Welcome to day 4 of the Advent CAL 2023 – the 10 Gift Bags of Christmas!
The fourth bag is again based on granny squares and I designed it specifically for a present of a bar of luxury soap (plus a washcloth, oops did I make a present?). So I called it the Soap Gift Bag. Granny squares are extremely versatile and can be joined together to make a larger shape and 3D shapes. Small granny squares are also great for using up leftover yarn and are more versatile when creating 3D shapes. So this is a perfect stashbusting gift bag.
The pattern includes a diagram of how you join the grannies to make the bag. Once you’ve mastered the joining then you could make all shapes of bags with grannies.
The pattern is available here and is free provided you use the code SOAP on purchase. All the patterns in the CAL will be available free for the duration of the CAL, until midnight GMT 13th December 2023.
Today (15th August 2023) is Granny Square Day so I thought it the right time to remind you of some of my granny square designs, many of which are free.
First is the Festival Bag with a free pattern on the blog here.
Next there are lots of granny square variations in my Blog Blanket CAL 2015, first blog post here. These are free on the blog but there is also a downloadable pattern on Ravelry for £2.
And my Christmas Blanket 2014 also has granny square variations free on the blog, or again a printable version for £2 on Ravelry.
These are all ‘traditional’ styles of granny square, you can find other square designs of mine on Ravelry here.
Finally, I was having a chat with a good friend today about how I’d love a t-shirt or blouse in granny square fabric. I was so pleased to discover she has some designs available on her website – just have a look here. What a fantastic thing to discover on Granny Square Day!! I may just have ordered a couple of items 🙂
Welcome to the Winter CAL 2015. Today I’m introducing the CAL, providing information on requirements and the pattern for the first square motif, a ‘solid’ granny which should be pretty familiar and which will help you estimate your own requirements if you aren’t using the same yarn.
This post is rather long, so make a cuppa and settle down for a long read !
YARN
First let’s talk about yarn. I’m using a double knit (DK) yarn and I’m making 2 blankets.
My first is a ‘sample’ blanket using 6 bright colours which cheer up winter and the second is also a bright colour palate but will be structured differently. I’m using the second colour set to crochet along with you.
Sample yarn: John Arbon, Knit by Numbers DK, 100% merino, 100g/250m per skein. 2 skeins each of Blue (039), Pink (063), Yellow (052), Green (071) and Purple (029) and 1 skein of Orange (015). This is sufficient for a blanket 7 motifs square, so a total of 49 motifs and a small border.
John Arbon Knit by Numbers
CAL yarn: Stylecraft Life DK, 75% acrylic/25% wool, 100g/298m per ball. I’m using 2 balls each of Teal (2416), Mint (2342), Aqua (2357) and Fern (2311) and 1 ball each of Daffodil (2394), Rose (2301), Melon (2359) and Zing (2356). The blanket will be 7 motifs square also, the same as the sample, but I will put a larger border on this.
Stylecraft Life DK
HOOK
I am using a 4mm crochet hook (US G/6)
MOTIF/TENSION
The motifs are square and each motif is approx. 19cm (just under 8in) square after blocking, using the ‘sample’ yarn.
ADAPTABILITY
You can use any yarn you like, as long as you use a suitable hook size. And you can make it to any size you like. It is a perfect stash buster. Later in this blog I show you how to you estimate your yarn requirements.
COLOUR SCHEME
Some of the motifs in this design work well in just one colour, others work well in up to 5 colours. So whatever you choose, I recommend you have at least 5 colours of yarn. I used 6 colours in my sample blanket and I’m using 8 colours in my CAL blanket.
MOTIF DESIGNS AND TIMINGS
There are 8 motif designs, and you can use as many or as few as you like. The first 2 designs are free and will be published on this blog, so you could use just these 2. The first design is published today, the second design will be published on 26th December.
The other 6 will be published weekly thereafter and will be included in a comprehensive pattern which will be available to buy on Ravelry, it will be published initially on 26th December and updated as each motif is released. Photos of the new motifs will appear on this blog, along with my progress updates.
SIZE
You can make the blanket any size you like. The lap blanket I am making will be 7 motifs square – a total of 49 motifs. It will be just over 1.3m/52in square with a small border.
HOW TO WORK OUT YARN REQUIREMENTS
This is an approximate way to work out your yarn requirement.
First make the motif in this blog. I worked out it uses an average amount of yarn for all the 8 motifs, so is a good guide as to how much each motif will use.
Then measure your motif. Using this measurement work out how big you want your blanket to be – so if the motif is 20cm and you want a blanket 120cm square then it will need to be 6 motifs square – that’s 36 motifs.
I prefer my blankets to have an odd number along each side, as visually I find odd numbers more appealing. So you may prefer to aim for 7 by 7 (49 motifs), or 5 by 5 (25 motifs) or even 9 by 9 (81 motifs).
Whatever you decide, let’s just say the number of motifs you want is N
Now weigh your motif – it doesn’t matter if you weigh in grams or ounces. Let’s just say that weight is W
For the motifs you need yarn with a total weight of N times W, but you need to add a margin for joining, colour matching/changing and a border. I recommend a minimum of 10% (which works for a small border and if you are careful with colour matching) or 20% (which works well with a larger border) or 25% (if you aren’t confident about colour matching and/or don’t really know what you want to do for a border).
So take N by W, add 10%, 20% or 25% and then divide by the size (weight) of skeins/balls for the yarn you are using.
For my bright sample I had 49 motifs, each weighing an average of 20g – so 49 by 20 plus 10% is 1078g and the skeins come in 100g, so I need 10.78 – or 11.
The estimating works if you are using all the same yarn, if you use different brands of yarn then you should look carefully on the ball band to find out how many m or yd are in each brand – they vary quite a lot. If yours vary, then you’ll have to do some more maths to work out your requirements. Essentially you need to work out the meterage or yardage of your motif, rather than just the weight. I’ll provide information on this in my Ravelry group here if you want it – so just join in the discussion and ask!
Now onto the pattern:
This is the first motif. It is similar to one I used last year but this has more rounds in total, it’s a ‘solid’ granny square.
ABBREVIATIONS:
The pattern is written in English crochet terms.
St = stitch
Ch = chain
Tr = treble (US dc)
Ss = slip stitch
Sp = space
Ch-sp =chain space
Solid motif
I made 8 of these in a variety of colours:
Foundation: Make a 4ch foundation ch and join into a ring with a ss
Round 1: 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), (3tr, 2ch) 3 times into the ring, 2tr into the ring, join to 3rd st of first 5ch with a ss.
Round 2: ss into 2ch-sp, (note for this and each subsequent round: this ss is to position the start of the round in the right place) 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), 2tr into the same 2ch-sp, 1tr into each tr along each side and (2tr, 2ch, 2tr) in each 2ch-sp on the corner, finish with 1tr in the first 2ch-sp where you started the round and join to 3rd ch from start with a ss. You should have 7tr along each side and 2ch in each corner of your motif.
Rounds 3 to 8: Repeat Round 2. Each round the number of tr along each side will increase by 4, so at the end of Round 8 you should have 31tr along each side and 2ch in each corner of your motif.
Break yarn and fasten off leaving a long tail about 3m long for sewing or crocheting together later.
COLOUR
In my sample blanket I made 8 of these motifs in just one colour each. But you can use up to 8 colours, just by changing colour at the start of each round. I will start my CAL blanket later today and I’m planning on using at least 2 colours on each of my 8 motifs. I’ll post progress photos tomorrow.
LAYOUT
The ‘solid’ motifs can be positioned anywhere in the blanket but I thought it would help to give structure to the blanket if I positioned them around the edge of it. So here is where I put them in my blanket (shown as 1):
Solid motif locations
If you want to chat about this, there is a discussion thread on my Ravelry forum here.
Or you could just comment on this post.
I’m looking forward to seeing what yarns you choose 🙂
I’ve just published the full and final pattern for the anniversary CAL. So here’s the reveal:
Anniversary mandala cushion
As you can see, the front and back of the cushions I made are different, as I like a little variety. Of course, if you make a cushion you could make the front and back the same…….but which would you choose?
The last few posts on this blog have been about the Anniversary CAL, but I have been doing a lot more than just finalising the pattern for the CAL. Patterns are generally written well ahead of publication, then tested and refined – the publication hasn’t taken much of my time at all.
So today I will share a round-up of activity from the last few weeks.
First I was happy to have 2 designs published in different magazines both of which were released on the same day! What a very happy co-incidence! Again these were prepared and written months ago, but the excitement of receiving the magazines and seeing the designs in print (and beautifully styled) is immense. And, of course, I give myself plenty of time to read the magazines over a cup or 2 of coffee!
This one is a flexible design – it can be a skinny scarf, a lariat necklace or a belt – the perfect item to pack for holiday. It is made in some of my favourite yarn, WillowKnits handdyed worsted silk, and it is relatively quick to make, so even if you are off on holiday next week I am sure you can make this in time.
I had such fun making this! It comes in 2 sizes and I designed it so it is made in one piece and requires very little sewing up. I know that finishing a crocheted or knitted garment is generally one of the most disliked tasks, and I know of many pieces that languish in cupboards and drawers awaiting sewing up. For the boho top the motifs are joined as you go and the bodice is made upwards from the motif section, the edging is incorporated into the bodice as you make it and there are probably less than a dozen sewing stitches required to join the shoulders. So once you finish hooking it takes minutes to finish the garment!
You may recall I mentioned a while ago that I treated myself on the spur of the moment to a set of Hamanaka crochet hooks from Janie Crow. I had my eye on these for a while, they looked small and neat, and being double ended meant that I could carry a large range of hooks in a small bag. They haven’t disappointed me at all. I haven’t used anything else since I bought them!
I bought a set of 5 regular sizes, a set of 3 small sizes and a small case for them. The hooks are lovely to handle and, for my small hands, a perfect size. I added a small pair of scissors, some tapestry needles and stitch markers to the front pocket in the case and I now have a perfect little crochet kit.
Hamanaka – heaven in a hook!
I have been working on a simple granny square cushion in lovely handdyed 4 ply silk, and you can tell from this photo that I have used the hook a lot (evidenced by the dye accumulating on the handle near the hook shank – don’t worry, I know from experience that this will wash off easily).
Another thing I like about these hooks is that the 3mm and 4mm sizes are on the same hook, and these are the sizes I use the most – so if I want to travel light with crochet, that is the only hook I need carry.
I’ve also been indulging in some more mandala designing, this is a special mandala which is just in the pattern writing stage:
The special
And I have been making some ‘mini bunting’ from a pattern by Emma Lamb published in Mollie Makes Crochet, another great selection of crochet patterns. This now adorns the headboard of the spare bed. Previously my Anniversary Crochet Flower mini bunting adorned the bedhead but I felt it was in need of a refresh and a narrower colour palette – 2 of Emma’s flowers from the book were perfect for this.
Mini flower bunting
So what has been keeping you busy this last month?
Today part 2 of the Anniversary CAL is published. You can find it on Ravelry and LoveCrochet.
Part 2 has a new motif – a large one! And it is included in this mini cushion I made:
As you can see the 2 motifs work together well, I designed the sizes so that they did! Part 2 of the pattern includes a suggested layout if you’d like to make a blanket or throw with just these 2 styles of motif, but there are plenty of other options available – just use your imagination (and maybe a little maths!).
If you haven’t already joined in the CAL, please do – I love seeing what everyone makes with the motifs.
I am pleased to announce details of the Anniversary CAL 2015.
It is motif based and mandala inspired – so definitely colourful!
MCAL tiny peek
The pattern will be released in 3 parts and will be available on Ravelry and on LoveCrochet/LoveKnitting. Part 1 will be published on 31st July and parts 2 and 3 follow at weekly intervals.
The motifs can be used together in just about any project using whatever yarn you like (stashing busting is very appropriate!). I am making a cushion with mine, but I would love to see other uses – a blanket, a scarf or whatever you like. As it is mandala inspired you may even like to make a set of mandalas!
The pattern costs £3. However, on publication on 31st July I will release a coupon code for those purchasing on Ravelry – the first 10 people using the coupon code will be able to get the pattern free. Once those coupon codes are used up the pattern will be automatically discounted on Ravelry by £2 for the first week and £1 for the second week. These discounts will also apply on LoveCrochet/LoveKnitting, which will be handy for those of you purchasing yarn.
There will be a prize draw at the end of September, all finished projects published on the FO thread on Ravelry will be eligible for the prize draw – whatever the FO is! Multiple entries will be allowed. Prizes TBA in due course.
If you want to make a cushion then this is the yarn I used (but this isn’t compulsory!):
Drops Alpaca, 100% alpaca, 50g/164m/182yds per ball. 1 ball each of:
Goldenrod (2923), Red (3620), Orange (2915), Lime (7300) and Off White (Main colour) (0100)
3.0mm (US D/3) crochet hook
My cushion had a different front and back, if you want to have them the same you may need 2 balls of the Main Colour.
Any questions? Join my Ravelry group and ask questions here: Agrarian Artisan
I have been working on a new design, a stash busting cowl. Or rather an all round stash buster 🙂
I had a lot of double knit in a variety of rainbow colours so I designed a square motif which I put into a lovely colourful cowl. I love the motif and I think it is a little addictive. It would be perfect in a blanket.
The pattern is currently in test but should be published by the end of the week, meanwhile here’s a sneaky peek:
Towards the end of February this year something interesting popped into my twitter feed – rent a sheep through the Meadow Farm Wool Project. It grabbed my interest straightaway and I popped over to the website. Within minutes I was renting a sheep!
In due course I will receive yarn spun from the fleece of the sheep (well maybe not the exact one I am renting, but from the same flock). I am not an expert on fleece but I know Jacob will be strong and probably good for hardwearing items. This is a great project, with excellent provenance for the wool – grown in Somerset and spun in Yorkshire – British through and through, and by renting a sheep I am also supporting 2 excellent charities – The Teenage Cancer Trust and Headway.
The project will have ideas on patterns for the yarn in due course. But I am impatient! So I decided I should design a crochet motif for the yarn, and not just for me. I think Jane and Annie (who established the project) would appreciate some pattern support, and I think their project is extremely worthwhile – so the design is for them. They will be sending out the motif to all sheep renters.
Here’s a sneaky peek:
Meadow Farm Motif
I can’t wait to receive my yarn, I think I will be making some lovely cushion covers with my motif.
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