Crescent Moon Shawl...BLOCK STITCH

So sorry, i promised the Fan Crescent Moon Shawl today but I have misplaced my notes, Im sure we have a ghost, things do go missing often, only to reappear a few days later....bit mad and inconvenient sometimes too. The Fan version will be added Wednesday.

So todays pattern will be the BLOCK STITCH VERSION...

CRESCENT MOON SHAWL BLOCK STITCH PATTERN

IMPORTANT NOTE.
All the photographs show my original make of this block stitch version, I only did an increase in the first ch3 loop and don't like the shape. 
The crescent isn't quite right, so the pattern says to do an increase in first 2 ch3 loops....im sure the crescent shape will be better.

100g dk Space dyed yarn 

100g dk black and white or black yarn

4mm hook

US Terms

NOTES: First row is worked into the side of the dc of base pattern. 

increase at the beginning and end of each even row. 

PATTERN

Make the base crescent pattern, pull yarn through the last st and hold ready to do the 2nd row of the block st.

ROW 1: Att. BLACK AND WHITE YARN to the first st, ch3, sc into the next side dc, ch3, sc into next and every side dc to end, finish with ch3, sc in last st, pull yarn through st, and hold,

ROW 2: Ch2, counts as first dc, 2dc into first ch3 loop ch1, 3dc into same ch3 loop, 3dc, ch1, 3dc, in 2nd ch3 loop, 1 set of 3dc in next ch3 loop, repeat to last 2 ch3 loops 3dc, ch1, 3dc in last 2 ch3 loops, 3dc, pull yarn through st, and hold.

ROW 3: Pull up BLACK AND WHITE YARN, sc in first st, ch3, sc in ch1 sp, ch3, sc in next sp between 3dc, repeat to end finish with, ch3, sc, in ch1 sp, ch3, in last 4 blocks, sc in last st. Pull yarn through st, and hold.

ROW 4: pull up coloured yarn, ch2 counts as first dc, 2dc, ch1, 3dc in first ch3 loop, 3dc, ch1 3dc, in next ch3 loop, 3dc in each ch3 loop to last 2 ch3 loops, finish with 3dc, ch1, 3dc in last 2 ch3 loops. pull yarn through st and hold

ROWS 5-17: Repeat rows 3 and 4. Finish with row 3, black and white ch3 loops. cont with black and white yarn for edging st.

NOTES: To make it bigger...You can do more rows of the ch3 loops and blocks of 3dc, if you want it to be bigger before adding the Tooth stitch edging

ORIGINAL MAKE ABOVE...only increased in first ch3 loop but the pattern says to increase in the first 2 ch3 loops this will improve the crescent shape 

ROW 18: BLACK AND WHITE YARN, small triangles i'm calling Tooth Stitch, work one Tooth stitch in each ch3 loop

sc, hdc, dc, tr in first ch3 loop, ch2, 2sc, into the side of the tr post, sc in the ch3 loop, sc. into next ch3 loop and repeat in every ch3 loop to end.

Tomorrows pattern will be the Blue Fan Version of the Crescent Moon Shawl

CIRCLE WRAP OR THROW

As its a scrap yarn wrap/blanket it will depend on what you have.

OR BLANKET

Love the blanket 

 and It's made quite a generous size blanket so far.

BASIC RULE OF 12 CIRCLE PATTERN

12, 24,36 dc in each round will give you a perfect flat circle for this pattern it doesn't matter which stitch you start in

Make 9 in each set of colours, to make a wrap the same as mine.

But, you could use one of the sets of colours if you prefer

or make them all mixed up instead of in blocks of shade of one colour.

Joining is done in one colour, but it could just as easily be made in lots of colours too say all the different shades of neutral instead of just one colour black, charcoal, grey, silver, oatmeal, cream or even navy of brown....just have fun with colour for this one and stash bust too.

PATTERN:

5mm hook and ARAN yarn

4mm hook and DK yarn, slightly smaller circles.

US Terms

Shades of Reds/Pinks/Oranges for the wrap...

Shades of purples

Shades of green

 Shades of Blues

Shades of Rust/orange

CIRCLE PATTERN

3 Round circle in 3 shade of one colour

Finger wrap of 4 wraps.

ROUND 1: cont. in same col. [ch2 counts as first dc], 12dc into circle wrap, sl st to complete

ROUND 2: [ch2 counts as first dc] 2dc in each st, sl st to complete. [24dc]

ROUND 3: [ch2 counts as first dc], 2dc in first st, 1dc in next st work alternate 2/1 to end of round, sl st to complete.

Set to one side or keep safe on a ring. We will be making all of the 9 blocks first before we lay them out and join then together.

YARN NOTES:

The Tweed yarn I am using I think is the Hayfields Aran, it was 400g ball, I had from my local wool shop, unfortunately i cant find it on the web site and i've lost the label so not sure, its a scrap yarn project so be inventive.

Black/grey Tweed yarns: Hayfields Aran Tweed, Woodcraft Aran [this is quite a dark one], James C Brett, Marble too in the black and grey would work and Scheepjes Secret Garden in col. 710 Stepping Stones.

So lots of black and white black and grey yarns for the back ground to pick from.

or mix your own with 2strands of a thinner dk.

Just work the two strands together to make one tweed yarn

Black and grey [softer] or black and white [slightly more dramatic], both work well.

3 options to try

JOINING CIRCLES TOGETHER

After making your 3 shade circles in chosen colours you will need to decide on a wrap or blanket....

Wrap: a long row of 6 blocks [9 motifs in each colour] over 6' long

or

Blanket: 3 rows of 3 colours side by side

so one more colour to come and you will be going them together

JOINING THE CIRCLES TOGETHER

US Terms as always 

 Lay out your 9 x 3 round circle in the colour group so you know which one is next to each other 

Att. joining yarn in any stitch, ch2 counts as first dc, 1dc in next 2 sts, ch3 1dc in next 3sts, ch3, repeat to end sl st to complete [ 12 X 3dc, 12 x ch3 loops]

 join with a sl st replacement for the middle ch st, work from top down hook the yarn and pull through both the ch3 loop and the st to att. 2 squares together as picture below, join 2 loops together on each join 

 When the first circle is complete then join the next one to the first one using a replacement sl st for the 2nd ch st in the 3ch sts, as above.

 Join 2 ch3 loops together on each side as below

 Join the circles in 3 lines of 3 motifs

 leaving one ch3 loop free between each join of 2, ch3 loop, on each square.

 Make sure you do leave one ch3 loop free when joining them in rows of 3 

 you must leave one ch3 loop free on each side for the in fill squares as below picture 

 so that you have a square with 4 loops x 3ch, one on each side ready to join the infill squares in PART 7

 join together with 2 loops on each side leaving one loop free between joins 

MINI INFILL SQUARE PATTERN

 the infill squares that pull the whole piece together and give you the almost complete design.

The joining together of the circles has left a square between each circle and you should have a free ch3 loop on each side of the square "hole" that needs to be filled. I did try all sorts of shapes and filing the complete hole too but my favourite is the one i'm sharing with you today and i feel it gives you a lovely secondary pattern.

INFILL SQUARES PATTERN

US Terms

Finger wrap of 4 wraps, 

ROUND 1: ch2, counts as first dc, 2dc into circle, ch1 sl st into the first ch3 loop of the "hole' ch1, 3dc into finger wrap, ch1 sl st into the next ch3 loop on the second side of the "hole", repeat until the square has been joined to all the 4 sides of the 'hole' sl st to complete. [12dc, 8ch sts, 4 sl st.]

Sew off all the ends securely, just the picot edging stitch to come next and that will be at the end of the week so this mini cal will end.

EDGING STITCH

The edging stitch has ch5 picots at every ch3 sp, the first and the last picots are joined together to 'straighten' the sides a little.

 pictures above and below is the joined ch5 picots that fill in the 'dip' and make for a straighter edging

PATTERN

US Terms

Aran weight yarn

5mm hook

dk 4mm hook

Black yarn to finish

ROUND 1: Att yarn in the second ch3 sp on any corner, 2sc, ch5 picot, 2sc in same ch3 sp, sc in next 3 sts, 2sc, ch5 picot 2sc in next ch3 sp, repeat for the next 4 x ch3 sps, 

sc in next 3sts, into dip, sc into centre join sp, sc, in next 3sts, of next octagon, 

2sc into first ch3 sp, ch2, use the next ch st as a sl st into the last picot loop of the previous octagon ch2, complete the picot, s2sc into same ch3 sp, sc in next 3 sts, 2sc, ch5 picot 2sc in next ch3 sp. repeat to end

Always joining the last and the first picots together to form a triangular join between octagon motifs

this will 'straighten the sides a little.....

 JOINING THE OCTAGONS TIP: 

replace the middle ch st and do a sl st into the last picot to join them together then continue to finish the first picot as usual

first and last picots joined

Love this edging to the wrap, tried it on the blanket and it doesn't work so there will be another edging for the blanket next week

Some pictures of the blanket so you can see that it's not working on a large area blanket. It needs something far deep maybe a couple of inches adding.

I don't think i will be unpicking whats been done, but adding to the edging stitch already there.

Love the blanket though just needs more inches!

 It's made quite a generous size blanket so far.