I ordered the top-up set of yarn pegs from ElizaAndTheGiraffe on Etsy as soon as Stylecraft announced the new shades, so that I could see the colours in person and easily compare them to the other shades (and so that my beloved yarn peg collection was up to date, of course). I’ll be using the pegs throughout this post to show you all the colours.

Quick disclaimer: it is SUPER hard to get a perfect representation of the colours in photos— I’ve tried my ABSOLUTE best, but please don’t use the photos of the new yarns as a be-all-and-end-all reference. The point of this post is to put the new shades into the context of the range itself, so, if you know what an older shade looks like, you can get an idea of how the new ones compare.

Table of Contents

• The New Shades
  • Poppy (2170)
  • Cinder Rose (2171)
  • Milky Tea (2172)
  • Mushy Peas (2173)
  • Hint of Lilac (2174)
  • Pink Rhubarb (2175)
  • Leaf (2176)
  • Jade (2177)
  • North Sea (2178)
  • Nigella (2179)
  • Mistletoe (2180)
  • Purple Smoke (2181)
  • Wild Orchid (2182)
  • Periwinkle (2183)
  • Heather (2184)
  • Mallard Blue (2185)
  • Blue Sky (2186)
  • Aquamarine (2187)
  • Green Lemon (2188)
  • Tea Green (2189)
• Fitting the New Shades into the Current Range

The New Shades

Poppy (2170)

Poppy is, I think, the closest thing to a ‘true red’ in the whole Stylecraft Special DK range. It’s not 100% a ‘true red’, though, because it does have an ever-so-slightly orange undertone, hence why I’ve included Tomato in the above photo. In real life, it’s slightly more vibrant than it looks here, but not quite as strong as Matador or Lipstick (the other two ‘proper’ reds in the collection).

On Wool Warehouse, Poppy looks a bit darker than it is in person. The orangey/pinky undertones aren’t quite so prominent, so it looks like more of a perfect ‘true red’ than it actually is.

Cinder Rose (2171)

Cinder Rose is a mid-toned, pinky-purple-y, dusky mauve shade. It’s a nice middle ground between Grape and Pale Rose, though I would say the basic tone is more similar to the latter. In real life, this shade appears quite a bit pinker than it does here.

Similarly to my photo, on Wool Warehouse Cinder Rose appears more purple-y than it is. It is also paler in real life (if you’re looking for a shade similar to the thumbnail, I think the Wool Warehouse image is actually very close to the shade Grape, in reality!).

Milky Tea (2172)

Milky Tea is an unusual shade— I was expecting more of a pale brown/taupe (hence why I’ve included Mocha in the above photo), but it actually has quite a strong, pinky-peach undertone. It’s a muted, dusky shade, but I would definitely group it with the pinks, rather than the browns. I think it is most similar to Vintage Peach, though Vintage Peach definitely has more of an orange-tone. It is also comparable to Apricot in terms of undertone, though Apricot is significantly lighter and brighter.

On Wool Warehouse, Milky Tea looks like a warm, pale brown shade. In reality, it is more of a dusky, brown-toned, pink.

Mushy Peas (2173)

Mushy Peas is a very pale, slightly muddy, green with yellow undertones. I have included Lincoln in the above comparison, because I was expecting Mushy Peas to be similar to it, but, in actuality, Lincoln has much more of a sage-y, blue tone than the new shade. Mushy Peas is actually more comparable to the more yellow-toned green shades, such as Pistachio, and the more neutral shades, such as Meadow. This is a very, very pale shade and has a bit more warmth & muddiness than in the above photo— it is quite unique in the range.

On Wool Warehouse, this shade appears much darker than it is in person. The green tone is also more prominent in the photo than in real life.

Hint of Lilac (2174)

Hint of Lilac is a super pale, almost-white shade with just a hint of pink-y purple colour. It is most similar to Soft Peach, just with slightly less of a pink hue. It’s actually got a similar tone to Mushroom, just (obviously) in a significantly paler form. I’ve also included A Hint of Silver in the comparison photo, because I think the intensity of the colour is very similar and the new shade does have a slight grey tone to it.

On Wool Warehouse, the thumbnail has a slightly more purple tint than in real life, but the level of paleness is quite similar.

Pink Rhubarb (2175)

Pink Rhubarb fits well into the pinky-orange shades in the range— it feels to me like a shrimpier, duskier version of Raspberry. It’s very definitely a pink, but the orange tones in it do make it comparable to Shrimp and, in a paler form, Vintage Peach.

On Wool Warehouse, this shade looks ever so slightly darker/muddier, and a little less orange-y, than in real life, but it’s a pretty good likeness!

Leaf (2176)

Much like Poppy, I would say Leaf is the closest shade to a ‘true green’ that Stylecraft has produced. It has the slightest yellow undertone, making it vaguely comparable to Grass Green, but it is very much a mid-tone, basic green. Before now, I would have said the closest thing to a basic, mid-green in the range was Meadow, but this is a stronger, brighter, truer shade. It is a little more muted than the other ‘strong’ greens in the collection— I’ve included Kelly Green (which I would say is its closest shade) and Green in the above photo, but you can see it is both slightly paler and less intense than both of them.

The thumbnail on Wool Warehouse is pretty accurate for this one— it’s just ever so slightly lighter and brighter in real life.

Jade (2177)

Jade is a strong, sea-green. It’s definitely got a whiff of turquoise about it, but it’s firmly on the green side of the spectrum. It’s pretty comparable to the other turquoise-y shades in the range: Aspen and Spearmint, but the green tint also feels very similar to Kelly Green.

For this one, I actually think the thumbnail on Wool Warehouse is pretty bang on!

North Sea (2178)

North Sea is a dusky mid-blue, with just the tiniest whisper of green (which, of course, you can barely see here), hence my inclusion of Duck Egg here, which has a similar green-blue balance. I expected this to be most similar to Denim, but, in reality, it’s closer to Storm Blue, perhaps because of that hint of green. I’ve also included Cloud Blue, which I think has a similar blue tone.

On Wool Warehouse, North Sea appears ever so slightly darker than in reality.

Nigella (2179)

Nigella is a dusky, mid-blue with just a hint of purple (it’s less purple than it appears here). I think it’s most comparable to one of the other new shades (Periwinkle— more on that later), which is just a slightly more purple-toned version of the shade, but the blue tone can be compared to Cloud Blue and Aster. I’ve also included the shade Bluebell, to highlight that slight hint of purple.

Again, the Wool Warehouse thumbnail is pretty spot on for this one!

Mistletoe (2180)

Mistletoe is a slightly muddy, lime green— it’s very similar to the existing shade Lime, just slightly deeper and a little more muted. It’s definitely a green, but it has a definite yellow tone, so I do think it has a similar vibe to Pistachio. I’ve also included Meadow, which, while it doesn’t have quite the same yellow tone, is probably the next closest shade of green.

The tone of the thumbnail on Wool Warehouse is pretty similar, but the shade appears darker online than in real life.

Purple Smoke (2181)

Purple Smoke is actually the shade I was most excited for! It’s a deep, rich, purple-toned shade, that has a similar depth and warmth to Burgundy (but with more of a purple hue than a red one!). It is quite a bit duskier than the other purple shades, making for a more muted entry to the purple selection. In terms of tone, I think it is most similar to Plum, which has that same, pinky-purple-y warmth, but Emperor and Proper Purple are the closest, ‘true’ purple shades. I’ve also included Dark Brown here, because the shade is so deep and muted, it is actually quite similar!

On Wool Warehouse, Purple Smoke appears significantly darker and less purple than in real life.

Wild Orchid (2182)

Wild Orchid is a dusky, pale pink shade, with just the barest hint of purple. Powder Pink is the most similar shade, but the new shade is much more muted, with less of a bright pink hue. In terms of tone, I think this shade is similar to Soft Peach, though it is slightly deeper and more neutral. I’ve included Mushroom here, because I think it has a similar, muted tone (just with a stronger purple tint).

On Wool Warehouse, Wild Orchid appears quite a bit darker than in real life, and the purple tone is slightly more pronounced than it truly is.

Periwinkle (2183)

Periwinkle is a dusky, blue-toned mid-purple with a slight warmth to it. Bluebell is probably the closest of the pre-existing shades, as it shares that same, purple/blue tone, but is slightly less muted. Aside from that, the closest shades I could find were Cloud Blue, which has a similar blue tone, and Wisteria, which has a similar purple tone. If you combined those two, I think you’d get Periwinkle.

As I mentioned earlier, Periwinkle is most similar to Nigella (another of the new shades). You can see a comparison of those two new shades below:

It’s a little hard to see in the photo, but Nigella has more of a blue tone, while Periwinkle has more of a purple hue.

On Wool Warehouse, Periwinkle looks ever so slightly darker and less purple-toned than in real life.

Heather (2184)

Heather is a soft lavender shade with just a hint of pink. It’s very similar to Mushroom and Parma Violet, but with a little more purple than the former and a little less blue than the latter. The pink undertones are comparable to that of Wisteria, which Heather feels a little like a toned down, paler version of.

On Wool Warehouse, Heather has slightly less of a pink undertone and more of a grey hue than in reality.

Mallard Blue (2185)

Mallard Blue is a dusky, deep shade of blue. When looked at individually, it feels very similar to Denim, but, in actuality, it is a deeper, slightly more muted version of that existing shade. It does have a touch of a stormy sea vibe about it, which I think also makes it comparable to Storm Blue (though that shade is much lighter and brighter).

On Wool Warehouse, Mallard Blue appears to be much more of a dark, teal-y blue shade than in real life. In reality, it is more blue and less jewel-toned.

Blue Sky (2186)

Blue Sky is a pale blue with just a hint of green. It’s most similar to Duck Egg, but, when looked at on its own, it does make me think of Cloud Blue (which is actually quite a bit stronger and bluer in tone, when the two are compared). It has a similar tone to Sherbet, but is much more muted, and the blue hue is more prominent in Blue Sky.

On Wool Warehouse, Blue Sky looks a little bit muddier than it is in real life— it is actually quite a bright, pale shade. The slightly hint of green is not reflected online either.

Aquamarine (2187)

Aquamarine is a strong aqua/turquoise shade, with a pretty even blend of green & blue tones. There are quite a few similar shades in the range already, including Aspen, Spearmint and Sherbet, though Aquamarine has a slightly deeper, bluer tone than all of them.

I’ve included a comparison between Aquamarine and Jade here, just to demonstrate the difference between the two blue-green shades in the new collection. As you can see, Jade is much more a green-toned shade, while Aquamarine has more of a blue hue.

The thumbnail on Wool Warehouse for Aquamarine is pretty similar to it’s real-life appearance— it is just ever so slightly less muted in person.

Green Lemon (2188)

Green Lemon is a bit of a wacky shade— it’s kind of like if a yellow Easter chick got ever-so-slightly grass-stained? It’s closest in colour to Lemon, but (obviously, given the name) has a slightly greener hue and brighter tone. The closest green shade is probably Pistachio, but that is a much deeper, greener colour. I’ve also included Apple, because I think that has a similar, yellow-green vibe, and Citron, so you can see how different this colour is to a typical yellow shade.

It did occur to me after taking the first photo that, in terms of tone and general brightness, Green Lemon is actually pretty similar to the neon shade Bright Green. Bright Green is obviously a lot… brighter, but the general undertone and vibe is very similar!

The thumbnail for Green Lemon on Wool Warehouse is pretty accurate, but the yarn is brighter (and slightly more… lurid?) in real life.

Tea Green (2189)

Tea Green is a pale, blue-toned green shade, that feels like a cross between Lincoln and Spring Green. It is paler than the former, though with the same, muted vibe, and bluer than the latter. I’ve also included Sage in the photo comparison, because I actually think the two shades have very similar undertones.

On Wool Warehouse, Tea Green appears slightly stronger in colour than it is, but it is pretty similar to the yarn.

Fitting the New Shades into the Current Range

I decided to put all of my yarn pegs (rather painstakingly) in rainbow order, to show you where the new shades fit into the general Stylecraft Special DK spectrum of colours. The photo below is the result of that!

Just to help you out, I also drew little stars beside each of the new shades:

From this, you can see that a hefty proportion of the new shades fall into the blue/green category (over half!). There’s also a handful of pink shades (a pretty even split between the dusky and the shrimpy) and a few purple shades (which, aside from Purple Smoke, I have to say, don’t feel overly unique in the range?). Other than that, there’s a single red shade, which I’m actually pretty excited about, especially with the festive season rapidly approaching!

So, that’s all of the new Stylecraft Special DK shades, explored in detail and compared to the rest of the shades in the range. I hope this post has been useful— I know how hard it can be to buy yarn online, so I wanted to do a full summary of the new shades to help give you a better idea of the colours before you order them!

Gemma

xxx

Today’s post is a SUPER exciting one- it’s my first ever original crochet pattern here on the blog! I have been crocheting since I was very young and I have always loved creating patterns of my very own. I’ve never properly written any down before, though, and I’ve definitely never published any online, but Christmas is a time for being brave so, today, I bring you my…

✨🎄SANTA BABY BLANKET🎄✨

The Santa Baby Blanket is a red blanket with a fluffy white edging- a nod to Father Christmas’ iconic suit. The main blanket is worked in suzette stitch, which gives the (otherwise pretty simple) blanket a really lovely, interesting texture. I’ve used Stylecraft Special DK in the shade Claret for the blanket pictured, but you could use any DK weight yarn. The edging is worked around the blanket, using rows of double crochet and a fleece-style, cream-coloured yarn, which makes the blanket extra soft and special. I used Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in the shade Cream for this blanket, but I think it’s actually been discontinued now- I’m heartbroken! Any DK weight, fleece-style yarn will work fine here- you could, of course, use a non-fleece yarn (though I am partial to the fluffy effect the fleece yarn gives).

In terms of difficulty, this blanket is actually very straightforward to make- as long as you know some basic techniques (starting chain, double crochet, treble crochet), you’ll be fine! If you’re a beginner, do be aware that fluffy yarns like the Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake can be a little trickier to work with than plain yarns, because you cannot see the individual stitches and must rely largely on ‘feeling’ where the hook needs to go. It’s worth the learning curve though- I really do think that the fluffy yarn makes the blanket so much cuter.

To go to the Ravelry pattern page for this design, click here. 

As I mentioned, this is my first time writing a pattern, so please do let me know if there are any ambiguities/instructions that do not quite make sense! I’m always happy to answer any questions you might have.

Table of Contents

• Concept
• Materials and Tools
• Pattern Notes
• Abbreviations
• Pattern
  • For the blanket:
  • For the edging:
• Final Thoughts

Concept

I’d been dreaming of this blanket for a good while before I actually sat down and tried to find a pattern. There are a couple of similar ones out there, but I just wasn’t crazy about the stitch texture of them- I think I had a very specific picture in my mind, so I decided to just bite the bullet and work it out myself.

In the end, I opted to use suzette stitch. This is one of my favourite stitches- I love the appearance and texture of it, but I also really enjoy the process of working it up. Suzette stitch is just a combination of double and treble crochets- it’s such a straightforward, repetitive stitch that it really makes the whole project such a mindless and stress-free experience.

Materials and Tools

• 370g (1,093 m [1,191 yds]) Stylecraft Special DK in Claret (100g = 295 m [322 yds]).
• 40g (136 metres [147 yards]) Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in Cream (25g = 85 m [92 yds]).
• 4mm crochet hook
• Darning needle
• Scissors

Pattern Notes

• This pattern uses UK crochet terminology.
• Gauge: 19 sts x 17 rows = 10cm

Working at this gauge is not essential for this project- if your gauge is different, your blanket will just be a slightly different size. Do be aware, though, that you may need to purchase more wool if your gauge is significantly looser than mine.

• Worked at the above gauge, the finished blanket will measure approximately 68x90cm. If you wish to make a different size, you can change the number of stitches (to any multiple of 2), and/or the number of rows to achieve your desired size. Please be aware that you will need to purchase more wool if you increase the size of the blanket significantly.
• The main blanket is worked back and forth, in suzette stitch.
• The edging is worked in the round, using only double crochet.

Abbreviations

• MC = Main colour: Stylecraft Special DK in Claret.
• CC = Contrast colour: Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in Cream.
• ch = Chain: yarn over and pull through.
• dc = UK double crochet: insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through. You will now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through both loops.
• tr = UK treble crochet: Yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over again and pull through. You will now have three loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through two of the loops, then yarn over again and pull through the remaining two loops.

Pattern

For the blanket:

Using MC, ch 120.

Row 1: Dc in 2nd chain from hook, tr in same stitch. *Skip next ch, then (dc, tr) in next stitch* to last 2 stitches. Skip next stitch, then dc in last stitch.

Row 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch) and turn work. *(dc, tr) into first stitch, then skip next stitch* until one stitch remains. Dc in last stitch.

Rows 3-143: Repeat Row 2.

Fasten off yarn and weave in all ends.

For the edging:

Using CC, join yarn about 10cm before a corner. Work in continuous rounds.

Round 1: Dc around the whole blanket (work 1 dc into the end of each row on the sides, and 1 dc into each ch/stitch on the top/bottom), working (dc, ch 1, dc) into each corner.

Rounds 2-6: Repeat Round 1.

Fasten off yarn and weave in all ends.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it- my Santa Baby Blanket! Honestly, I loved the process of making this blanket almost as much as I love the finished product- it is so comfortingly repetitive. As much as I love making intricate toys and super detailed things, I really don’t think you can beat a mindless crochet project like this one- especially this time of year, when life can be so hectic!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my first ever crochet pattern! As I mentioned earlier, you can also find this pattern on Ravelry. I’d love to hear if you give it a try- let me know in the comments below!

Gemma

xxx