This week I am honoured to bring you Part 14 of the Wonder CAL 2016, hosted by American Crochet and the Crochet With Us Facebook Group.  If this is the first time you hear about the CAL, you can read all about it HERE.  The short version is that it is a 21-part weekly crochet-along worked in rows, with each designer contributing 6-9 rows.

For my part I wanted to use a stitch repeat that could be used for an easy stand-alone blanket as well;  something that would be visually striking in anywhere from 2 to a hundred colours.  I am quite pleased with what I came up with!  And the cherry on the cake is that I got to design this part while having coffee with my granny on the ‘stoep’ in South Africa!!  (You can find out why I am currently in South Africa HERE.)

My mom and I can’t seem to agree on what this stitch looks like.  I think it looks like Quiver trees and she thinks it looks like egyptian fans.  It probably looks like both, but that means that I can’t decide on a name for this stitch.  Feel free to suggest something!

I have worked up two samples:  one that uses 4 colours and one that uses a different colour for each tree/fan.  Instructions are provided for when you need to change colour/fasten off, but the amount of colours you choose to use is entirely up to you.

Wonder CAL 2016:  Part 14 – Trees/Fans

Materials

If you are making the Wonder CAL blanket, you will continue to use the same hook and yarn as for the rest of your project.  If you want to make a blanket ONLY out of this part, please use whatever hook and yarn combination you feel comfortable with.

For this tutorial, I am using a 3.5 mm Clover Amour hook* and Scheepjes Catona in colours 401, 253, 130, and 264.

*If you haven’t seen my comprehensive post about crochet hooks yet, it is well worth reading if you want to find out more about some of the most popular brands.

Abbreviations

US Terminology

• Ch – Chain
• BP – Back post (insert your hook from back to front around the post of the indicated stitch and complete the stitch as normal)
• Dc – Double crochet
• RS – Right side
• Sc – Single crochet
• Sl st – Slip stitch
• St – Stitch/stitches
• Tr – Treble crochet
• WS – Wrong side
• * – Repeat instructions between parentheses and/or asterisks the amount of times specified

Special Stitches

• Standing Stitches – Standing stitches are exactly the same as regular stitches, except that they are made ‘in air’, without being attached to a previous stitch. Start with a slip knot already on your hook and complete the stitch as normal.  Here are some tutorials for the standing double crochet  and standing single crochet to get you started.

Notes

This stitch needs a multiple of 6 + 3 st to work.  It will need a multiple of 6 + 5 chains if you are intending to use it for something other than adding it to the Wonder CAL blanket.

Wonder CAL (Working Into Existing Rows)

If your last row was made with the Wrong Side facing you, continue with the pattern below.  If your last row was made with the Right Side facing you, make 1 row of double crochet as a base row.  The Right Side of your work should be facing you when you start Row 1 below.

Starting A New Project (Working Into a Foundation Chain)

If you want to start another project using these instructions, you will need to chain a multiple of 6 + 5 st.  Dc in the fourth chain from the hook (first 3 ch counts as first dc) and each chain across, turn.  You should end up with a multiple of 6 + 3 st (including the initial ch-3).  Continue with Row 1 below.

Instructions

Row 1

With RS facing and Colour A, join your yarn by making a sl st in the first st, ch 4 (counts as tr), make 3 dc in the next st, skip the next 2 st, sc in the next st, *skip the next 2 st, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the next st, skip the next 2 st, sc in the next st;  repeat from * until you have 4 st left, skip the next 2 st, make 3 dc in the next st, tr in the last st, fasten off and turn.

Row 2

With WS Facing, join Colour B by making a standing sc in the first tr, sc in the same tr, *ch 2 {Photo 1}, BPtr around the next sc (which you will find between Shells – see Photos 2 and 3), ch 2, sc in the next ch-2 space {Photo 4};  repeat from * until you have worked into every ch-2 space, ch 2, BPtr around the next sc, ch 2, make 2 sc in the last tr {Photo 5}, turn.

Row 3

With RS Facing, ch 1 (doesn’t count as a st), sc in the first 2 st, *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the next BPtr, sc in the next sc {Photo 1};  repeat from * until you have 1 st left, sc in the last st {Photo 2}, fasten off and turn.

Row 4

With WS Facing, join Colour A by making a sl st in the first st, ch 4 (counts as tr), tr in the next sc, ch 2, sc in the next ch-2 space, *ch 2, BPtr around the next sc from Row 2 {Photo 1 shows the back of the work with the hook inserted}, ch 2, sc in the next ch-2 space {Photo 2};  repeat from * until you have worked into every ch-2 space, ch 2, tr in the last 2 sc {Photo 3}, turn.

Row 5

With RS Facing, ch 4 (counts as tr), make 3 dc in the next tr, sc in the next sc, *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the next BPtr, sc in the next sc;  repeat from * until you have 1 ch-2 space and 2 tr left, make 3 dc in the next tr, tr in the last tr, fasten off and turn.

Row 6

With WS Facing, join Colour C by making a standing sc in the first tr, sc in the next st, *ch 2, BPtr around the next sc from Row 4, ch 2, sc in the next ch-2 space;  repeat from * until you have worked into every ch-2 space, ch 2, BPtr around the next sc from Row 4, ch 2, sc in the last 2 st, turn.

Row 7

With RS Facing, ch 1 (doesn’t count as a st), sc in the first 2 st, *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the next BPtr, sc in the next sc;  repeat from * until you have 1 st left, sc in the last st, fasten off and turn.

Note:  If you want to continue using this stitch for more rows, simply repeat Rows 4 – 7 until your project is as long as you want it to be.  Then continue with Rows 8 and 9 below to finish off.

Row 8

With WS Facing and Colour D, repeat Row 4.  BPtr will be made into Row 6, not Row 2.

Row 9

With RS Facing, ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in the next st, *make 2 dc in the next ch-2 space, dc in the next st;  repeat from * until you have 1 st left, dc in the last st, fasten off.

And there you have it.  Part 14 of the Wonder CAL all done!

As you can see, the pattern has a very definite front and back, but I think that a blanket made solely of this stitch will be gorgeous on both sides.

Related Patterns

• Quiver Fans Dress by The Lavender Chair
• Quiver Fans Sun Hat by The Lavender Chair

If you have any feedback or questions, please leave a comment and Jenny or I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Feel free to share your progress on social media using #CWUACWONDERCAL2016 and #lookatwhatimadedotnet.

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