Tag Archives: free pattern

Announcement: Nuts about Squares CAL

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It is with great joy that I can announce to you my new crochet along Nuts About Squares. I have been working on this quietly for more than a year and now the time has finally come to share my nutty project with you.

A small definition from the scholars at Cambridge:

be nuts about (sth/sb)
Informal. To be very enthusiastic about an object, activity, or person.

We are all nuts about something or someone; something that we really enjoy doing or someone that we love to hang around with. I love to crochet squares and hence the name Nuts About Squares was quickly born for this, my very first CAL. This CAL is not so much my design because the squares are designed by others, but it is my selection. Squares that appeal to me and that I consider beautiful. I did have some help choosing, testing and working out the details, but that I will tell later. You can find all relevant information HERE.

Nuts about Squares CAL

What are we making?

We are making a blanket with 35 lovely squares designed by 11 talented crochet designers. Some of them are well known and admired for their fabulous designs, others are perhaps less known but I am sure you will love their designs also. Contributing designers are Dedri Uys, Helen Shrimpton, Polly Plum, Sigrun Hugoey, Melissa Green, Heather Gibbs, Julie Yeager, Margaret MacInnis, Susan Stevens/Mellie Blossom, Aurora Suominen, and Tatsiana Kupryianchyk. Each square has been carefully selected to ensure that the squares work together well in their look and feel. Most of the squares are textured and have an artistic look about them.

nuts-about-squares-cal-scheepjes_c1

 

Colorways and yarn packs

There are three colorways available for this CAL, one in Scheepjes Color Crafter, one in Scheepjes Sunkissed and one in Scheepjes Stone Washed. Each colorway contains 6 colors and has its own look around the central theme “Earth, Sea and Sky”.

The Color Crafter kit contains blue and green colors and is called “Nuts about the Sea”, the Sunkissed kit contains contrasting and deep colors and is called “Nuts about the Sky”, and the Stone Washed kit contains earthy colors and is called “Nuts about the Earth”.

Depending on which kit you have and your personal tension your blanket will be approximately the following sizes. The Color Crafter blanket will be about 130cm x 180cm, the Stone Washed blanket about 115cm x 160cm, and the Sunkissed blanket about 100cm x 140cm.

The kits are available from Wool Warehouse, Deramores and Caro’s Atelier (NL). Thank you for supporting my work by buying your yarn through the links on my blog.

Yarn kits Nuts about Squares

If you have one of the three kits for this CAL you can follow the colorway that I will specify each week. However, you are more than welcome to follow your own colorway also. I will give more details about yarn amounts and tips for choosing colors next week.

Some practical information

The CAL will last 15 weeks and starts March 31, 2017. During the first 12 weeks we will be making the squares, followed by 2 weeks for joining and one week for the border. Each week there will be English video tutorials to show you how to make the squares for that week as well as links to the original written patterns in English and Dutch.

Where to find all the info

Each week I will have a post here on my blog with all the information you need for that week, for example which colors to use and links to the original patterns. On my YouTube channel you will also find the video tutorials. The CAL will be hosted by the Official CCC Social Group on Facebook. In this group you can ask questions and show your work so be sure to join the group if you have not already done so.

Nuts about Squares

Hashtags

If you would like to share your work, use the hashtag #NAS or #NutsAboutSquares so that I can easily find it on Facebook or Instagram.

I hope you are as excited about Nuts about Squares as I am and I hope to see all of you March 31st when we start a new CAL together.

With love,

Esther

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This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and copyright policy. All opinions are my own and I only link to products I use or would use. Thank you for using the links on my blog and supporting my work.

© COPYRIGHT IT’S ALL IN A NUTSHELL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE COPYRIGHT OF NUTS ABOUT SQUARES CAL IS PROTECTED BY SCHEEPJES.COM

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Touch of Velvet Wrap – Free Crochet Pattern

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Here is the free crochet pattern for my Touch of Velvet wrap I showed you last week. It’s an elegant design that is finished with a playful beaded edge. I must say that I am really happy with this design and it’s surprisingly warm with the Color Crafter Velvet yarn.

touch_of_velvet_wrap-1

Materials

You will need the following materials to make the Touch of Velvet Wrap

Scheepjes Color Crafter Velvet is available from Wool Warehouse, Deramores or your Scheepjes stockist. Thank you for using the links on my blog, supporting my work and helping me to keep my patterns free.

Gauge and size

Gauge is not essential for this project and it’s not needed to make a gauge swatch. If your gauge is similar to mine your final wrap will be approximately 200cm wide and 90cm high.

Resources

Abbreviations

This pattern uses US crochet terms. If you are more familiar with UK crochet terms, please see this conversion table for the most common terms.

  • ch – chain
  • sc – single crochet
  • dc – double crochet
  • ss – slip stitch
  • st – stitch
  • picot – ch3, ss in first chain stitch worked
  • dc4tog – 4 double crochet stitches worked together
  • YO – yarn over

Special stitches

SDC – Special Double Cluster. A dc4tog with the first 2 legs in the first ch5-space and the last 2 legs in the second ch5-space.
YO, pull up a loop in current ch5-space, take off 2 loops, 2 loops on your hook. YO, pull up a loop in current ch5-space, take off 2 loops, 3 loops on your hook. YO, pull up a loop in next ch5-space, take off 2 loops, 4 loops on your hook. YO, pull up a loop in next ch5-space, take off 2 loops, 5 loops on your hook.  YO and take off all loops on your hook.

Standing SDC – Standing Special Double Cluster.
Attach yarn with a ss in first ch5-space, ch2, YO, pull up a loop in first ch5-space, take off 2 loops, 2 loops on your hook. YO, pull up a loop in second ch5-space, take off 2 loops, 3 loops on your hook. YO, pull up a loop in second ch5-space, take off 2 loops, 4 loops on your hook.  YO and take off all loops on your hook.

Touch of Velvet wrap

Video

To make this pattern accessible to as many people as possible I have made a video tutorial showing the steps involved in making this wrap.

Touch of Velvet Wrap – Free Crochet Pattern

© Esther Dijkstra 2017. All rights reserved.

The Touch of Velvet Wrap consists of a triangular base worked in granny stitch followed by a lacy border edged with beads.

Base

Work the base using Scheepjes Color Crafter Velvet – Kelly (841) and a 4mm hook.

Row 1

With a slip knot on your hook, ch4 and close with a ss in the first ch.
ch4 (counts as 1dc and ch1), in the ch4-loop work 3dc, ch3, 3dc, ch1, 1dc.
Turn your work.

Row 2

ch4 (counts as 1dc and ch1),
3dc in the next ch1-space, ch1 and skip the next 3dc,
[3dc, ch3, 3dc] in the ch3-space, ch1 and skip the next 3dc,
3dc in the next ch1-space, ch1,
1dc on the last dc (this will be the 3rd ch of the starting ch4 of row 1).
Turn your work.

Row 3

ch4 (counts as 1dc and ch1),
* 3dc in the next ch1-space, ch1 and skip the next 3dc. * Repeat * to * 1 more time.
[3dc, ch3, 3dc] in the ch3-space, ch1 and skip the next 3dc,
3dc in the next ch1-space, ch1 and skip the next 3dc,
3dc in the next ch1-space, ch1,
1dc on the last dc (this will be the 3rd ch of the starting ch4 of row 2).
Turn your work.

Row 4

ch4 (counts as 1dc and ch1),
*3dc in the next ch1-space, ch1 and skip the next 3dc. * Repeat * to * 2 more times.
[3dc, ch3, 3dc] in the ch3-space, ch1 and skip the next 3dc,
*3dc in the next ch1-space, ch1 and skip the next 3dc. * Repeat * to * 1 more time.
3dc in the next ch1-space, ch1,
1dc on the last dc (this will be the 3rd ch of the starting ch4 of row 3).
Turn your work.

Row 5 – 52

Repeat row 4 where you increase the number of repeats along the edges of the triangle. Cut your yarn, cast off and work away your yarn tails. At this point you will have a large triangle and it will look something like this.

Base for Touch of Velvet Wrap

Edge

Work the edge using Scheepjes Color Crafter Velvet – Bogart (847) and a 4mm hook. First work rows 1 to 5 and fasten off. Thread the beads on your yarn and then work the final row of the wrap.

Row 1

With a slip knot on your hook, start with a standing sc in the first dc.
*1sc in next ch1-space, ch5, skip the next 3dc. * Repeat * to * till the ch3-space.
(1sc, ch5, 1sc) in the ch3-space to form the tip of the wrap.
*ch5, skip the next 3dc and work 1sc in the next ch1-space. * Repeat * to * till the last ch1-space.
1sc on the last dc. Turn your work.

Row 2

ch5 (counts as 1dc and ch2), skip next sc,
*1sc in next ch5-space, skip next sc, 8dc in next ch5-space, skip next sc, 1sc in next ch5-space, skip next sc, ch5. * Repeat * to * till the ch5-space before the tip of the wrap.
1sc in next ch5-space, skip next sc, 12dc in ch5-space at the tip of the wrap, skip next sc, 1sc in next ch5-space, skip next sc, ch5.
Repeat * to * till there are three ch5-spaces left. 1sc in next ch5-space, 8dc in next ch5-space, 1sc in last ch5-space.
ch2, skip next sc, 1dc on last sc. Turn your work.

Row 3

ch1 (does not count as a st), 1sc in same st, skip the ch2-space and the next sc.
* (1dc on next dc, 1 picot) 7 times, 1dc on last dc, skip next sc, 1sc in next ch5-space, skip next sc. * Repeat * to * till the tip of the wrap.
(1dc on next dc, 1 picot) 11 times, 1dc on last dc, skip next sc, 1sc in next ch5-space, skip next sc.
Repeat * to * till the last ch5-space, (1dc on next dc, 1 picot) 7 times, 1dc on last dc.
Skip next sc and ch2-space. 1sc on last dc (which is the 3rd ch of the starting ch5 of row 2). Turn your work.

Row 4

ch8 (counts as 1dc and ch5),
* 1sc on 3rd picot, ch5, 1sc on 5th picot, ch5, 1dc in next sc, ch5. * Repeat * to * till the tip of the wrap.
1sc on 3rd picot, ch5, 1sc on 5th picot, ch5, 1sc on 7th picot, ch5, 1sc on 9th picot, ch5, 1dc on next sc, ch5.
Repeat * to * till the end of the wrap omitting the last ch5. Turn your work.

Row 5

ch8 (counts as 1dc and ch5),
* 1sc in next ch5-space, ch5. * Repeat * to * till the end of the wrap. 1sc in last st (which is the 3rd ch of the starting ch8 of row 4). Cut your yarn and bind off. Turn your work.

Row 6

With a needle thread 105 beads on your yarn. Push the beads that you don’t need forward on your yarn as you work bringing 1 bead at a time to your hook as needed. In the beginning it will be difficult to push the beads forward as you will have 100+ beads on your yarn, but as you work in the beads it becomes easier to move them forward. Don’t try to push 100 beads forward at once, but make batches of 10 to 20 beads at a time. Note that the SDC are worked in such a way that they share the ch5-spaces.

Work a Standing SDC over the first and second ch5-spaces of row 4.
* ch3, bring 1 bead to your hook and ch1 over the bead securing it in place, ch3, SDC in the same ch5-space where you finished the previous SDC and the next ch5-space. * Repeat * to * till the end of the wrap. Cut your yarn and work away all yarn tails.

For best results, block your work.

Touch of Velvet wrap edge

And that’s it! If you would like to look back on my journey of making this wrap you can read about choosing my yarn, when the wrap was still a WIP, and the full photo shoot of the finished design.

touch_of_velvet_wrap-2

I would love to see your wraps. Feel free to share them on my Facebook page or tag me in one of your post on Instagram. You can also use #itsallinanutshell to help me find it.

With love,

Esther

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This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and copyright policy. All opinions are my own and I only link to products I use or would use. Thank you for using the links on my blog and supporting my work.

© COPYRIGHT IT’S ALL IN A NUTSHELL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS PATTERN IS AVAILABLE FOR UNLIMITED PERSONAL USE. YOU MAY PRINT A COPY OF THE PATTERN OR KEEP A DIGITAL COPY FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. DO NOT REPRODUCE OR SELL MY PATTERNS (EITHER DIGITALLY OR IN PRINT). DO NOT POST MY PATTERNS ONLINE, EITHER AS A COMPLETE DOCUMENT OR IN PART. PLEASE REFER BACK TO THIS PATTERN BY LINKING TO IT FROM YOUR BLOG OR WEBSITE. YOU MAY SELL ITEMS THAT YOU MAKE WITH my pattern AS LONG AS YOU CREDIT ME AS THE DESIGNER. TO SHOP OWNERS AND YARN SELLERS : IT IS NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE KITS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. PLEASE DO NOT PRINT COPIES TO DISTRIBUTE WITH YARN SALES AS THIS IS AN INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT. THE COPYRIGHT OF THIS FREE CROCHET PATTERN IS PROTECTED BY SCHEEPJES.COM.

Touch of Velvet Wrap

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Here she is, my Touch of Velvet wrap! I think it’s just lovely, even if I say so myself. The black and red Scheepjes Color Crafter Velvet yarn work lovely together and the black beads are the finishing touch.

touch_of_velvet_wrap-2

I was taking photographs of the wrap to show you how it came out and I am having an awfully hard time selecting which shots to show you. So I decided to just show them all to you, that way I don’t have to choose 😀

touch_of_velvet_wrap-1

Touch of Velvet wrap

Touch of Velvet Wrap

Touch of Velvet Wrap

Touch of Velvet Wrap

Touch of Velvet Wrap

 

Now that you know what it looks like I am sure that some of you would love to have the pattern for it. Next week I will share the free pattern for my Touch of Velvet Wrap.

With love,

Esther

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This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and copyright policy. All opinions are my own and I only link to products I use or would use. Thank you for using the links on my blog and supporting my work.

Merry-go-Round – Free Crochet Blanket Pattern

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Do you sometimes long for a crochet blanket pattern that you can work on when in company or watching television? A project that does not require you to count stitches, change color, remember the stitch pattern or anything else that would require you to think about what you are doing? If so, I have just the design for you! My new, free Merry-go-Round blanket pattern using double crochet stitches.

merry-go-round-crochet-blanket-1

Yarn

The yarn that I am using is Scheepjes Noorse Sokkenwol Colour. This is a thick and warm sock yarn containing 20% wool, 40% acrylic and 40% nylon. The yarn has a gradual color gradient which makes for very interesting color effects on any project. There are 5 colors to choose from and they are all available from Wool Warehouse or your local Scheepjes stockist.

Materials

You will need at least 5 balls of Scheepjes Noorse Sokkenwol Colour, depending on your gauge, hook size and how large you want your blanket to be. As an indication, I obtained the following sizes using a 4mm hook:

  • with 5 balls – 65cm x 95cm
  • with 8 balls – 90cm x 120cm
  • with 10 balls – 110cm x 140cm

I used color 968, which is a playful rainbow colorway, but this blanket will look lovely in any of the other shades also. The color changing yarn is continuously drawing you in and wanting you to know which color is next.

scheepjes noorse sokkenwol colour

***Update: Video***

I have made a short video showing the steps involved to make my Merry-go-Round blanket. I show the first 3 rounds as well as the crab stitch edge.

Abbreviations

The pattern is in US crochet terms. If you are more comfortable with UK crochet terms, please see this conversion table for the most common terms.

merry-go-round free crochet blanket pattern

Pattern

To make this blanket you first make a rectangular center and from there it goes round, and round and round again till you run out of yarn or your blanket is big enough; which ever comes first.

Round 1

ch4 (does not count as a stitch), 50fdc, ch2, 3dc in the bottom of last fdc worked (this makes the short side of the rectangle), ch2, 1dc in same stitch (this is in the bottom of the last fdc worked), 1dc in each of next 49 st (this is the bottom of the fdc stitches and makes the long edge of the rectangle), ch2, 3dc in ch4-space.

This makes a rectangle with the following stitch count: 50dc, 3dc, 50dc, 3dc.

Round 2

(2dc, ch2, 1dc) in same ch4-space as the last 3dc’s of Round 1, 1dc in next 50 st, (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next ch2-space, 1dc in next 3 st, (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next ch2-space, 1dc in next 50 st, (2dc, ch2, 2dc) in next ch2-space, 1dc in next 5 st.

This makes a rectangle with the following stitch count: 53dc, 7dc, 54dc, 7dc. Don’t worry that there is 1 stitch difference between the long sides of the rectangle. You won’t notice this anymore after a few rounds.

Round 3 and further

*(2dc, ch2, 2dc) in the next ch2-space, 1dc in each st till the next ch2-space. *
Repeat from * to * 3 more times.

Last round

When your blanket is large enough or you are almost out of yarn, work your last round using crab stitches to make a nice edge.

For the final corner when repeating Round 3 do not work a full corner, but only work 1dc in the last ch2-space. Work a crab stitch in each st and 2 crab stitches in a ch2-space all the way round. When you get back to your starting point, work 1 crab stitch in the ch2-space containing the last dc worked, 1 crab stitch around the post of the last dc worked, and close with a ss in the first crab stitch.

crab stitch edge on merry-go-round crochet blanket

merry-go-round crochet blanket pattern

This has been a fun and relaxing project for when I wanted something that needed very little concentration on my part. I believe this to be the perfect crochet-TV project. I would love to see your blanket, please feel free share your work on my Facebook or Instagram, or tag me with #itsallinanutshell so I can find it.

With love,

Esther

logo it's all in a nutshell

Follow me on

Facebook, Pinterest, You-Tube, Google+, Ravelry, Bloglovin’, Instagram

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and copyright policy. All opinions are my own and I only link to products I use or would use. Thank you for using the links on my blog and supporting my work.

(C) Copyright It’s all in a Nutshell. All rights reserved. This pattern is available for unlimited personal use. You may print a copy of the pattern or keep a digital copy for personal use only. Do not reproduce or sell my patterns (either digitally or in print). Do not post my patterns online, either as a complete document or in part. Please refer to back to this pattern by linking to it from your blog or website. You may sell items that you make with as long as you credit me as the designer. To shop owners and yarn sellers : it is not allowed to make kits without my permission. Please do not print copies to distribute with yarn sales as this is an infringement of copyright. The copyright of this free crochet pattern is protected by Scheepjes.com.