I knit and crochet all year round but I know many knitters and crocheters stop during the warmer months of the year. The summer months can bring some hot and humid weather causing the yarn to stick to warm fingers leading to uneven tension and then as the work grows you have a warm “blanket of wool” on your lap! So, maybe the upcoming crochet along might tempt you to pick up some yarn again.

On August 3rd, Rowan will release the first pattern for their second crochet along designed by Lisa Richardson. It consists of a series of shapes that you crochet over twelve weeks using a variety of shades of their yarn, Felted Tweed. By the end of November you will have created a lovely blanket, 130 cm (51 in) wide by 172 cm (67 in) long, just in time for the winter months. Here’s a little peek at part of the blanket………

So, the great thing about starting this project in August is that if you are still off on your summer travels the little squares and shapes are portable enough to carry with you and pick up and put down whenever you want. They are also very small so you won’t end up with half a warm sheep on your lap.

As I mentioned above, this blanket is crocheted using Rowan Felted Tweed. This yarn is a blend of merino wool, alpaca and viscose making it fairly soft and light. It is available in two weights, DK and aran; this pattern uses the DK weight. It has a beautiful tweed effect and comes in a wide range of shades, 31 to be exact, and is very popular and a favorite with the Rowan designers. As it is a lightly pre-felted yarn that knits to a lightweight fabric with a felted effect you do need to follow the care instructions, as the yarn may felt further if washed incorrectly. The care instructions say to “machine wash at 30°C or less on gentle cycle” but I nearly always wash my hand knitted garments by hand, just in case.

If you are not a crocheter or are a little rusty, Rowan will be supporting this CAL with lots of tips, tricks and how to videos. I’m looking forward to these tips and tricks as I’m always looking out for new ways of doing things as they may turn out much better than my old ways!

If you did want to take part click on the link below which will take you to the Rowan website with all the latest information and a link to the shopping list.

Rowan Lisa Richardson Crochet Along Shopping List

I’ve already got my yarn; take a look at all those lovely colors!

To download all the free patterns for the CAL when they are released you must be a Rowan member. It’s FREE to register with Rowan online. Click below for more details on how to register plus all the other benefits:

Rowan Registration

Check back over the next few months to see how I’m getting along. In the mean time I’m finishing up my second baby blanket from Lisa Richardson’s first Crochet Along; just about to start crocheting the 69 hexagons together……..

So, will you be joining this CAL? Please do let me know by leaving a reply below or scroll to the top and click on the little speech bubble!

Thanks so much for reading my blog.

Esther x