Crochet Entrepreneurs: Leonie Morgan

Leonie Morgan lives with her partner of 23 years, Sean, in Wales. She loves the Welsh countryside, wandering alongthe coast, hiking up mountains and she constantly sports muddy shoes. Sheshares her home with Hubble the cat,“awool enthusiast who loves to assistmy crocheting with claws and teeth!”
Leonie spends her days at her desk, “planning new designs, swatch testing, picking palettes and creating
patterns. I love designing, from the first scribbled notes to the finished project. I tend to design blankets and squares predominantly but also have a growing collection of accessory patterns.”
It was a sudden desire to make a granny blanket using some yarn she bought at a charity shop which led
Leonie to learn crochet, using the internet for guidance, “although that granny blanket soon got unravelled…”
She worked in office jobs before her crochet career and particularly enjoyed an editorial role where she could use her creativity. Leonie stumbled oncrochet design accidentally. “It began with an old pattern. As I started making it I decided I’d like some changes, then more, then I scrapped the lot and started a new square entirely. My Irish Rose Afghan was the first pattern that I designed and I popped it up on Ravelry on the off-chance that somebody would buy it – and they did! I was so thrilled and began to design more patterns.
“The whole process from publishingmy first design to where I am now has been a case of one foot in front of the other and working things out as they come up. It’s been a massive learning curve for me, particularly the raft of other skills you need to acquire as a designer. I still need to learn a lot more and just wish I could clone myself!”
Like most crochet designers, it’s all about colour when seeking inspiration for designs. “I tend to gather a bowl of colours and then plan a design to show them off. I begin using scrap yarn and leftovers and plan out the texture and shape of whatever I’m making. Then, when the design is ironed out, I use my bowl of colours to hook the final piece.”
Her most popular design has to be her Shabby Chic Granny Square Throw. “I guess you just can’t beat the humble granny square!” smiles Leonie.
For Leonie, the best part about working for herself, in a field she loves, “is the freedom to follow creative ideas and never hating what I do. Even on high pressure days I love my work. On the negative side it can be hard to switch off when work is your hobby and every room in the house has at least one work in-progress…”
As to her favourite items she couldn’t live without, they are her “metal crochet hooks. I’ve tried all the fancy ones, wooden ones and light-up ones but I always reach for the metal hooks when I’m designing.”
So, what’s in store for Leonie? “I have a perpetual plan to publish all my unfinished designs one day! My most recent project was my Seize the Daisies CAL for Deramores and now I’m looking forward to whatever opportunities appear on my horizon.”