I have just spent a lovely 15 minutes reading all the fabulous comments about the Lily Pond blanket on the Stylecraft Facebook page. It has been so nice to see the incredible reaction to this project and I am so glad that so many people chose to work through the project. It is amazing to think that within the next few days literally thousands of people will complete the project and have their own version of the Lily Pond Blanket.
Without the support of the wonderful team at Stylecraft it would not have been possible for me to offer a project like Lily Pond as free downloads and I think they have been amazing over the past 4 months while the CAL has been going on.
If you haven't done so already, you can download the last set of CAL patterns from the Stylecraft page by following this link. The patterns will be in place on the Stylecraft web site until December, after which time they will be removed. If you fancy doing the blanket, but don't have time at the moment it would be a good idea to download the patterns to a safe place so that you can use them in the future. We still have a few Lily Pond yarn kits in stock and our kits come with a free bag pattern.
The final set of patterns includes instructions for making the large Lily Flowers which will sit centrally and at the corners of the Lily Pond Blanket and for making the edging.
Below you will find step by step images for the Large Lily:
Without the support of the wonderful team at Stylecraft it would not have been possible for me to offer a project like Lily Pond as free downloads and I think they have been amazing over the past 4 months while the CAL has been going on.
If you haven't done so already, you can download the last set of CAL patterns from the Stylecraft page by following this link. The patterns will be in place on the Stylecraft web site until December, after which time they will be removed. If you fancy doing the blanket, but don't have time at the moment it would be a good idea to download the patterns to a safe place so that you can use them in the future. We still have a few Lily Pond yarn kits in stock and our kits come with a free bag pattern.
Below you will find step by step images for the Large Lily:
The image above shows the flower after 3 rounds
Join the new yarn in at the central point between picots
Once you have made the framework for the first set of petals you need to work groups of 9 sts into each chain space
The petals are given an edging using the 'Rose' shade. To work the next round you need to join the yarn into the reverse side of a stitch between 2 petals
Once you have completed the framework for the second set of petals you make the next layer of petals so that they sit behind the first
As before - the next round of crochet is made by working behind the last round
Once you have completed 2 rounds of crochet using 'Fern' you just need to do 2 more rounds in 'Olive' to finish off.
I love the way the light green yarn creates the illusion of leafs sitting behind the flower.
Making Up & Edging:
Thankfully you don't have a massive amount of finishing off to do once you have completed the 5 large Lilies, but I know for a fact that many crocheters really dislike the making up process. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to take plenty of time to complete this process neatly and methodically.
It took quite a lot of maths calculations for me to get the edging right. Not only did I need to work out a repeat for the fan design, but I also wanted the fans to line up with the bobbles made along the lower edge of some of the pieces.
It is important that you manage to pick up the correct number of stitches around the outside edges in order to make the edging fit.
The first complete round is made using 'Cranberry'. It is worth checking your stitch count a few times to be sure you've got things right!
Working an edging can be incredibly time consuming, but I think it is like the icing on a cake. I remember attending a talk by Kaffe Fassett about his knitwear design and he talked about doing fun things with cuffs and necklines in order to create a lovely framework for his designs. He said that he thought of this as the frame on a painting and said that pitting the wrong edging on was like putting the Mona Lisa in a clip frame! I've always remembered what he said and have always tried to create lovely edgings. I use this fan edging quite often and felt it was particularly good in relation to this design as it emulates the Lily Flower petals.
So! That is it! The Lily Pond CAL is complete!
I am amazed at how quickly the time has gone and so grateful to all of you who joined us on the journey. If you get a chance, please send us some pictures of your completed projects.
We have been asked many times about the prospect of a new CAL. Stylecraft and I have been talking about it and we had originally thought we could do a new project to launch in the Autumn, but unfortunately, due to time restrictions, this has not been possible. However, Stylecraft have asked me to work on a new CAL design which will hopefully launch next year. I have some ideas and have already started working on some swatches, but my design process is a long one and it can take me months to finalise a design, so please don't hold your breath!
I am always working on new design ideas and have some new kits ready to launch over the next few months, so, if you are desperate for more of my design work to see you through the Autumn, do make sure to keep an eye on us by joining our mailing list. You can do this by filling out the form via our web site home page (the 'Newsletter' box is bottom left above the dark grey box) or following the link to 'email sign up' on our Facebook page.
Lots of hugs to all you amazing Lily Ponders!
Janie x
