Would you look at those fabulous colors? The Scheepjes Stone Washed and River Washed Colour Pack contains all 36 Stone Washed colours, as well as 14 colors of River Washed in cute 10g DK balls. This Colour Pack is also available as an XL (aran/worsted) variety containing 15g balls of all 50 colors. I had both, but decided for this design that I was going to work my main color in Scheepjes Colour Crafter which is DK weight so went with the regular SW/RW. I don't mind mixing fibers here (SW/RW is acrylic/cotton blend while the Colour Crafter is premium acrylic) since they are both soft with similar texture and drape--and they are both washable!
I love how they come in this sweet little box--all showing their colorful little cutie pie faces. The box even has a little handle. For this person with "compulsive containerism" it's simply perfect.
When all was said and done, I used 48 of the 50 colors. I have a friend who tested this pattern for me and she's using the larger 50g balls of Stonewashed for her main color. I'm looking forward to seeing it!
Skill Level: Easy (Since it's just a little twist on a traditional granny this rating suits, and the pattern reading is pretty simple. The only tricky bit might be if you choose to do the join-as-you-go if you've never done it, but if you have, then it's easy peasy.
• The Riverwashed and Stonewashed yarns can be purchased in a Scheepjes Colour Pack* of .35oz/10g balls with all 48 colors included. Approximately .25oz/7g was used of each color of RW/SW.
• Ch 1 at the beginning of a round does NOT count as a stitch.
• All joining is completed with a slip stitch.
• Refer to the Placement Diagram for color placement of motifs.
• Round 3 is the join-as-you-go round for all motifs.
--If you do NOT wish to join-as-you-go, complete directions for Rnd 3 as written for your first and all additional motifs and join using your preferred method.
--If you wish to join-as-you-go, complete Rnd 3 as written for the first motif. For second and additional motifs, follow the directions under Joining for Rnd 3.
• Motifs are worked in rounds with RS facing throughout. They are joined as you go to one another, if preferred, on the final round after which the blanket is bordered. The pom edging is then added with WS facing.
Aren't those little poms just so much fun? I decided to make the border multi-colored with the poms changing every little bit. It's a happy, bobbly border, I think. It does require a few more ends to weave, but that is most often the price if you want a bit of fun color--and it's always worth it to me!
Gauge is not super critical to this project--I had some of all of the colors left but I suggest you make a square motif with the 4mm hook and see if it comes out to the correct size. Mine was 3.25" (8.3cm). If you are smaller, try going up a hook size; if you are larger go down a hook size.
My final blanket including the border measured 42in (107cm) X 55in (140cm), which is a fabulous crib size blanket or small throw.
These are the stitch abbreviations I used in this pattern. Remember, they are US terms!
Motifs are joined-as-you-go while working Round 3. Replace each ch-1 between Cls with a sl st to the adjacent neighboring motif’s ch-1 sp. When joining to one motif at a corner, the second ch of the ch-3 corner is replaced with a sl st to the neighboring motif’s adjacent corner before continuing the working motif. When joining to two motifs at the corners, sl st to both the ch-3 corner sp of the neighbor above and the ch-3 corner sp of the neighbor to the left before continuing the working motif.
This picture shows the joining positions of the motifs. Notice that they are joined along each side at the ch-1 spaces with a sl st to the neighboring square's ch-1 space and at the corners with a sl st to the neighbor's ch-3 corner space. The red Xs are places where you will need to sl st to both the upper and left neighbor (internal corners) when joining at the corner. The green X marks the position where the black square would begin joining to the upper right rectangle as you work Rnd 3. The two white Xs show regular sl st joins. Also, note that with all of the joining, the neighbor's Cl is directly across from your working motif's Cl.
Here's how to work the border--which is almost just a granny border but with a couple of differences.
Now is the time to weave in those ends and make things look beautiful! I chose to block mine, but it didn't really need it, I just like the more professional finish I get.
I hope you enjoy the pattern a bunch! I know that it is happily draped over the arm of my sofa so I can grab it for little extra warmth, and I love it!
My fabulous testers helped with this one, but the border didn't get tested, so if you find errors, please let me know. Oh, and I'll do a little tutorial on my pom edging (also included in the PDF) in a different post really soon!
So, poise those hooks, snag that yarn, and lets get weaving crocheting!
I've got a monster huge blanket project that just rolled off my hook yesterday but still needs a border. I actually dreamed that I was asking everyone how to border it--so maybe I'll do just that and ask for suggestions on my Facebook and Instagram pages here and here.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day here in the US, so I'll be celebrating with my Mom and family--my daughter is cooking!! I hope you enjoy your day, too, whether you are celebrating or not.
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Susan: This is great! I love how vintage this looks! I want to try and find those yarn packs in the US.
Thanks! You might be able to find them from Stitched Naturally online.