Merry and Bright CAL

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:

Merry & Bright CAL Yarn Pack

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.

Merry & Bright CAL Yarn Pack

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:

All About Blocking

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

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

Bright 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!