not your average crochet

It seems like everyone made it through the Catharine wheel stitch pattern last week, so I hope you’re ready for the next installment!  Might I suggest doing this installment in at least 2 sit-downs — I did it all at once and my hands are very tired!

Here we go (and don’t forget we’re using US terms)!  Last week, we finished with row 13:

row 14

ch 3 and turn with new color, dc across.

row 15

This row begins the star stitch pattern.  I’d recommend choosing a lighter color so that the stitches really show up!  Each time we make the star stitch pattern, the first row of it needs to be on the right side of our work.

ch 3 and turn with new color:

Now we’re going to work into the chains we just made.  In the middle of the 3 chains, insert your hook and pull a loop through.  Then in the bottom chain, insert your hook and pull another loop through.  It’ll look like this:

Now insert your hook through the last st of the previous row (or 1st st of this row) and pull up a loop.  Pull up loops through stitches 2 and 3 as well:

You should have 6 loops on your hook.  Yarn over and draw through all 6.  Ch 1 to close the stitch and form the “eye” of the first star:

Insert hook into the “eye” and draw up a loop.  Insert hook around the last “spoke” of the previous star and draw up a loop:

Pull up a loop from stitch 3 of the bottom row, where we pulled up the last loop of the previous star.  Pull up loops from stitches 4 and 5 as well:

Yarn over and draw through all 6 loops, ch1 to close the star and form the “eye.”  Continue in this same way (pulling up loops through the eye, around the last spoke of previous star, in the same st as the last spoke of the previous star, and in the next 2 stitches, and then chaining 1 to close the star) until the end.

At the end, you should have 1 stitch left.  Make a hdc in it and keep the same color going:

Here’s what the back of your work should look like:

This is why the blanket has a front and a back to it.  Next, ch 2 and turn.

row 16

Make 1 hdc in the “eye” of the last star of the bottom row:

In the next eye and all the rest to follow, make 2 hdc stitches:

At the end of the row, make 1 hdc into the top turning chain you made in the row below, but don’t finish it because we’re done with the star stitch and we’ll change colors now:

Here’s what the front of your blanket should look like after the star stitch rows are done:

Ch 3 with new color and turn.

row 17

This row is a regular dc row except we’re going to make our stitches in between the hdcs of the previous row.  This is so there won’t be a ridge/line between the top of the star pattern and our new row (if you crochet across like normal you’ll see what I mean).  I’m crocheting over my yarn tails here so I don’t have to weave them in later.  Here’s what the first few stitches look like:

Keep crocheting into the spaces between the stitches of the previous row until the end.  Since crocheting into the spaces shifted us over slightly, we’ll have to make what seems like an extra stitch at the end:

If you count, however (which you really should do now), you should have the same number of stitches as your very first row of the blanket.

row 18

With new color, dc across.

rows 19 – 21:

With 2 new colors (or 3 if you prefer), make another section of granny stripes.  When we do granny stripes we also want the first row to be on the right side, and we must do an odd number of granny stripes or we won’t have the same number of stitches across (weird, I know, but the even granny stripe rows just don’t have the same number of stitches).

That’s our last row for the week, so I’d recommend counting your stitches to make sure you have the same number as when you started your blanket just one more time to be safe.  Also, don’t forget to weave in your ends!

I hope you’re all enjoying the CAL so far.  I’m certainly having a blast!  As usual, if any part of this week’s installment was tricky for you, feel free to ask questions.  If you can’t get the star stitch to work for you, just make 2 rows of hdc straight across instead and you’ll be fine!

And I should say thanks for joining us to anyone who’s just now starting — we’re glad to have you along!  And thanks for all the facebook page likes!  I’m enjoying all the photos being put up on facebook and Ravelry, as well.  Please keep them coming — you’re all doing a fantastic job!

Well, until next week everyone!  Thanks for stopping by!

I love all the pictures you’ve posted on facebook and Ravelry so far!  Your blankets are all looking great!  Ready for the second installment?  Off we go!

By now we’ve established how we’re starting rows and changing colors, so let’s skip those details now to save time.  You’ve got this!  Oh and don’t forget we’re using US terms!

row 6

With new color, dc in each st across

row 7

With new color, hdc in each st across

row 8

This will be the Catharine wheel pattern.  DO THESE 4 ROWS LOOSELY OR YOUR BLANKET WILL HAVE UNEVEN EDGES.  With new color, ch1; sc in same st:

Skip 3 sts, 7 dc in next st:

Skip 3 sts, sc in next st.  Skip 3 sts, 7 dc in next st.  Continue this shell pattern to end, leaving the last sc unfinished so as to change colors:

row 9

Remember to keep your stitches loose!  With new color, ch 2:

In the next 3 sts, make a dc but do not pull the last loop through any of them yet:

When you have 4 loops on your hook and it looks like this, yo and draw through.  We’ll call this a “cluster” of 4:

Ch 3, sc in top/middle stitch of the bottom shell.  Ch 3, in next 7 sts dc but do not finish stitches, as in the beginning. Yo and draw through to finish the st  (making a “clutster” of 7).  Ch 3, sc in top of shell below.  Continue this pattern until the end.  The last “cluster” will be 4 sts only:

row 10

Remember to keep your stitches loose!  With same color, ch3 and dc 3 in first stitch; sc in the sc below:

In the center space of the next “wheel,” dc 7.  Sc in next sc.  Continue this shell pattern until end:

In the last st, there is only half of a shell to be made, so dc 4 and prepare to change back to the same color as our first row of the Catharine wheels:

row 11

Don’t forget, loose stitches!  Ch 1, sc 1 in same st:

Ch3, make the same “cluster” of 7 dcs as in row 9, ch 3, sc in top of shell.  Continue until end:

Leave the last sc incomplete, as per usual, to change to the next color:

row 12

Back to regular tension.  This is a row of dc, but the tricky part is getting the right number of stitches.  Ch 3 to count as first st:

You can see that stitches 2 and 3 are around the chain below, stitch 4 is in the “eye” of the wheel, stitch 5 is in the stitch right before the next ch 3 space, stitches 6, 7, and 8 are over the next ch 3 space.  Continue this method of 8 stitches until the end.  Keep track by remembering that each sc in the row below signals stitch 1 of the pattern of 8.  Dc in last st:

Before moving on to the next row, count your stitches to make sure you have the same amount as when you started the blanket.

row 13

In new color, hdc in each st across:

That’s all for this week!  I hope it’s not too much at once, but it was pointed out to me that at the pace of 6 rows a week we would probably not finish by Christmas (which was the original goal, so that we may gift our blankets to others if we wish).  Since so many of you finished within a couple of days last week, I thought adding 2 more easy rows wouldn’t be out of line.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  I know that the Catharine wheel pattern can be tricky and it is a bit difficult to explain.  Hopefully the pictures will be enough to get you through so that you get the hang of it, but if not it’s OK, just ask about it and we can work through it together!  Good luck and happy hooking!

Alright everyone, grab your hook and yarn — it’s finally starting time! Let’s dive right into our “As-we-go stripey blanket” crochet along! We’ll be doing our foundation chain and 5 easier rows this week, and I’ve got pictures for step-by-step demonstration.  And don’t forget, I’m using US crochet terms! Here’s a handy chart:

foundation chain

Begin by chaining any multiple of 24 (i.e. 96, 120, 144, etc., and don’t chain too tightly!). Then chain 2 more for our turning chains. With my DK weight yarn and my H/8/5mm, I chained 194 total to make my throw about 50″/127cm wide, but you make yours however long you want to! As long as it’s a multiple of 24 plus 2 you’re fine! Double, no, TRIPLE check you have the right number so you don’t have to start over later!  Edit: I should also say that because the 2 turning chains count as your first hdc, you should have an odd number of stitches for every row in your blanket (you will have a multiple of 24 + 1 stitches).  So for example, since I chained 192 + the 2 turning chains that count as 1 stitch, I will have 193 stitches in all of my rows.

row 1

In the 3rd chain from your hook, make 1 hdc:

Make hdcs all the way across, but don’t pull the final loop through the last stitch! Stop at this point:

To finish the row, pull your next color through to finish the stitch. This is how we will finish every row where we change colors:

Ch 3 and turn.

row 2

The turning chains count as your first stitch of the row (and will for all rows to come unless otherwise specified). dc in each stitch across. You can work over your tails for rows like this so that you don’t have to sew them in later:

I like to crochet over the tail for at least 5 inches before snipping the end of it. At the end of this row, pull your next color through, ch 3, and turn.

row 3

Make 1 dc in the 1st stitch:

Skip 2 sts, work 3 dc in next st:

Continue this until the end, making only 2 dc sts in the last st of the row. Pull next color through, ch3, turn.

row 4

Make 3 dc in space between the 3 dc clusters in the row below:

Repeat this pattern until the end. Make 1 dc in the top of the turning chains of the row below:

Change colors. I’m using the same one as row 3. Ch 3, turn.

row 5

Repeat row 3! Then:

Don’t leave your ends unwoven til the very end, or you’ll never want to do them!

So this is all for this week:

This took me about an hour and 30 minutes (including weaving the ends), so hopefully a wider blanket won’t increase the time by too much.

I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to post any pictures to the Ravelry group page or the new facebook page — I’d love to see!

Thanks so much for participating — I’m really excited and I can’t wait to continue making our lovely blankets grow!

Edit: on Instagram use the tag #nyaccal and we can all see your progress!

Hello everyone!  I just wanted to give some specifics on how the crochet-along will go down, since we’re only 11 days away!

Firstly, to give good instructions and make sure everything is just right, I’m going to be a week ahead of everyone else.  I didn’t want to do it that way, but it works best since there’s no written pattern yet.  This way I can show you exactly how to do what I’ve done by posting instructions and pictures.  Also, since the blanket will be made up as we go along, that will give me the chance to make sure everything is just right before passing it on to you!

And, as you know, this is the yarn I will be using:

It’s Stylecraft Special DK, a soft acrylic yarn.  I will be using an H/8/5mm hook with it.  The pattern will be the same for everyone, regardless of your yarn choice or hook size or blanket size, because I’ve done the maths correctly and the beginnings and ends of all of our rows will be exactly the same!

I’ve decided to make a throw blanket 50″ or 127cm wide and about 76″ or 193cm long.  That’s basically the size of a twin/single bed blanket, just not quite as long.  Check out the chart on this site to see standard mattress and blanket measurements for all mattress sizes.

There  will be a weekly post with instructions for the next few rows sometime every Saturday (beginning on June 1).  Most of you were happy to do even more than 6 rows a week, but a few people won’t have quite the time for so many (especially those making very large blankets), so we’re going to go for just 4 to 6 a week (depending on the pattern).  The weeks with difficult stitches will have fewer rows, at least at first.  If that is too fast for you for any reason, please go at your own pace!  I don’t want to rush anyone and the instructions will still be there in the CAL category for you whenever you find the time.  In fact, when the CAL is over, I will compile all the posts with the instructions and pictures into one permanent pattern page that will be available in the menu bar for easy access.

Is there anything I’ve forgotten to mention?  Any questions you have?  Oh, I’m so excited!

Thanks for stopping by!