Last week I wrote about the beginning of my crochet adventure full of colour, and showed you my lovely balls of colourful yarn I choose for this new design.

This week I am really happy to show you the progress I am making !

The surprise-effect in design is mainly the combination of the bright colours and the combination of 2 totally different yarn textures.

Working with  Scheepjes Invicta Colour, a great soft and warm sock yarn with a long colour changing, AND also with the Scheepjes Catona cotton balls, is renewing and I love it so much.

I actually crochet with 2 strands together, 1 strands of each yarn, creating the most wonderful colour changes and colour accents !

I am designing a baby blanket, and we all know baby blankets need to be soft, warm and breathable. And also very easy to wash.

This means my yarn choice is not only a surprising one, but also a clever one 🙂   Since both yarns have all these qualities in them.

Did you also notice the lovely stitch pattern I am using ? With the relief in it ? And the lovely waves ?

I love working on the blanket, and the good thing is I will have it ready by next week. So make sure to come back and take a look at the finished blanket. (and I will also make a FREE pattern soon as well)

Pattern : surprise baby blanket

Yarn : a combination of Scheepjes Invicta Colour and Scheepjes Catona  : the colours I used for this design  : InvictaColour 968 and Catona 252; 114, 384, 212, 113 and 386.

For international shoppers : check out the Scheepjes yarns at  Deramores, Woolwarehouse, Be Inspired  and Paradise Fibers. For Belgium and The Netherlands : you can find a list of the shops on the Scheepjes website.

(some of the links are affiliate links, to support me as a crochet designer and making it possible for me to make free patterns)

It is time for a new design, a new adventure full of colour, full of suprises.

Sometimes you just have to get out of your comfortzone and take a deep jump to try out something new.

Let’s take a look at the yarn I choose for this adventure  : 6 lovely bright shades of Scheepjes Catona garen, together with a ball of  Scheepjes Invicta Colour sockyarn

Aren’t you curious what I am planning to make ?

I will have an update by next week, together with some lovely sneak peek pictures.

Scheepjes Catona is a fantastic cotton yarn, strong and soft, and gently mercerised. It is available in 25 gr and 50 gr balls, and in 69 (yes, this is actually true ! ) stunning colours.

Scheepjes Invicta Colour is a warm, strong and yet very soft sock yarn, with a lovely handdyed look.

For international shoppers : check out the Scheepjes yarns at  Deramores, Woolwarehouse, Be Inspired  and Paradise Fibers. For Belgium and The Netherlands : you can find a list of the shops on the Scheepjes website.

I have finished the pattern for the ‘Fairy Winterflower Shawl’, and I am sharing it with you today.

I hope you will enjoy this pattern a lot !

– Crochet pattern for a large openworked shawl with a flower stitch pattern motif. You choose your own prefered size shawl !

– Yarn :          – I made one shawl with Scheepjes Silvi (1 ball = 100g = 100M, 30 % wool and 70% acrylic, super bulky yarn). My finished shawl measures : 225cm/90in wide and 55cm/22in high (without the fringe),  and I used 5 balls = 500M.

– A second shawl is made using Scheepjes Invicta Colour (1 ball = 100g = 420M, 75 % wool and 25 % polyamid). I used 1,5 balls.

You can buy Scheepjes Yarns at : Deramores , Woolwarehouse , ParadiseFibers and Be Inspired.

For The Netherlands and Belgium : you can find a list of all Scheepjes shops here : Shops.

– Crochet hook : 8-9 mm for the shawl made with Vinci yarn, and 4 mm for the shawl made with Invicta Colour.

– Gauge : not crucial, since you choose your own size shawl (when making the base chain).

– Used stitches : chain (ch), slipstitch (slst), double crochet (dc), triple crochet (tr), double triple crochet (dtr), chain-space (ch-space). I use US crochet terms

– You also need : tapestry needle to weave in ends, scissors, pins and mat for blocking, ruler.

– Crochet chart : there is a chart added.

Pattern

– Turn after each row.

– 3ch = 1dc

– 4ch = 1tr

– 5ch = 1 dtr

– you start at the top, with the base chain. This is the widest part of your shawl. Decreases are made row after row, giving a lovely curved shape. You choose your own preferred size shawl, by making your base chain as many times as necessary. You also choose the ‘height’ of your shawl, by simply adding more or less pattern repeat rows.

– Row 1 : Make a long chain, as long as you want your shawl to become. (You will be needing a number of stitches that can be divided by 9 +3, but I simply advise to make a long chain, without counting J This means you will probably have some chains left at the end of the first row, but you can simply unfasten them at the end when finishing the shawl).

I made 192ch. Start in 5th ch from hook, work 1dc in next 2ch, * 5ch and miss 3ch, 1dc in next 6ch, repeat from * as many times as you want, end with 1dc in (last) 3ch, turn. (If you have some extra ch left, leave them for now).

– Row 2 : 5ch (= 1dtr), in every 5ch-space : 3tr+5ch+3tr, at the end of the row you have 3dc left, work in the last dc : 1dtr, turn.

– Row 3 : 4ch (= 1tr), in every 5ch-space except the last one : 6dc+5ch, work in the last 5ch-space : 6dc, at the end of the row you have 3tr left, work in the last tr : 1tr, turn.

– Row 4 : 5ch (= 1dtr), in every 5ch-space : 3tr+5ch+3tr, at the end of the row you have 6dc left, work in the last dc : 1dtr, turn

– Rows 5-… : Rows 3 and 4 form the pattern rows. Keep repeating these rows, as many times as you want. I made 14 rows in total. When your shawl is large enough, cut yarn and fasten off.

Finishing

– weave in all ends.

– if you have some base chains left, just unchain them (by using a large tapestry needle).

– Make some lovely fringe (or tassels) and attach in every 5ch-space on the bottom part and along the sides as well.

I made fringe and used this method : cut 7 threads, all the same size, fold them double, put them through the 5ch-spaces and tie them.

– Finished ! Do not forget to share your pictures of your finished projects on my facebook page :   Facebook 

or on Instagram : annelies_baes

Het gratis haakpatroon voor de ‘Fairy Winterbloemen Shawl’ is klaar. Ik heb het helemaal uitgeschreven voor jullie.

Veel plezier met het haken van deze omslagdoek / shawl.

– Haakpatroon voor een grote opengewerkte shawl met ingewerkt winterbloemenpatroon. Je kiest zelf de grootte van je shawl, door meer of minder herhalingen van het patroon te maken.

– Garen : Shawl 1 : Ik haakte met Scheepjes Silvi (1 bol = 100g = 100M, 30 % wol en 70% acryl). De afmetingen van mijn shawl zijn : 225 cm breed en 55cm diep (zonder franjes),  en ik gebruikte 5 bollen = 500M.

Shawl 2 : Ik haakte met Scheepjes Invicta Colour (1 bol = 100g = 420M, 75 % Superwash Wol en 25 % Polyamide) Ik gebruikte 1,5 bol voor een royale shawl.

– Haaknaald : 8-9 mm voor de shawl gehaakt met Scheepjes Silvi, haaknaald 4 mm voor de shawl gemaakt met Scheepjes Invicta Colour.

– Stekenproef : niet belangrijk, omdat je zelf de grootte van je shawl kiest.

– Gebruikte steken : losse (l), halve vaste (hv), stokje (st), dubbel stokje (dst), driedubbel stokje (3dst), losse-opening (l-open).

– Ook nog nodig : maasnaald om draadjes weg te werken, schaar, spelden en mat om te blocken, meter.

– Haakschema : er is een haakschema toegevoegd op het einde van het patroon.

Patroon

– Je keert na elke rij
– 3l = 1st
– 4l = 1dst
– 5l = 1 x 3dst

– je begint je shawl bovenaan te haken, je start dus met het breedste stuk. Rij na rij minder je, waardoor je een mooie shawlvorm verkrijgt. Je kiest zelf hoe breed je je shawl wil maken door de begin lossenketting zo lang te maken als je zelf wil. Je bepaalt ook zelf de ‘hoogte’ van je shawl, door meer of minder herhalingen van de patroonrijen te maken.

– Rij 1 : Haak een grote ketting van lossen, net zolang als de gewenste breedte van je shawl. Ik haakte 192l. (je hebt een lossenaantal nodig dat deelbaar is door 9 + 3, maar ik raad je aan gewoon niet te tellen en een lossenketting naar wens te haken, de eventuele lossen die je overhebt haal je achteraf gewoon los)

Begin in de 5^e l vanaf de haaknaald, haak 1st in de volg 2l, * 5l en sla 3l over, 1st in volg 6l, herhaal vanaf * net zolang als je wil, eindig met 1st in (de laatste) 3l, keer. (als je ongebruikte lossen overhebt, laat ze gewoon rusten voor nu).

– Rij 2 : Haak 5l (= 1 x 3dst), in elke 5l-open : 3dst+5l+3dst, je hebt op het einde van de rij nog 3st over, haak in het laatste st : 1 x 3dst, keer.

– Rij 3 : Haak 4l (= 1dst), in elke 5l-open behalve de laatste 5l-open : 6st+5l, haak in de laatste 5l-open : 6st, je hebt op het einde van de rij nog 3dst over, haak in het laatste dst : 1dst, keer.

– Rij 4 : Haak 5l (= 1 3dst), in elke 5l-open : 3dst+5l+3dst, je hebt op het einde van de rij nog 6st over, haak in het laatste st : 1 x 3dst, keer.

– Rij 5-… : Rijen 3 en 4 vormen de patroonrijen. Blijf deze rijen herhalen, zolang als je wil. Ik haakte 14 rijen in totaal. Als je shawl groot genoeg is, knip draad af en hecht af.

Afwerking

– draadjes netjes wegwerken

– als je nog lossen overhebt van je lossenketting, haal ze voorzichtig los.

– Maak franjes of kwastjes en bevestig ze aan de onderkant van je shawl in elke 5l-open en ook langs de zijkanten.

Ik maakte mijn franjes op deze manier : 7 afgeknipte draadjes van gelijke lengte, dubbelvouwen, en door een 5l-open halen en samen afknopen.

– Klaar ! Vergeet niet foto’s van je mooie shawls te maken en ze delen op mijn facebook pagina : https://www.facebook.com/Vicarno-Crochet-Designs-Annelies-Baes-189840241043637/

of via Instagram : annelies_baes

The FREE pattern for this Fairy Winterflower Shawl is almost finished, I will share it with you in a few days !

In the meantime I made myself another shawl, this time with Scheepjes Invicta Colour.

The deep and bright colours give this shawl a powerful and strong look. And thanks to the thinner yarn the flower stitch pattern comes out really nice as well. I am sure I will wear this shawl a lot, since it makes me quite happy to look at the colours.

Scheepjes Invicta Colour is one of my favourite yarns, it is warm and soft, and very strong at the same time. Because it is a sock yarn, it is very resistent and very easy to wash.

I like to use this yarn, mainly for garments and accessories that will be used very frequently and need regular washing. Since crocheting a large shawl is taking quite some time, I like using a high quality yarn, so I can enjoy wearing my precious item for several years !

There are a lot of colours in the Invicta collection, so I am pretty sure everyone of you will be able to find a preferred colour. (or more 🙂 )

I used 1,5 balls for the entire shawl.

Don’t forget to come back soon for the free pattern !

You can buy Scheepjes Invicta Colour at  Woolwarehouse, Deramores and for the Dutch shops, take a look on the Scheepjes website .

(New!! If you have a yarn shop and want to advertise on my blog, or want to talk about other ways of promotion, please email me for further details.)

(this post has affiliate links)

I have finished my new shawl, my ‘Fairy Winterflower Shawl’, made with Scheepjes Silvi yarn.  Last week I wrote about the progress on the process this design right here : Fairy-whispers-shawl, and the week before I talked about Scheepjes Silvi Yarn and gave you some info about yardage in this blogpost : Fairy whispers.

I am really happy with my new shawl, it is so large and soft and fluffy and a very nice warm treat, during these cold winter days.

In fact I feel like a true fairy, every morning when I am riding my bike, gently wrapped in my new shawl.

The free pattern will be available next week, so make sure to come back !

I can also tell you I will be able to show you some more ‘Fairy winterflower shawls’ soon, since both Marietje (one of my loyal testers) and myself made another one, with different Scheepjes Yarns!

Let’s admit it, a lady never has too much shawls, is it 🙂

Enjoy your weekend !

Scheepjes yarns can be found at Woolwarehouse, Deramores, Paradise Fibers and the list of Dutch and Belgian retailers can be found here :  Scheepjes website.

(affiliate links)

Last week I told you how excited and happy I was with my new Scheepjes Silvi yarn. I got some really nice feedback on my blogpost, concerning the info I provided about the yardage.

Thank you all ! The good news is I will write more informal posts in the future.

In the meantime I started crocheting with my yarn. (to be really honest, and most of you figured it out already : I already started last week, as soon as I received the yarn 🙂  I am not the most patient lady, so good for me I was at least clever enough to keep 1 ball ‘nice’ enough to make some pictures of it).

The big question : what am I making with this lovely fairie yarn ? A shawl, a warm, soft, sweet, dreamy, shawl. With a spirited vivacious character as well, of course. A ‘fairy winterflower shawl’.

I am crocheting and enjoying it a lot. I decided to make some sneak peek pictures for you all.

Are you curious ? Looking forward to see how the entire shawl will look like ? I will be ready by next week to show you the result.

In a few days I have a little suprise for you, showing you some more surprising pictures.

If you want to be informed on facebook about my crochet designs, do not forget to like my designer page : Facebook

And you can also find me on instagram : annelies_baes

I was looking for a special kind of yarn, for my newest design. And I was so excited to discover Scheepjes Silvi yarn.

Mostly I choose very bright colours, and either I like designs in 1 shade, or I mix up a lot of colours. But neither of these things would work for my plan.

I really wanted a variegated yarn. And not one with very bright shades, but softer, more gentle colours. I am pretty sure I got influenced a lot by the new ‘fairie’ look you see popping up a lot in the new make-up trends and fashion clothing for the next seasons : the look of fairies, magical moments, with those pearl accents and soft tender shades.

And because the ‘real winter’ finally started, I also wanted a warm and fluffy bulky yarn.

So I was thrilled to find Scheepjes Silvi. This was exactly the yarn I was looking for !

Personally, I prefer the dreamy softer shades in the generous assortment, those are the shades with that luster shine : pink, soft green, beige and off-white. And the soft variegated ones too.

It is mainly the ‘powder layer’ on the shades that is giving this yarn the fairie effect.

Those who prefer the brigther and deeper tones will definitely find something they like as well, since the Silvi collection has 23 shades available.

This yarn is also soft and warm, it has 30 % wool in it. And thanks to the acrylic it is also very easy in maintenance, you can wash it in the washing machine.

Did you notice the special structure of this yarn ? The thin base threads are ‘french knitted’ together, forming a very light and souple, yet strong thread. According to me, this special structure also has the major advantage you really can feel and benefit from the wonderful qualities of the lanoline in the yarn. (lanoline is the natural wool grease in the yarn, giving it many qualities such as protection, warmth and resistance to dirt). I was so excited to notice my hands were getting so soft when crocheting my new design. (lanoline is often used in natural hand cremes and other beauty products).

Another good thing about this Silvi yarn is definitely the yardage !

I like making larger projects, like shawls, garments and blankets. So I need to make sure these designs and projects do not become too heavy in weight. I mean, nobody likes a scarf that weight 800g around your neck, or wearing a cardigan with a weight of 2kg…

But, what do we mean exactly with the term YARDAGE ? Every time I bring it up, people look at me and ask me further explanation.

When you look at a ball or skein of yarn, (most of the times) the following info is printed on the label :

• the yarn brand and the name of the collection : for example : Scheepjes (brand), Silvi (collection)
• the weight : your balls weighs for example 50 gram, or 100 gram.
• the composition of the yarn : for Silvi it is  30 % wool and 70 % acrylic
• the shade/colour number or code : for example : shade 05
• the dye lot : for example ‘lot : 305’
• the recommended size knitting needles or crochet hook to use : for example 8 mm
• the maintenance instructions : how to wash it, dry it, …..
• ( sometimes : gauge : the standard gauge is indicated as well)
• AND : the yardage : for our ball of Silvi: ca 100 meters.

This means our ball of Silvi weighs 100 gr and has 100 m of yarn on it.
2 balls give you 200 m of yarn, 10 balls give you 1000 m.

When you start crocheting or knitting a design, very often the designer has written the necessary yardage needed to accomplish the project. This is very handy, since you know exactly how much yarn you need to buy. (mainly if you decide to use another yarn brand, or want to change the size of the project).

Because : NOT every yarn has the same yardage.
Not even yarns of the same ‘yarn weight’.

Let’s imagine you want to make a cowl, and the pattern calls for : 3 balls of 100 gr of yarn X, 300 m of yarn needed in total.
This means you will need 3 balls of Silvi : 3 x 100 m = 300 m of yarn.
What if the pattern says : 5 balls of 100 gr of yarn X, a total of 180 m of yarn. (the designer has used 5 balls of 100 gr, with 30-40m of yarn on each ball).
If we decide to make this design with our Silvi yarn, we will only need 2 balls ! 2 x 100 m = 200 m of yarn.
The main thing is NOT only to look at the number of balls needed, or the weight of the yarn, but PARTICULARLY looking at the required yardage, the number of meters of yarn needed.

So for me, the yardage is a crucial thing, whenever I choose a new yarn for a design or a project.

For my upcoming design, I will be needing 5 balls of Silvi = 500 m of yarn 🙂 .
You are probably wondering why there is only 1 ball on the pictures, since I will be using 5 ?
That is quite simple : as usual I was not patient enough to take pictures first, when my yarn arrived. No, I just could not resist taking the labels of the balls to see how the yarn looked, and already wanted to start playing with it.
Luckily I was smart enough to leave 1 ball ‘nice’ enough so I could make a decent picture.

I am totally in love with the shade I chose, it is number 05, and the colour changes are truly stunning : in only 1 ball you have shades of browns, pink, purple, and even blue and petrol. And I really like that pearly lustre !

Curious about this great yarn now ? Here you can find an overview of all the shades :  Scheepjes Silvi .

And next week, I will share my design-in-process with you ! So be sure to stay tuned !