I started documenting the free patterns I used for my 2020 lockdown window display here.

This is the next batch, starting on day 13 of the lockdown, April 4th 2020. I was gradually developing a spring garden theme (in my head at least), and I wanted a cheerful daffodil. I found this YouTube tutorial by HappyBerry crochet.

Here’s mine, and the window at the end of day 13. It was tricky getting decent pics with the reflections on the glass. I later learned to wait for the sun to move round to the front of the house and shine on the display.

For day 14, in hnour of a friend of mine who’s a huge fan of ferns, I used this YouTube tutorial by Chinki’z Knitting Knife Crochet Paradise.

Spring makes me think of blossom. On day 15 I kept it simple with a sweet sakura (cherry blossom) pattern from The Make and Do Crew. (I was also still growing the background by one leaf motif repeat per day.) I used a little simple freestyle to make some branches. I also upgraded to a tension spring curtain rail (instead of the random bit of old beading from the shed and hook and strings that I was using to hang this). This was one of the few purchases I made for this display.

Day 16: I was freestyling some grass and leaves to give the display sound kind of grounding, so everything wasn’t just floating around. But I had a bad ME/cfs* day, and also twisted my ankle pretty badly playing with the dog. So it didn’t go up until day 17.

I did use an incredibly useful technique for making the daffodil leaves. Do you hate working into long foundation chains? I do. This magical tutorial (US terminology) by Creatiknit shows you how to make your foundation row and your first row at the same time!** It’s shown for UK treble/US double crochet, but you can adapt it to any stitch.

I never really had a design in mind while I was creating this, just a rough theme of an English country garden in Spring/Summer. I picked a pattern I fancied trying each day, and I used work from lots of different designers, so the styles and and level of representation (from cute and cartoony to realistic) are all over the place.

Day 17: With Easter fast approaching, I decided the display needed a rabbit. I loved this applique design by Tuula Maaria. She also has a tutorial showing how to join 2 together to make a cute little toy or mobile.

Day 18: Sticking with Eastery things, I went in search of a chicken. I think this Nesting Hen pattern by innerchildcrochet is gorgeous and worth every penny. However, I promised to use free patterns, so I used one of mine! I found this interesting yarn when I was looking through my stash for some brown. It’s so busy I didn’t embroider on top of it, but I rather like it for a feathery speckled hen.

Day 19: Time for more spring flowers! Primroses this time. First up, this pattern from Crochet Arcade.

I made one and it was lovely, but quite big (left). I had a go at scaling it down. (Use htr instead of tr, tr instead of dtr etc.) It didn’t work out perfectly. As always, all messes are mine, not the pattern designer’s!

Next I tried Just Pootling’s YouTube tutorial.

It made a cute little flower, but I liked the shaping on the petals of the other design. At this point I ran out of spoons and added my primrose patch to the display.

Day 20: It was a splendid full moon and I remembered I had some glow in the dark yarn in my stash, so time for a moth and a full moon for her to navigate by. This supercute “Moth Madness” amigurumi pattern by Brenna Eaves (also available on Ravelry) uses US terminology, but it only uses US sc = UK dc, so it’s simple enough to translate.

I only had time for one go at the moth, so she’s not perfect, but I love her. Look at her little legs! The white parts of her wings are glow in the dark. I did find at one point that I was working inside out and had to pull the legs through with the crochet hook. (Again, my bad, not the pattern.)

My moon is just a standard amigurumi circle increase.
Round 1: Dc 6 into a magic ring.
2: 2DC into every stitch (12 stitches)
3: DC, 2DC repeat until end of round (18 stitches)
4: DC, DC, 2DC repeat (24 stitches)
5: DC, DC, DC, 2DC repeat (30 stitches) etc…

I intended the moon to be pretty much invisible during the day, and then show up at night, but it didn’t work out. There was too much ambient street light to get a decent shot of glowing in action, unfortunately.

By day 20 the display was beginning to look a bit less like a random collection of stuff, but there’s much more to come!

Pattern summary list:

• Daffodil YouTube tutorial by HappyBerry crochet.
• Fern leaf YouTube tutorial by Chinki’z Knitting Knife Crochet Paradise.
• Cherry blossom pattern from The Make and Do Crew.
• Creating your foundation row and your first row at the same time. Technique, not a pattern, but extremely useful! Video tutorial by Creatiknit (US terminology).
• Bunny applique motif YouTube tutorial by Tuula Maaria. You can also crochet 2 together to make a mobile etc.
• Clucky Chicken pattern by me.
• Primrose pattern by Crochet Arcade.
• Primrose tutorial by Just Pootling.
• Moth madness amigurumi pattern by Brenna Eaves.
• Moon circle, see text above.

*myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. It is believed that ME may be triggered by viruses. In the UK, 250,000 people were known to have it before the corona virus. There are likely to be many more as it can take years to get diagnosed. Long COVID shows many similarities.

**I know, right? Total gamechanger! It also gives you a nice, stretchy first row that isn’t pulled into a curve.