A brief chat with Joanne Scrace

I love the lacy ponchos I've seen in the shops this season; they're a great practical alternative to shawls as they don't need pinning - I'm a very busy mum of three and although I do love shawls I find I end up tangled in them and then, of course, there's always the kids trying to grab or yank the pin!  I'd been working on designs for Artesano in the alpaca and cotton blend, Serena and fell completely in love with it, especially with the tezpi colourway. Serena's so soft and light to use and, being a combination of alpaca and cotton, doesn't stretch like cotton can but still has a wonderfully soft feel. 

This season, I've been very inspired by flower patterns especially those broken up with panels of plain crochet (you can see my other botanical inspired designs at www.thecrochetproject.com) The lace stitch pattern is from a Japanese stitch dictionary and I wanted the panels of lace to grow longer as they widened, in order to add interest to the poncho in wear and while making it. Putting the lace into small panels, rather than throughout the entire design, adds dashes of intrigue to the piece and makes for a more practical poncho to wear. I'm delighted this poncho is being featured on the cover and I'm really very proud of the design.

Keep up-to-date with Joanne on her blog at www.notsogranny.blogspot.com or browse through her other designs both here and on Ravelry at  www.ravelry.com/designers/joanne-scrace