Before we start the CKAL, I’ve put together some general information that’s good to know about making the cushions as well as answering a few questions that popped up in the Dutch and International Facebook groups. It seems that the choice of knitting or crocheting has given some of you a dilemma! Hopefully this info will help you to decide what’s best for you. It’s fantastic that some crafters are going all in and giving both a go!
I know that some of you wanting take part, have had a bit of a hard time getting your hands on a kit, especially in the UK, where they sold out on the first day! The list of retailers who ordered blue tit kits has since been updated with more stores added this week. Hopefully you can now find some in stock! You can also contact your local Scheepjes retailer directly and ask them to order you a kit. We still have a month to go before the CKAL begins.
Take all the time you need
Maybe knitting or crochet is something you only recently took up or you’re considering something other than your first craft. Perhaps the embroidery element is new to you. Firstly, I want to reassure you that it’s completely fine to take all the time you need! We want to enjoy the experience and encourage each other without comparing skills or feeling under pressure. We all have different techniques under our belts and varying amounts of quality crafting time. The free blue tit patterns and charts will stay on the Scheepjes website indefinitely and the knowledgeable mods will be around to offer support in the groups long after the end of the 4-week CKAL.
Starting out – what to expect
On 17th April the CKAL begins and in Week 1 we’ll start knitting or crocheting the fabric for our cushion front. We’ll be aiming for an even grid of stitches to embroider onto. Both versions are made with repeated rows of simple stitches and in later posts we’ll look at how to approach this, so it’s enjoyable and not too overwhelming for newer crafters.
Two strands?
To crochet the fabric, you will use one strand of Scheepjes Scrumptious and to knit it you’ll use two. That’s because we want to create sufficiently stable fabric to stitch into. When knitted single stranded, Scrumptious (and the chunkier version Truly Scrumptious) has a lovely drape. That’s perfect for garments – but not what we want here!
How do I knit double stranded?
Knitting double stranded is straightforward and I’ll be providing a visual tutorial and troubleshooting tips before the CKAL begins. Essentially you take two balls of yarn, pull a strand from each and hold them together, treating them as if they were one.
When you knit the second side of the cushion, at some point you’ll need to split your 3rd ball of yarn to have two strands to work with. You can either wind the approximate amount needed by hand, or using a ball winder.
You can use whatever knitting needles you like, circular or long straight but I would recommend some with relatively pointy tips as this makes it easier to catch both strands. I used 5mm KnitPro Birch Basix single point needles, 35cm long. They are long enough to fit all the stitches on, and an affordable choice. I find they are light, easy on the hands and the generous end cap stops stitches falling off the end.
Which Version is Quickest?
For anyone experienced in both crafts, knitting the cushion fabric is likely to be quicker than crocheting. However working the cross stitch is quicker than working the duplicate stitch. Overall, making time is pretty similar!
The Embroidery
There’ll be an opportunity to practise the stitches, before the CKAL begins. Visual tutorials tips and tricks will be provided, including what to do with the yarn tails. Fear not, there’s no sewing in ends; I’ll be sharing a knotting technique that uses the properties of the Cahlista yarn.
Generally when you follow an embroidery chart, you will start in the centre and work your way out to the edges. The direction of stitching is not specified. So everyone will stitch a bit differently. Scheepjes have been generous with the amount of yarn in the kits, so don’t worry if you make a few little mistakes that you have to pull out. If you follow the knotting technique you should still have plenty of yarn.
Duplicate Stitch
Duplicate stitch on the knitted version is worked over one row and one stitch. Your bird will look more detailed and realistic if that’s the look you prefer. The colours will also appear more vibrant on this version as the yarn covers most of the underlying stitch.
Cross Stitch
Cross stitch is worked over two crochet rows and stitches. There’s good reasons for this! Firstly the Cahlista would be too thick to cover one row and stitch. Secondly, if you look closely at double crocheted fabric (single in US terms), the top two corners of the stitch are not directly above the bottom two. This makes for slightly irregular crosses. For the crocheted cushion I wanted regular stitches that create a cleaner, graphic look.
Blue doesn’t work with my décor. Can I substitute it?
Kits are available in one colourway but you could of course purchase more yarn, or use some from your stash for the background shade. You will need 3 x 100g balls of Scheepjes Scrumptious, or Colour Crafter yarn which has the same gauge. The blue tit charts have been specifically designed to work with these yarns. The ‘squares’ on the charts are actually rectangles. Using yarns with a different gauge will affect the appearance of your bird!
I know some participants will go ‘off piste’ and I’m excited to see what they come up with! A great deal of yarn and shade combinations were tested in the design stage before agreeing the final colours with Scheepjes, and I would suggest choosing substitutes carefully, remembering whatever you use will affect the blue tit colours. The background will show through to some extent, more so on the crocheted version.
For crocheters, I would recommend a shade sympathetic to the blue tit palette, but not so similar that the bird outline will be obscured.
NB I wouldn’t recommend substituting Cahlista used for the embroidery for other yarns as we will use this particular yarn’s properties for the knotting technique.
Can I make the cover removable?
The cushions are intended to be decorative with all four sides sewn or crocheted together. Should you prefer a removable cover, there are options, though patterns will not be provided. You might be surprised to hear that the crochet cushion uses considerably more Scrumptious yarn, even though the knitted version is made double stranded! Knitters who keep to gauge should have ample yarn left to play with and could consider a flap or button closure on the back (though patterns won’t be provided!).
A zip closure is a simple option as a closure for either version. Carmen who designed the Sassenach Cushions for Scheepjes 2022 KAL made an excellent video tutorial on how to do this.
So, I hope that’s been and helpful and you now know whether you are #TeamKnit….
or #TeamCrochet!
The bird stickers, postcards, tapestry needle and bird shaped yarn holder (so that you can easily identify your embroidery colours) are all included in the kit. There’s more too – look out on social media for an unboxing video coming soon!
Bizzymitts 