Crocheting A Baseball Diamond: Around The Bases Blanket

Around the Bases is a versatile crochet project that allows you to turn your favourite centre block into an afghan. The design, created by ChiChi Allen, is built around innings, or the rows surrounding the centre block, making it a highly flexible project. You can choose any square you like for the middle and add rows of beautiful stitches around it. The pattern can be made with any square or rectangle motif, using any yarn weight, making each blanket unique.

The Around the Bases crochet blanket is a stitch sampler

The Around the Bases afghan starts with a base block of your choice, and the pattern includes 16 "innings" or sets of stitches that are added around the centre block. The "innings" are named after baseball terms, such as "Shell Pillars" for the first inning and "Fireworks" for the final, 16th inning. Due to the nature of the pattern, some rows require two sets of instructions, which are referred to as "teams". The different instructions depend on the stitch count of the previous row.

The amount of yarn needed for this project depends on the size of the centre block and the number of colours you want to use. The designer of the original pattern used Scheepjes Linen Soft yarn and a 3.5mm crochet hook, and required around 18 balls of yarn. The designer also notes that the stitch count of the centre square is important, as it needs to be a multiple of 6 minus 2 for the pattern to work correctly.

The Around the Bases crochet blanket is a fun and flexible project that allows for a lot of creativity and experimentation. It is suitable for intermediate crocheters and can be adapted to create a unique and personalised afghan.

It can be made with any square or rectangle motif

The Around the Bases crochet blanket is a highly versatile project. It can be made with any square or rectangle motif, using any yarn weight, allowing crocheters to truly take the project into their own hands and create something unique. The pattern focuses on the "innings", or the rows around the centre block, which is why it is so flexible.

The centre block is the crocheter's choice, and can be any square or rectangle motif. This centre block can be transformed into an afghan with the addition of rows and rows of beautiful stitches around it. The amount of yarn required depends on the size of the centre square used, so all yarn amounts are estimates. The designer of the pattern, ChiChi Allen, used a square from the Scheepjes CAL 2014 as her centre square, specifically the square from week 8. She used 18 balls of Scheepjes Linen Soft yarn, a sturdy yet cool yarn, and a 3.5mm crochet hook to make her blanket.

The Around the Bases blanket is a stitch sampler, and was originally released as a crochet along (CAL) with 16 "innings" or sets of stitches that were released over 16 weeks in 2015. The pattern is available for free on the designer's website, or as a paid PDF bundle on Ravelry. The free pattern includes written instructions in English and Dutch, as well as video tutorials on YouTube. The paid PDF bundle is intended for those who wish to have all the instructions in one file without the blog antics. It has been edited for consistency but the pattern itself has not changed. The PDF bundle includes two versions of the pattern, depending on the starting stitch count.

It was originally published as a crochet along (CAL) in 2015

The Around the Bases crochet blanket was originally published as a crochet-along (CAL) project in 2015. Designed by ChiChi Allen, the pattern was released in 16 "innings" or stitch components over 16 weeks. Each "inning" builds upon a central square of the maker's choice, resulting in a unique blanket. The pattern is versatile and flexible, allowing crocheters to choose any square or rectangle motif, yarn weight, and colour. The finished size of the blanket depends on the centre block and yarn used.

The Around the Bases CAL was hosted on Facebook in 2015, and it continues to be a popular project with crocheters around the world. ChiChi Allen's original pattern can be found for free on her website, keitopalette.wordpress.com, and a paid PDF bundle is available on Ravelry. The PDF bundle includes all 16 innings and is intended for those who want a single file with all the instructions without the blog content. It has been edited for consistency but maintains the original pattern.

Due to the nature of the pattern, some rows required two sets of instructions, depending on the stitch count. During the CAL, participants counted stitches and divided into "teams". The paid PDF bundle accounts for these variations, offering two versions (AB and BA) based on the starting stitch count. The bundle also includes information and tips, a stitch count chart, and the UK term pattern.

The Around the Bases CAL is a fun and creative project that allows crocheters to experiment and create unique blankets. With its focus on "innings" or rows around a centre block, it provides a great opportunity to explore different stitches and techniques while ending up with a beautiful and personalised blanket.

The designer is ChiChi Allen

The Around the Bases crochet blanket is a versatile and unique project. It was designed by ChiChi Allen and is perfect for adventurous crafters who want to take their project into their own hands. ChiChi Allen's design focuses on "innings", or the rows around a centre block, allowing crafters to choose any square they like for the middle part and add rows of beautiful stitches around it. This means that every blanket created using this design is unique.

ChiChi Allen's Around the Bases crochet blanket was originally released as a crochet along (CAL) in 2015, with 16 "innings" or stitch components. It is a multi-stitch design that turns the iconic centre square into an afghan. The designer, ChiChi Allen, is a craft designer and the author of hundreds of articles and reviews about crocheting and other crafts. She encourages crafters to try something new by presenting novel approaches to classic patterns and techniques. ChiChi Allen is also known for her detailed instructions, which help crafters prepare their base square for the project.

The amount of yarn needed for the Around the Bases crochet blanket depends on the size of the centre square used. ChiChi Allen used Scheepjes Linen Soft yarn and a 3.5mm crochet hook to make her blanket, and she notes that approximately 18 balls of yarn are required, depending on the number of colours used and the weight of the yarn. The designer also provides video tutorials and a colour chart for the project, which can be found on her website and Ravelry page.

The designer, ChiChi Allen, requests that if anyone sells finished items using her Around the Bases pattern, they must clearly display pattern credit to her and not use any part of the pattern, including pictures, to promote their sales.

The pattern is available for free or as a paid PDF bundle

The Around the Bases crochet blanket is a versatile project that allows you to choose any square or rectangle motif for the middle part and add rows of beautiful stitches around it. The pattern was designed by ChiChi Allen and originally published as a crochet-along (CAL) in 2015, with 16 "innings" or sets of stitches released over 16 weeks. The unique feature of this pattern is that it focuses on the "innings", or the rows around the center block, making each blanket one-of-a-kind.

The pattern is available for free on keitopalette.wordpress.com, where you can find all the information you need to get started, including yardage, finished size, and instructions for getting your center blocks ready. The free version includes links to all the individual patterns for each "inning", as well as video tutorials, a UK term pattern, and a Dutch translation. The free pattern is perfect for those who want to get creative and experiment with different stitches and colors.

However, if you prefer to have all the instructions in one file without the blog antics, you can purchase the paid PDF bundle on Ravelry. The PDF bundle compiles all 16 innings and has been edited for consistency in writing, while the actual pattern remains unchanged. Due to the nature of the pattern, some rows required two sets of instructions, depending on the stitch count. The paid version accounts for these variations, allowing you to select between the AB and BA versions depending on your starting stitch count.

The paid PDF bundle also includes helpful information and tips, a stitch count chart after each inning, and both the AB and BA versions of the pattern. The bundle costs $5.00 USD and can be purchased on Ravelry, a popular website for knitting and crochet patterns. It is important to note that the paid pattern is intended for use by one person only and should not be shared or distributed digitally or in hard copies.

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