Stitch Story Crochet Along | CAL Planning | Keep Calm and Crochet On U.K

So in this post I wanted to talk a bit more about how I came to design the Stitch Story Crochet Along (starting on 4 July) and I also wanted to talk a bit about yarn and finished sizes before we begin. However don’t worry if this is the first you are hearing about this CAL, it hasn’t started yet and you can find the full schedule here and a link to the crochet along page here.

This years crochet along was inspired by the myths and legends of Geansaí Árann jumpers (sweaters) that originate from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. There is a lovely romantic theory that the stitches in those types of jumpers have a special ‘meaning’ and I loved the idea of creating a design that conveyed something a little extra. Traditionally, an Aran jumper is made from undyed cream-coloured báinín (pronounced “bawneen”), a yarn made from sheep’s wool, but I wanted to find something a bit more accessible to make my blanket with…

When I started designing this years crochet along I had quite a clear idea in my head of what I wanted to try and achieve with the final look. I really wanted to create a classic yet contemporary style for this blanket whilst also still pays homage to an aran jumper which is why I decided to make it in a single solid colour.

I wanted the yarn to have a ‘heritage’ feel about it because that was such an integral part of my idea for the design. Scheepjes Soft Fun Denim yarn gave me exactly what I was looking for! Although it was a brand new yarn for me the subtle colour variation gave me just the right combination of traditional / modern feel that I was wanted and the cotton / acrylic mix meant it was comfortable enough to be cuddled up in yet eminently practical if it got dirty and needed washing!

Using colours…

Although I chose a single colour I knew the pattern would also look great in multiple colours. So my lovely mum made another version of the blanket using six different shades of Scheepjes Colour Crafter. I’m a big fan of Scheepjes Colour Crafter, as a premium acrylic is is just soooo soft and it’s available if over 90 shades – it just makes it harder to pick which ones you want! My mum chose colours she wanted to match in with her living room.

If you are looking for some inspiration on how you can pick and put different colours together I can certainly recommend the Design Seeds website for beautiful colour collections. I can’t wait to see what colours you choose!

For the full yarn amounts needed please see my first post about the CAL here.

Size and Layouts:

As I mentioned last time there will be two sizes of each square that you can choose from – either a 15cm (6″) block or a 30cm (12″) block. Which size blocks you make will be totally up to you but I have put together some layouts, similar to mine, below to help you plan. You could also play around with the blocks to make a smaller size square or rectangular blanket. Both my mum and I created our blankets with Schematic 3 as we wanted to make both size blocks.

I’ve also saved these schematics on the CAL Pinterest Board and they will also be available in the e-book on Ravelry. The first instalment of the downloadable 46 page PDF e-book is now available for a small charge (payable once) and will be released in instalments along with the CAL so as not to spoil anyone’s fun. This PDF has the full pattern descriptions, charts and information all in one place without adverts (as requested).

Support:

And there’s more support for anyone that needs it with the accompanying videos by Esther from It’s All in a Nutshell that accompany this CAL will be released AFTER each new block release. And excitingly I’m now working with the lovely Iris from Een Mooi Gebaar who, for all the Dutch speakers who want to join in the CAL, is translating it for us! See her first post here.

Big thanks to Scheepjes, Esther and Iris for helping bring this CAL to life for everyone!

And I’ll just quickly mention again my KCACO-UK Community Facebook Group which is a great source of support and helpful tips from fellow Crochet-a-longers.