Caron x Pantone x Shelby = A Yarnish Makes dream come true <3

Hello, Yarnies <3

What do you get if you cross a yarn manufacturer, a world-renowned company who almost literally organised all of the colours in the universe, and a very talented young crochet designer? 

Here is the woman who needs no introduction: Shelby is back at it again, with yet another exclusive Yarnish Makes design!

The 'Jill of all Trades', Miss Shelby Byron is a huge asset to our Yarnish Team. If she isn't taking incredible photography, managing our social media, organising perfectly cohesive colour-packs and inspiring the design team with endless ideas, our talented Shelby is bring her crochet dreams to life. And we are so very proud!

Introducing the Colourblock Cowl to our Yarnish Makes Family <3

A few weeks ago, Shelby and Nicole announced on WITB that they are now stocking Caron x Pantone yarn. I do believe there was a harmonious 'oh look, a Shelby one!' which erupted in the chat! Yes, there was a very beautiful skein and it had Shelby's name written all over it! 

This yarn is simply stunning and so luxurious. If you are not familiar with it, its a collection of 5 mini-skeins of 20g to make up a 100g skein, perfectly colour-matched according to the latest colour trends from around the world. This is Caron X Pantone, 60% Acrylic, 20% Nylon, 20% Merino, 100g(116m), 6mm needles/hook Bulky/12ply. You can purchase skeins here. 

Can you spot the 'Shelby' one? I'll give you a hint... it's not the three on the right... 

The colourway is called Sunset Streak, and it has us pining for Autumn! 

Shelby had been holding onto this skein for a long while, unsure of what she wanted to make. She waited ever so patiently for inspiration to strike! And what is more inspirational than a family holiday to Sweden? 

A few weeks ago, Nicole and Shelby announced that they will be experiencing a White Christmas, as they are traveling all over Europe this holiday season. 

Here's what Shelby had to say: 

"I'm lucky enough to be going on a family holiday to Sweden this Christmas, so I really needed something to keep me warm in the snow! I had my eyes on this particular colour of the Caron X Pantone yarn for a while and I was dying to give it a go! It all just came together perfectly. It was such a breeze to make." 

The Colour Clock Cowl certainly has a youthful flair to an old-time, classic favorite. With its bold, unapologetic colour and the textural interest in the stitches and repeat rows, this cowl is the perfect accessory to any outfit. 

Shelby says she is 'only new' at designing, but I totally believe that she is living her best design life! Her style is effortless chic. Her young, trendy nature brings a breath of fresh air and enlivens this craft. Not to mention, her designs pay a lot of respect to a 'maker's time'. In a world where days are becoming much shorter, and our responsibilities stretch us to the nth degree, Shelby's designs see us make quick progress and have us feeling so satisfied! 

Shelby's designs are lovely to work on, and I think that's because Shelby is so relaxed as she writes her patterns: 

Before we head into our pattern, here are a few fun facts about our shining star!

Shelby says: 

"I'm still living at home, so it's lucky Mum and I get on so well, we spend ALL our time together! Everyone on facebook should be quite familiar with my naked child - Astra the Sphynx - who we crochet jumpers for! The best of having a nakey is you don't get covered in cat hairs!!!..."

We can thank Mrs Yarnish and NAnna Yarnish for teaching Shelby her skills. Although, let's all have a moment of silence for the huge struggle that is learning when you're a left-hander!: 

"Mum and Nan both taught me to crochet, but as a left-hander I had to use a LOT of youtube, as well as teach myself a fair bit. I actually still go to my mum whenever I get stuck on a patter!" 

Her advice for beginners: 

"Practice, practice, practice!!! When I first picked up a hook, I sat for a good few hours just figuring out how to chain. This really helped me learn how to keep my tension even and get used to holding the hook. Then I moved on to making little circles, and played around with increasing/decreasing, which gave me a better understanding of how to crochet different shapes." 

Shelby's mantra: 

"SEW AS YOU GO!!!! I always say this, but it makes a world of difference when you finish a project and don't have a million and one ends to sew in!"

Not only are Shelby's designs absolutely beautiful, but she is also so incredibly generous to give her patterns away for free! This is the second freebie Shelby has posted on this blog.

Designing is tough work, it takes a lot to dream something and bring it to life. Sometimes our dream concept works, and other times, it completely falls flat. It truly takes someone special to go through that whole process and still give your pattern away. So thank you, Shelby, for this beautiful pattern <3

As I write this, I can hear Shelby saying something like 'yeah but, its nice seeing your design being made by others'. And that's so true! Seeing your pattern being made by others is a really awesome feeling! So if you feel inspired to make this cowl, share and tag Shelby! Tell her how much you loved making it, it will totally make her day :) 

But you know what will also make her day: The Colour Block Cowl pattern is available here, for $2. $2 will get you a beautifully formatted PDF document, and a huge smile for our amazing designer. So even though the pattern is written below, consider supporting our very talented designers by purchasing the paid verison, if you can :) 

Ok, that's it from me! Let's make a cowl! 

You will need 2 skeins of Caron X Pantone Yarn (Scheepjes Chunky Monkey is a great alternative!), a 5.5mm hook, scissors and a darning needle.

Abbreviations (US Terms)

ch - chain
dc - double crochet
sp - space
st(s) - stitch(es)
sk - skip
xst (X stitch) - sk 1 st, dc, ch1, dc in skipped st
xsp - sp above where the 2dc cross over

Pattern:

Note: ch2 at the start of a row counts as first dc
Note: ch3 at the start of Row 3 counts as 1dc and 1ch

Ch 21.
Row 1: dc into the 4th ch, dc in each st across. Turn work. (19dc)
Row 2: ch2, sk first st, [xst over next 2 sts] x8, sk 1st, dc into top of ch3. Turn work. (2 dc, 8 xsts)
Row 3: ch3, dc into xsp, [ch1, dc into xsp] x7, ch1, dc into top of ch2. Turn work. (10 dc, 9 ch)
Row 4: ch2, [dc into ch-sp, dc into next st] x8, dc into ch-sp, dc into top of 2nd ch of starting ch3 from Row 3. Turn work. (19 dc)
Repeat rows 2-4 until you run out of yarn (or if using a solid colour - you reach the desired length) - you can finish on any row, but I made my colour changes on a row 4

Finishing: When you have reached your desired length, leave a 20cm tail. Sew the two ends together using the tail, I used the whipstitch method but you may use your preferred method of joining.

Shelby would like to thank her two amazing testers, for helping her test this pattern: 

Kerrin Tregeagle - who used Papatya Cake, Christmas Pudding (very fitting)
She separated out all the colours so they would look nice and even. 

We cannot wait to see your amazing creations! 

Happy Yarning <3 

Renee 

xxx