Tips & Tricks

Everything you need

• Either a Peacock Kit, Hummingbird Kit or Heron Kit
  
• Crochet hook: 4 mm / G6 (or whatever hook size gives you the correct tension)
  
• Tapestry needle to weave in ends
  
• Pins
  
• Scissors
  
• Knitpro blocking mats
  
• Knitpro blocking wires
  

Before you begin

Everyone crochets using a different tension. Even with the same person tension can change depending on the position you sit, if you are concentrating more or less or if you are feeling tired.

Tension is important when making this project. Each week, make your first motif and check your finished motif is 9.5 cm (3 ¾ in) before blocking. If your motif is too small try using a slightly larger hook, if your motif is too big, try using a smaller hook. Keep trying until you achieve the correct size.

Important information

As we are mixing very light coloured yarns with dark or bright coloured yarn in this project, it is important that when you wash or soak your shawl for the first time that you use a Colour Catcher. There may be small amounts of residual dye in the yarn which is a normal part of the dye process, but when mixing extreme light and dark colours you may want to be extra cautious.

Extra information

At the beginning of each week, before starting to crochet, read through the entire pattern instructions to get a clear view.

The colour combinations of the motifs are carefully chosen to ensure you will have enough yarn to complete the project, other colour combinations are of course possible, but we cannot guarantee you will have enough yarn to make all motifs.

Making the motifs is relaxing, so enjoy having some creative time for yourself. Crochet is proven to be good for your mental health and feeling of wellbeing, so take advantage and take your CAL with you into the garden, to the beach or even on vacation.

Enjoy the experience of being part of a ‘Crochet-A-Long’ with other people from all around the world. Post photos each week in the Facebook group for the CAL to show your progress. Alternatively, if you use Instagram, #ScheepjesS2SCAL2015 so we can enjoy your progress photos. If you have questions about the design, the designer (Annelies Baes) can answer your questions in the Facebook group and there will be lots of other people there to help you if you are stuck.

Should you find difficulty in following the patterns or charts, there will also be a video available via the Facebook group each week to help you.

When crocheting, make sure you have a comfortable chair or sofa, relax your head, shoulders and hands, and use a good light source.

Most of all: enjoy the CAL.

How to make a magic ring

1. Take your yarn and form a reverse letter J
   
2. Put the beginning end of the yarn UNDER the letter, so the yarn from the skein is above.
   
3. Hold the yarn together where it crosses and pick it up.
   
4. Put your working yarn behind the loop.
   
5. Insert your hook in the ring.
   
6. Pull up the working yarn through the ring, forming a loop.
   
7. Tighten the loop on your hook, still holding the rest of the ring.
   

How to weave in Ends

1. Weaving in ends in important so your ends will not poke out of your project when wearing or unravel.
   
2. Weave in ends on the back size / wrong side of your work.
   
3. Use a tapestry needle.
   
4. The easiest way to weave in under the stitches, and once again in the opposite direction too, for extra strength.
   

Abbreviations (UK terms used throughout)

beg beginning
ch chain
ch-sp(s) chain spaces(s)
ch-2 sp shows the number of chain in the chain space; in this case there are 2 chain.
dc double crochet
dtr double treble crochet
dtr2tog (Yrh twice, insert hook in next stitch, yrh and pull up loop, [yrh and draw through 2 loops] twice) 2 times, yrh and draw through all loops on hook.
htr half treble crochet
picot ch3, dc in the first ch of the ch-3 just made
Puff stitch (yrh, insert hook in st indicated, yrh and pull up loop) 3 times, yrh and draw through all loops on hook
RS Right Side
ss slip stitch
st(s) stitch(es)
tr treble crochet
tr2tog 2 treble worked together as follows: (Yrh, insert hook in next stitch, yrh and pull up loop, yrh and draw through 2 loops) 2 times, yrh and draw through all loops on hook.
tr3tog Work as tr2tog above, but work () 3 times
tr4tog Work as tr2tog above, but work () 4 times
ttr triple trebet crochet
yrh yarn around hook
() repeat the instruction inside the brackets the number of times stated. This is also where a number of sts are all to be worked within a certain stitch or space, eg (tr, ch2, tr) in next ch-sp.
[ ] Square brackets contain the stitch count at the end of the row.
*…; rep from * x more times: Repeat the instructions between the asterisk and semi-colon the number of times stated.