Sophie’s Universe CAL 2015

Hello and Welcome to the Sophie’s Universe CAL 2015.

You have no idea how excited (and how nervous) I am about this CAL.  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!

Those of you who followed the Block a Week CAL 2014 will know that the CAL (crochet-along) was hosted by the Official CCC Social Group on Facebook.  The mastermind behind that CAL was my good friend Kimberly Slifer, and I will be teaming up with her again for Sophie’s Universe.

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 almost 7000 projects on Ravelry to date.  Five 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.

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.

If you are new to this journey:  Welcome!  May you enjoy every moment (even the frogging).  And may you make many good friends along the way.

At the bottom of this post, you will find a list of all the weekly tutorials and their related links.

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

Resources

• 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.
• Tutorials:  You can find the links to all the weekly photo tutorials under Timeline below.
• 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.  Take a look at THIS TUTORIAL if you don’t know how to use the print-friendly button.
• *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.  You can also find a link to the relevant video at the start of each weekly part.
• 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!
• Pinterest:  You can also find the links to all the tutorials on Pinterest.

Translations

• Dutch CAL Information by Dianne Baan
• German CAL Information by Maja Heidingsfelder
• Spanish CAL Information by Lynda Hernandez
• Finnish CAL (starting 24th of February 2017)
• 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 Aneli Moberg from Paradisfrun Virkar
• 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*:	5 mm hook (US H/8 UK 6) 5.5 mm hook  (US I/9  UK 5)	3.5 mm hook (US E/4  UK 9) 4 mm hook  (US G/6  UK 8)	2.5 mm hook (UK 12) or 2.75 mm hook (US C/2) 3 mm hook  (UK 11) OR 3.25  (US  D/3  UK 10)
Yardage:	3900 meters (4265 yards)	3400 meters (3720 yards)	2500 meters (2730 yards)
I am using:	Scheepjeswol Stonewashed XL	Scheepjeswol Softfun	Scheepjeswol Cotton 8
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)
All these yarns are available from Wool Warehouse and Deramores.  Both offer worldwide shipping.  You can find the direct links for the colour packs below.

* There are 2 hook sizes listed for each size.  Please see Important Tips before you start.

** This is not a typo (can you tell that is a frequently asked question?).  The large version is predominantly Moonstone, so you will need many, many balls.  

Colour Packs for Sophie’s Universe CAL 2015

Please note that these packs contain enough yarn to complete Sophie 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.

Wool Warehouse

• Cotton 8 (Small)
• Softfun (Medium)
• Stonewashed XL (Large)
• **NEW** Rainbow Colour Crafter Pack (Medium) – You can read more about the Rainbow Colour Crafter Sophie HERE.

Deramores  

• Cotton 8 (Small)
• Softfun (Medium)
• Stonewashed XL (Large)

Optional Squares and Border Colour Packs

If you are wanting to add the optional squares and border, you can now find colour packs (and information) for that HERE.

Sophie’s Universe Timeline

IMPORTANT:  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.

Thank you,

Dedri

Update:  If you would like to make a much larger version of Sophie, please have a look at Sophie’s Alternate Universe.
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)

You can use this spreadsheet 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.

• Save the spreadsheet to your Google Drive
• Save to your computer as an Excel spreadsheet

Printable Colours Per Round Template

Brandi Kasper-Theisen designed this one-sheet template to help you keep a tangible record of which colour you used per round.

Printable Colours Per Round Template

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

More Helpful Resources

• Organize Your Crochet Projects
• Organize Your Yarn Stash

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, but cheaper.  You will also need some of these Clover Fork Blocking Pins (although regular non-rust pins will work as well).

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.
• More Sophie’s Universe Projects
  • Sophie’s Universe in a Single Colour
  • Sophie’s Universe in Scheepjes Whirl
  • Sophie’s Alternate Universe
  • **NEW** Sophie’s Dream
  • Micro-Sophie
  • Sophie Stool
  • **NEW** Sophie Cocoon Cardigan

This blog post contains affiliate links. I only link to products I personally use or would use.  All opinions are my own.