Month: August 2022

Lupine Shawl CAL – Part 6

Welcome to Part 6 of the Lupine Shawl CAL. This week is the last week of the CAL and we will go over all the steps to put finishing touches on your Lupine Shawl.

****Post contains affiliate links – which means if you make a purchase from the links below, I will get a small percentage of the sales at no additional cost to you****

If you’ve missed any of the previous sections you can find them here:

Part 1 – Supplies and Pattern Notes
Part 2 – Rows 1-10
Part 3 – Rows 11-20
Part 4 – Rows 21-30
Part 5 – Rows 31-40
Part 6 – Border and Blocking Instructions

So the body of your Lupine Shawl should be complete now. This following section is completely optional.

It should look similar to this:

When you ended on Row 40 you should have a stitch count of 400. Good thing I check my stitch counts often; I ended up missing two stitches on this last row.

Border

You’ll want to change skeins again, that is unless you still have enough for 2 rows in the current skein. I had already played enough yarn chicken, I wasn’t going to tempt fate again.

Row 1.) Ch 1, turn, Sc in 1st St, Ch 3, *Sk 1, Sc, Ch 3, repeat from * until Ch 2 Sp, (Sc, Ch 3, Sc) in Ch 2 Sp, *Ch 3, Sk 1, Sc, repeat from * until end. (201 Ch 3 Sps)

Clear Glitter Streamline Resin Hook

Row 2.) Ch 1, Turn, Sc in 1st St, *Ch 3, Sc in Ch 3 Sp, repeat from * until end, Ch 3, Sc in last St. (202 Ch 3 Sps)

Finish off and weave in all ends (which we probably should have done as we went along 😉).

Blocking Your Lupine Shawl

Blocking your finished shawl is completely optional. I know that not all of us have the resources or room to block such a large item.

Materials you’ll need to block your Lupine Shawl include:

I used 16 block.

Step 1

Hand wash your shawl with a wool wash/gentle soap. Rinse well. Remove as much water as possible.

Step 2

Wrap in a towel to help bring out any residual water. Let it sit for a few minutes while you set up your mats and get your supplies ready.

Set up your mats in a place out of the way of normal traffic. I put my mats in the living room so the kids wouldn’t get to it. They were blocking the front door, which we don’t use. If we needed to use the door for an emergency the least of my worries would be the shawl.

Step 3

Center your shawl on the blocking mats. Start pinning the edge from the middle out. You’ll want to pull slightly, just enough to open the stitch work to your liking.

I placed a pin every 2-3 inches.

Once the top edge is pinned you can move on to the outer edge.

I used blocking wires that knitters usually use for their lacework. Since the Lupine Shawl is lacy I figured I would give them a try.

They worked out really well. I weaved the wires through the spaces in the border going over and under the Sc. Once in place I pinned the wire to the blocking mat.

The wires helped open up the stitching of the border without having to pin each one.

You can adjust any of your pins as you go. I personally like symmetry so what I did to one side I did to the other.

Step 4

Once your Lupine Shawl is pinned in place let it dry for a few days until its fully dry. The time will vary based on the material of the yarn used and how much water was still left in the shawl after washing.

You WILL need to repeat these steps each time you wash your finished shawl. A reason why I like to design pieces that blocking is optional.

Blocking Vs. Not Blocking

So… did you know that I’ve made the Lupine Shawl TWICE?!?! When I made the first one I didn’t photograph any steps. I just kept hooking along.

For the CAL I wanted to photograph most of the steps for you so I needed to make it again.

Here are a few noticeable differences between blocking vs. not blocking. I blocked the first one but not the second because I wanted to show how they differ.

You will probably be the only one to notice on your own shawl.

In the first photo below, on the left is the original shawl and on the right the new one. You can see how by blocking helps open up the stitch work, especially on the border.

I took the following photo with the unblocked shawl over the blocked one. When blocking merino wool like the hand-dyed yarn from High Desert Yarn, there is a lot of stretch in the wet fibers. You can gain a few inches in your shawl after blocking.

So have you decided if you’ll block your shawl? I’m not going to lie, its a pain in the ass, but the results are worth it!!

Share Your Finished Shawl

Use the next week or two to catch up on your shawl and let it dry (if you decided to block it).

Share your finished shawl with the world. You can…

It has been so much fun hosting the Lupine Shawl CAL! I’m glad you’ve decided to join too!

Availability

You can purchase the PDF download on Ravelry and Etsy.

purchase on ravelry
purchase on Etsy

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Lupine Shawl CAL – Part 5

We’re almost done with the Lupine Shawl! This week we will be finishing the main part of the shawl. We’ll be going over rows 31 through 40.

If you’ve missed out on previous sections of the Lupine Shawl CAL they can be found here:

Part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4

****Post contains affiliate links – which means if you make a purchase from the links below, I will get a small percentage of the sales at no additional cost to you****

Your Lupine Shawl should currently look similar to the one pictured below. You should also have a stitch count of 300 (without counting the Ch 2 space in the center).

You should probably weave in your ends now if you haven’t been doing it already. I didn’t as you can see. I wasn’t the best thing to spend time doing it all at the end.

Row 31.) Turn, (Str, 3Tr) in 1st St, Tr in next St and across until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, Tr in next St and across until last St, (4Tr) in last St. (310)

Row 32.) Turn, (Str, Tr, Ch 1, Tr) in 1st St, *Ch 1, Sk 1, Tr, repeat from * until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, *Tr, Ch 1, Sk 1, repeat from * until last St, (Tr, Ch 1, 2Tr) in last St. (320)

Row 33.) Turn, (Str, Tr, Ch 1, Tr) in 1st St, Ch 1, Sk 1, *Tr, Ch 1, Sk 1, repeat from * until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, Ch 1, Sk 1, *Tr, Ch 1, Sk 1, repeat from * until last St, (Tr, Ch 1, 2Tr) in last St. (330)

Row 34.) Turn, (Str, Tr, Ch 1, Tr) in 1st St, *Ch 1, Sk 1, Tr, repeat from * until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, *Tr, Ch 1, Sk 1, repeat from * until last St, (Tr, Ch 1, 2Tr) in last St. (340)

Row 35.) Turn, (Str, 3Tr) in 1st St, Tr in next St and across until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, Tr in next St and across until last St, (4Tr) in last St. (350)

If you’re changing skeins every 5 rows, this is the time that you’ll want to do that.

Row 36.) Turn, (Str, 3Tr) in 1st St, Tr in next St and across until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, Tr in next St and across until last St, (4Tr) in last St. (360)

Silver Metal Streamline

Row 37.) Turn, (Str, Tr, Ch 1, Tr) in 1st St, Ch 1, Sk 1, *Tr, Ch 1, Sk 1, repeat from * until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, Ch 1, Sk 1, *Tr, Ch 1, Sk 1, repeat from * until last St, (Tr, Ch 1, 2Tr) in last St. (370)

Row 38.) Turn, (Str, Tr, Ch 1, Tr) in 1st St, *Ch 1, Sk 1, Tr, repeat from * until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, *Tr, Ch 1, Sk 1, repeat from * until last St, (Tr, Ch 1, 2Tr) in last St. (380)

Row 39.) Turn, (Str, Tr, Ch 1, Tr) in 1st St, Ch 1, Sk 1, *Tr, Ch 1, Sk 1, repeat from * until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, Ch 1, Sk 1, *Tr, Ch 1, Sk 1, repeat from * until last St, (Tr, Ch 1, 2Tr) in last St. (390)

You might want to change skeins this last row. I played a little yarn chicken. This is all I have left of that skein. Totally up to you, if you live for the thrill, go for it; worst case you have to frog it.

Row 40.) Turn, (Str, 3Tr) in 1st St, Tr in next St and across until Ch 2 Sp, (2Tr, Ch 2, 2Tr) in Ch 2 Sp, Tr in next St and across until last St, (4Tr) in last St. (400)

You’ve completed the main section of the Lupine Shawl. Next week we will go over the border and how to block it (if you wanted to).

Weave in those ends. You can see that I still haven’t done mine… oops.

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If you’ve purchased my designs in the past, leave a review.  I want to know what you think.

Granny Square Tote Bag

If you’ve been following Crochets By Trista for a while you know that I’m a sucker for a good bag. I wanted a cute bag that showed off the beautiful built in stitch design but could still hold a notebook and book or Kindle.

The Granny Square Tote Bag is my first pattern that has a good amount of sewing. I loved making all the pieces, I wasn’t a fan of sewing them all together at first. After a few square I got into a rhythm and it seemed to go by quickly.

***Post contains affiliate links – which means if you make a purchase from the links below, I will get a small percentage of the sales at no additional cost to you.***

Stitching With Granny Event

The Queen of the modern granny square, Cosy Rosie UK, is hosting the Stitching With Granny Event August 1st through the 15th. There will be 15 BRAND NEW patterns featured that include the beautiful granny stitch.

Each day a new design will be featured and you can get the pattern for 50% using the coupon code found HERE. The coupon is only available for the featured day.

Stitching With Granny Pattern Bundle

You can purchase all 15 featured pattern for only $9.95 with the Stitching With Granny Pattern Bundle!

The Yarn

The yarn that I used for the Granny Square Tote Bag was Uptown Worsted from Universal Yarn. This was the first time using this yarn and I absolutely loved it.

Uptown Worsted is anti-pilling, which is a plus with an item you’ll be using all the time. It is super soft and will probably be a new favorite yarn once you try it. I know I’ll be using it again.

Supplies Needed

The supplies you’ll need to make the Granny Square Tote Bag for yourself include:

  • 500 yards Universal Yarns Uptown Worsted
  • G/4.00mm crochet hook
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape
  • Yarn needle
  • Blocking materials

I needed two skeins of each color to make my Granny Square Tote Bag. If you’re going to use one color 3 skeins should be good. Each side uses approximately 230 yards.

The colorways used were Lavender (purple) and Olive (green).

Stitches Used

You’ll need to know that following stitches:

  • Ch – Chain
  • Dc – Double Crochet
  • Sdc – Starting Double Crochet
  • Sk – Skip
  • Sl St – Slip Stitch
  • Sp(s) – Space(s)
  • St(s) – Stitch(es)

Stitch Definition

Starting Double Crochet – (also known as Long Chain Double Crochet or Chainless Starting Double Crochet.) Pull up your loop to the height of your usual Double Crochet. Yarn over, insert into the 1st St, yarn over, pull through the Stitch, yarn over, pull through two loops on the hook, yarn over, pull through the remaining two loops on your hook. You could also use this method:

Gauge & Finished Size

Gauge: 4 rounds = 4”

Each square should measure 4″ across the middle of each square.

Size: Approx. 12” x 12”

Once sewn together each side of the bag should measure approximately 12″ by 12.”

Pattern Notes

Written in US crochet terms.

The Sdc can be substituted with a Ch 3.

Blocking isn’t necessary but advised. It will make connecting the squares easier.

Availability

The Granny Square Tote Bag can be purchased on Ravelry and Etsy.

Purchase on Ravelry
purchase on etsy

As part of the Stitching With Granny Event you can get the Granny Square Tote Bag for 50% off using the code found HERE on August 5th.

Don’t forget that you can also purchase all 15 featured patterns for only $9.95 in the Stitching With Granny Pattern Bundle.

Do you want to see more patterns featuring the granny stitch? You’ll love this Modern Granny Pattern Collection for $12!

Follow Crochets By Trista on:
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I’d love to hear from you! Don’t hesitate to contact me.  Let me know what you’re working on or designs you’d like to see in the future.  Use the links above or email me at crochetsbytrista@gmail.com 

If you’ve purchased my designs in the past, leave a review.  I want to know what you think.