Scheepjes Colour Lab CAL
Published on January 11, 2023

Scheepjes Colour Lab CAL: Part 1 (US Terms)

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Hello lovely crafter! Welcome to Part 1 of the Colour Lab CAL! I’m so excited that the CAL has finally begun, and we can all get started working on it together. I published a Main Page and a Tips and Tricks page (US Terms // UK Terms), so if you haven’t read through those, you may wan to check them out!

If you don’t have your yarn yet, you can still get a kit, and that information is below. For this part we will get gauge with the first motif, and then get introduced to the pattern writing style with simple repeated motifs joined as-you-go.

This tutorial is in US Terms. If you are looking for UK Terms, click here!

Related Links

As these sites become live, I will hyperlink them.

Where to Find Me

Where to Get Support

During the CAL, if you need pattern support, there is definitely a ton of help out there! It has been proven time and time again that the Scheepjes CALs turn beginners into rock stars. Please do not worry if the pattern looks complicated, as this safety net of support points will be there for you, just a click away.

  • Tips and Tricks Post (US Terms // UK Terms)- Your question could be answered here! (Gauge discussed as well)
  • Facebook Group Support – Definitely join the Scheepjes Facebook Groups, so you can post progress pics, get inspired by others, and of course, ask for help. The groups are wonderful and very supportive! Worldwide: Scheepjes International Facebook Group and for Dutchies: Scheepjes Dutch Facebook Group
  • CypressTextiles Website Support – For each pattern release week, I will make a blog post here on the CypressTextiles website where I will include many, many step-by-step photos of any possibly tricky parts. The entire pattern won’t be photographed here, but I will do my best to make everything clear in my still photos.
  • YouTube Support – The very talented Esther of It’s All in a Nutshell has graciously made videos for this CAL which will appear weekly on her YouTube Channel. Her videos are well known worldwide, and she is an absolute treasure.

Pattern Release Timeline

Scheepjes will share the free individual patterns on Wednesday 12:00h CET on their website and in the Official Facebook Groups. Because some motifs require more work than others, some patterns take up a week, others two weeks. Here is an overview for you to mark your calendars!

Contents of this Post

Here is a short list of what you will find below:

  • Blanket Pattern: Where to find the pattern and videos
  • Yarn Colors: Which yarn colors are used in this part, so you can pull them out
  • Blanket Progress: What will be worked in this part
  • Getting Gauge: Use the first motif to get gauge
  • Tricky Parts and Weaving Ends: List of possible tricky bits and photos with explanations, and how to weave ends for this part

Be sure to read through everything before you get started, as some information may be good to know before you begin, for example, some ends are woven in as you go. You will want to know this before you start. I show you how I wove in every end in this project, because I know that weaving ends is a point of stress for many crafters.

Blanket Pattern

The full Colour Lab CAL pattern will not be shared here on this blog, because the copyright lies with Scheepjes. The pattern for Part 1 can be found on the Scheepjes Website or in the Scheepjes Facebook Group (International // Dutch). Esther from It’s All in a Nutshell has also published tutorial videos (Right-Handed // Left-Handed).

Please note that the original Scheepjes Pattern and the videos are all in UK Terms, but there are also US Terms patterns available, and on my website, I will publish both US and UK Terms blog posts for each part.

Blanket Progress

Here is a general minimalistic schematic of what your blanket in progress will look like after Part 1:

In the photo below, Part 1 is the row of square motifs at the top, that all have a color center and a grey shade outer.

Yarn Colors

The colors to use will be part of your pattern, or part of the coloring layout you have made, or maybe you chose to pick randomly! Either way, if you are using a kit, be sure to place the colors in their spot each time so you don’t run out of yarn in your mini ball. For example, whatever color you have chosen for yarn D, be sure to place it wherever “D” appears in the chart, and so on.

Yarns A-H are used in this section. Separate out colors A-H, use them where indicated in the pattern, and put the remnants aside. Yarns A-C are the background colors, but I recommend wrapping the remnants of the 10g balls around the little yarn ball band if you are using a kit. Be sure you can still see the yarn color number.

My Demo Version

I’m making the Scrumptious version with randomized color layout. I’ll talk more about this in a separate blog post, but here are my personal choice of yarns for Part 1: D-H – yay!!

This is my favorite part of the Colour Lab CAL, that there will be so many different blankets to marvel at, with everyone experimenting on their own layout.

Side note: This Scrumptious eye candy! Note: This kit is exclusive to the CAL – I recommend scooping it up if you are able!

Getting Gauge

Instead of making a separate gauge swatch, we will work the first motif and measure it, then go up or down a hook size if necessary to get to the correct measurements as shown below.

3 Simple steps for checking gauge:

  • Step 1: Make Motif 1 (All 11 rounds). It should be a perfect square.
  • Step 2: Measure it to be sure it matches the specifications below.
  • Step 3: If it is too large, try going down a hook size until it is the correct measurement. If it is too small, try going up a hook size until it is the correct measurement.

Metropolis version: Motif measures 13.75 x 13.75cm before blocking
Scrumptious version: Motif measures 17 x 17cm before blocking

Here is a photo of my first motif!

Gauge is important for this project in order for all of the panels of the blanket to fit together. Pay attention to the height of your double crochet especially as this can be greatly affected by the manner in which you crochet. There is a maneuver made during the creation of a double crochet that determines its height, and this is called the Golden Loop. Please check out this blog post and watch this video by Esther of It’s All in a Nutshell to learn more about the Golden Loop.

If you are using stash yarn of a different weight, your gauge should be okay if you are a “rider” or a “yanker” as discussed in the Golden Loop video above. If you are a “lifter” then you may want to adjust how you make your double crochet stitches, as you may have trouble getting your panels to fit together. It may be possible to just block everything out, but to be sure, if you crochet very tall double crochet sts, then that’s something to think about. Check your gauge!

Tricky Parts and Weaving Ends

Some of the instruction for this part could potentially be tricky, so I have photo tutorials for them below. This is not a substitute for the original pattern, of course. In addition, as promised, I will show you how I weave my ends along the way. Note: I am right-handed, so these tutorials will be from a right-handed perspective. If you’re a lefty, you may need to adjust accordingly.

***Notes on weaving ends:

Projects with ends can be intimidating, but as long as you know what to do with them, and you do them as you go, you won’t be left with a project in the UFO (unfinished object) pile when you’re all done because the number of ends seems overwhelming. There is a yarn end at the start and finish of every color.

There are different ways to weave them in depending on the stitches of the current round and the stitches of the next round. After every round where there is a yarn end to deal with, I will tell you exactly what to do with it, so you can weave them in as you go, painlessly. I even made up little names for the different ways, so you kind of get familiar with them as we make the blanket.

Motif 1

Overview: Rounds 1-5 are a sort of granny stitch, turning after every round. Pay attention to stitch counts at the end of every round to make sure you are not skipping any stitches or adding any extra stitches in. Rounds 6-11 are all worked on the RS, without turning.

Round 1: What is “Beg dc”? Check out my Tips and Tricks post to read all about beginning double crochet.

Round 1: Where to “ss join”? See the photos below showing where to ss join to close the round.

Ready to join the round

Join in this ch1 where my hook is pointing,

Note: Do not grab only that outer loop that I’ve stretched out a bit for you to see. I’ll show you what could happen in the next photo down.

If you slip st into that loop only, then you get a large hole as you can see below.

Be sure to get both back loops of the chain as shown below.

Slip stitch in ch1 to join round

***Weave yarn end 1: “Spin Around the Center” method.

Using your tapestry needle, spiral your yarn tail around the center of the round about six-eight times, and then cut off the excess.

I go clockwise around a few times, and then turn the other direction and go around a few more times.

Snip the remainder

Round 3: What does “3dc bet each 3-dc gr to next ch-sp” mean? The needle indicates where to place the 3dc.

Here is how it looks.

Round 3: What does “omitting final 1 dc of last rep“ mean? Since you have already made the beg dc at the start, you will omit the final dc of the last repeat. When your ss join into the beg dc, the round will have the correct number of stitches. Again, double check the stitch counts given in the pattern.

The needle points to your beg dc, and you can see that there are only 2 dc at the end of the round instead of 3, since the beg dc completes the corner.

Round 5: How to fasten off yarn? Follow the photos to fasten off yarn leaving a tail of about 5 inches and pull it to the back of the work.

After making ss join, cut yarn as shown in photo:

Pull the yarn through with the hook, being sure not to pull your slip stitch tight.

Thread yarn tail onto tapestry needle, and pull it through the st to the left of the joining st so it is on the back of the work. Leave the thread on the needle for weaving in, and proceed to the next line.

***Weave yarn end 2: “Back Loop Only” method.

Draw yarn tail front to back through BLO of st to the right of the joining st,

Repeat this maneuver, drawing the yarn front to back through BLO of each subsequent st to the right, until the yarn end is used up, through about 12-15 sts, then cut off the excess.

Here is how the tail looks when it is all woven in.

And here is the back side so you can see from another angle.

Snip the remainder.

Round 6: How to ss to join on a new color? The photo below shows how to join on a new color in the corner space.

Bring up the yarn through the space

Twist the loop to secure it

Slip stitch to join on the new color

***Weave yarn end 3: “Zig-Zag” Method.

Weave the tail through the base of the dc sts, changing direction so that the tail will not work itself loose.

Round 8: What does “(ch1, sk 1 st, 1dc) to last st before next cnr-sp” mean? The needle points to the st before the next corner space. The next dc will be made in the corner sp.

Round 11 and corner stitch marker placement

***Weave yarn end 4: “Back Loop Only” method.

Weave end just as before.

Motifs 2-10

Overview: These 9 motifs are worked as for Motif 1, but they are joined to the previous motif on one side using PLT Join. See the Tips and Tricks post for more on PLT Join, and below are some photos of my progress at the completion of each corner. Here is a closeup of the Join As-You-Go:

PLT Join maneuver

Remove the loop from the hook

Insert hook front to back through the corresponding adjacent stitch on the completed motif

Grab the loop

Pull the Loop Through to complete the PLT Join maneuver

First corner complete, and marker placed

Second corner complete, and corner joined

Third corner complete, and marker placed

Fourth corner complete, and marker placed,

Round joined

With this info, you should be able to finish Part 1 along with the pattern and videos. Enjoy!

And that’s all for Part 1! Thank you so much for following along with the Colour Lab CAL, it’s been so fun seeing everyone’s color layouts!

Happy crafting!

Rachele C.

The Art of Crochet Blankets (affiliate)

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Related Links

As these sites become live, I will hyperlink them.