Helloooo, gorgeous crafter! Today I want to share a small WIP that I have been working on here and there over the past month. And, I also include a super nice tip that I learned from two crafters years ago to make three strands of yarn from one skein/ball. Very useful!!
So here we go! I have an entire shelf of beautiful cotton thread Scheepjes || Maxi Sweet Treat – I have a full set of them, which is a total of 109 colors. Definitely swoon-worthy, but also kind of sad – they are very pretty to look at, but I don’t much work with thread very often, and I am not one to let yarn fester in a stash.. I like to USE it!!
Sweet VVCAL Blanket in Progress
So with a tip that I remembered in the back files somewhere in the recesses of my brain, I made the decision to create a cute little VVCAL blanket, just making a square here and there over time.
Eep, just posting these photos is making me want to work on this blanket. The colors are just so beautiful! I am not using all 109 of the Sweet Treat* balls, rather just a selection of all the pastel-esque ones. Not all of the colors are represented in the photo below as just one ball of Maxi Sweet Treat will make two squares. I think I have 27 colors total for the blanket squares. Then I will edge in a different yarn.
Super Awesome Yarny Trick!
Okay, so this trick I learned from Fringe Association in 2015, and then again I was reminded of it in 2017 from IraRott Designs.
The method is called the “Long Chain Method” or “Chain Ply” and here is a link to the Fringe Association blog page to see how it’s done.
Here’s the photo, credit to Karen Templer of Fringe Association:
And IraRott Designs has a nifty video on the Long Chain Method on her blog page, as well. I recommend heading over to see it in action.
Photo from IraRott Designs – this is an amazing blog post with all kinds of ways to work with multiple strands of yarn. Check it out! Here’s a link to her video.
Add Subtle Texture to Your Project
How cool is this, honestly?! Now I can use up my thread collection and give my project this amazing extra layer of subtlety of texture. With no additional effort on your part – just crochet as normal – you get this bonus depth.
This is really my favorite part about the Long Chain Method technique. Is there anything better than that texture??
Plus, I know a you may be in the huge group of people who scored a ton of cotton thread at a garage sale, or in a craft store haul. Use it up with this technique!
Maxi Sweet Treat Information
Maxi Sweet Treat* is just the smaller ball version of the larger Maxi Sugar Rush – and a sweet treat it is, as its just so darn cute!
Shop Maxi Sweet Treat
You can find Sweet Treat at WoolWarehouse , Deramores, and Black Sheep Wools using my affiliate links to support CypressTextiles at no additional cost! Or find a Scheepjes Retailer near you!
For more info, read my full review of this yarn.
Sneak Peek at My WIP Plans
So for my Maxi Sweet Treat VVCAL Blanket, I think I want to use my Celtic Lace Mini join – This is a variation on my Celtic Lace Join pattern that I wrote in 2013, but the Mini version is more meant for smaller squares, as it’s not as wide as the original join. Perfect for my VVCAL squares!
Here is a sample of Celtic Lace Mini in Colour Crafter*:
And here is how my current Maxi Sweet Treat VVCAL squares look with a pale pink Celtic Lace Mini Join in Colour Crafter*.
Well, I didn’t much like the predictable pale color for the background – it just kind of washed everything out.. I think I will be going with either this sage green, or the deep maroon instead. Super luxe!
Memory Lane – VVCAL Style
When I was pulling pics of Celtic Lace Mini and Junior from my old 2016 VVCAL pic collection, I just couldn’t help but get all gaga-eyed again over these few photos.
Okay, after this color love, I may have to pull out my Sweet Treat WIP and hook up some squares…
Another of my faves from the 2016 VVCAL. (y’all know I hosted another one in 2018, and I will definitely be hosting the next one in 2020… yessssss!!!)
That one time when I pulled together the hundreds of squares that I made when creating the actual samples – each new square has to be tweaked until it’s just right, and I never frog them… So I always end up with like 5 squares with just these little minor differences, but I can’t use them in close-ups or anything…
I just make them into random blankets!
Anyway, thanks for stopping in to see my precios Sweet Treat VVCAL blanket in progress, and I hope you’re able to use the neat “Chain Ply” trick in the future. It really is so cool!
Another shot of my squares, just because they make me so happy…
As always, Happy Crafting to you!
Rachele C.
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