Hello and Welcome to the Sophie’s Universe CAL 2015.
If you are new to this journey: Welcome! I hope that you will enjoy making this blanket with us. May you learn lots of new stitches and make many, many good friends along the way!
Sophie’s Universe: Small Cotton 8 Version
Sophie’s Universe CAL 2015
The CAL started on the 18th of January 2015 and ran for 20 weeks. This pattern has proven to be extremely popular, with over 7000 projects on Ravelry. Seven years later, the majority of my online engagement with fellow crocheters still centers around Sophie.
Followed by thousands of people, ranging from complete beginners to experienced crocheters, Sophie’s Universe is a crash course in crochet and a wonderful adventure! Above all, my goal with this pattern has always been to show people that every stitch is ‘just a stitch’ and to help them learn the skills that will allow them to approach any complex pattern with confidence.
Sophie’s Universe: Medium Softfun Version
Two warnings, though:
- Pets LOVE Sophie, so prepare to be ambushed!
- Partners and spouses are not immune to her either, often helping to choose colours or checking up on progress (and very occasionally starting one too – like my husband).
Even though the crochet-along has finished, the instructions will remain available on this website (for free) indefinitely. Sophie’s Universe is now also available as a 216-page step-by-step crochet book.
Index
- Resources
- Translations
- Difficulty
- Gauge
- Size and Materials (Includes Available Colour Packs)
- Sophie’s Universe Timeline (With links to all the relevant tutorials)
- Helpful Templates
- Important Tips
- Blocking
- Examples of Sophie
- Sophie-related Patterns
- More Colourways
Resources
- Photo Tutorials: You can find the links to all the weekly photo tutorials under Timeline below.
- Video Tutorials: Esther Dijkstra from It’s All in a Nutshell has made step-by-step video tutorials for each part of Sophie’s Universe. If you struggle with any aspect of the pattern, I strongly suggest having a look at the video for the relevant part as they are extremely detailed and helpful.
- Printing/PDF: There is a Print-friendly button in the bottom right-hand corner after every post. Please use this print-friendly button to print/save the tutorials.
- Book: Sophie’s Universe is now also available as a 216-page step-by-step book. Read more about the Sophie’s Universe Book and where to find it.
- Facebook: You can share your journey on the Official CCC Social Group if you would like to be a part of the friendly, supportive community while you work through the tutorials.
- Ravelry: Add the CAL to your Ravelry Queue
- Instagram: If you are on Instagram, you can find me as Barbertondaisy. Please add your photos using #sophiesuniversecal2015 so that we can all Oooh! and Aaah!
Sophie’s Universe: Large Stonewashed XL Version
Translations
- Dutch CAL Information by Dianne Baan
- German CAL Information by Maja Heidingsfelder
- Spanish CAL Information by Lynda Hernandez
- Finnish CAL Information by Mervi, Pippa, Sari S, and Sari Å
- French CAL Information by Sandra Larvin (with Video Tutorials by Géraldine Cymer for the first few parts)
- Danish Translations by Tina Poulsen
- Russian CAL Information by Natalie V. Alimpieva
- Swedish CAL Information by Emma Vingqvist, Agnetha Magnusson, Åza Karlsson, and Ulrika Larsson
- Arabic Video Tutorials by Banan Felimban
Difficulty
Intermediate. Although this is an Advanced pattern, it has been written specifically for adventurous beginners.
Gauge
The best way to check your gauge is to work up Part 1 of Sophie’s Universe.
| Large | Medium | Small | |
| At the end of Part 1: | 18 cm (7″) | 14 cm (5.5″) | 10 cm (4″) |
| The measurements you get at the end of Part 1 (in other words, at the end of Round 8) will be roughly a tenth of the predicted final size of your blanket. | |||
Size and Materials
The pattern was designed for worsted weight yarn and a 5.5 mm crochet hook (US I/9 UK 5), which will give you a finished size of 1.8 meters squared. That’s just shy of 6 feet, for those of you who live on the other side of the pond. You are not, however, limited to worsted-weight yarn.
I will be using Scheepjes for the CAL and I will be making 3 blankets, each in a different yarn weight (and therefore a different size). You can find more details about that below.
Please note that the table below does not include the yarn needed for the Optional Squares and Border. You will find the yardages for that under Helpful Templates below.
| Large | Medium | Small | |
| Finished Size: | 1.8 m x 1.8 m (6′ x 6′) | 1.4 m x 1.4 m (4’7 x 4’7) | 1 m x 1 m (3’3 x 3’3) |
| Yarn Weight: | Worsted Weight (#4) | Double knit (#3) | 4 Ply (#2) |
| Hook Size*: |
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| Yardage: | 3900 meters (4265 yards) | 3400 meters (3720 yards) | 2500 meters (2730 yards) |
| I am using: | Scheepjeswol Stonewashed XL | Scheepjeswol Softfun | Scheepjeswol Cotton 8 |
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| Colours: | 23 x Moon Stone (841) | 2 x Canary (2518) | 1 x Canary (714) |
| 3 x Amazonite (853) | 2 x Light Rose (2513) | 1 x Light Pink (718) | |
| 3 x Green Agate (855) | 3 x Rose (2514) | 2 x Fuchsia (720) | |
| 3 x Blue Apatite (845) | 2 x Bordeaux (2492) | 1 x Pink (719) | |
| 6 x Canada Jade (846) | 3 x Cyclamen (2534) | 2 x Moors (726) | |
| 3 x Lemon Quartz (852) | 3 x Olive (2531) | 2 x Light Green (642) | |
| 3 x Deep Amethyst (851) | 1 x Dark Turquoise (2511) | 1 x Turquoise (712) | |
| 3 x Garnet (850) | 6 x Light Blue (2432) | 5 x Light Turquoise (622) | |
| 3 x Corundum Ruby (848) | 2 x Pink (2480) | 1 x Violet (529) | |
| 3 x Coral (856) | 2 x Heath (2493) | 1 x Heath (721) | |
| 2 x Violet (2519) | 1 x Light Purple (651) | ||
| * There are 2 hook sizes listed for each size. Please see Important Tips before you start. | |||
Official Colour Packs for Sophie’s Universe CAL 2015
Colour Packs for Sophie’s Universe are available from my Wool Warehouse Shop. Please note that these packs contain enough yarn to complete Sophie’s Universe (without the optional squares and border) if your tension matches mine. If you are a ‘loose crocheter’, please see the Helpful Templates below to figure out how much more yarn you will need.
- Cotton 8 (Small)
- Softfun (Medium)
- Rainbow Colour Crafter Pack (Medium) – You can read more about the Rainbow Colour Crafter Sophie HERE.
- Stonewashed XL (Large)
Sophie’s Universe: Medium Rainbow Colour Crafter Version
Sophie’s Universe Timeline
Please do not copy, reproduce, or distribute this pattern in part or as a whole. This pattern belongs to me and I retain all rights to it. Copyright is protected by Scheepjes. Please see my Terms of Use if you would like to read more.
| Week 1: | 18 January 2015 | Part 1: Rounds 1 – 8 |
| Part 2: Rounds 9 – 15 | ||
| Week 2: | 25 January 2015 | Part 3: Rounds 16 – 25 |
| Week 3: | 01 February 2015 | Part 4: Rounds 26 to 36 |
| Week 4: | 08 February 2015 | Part 5: Rounds 37 – 45 |
| Week 5: | 15 February 2015 | Part 6: Rounds 46 – 53 |
| Week 6: | 22 February 2015 | Part 7: Rounds 54 – 61 |
| Week 7: | 01 March 2015 | Part 8: Rounds 62 – 68 |
| Week 8: | 08 March 2015 | Part 9: Rounds 69 – 74 |
| Week 9: | 15 March 2015 | Part 10: Rounds 75 – 80 |
| Week 10: | 22 March 2015 | Part 11: Rounds 81 – 84 |
| Week 11: | 29 March 2015 | Part 12: Rounds 85 – 88 |
| Week 12: | 05 April 2015 | Part 13: Rounds 89 – 92 |
| Week 13: | 12 April 2015 | Part 14: Rounds 93 – 97 |
| Week 14: | 19 April 2015 | Part 15: Rounds 98 – 101 |
| Week 15: | 26 April 2015 | Part 16: Rounds 102 – 104 |
| Week 16: | 03 May 2015 | Part 17: Rounds 105 – 109 |
| Week 17: | 10 May 2015 | Part 18: Rounds 110 – 113 |
| Week 18: | 17 May 2015 | Part 19: Optional Squares |
| Week 19: | 24 May 2015 | Part 20: Growing Options |
| Week 20: | 31 May 2015 | Part 21: The End of the Beginning |
Helpful Templates
Colours Per Round (Official)
Here you will find the colours and yardages used per round for each of the 3 sizes (small, medium, and large).
- Colours Per Round (Small Version)
- Colours Per Round (Medium Softfun Version)
- Colours Per Round (Medium Colour Crafter Version)
- Colours Per Round (Large Version)
Colours Per Round Template (Blank)
If you want to use your own colours, you can use the spreadsheet below to keep a tally of your colours and usage per round. If you do, you will notice that there are some values (in orange) already entered on the template. This is just example text and should be replaced with your own values.
Colours Per Round Template (Printable)
Brandi Kasper-Theisen designed this one-sheet template to help you keep a tangible record of which colour you used per round.
Optional Squares and Border Template
Here you will find the (additional) colours and yardages used per round for the optional squares and border.
- Optional Squares and Border Cotton 8
- Optional Squares and Border Softfun
- Optional Squares and Border Stonewashed XL
Colouring Templates
You can download blank colouring-in templates from the 5-year Anniversary Make-along Page HERE.
Example of the Ubuntu Sophie Colourway featured in the Make-along
Important Tips
Some people have had problems with the centres of their blankets ‘bulging’. To avoid this, I suggest starting with the smaller of the 2 hooks listed for each size and then changing to the larger of the 2 hooks after you have completed the initial Mandala (Parts 1 – 3).
If you are making the large version with worsted weight yarn and a 5.5 mm hook, for example, start with a 5 mm hook and complete the initial Mandala (Parts 1 – 3) with that hook. Then, at the start of Part 4, change to the recommended hook size (in this example that would be a 5.5 mm hook).
This is especially important if you are a complete beginner as your tension will improve as the blanket grows.
I also suggest blocking Sophie at the end of Part 7 (see Blocking below). If your centre has started bulging again, go up another hook size at the start of Part 8, but please keep in mind that doing this will affect the amount of yarn you end up using.
When making Sophie, you will realize that some rounds bulge and some rounds buckle. This will be corrected in later rounds (apart from the above-mentioned instance at the end of Part 7) and is part of the intricate shaping of the pattern.
It is extremely important that you do not go down a hook size to compensate for this (at all, ever)!
Blocking
From Part 7 of Sophie’s Universe onward, I suggest blocking your work. Annie’s has some good advice for Blocking Afghans and Other Large Pieces. Quite a few people think that you cannot block acrylic yarn. You can, in fact, block acrylic yarn quite successfully!
If you are going to use foam squares to block on, consider buying these Interlocking Foam Exercise Mats. They are similar to these Knitter’s Pride Lace Blocking Mats
Examples of Sophie
If you would like to see some inspirational versions/colourways, you can find them here:
- Ravelry – you can see some awesome examples (along with colours and yarn used) HERE on Ravelry.
- Instagram – you can find all the images tagged with #sophiesuniversecal2015 HERE on Instagram.
- Sophie’s Universe in a Single Colour
- Sophie’s Universe in Scheepjes Whirl
- Micro-Sophie
Sophie-related Patterns
- Sophie’s Alternate Universe – an extension of Sophie’s Universe by Sonja Holland
- Sophie’s Dream – POPULAR
- Sophie Stool
- Sophie Cocoon Cardigan
More Colourways
- 5 Year Anniversary Make-along with 3 new colourways (2020)
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- Ubuntu Colourway
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- Metropolis Colourway
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- Bamboo Soft Colourway
This blog post contains affiliate links. I only link to products I personally use or would use. All opinions are my own.
Myra Getzel says
Dear Dedri
I have just now come across your beautiful creation. I was wondering if you have a downloadable version. Also where could I find it. I am not so computer savvy, so might need some help to do that too. I would absolutely love to make one of your Sofie’s.
Thank You so much,
Myra
Dedri Uys says
Hi Myra.
At the moment the pattern is only available as a CAL (in parts), but you can save each part to your computer using the print friendly button at the bottom of each part.
Rita Potter says
Hi Deidre,
I love your Sophie and want to collect some yarn to get started but I can’t figure it out.
In the first colour sceme you say: 23 Moon Stone. The other coulors don’t seem to have such a big amount of yarn,
Can you please help me out here, is the coulor sceme allright, do I need 23 balls of yarn too?
Hope to hear from you, love your work!
Kind Regards, Rita Potter
Jenny says
The number of balls are what you need to replicate the exact colour scheme Dedri has made, Rita, so yes, you need 23 balls of the one colour and however many of each accompanying colour to produce that colour way :)
Jenny
Alida says
Hi Dedri
Is there a pattern for the Sophie available in graph of a diagram? I do’nt see any.
Would love to make one of them.
Jenny says
Sophie is not produced by Dedri in graph form, just the written photo tutorial and video tutorial.
Jenny
Phyllis Weidmann says
Hi Dedri. I’m on my second Sophie, and am just now reading the recommendation to purchase the interlocking exercise mats instead of the ones offered on Knitter’s Pride. I would also suggest the interlocking foam squares that can be found in most toy departments of large brick and mortar stores. I have both and actually prefer the children’s colorful ones. They are easy to insert the blocking pins in and store easily in a plastic bag that’s included.
Thank you so much for your wonderful patterns. I’ve purchased several of them, but I especially enjoy the CALs.
Elna Badenhorst says
Hi Dedri! I just finished my Sophie!!! I made her with Premier Cotton DK and 4mm hook. I didn;t do the blocks as I wanted her square to use as a tablecloth for my dining room table. I used the VVCAL’s border as I liked it better for a tablecloth. I attended your workshop in Stellenbosch on the Friday morning – my sophie was only halfway then! Would love to show you how she looks, just don;t know how or where? Thanks again for sharing your amazing talent with us, truly awesome project!!
Greetings from SA
Elna
Dedri Uys says
Hi Elna. I would love to see some pics (as I am sure cypresstextiles would too). You can use the ‘Contact Me’ tab to send me an email and then, when I respond, you can attach a photo (or 5).
Beth W. Willis says
I am having the best time making Sophie for my granddaughter to be born in January. I’m just starting Part 4 and oops, instead of changing my hook size at Part 4 I changed it at Row 4. I’m the worst at reading directions. BTW, your picture tutorials have been life-saving for me!
My question is: At Part 4 should I now use an H hook since I’ve been using a G since Row 4. Oh, my!
Dedri Uys says
Hi Beth. I would go up a hook size again, yes. Congratulations on your soon-to-be granddaughter.
Beth W. Willis says
Thank you!!
Suzette says
Hi Dedri,
Ek het van jou wonderlike werk deur Idees tydskrif gehoor. Ek is mal oor Sophies Universe en het vir my die wol van Deramores bestel en vandag ontvang. Ek wil graag weet of die PDF patroon vir Sophies Universe al beskikbaar is.
Ek is spyt dat ek te laat van jou besoek aan SA gehoor het.
Dankie vir pragtige werk!
Groete uit Suid Afrika!
Suzette
Dedri Uys says
Hi Suzette. Ons werk nog aan die boek, maar ons is amper klaar. Op die oomblik woek en weeg ons nog of die boek as ‘n pdf beskikbaar sal wees of net as ‘n ‘hardcopy’. Sodra ons ‘n datum het sal ek ‘n post doen daaroor. Ek is jammer dat jy die workshops gemis het!
Brooke says
Hey do you have sizes of what each part should be once it’s finished I’m done with part 5 and just wondering what size it should be when your using worsted weight yarn? Its looks really good I’m very happy about it just curious if mine is going to end up bigger than it should…. Which is fine just curious:)
Dedri Uys says
Hi Brooke. Under Helpful Templates you will find links to the yardages and sizes at the end of each part. You want to refer to the large size.
Holly says
It’s amazing to find such a beautiful pattern, so nicely written with extensive details for free! A million thanks for all of you and your team’s work.
Only one suggestion: When the print-friendly instructions are printed, I’m seeing that the photos above each round are from the round before. That means you have to read the directions on one page, and then keep turning the page to see the photos on the next page. It would be more helpful if the photos on the page matched the directions for their round.
Thanks again for being so generous with your time and creativity!
Dedri Uys says
Hi Holly. Thank you for your comment. Print-friendly is a third-party program that prints whatever is displayed on the screen, not a pre-formatted pdf. I realize that the photos appearing on the previous page is very frustrating, but I have no control over which photos appear on which page. You can, however, highlight and delete certain parts of the text and/or photos to delete them and so change the layout. I hope that helps,
Dedri
Annika says
Hi Dedri
I’ve already made one Sophie and now I’m hooked!
I would love to make a second one and now I’d like to buy the yarn for it. The original Stonewashed XL is just to expensive for me. I’ve already found another Option, which is “Cap Cool Nr.1” by Buttinette. Unfortunately, it has a lenght of 59m/50g. The needle they would use is a 6 or 7. How many balls will I need? Is there a converter which I could use?
My first one turned out so beautiful. Thanks for the pattern!
Best wishes from Austria
Annika
Lone says
Hi Dedri. Just a quick note – Woolwarehouse.uk are not offering free worldwide shipping for any customer – I have ordered from 5 – 7 times And have always paid for shipping and handling to Denmark. And that is Infact a lot of money to add to the billing. 6£ almost for parcels up to 2 kilo. So I still wonder why you keep that info with the pattern. Because I don’t think anyone gets free shipping outside UK from woolwarehouse…… If I’m mistaken maybe you can explain how to get the shipping cost refunded…….
Dedri Uys says
Hi Lone. You are right and I will amend the links immediately. I am sorry about that! There are quite a few links, so it might take me a while to rectify all of them. If you spot any that haven’t been corrected yet, please let me know.
Pearl says
Deramores gives free shipping for an over $50 purchase.
Sue says
I am going to try and make the small Sophie’s universe using the 4ply. You say to start with the smaller crochet hook but listed are two sizes for each 2.5 mm or 2.75 then change to 3mm or 3.25. Which should I use.
Thanks
Sassie says
Hi. Thank you for the lovell pattern and the excellent instructions and videos. I am a beginner and i have to say i made a few mistakes, but after frustrating start of frogging i decided to just crochet….and i did. I was a stich out here and there, actually a whole rose extra at one point! But now its finished you cant tell, i learned loads and loads. I used chunky wool and size 5.5mm needle. I forgot to change to 6mm…but got away with it. Such fun was had, so if anyone is out there worrying about the pattern being to difficult just give it go and dont worry too much…just enjoy thanks again for your great work.
Dedri Uys says
Thank you, Sassie. I am so pleased that you managed to figure your whoopsies out. The extra rose made me giggle. Did you leave it as a special something or did you frog it?
Sassie says
I didn’t frog a thing…I just rolled with the mistakes …this week the blanket one a cup in the local show…even with its extras…it’s brought a lot of smiles and blanket and cup are now on display in the local yarn shop window..my husband says its not Sophie but Dopey universe. ..thanks for all the fun..
Barbara says
Hi
I am an advanced easy to low intermediate crocheter and would love to start Sophie’s Garden / Universe along with the square borders. But, there are so many places to click for information it becomes overwhelming! Can you help me out where I can obtain the full pattern(s) and photo tutorials. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you Barbara K
Dedri Uys says
Hi Barbara. All the information you need is in this post and the links to each part can be found towards the bottom of the page. I appreciate that there is a lot of information and I have tried to lay it out to the best of my ability. I suggest that you read through this whole post, because there are quite a few important tips. Once you have read this post, click on The Part 1 link and it will take you to where the CAL starts. Once you have finished Part 1, come back to this post and click on Part 2 (and so on and so forth). Each part contains all the abbreviations, colours, tips, and photos for that part. Each part also contains a link to the video for the relevant part.
Alternatively you can wait for the book to come out.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy the journey.
Dedri
Heather Izzard says
Hi Dedri
I’ve started, finally and am just finishing the 4th round. The flower.
Well it’s about time!
I got hubby to print it all for me so I can change the USA stitches into UK.
I will watch the video’s too and I’m certain that will help.
I’m doing the large one and using the uk sized 4.5mm hook as I understand the pattern says , to start smaller then move to the size 5mm
I thought I’d better ask now before I get like the last lady so far I have to undo it. That would break my heart.
I know you’re off to S Africa soon and no doubt crazy up the wall.
Have a wonderful time.
I’ll message you on IG too.
Dedri Uys says
Hi Heather. If you are going to make your blanket with a 5 mm hook, start with a 4.5 and then go up at the start of part 4. You can always go up again if you feel it needs it.
Have fun!
Julie Jarrett says
I just frogged my Sophie back to Round 8. I begun it after double knee surgery last year and the way anaesthetics mess with your mind I got lost and couldn’t for the life of me follow the pattern so I went off on my own and while it looked okay – I incorporated the crocodile flower into it, and it was big enough to cover most of the top of my queen bed…but it just bugged me, so 2 days ago I began frogging, and I’ll start again, and this time count rows and stitches as I should have done before but couldn’t.
I guess my thoughts here are that if you’re not happy with something,don’t be afraid undo and redo, it is liberating. It takes a lot to frog that much, but I feel SO much better having done it as I don’t have to look at my failure any more and I can do better and understand it this time.
Dedri Uys says
Julie, I shuddered when I read how much you had to frog! But good on you for going with your gut. How are your knees?
Julie Jarrett says
Dearest Dedri, thank you for asking. Th knees are wonderful – no more pain. Well I must confess I didn’t stop at row 8, but pulled it ALL undone.. I am now back on row 26 and it seems so much easier this time. Oh and I LOVE the crab stitch. I’ll post a photo one of these days. You are so talented and a most generous soul ..thank you and bless you.
Dedri Uys says
Ouch!!!! Not all of it!!!
Julie Jarrett says
Thank you Dedri for asking…the knees are great now. Well I have to confess I ended up pulling it ALL out and started from scratch…I am up to row 26 and it is so much easier now with a clear mind and being able to count coherently.. I LOVE the Crab stitch by the way. Thank you sweetie for your kindness, patience and generosity to us all. You are the BEST!
Julie Jarrett says
My sincere apologies for the duplicate postings…PLEASE delete 2? It didn’t show up when I posted. Feeling very silly.
Dedri Uys says
Hi Julie, I’m pretty sure I have already deleted the duplicate x
Jacki Le Breton says
Hi Dedri, Oh how I love this blanket… and I really want to do it…. I have 40 x 50gram balls of Panda woolblend crepe 8 ply in cream and was wondering if it would be sucessful or do you think the 8 ply cotton would look better, I am concerned about the ends creating bulk, does this happen.? I noticed some of the comments are from Australia as I am too.
Dedri Uys says
Hi Jacki. You don’t need to worry about the ends creating bulk. I can’t even see where I worked my ends away. The panda should work well. I have never worked with it, so don’t have first-hand knowledge, but I have seen projects made with it and they looked good.
Barb says
Maybe a silly question, but to make the different size Sophie’s, It’s all in the hook size. Stitch count stays the same, right? So the pattern is the same, just use the different hook size. Or am I missing something? I’m making the largest size, I believe-(at part 6 right now). Love it so far. What a fun project.
Dedri Uys says
Barb, hi. The istructions for the 3 sizes are exactly the same. The only difference is hook size AND yarn weight. The small is made with Cotton 8 (sock weight), the medium is made with double knit (light worsted weight) and the large is made with worsted weight.
Carol Elosser says
I would be very interested in how this all came about. Did you ladies all know each other somehow? How did this wonderful, amazing piece of art come about? I admire all of you!!!
Dedri Uys says
Hi Carol. I am not quite sure which ladies you are referring to… I designed Sophie’s Universe. My friend Kimberly Slifer hosted the CAL in her group. Esther from It’s All in a Nutshell did the videos, and the translators graciously offered their time to translate the pattern.
Marsha Smith says
Hi Deri,
I’m ready to begin this beautiful blanket. Are the yarn packages still available for purchase?