Note: All of the links in this post go to various posts on the website of Lilla Björn. None of this is my work, and I provide the links so that you can jump right to the topic I'm praising. :)
Anyway, this newest CAL is called Circles of the Sun and this post holds pictures of my version of Block 1. As usual, I've opted for soft colors instead of brights, which seems to be the standard thing for me. My husband is encouraging me to try a quilt pattern with some brights, so we'll see where that goes. :)This pattern was relatively easy to understand. It is a little harder than Beginner, I think, but not too much. You really need a deeper understanding of some of the stitches, especially when she anchors them in a previous crochet round. However, Lilla Björn has some exceptionally well-done tutorials on her website that help a great deal. I may actually master the Magic Circle and the Needle Join before this is all over, and that excites me!!
But, the end effect is gorgeous! The blue in the close up is *over* the purple, giving it the appearance of complicated color swapping. Then you have the lovely pink "petals" that are rising from the block because the gray was worked behind it, on the same row. In the full block picture, the blue round toward the outside of the block is actually Surface Crochet, which I've never done before. It was much easier than I thought, and it give the block a pleasing effect.For about 7 rounds, the block is round. She squares the block in rows 8 and 9, with an eye toward making a pillow from the blocks. All total, there will be 9 blocks made, all different. Of course, you could go wild and make a throw, or a blanket, or anything with this gorgeous block. When it was still round, I thought it would be quite the lovely flower.
For this project, I opted to purchase yarn. I partly did it because I wanted to make sure all of my yarn is the same weight, and partly because I wanted a bunch of near-pastels and this was the easiest way to get that desired effect. The yarn I bought was Caron Simply Soft in the colors Soft Green, Soft Pink, Orchid, Grey Heather, Bone, and Soft Blue. For reference, each skein except the Grey Heather is 6 ounces (170.1 grams) with 315 yards of yarn (288 meters). The Grey Heather is 5 ounces (141.7 grams) with 250 yards of yarn (228 meters). I'm using a size H/5.00mm hook. The finished block is just under 6 inches by a hair. I will probably block it to 6 inches. That means that my pillow, in a 3 x 3 pattern layout, will be 18+ inches in size. I'm quite okay with that. :) I'm not sure what I'll do with the pillow yet. I may gift it to a loved one, or plop it on my bed. Decisions, decisions!
So, if you dabble in crochet, this might be a nice project to tackle. You get the block pattern once a week, so that gives you 7 days to complete a single block. Lilla Björn is available to answer questions, and eventually there will be a video explaining how to make the block. I don't think you'll be disappointed!!
I pray that the LORD grants you a wonderfully blessed day!
