This is the festive time of the year when we think of cosiness and decorations for our homes. Following the huge success of the last year's make-a-long, I have created a new one for you. Welcome to One Evening Mystery make-a-long (MAL).
I have designed four mystery crochet projects in different techniques: brioche, overlay and slip stitch crochet. All patterns are new, exclusive for this MAL and were never published before!
The patterns include small home decorations, all doable in just one evening. And some of them can be extended to bigger projects, too.
The MAL has not started yet, and a pre-order is running right now on Ravelry HERE. To get access to all 4 patterns, you need to purchase the listing on Ravelry. And to answer your possible questions, you will pay just once and receive all 4 patterns.
The first pattern will be added to your Ravelry library on November 24th, 2023. And then a new pattern will be revealed every Friday around 3pm CET.
You will need a tiny amount of yarn in several colors for each project. And a crochet hook. So, you can absolutely dive into your stash and see what you have there. For my projects, I used Scheepjes Catona* yarn and 3mm hook.
And if you in US or Canada, you can purchase a ready kit with yarns in several colorways from Laura of Taemombo. You can view the kits HERE.
Additionally, you can use beads to decorate and felt to make some of the projects more practical (but these are optional adds).
The patterns will be offered at a reduced price during the time of the MAL through December 31st, 2023. You do not need any codes, as the price is discounted already and will be updated to a full price after the end of the MAL.
Official support for this MAL will be offered in my Facebook group HERE where we will be happy to see all your pictures! Join now our friendly community with 37K+ members. Please, be aware that you will have to answer a simple question upon a sign-up. Without answering, your request will not be approved.
Hope you join! And enjoy!
UPDATE:
WEEK 1: One Evening Mug Wrap
WEEK 2: One Evening Bauble
WEEK 3: One Evening Snowflake (and star)
WEEK 4: One Evening Coaster
Welcome to the next part of the Geometry & Texture mystery make-a-long. If you missed the previous release, check all information about this event HERE on my blog. And read details about the Early Waves Cowl HERE. Also do not forget to check out the gorgeous Rödön Pillow from Martin Up North which he released as the first mystery design from his pattern pack last week.
Today’s design is the Gaudi Pillow, named after and inspired by the work of the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.
The first time I heard about him was at the art course we had at high school. I was fascinated by Gaudi’s talent and architecture. Many years later, in Vienna, I bought an album with pictures of his buildings. And kept hoping I could see the mind-blowing Sagrada Família one day.
My dream came true last September. My friend suggested we could go to Barcelona for a few days, and I felt like the excitement was going to explode in my heart. I refreshed all my memories about Gaudi’s artistic work, I bought all possible entrance tickets online and two weeks in advance. And I simply could not wait!
And the wait for almost all my adult life was worth it. I fell in love again.
Antonio Gaudi was searching for inspiration in the shapes and forms of nature. And my pillow was inspired by the curvy lines of his famous fairy towers on the roof of La Pedrera-Casa Milà.
Gaudi pillow uses embossed crochet technique with front and back post stitches. The pattern is straightforward, however some places might be tricky. But do not worry. I have recorded a full video tutorial for this pattern (you will find the link inside pillow’s instructions).
I have made one square in approx. 50cm/21in and stitched it by hand onto the ready fabric pillowcase in the same size. The pattern is fully adaptable, and you can use the same stitch pattern for the project in any width and length. Saying that, I mean it will also make a great textured blanket.
For one square I used around 2.5 balls of Scheepjes Scrumptious yarn, so for two sides (if you wish to make your pillow double-sided), you will need 5 balls of this yarn. Of course, you choose a different DK yarn, your yardages will be different.
You will find Scrumptious yarn in your nearest local Scheepjes shop, or via online retailers: Wool Warehouse* (UK&worldwide), Carosatelier* (NL&Europe), Taemombo* (US&Canada).
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Ceiling in Sagrada Familia (Barcelona) |
If you are participating in the MAL already, the new file has been added to your Ravelry library (please, refresh it). And if you would like to join now, you will find Geometry & Texture MAL listing HERE. You will only pay once, and will receive all 3 patterns (the last pattern will be released in two weeks).
UPDATE: Gaudi pillow is now available HERE on Etsy.
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Rödön Pillow
by Martin Up North |
Make sure to check Martin’s pattern pack on Ravelry HERE, too. Next week, he will reveal his next mystery project. And I am quite sure you will like it 😊 I was lucky to get an early sneak peek, so I might show you my progress next Friday, on the day of his release. I will share my picture in Facebook group HERE, where we are officially hosting our make-a-long together with Martin.
So, see you next Friday!
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| photo credit: Practical Publishing |
Celestia blanket is about hexagon motifs, each with a new mosaic stitch pattern. I’ve been experimenting with different shapes and hexies is one of my favourite, too. So, Celestia is a mix of several loves of mine which met together in one blanket.
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| photo credit: @evakobz |
We decided to bring the blanket in two colourways – both with Scheepjes yarns. The original version was designed with 100% premium acrylic Colour Crafter yarn, and we used gentle pastel shades together with bright icy white.
To be honest, in the beginning I was a bit sceptical about this color scheme, as pinks and baby blues are absolutely out of my comfort designing zone. But when all motifs were finished and joined together, I fell in love! And so fell in love ALL my friends who saw the blanket before it was shipped to a publisher. It looks very soft, and gentle, and fragile. A true Celestia look, whatever it means :)
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| photo credit: @evakobz |
For the second colorway I was asked me to pick yarn and colors myself, and because I am a big fan of Scheepjes Metropolis, I chose this yarn. In dramatic graphite gray for the main color and rainbow splash for a contrast.
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| photo credit: @evakobz |
This sample was a bit of a challenge, as I didn’t make it myself. Several lovely ladies kindly agreed to help me test the pattern, each of them made motifs with one contrast color, and Jenny joined them and added a tiny lace border. So I haven’t seen the finished blanket until the very end. I was hoping the colors would play together nicely, but the final result turned out even better than I expected! Love it, too.
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| photo credit: @evakobz |
Despite difference in weight (DK for Colour Crafter and fingering for Metropolis), I decided to use the same hook size (4 mm) and gauge for both blankets. And they are exactly the same size – approx. 125 cm x 165 cm.
Mosaic crochet uses very basic crochet stitches, but sometimes their placement might be tricky. Celestia blanket pattern comes with full row-by-row written instructions and charts. If you want additional support while working on Celestia, be sure to join my Facebook group.
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| photo credit: @evakobz |
As already mentioned, Celestia blanket was exclusively designed for Crochet Now magazine, and now it is also available as a stand-alone pattern via website HERE and Ravelry HERE!
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| Photo credit: Practical Publishing |
There are still some ready kits available for the Celestia Blanket. If you want to purchase on, I would be very grateful if you use one of the links below. They are affiliate and I might be compensated with a tiny amount from each sale while you will not pay anything extra: Wool Warehouse (UK, international shipping), Taemombo (US & Canada).
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| photo credit: @evakobz |
Because international shipping is still limited at the moment with COVID restrictions, please, also check with your local Scheepjes stockists to see if they carry yarns and colors. Find a complete list of materials below.
Colour Crafter* version:
7x Barneveld (1005)
2x Texel (1019)
2x Den Bosch (1241)
2x Coevorden (1823)
1x Assen (1065)
1x Wolvega (1099)
Metropolis* version:
11x Miami (069)
3x Marseille (019)
3x Lima (055)
3x Abu Dhabi (032)
2x Quebec (077)
2x Tehran (036)
Can’t wait to see your beautiful creations! If you share them online, please use hashtag #Celestiablanket and #designedbylillabjorn.
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Festive season is just around the corner. In these unsure and dark covid days, with lockdowns in many countries in the world our winter holidays will probably not be the same as they used to be. Many of us stay at home and don’t see our loved ones often. But still it doesn’t mean we can’t cheer ourselves up. Crochet is a powerful tool. Both for the mind and for the soul. We can create small and cute little things to decorate our homes and give them away to our family and friends. Today I am happy to announce a Not a Christmas Mystery CAL (crochet-a-long).
I called it “Not a Christmas” because Christmas is not here yet, and also because not everyone celebrates it. But nice crochet decorations will add a festive touch to every home.
And “mystery” means you will not know what will be coming before actual release. I thought I would host this CAL as one big surprise :-D
The crochet-a-long will start next week, when the first part will be revealed on my blog and Ravelry. The CAL will run for 4 weeks, with a new pattern coming out every Friday. So totally we will make four decorations (or presents).
Every pattern will use a different crochet technique (overlay, tapestry, brioche and mosaic). The decorations will be small and doable in just one week. But of course you can create many more using the patterns.
WHAT
Four crochet patterns for festive home decorations in different crochet techniques: mosaic, overlay, brioche and tapestry. Great chance to learn something new and join fellow crocheters for online celebration.
WHEN
Not a Christmas Mystery CAL will begin next week, on Friday November 20th, 2020. And then every new pattern will be released on a weekly basis.
WHO
Everyone who loves crochet, knows basic stitches and wants to learn something new.
HOW
This CAL is a paid one and will run on Ravelry only. I know many of you are used to Etsy, but unfortunately this platform doesn’t allow adding the files with automatic update.
To participate in the CAL you will need to purchase instructions on Ravelry HERE.
The CAL has not started yet, and a pre-order is running right now. First pattern will be added to your Ravelry library next Friday, on November 20th, 2020. The patterns will be offered at a reduced price during the CAL through December 31, 2020 and then will be updated to a full price.
Official support for this CAL will be offered in my Facebook group HERE where I will be happy to see all your pictures! Join now our friendly community with 22K+ members. Please, be aware that you will have to answer a simple question upon a sing up. Without answering it your request will not be approved.
WHAT YOU NEED
To participate in the Not a Christmas Mystery CAL you will need yarn, hook, and your happy mood :) I have opened my Scheepjes Catona pack with 100+ mini skeins (10g each).
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| Photo credit: It's All in A Nutshell |
Those tiny babies are perfect for small crochet projects. And you also have lots of colors to choose from and to combine. Every pattern will use just 2-5 skeins (10g). Some of them will use just leftovers from previous skeins.
If you don’t plan to make many decorations, then 15-20 x10g skeins in different contrasting colors will be enough. You will also need 3 mm and 3.5 mm crochet hook, yarn needle, a button, scissors and stuffing. And beads (optional). Everything will be revealed during the CAL.
Scheepjes Catona cutie packs as well as individual skeins (in 10g, 25g and 50g) are available in your local Scheepjes shops and via online retailers:
Wool Warehouse* and Black Sheep Wools* (both in UK, international shipping)
Caro's Atelier* (NL, Europe)
Taemombo (US and Canada)
This is all for now!
Hope to see you in a week.
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UPDATE for pattern timeline:
PART 1 - Brioche Bauble
PART 2 - Blakent Coaster in tapestry crochet
PART 3 - Snowflake Garland in overlay crochet
PART 4 - Mug Wrap in mosaic crochet
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| Phot credit: Jessica Wifall |
Introduction
Although this fantastic blanket was designed by Jessica Wifall, this project is precious for me personally as a designer in several ways.
First of all, because my own pattern – Dandelion Border – was used as a part of this design.
Secondly, because Baby Henry’s Heirloom Afghan is based on the Overlay Crochet Mandala No 6 by Carola Herbst of CAROcreated. My own designing journey began 5 years ago with overlay crochet mandalas. I bought one of the Carola’s designs on Etsy, made my first ever overlay crochet mandala, and fell in love with this technique.
Over a hundred designs have been created since then, but I remember very well how it all started. And I can’t thank Carola enough for giving me a huge source of inspiration and confidence in my own designing skills.
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| Phot credit: Jessica Wifall |
And thirdly, this CAL is special for me because it also uses a part of Sophie’s Universe blanket designed by my dearest friend Dedri Uys of Look At what I Made. I was very lucky to become a part of Scheepjes Bloggers team, meet Dedri and make friends with her in real life. She is my forever crochet mentor.
As you have guessed already, Baby Henry’s Designer Heirloom Afghan CAL incorporates three patterns from different designers: Overlay Crochet Mandala No 6 by Carola, Sophie’s Universe Part 4 by Dedri and Dandelion Border by me. Two of these patterns including mine are paid, so to join the CAL you will need to purchase them, either on Ravelry or Etsy.
Jessica Wifall put all three patterns together (and I can’t believe she could adapt mandala pattern so well!) and wrote her own notes which are available as a free download (HERE or HERE).
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| Phot credit: Jessica Wifall |
General Information
Infromation: Baby Henry’s Designer Heirloom Afghan CAL will be hosted in Facebook in CAL – crochet A long group where you will connect with other makers from all over the world. You can ask questions and share your pictures there.
Pattern: All notes can be downloaded either from Ravelry HERE or from CAL – crochet a long blog HERE.
Instagram: If you share photos of your Henrys, please use #babyhenrysdesignerheirloom
Yarn and Colorways
There are no official yarn packs for this CAL. You can either use your stash or buy the yarn in separate skeins.
Baby Henry’s Heirloom Designer Afghan comes in three colorways. The original was made with Catona yarn by Scheepjes (100% cotton sport weight yarn) and 3mm hook.
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| Phot credit: Jessica Wifall |
The size of the finished blanket will depend on the yarn and hook you use and also on your personal crochet style. Jessyca’s afghan turned out 114cm/45”.
You can purchase Catona yarn in local Scheepjes shops or via online retailers (affiliate links are marked with *): Wool Warehouse* (UK, international shipping), Black Sheep Wools* (UK, international shipping), Caro’s Atelier* (NL and Europe), Knotty House* (Canada), Taemombo* (Canada and US).
Here are the colors and yardages for the original version:
Jet Black (110) – 7 x 50g balls
Bridal White (105) – 5 x 50g balls
Champaign (248) – 4 x 50g balls
Dark Olive (387) – 4 x 50g balls
Light Silver (172) – 3 x 50g balls
Metal Grey (242) – 3 x 50g balls
Black Coffee (162) – 2 x 50g balls
Mercury (074) – 2 x 50g balls
Charcoal (393) – 2 x 50g balls
Anthracite (501) – 1 x 50g balls
Root Beer (157) – 1 x 50g balls
Caramel (506) – 1 x 50g balls
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| Phot credit: Jessica Wifall |
Another colorway is called Henry’s Voyage. It also uses Catona yarn, but in fewer colors:
Ultramarine (124) – 9 x 50g balls
Champaign (248) – 8 x 50g balls
Light Navy (164) – 8 x 50g balls
Dark Olive (387) – 6 x 50g balls
And you can also choose your own colors. To help you visualize the look of the finished blanket, the organizers have created colouring pages for you. Print them out, take the pencils and color your own blanket in any palette you like.
If you rather wish to use DK or even aran yarn, please, check yardages in the Official information post HERE.
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| Phot credit: Jessica Wifall |
Techniques
This Afghan pattern uses overlay crochet technique. If you have never tried it, the patterns might be a bit difficult to read and follow, at first. But after you are used to the pattern style, everything will become smoother.
All three patterns contain heavy photo-tutorials with loads of progress high quality pictures.
If you are still unsure, please check general information about overlay crochet HERE on my blog. And practice with one or two squares from Circles of the Sun CAL.
Timeline
Baby Henry’s Designer Heirloom Afghan crochet-a-long will begin on August 1st, 2019 and will run for 16 weeks, with parts being released weekly on a Thursday. Enjoy!
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