I’m super excited to say that this summer I’m joining forces again with the FABULOUSLY talented yarn dyer Kitey, aka the Yarn Whisperer to bring you a brand new summer make along (MAL), called ‘Whispers of the Sea’,

After our hugely successful winter make-along collab, for the crocheted Solstice Garden Wrap, Kitey and I got over-excited and immediately started planning our next make along project, this time for the summer.

It’s a project I’m rather delighted by; I love how my design has come together in partnership with the AMAZING colourways that Kitey has put together!

But what’s a make-along or MAL I hear some of you ask? Well maybe you are familiar with the term CAL for a crochet-along (or a KAL in knitting) it’s sort of similar but a MAL has a few differences.

A make-along is when a specific pattern is released with all of the details required to make the design; along with a specific start date for everyone to begin their project together. Then, unlike a crochet-along where you would have bits of the pattern supplied to you over a number of weeks, you have the pattern in full with and end date to make it by. It’s a relaxed way to make a project as you can work at your own pace, but there is a deadline to hold you accountable should you need one.

For the summer make-along I’ve put together a design that would be the perfect holiday project, something that you can do at your own pace, that is nice and relaxing but engaging enough to be enjoyable as you create a lovely summer wrap.

I’m not going to show you the wrap design yet, but I will say, for this design, Kitey and I have been digging into the sea for our inspiration! There are shells, kelp, coral, waves and my favourite thing ever, sea glass, that have influenced this design – and I love how it’s turned out!

Kitey has worked his magic to put together TWO amazing colourways for this MAL; there’s the gorgeous Laminariales (lam-in-are-i-arlez), which is inspired by kelp forests, and is just a gorgeous mixture of greens, teals and a hint of blue, and there is Zoantharia (Zo-anth-air-ria), inspired by soft corals, which is a beautiful mixture of pinks and orange tones.

Will you be #teamlaminariales or #teamzoantharia? They are soooo pretty in real life – Kitey’s made it almost too hard to choose!

Pre-order’s for MAL kits can be made on The Yarn Whisperer website from 10 May 10am (NOW!) at the cost of £44 + postage. Each kit will include 2 skeins of hand-dyed slub yarn (which is my new favourite!), beautiful sea glass beads, a digital copy of the pattern (which will be sent to you the day before the MAL begins) and there will also be a few treats for good measure, including some fabulous Mrs G Stitch stitch markers.

AND if you order your kit in the first 24 hours you can enjoy a 10% Early Bird discount.

Kits will be dyed to order over the coming weeks, with generally a 1 week turn-around from order to shipping. But we’d advise you to get in quick to ensure you get your kit in plenty of time to crochet along with us!

Last International orders will be shipped by 5 June if ordered by 22 May 2021. UK orders will continue to be shipped after this date, but ordering early ensure yours arrives in plenty of time to join us on 5 July 2021.

The MAL will start on 5 July and will run until 10 September when everyone can have a ta-dah moment and show off their wraps. We have put together a long make along period because we know that the summer can be a busy time for everyone and we didn’t want anyone to feel rushed to make their wrap.

This project is all about that relaxed sunny day work in progress that you can take with you on holiday, to work on by the pool or on the beach, or in the garden, that you can pick up and put down, and work on at your own pace in your own time!

I’ve put together all the details for this particular MAL on a landing page which you can find to save the details here, or find via the top menu of this blog under the tab ‘CALS AND MALS’.

There will be support for the pattern as usual in my Facebook group, and also you can pop in and join in with the Virtual Stitch-n-B*tch sessions hosted by Kitey. Those are a bit like going to a virtual knit and natter group, and everyone there is really lovely and helpful.

We do hope that you will join both Kitey and myself for this fun make-along – we can’t wait to see your wonderful new wraps come to life!

Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx