Jessica Wifall

Scheepjes Festival of Lights CAL: Week 4, Popcorn Diamond Motifs

It’s CAL day again!  This week we are making all the Popcorn Diamonds.  This motif is about the texture and the shape. We will be using a lot of the same tricks to get nice pointy corners that were used in weeks 1&2 with the triangles, and it is also full of back post stitches and popcorn stitches. 

The written PDF of the pattern can be found here on the Scheepjes website.

For photos to accompany the pattern jump to the bottom of this post here.

I will add these links as they become available.

Contents

Getting Started

Scheepjes has made two beautiful official kits for this CAL of Scheepjes Metropolis and Organicon yarns. 

To purchase a kit, you can check for a Scheepjes Retailer in your area, or please consider using my affiliate link below.  Shopping though this link earns me a small commission to support my design work at no additional cost to you. Thank You!

World wide: Color packs in the Scheepjes Amazon Shop

USA: Jimmy Beans Wool Scheepjes Yarn: Organicon Kit / Metropolis Kit

Kits are sold out in many places, you can find more information on yarn that is in the kit and estimates for other scheepjes yarns in this post here.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend joining the Scheepjes Facebook Groups.  The groups are incredibly friendly and supportive.  There you can share progress photos, get inspiration, and ask for help if needed.

I have also made video tutorials for this CAL that I will be posting for each part on my YouTube Channel.

There will not be a complete photo tutorial for this pattern, but I will provide some supplementary photographs for the trickier bits on the blog post for each piece of the pattern.

I have made videos tutorials for all the parts of this CAL here are the links for this week. There are videos for UK and US terms. I have also tried to make them clear enough visually that it will still be helpful without the sound.

Special Thank you to Fiona Kelly for providing a Dutch Voiceover! Here are the Videos in Dutch.

I also have an introductory video that has tips and tricks for staying organized and a little bit about my inspiration

Introduction and Tips and Trick Video

Introductie, Tips & Tricks – Nederlands

You can subscribe to my channel and turn on notifications to be notified when each video comes out.

Using the Color Placement Chart

When each part of the pattern is released two Colour Placement Tables, one for Metropolis and one for Organicon will be included in the pattern PDF on the last two pages. These table will list the required color number per round for each motif. 

When a motif is completed, I recommend marking it as completed on your color placement table and labeling the motif by pinning a piece of paper with the motif number to the motif.  The motif on the schematic can also be colored in to visually track progress.

Your Color Placement Tables will look slightly different than the one I show in the photo below because I didn’t have the finalized PDF’s when I took this picture.

To assist I have made a Printable PDF of labels for you to use.  I recommend cutting out each group of labels and cutting between each label but leaving them attached until needed so they are easy to find.  When the label is needed it can easily be found and detached to pin on the motif. 

English:

Motif Tags_V1Download

Dutch:

Motief Labels_NL_V2Download

If you accidentally mix up some colors when making your blanket here is my recommendation.  Decide if it’s going to bother you, if it does frog and redo, if not you are just making your blanket special. Just keep in mind that if you use a color somewhere unexpected with the Metropolis kit you may be a little short on that color and need to swap it for a less used color somewhere else.

The Assembly Line Method

Once you are comfortable with the pattern using an “assembly line” method to get through all those motifs can speed things up quite a bit.  This means working the first round a bunch of times, then the second, and so on.  Here is how I like to do this for this pattern. 

  1. Decide how large of a “batch” to work at once, this can be all the motifs or smaller groups of 5-10.  Larger batches can be more efficient but might be less enjoyable because they are more repetitive, and progress is less visible. Play with the size of the batch until you figure out what you prefer.    
  2. Pin the motif labels to the Ball Bands of the yarn used for the first round.  Once the round is complete the pin the label to the motif.  The partial motifs can be put to the side until some, or all the round ones are completed. 
  3. Pin the partial motifs to the next round yarn just like the labels for round one.
  4. Repeat until the motif is complete.   

I find that this method is great for keeping track of color placement without constantly having to refer to the color placement table.  Once the labels are pinned to the yarn, they can be tossed in a basket or bag to crochet in my favorite place or taken with me. 

This system is also flexible, if a round gets boring, take the finished partial motifs and pin them to the next round color and start working those, or even switch between them.  

Gauge

For this project we will not be making a specific gauge swatch, instead we will crochet the first motif and measure it before adjusting. 

Metropolis version: 6.5 x 14.5cm using a 3mm hook, before blocking

Organicon version: 6 x 15cm using a 3mm hook, before blocking

I tend to pull on the pointy corners when I am making my motifs, this makes my point-to-point measurement larger, if your point-to-point measurement is also larger don’t worry about it.

If you are concerned about yarn usage weighing your motifs may be reassuring.  My popcorn motifs average 5.1g in Metropolis and 5.9g in Organicon.  If you are under about 5.9g in Metropolis you should have plenty of yarn.  The Organicon Kits has plenty of extra yarn.

More generally, here are my recommendations regarding tension.

  1. Read up on the golden loop, Esther of “is all in a nut shell” has a fantastic blog post and video talking the golden loop.  In summery the golden loop is about getting the width to height ratio of your stitches correct.  If you have trouble matching gauge by changing hook size or have trouble with rippling or puckering in your crochet work start here.   
  2. Find a hook that gives you results that are close enough.  It is more important to have pieces that lay flat, are consistent and fit together than matching exact gauge so don’t stress if you are a little bit smaller or larger than the actual gauge if those goals are achieved.
  3. Aim for consistency, regardless of how close to the actual gauge you are, strive for consistency.  I like to keep my first motif with me when making subsequent motifs then I can occasionally compare to see if they are similar. This doesn’t have to be perfect as crochet has a little stretch and blocking will help.
  4. Compare Fit, for each motif dimensions will be given and after the first one I will provide a comparison of how this should compare to the other motifs.   This blanket is composed of motifs of various shapes thus the relative size of the pieces is important for the blanket to fit together correctly.  For example, one square should be about the size of 2 triangles put together.  If the relative sizes are wildly different there are going to be fit issues.  
  5. Try not to stress too much.  I find that a lot of things affect my tension, for example, the square when anxious is noticeably smaller than the one I made while relaxing.  However, they aren’t different enough to cause a problem and blocking is going to take care of small differences.  

The last thing to talk about with gauge is yarn usage. Larger motifs use up more yarn, however both kits have a bit of buffer, the Organicon kit has a substantial buffer, and the Metropolis kit has about a 15% buffer.  If you do run out of a particular color, I would recommend that you put that motif to the side, some colors will have more remaining than others so you may be able to use the leftovers of a similar color. 

Dealing with Ends

This pattern has a lot of ends, here are some tips to make them less overwhelming. 

Weave in Ends as you go.  Take a moment when finishing each motif or at least every few motifs to take care of the ends before moving on.  This will make the task significantly less daunting. 

Even if you like to save your ends for the end, at the very least I recommend weaving in all the ends before we get to the joining so that they are not in the way.

When possible, crochet over the ends.  To crochet over the ends from the prior round I take a moment to weave the ends in a few places along the back loop when I finish a round.  This makes it easy to work over the ends when the next round is crochet.  The end can be woven through every back loop along a row, just a couple, or even just held in place.  If the ends are making it harder to see the stitches to work in to try weaving through every loop or only 1.

When Not to Crochet Over the Ends   

  • The next round is mostly Post Stitches.  Back and front post stitches go around the post of the stitch instead of through the loops, this means that working through the back loops and crocheting over the ends doesn’t work.
  • The starting tail of a magic circle.  I recommend weaving in the starting tail by spinning around the center a few times to best secure the magic circle and avoid bulk.
  • When the result would be too bulky.  Generally, avoid crocheting over more than one end, if it’s a small round and two ends would overlap only crochet over until the overlap then leave them for later.  I am not always great at following this guideline.
  • The first time through the motif pattern.  Mistakes are more difficult to undo once ends are woven in, so wait until the pattern is more familiar before crocheting over the ends.
  • If it is making things more difficult or confusing.  If trying to work over the ends is proving difficult or causing confusion, then just wait until the motif is completed to weave in the ends.

Special Stitches and Techniques

Here are some of the stitches that will be used in this pattern.

Beginning stitches (beg sts)

In this pattern beginning stitches are used for the first stitch of a round when the yarn is already attached.  For the square motif we will use a UK Beginning Treble Crochet (beg tr) / US Beginning Double Crochet (beg dc) and a Beginning Popcorn Stitch (beg pc).

  • UK Beginning treble crochet (beg tr): 1dc, ch1 (counts as 1 tr)
  • US Beginning Double crochet (beg dc): 1sc, ch1 (counts as 1 dc)
  • Beginning Popcorn (beg pc): see details below

Standing stitches

In this pattern standing stitches are used for the first stitch of a round when a new yarn is used.  For the triangle motif we will use a standing version of htr.  To make a standing stitch make a slip knot on the hook then work the indicated stitch. 

Standing stitches – Alternative Method

I like to use an alternative method of standing stitches for rounds that end with a needle join.   Instead of making a slip knot simply wrap the yarn around the hook {image 1} then work the indicated stitch {image 2}.  Without the slip knot, the top portion of the stitch can be removed and replaced during the needle join.

Needle Join

Cut yarn leaving long tail for weaving in end; lift loop with hook until tail emerges then thread tail onto needle {image 1},

If the round was started with a standing stitch without a slip knot, gently lift and remove the top portion of the standing stitch {image 2}.

Sk next st and insert needle from front to back through both loops of following st {image 3}.

 Insert needle down through st where tail emerged and under back bump through to reverse {image 4}, pulling gently to create false st identical in size

Popcorn stitch

To make a popcorn stitch work UK 4tr (US 4dc) in indicated st/sp, remove loop from hook, insert hook front to back in top of first st, place loop back on hook and draw through st

Please note that a “closing chain” is not included with the stitch, all chains will be written into the pattern.

Back Post stitches

Insert hook from back to front to back to go around post of st indicated, work st

Puff Stitch

(yoh, insert hook in indicated st/sp, yoh, pull up loop) 3 times (7 loops on hook), yoh, draw through all loops

Back Loop Only (BLO)

insert hook under back loops only

Supplemental Photos

Please note that I took photos of both the Metropolis and Organicon kits, when an instruction is kit specific, I will show the appropriate kit. However, if a step applies to both kits, I used the images that show that step the best.

Round 1

Beginning UK htr (US hdc) in magic ring

Formation of the first 4-ss branch

Needle Join

Ends Recommendation: Sew in the starting tail by spinning around the center to reinforce the magic ring, weave the finishing tail along some of the back loops and crochet over in the next round.  

Round 2

Standing stitch and round completed

Ends Recommendation: The next round is mostly back post stitches so weave both tails in at the bottom of the round or save for after next round. 

Round 3

Making the standing BP stitch to start.

Forming the pointy corner.

Round 3 Completed, front and back

note: my motifs often want to fold in halve at this point, this will flatten out by the time we reach the last round

Ends Recommendation: Weave the starting tail along some of the back loops and crochet over in the next round. 

Round 4

Tip: alternate which side of the diamond you begin on each round so that all the ends are not on the same side.

First stitch of round

Formation of the corner.

In the middle of the side, we will work 2 popcorn stitches in the same chain-space and catch the chains on either side of the puff stitch from round 2 as well. The first popcorn will go to the right of the puff stitch and the second to the left of the puff stitch (if working this left-handed, reverse left and right).

Note: there are no chs made after completing final pc on each side.

Round 4 completed

Ends Recommendation: Weave the starting tail along some of the back loops and crochet over in the next round. 

Round 5

Standing stitch and round completed

Ends Recommendation: Weave in both tails towards the bottom of round 5

Modifications for a Single Color

If you would like to test gauge in a single color or are making up your own color way and would like to make the motifs in a single color these are the modifications needed to make a solid-colored motif without cutting the yarn.

Round 1: we are going to move the start to just before the ss-branch: make the UK beg htr (US beg hdc) then omit the UK 4htr (US 4hdc) and continue to the ch6, at the end make the UK 4htr (US 4hdc) that we omitted at the start. ss in the back loop of the beginning stitch, this makes it look like a normal UK htr (US hdc).

Round 2: complete round 2 as written but use a regular UK dc (US sc) blo instead of a standing st, and join with a ss.

Round 3: again, we are going to move the start of the round: ch 1, starting around the next st UK 5BPdc (US 5BPsc). Then begin the round as written but make a regular st instead of a standing one and omit the last 5 sts that we already made at the start. Join with a ss.

Round 4: 1ss in next st, ch1, UK 3dc, 3htr, 1htr in cnr (US 3sc, 3hdc, 1hdc in cnr) then work the repeat between the “*” twice in total omitting the stitches that we added to the beginning of the round, join with a ss.

Round 5: UK 8dc (US 8sc) starting in the next st, then work the repeat between the “*” twice in total omitting the stitches that we added to the beginning of the round.

Happy Crafting!

Support My Work

Thank you for reading my blog, you are supporting my design work just by being here!   Here are some other ways you can support my design work.

  • Follow me on Instagram or Facebook – I post new pattern releases and such on my Instagram feed and Facebook page, following, liking, and commenting will keep you up to date and help other find my design work.
  • Browse my self-published patterns – I have several patterns on Etsy and Ravelry.  My portfolio of designs is not extensive yet, but I am continuing to add new patterns. 
  • Watch my Videos on YouTube– Video tutorials for each part of this CAL will be available on my YouTube channel along with a (very) few other tutorials I have made.  Watching the videos, subscribing to my channel, commenting on and liking the videos will all support my design work. 
  • Affiliate links – Shopping through my links supports me at no additional cost to you as I get a small commission through my affiliates. Scheepjes Amazon Shop, Jimmy Beans Wool, Yarn Addicted and Co on Etsy (US shipping only) 

I will add these links as they become available.

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