I'm currently having a white, summer crochet moment. I'm obsessed with all things white, off-white, cream, beige. I'm obsessed with all things openwork, drapey and airy looking. I think my Aster Top will be the first of many such creations, in fact I've already got another white crochet project in mind from the Filigree book.

The Aster Top pattern can be found in Marie Wallin's Filigree - this book is really, really worth the money to buy and I know that some US viewers are having difficulty getting hold of a copy so do consider buying it from a UK retailer and gritting your teeth to pay the postage to the US because this may work out cheaper for you in the long run. I've linked to Deramores above (they have a US site also) but they are currently out of stock so you could try Amazon (via third party sellers only) here or Laughing Hens who do currently have stock here.

I used Drops Baby Alpaca Silk in 1101 White to make mine, it was left over from another project, but I'm seriously considering using the recommended Rowan Summerlite 4Ply to make another one in either Pure White or Washed Linen (the colour used for the book sample), I also like the Duck Egg colour. A few viewers who are making their own Aster using Summerlite say that it is a really lovely yarn to hook with, smooth and cool feeling...delicious!

Having just returned from our Mediterranean summer holiday in Malta, I can reliably confirm that I'm not the only one having this particular crochet 'moment'! There was so much crochet being worn, so many gorgeous beach wraps, dresses and bikinis, it was incredible. I've returned to gloomy old England completely inspired and wanting to share some summer crochet inspiration with you too.

Anna Kosturova is a Canadian based designer who has a huge selection of amazing crochet beachwear in her collection. I love the fact that she uses colour as well as more traditional white for her beach cover-ups but I particularly love this jumper which would look great in the Rowan Summerlite wouldn't it?

Helen Rodel is a Brazilian based designer with an incredible eye for clever crochet design and shaping (oh her shaping)!

Mybeachyside.com is a brilliant collective founded by entrepreneur Gamze Ates, who provide fair working opportunities for Syrian and Turkish refugees to create a fabulous range of amazing crochet beachwear - this is the BEST idea ever!

You can also get some nice crochet beachwear on the high street but frankly I'm not impressed with any shop that sells cheap crochet because you know, you just KNOW, that someone, somewhere along the line is being hugely exploited and I will never promote that kind of offensive practice. Even companies that sell crochet at higher prices such as Free People or Anthropologie (both owned by the same company URBN), have dubious working practices, URBN does not disclose any information about it supply chain and this can only mean one thing that they are exploiting workers AND making even more money from it than the high street chains selling at lower prices! Horrifying.

inspiration | summer crochet