
Hello everyone… here’s a very special design which I’m finally able to show you all! I designed this mermaid cushion for the June ‘Little Box of Crochet‘! Here is Marilla the Mermaid… ππ

And for those of you who didn’t see it yesterday on my social media, I’ve recorded a new video from the beach with some crochet updates… Marilla makes an appearance too… π π
Marilla the Mermaid is the third time that I’ve designed for ‘Little Box of Crochet’ – you can see my previous designs here:
Little Box of Crochet June 2018
Little Box of Crochet April 2019


The boxes are pieces of art in themselves…

Back in December I travelled to North Yorkshire to host a workshop at Craftopia, the wonderful shop owned by Amanda from βLittle Box of Crochetβ. It was a lovely weekend which you can read about here and it was during my stay that Amanda and I had some fabulous creative conversations and the idea for Marilla the Mermaid was born!

Marilla was a design challenge for sure but one that I totally embraced. Iβm so in love with how she turned out… sheβs one of my very favourite designs ever! π
Firstly there were the colours to choose. And Iβm so happy that we chose for Marilla to have brown skin. When you look up mermaid images on the internet it is flooded with white mermaids and there is a distinct shortage of black mermaids or mermaids from other ethnic origins… why is this? It felt absolutely right that Marilla should be a Mermaid representing people from black and other ethnic backgrounds. There are more than enough white mermaid dolls and cushions out there… letβs do things differently!
We could never have imagined the timing of her release would coincide with the very recent Black Lives Matter protests… the decision to make our Marilla black was made back in December and Amanda has donated 100% of the profits from this box to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust π€π€π€

Then there were the tail colours and stitch pattern to plan with some added sparkle of course. The main yarn used is a 4ply cotton by Yarn and Colors – itβs really fabulous to crochet with and this type of cotton is always a favourite of mine.

And the shaping of her tail… well that took quite some time to perfect I assure you… but how pleased I am with the end result!

Her hair was a joy to design and crochet…


And then how to create the cushion shape and gusset…

I can honestly say I adore her!
And the name Marilla seemed just right… my daughter and I were thinking about names and she suggested Marilla…I looked it up and discovered that it means βshining seaβ!! ππ How perfect is that…

Sheβs a wonderfully sized cushion and here she is with Salty nearby to give you an idea!!

I had two Marillaβs in the making!!

Of course I had lots of fun photographing her on the beach before I sent her off to Amanda and the team at Little Box of Crochet…


And then, along with everyone who subscribes, I received my very own box through the post!! π

It was such a joy opening that beautiful box… itβs not all about my design.. there are lots of added extras and the words Amanda writes in the accompanying pattern booklet are all so very special! It was truly a treat to open it…

I adore it… it feels so luxurious!
Isnβt it wonderful?! Pure crochet joy in a box! I do hope you love Marilla as much as I do…

Happy Crocheting Everyone… π π
A lovely video as always and wonderful to see your new work, especially the beautiful Marilla with a perfect name. Good to see the sea, beach and Salty too. Looking forward to your next update. Hope you have a good birthday next week. Keep safe and keep up the good work.
Thank you so much Judy! Glad you enjoyed the update… π₯°ππ
Love marilla.even tho I have yet to finish the beach combing blanket , I decided to do three extra squares , I couldn’t resist starting marilla so I am doing them both alongside each other . Which I think is very apt.thank you for another lovely pattern
Youβre very welcome Joan! Nice to have different projects on the go at the same time… π₯°
Marilla is that wonderful <3 Unfortunately I missed the box. Is it possible to buy the pattern elsewhere?
Hi Brittany… unfortunately not… itβs an exclusive design for Little Box of Crochet but sometimes they release pattern books so do keep an eye out… π₯°ππ
Hi Eleonora. It was lovely to join you and Salty on the beach. I felt as if I was there with you! So relaxing listening to the sound of the waves washing over the shore. I’m always interested in seeing what you are up to with your crochet and sharing all your news. Look forward to seeing you next time. Can’t wait for the next blanket! Best Wishes Marilyn
Thank you so much Marilyn… Iβm so glad you joined me! πππ
ps I forgot to say “Happy Birthday” for next week, I hope you have a lovey day, π Marilyn
Awww… thank you! π₯°π₯°
I love your patterns and so desperately wanted to make Marilla for my granddaughter but i canβt see the box on the Little Box website. Are they finished? Will you have the pattern available elsewhere? Iβm in Australia and am getting 2 of your previous Little Box of Crochet treats sent here hopefully soon. π€Gabrielle π
Hi Gabrielle… the boxes are sold out at the moment Iβm afraid but sometimes Little Box of Crochet will release the patterns in a booklet separately in the future… keep an eye out… ππ
Sadly I was just too slow to get the Little Box to make Amarillo. Is the pattern available anywhere? My granddaughter would go nuts over her for Christmas! π§πΌββοΈ
Gabrielle
Awww… thank you Gabrielle. Iβm afraid I designed this exclusively for Little Box of Crochet. ππ