Do you want to see your designs featured in Crochet Now magazine? Read on for our Editor's call for submissions...

This in an open call for designs for the Winter and early Spring 2022 issues of Crochet Now. I want to hear from designers new and experienced, young and old, near and far, eclectic and traditional! I'm looking for a collection of patterns for all levels, with the majority of patterns aimed for the advanced beginner/intermediate crocheter. Advanced/complex patterns and beginner friendly are also considered! I want to see your submissions for:

  • blankets and throws
  • shawls
  • scarves and cowls
  • toys
  • hats
  • garments (including poncho's, cardigans, pullovers, graded from XS-5X according to Craft Yarn Council standards)
  • Tunisian crochet
  • children/baby clothes
  • children/baby accessories
  • cushions and other home decor
  • novelties
  • quick-makes and stitch patterns
  • seasonal makes

I have prepared some mood boards for inspiration, but please don't let these limit you, if you have a great idea for a design which you think would fit in well to a winter/spring issue of Crochet Now, I'd love to see it!

The Collections

COLOUR THERAPY - December

Colour Therapy Mood board

Wear brights, welcome colour into your home, and feel better this winter - don't let the January blues get you down! BRIGHT pops of happy colours in traditional winter pieces and settings. I'm feeling hot pinks, clashing colours, and the occasional neutral grey to help bring them all together. Snuggly garments and accessories, cool home makes, and inspired toys are a must! Any colour therapy stories or 'mood' blankets/accessories are welcome!

ON CLOUD 9 - January

On Cloud 9 Mood board

As we gently transition from winter to early spring, lovely soft colours, bouncy yarn and lace- and layer-inspired designs combined come together to give you a floaty feeling of happiness as the days start to turn brighter. Lovely layering pieces, oversized but light accessories and your most inspirational, happy toys and homewares are a must to brighten up the end of winter!

MINDFUL MAKES - February

Mindful Makes Mood board

As we start to think about spring again, take a moment to breathe slowly as you work through your most mindful crochet makes. Soothing blues with pops of coral and cool greens will lead this collection of must-make accessories and blankets, loose and layering garments (asymmetrical, yoga-inspired sweaters might be nice) and the regular dose of cute but relevant toys - how about an elephant in a yoga pose? - will create another winning collection of patterns for the magazine.

Submission requirements

Your submission should include a sketch and accompanying paragraph describing the item, a photograph or scan of your swatch and ideas for yarn choices. The submission should be presented in a PDF document, with your name and email address on every page. All information should be included in the submission document, including pictures.

Please also tell us where we can find other examples of your work, a link to your Ravelry designer profile is ideal. You will be commissioned to write a full pattern (including any alternative sizes) and crochet a sample. We will take care of photography.  

IMPORTANT: Please create a separate PDF for each idea and name the file in the following format:

YourName _PatternName_CNWINTERPSRING2022.pdf

Failure to meet the submission requirements may mean your design is not considered.

Deadline

The deadline for submissions will be 12pm UK time on Monday 26th July 2021 12pm UK time. I am aiming to get all commissions sent out within a week and a half of that date, and you will be notified if you are successful or not.

Deadlines for final patterns and samples will be Monday 4th October 2021.

Send to/contact

Please send your submissions to me by email: jenny.conduit@practicalpublishing.co.uk

Compensation/Support

Compensation is on a sliding scale, depending on the size and complexity of the project, taking into account the amount of labour required (that means you can earn anywhere between £50 - £250). Payment is made around 30 days after the work is published.  

Yarn support is offered to all designers and payment is made by Paypal for international designers.  

The exact fee will depend on a number of factors including the complexity of the design. 4 months after publication, rights will revert to you and you will then be able to use the final tech-edited version of the pattern (including charts/schematics) as you wish. We arrange yarn support for all designers. Your sample remains your property, but we will hold onto it for a while in case we get pattern queries, or for display at shows. We will return your sample to you at the same time as your publication rights.

Brief Description

Crochet Now is a monthly newsstand title, widely available in supermarkets, newsagents and craft stores across the UK as well as select retailers worldwide. We also publish digitally. For an idea of our style, you can find all of our patterns listed on Ravelry here, or check out our Instagram page:  

https://www.instagram.com/crochetnowmag/

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/periodicals/crochet-now

Hints and tips for submissions

Swatches and sketches

There is no need to submit a photo of a finished item, but your submission will need nice swatches, in a representative yarn, photographed in bright conditions. If you're having trouble getting the photo to focus, either switch to the macro setting on your camera (the one with the little flower) or consider scanning your swatch rather than photographing it.  

Formatting

Of course our main focus is on the quality of the idea, but it's much easier for me to see that when the submission is cleanly formatted. Remember, the submission must be a PDF document sent as a single attachment, not an email with photos attached.  

Yarn choice

Be flexible with your choices. I will be wanting to use the new season's yarns, some of which won't be publicly available yet. Talk about the qualities your project requires, don't just say what you used. This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you know what you're talking about!

FAQs

Tech editing

We do have tech editors, but they will only be polishing your patterns, they won't be doing any grading for you. You MUST ensure your completed pattern adheres to our style guide, or this will be returned to you for resubmission.  

Return of samples

We're happy to return samples to you. Any unwanted samples are donated to Knit for Peace.  

International Designers

You are very welcome to submit, but remember that Crochet Now is a UK magazine so we'll be using British terminology and you will need to use yarns which are available in the UK (which we will arrange to be sent to you).  

Photography

We will be taking care of all the photography for patterns, but the rights to photos will remain with us, so if you don't want your sample back, consider taking photos before you send it in.  

Crochet/sewing/other non-knitting elements

We're open to any and all good quality patterns, and if it needs a little crochet, sewing or embroidery, that won't rule it out. If it's 100% knitting, contact the editor of our sister mag Knit Now, Kate on kate.heppell@practicalpublishing.co.uk  

Multiple submissions

There's no limit on the number of ideas you can submit. If you receive multiple commissions, we will work with you to spread out your deadlines.

Previously published patterns

As a general rule, I am not looking for patterns which have previously been published at all. If you've posted a couple of project pics online, that's fine, but the patterns should come as a nice surprise for our readers when we publish them. Your commission is confidential until a week before the on-sale date of the magazine.  

Future calls

If you want to add yourself to the mailing list for future calls, just sign up to our mailing list here.  

Testing

We're happy for you to arrange to have your pattern tested, but we are working on a tight schedule, so this is by no means mandatory.  

Digital Issues

The magazine is available digitally, and digital editions are available through the Apple Newsstand and the Pocketmags app.