Welcome to the Hooked and Locked CAL 2022 – Solid Squares (HAL CAL 2022)
<Edit May 16 2022: The pattern is no longer available for free. You can buy it from my Ravelry shop (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/the-craftsteachers-ravelry-store). The parts for the tutorials are still available.>
This is already CAL number 4! Time flies!
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Before I continue: this is the page for the interwoven crochet version! You can find the info for the mosaic crochet version here: click here.
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The previous CALs were done with ‘regular’ interwoven crochet. The last one with the Log Cabin technique (click here) was special because we built up the blocks from the middle. I thought of a method for this to make the color changes of the blocks very neat, without seeing the new color peek through a previous block (not always pretty!).
This time we will do something new again. Still interwoven crochet, but now with the solid squares technique. I gave that name to this technique, because we will now make ‘filled’ squares. The technique is also known as ‘Solid Stitches’ (I found out later), so if you find patterns of other designers with this name, then you know this is the same technique. This technique offers me as a designer more possibilities to play with the ‘intensity’ of the colors in a design.
As you can see in the picture it is a blanket again with a border and blocks with different patterns, just like the HAL CAL of 2018 (click here).
A bit of an advice ahead: you need to have mastered ‘regular’ interwoven crochet! It is sometimes a bit of a puzzle to see where you have to crochet in the previous row. And this is not an issue when you are familiar with interwoven crochet, and of course I will help you get through the start with a tutorial and help with the start of the blanket, but I would really recommend to do one of my previous CALs first, or other patterns that are in my shop on Ravelry.
The technique
I assume you already know how to do interwoven crochet. If you’re new to this, then first follow the tutorials that are available on this website with the accompanying videos. Click here for the startpage for super beginners. Or see the menu under Crochet, Crochet tutorials, Interwoven or locking crochet.
With the Solid Squares method we will add an extension to the technique. As you probably know, you make open and closed squares with regular filet crochet, so that it creates patterns. Interwoven crochet is the technique where you work two layers of filet crochet through another in a special way, where you create patterns by crocheting at the front or back in a layer. With the Solid Squares technique these two are combined.
I ‘redesigned’ a new practice piece that you will also use as a gauge swatch, the Diamond practice piece. Maybe you think: hey, that looks familiar! That’s right! I also used this pattern for the tutorial for mosaic crochet, but for this tutorial I adapted it slightly to learn you how to do the Solid Squares. I’ve also made a couple of videos to show the technique in a quick way. I do show a bit in the tutorials and the videos of the blanket, but it’s better to master the technique first. You can find the pattern and the written tutorial here on this page: click here.
In 2 languages: Dutch and English
The pattern for the blanket is available in both English and Dutch. Go to https://www.dehandwerkjuf.nl/ for the Dutch version.
General information
Pay attention: this information is for the interwoven crochet version!
For this blanket I used Scheepjes Colour Crafter in 2 colors. Choose 2 colors that have a good contrast.
I used Roermond (1123, dark red) for color 1 and Lelystad (1026, pink)for color 2.
Take 14 balls for color 1 and 13 balls for color 2. This is enough for both the blanket and the practice piece.
The balls are 100 grams and have 300 meters working length. It is a 100% Premium Acrylic (Anti Pilling).
I used hooksize 4.5 mm.
The size of the blanket is about 151 cm x 227 cm.
Please do the practice piece first, to check the gauge and your yarn usage.
What I will give to you
Website
I have made – next to the tutorials for the practice piece – extra tutorials on the website with lots of pictures and text, to guide you through the setup and repeat the technique a bit. The starting page of the tutorials is here: click here. Or look in the menu under HAL CAL 2022. The tutorials will stay here after the end of the CAL!
With the tutorials you will also get the links to the videos that I have on YouTube.
YouTube
On YouTube I have an English channel (The Craftsteacher, click the link) and a Dutch channel (De Handwerkjuf, click the link) where all my videos are. For this CAL I made a separate playlist for all the videos: click here.
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel (or channels), and check that bell, so you will get a message when a new video is published. This really helps me enormously. And if you like a video, please give it a thumbs up, this way you can show your appreciation for the work I put into it.
I have facebook groups that I also used for my previous CALs. For English: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HookedAndLockedCALEnglish/ and for Dutch: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HookedAndLockedCALNederlands/. You can ask questions there, so others can help you, and of course you can help others by answering their questions. I will also be there a lot for help. I will also announce there when a new part is published. You can also show pictures of your version of the blanket there.
Availability of the pattern
During the CAL the pattern parts will be available for free. The practice piece and the bottom border can be downloaded from the website and will stay there also after the CAL, because they also serve as tutorials.
Through the newsletter
For the other parts you need to subscribe to the newsletter of The Craftskid (click here). You will receive a new mail each week (starting with block 1, after the bottom border) with a link to the place where you can download the files. The links in the newsletter will only be valid for one week, because we want to prevent as much as we can this will be shared on the internet outside of the newsletter. Did you forget one week? No problem, because the new place where you have to download will also have the files of the weeks before (with exception of the bottom border). So keep an open eye on your mails and check your spam folder!
The advantage of subscribing to the newsletter is that we will also be sharing our discount codes that way, or other news, like the release of our new patterns. Discount codes will not be shared anymore through FaceBook or other channels. The Craftskid (my daughter) and I are very holding back with sending mails (because we really do not like if companies send us an email each day!), so don’t be afraid your mailbox will be filled with our mails.
After the duration of the CAL the downloads will still be available for a while for free, but I will remove them May 14th 2022. After that the patterns will only be available on Ravelry at the regular price.
Paid pattern
This pattern can also be bought on Ravelry (click here). There you will get the entire(!!!) pattern right away, so you can make the blanket full speed :-). During the CAL this will be offered for a highly reduced price. The discount code will be sent to you in the newsletter (click here).
If you buy the pattern, then I would like to ask you to wait with showing your pictures on Facebook until the ones that joined for free also have come to the point where you are. So, for example, only post pictures of your blanket that is done to block 4 until I have released that part.
Don’t loose your files!
I’ve seen with the previous CALs that people lost their downloaded files, and for a while I offered the parts on request. I will not do that anymore because of the growing number of participants, so please don’t loose them! Put it on your computer in a place where you can easily find them, or save them in the cloud, like on Google Drive, on OneDrive or in Dropbox.
Release schedule
I will publish the parts on the following dates (with reservation). So keep your eye on your mailbox on these dates.
February 19 2022: The practice piece for interwoven crochet (click here) and the practice piece for mosaic crochet (click here) . Also the tutorial videos for the practice pieces will be released then.
February 26 2022: Introduction and the bottom border
March 5 2022: block 1
March 12 2022: block 2
March 19 2022: block 3
March 26 2022: block 4
April 2 2022: block 5
April 9 2022: block 6
April 16 2022: block 7
April 23 2022: block 8
April 30 2022: top border and border around the blanket
I am wishing you lots of fun with crocheting this blanket!