This project was sponsored by Love Crochet
Welcome to the Merry & Bright CAL!
Get in the holiday spirit by joining myself, Love Crochet and your fellow crocheters in the Merry and Bright CAL. You’ll learn two techniques for turning your crochet hooks into a writing utensil and on the other side of three weeks, have a beautiful Merry & Bright pillow to brighten up your holiday decor.
Merry & Bright Pillow
Crochet Pattern by B. Hooked Crochet, Copyright 2017.
Please do not copy, sell, redistribute or republish this pattern. If you wish to share this pattern, link to this page only. You may sell items produced using this pattern. Do NOT use the copyrighted photos for your product listing.
This pattern is written in US crochet terms
Crochet Along Details
There will be three parts to this CAL: Part #1 which is provided for you today, Part #2 that will be available on December 3, 2017 and Part #3 that will be available on December 10, 2017. All of these details – pattern and tutorials – will be on this page. I’ll update it each week!
RSVP on Facebook
Love Crochet is sharing their CAL Facebook group to provide you with a community to post your photos and ask questions. I encourage you to bookmark that page and use it to share your journey! You can access it here:
Merry & Bright CAL Facebook Event Page
Important Dates
- 11/26/17 – Merry side at 9:00 am EST
- 12/3/17 – Bright side at 9:00 am EST
- 12/10/17 – Assembly at 9:00 am EST
Questions
If you have any questions throughout this CAL, please don’t hesitate to ask! You can post your questions in the Facebook group page or by scrolling down to the comments section at the end of this page.
Gather Your Supplies
- Paintbox Yarn, 1 ball Color A, C, D, E, F, G; 2 balls Color B.
- 4.5 mm Crochet Hook
- 16″ x 16″ Pillow Form
- Darning Needle
- Scissors
We will use Paintbox yarn for this CAL – a wonderful acrylic from Love Crochet! I have hand selected three different color palettes for you to choose from or you can piece together your perfect palette with 60 different color choices. To order your yarn:
Color Palette One – Frosted Sugar Cookie
Color Palette Two – Holiday Brights
Color Palette Three – Jingle Bells
Purchase your yarn pack
You can order your Merry and Bright CAL yarn pack directly from Love Crochet through the link below.
Gauge and Sizing
4 sts x 4 rows = 1″ in single crochet
Abbreviations
- Ch – Chain
- Rem – Remaining
- RS – Right Side
- Sc – Single Crochet
- Sk – Skip
- Sts – Stitches
- WS – Wrong Side
To print a list of all crochet abbreviations to keep in your crochet notebook, check out my quick guide here:
Crochet Abbreviations Quick Guide
Pattern Notes
For best results, wet block each side to 16″ x 16″ before attaching them together. This will help stretch the panels to the final size and allow the stitches to relax and settle into a nicer shape. For a video demonstration of wet blocking, check out this resource:
Check your gauge! Make a swatch of single crochet with the recommended hook size before beginning your pillow. You’ll want to be sure your gauge matches that in the instructions so your pillow will fit the form! Compare your stitch measurements to what’s listed in the gauge section above and adjust the hook size until your measurements match.
Color Key
Frosted Sugar Cookie | Holiday Brights | Jingle Bells | |
Color A | 233 | 234 | 232 |
Color B | 203 | 204 | 204 |
Color C | 209 | 259 | 224 |
Color D | 228 | 212 | 215 |
Color E | 214 | 208 | 231 |
Color F | 205 | 222 | 223 |
Color G | 202 | 200 | 200 |
Merry & Bright CAL: Part One
Part One Written Instructions
Color Diagram
Left Handed Merry Color Diagram
Right Handed Merry Color Diagram
Written Instructions
With A – Ch 63. Sc in second chain from hook and in each chain. Turn. *Ch 1. Sc each st. Turn*. From * to * is your stitch pattern throughout this section.
Work 11 rows total with color A following color diagram for the lettering using color G and tapestry crochet techniques to create the lettering throughout.
Work 10 rows with color B, following diagram for lettering.
Work 10 rows with color C, following diagram for lettering.
Work 10 rows with color D, following diagram for lettering.
Work 10 rows with color E, following diagram for lettering.
Work 11 rows with color F, following diagram for lettering.
Fasten off, weave in ends and wet block to 16″ x 16″.
Merry & Bright CAL: Part Two
Color Diagram
Written Instructions
With B – Ch 63. Sc in second chain from hook and in each chain. Turn. *Ch 1. Sc each st. Turn*.
Rep last row until your work measures approximately 16″ from starting edge. Weave in ends and wet block.
Following color diagram, cross stitch the letters using this key:
- B= color A
- R=color G
- I= color C
- G= color D
- H= color E
- T= color F
Merry & Bright CAL: Part Three
Written Instructions
With wrong sides facing each other (right side out) and color G, stitch to two sides together by evenly spacing 58 single crochet on each side and making 3 sc in each corner stitch.
After stitching 3 sides together, stuff form and sc the final side closed.
With remaining color B and G (hold the two strands together) and a 35mm pompom maker, 24 pompoms to evenly space around the pillow. Attach one to each of the four corners and work inward so they are evenly spaced.
How did you like this CAL?
I sure had a wonderful time designing this Merry & Bright pillow and coordinating this crochet along with Love Crochet featuring their wonderful Paintbox yarns but I want to know what you think!
Leave me a comment below to tell me about your experience with this CAL. Your friendly feedback will help me to improve future crochet alongs!
Cheers!
I can see the yarn from the lettering that I am carrying down the row. Is there a way to resolve this? I am pretty new to crochet but the project isn’t hard for me.. this is my only issue so far.
Hi Diane! This is pretty characteristic of tapestry crochet, so you’re not doing anything wrong! I like to make sure my tension is nice and relaxed – the less tension on the yarn, the better it conceals the color below. I also use my crochet hook to pull the very obvious pieces to the wrong side of the work.
Can you tell us how many balls of each color we will need? I’d like to go to my local craft store this afternoon. Can’t wait to start this project! THANK YOU!!!
Absolutely! You can find this on the ordering page for the yarn pack but I’ve also added it to the CAL post. You’ll need 2 balls of color B and one ball of the rest 🙂
Help!! I’m left handed and can’t figure out which side is the right side. I got to row 9 and my lettering didn’t look very neat…..any chance you could do a lefty video!?
Hi Pauline! That brings up a great point – the odd numbered rows are the right side of the pillow for right handed crocheters but the even numbered rows are the right side for lefties 🙂
Hey Brittany, I’m excited to start this amazing CAL (my first) but i can’t find the recommended hook size. Can you let us know please? 🙂
Thanks for bringing this to my attention! The supplies are listed on the Love Crochet yarn pack page but I’ve added them to this post too! We’ll use a 4.5mm hook for this project (or the size to obtain gauge)
I just saw this on YouTube and I’m really excited about starting this CAL. Thanks!
Yay! I’m so happy you’re participating!
Hi Brittany! I am so excited to make these. I want to make mine in the Jingle Bells color palette. Is there a list of the color names so I can make sure I get the right ones?
Hey there! I’m so glad you’re excited about this CAL 🙂 The Jingle Bells palette is my personal favorite! Paintbox yarn is actually “named” by numbers – you can find the full list in the color key table on this page. Let me know if you have trouble finding it and I can send it to you!