Welcome to the first blog post of the year 2025. Do you make resolutions at the end of the year? I used to promise myself to start or quit doing something on January 1st, but well… We do not change overnight and in fact, we stay the same person in the morning, after the New Year's champagne is finished, and fireworks are silent. So no, I have not made any resolutions for this year. Except for a wish to crochet a lot.
And I crocheted a lot in January. So much, that I have two new designs to show you!
First, I would like to thank everyone who joined me for the Gift Mystery make-a-long last December. I was happy to see your cute small projects, and I was also happy to hear you learned some new crochet techniques.
One of them was the short rows. In the past, I already created a few designs with the short rows (check out Astrid Shawl, Hygge Neck Warmer, Ebba Neck Warmer, City Neck Warmer, For Them Sweater, Early Waves Cowl and Seeds Collection).
I knew that some of you were a little overwhelmed with the intricacy of these stitch patterns.
To help you overcome the fear of the short rows, I designed a Gift Coaster, which has become a huge success. The pattern for the Gift Coaster included a heavy support with photo and video tutorials, and I know that it helped you to feel more confident with the technique.
After the make-a-long, I have received a lot of requests for more patterns with short rows, and I heard you! Please, let me introduce a brand-new Shelly collection!
The Shelly Scarf (find it on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE) and Shelly Square (find it on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE) are available as stand-alone patterns and can be also purchased together as a collection at a reduced price.
It all started with an idea of creating seamless design with textured shells. You can probably find shell patterns out there, but most of them are cut-and-join, while I was trying to come up with an infinity stitch which does not require cutting yarn after every motif. And well, it was possible!
First, I created a Shelly Scarf – a long, textured beauty which is at the same time fully adjustable for length and width. The gauge is not important here, and you can choose any yarn you like (Sport/DK weight is recommended).
The scarf was designed as a parallelogram, but you can easily turn it into a triangular shawl, if you wish.
The construction of the Shelly Scarf is a unique one, and it probably differs from what you have seen before. The pattern is written in macro-rows, each consisting of several motifs (full shells and half-shells).
That might sound scary, but do not worry. The pattern includes full support with video and photo-tutorials. And once you memorize instructions for separate motifs, the crochet will be almost mindless. And hopefully you can continue crocheting the scarf watching your favourite TV series.
My first sample was done with Scheepjes Whirlette and Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm yarns held together. I opted for a larger hook, and I just love the warmth, fluffiness and the drape.
If you cannot wear wool, you can choose cotton-blend yarns. Another sample was crocheted with Scheepjes Stone Washed yarn, which is a blend of cotton and acrylic.
If you follow the gauge in the pattern, your scarf will become softer and even more drapey after the blocking.
Esther Schippers, who helped me with the testing, made Shelly Scarf with Scheepjes Whirl and Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm held together. Her gauge was a little bit tighter, and the scarf turned out a little smaller than mine, but still with a generous length.
For one Whirl cake you will need 5 balls of the Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm yarn. Find Scheepjes yarns in your local Scheepjes shop or buy via online retailers: Caro’s Atelier (NL and Europe), Wool Warehouse (UK with worldwide shipping), Taemombo (US and Canada).
The Shelly Scarf works in rows, and I was wondering if it was possible to use the same stitch pattern but working in the rounds. And this is how my Shelly Square was brought to life.
This is a continuous infinity stitch pattern which can be grown to any size at all. You just need to continue with the same macro-rounds until you are happy with the measurements. And create either a cushion, or a blanket. Or maybe a bag?
I made two samples of Shelly Square and turned both into pillows by stitching the crochet pieces onto the ready-fabric pillowcase by hand.
You can either go for a chic minimalist look with the chunky yarn in one color (I used Scheepjes Chunky Monkey yarn).
Or move off-the-grid with the variegated yarn. Here is my sample with the Stone Washed Minerals yarn. Is anyone in need of some unicorns?
Find Shelly Scarf of Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE.
Find Shelly Square on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE.
Following the series of satisfying crochet, I would like to introduce a new delicate pattern. Please, welcome a Morning Mist Wrap! The pattern is easy to follow, and instructions for both the wrap’s body and the border are quick to memorize. You can adjust the width and length as you need. And create a blanket instead, for example.
Copyright. An original LillaBjörnCrochet Design (Tatsiana Kupryianchyk). Copyright 2014-2023. All rights reserved. This pattern is for personal use only. It cannot be sold, redistributed or edited in any way. Translations and video tutorials are not allowed. You can sell your finished products, but you cannot use my pictures to promote them. Please, always note me as a designer of this pattern. Thank you!
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Find a ready-to-print copy of Morning Mist Wrap pattern without ads on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE.
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Materials:
Scheepjes Organicon (100% Organic Soft Cotton; 50g/170m)
Color 265 Morning Mist x 13 balls
You can find Organicon yarn in your
local Scheepjes shop, and via online retailers:
Caro's Atelier* (NL & Europe),
Taemombo
(US & Canada)
2.20mm crochet hook or any size to achieve the gauge
Scissors, yarn needle
Gauge: 24 sts and 12 rows to measure 10 x 10cm/4 x 4in (counting every ch3-sp as 2 sts), blocked
Measurements: approx. 58 x 200cm/22¾ x 78 ¾in, blocked
Pattern for gauge: Make a relaxed cord with 29 foundation sc. Work Rows 1-5 from the Wrap’s body, then repeat rows 2-5 two more times. Block the swatch and measure in the middle carefully for width and height, counting every ch3-sp as 2 sts.
Abbreviations (US terms)
beg beginning
blo back loop(s) only
ch chain stitch
dc double crochet
prev previous
RS right side
ss slip stitch
st(s) stitch(es)
sp(s) space(s)
yo yarn over the hook
WS wrong side
Stitch guide
BPdc (back post double crochet): yo, insert hook from back to front to back around the post of indicated stitch, yo, draw up a loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops] twice.
FPdc (front post double crochet): yo, insert hook from front to back to front around the post of indicated stitch, yo, draw up a loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops] twice.
FPdc2tog (front post double crochet 2 together): *yo, insert hook from front to back to front around the post of next st, yo, draw up a loop, yo, pull through 2 loops; rep from * once more, yo, pull through all 3 loops on hook.
FPdc3tog (front post double crochet 3 together): *yo, insert hook from front to back to front around the post of next st, yo, draw up a loop, yo, pull through 2 loops; rep from * twice more, yo, pull through all 4 loops on hook.
Pattern repeats:
[…] repeat instructions inside […] as many times as indicated in the pattern.
*…; rep instruction after * as many times as indicated in the pattern.
INSTRUCTIONS
Find a ready-to-print copy of Morning Mist pattern without ads on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE.
Video tutorial:
WRAP’S BODY
Stitch count is multiple of 8 sts + 5 sts
To begin, work a relaxed cored with 141 foundation sc.
Row 1 (WS): Ch4 (counts as first dc and ch2-sp – here and throughout), skip 1 st, 1dc in next st, [ch3, skip 2 sts, 3dc, ch3, skip 2 sts, 1dc] rep to last 2 sts, ch2, skip 1 st, 1dc in last st, turn.
Pattern repeat
Row 2 (RS): Ch4, skip first sp, 2dc in next dc, [ch3, skip sp, 1FPdc3tog around next 3 dc, ch3, skip sp, 3dc in next dc] rep to last sp working 2dc instead of last 3dc, ch2, 1dc in first ch of beg ch4 from prev row, turn.
Row 3 (WS): Ch4, skip sp, 1BPdc around each of next 2 dc, [ch3, skip sp, 1dc in next FPdc3tog, ch3, skip sp, 1BPdc round each of next 3 dc] rep to last sp working 2BPdc instead of last 3BPdc, ch2, 1dc in first ch of beg ch4 from prev row, turn.
Row 4: Ch4, skip sp, 1FPdc2tog around next 2 BPdc, [ch3, skip sp, 3dc in next dc, ch3, skip sp, 1FPdc3tog around next 3 BPdc] rep to last sp working FPdc2tog instead of last FPdc3tog, ch2, 1dc in first ch of beg ch4 from prev row, turn.
Row 5: Ch4, skip sp, 1dc in next FPdc2tog, [ch3, skip sp, 1BPdc around each of next 3 dc, ch3, skip sp, 1dc in next FPdc3tog] rep to last sp working last dc in last FPdc2tog, ch2, 1dc in first ch of beg ch4 from prev row, turn.
End of pattern repeat
Rep Rows 2-5 until the wrap has the desired length (I made 63 repeats). Then proceed to Border.
BORDER
Round 1 (RS): Ch1 (does not count as a st here and throughout), *(1sc, ch2, 1sc) in first st, cont along the top of the wrap working 2sc in every ch3-sp and 1sc in every st, when you reach next corner work (1sc, ch2, 1sc) in last st, turn a quarter and cont along the long side working 2sc in each sp until you come to the bottom of the wrap, turn a quarter and cont along the bottom, (1sc, ch2, 1sc) in first st of the bottom, 1sc in each st of the bottom to last st, (1sc, ch2, 1sc) in last st, turn a quarter and cont along the long side working 2sc in each sp until you come to the top of the wrap, join with ss to beg sc, 1ss to next ch2-sp, turn.
Round 2 (WS): Ch1, *1ss blo in each st to next corner ch2-sp, (1sc, ch2, 1sc) in corner ch2-sp; rep from * around, ss to beg st in blo, turn. On the next rounds, you will work vertically towards the sides of the scarf, creating a slim textured border.
Row 3 (RS): Ss to corner ch2-sp, ch5, 1ss in second ch from hook, 2sc, 1ss, 1ss blo in each of next 2 sts of the wrap’s side, turn.
Row 4 (WS): Ch1, 4ss blo, turn.
Row 5 (RS): Ch1, 1ss blo, 2sc blo, 1ss blo, skip the bump on the edge of prev row, 1ss blo in each of next 2 sts of the wrap’s side, turn.
Row 6 (WS): Ch1, 4ss blo, turn.
*Rep Rows 5-6 until you come to the next corner. On the last repeat of Row 5 you should cover one or both chains of the corner ch2-sp, then turn a quarter and cont along the next side repeating Rows 5-6; rep from * around the remaining three sides, covering the first two ch of Row 3 on the last repeat of Row 5. Fasten off.
FINISHING
Weave in ends, block wrap to measurements.
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Find a ready-to-print copy of the pattern without ads, you can find it on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE.
Hope you enjoy!
p.s. When the picture of the Morning Mist Wrap was revealed on social media,
one of the followers on Facebook mentioned that it looked familiar to the
Shadowplay Shawl
created by Sascha Blase. Great minds think alike! Looking like sisters,
the wraps have major texture and constructive differences. If you prefer a
border as-you-go, please definitely check the Sascha's pattern!
