GAL, CAL and KAL Info

Ravelry GAL 2017

Do you know what the terms GAL, CAL and KAL mean? They’re gift-a-long, crochet-a-long and knit-a-long, respectively. So what does that mean? It means that many crocheters and knitters get together either in person or online to crochet or knit the same pattern (or sometimes different patterns). What is so special about these CAL’s, KAL’s and GAL’s? Well, they create a sense of community, encouragement and helping each other out. If someone has a question about the pattern that many people are crocheting or knitting (or a particular yarn they’re using or thinking about using), it’s the perfect place to ask questions!

 

Starting tonight at 8:00 pm US EST, I’m participating in the 5th Annual Indie Design Gift-A-Long on Ravelry. You may be asking yourself, “What’s so special about this Ravelry group?”. It’s a wonderful place to meet other croheters and knitters, to encourage each other and to ooh and aah at other people’s completed projects! Last year, I participated in the GAL for the first time and I had a blast! I was both a participating designer and knitter. During the GAL, I knit 2 projects from 2 wonderful patterns by 2 different Ravelry knitting designers whose patterns I’d never used before! These were the 2 projects I knit last year:

 

Schaumkronen

 

No-Brainer One-Skeiner

 

The top project is a Schaumkronen, designed by SimoneKereit. The bottom project is a No-Brainer One-Skeiner, designed by Susan Ashcroft. Both of these patterns were absolutely fabulous! I thoroughly enjoyed knitting them and learned a few things at the same time.

 

I have 20 crochet and knit patterns that I’m including this year in the GAL (that’s twice as many as last year). Here is a collage with all 20 patterns in it:

 

2017 GAL patterns on sale for one week

 

Each of these 20 crochet or knitting patterns will be discounted 25% during the sale period (from 8:00 pm US EST tonight, Nov. 21, to 11:59 pm US EST on Nov. 28). To see my sale patterns closer and to take part in the sale, check out my Ravelry GAL bundle here.

 

There are over 300 participating knit and crochet designers taking part in the GAL this year. Each designer has between 10 and 20 of their patterns discounted during the one week sale period, so that’s a lot of SALE patterns!!!

 

To find out more about the GAL and everything that’s going on in it, check out the official Ravelry GAL group here.

 

I hope you enjoy taking part in the GAL as much as I enjoyed it last year (and I’ll be enjoying it again this year)!

 

Happy crocheting (and knitting),

Susan Lowman

 

 

Scarves, scarves and more scarves!!!

Just in time for the cooler weather, here is another crochet scarf pattern for your stitching pleasure! Announcing my “Hitch a Ride Scarf”.

 

Hitch a Ride Scarf

 

This scarf is so much fun to crochet! And it uses just one skein of sport weight or worsted weight yarn (250-300 yards). The finished scarf measures 60″ long x 14″ wide with the one skein. If you desire a longer and/or wider scarf, simply use 2 skeins of yarn instead. The scarf starts out at the narrow end and gets wider as you add more rows. With the construction of this scarf, you can make your scarf as long and wide as you desire (and have enough yarn to make). Simply stop crocheting when you reach the desired size of your scarf.

 

The stitch pattern is a 2-row repeat, so it’s easy to memorize. The pattern includes written instructions, as well a symbol crochet charts for the scarf and 2 options for the last row, in case you’re running out of yarn!

 

I love color-changing yarns and this pattern looks fabulous in many types of color-changing yarn! Here are a few more of these scarves that I whipped up in a matter of 1-2 days each:

 

Hitch a Ride Scarf

 

Hitch a Ride Scarf

 

 

Hitch a Ride Scarf

 

I just LOVE this scarf and the colors of these yarns (and I think you will, too)!!!

 

You can find this new crochet scarf pattern for $4.95 on the pattern page here.

 

Happy crocheting (and I hope you stay warm this winter)!

Susan

 

Is it a Cowl or a Shawl?

I’ve been having a really fun time lately designing more accessories for you! I hope you’ve all been well and are having a good time crocheting some fabulous projects!

 

At the end of last year, I took part in the Ravelry Indie Design Gift-A-Long (GAL) as both a designer and a crocheting/knitting participant! It was so much fun and I learned a lot!!! One of the things I noticed in the knit/crochet patterns that were part of the GAL, was some designs that are a hybrid between a cowl and a shawl. I LOVE this concept and I knit a beautiful shawlette/cowlette during the GAL last year.

 

This year, I set out to design a crochet hybrid, which I’m calling a cowlette. I’ve made 3 of them so far and they work up quite quickly! I designed my cowlette pattern with super fine (sock) weight yarn for lots of drape! The fabulous part about these hybrid cowls/shawls is that they don’t fall off when worn, like shawls can sometimes! So without further ado, here is my newest crochet design, the Cozy Cowlette:

 

Two-color Cozy Cowlette

 

One-color Cozy Cowlette

 

As you can see, this cowlette is made in the traditional triangle shape. It’s worked from the front, center neck edge down to the bottom. It starts in rows, but changes into joined rounds about 2/3 of the way down. There are 2 versions of this pattern: the one-color version and the two-color version. I love them both! Here is a photo of the back of one of them:

 

Two-color Cozy Cowlette back

 

For the two-color version, I used a portion of 2 skeins of Loops & Threads Woolike yarn from my local Michaels store. This yarn is 85% acrylic and 15% nylon, has 678 yards and costs just $3 (unless you use a discount coupon and get it for even less)! With this many yards, you can make 2 cowlettes with just 2 skeins total! This yarn has lots of bounce, too! Of course, you can use any yarn of the same weight that you desire for your cowlette!

 

For the one-color version, I used some generic acrylic yarn that I purchased at the Knit & Crochet Show several years ago. I added some tiny beads that I had in my stash to the bottom edge, which you can see here:

 

One-color Cozy Cowlette edging with beads

 

You can purchase the Cozy Cowlette pattern for just $4.95 here.

 

I hope you’re enjoying the change in weather and are looking forward to crocheting some new accessories for Fall and Winter this year! I love the fun crochet accessories that can be made and worn during the cooler times of the year!!!

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

 

Delicious Yarns!

Have you seen some of the new color-changing yarns that are available in the US now? They’re gorgeous! I’ve been enjoying color-changing yarns for quite some time now. It’s hard to resist buying the newer yarns because the colors are so pretty! A week ago, I gave in to the urge to buy more yarn (again)! Here are some of the yarns I’ve been buying lately:

 

Caron Cakes yarn

 

Have you seen the new Caron Cakes yarns? I think they’re only available at Michaels Craft stores. They came out last year (or the year before) with the basic Caron Cakes yarn, which is worsted weight and has 383 yds. Now they have Caron Cupcakes (the ones on the far left and right with the pompoms on top in the photo above). These cakes are light weight (#3) yarn with 244 yds per cake. There is a knit or crochet hat pattern on the inside of the yarn label. The pompom will look great on the top, if I make these into baby hats!

 

Then they have the Caron Big Cakes (the blue one in the photo), which is worsted weight, just like the basic Caron Cakes yarn (the Big Cakes looks and feels slightly thinner than the basic Caron Cakes yarn, though). The Big Cakes has 603 yds. The basic Caron Cakes yarn (the tan one in the photo) is 80% acrylic and 20% wool. The new Big Cakes and the Cupcakes are 100% acrylic. There is also a Tea Cakes and a Sprinkle Cakes, which I held off on buying this time around (what self-control I have!!!)!

 

Red Heart yarns

 

Here are some of the Red Heart yarns that I’ve bought. I’ve been crocheting (and designing) with the Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable for several years now (the left and right skeins in the photo above). I love the colors they have and they work perfectly for my One-Skein Cowl patterns!

 

The center skein of yarn is the new Red Heart Super Saver Stripes. It is a worsted weight yarn with 236 yds (100% acrylic). I saw this yarn at my local Walmart last month and this color spoke to me! So I listened and added it to my collection of color-changing yarn! I LOVE the colors in this skein! I don’t know yet what I’ll design with it, but I will definitely enjoy the colors while I’m working with it (I love just looking at the colors in the skein, too)!

 

Lion Brand Mandala yarn

 

This cake is the new Lion Brand Mandala yarn. I saw this yarn on the same day last month at my local Walmart. It spoke to me, too! This yarn is another light weight yarn (#3). It is also 100% acrylic and has 590 yds in it. That’s enough for a nice, drapey crochet project (probably an accessory)!

 

Here’s a new design that I saw in the recent issue of Crochet! magazine (Winter 2017) that uses the Lion Brand Mandala yarn. It’s designed by Karen McKenna and is made with one skein of the #216 Sphinx colorway. Isn’t it gorgeous?

 

Crossover Shawl by Karen McKenna

 

It’s a good thing that I like to crochet because I’ve found that acrylic yarn isn’t as good for knitting as it is for crochet! And I LOVE getting lots of yardage for my money, too!

 

I’m looking forward to designing some delicious crochet patterns with these yarns!

 

What draws you to a particular yarn? Is it the colors, like me? Is it the fiber content? Is it the yardage? Is it the price? Or is it something else?

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing these new yarns. And I hope I haven’t enabled you too much to buy more yarn than you’ll ever use in your lifetime!!!

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

 

2017 CGOA Conference Afterglow!

I’ve been back from the CGOA Conference in Chicago for 3 weeks now and I thought I’d share some of the highlights of the conference this year for me!

 

I taught 6 crochet classes this year: Beginning and Intermediate Filet Crochet, Beginning and Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet and 2 classes of Invisible Repairs. For more information about any of these classes, check out my previous blog post here. My smallest class had 11 students and my largest class was sold out at 25 students! I had the best students in each of my classes this year! I met so many nice, encouraging, friendly crocheters in every class and at every event!!! My dog had run into my left foot the Saturday before the conference, giving me a huge bruise and a very tender foot, so I was hobbling around a lot before and during the conference. My students were very understanding and let me sit down a lot, bringing their crochet pieces and questions to me most of the time! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting each student and sharing my crochet knowledge with them!!!

 

Here are some photos of my happy students from each class:

 

Left Side of Beginning Bruges Lace class on Wed night

 

Right Side of Beginning Bruges Lace class on Wed night

 

Left Side of Beginning Filet Crochet class on Thur AM

 

Right Side of Beginning Filet Crochet class on Thur AM

 

Some students in Invisible Repairs class on Fri AM

 

All students in Invisible Repairs class on Fri PM

 

Left Side of Intermediate Filet Crochet class on Sat AM

 

Right Side of Intermediate Filet Crochet class on Sat AM

 

Left Side of Intermediate Bruges Lace class on Sat PM

 

Right Side of Intermediate Bruges Lace class on Sat PM

 

You probably can’t notice from the small size of these photos that one of my students took all 5 of my classes this year! Her name is Robin and she’s a wonderful crocheter and student! Here we both are in the last class:

 

Robin and me

 

Here’s another student, Gwen, from that same class wearing her amazing crochet lace top that she made:

 

Gwen with her amazing lace crochet top

 

And here is Corina from my afternoon Invisible Repairs class:

 

Corina and me

 

Corina is from Romania. She had contacted me through Ravelry a week before the conference asking a question about one of my designs. I noticed that she lived locally to Chicago and told her about the conference. I had no idea that she would actually attend the conference, let alone take one of my classes! And it was her birthday, too! Happy belated birthday, Corina!

 

I hope to see all of my students at next year’s CGOA Conference to be held in Portland, Oregon from July 25-28, 2018.

 

Another fun event at the conference, besides classes, is the Design Competition. I entered a shawl that I designed this year and I won an Honorable Mention! Here’s the shawl, which I’ve named Blazing Embers Lace Shawl. I designed it based upon a really pretty doily that I crocheted a number of years ago. Obviously this isn’t a doily! I’m pleased with how it turned out and will self-publish the pattern one of these days/weeks/months/years, when I get the chance!!!

 

Blazing Embers Lace Shawl

 

Here’s a photo of the Design Competition display at the conference:

 

2017 CGOA Design Competition display

 

The Design Competition display was set up in the same room as the crochet lounge, which was sponsored by Red Heart Yarn. Red Heart set up an amazing display, designed and crocheted by Gina Rose Gallina called Queen Bee. Here’s that amazing display, along with Gina herself:

 

Queen Bee display with Gina Rose Gallina

 

At the end of the conference, on Saturday night, we had our banquet and fashion show, which is always so much fun! We also had the induction ceremony for this year’s CGOA Jean Leinhauser Crochet Hall of Fame award. This year, the award went to Carol Alexander, who was a crochet designer for many years before becoming the editor of Crochet! magazine (a magazine published by Annie’s). Here’s Carol giving her acceptance speech:

 

2017 CGOA Hall of Fame winner, Carol Alexander

 

And here’s the loot from the goody bag that I came home with this year! What a haul!!!

 

2017 CGOA Conference goody bag loot

 

If you’ve never been to a CGOA Conference, I hope you’ll take the plunge and attend one (or more)! You’ll learn so much, meet awesome crocheters and make life-long friends!

 

Until next time!

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

Crochet Toys for Babies and Toddlers

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and enjoying lots of sun, relaxation and a vacation or two! A few weeks ago, my husband, middle son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter and I went up to Idaho to visit my dad and step-mom. We stayed at Zion National Park on the way up and at Yellowstone National Park on the way back. It was lots of fun, we saw some beautiful animals and we made some great memories! One of the memories was more scary than fun, though! The 2 propane tanks came off our travel trailer while driving to Yellowstone! One of the tanks disappeared completely and the other was hanging on, scraping on the road and sparking! We feel very blessed that God had His angels keeping us safe. This could have had disastrous results, since propane can explode!

 

Now that I’m back from vacation, I’m busy getting ready for the CGOA Conference, where I’ll be teaching 5 (or 6) crochet classes next week! Since one of the teachers can’t make it to the conference, several of the teachers with sold out classes were asked if they could teach another class to fill in for her classes, which were cancelled. I said I’d be happy to teach my sold out Invisible Repairs class a 2nd time, so I’m scheduled to teach it both Friday morning and Friday afternoon at the conference! If you weren’t able to get into the Friday morning class, you are in luck! Now you can sign up at the conference for the Friday afternoon class (a repeat of the morning class) and pay the pre-registration price there! If you’re planning to take my new Friday afternoon class, please check out the homework for the class and get it done before the afternoon class. You can find the homework here. I hope to see you at the conference!!!

 

I thought I’d take a little break from printing class handouts today and share some fun baby toys to crochet with you! I crocheted 3 baby toys in the past few months for my granddaughter, Rubekah (Ruru for short)! They were all lots of fun to make.

 

Into the Jungle

 

First is the “Into the Jungle” stacking animal rings designed by Cindy Cseh. The pattern was available in the April, June and August 2013 issues of Crochet World magazine. I knew when I saw the pattern that I wanted to make it for a grandchild some day! So earlier this year, I set out to make it. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s a lot of fun to see my granddaughter play with it! You can see more photos of this fun project on my Ravelry project page here.

 

Amish Puzzle Ball and my granddaughter

 

The 2nd is the Amish Puzzle Ball by Dedri Uys. This pattern is so much fun to make and put together! This is a FREE pattern that you can find here. I LOVE this pattern and I’ll probably make several more, just for fun!

 

Crochet Dinosaur Puzzle Ball

 

The 3rd project that I crocheted for my granddaughter is also by Dedri Uys. It is the Crochet Dinosaur Puzzle that is in Dedri’s book, Amamani Puzzle Balls, by Annie’s. This project was somewhere between the complexity of the Amish Puzzle Ball and the Into the Jungle stacking animals! The pattern was great and easy to follow! You can see all of the patterns in this book here.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing these 3 crochet baby toy projects and are inspired to crochet some toys for your favorite baby very soon!

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

 

 

Announcing a New Crochet Stitch!

Are you a crocheter who likes to try new and different things to challenge yourself? Do you ever wonder if there are any new crochet stitches or techniques out there? Well, I’m here to tell you that there definitely ARE!!! I’d like to tell you about a new crochet stitch that I think you’re going to LOVE!

 

A few months ago, a new designer on Ravelry named Jen Dettelbach, contacted me and asked about a crochet stitch that she’s been using. She wasn’t quite sure if it was a new stitch or something that has already been used. She contacted CGOA (the Crochet Guild of America) and CYC (Craft Yarn Council) about her stitch and one of them suggested that she contact me. After looking at Jen’s stitch and understanding what she had done, I realized that I had never seen a stitch like Jen’s! I decided to ask Edie Eckman about it, just to make sure. She hadn’t seen it either and suggested that we ask Dora Ohrenstein about it. So I contacted Dora about the stitch and she hadn’t seen it either!

 

Without further ado, let me introduce you to Jen’s “Bolster Stitch”!

 

 

These are some cute crochet baskets that Jen Dettelbach has designed. She sells the finished baskets and patterns, in her Etsy shop here. Jen uses her Bolster Stitch in these baskets, which gives the baskets more stability so they don’t fall over and lose their contents. Jen’s stitch is NOT a post stitch or bullion stitch, although it looks similar to these stitches.

 

To find out more about Jen’s Bolster Stitch, check out her blog/website here.

 

It’s so exciting to see a new crochet stitch and enjoy the creativity of other crochet designers!

 

Over 10 years ago, I invented a new crochet stitch that I call an “Anchored Dc”. I invented it for use in Mosaic Crochet so the stitches wouldn’t flop around if more than 1 vertical stitch was crocheted in a row. I’ve used it in several designs over the years. One of these was my ABCs Rug, which was published in the August 2007 issue of Annie’s Hooked on Crochet magazine.

 

ABCs Rug

 

Another was my Mosaic Basketweave Placemat. It has been published in 2 places. The first is in the Leisure Arts book #6321, “Crochet Beyond the Basics”. You can see most of the projects in this book here. The other is on the Red Heart website here.

 

Mosaic Basketweave Placemat

 

I also used my Anchored Dc in a crochet pattern that I self-published in 2015: my “Crochet Mosaic Scarf”. You can see more about this pattern here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really enjoy playing around with crochet and seeing what I can come up with! And I enjoy sharing my designs with other crochet enthusiasts like YOU!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at 2 new crochet stitches!

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

Teaching or Taking Crochet Classes?

Are you a life-long learner, like me? I absolutely LOVE to learn new things!!! I’ve taken so many classes over the years, mostly in crochet. It’s so much fun to learn something new, especially new crochet (or knitting) techniques!

 

 

I also LOVE to teach others new things such as crochet, knitting, tatting, paper quilling, etc! Next month, I’ll be teaching 5 crochet classes at the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) Conference in Itasca, IL, just outside of Chicago. There will be over 50 classes available to take and so many crochet techniques to learn! If you’re a crochet enthusiast, like me, this is THE PLACE to learn more about crochet! Here are the classes I’ll be teaching at the conference:

 

Beginning Bruges Lace Crochet – Wednesday, July 26th from 6 – 9 pm

 

Beginning Bruges Lace Crochet class

 

Beginning Filet Crochet – Thursday, July 27th from 2 – 5 pm

 

Beginning Filet Crochet class

 

Invisible Repairs – Friday, July 28th from 9 am – 12 pm (Note: This class is sold out!)

 

Invisible Repairs class

 

Intermediate Filet Crochet – Saturday, July 29th from 9 am – 12 pm

 

Intermediate Filet Crochet class

 

Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet – Saturday, July 29th from 2 – 5 pm

 

Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet class

 

I’m really looking forward to teaching these 5 classes! I always enjoy meeting new people at the conference and spending time with old friends! Everyone is so friendly there and willing to help each other out with any questions they have, whether it’s crochet-related, hotel-related or anything else. I love to inspire others to learn new things and stretch their crochet knowledge and skills!

 

To learn more about my crochet classes, or any of the other classes being taught (and to register for classes and events at the conference), just go to the CGOA website here.

 

There are many things going on at the conference besides crochet classes, too. There is a show floor with vendors selling crochet-related items, a design competition (for CGOA members), the CGOA Masters pinning ceremony, the induction of the newest CGOA Jean Leinhauser Crochet Hall of Fame winner (this year it’s Carol Alexander), the CGOA Masters Day, a professional workshop, a designer meet & greet (where designers can meet with editors and sell their designs) and a fashion show. To read all about the conference, check out this page.

 

If you’ve been to the CGOA Conference before, what is your favorite part of the conference (if you can name only one thing)? If you’d love to go, what would be some of the classes/techniques you’d love to learn?

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

New Necklace Pattern Available

If you’re like me and enjoy crocheting necklaces to wear or give as gifts, you’re going to love my new crochet necklace pattern, Vine Necklace. This necklace works up in no time with size 3 crochet thread. You can use any colors you’d like, or make a bunch of them with different colors to go with lots of outfits!

 

Vine Necklace

 

The necklace pattern is versatile, in that you can make all 3 strands of vines or only the flower strand for a simpler, even faster necklace!

 

Vine Necklace with 1 strand

 

This pattern was originally published in 2013 as part of the CGOA Across the Board ebook. However, the copyright on this pattern has reverted back to me, so it’s now available for purchase by anyone!

 

The sample necklace was made with size 3 Aunt Lydia’s Fashion crochet thread in #32 Candy Pink, #606 Goldenrod and #625 Sage. Either a size D/3 3.25 mm aluminum crochet hook or a size 0/3.25 mm steel crochet hook can be used.

 

The pattern includes written instructions and photos of each section of the necklace.

 

I hope you enjoy crocheting and wearing this necklace as much as I enjoyed designing it!

 

The pattern is available for $4.95 on the patterns page here.

 

Happy crocheting!

Susan

 

Mom’s Favorite Baby Blanket Pattern Available

crochet baby blanket
Mom’s Favorite Baby Blanket

 

For the past 2-3 months, I’ve been working very hard to fine-tune the pattern for my newest crochet pattern, “Mom’s Favorite Baby Blanket”! I enlisted the help of 4 pattern testers on Ravelry and their input was “invaluable”!!! They made great suggestions for improving the pattern and making it easier to understand, since the construction for this blanket is not your “typical” crochet construction!

 

If you’ve read anything about this pattern, you’ll know that I designed this pattern last year after my mom passed away. She had a favorite baby blanket pattern that she liked to make for new babies in the family. It was from a kit and was worked in 7 strips with 19 motifs in each strip. That made for a lot of seaming and tons of ends to weave in (7 x 19 x 2 = 266 + 2 ends for the edging = 268 ends)! Who wants to weave in that many ends, let alone sew strips together with 19 separate ends (so the colors would match)? Not me!

 

Last year, the month before my mom passed away, she started one of her favorite baby blankets for my granddaughter. The month after my mom passed away, I finished it for my mom and gave it to my son and daughter-in-law in May, right before my granddaughter was born in June! They know how special this baby blanket is to me and they cherish it (at least I hope they do!). I certainly didn’t enjoy all the time spent sewing the strips together and weaving in the ends! And I know a lot of other crocheters don’t like either of these things, either! So I set out to design a baby blanket that looked like my mom’s favorite baby blanket, but without all the seaming and weaving in ends. And I think I hit the nail on the head! Here are close up photos of my mom’s baby blanket and mine:

 

Mom’s Original Baby Blanket

 

My Redesigned Baby Blanket

 

My redesigned baby blanket still contains 7 motifs in each section and 19 sections of motifs. However, there are NO strips to crochet and NO seaming to be done in this new baby blanket design! There are only 38 ends + 2 ends for the edging (= 40 ends total) to weave in on the whole baby blanket! This is a HUGE improvement from 268 ends, don’t you think? That’s an 85% savings on ends, which translates to lots of time saved and leaves more time for crocheting! Yea!!!

 

I used DK/light worsted weight yarn for my baby blanket, which came out to be 34” wide x 48” high. Yours can be made wider and/or higher, if desired, by following the instructions for resizing the blanket. The blanket is made with basic crochet stitches: chains, double crochets, single crochets and slip stitches.

 

The pattern includes 2 symbol crochet charts: one for right-handed and one for left-handed crocheters. The instructions include the appropriate differences for right-handed and left-handed crocheters, as well.

 

With the help and suggestions from my pattern testers, I decided to take lots of step-by-step photos for this pattern, to help YOU be successful! I think we all know how time-consuming photos can be, but I really think they were needed in this pattern, since the construction is different than most other crochet patterns!

 

In the pattern, there are 43 step-by-step photos for the main part of the blanket, 46 step-by-step photos for the edging and 10 more photos showing how many chain spaces you should have in various places in the pattern (so you’ll know if you’ve made a mistake and you can fix it before it gets worse)! That’s a total of 99 photos to help teach various aspects of the pattern in a visual manner and to be able to know if you’re working it correctly or not! Here’s a sample of one of the photos in the pattern:

 

Sample of a Step-by-Step photo in the pattern

 

With all of the additional photos, the pattern is now 30 pages long! I know what you’re thinking! That’s too many pages to print out without using a ton of ink/toner! But have no fear! Included in every purchase is a shorter 14-page pattern with a few photos, the full written pattern and the symbol crochet charts, but without the additional step-by-step photos for printing. Both pdfs (the 30-page version and the 14-page version) are available for download with purchase of the pattern.

 

I’m releasing this pattern on a special day to me. Today, April 20, would have been the 29th birthday of my daughter in heaven. Her name was Rebecca. She was born with a closed pulmonary valve in her heart and lived a little less than 6 months. My granddaughter, who my mom starting crocheting her favorite baby blanket for last year before she joined my daughter in heaven, is named Rubekah, in honor of my daughter in heaven. Here’s a photo of my granddaughter and the blanket my mom started, in case you haven’t seen the dozens of photos of her that I’ve shared on social media already:

 

Rubekah on the Baby Blanket that my Mom started and I finished

 

Because of the extensive step-by-step tutorial photos in this pattern, I’m charging a little bit more than my usual patterns. I think you’ll find this small increase is well worth it in terms of you being successful in crocheting this baby blanket for your favorite little one! This pattern would also work equally as well for a full-size afghan! Just follow the instructions for changing the size of the blanket and use whatever weight yarn and an appropriate size crochet hook you desire!

 

The pattern with the 2 pdfs, including 2 symbol crochet charts, complete written instructions and over 90 step-by-step photos, is available for purchase for just $6.95 here.

 

If you’re ever stuck on something in the pattern for any reason, please send me a message on my website, on Ravelry (I’m “crochetarchitect” on Ravelry) or through Facebook and ask for help. I’m happy to help anyone with questions about my patterns!

 

If you purchase this pattern and make the baby blanket, I’d love to know what you think about the additional photos! And I’d love to see photos of your finished baby blankets from this pattern, as well!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at my “Mom’s Favorite Baby Blanket” pattern.

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan