I am quite bad at keeping secrets… I mean I do keep them of course, but it takes me so much inner energy and concentration not to tell something I shouldn’t… And when it’s the time to finally break silence – I am always so excited and happy. Like today for example, as I can finally tell you about an upcoming Scheepjes CAL 2016. It was announced a week ago following with a few sneak peeks and a big reveal of a wonderful, gorgeous blanket. This CAL (crochet-a-long) is not just a very beautiful and fun project to make, but it also has a story behind…
This CAL is dedicated to memory of Marinke Slump (Wink) – a talented crochet designer behind A creative being, who tragically passed away last summer. Marinke had been suffering from depression and lost in this battle... Last summer she was working on a new design which was meant to be a new CAL, but it was not finished. Her death became a tragic news for her family, friends and lots and lots of fans who admired (and admire) her work.
With a permission of Marinke’s family Scheepjes decided to finish her design using Wink’s sketches, samples and colour mood boards. Being a part of a Scheepjes Bloggers Group I was also invited to take part in this sensitive project full of feelings, love and care. Each designer created one square block which were joined together in a blanket called Last Dance on the Beach. And this blanket is devoted to the memory of Wink and as a tribute to her creative work.
Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to get acquainted with Marinke in person. But I believe that joining this CAL will help me to connect with her in some way...
This CAL will begin on April 20th and will last for 14 week. Every week a new square will be introduced and each designer will provide help and support for her design in Facebook groups, created especially for the needs of the CAL. Thousands of people have already joined them and continue to join every day. If you would like to be a part of this CAL – please, also check them. There is international group (with English language - HERE) and a separate group for Dutch speaking crafters HERE.
Update: you can download the patterns for each week HERE.
There are three different themes (colorways) offered for Last Dance on the Beach Blanket – Dance in the Sea, Dance in the Rain and Dance Under the Stars. And all three colorways will be available in so called basic and lux kits.
Basic kit is made up of 14 skeins of premium acrylic yarn Colour Crafter and its price is £33.99 / €43,40.
Lux kit contains 39 balls of luxury Merino Soft yarn, Scheepjes olive wooden button, luxury beach bag, Knit Pro stitch markers, embroidery scissors, colour catcher and eucalon. Lux kits will cost £119.99 / €159,90.
Both kits include a €2 charitable donation to Mind in Wink's name. This donation will be paid for each sold kit. But if you would like to use other Shceepjes yarns for this CAL (for example, cotton or cotton blend) you can send donation yourself, if you wish.
Here are the dimensions of the blankets made with both kits. Maybe they will also help you to decide:
Basic kit: 115 cm x 150 cm
45.2 inches x 59.5 inches
3 ft 9 inches x 4ft 11 inches
Lux kit: 130cm x 160 cm
51.1 inches x 62.9 inches
4ft 3 inches x 5ft 2 inches
Kits will be available for purchase on 1st of April (this Friday) HERE on Deramores*, HERE on Wool Warehouse* (both retailers ship internationally), via all Scheepjes stockists, and on Paradise Fibers* (US). There are only 3 weeks left before the CAL begins, so it’s the right time to have a look at yarns, colour charts and decide which kit is right for you. So that you get your yarn on time.
I will also join this CAL and make my own blanket. I was hesitating if I should choose basic or lux kit, but finally decided to go for Merino Soft. If you haven’t tried any of these yarns, maybe my reviews can help you a bit. You can read about Colour Crafter HERE and my own opinion about Merino Soft is HERE.
I decided to use Merino Soft mostly because I already have one blanket (Birthday in Malmö) made with Colour Crafter. This is not ordinary acrylic yarn, it is very soft and if you are not fond of artificial fibres in general, maybe this yarn will help you to change your point of view. Colour Crafter has several advantages and one of them is lower price (in comparison with lux kit), but it doesn’t mean at all that your finished blanket will look cheap. I’ve made one for myself and I am very happy with it.
I still haven’t decided which exactly colours I want to use, as I am truly in love with all of them. This is not an easy choice, indeed. But Dance in the Rain seems to fit interior of my living room the best… But who knows, maybe I will change my mind.
Please, use hashtags #ScheepjesCAL2016, #LastDanceOnTheBeach and #LDOTB for marking your projects on social media. And if you have a Ravelry account, don’t forget to add this project to your Ravelry Queue.
I can’t wait to order yarn and start crocheting!! This will be my first CAL, can you imagine? I will post about my progress regularly, so see you soon!
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such a beautiful blanket, I knew you were also one of the people that was working on this cal so i was kind of waiting for this post. I'm not sure if i will make this blanket, i am still thinking about it, but in the last 14 months I have made already 5 blankets and i am still working on 2 cal's, also blankets, that's 7 in total, so i don't really need another blanket. But I'm looking forward to the start of this cal to see all the beautiful blankets that will be made and also i love to see other colorcombinations. I'm curious to see wich colors you will choose.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to start! I have decided on the colours at last (hope not to change my mind again on the last minute...)
DeleteI think I would cry into every stitch if I did this CAL. I'm still not over Winks passing, so I'll give this one a miss. :'(
ReplyDeleteYes, I understand what you feel... This projec is very sensitive. And full of different feelings, and sad. But I decided to join it, and to talk about it to draw more attention. to celebrate Wink's creativity, and personality. And to draw attention to the problem of depression. I believe many people think depression is not such a problem. But this is not true. Many-many people suffer from it, and they are on the line, and every step can be the last. And crochet, such projects help to unite people. To show them - they are not alone. And their life matters. everyone's life matters...
DeleteYes, I agree with every word you say. I have suffered from anxiety, panic attacks and depression since I was a teen, so I do understand. I have found that being creative is a life-saver. The ability to process emotions through any kind of creative outlet. I think this is the reason why Winks passing was so shocking to me, and also frightening. She personified creativity and it wasn't enough to keep her here. Since Wink, three women I know, who on the outside seemed "normal" and even happy, took their own lives. I think this is a wonderful project, raising awareness for a silent killer.Thank you for your participation. Much love.
DeleteWhat a beautiful CAL, thinking about doing it or not!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are one of the 12 who contributed to this CAL. Yes it is very very very sad and I wasnt sure about joining in but I just felt I HAD to make it for Marinke - even though I had only been following her since the 2014 CAL. And I just spotted you in the photo with the other bloggers holding up the gorgeous Dance Under the Stars colourway blanket. I was drawn to this and the Sea one so I got STars in Basic and Sea in the Luxe versions. Having seen this photo I wish I had got the Luxe in both but I am pleased you like the Colour Crafter.
ReplyDelete