long awaited Alaskan Delights hat in May, alongside a blanket square design inspired by the global pandemic. I found the rainbow motif of hope and the community spirit of social media crocheters really inspiring and created the Circle of Hope.

There were two new stitches added to the Stitch Library:

There were two guest designs, one from returning guest designer Alanna and one from new designer Katie:

…and finally for May, there were three round-up posts:

JUNE

It was yet another bumper month in June – I was obviously trying to keep your crochet hooks busy! I released a revamp of my Infinity Scarf pattern, originally published right back in 2014! I also shared the full version of the Circle of Hope blanket.

I added four new tutorials to my Stitch Library:

I welcomed three guest designers to my blog with a cute bear, cheeky tote bag and beautiful blanket design:

For round-ups, I shared:

As well as adding a new post in my Lockdown Learner series:

10 FREE Beginner Friendly Crochet Patterns

JULY

While I didn’t release any new patterns in July, it was far from quiet on the blog. I released a couple of blog posts that had been requested via social media. I love hearing your suggestions about what you want to see on here – so feel free to leave me a comment on here if there’s a post you’d love to see on Bella Coco.

A pink and blue cushion in pastels sits on a bed beside a vase full of white flowers.

I shared:

I added four new stitch library tutorials, including posts on how to tell the different between Puff, Bubble and Popcorn stitches – a really common problem for crocheters!

There were three wonderful guest posts:

I also shared three round-up posts:

AUGUST

I waved hello to Granny Square Month in August with an absolute wealth of new patterns. These patterns were designed to work together so you could put together a fun blanket using your favourite squares:

I also shared my Crochet Pumpkin pattern.

There were two beautiful guest posts, both perfect for Summer:

I also shared some granny square-flavoured round-ups and the second part of my Teach Your Child To Crochet series:

SEPTEMBER

How else could I round-up Granny Square month than with a HUGE Great Granny Square Masterlist? This MAHOOSIVE list features every single G Square on Bella Coco so it’s the perfect place to start if you’re looking to get hooked.

I also shared some tips on getting your friends into crochet for International Crochet Day and shared my revamped Houndstooth Cowl pattern.

A woman holds a grey swatch of crochet and a pastel-coloured hook. She is working into the stitches. — Invisible Decrease

An in-progress swatch of popcorn stitch sits on a white background. The swatch is made from lilac yarn and uses a metallic blue crochet hook. — Invisible Decrease

I shared three new stitch tutorials:

A woman is wearing a white dress and a seafoam-coloured crochet shawl with panels of lace and hot pink pompoms on the end. The woman is facing away from the camera to showcase the shawl. — Seafoam Shawl

Two absolutely GORGEOUS guest posts graced the blog:

There were also three round-up posts:

OCTOBER

In October, I launched the Cosy CAL – a bumper selection of cosy patterns just perfect for staying snug in Autumn. I also revamped my super popular Bella Bunny Lovey and released a fresh new Spiral Granny Square pattern. For the Cosy Club, I released:

I added two new Stitch Library tutorials:

There were three fabulous guest designs:

And, the round-up posts were all about getting cosy…and creepy!

NOVEMBER

As the weather got colder and December got closer, I started looking towards Christmas. Let’s face it, as crafters we SHOULD start our handmade gifts around July. But, who wants to think about Christmas when the sun is shining? Thankfully crochet gifts can be quick, as I showed with these posts:

I also shared some gift ideas for the hookers in your life:

Christmas Gift Guide 2020

I added a MASSIVE five new stitches to the Stitch Library:

I also welcomed three designers to my blog, all with wonderfully Wintery designs:

DECEMBER

We’re finally in December. What a year it’s been. I’m so thankful for you joining me on this journey and I hope you’ll stick with me in 2021 – there’s still plenty more to come!

As you might imagine, things got pretty festive this month. I shared some patterns to help you deck your halls, perfect to hook up while watching festive faves like The Holiday, Love, Actually, Miracle on 34th Street and Elf. Or while blasting out some Crimbo classics, WHAM anyone

Here’s the patterns:

I added two cosy new stitch tutorials:

And finally, I featured two beautiful guest designs from Heather and Krisztina:

I’m so excited for 2021 – I have some amazing content planned for you. Even better? You can be a part of it. If you’re a budding, or established designer and would love to feature on Bella Coco Crochet, then check out my guest post callout for 2021.

Wanna keep up with all of the latest Bella Coco news? The best way is to sign up to my weekly newsletter. I promise, I’ll never spam you. It’s just one weekly newsletter direct to your inbox packed full of goodies, patterns and news! Sign up below.

Want to keep on top of the latest Bella Coco news? The best way is to subscribe to my newsletter…you get a weekly inbox packed full of news, patterns and tips!

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2 Comments

Eva scriven
January 9, 2022 at 10:38 am

thank you bella coco for the awesome ideas hasn’t this year been a hard one it is nice to relax and crochet
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BellaCocoTeam
January 11, 2022 at 4:47 pm

Hi Eva you are very welcome and it certainly has been a hard year. Crochet is a great way to relax and forget about other things that are going on 🙂
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