The thing about hats

I’ve been bitten by the hat making bug. For years I’ve made shawls/cardigans/socks/sweaters - anything but hats, really. And now suddenly I can’t stop. I’ve made nine since September. It turns out hats are quick, fun, and really good for using up odd skeins. Huh.

The impending festive season definitely has something to do with it. “Quick! Gift! Knit!”, I see everywhere, from chunky cables to classic rib to round-and-round-and-round sort of tubes. I get it, I do. Five of those nine hats were not for me or my own kids, not made out of necessity but for the heck of it. And seeing how happy they are, to receive something that is warm, pretty and (hopefully) a good fit has been really fun.

September Hat by Caroline Dick

I’ve even set about designing one. I thought, I only have one hat pattern in my portfolio so far, I was given two skeins of perfect, midnight blue tweed at Edinburgh yarn festival, it’d be good for a bit of end-of-year publicity, etc.

The thing about hats, however, is that they’re like everything else I design. Best not rushed. When I rush, I make mistakes or end up with compromises I later regret.

The thing about hats, whether made for yourself or someone else, is that they’re like sandwiches. They always make the receiver happy, this fact you’ve taken the time to butter the bread all the way to the edges and melted the cheese to just the right level of bubbliness and maybe even gone the whole hog with all the toppings. I ate a rye bread open sandwich piled high with nut butter, apple slices, pumpkin seeds, dates and honey at a cafe in Edinburgh. The equivalent of a perfectly slouchy, nubbly grey hat with a little cable, perhaps?

When I stuck a sample of my new design on my best friend’s head, saw how much she liked it and how beautifully it accentuated her blue eyes… I had to let her keep it. I shared that sandwich with her, too.

So I haven’t released the pattern yet. I’ve made an ochre sample and started another blue one, I’m working out multiple sizes, putting options for both a snug beany and a slouchy hat in… I won’t be able to say, “cast on this last minute Christmas gift!”, but I don’t mind. I like the idea of someone getting to this pattern in the quiet of January, or whenever suits them, of them taking their time over the tiny ridges and delighting in the little puffs that go up and up.

An act of spiritual belly-filling, in the making, the wearing and - for me as a designer - the not-stressing about “keeping up”.

See you in January?

P.S. If you do want to crochet a new hat this side of Christmas, I made some tweaks to the instructions for the Lomma Hat (it’s free"!) so they are easier to understand.

P.P. S. I will also be running a promotion cum fundraiser from 21 to 31 December, so follow my social media outlets if you want to keep an eye on that.

TUTORIAL: Crochet Waffle Stitch

Sometimes, the simplest stitches are the most effective. Such as the Waffle Stitch*; Although it is only an extension of the humble double crochet (single crochet in US terms), it produces the most amazing drape and texture. So much so, that when I took the sample of the Harvested Shawl to Oslo Knitting Festival, even the knitters couldn't stop stroking it. Definitely a triumphant moment for this crocheter!

This photo tutorial demonstrates how to work the Waffle Stitch in a plain sample or gauge swatch, as well as how to incorporate increases. The stitch placement at the beginning and end of each row can be a bit confusing, so I thought it best to show you both.

The yarn I'm using is Beyul Fingering by Kettle Yarn Co . It's a smooth, glossy blend of merino, yak and silk that I think really shows of the texture of this stitch. You can use any yarn though, from something very fine to a chunky one. About a year ago I hooked up a shawl in a very floofy, thick-thin merino I found in a bargain bin (but why?!). The end result is quite different, but it’s also very pleasing to touch and wear.

The only thing to bear in mind is that this stitch has a lot of give and will continue to stretch over time. For a shawl this will only add to the gorgeousness of the drape, but for a garment you might need go down half a hook size.

*If you search for "waffle stitch" on YouTube, something very different turns up. I'm using the term that I found in my stitch dictionary (200 Crochet Stitches by Sarah Hazell) but if you know this stitch by another name, please let me know in the comments!

Note: this tutorial uses UK crochet terms. For a conversion chart to US terms, see the Yarn & Craft Council.

Difficulty Level

Confident Beginner

Materials

fingering weight yarn (or yarn of your choosing)

3mm hook (or hook appropriate for your yarn)

2 removable stitch markers

Stitches + Abbreviations

Ch - chain

Ch-sp - chain space

DC - double crochet

FDC - foundation double crochet

PM - place marker

PUL - pull up a loop

YO - yarn over

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Straight Waffle Stitch

The Waffle stitch is worked over an odd number of stitches. For this sample, we'll start with an FDC row of 25 stitches. If you prefer, you can also start with 26 chains, then DC 1 in each chain from the second chain onwards.

FDC 25 OR ch 26, then DC 1 in each ch from 2nd ch to end. Turn.

Next, we will work a set-up row. Every stitch, including the starting chain, counts. You might find it helpful to mark the 2nd starting chain of each row with a stitch marker.

Ch 2 (counts as 1 st, PM on 2nd ch if desired), then:

• step 1: insert hook in first st and PUL.

• step 2: insert hook in second st and PUL.

• step 3: YO and draw through first 2 loops on hook only.

• step 4: YO and draw through remaining 2 loops on hook.

• step 5: ch 1.

Ch 2 (counts as 1 st, PM on 2nd ch if desired), insert hook in first st and PUL, insert hook in second st and PUL

YO and draw through first 2 loops on hook only

YO and draw through remaining 2 loops on hook (then ch 1 - not pictured)

Each repeat of steps 1-4 make an ExtDC2-tog, or an “extended double crochet 2 together”. The ch 1 between each ExtDC2-tog keeps the stitch count on track.

Keep repeating steps 1-5 until 1 st remains, then DC 1 in the last st. Turn.

Work [ExtDC2-tog, ch 1] until 1 FDC remains

DC 1 in last FDC

For the rest of the sampler square we'll be working ordinary Waffle stitch rows. The first and last stitches of each row are always slightly different, but otherwise it's just the same stitch over and over.

Ch 2 (counts as 1 st, PM on 2nd ch if desired), then:

• step 6: insert hook between the "V" of DC of prev row and PUL.

• step 7: insert hook to left of DC of previous row (i.e. into ch-sp) and PUL.

• step 8-10: as steps 3-5 above.

Insert hook in the “V” of DC of prev row and PUL

Insert hook to left of DC of prev row and PUL, YO and draw through first 2 loops on hook, YO and draw through remaining 2 loops on hook, ch 1

To continue:

• step 11: insert hook to right of vertical thread of prev row and PUL.

• step 12: insert hook to left of vertical thread of prev row (i.e. into ch-sp) and PUL.

• step 13-15: as steps 3-5 above.

Insert hook to right of vertical thread of prev row and PUL

Insert hook to left of vertical thread of prev row and PUL

YO and draw through first 2 loops on hook, YO and draw through remaining 2 loops on hook, ch 1

Repeat steps 11-15 until 2 sts remain (i.e. one ExtDC2-tog and the starting ch). Skip the last ExtDC2-tog, remove the stitch marker, DC 1 in 2nd turning ch. Turn.

Skip the last ExtDC2-tog, remove stitch marker, DC 1 in 2nd turning ch

Continue working this last row until your piece has the required dimensions.

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Increasing Waffle Stitch

In the Harvested Shawl pattern, the Waffle stitch increases by 4 stitches per row. This is achieved by working an extra DC and ch 1 at the beginning of the row, and working an extra ExtDC2-tog and ch 1 before the DC at the end of the row. Again, you might find it helpful to mark the second starting chain of each row.

Work both the foundation row and set-up row as for straight Waffle st. Turn.

Ch 2 (counts as 1 st, PM on 2nd ch if desired), then:

• step 1: DC 1 between the "V" of DC of previous row, ch 1.

• step 2: insert hook between the "V" of DC of previous row again and PUL.

• step 3: insert hook to left of DC of previous row (i.e. into ch-sp) and PUL.

• step 4: YO and draw through first 2 loops on hook only.

• step 5: YO and draw through remaining 2 loops on hook.

• step 6: ch 1.

DC 1 in “V” of prev row (then ch 1 - not pictured)

Insert hook between the "V" of DC of previous row again and PUL, then insert hook to left of DC of prev row and PUL

YO and draw through first 2 loops on hook, YO and draw through remaining 2 loops on hook, ch 1

Work ordinary Waffle st until only 1 st remains (i.e. the starting ch). Remove stitch marker, DC 1 in 2nd turning ch. Turn.

Work to end, DC 1 in turning ch

At the start of the next row, ch 2 (counts as 1 st, PM on 2nd ch if desired), work as prev row until 2 sts remain (i.e. DC and starting ch), then:

• step 1: insert hook between the "V" of DC of prev row and PUL.

• step 2: insert hook to left of DC of prev row (i.e. between DC and starting chains) and PUL.

• step 3-5: as steps 4-6 above.

• step 6: remove stitch marker, DC 1 in 2nd turning ch. Turn.

Insert hook between the "V" of DC of prev row and PUL, insert hook to left of DC of prev row (i.e. between DC and starting chains) and PUL,

YO and draw through first 2 loops on hook, YO and draw through remaining 2 loops on hook, ch 1

Remove stitch marker, DC 1 in 2nd turning ch

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Disclosure: I was gifted three skeins of Beyul Fingering for the purpose of designing the Harvested Shawl.

This post does not contain affiliate links.

Withdrawal from The Making Things App: A Timeline and Open Letter

In October last year, you might have seen me promoting a new online pattern platform, called the Making Things App, across my social media profiles. It has since become clear that Making Things is not the kind of company I want to be supporting, either personally or as a brand. What follows in this post is a timeline of my interactions with them, and a copy of my letter of withdrawal as a designer on the platform. I am making these public for the sake of transparency and accountability.

To anyone who joined MT specifically to support my work, I appreciate that gesture endlessly and I apologise for the part I personally played in convincing you this was a platform worth signing up to. I apologise if you signed up in the hope of gaining access to more of my patterns. My one pattern will remain accessible on MT for another 12 weeks before it is removed. Whether you wish to end your subscription right now or keep the pattern after that 12-week period is over, please email me to request your free PDF copy, no questions asked.

You also have a right to know what I do with the money I have earned from MT so far. At the end of every month that I actually get an income, I donate to a number of anti-racism educators and other content producers whose work I believe to be valuable.

---

2018

27 August: (In response to an invitation to join MT as a launch designer) Write to CEO to question the apparent lack of representation of anyone other than young white women in the few promotional images/footage available.

28 August: Receive personal assurances from CEO that "Inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do, and the driver for all the decisions we make".

October: Sign up to MT as launch designer, add one pattern, take part in launch campaign.

2 November: Write to CEO to express concern about the lack of guidance given to designers with regards to the MT launch and advertising standards, and lack of transparency.

6 November: Receive a general (i.e. addressed to all MT designers) apology for MT's lack of guidance around the launch.

2019

6 February: Write to Designer Community Manager and CEO to question transparency of an (upcoming) advertising campaign, and also to further question the statement "inclusivity is at... decisions we make" after seeing promotional footage featuring only female, young, thin and (to my knowledge) able-bodied, neuro-typical, cis-gendered and straight designers. Ask what the company is intending to do to ensure inclusivity really is at the heart of everything.

8 February: Receive a personal video reply from Designer Community Manager containing:

• assurances that transparency in MT's advertising campaigns was a given

• an explanation of the promotional video being the result of who responded to a reach-out by MT (which begs the question: but who did you reach out to and, if you reached out to a diverse audience, why did such a narrow subset feel able to respond to you)

• assurances that MT were having internal conversations about how to best use that content, alongside a general awareness in the team that this was long-term "work that has to be done every single day"

• request to allow MT to continue to "do the work" and create new content around its core values

At this point I stopped engaging with the company. I was invited to discuss the points in my 6 Feb email further in a video call, but due to us being in very different time zones we were unable to find a time where we were all actually awake and working. I didn't think it would be fruitful to carry on trying to get my point across in emails, having been told this was not the preferred method of communication. I spent the next month or so pondering how to go forward, but did not prioritise it over other work and personal commitments.

During the weekend of 16-17 March I learned that many other designers as well as customers had attempted to raise similar concerns with MT, and felt equally unsatisfied with the response. Further, BIPoC designers on the platform made it clear they had been made to feel unwelcome and unsafe.

Both as a result of my own dissatisfaction with the company and as a demonstration of my solidarity with former MT BIPoC designers, I have decided to withdraw from the MT platform. Detailed reasons can be found in my letter to the MT CEO below.

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“Dear Megan,

Below you will find my reasons as to why I chose the “remove” option on the registration form. As you say you welcome feedback, I felt it was important to make these clear.

1. Mismanagement, Inconsistency and Lack of Professionalism
You (I am addressing this to you, as CEO, and because I am no longer certain who actually forms part of the MT management team) have demonstrated a worrying inability to manage such a large and public platform.
From presenting unrealistic potential earnings to launch designers, a botched launch that saw many designers being attacked for joining MT, promising features to customers and designers alike but failing to deliver them, to insisting on a top-down management style in which you refuse to engage meaningfully with the very people you claim to be building a “community” for/with...
It all speaks of incompetence, inconsistency, and inexperience.
It reflects badly on you, but also on the many designers that put their name to MT.
So, to put it quite bluntly, as a designer I am no longer willing to put my own time and energy into supporting a company that is badly run, despite any financial reward I might gain from doing so.

2. Structural Racism
I have seen your statements dated 27 February and 18 March. It is a case of too little, too late. You were given ample opportunity to “do better” months ago.
I myself raised the lack of representation in your work in August 2018 and again in early February this year. In neither instance did I feel my concerns were adequately addressed.
In addition to this and more importantly, in the last 24 hours it’s become clear that many BIPoC designers were made to feel unwelcome and unsafe by MT, and that several members of staff who attempted to improve representation in the last two months have since been laid off.
You didn’t need to appoint an external BIPoC adviser with an impressive CV. You had all the advisers you needed right under your nose: the many BIPoC designers who have put their own time and effort into supporting the MT platform.
You’ve let those designers down, and you’ve shown yourself to be incapable of taking responsibility for the inherent, structural racism that comes with owning a company as a white person. You’ve failed to understand that creating a “safe space” for BIPoC goes beyond who you may or may not be as an individual, beyond using a few promotional images or PR statements with assurances that all are welcome. It goes to the very core of the company ethos.
As a designer and as an individual, your company does not possess an ethos I am willing to be associated with.

In the end, what it comes down to is trust. Had you proven yourself to be trustworthy by adopting the grass-roots style of management that this kind of community-built platform actually requires, I and other designers/customers may have felt more inclined to put down any concerns to inevitable teething problems. We might have agreed that, yes, making meaningful changes to the very structure of the company takes time, and goes beyond putting a few BIPoC faces on a website in the name of diversity. We might have actually given you that time. My opinion is that you squandered the opportunities you were given.

Eline Alcocer @ Emmy + LIEN”

An Autumn {love} Story

The coming of Autumn always causes a feeling of melancholy in me, so profound I can almost taste it. It’s a kind of delicious flavour. There is something indulgent about savouring memories of long, warm summer days, feasting on the last bursts of colour, and not being able to help but feel a bit sad when the last of nature's bounty has gone. It is, after all, just so more-ish.

My recipe for for dealing with the sadness is warmth. Steaming soups, sourdough toast, melted butter for our bellies. Wool, wool and more wool over our shoulders, hands, heads. I unwrap all our jumpers with a sense of importance, and the kids just think it's funny to try on all of last year's hats at once.

Usually Autumn is brief here; King Winter comes swiftly and mercilessly, stifling everything for almost 6 months. But this year has been strangely warm, and so at the beginning of November, when I would not expect there to be a single leaf left anywhere, I found myself with the chance to photograph a new design outside.

Not inside, struggling with the lack of natural light and wracking my brains for appealing props, but out in the soft glow of the Autumn sun and marvelling at how much there still remained to enjoy.

Well, photograph the new design was the intention. I got distracted by the model.

With two small children and two jobs, life is full. Very often good-full but also challenging-full, and in either case there is very little time or space for us to just be. Ourselves, a couple.

Even this session was typically rushed; We wolfed down our lunch at a local cafe, spent just half an hour messing about with light and leaves and sleeves. Then it was straight back to work before the evening shift of dinner-bath-bed-COLLAPSE.

It was a nice half an hour though. Full of soft light. Of observing and connecting, however briefly. Of remembering a Before, with melancholy. For just a short while, all the drudgery, loneliness and friction that inevitably make up the darker side of an intense relationship sort of faded into the background.

I can't believe it's been 10 years since he wandered into my office 5 times a day, under the pretense of needing to use the photocopier. He's a good 'un, my husband (and he's hot, in my unbiased opinion). Although he wouldn't give me back my cardigan.

New brushes

For my birthday this year Mr E+L said he wanted to buy me something at the art shop. It had been years since I last picked up a pencil but then, a month or two ago - in an ongoing attempt to chase away the fog of PND, to connect with the increasingly recalcitrant 5yo in a shared creative way, to just give in to a very ancient-feeling itch, I don't know - I suddenly started again. So he said, do you need any new materials?

Proper paper and paint brushes, I replied. Off we went one afternoon (because I had to choose myself), and the buying was so very, so hilariously, representative of where we are now: 

A week late  (because the biggest boy had us all marooned at home with chickenpox on my birthday itself), two small children, bribery snacks smudged into the corners of their mouths. As soon as I walked into the shop it felt like all the ones that had gone before: a treasure trove of smells and textures, instantly safe. Except previously I'd always been alone, and now there were three other people with me, two of whom couldn't wait to discover. Less doable for the small one (not that he didn't try, swipey hands at the ready), but the big one was enthralled. I set him to work with the paintbrushes and water at one of those Japanese calligraphy practice tablets while I tried, as quickly as baby-time allowed, to think.

It was rushed, infuriating, funny, exhilerating to share "my" space with them. I came away with three beautiful new brushes and a fat pad of paper. Oh and a set of watercolour pencils for the Bean. He's since drawn a whole series of alien busses with them. Because, why not?

As for me, I can't tell you how good it feels to draw again. I hadn't realised how much I had missed the timber smell of pencils or the touch of the paper, until they were in front of me again. It's almost like an awkward dance of courtship: I know you deeply, but I've lost the fluency and confidence with which to handle you properly. The only thing to do is practice. 

At the moment I'm using Derwent Inktense pencils - you draw and then go over them with water. I'm sketching new designs in them, but I'm also doing lots of colour studies. I feel a great need for coherence, right now, and I feel my portofolio so far is all over the place. Which I have been too, of course (5 countries and 2 continents in two decades!) but now it's time become more grounded. 

This is what came out for the rest of this year's new releases. I'm surprised at just how "grounded" - soil, earth, foliage with a splash of sky - they are, but I think I like them.  The idea for the little colour cards, by the way, is one I have unashamedly stolen from Ingrid at IngThings, one of my favourite blogs and corresponding instagram accounts. A while ago she was selling the cutest sets of them in her webshop but, having failed to secure one, I decided to make my own. They're very addictive to do.

So now I'm using these cards to help me plan what I hope will become something akin to a collection. The fibres I'm working with don't match the current season (always two ahead, as a rule), but I feel that come winter the pretty pinks and lilacs will serve as good reminder of what inspired me, this beautiful but uncharacteristically warm spring (has the weather been as crazy where you are? We are heading towards drought, in Sweden of all places).

On stripey birthdays

I was watching an episode of Chef's Table the other day, in which someone talked about the correlation between big feelings and baking. Birthday? Bake a cake, obviously. But also, failed an exam? Bake a cake. Got an interview - bake a cake. Somebody died - bake a cake. Or something along those lines

I think I'm the same with knitting. It feels right, somehow, to try to weave a little extra "but I love you so" into the stitches. Or to let your own complex feelings unravel as the rows slowly grow. 

In the run-up to my smallest boy turning one a couple of weeks ago, I had all the feelings. There was nothing for it but to tip the box of oddments out onto the floor, watch the delight on his face as he tangled his little fingers into the soft fluff, and try to rescue a few balls for his first birthday jumper.

This is what came out of the box, in the end. A mix of cottons and cotton-wool blends, perfect for chilly mornings in spring. 

For the pattern I decided on a randomly striped, simple raglan jumper, based on Tin Can Knits' Flax. It's a very easy, well-written pattern that's perfect for quick kids' knits - I used it for The Bean's birthday jumper last year. 

Since I had DK weight yarn rather than aran, as the pattern called for, I cast on the size 2-4 yrs with 4.5mm needles and carried on working raglan increases until I had the dimensions instead of the row numbers stated. I left out the garter panel too, so as not to distract from the stripes. 

I tucked in the last end a week after The Bug's birthday. Which was perfectly on time, given he was a hot, itchy chickenpox mess on the big day itself. So I suppose he had a spotty, not a stripey birthday, really. But two weeks on he is back to his chirpy self, a little taller and with new walking skills to boot. Spring has burst into perfect bloom and we are so very ready to enjoy the garden in our new home for the first time. The jumper turned into just the sweet stripey number I was hoping for, with a little extra room to grow. 

Because grow, grow, grow they do. The little one starts nursery today. I think I'll go and cast him on some socks. 

Seaglass Shawl: Choosing colours

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the Seaglass Shawl giveaway last week! I wish I could have given you all a kit (including myself), but alas! There could only be one winner. So congratulations Kat! Your prize will be with you soon. 

Last week I set up the Seaglass Shawl CAL page on Facebook too. I honestly thought I'd be wafting around on my own in there like a lonely tumbleweed, but we have almost 30 members from across the globe already! If you'd like to join in, just click here. You can add friends to the group, too, and if you're not into facebook (or also into instagram!) you can use the hashtag #seaglassCAL on IG.

[Reminder: the Seaglass Shawl crochet pattern is available to buy on Ravelry]

As the CAL doesn't officially start until May 7th, there's still time to get your yarn choices sorted out. In case anyone is struggling with what colours to combine, I thought I'd explain how Petra and I put together the kits.

I feel I should come clean here - the kits are 99% Petra's work. She sent me tons of beautiful yarn pictures with only the vaguest of suggestions from me. There's a reason she is the professional dyer out of the two of us. It was so hard to finalise them into a list of only 5 (4 plus the original), but some general questions I used to guide my choices were:

- what will look good closest to the face?
- is there enough contrast to keep things interesting?
- do the stitches come out as I intended them to or is the detail lost?

Colour by colour, then, my thought process went like this:

Main Colour (MC) - the colour which gives the shawl its overall character, but which also needs to look good next to the face. Should not drown out the other colours, so keep it fairly light. Bonus points for speckles, which can then be picked up in the other colours.

Contrast Colour 1 (CC1) - the colour which ties the whole multi-stitch section together. Should therefore look good next to ALL of the other colours. Can be light to medium in intensity, so as to provide enough contrast but still show off the detail of the cross-over stitch. 

Contrast Colour 2 (CC2) - complements CC1 but still provides some contrast. 

Contrast Colour 3 (CC3) - the bold "statement" colour used for the clusters and border. Be brave and choose something that provides a strong contrast. 

Here is what all of that actually looks like in practice. 

Having said all of the above, I should add that colour choices are of course completely personal. One kit that didn't make it to the shop but which I LOVE is this one:

image credit: Fru Valborg

It's more of a fade rather than the light-dark, cold-warm contrasting palette of the others, and I therefore felt it didn't stay true enough to MY design. But does that mean it can't be YOUR shawl? Of course not. Part of the fun of putting a design out there is seeing how others interpret it, and as it happens I've seen a similar combination pop up on instagram already. I have no doubt it's going to be beautiful. 

Seaglass Shawl: Crochet-a-long (CAL) + Giveaway

I'm so pleased to announce that there will be a Crochet-a-Long (CAL) for the Seaglass Shawl. If you've never taken part in one, they are such fun; You basically get to crochet along with a bunch of virtual friends, sharing progress update photos, swapping tips and solving hick-ups. 

There will be a dedicated Facebook Group for you to join. I'll try to check in myself daily, and generally be on hand to answer any questions, offer encouragement, and get to know you a little bit. I'll also have a few diagrams and step-by-step photos prepared, so you'll have access to those before they go up on the blog. If you're at all worried about whether you have the right skill level for this, therefor, don't be - a CAL is the perfect way to try something new with a bit of hand-holding. The group will be kept closed, which just means I have to approve each new member. It's a way of keeping things friendly, safe and spam-free. 

The CAL will officially run from Monday 7th May to Sunday 1st July, but I'll open the FB group on 23rd April so we can say hi and oggle each other's yarn. There's no pressure to finish your shawl by 1st July either; I'll leave the group running but I'll just be a little less available as the kiddos will be on summer holiday. 

So what do you think, are you in?? To get your appetite going, you might want to take part in a little giveaway:

Petra from Fru Valborg has very kindly agreed to give away one kit in a colourway of the winner's choosing. The kit INCLUDES a PDF copy of the pattern, bringing the total value of this prize to 835 SEK (about $100). So it's not that little a giveaway, is it :-)

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post stating which colourway you would choose. You can see all five of them at Fru Valborg's webshop. The giveaway is open worldwide*. I will choose a winner at random on 27th April, hopefully leaving enough time for the winner to receive their kit ahead of the CAL start date, should they want to join in.

Good luck!

*Please note: I will cover postage to any location in the world, but if you are outside of the EU you may be liable to pay customs charges. Neither myself nor Petra at Fru Valborg can accept liability for such charges, should they be incurred. 

PATTERN RE-RELEASE: Seaglass Shawl

Light and drapey, versatile and soft- the Seaglass Shawl has it all. As fun to make as it is to wear, the main body of this triangular shawl works up quickly in easy TC filet and solid TC stitch. It then moves into a section of beautiful, colourful mixed stitches, and is finished off with a delicate picot edge.

And... there are kits! To make the sample for this re-release I teamed up with Petra from Fru Valborg. She hand-dyes on the the most beautiful, cruelty-free merino yarn to produce original and exquisite palettes. There simply had to be kits!

But there is of course also choice: you can either buy the pattern on its own from my Ravelry store, or purchase a kit from the Fru Valborg webstore. Any purchase of a kit will INCLUDE a copy of the pattern at a 10% discounted rate, along with 2x 100g skeins and 2x 50g skeins of either pure merino yarn or a nylon + merino blend (so you'll be able to use any leftovers for socks!). The kit will retail at 835 SEK. 

The Original Colourway: Glacier Bay Dark (CC3) | Azure (MC) | Muddy Pink (CC2) | Oak Light (CC1) 

Amethyst (CC3) | Hold Your Breath (CC2) | Fog (CC1) | Ice Mint (MC)  

From Afar (MC) | Sweet Honey (CC2) | Flame (CC1) | Amethyst (CC3)

Fidelity (MC) | Chocolate (CC3) | Crazy Daisy (CC2) | Sweet Carolina (CC1)

Emmy Lou (CC1) | Ice Mint (CC2) | Mud (MC) | Storm (CC3)

We spent hours pouring over the colour combinations, and so along with the original colourway we hope there's something for everyone. Jewel or pastel, moody or light... And of course EVERYONE gets at least one speckle! Please note though: the above pictures show 4x 100g skeins, but the 2nd and 3rd contrast colours (CC2 and CC3) will come in 50g skeins. Do you have a favourite yet? 

There will also be a CAL (crochet-a-long) and giveaway. More details to follow soon, so stay tuned.

Size
220 cm (top edge) x 150 cm (side edges) x 80 cm (middle top to tip)

Materials + Notions
3mm (D/3) crochet hook , or as required to obtain gauge
scissors
wool needle
Yarn: Fru Valborg Merino Single (fingering; 365m per 100g skein; 100% superwash merino) - 3 skeins in Azure (MC); 1 skein in Oak Light (CC1); 1 skein in Muddy Pink (CC2); 1 skein in Glacier Bay Dark (CC3)
With special thanks to Fru Valborg for providing yarn support

Actual Yardage Used:
MC (Azure) - 200g / 730m
CC1 (Oak Light) - 58g / 212m
CC2 (Muddy Pink) - 38g / 139m
CC3 (Glacier Bay Dark) - 16g / 59m
 
Yarn Alternatives
Any fingering to 4-ply yarn (look for a meterage of 340 to 380m per 100g) will result in a similar drape. Use 100% cotton for a light, summery shawl or a merino/merino+silk blend for a warm and luxurious feel.  

Gauge
21 sts x 11 rows = 10 cm measured over main patt (3 rows of TC filet, 1 row of solid TC) after blocking. 
NOTE: The original sample of this shawl, as it appeared in Crochet Now, uses TC filet st throughout for the main body of the shawl. This version uses a little less of the MC yarn and has a looser structure. 
 
Construction
This triangular shawl is worked flat from the top down, with increases at the far edges and the tip. 

Skill Level
Intermediate - includes simple increases and mixed stitches

Pattern
The pattern includes clear written instructions, UK to US term conversion chart, and a hand-drawn illustration (PDF only).

You can purchase the PDF download for 45 SEK (about $5.35) from my Ravelry Store, or visit Fru Valborg for a kit that includes both pattern + yarn.

This pattern originally appeared in Crochet Now issue no. 15.

Five

There are birthdays, and then there are BirthDays. Ones that need more than a cake and a candle, so to speak. Ones that
stop you in your tracks, forcing you to look back, take stock, evaluate how far you have travelled and put everything else
into perspective. Ones that make you realise that was you, then, not you, now, and so it will remain until the next big
milestone.  

For this once though, it wasn't a BirthDay of my own. No sweet 16 (aeons ago) or big 3-0 (which, as it happened, I
preferred to the decade before) or (God help me) 40 heralding the start of middle age.

Last week my biggest boy turned Five.

A gangly, skinny-Bean of a Five, all arms and legs but still that great big mop of hair. 
The last smudges of toddler chub have disappeared, sharpening the edges of both his body and his attitude.
There is an endless thirst for knowlege, paired an uncompromising refusal to have all but the last word.
Superhero powers, the fastest shoes and coolest toys, the wildest imagination, the snailiest of paces in the morning.

He stopped giving kisses at some point in the past year, I don't for the life of me remember when. Because you never know, when
that last time is really the last time, do you? 

But also a softness still, somewhere under the bravado and selective hearing. Big Questions prey on him for days,
disturbing his dreams. He will. not. sleep. alone and on the morning of his birthday he was bursting with cuddles as well
as excitement. There may no longer be smooshy kisses, but there are at least still clumsy, bony hugs. He loves colour and has an interest for materials that tickles me pink.

He cares more for his little brother than I could have hoped, and graciously accepts all the times I deploy him as Chief
Whinge Difuser. He has something nice, and different, and equally thoughtful, to say about every single one of his friends. 
He sort of whithers a bit without company, although his ability to concentrate on Making a Thing is kind of amazing. He's
all about the Lego, and God HELP you if you dare mix up the pieces. The guy who refuses to read the manual or ask for
directions? I don't think that will be him.

He didn't stop and think about any of this, of course; the only evaluating he did was of the number of presents piled next
to his plate at breakfeast. 

As for me, though?
Well,  five years ago I became a mother thanks to this one.