Welcome to the first blog post of the year 2025. Do you make resolutions at the end of the year? I used to promise myself to start or quit doing something on January 1st, but well… We do not change overnight and in fact, we stay the same person in the morning, after the New Year's champagne is finished, and fireworks are silent. So no, I have not made any resolutions for this year. Except for a wish to crochet a lot.
And I crocheted a lot in January. So much, that I have two new designs to show you!
First, I would like to thank everyone who joined me for the Gift Mystery make-a-long last December. I was happy to see your cute small projects, and I was also happy to hear you learned some new crochet techniques.
One of them was the short rows. In the past, I already created a few designs with the short rows (check out Astrid Shawl, Hygge Neck Warmer, Ebba Neck Warmer, City Neck Warmer, For Them Sweater, Early Waves Cowl and Seeds Collection).
I knew that some of you were a little overwhelmed with the intricity of these stitch patterns.
To help you overcome the fear of the short rows, I designed a Gift Coaster, which has become a huge success. The pattern for the Gift Coaster included a heavy support with photo and video tutorials, and I know that it helped you to feel more confident with the technique.
After the make-a-long, I have received a lot of requests for more patterns with short rows, and I heard you! Please, let me introduce a brand-new Shelly collection!
The Shelly Scarf (find it on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE) and Shelly Square (find it on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE) are available as stand-alone patterns and can be also purchased together as a collection at a reduced price.
It all started with an idea of creating seamless design with textured shells. You can probably find shell patterns out there, but most of them are cut-and-join, while I was trying to come up with an infinity stitch which does not require cutting yarn after every motif. And well, it was possible!
First, I created a Shelly Scarf – a long, textured beauty which is at the same time fully adjustable for length and width. The gauge is not important here, and you can choose any yarn you like (Sport/DK weight is recommended).
The scarf was designed as a parallelogram, but you can easily turn it into a triangular shawl, if you wish.
The construction of the Shelly Scarf is a unique one, and it probably differs from what you have seen before. The pattern is written in macro-rows, each consisting of several motifs (full shells and half-shells).
That might sound scary, but do not worry. The pattern includes full support with video and photo-tutorials. And once you memorize instructions for separate motifs, the crochet will be almost mindless. And hopefully you can continue crocheting the scarf watching your favourite TV series.
My first sample was done with Scheepjes Whirlette and Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm yarns held together. I opted for a larger hook, and I just love the warmth, fluffiness and the drape.
If you cannot wear wool, you can choose cotton-blend yarns. Another sample was crocheted with Scheepjes Stone Washed yarn, which is a blend of cotton and acrylic.
If you follow the gauge in the pattern, your scarf will become softer and even more drapey after the blocking.
Esther Schippers, who helped me with the testing, made Shelly Scarf with Scheepjes Whirl and Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm held together. Her gauge was a little bit tighter, and the scarf turned out a little smaller than mine, but still with a generous length.
For one Whirl cake you will need 5 balls of the Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm yarn. Find Scheepjes yarns in your local Scheepjes shop or buy via online retailers: Caro’s Atelier (NL and Europe), Wool Warehouse (UK with worldwide shipping), Taemombo (US and Canada).
The Shelly Scarf works in rows, and I was wondering if it was possible to use the same stitch pattern but working in the rounds. And this is how my Shelly Square was brought to life.
This is a continuous infinity stitch pattern which can be grown to any size at all. You just need to continue with the same macro-rounds until you are happy with the measurements. And create either a cushion, or a blanket. Or maybe a bag?
I made two samples of Shelly Square and turned both into pillows by stitching the crochet pieces onto the ready-fabric pillowcase by hand.
You can either go for a chic minimalist look with the chunky yarn in one color (I used Scheepjes Chunky Monkey yarn).
Or move off-the-grid with the variegated yarn. Here is my sample with the Stone Washed Minerals yarn. Is anyone in need of some unicorns?
Find Shelly Scarf of Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE.
Find Shelly Square on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE.
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