Snaggletooth MAL Week 1

 Hi there! Well this is exciting! It's time to start the MAL!! Welcome to Week 1 of the Snaggletooth Make Along, which I am delighted to be running with the wonderful Scheepjes team.

After we made the Big Announcement about this super Scheepjes-Snaggletooth MAL two weeks ago, it's all gone a bit Snaggletooth crazy! Many of you are already enjoying the pattern, sharing colour choices, chatting about the important things like whether to go tassels or pompoms on the edge (or neither!!!) so I'd like to say thank you all so much for the Snaggletooth love!

If you'd like to participate, you will find lots of help, support and chat over at the Scheepjes Facebook community here:

OFFICIAL SCHEEPJES INTERNATIONAL GROUP

and

OFFICIAL SCHEEPJES NEDERLANDSE GROEP

where we will be sharing our work, and chatting about all things Snaggletooth. 

The Snaggletooth pattern is available as a paid pattern on Ravelry HERE but I am delighted to offer it to you as a free gift from me to you with the code ScheepjesMAL for the duration of the MAL (from today 22 September to 20 October) when you check out on Ravelry. It is also available as a paid pattern only (not free) in my Etsy shop HERE. I'd just like to say a really big thank you to everyone who has already purchased the pattern, your support means the world to me.

The pattern not only gives you all the information you need to make the gorgeous Scheepjes Colour Crafter version above in pink, white and yellow, but also an extra bonus version using Scheepjes Chunky Monkey in dark blue, white and aqua to demonstrate how super-easy it is to adapt this pattern and make it your own. 

I love this Chunky Monkey version so much, it's just gorgeous to snuggle under, and I see lots of you have gone for the Chunky Monkey version over on the Scheepjes' Facebook pages. Do join in and show off your colour combinations whenever you like! It's really lovely to see what you're all up to!

If you'd like to experiment with some colour combinations before you start, there's a useful downloadable colouring sheet HERE

...And just so no one misses any Snaggletooth news, here's the itinerary:

PREVIOUS POSTS

8 Sept Big Announcement 

UPCOMING POSTS

Week 2 (29 Sept) Edging Top Tips

Week 3 (6 Oct) Pompoms and Tassels

Week 4 (13 Oct) Wrapping up the MAL and celebrating your makes!

SO, HERE WE GO! GETTING STARTED: HOW TO DO 2-ROW MOSAIC CROCHET (also known as INSET crochet)

There are several types of 'mosaic crochet' out there. You may have seen different versions, one in particular which you change colour every row. Personally, I don't get on well with that version as I am too impatient to sew in all the ends! The version I love is INSET crochet, or the 2-row technique, as you carry the yarn up the side of the work without fastening it off. If you're new to this 2-row style mosaic crochet, or need a refresher, I’m going to talk you through how to make a small swatch, with some photos to get you started. OK I'm not a professional photographer but I hope my rustic step-by-step pictures help!

TOP TIPS

Snaggletooth pattern works to a multiple of (x 14 ch) + 6 ch for the starting chain, e.g. ch34 or ch48 or ch62 etc. This ‘formula’ will work whether you are going for a big or small Snaggletooth, or something in between! Once you have calculated your starting chain multiple and made your chain, always start the pattern from Main Pattern Row 1, working 1dc in the second chain from the hook and in each ch to the end. You will therefore have one fewer dc than chains made at the end of Row 1. E.g. if you ch34, you will have 33 dc at the end of Row 1. If you ch48, you will end up with 47 dc, and so on.

Make two rows in Yarn A, then two rows in Yarn B, and so on, switching colour at the end of the second row of the colour every time (this is always on the WS of the work). Leave the yarn not in use hanging at the side of the work, ready to carry up the side of the work and switch two rows later. Do NOT fasten off the yarns unless instructed to do so!

Work into the full stitch as you normally would; some mosaic crochet techniques ask you to work in back loops/front loops only, but not this version.

When you are making chains to skip stitches, you always make the chain a bit longer so that the fabric doesn't get pulled tight. To skip 1 stitch, ch2. To skip 2 stitches, ch3. To skip 3 stitches, ch4. And so on.

Turn your work after every row.

SPECIAL STITCHES

There are also two special stitches which are essential for this style of mosaic crochet:

cc (change colour): to change colour, work the last dc of the row in the old colour up to the last 2 loops on the hook, then yarn over hook with the new colour and draw the new colour through the loops on the hook to finish the stitch.

mtr (mosaic treble crochet): This is just a normal tr, but you work it in the skipped st of the same colour 3 rows below, working it in front of the intervening 2 rows of chs in the other colour. The chs will be visible and loose on the back of the work. Alternatively, you can work your mtr stitches around the chains so the chains are 'trapped' in the stitch and are therefore not visible on the back. It's personal choice. I prefer the chains visible as it gives a textured appearance on the front which I love. Full details are in the pattern. All mtr are worked on the RS of the work.

LET'S MAKE A SWATCH!

Yarn: Scheepjes Chunky Monkey (you can use any Scheepjes yarn and hook size of your choice, so long as the colours are contrasting to show the stitches clearly)

For my swatch, I'm using:

Yarn A: 1011 Slate

Yarn B: 2017 Stone

Yarn C: 1422 Aqua

and a 6.5mm crochet hook

With Yarn A, ch34 (which is (2 x 14) + 6). ⬇

Row 1 (RS) 1dc in the second ch from the hook and in each ch to the end. I prefer to work these dc stitches into the single loop on the BACK of each chain to make a neat bottom edge (it's a bit fiddly but worth taking the time- more on that in Week 2 next time), turn. [33 sts] ⬇

Row 2 (WS) Ch1 (every row from now on starts with ch1, but it never counts as a st), 1dc in each st to the last st, work the last st up to the last 2 lps on the hook ⬇

 

Cc to Yarn B by pulling Yarn B through to finish the stitch, turn. [33 sts] ⬇

 

Now leave Yarn A hanging at the side of your work, and work with Yarn B for the next 2 rows:

Row 3 (RS) Ch1, 1dc, *ch4, skip 3 sts, 1dc, ch3, skip 2 sts, 1dc; rep from * to the last 4 sts, ch4, skip 3 sts, 1dc, turn. ⬇

Now work Row 4, making a dc into every dc from Row 3, and making the same chain spaces to sit on top of the chain spaces from Row 3. (With 2-row mosaic crochet, the second row of a colour is ALWAYS a copy of the first row of that colour. The only difference is if you make an mtr in the first row, you make a dc into it on the second row of the same colour. More on that later.)

Row 4 (WS) Ch1, 1dc, *ch4, skip ch-4 sp, 1dc, ch3, skip ch-3 sp, 1dc; rep from * to last 4 sts, ch4, skip ch-4 sp, then work the final dc of the row up to the final 2 loops in the last st... ⬇

...now cc to Yarn A to finish the stitch, carrying the yarn up the side of the work so it makes a small loop up the side of the work. ⬇

You are now going to work the next two rows with Yarn A, leaving Yarn B hanging at the side. Turn your work.

Row 5 is the first row we make the 'mtr' or mosaic treble stitch. This is simply a normal tr, you ALWAYS make 1 mtr into EVERY skipped stitch made into every stitch we skipped in Row 2. The mtr will be made in front of the 2 rows of chains in the other colour, so that the stitch sits on top of the chains, and the chains are visible on the back of the work. See my notes in the full pattern if you wish to hide the chains.

Here's how the first mtr looks, after the ch1 and 1dc in the first st: You can see it's just a tr, made into the first skipped st in the same colour yarn, made in front of the 2 rows of chain. You can also see the next 2 skipped stitches right next to it, where we will make the next 2 mtr.

And here's Row 5 in full:

Row 5 (RS) Ch1, 1dc, *3mtr, ch2, skip 1 st, 2mtr, 1dc; rep from * to last 4 sts, 3mtr, 1dc, turn. ⬇

Now, as I mentioned before, the second row of the colour is a 'copy' of the first row, the ONLY difference being if you have made an mtr in the first row, you make a dc into it on the second row to keep the row nice and straight. Be careful to work into every mtr as sometimes they can be hidden:

Row 6 (WS) Ch1, 7dc (these 7dc are worked into the final 1dc, 3mtr, 1dc, 2mtr of Row 5 as you work back along = 7 sts in total), ch2, skip ch-2 sp, *6dc, ch2, skip ch-2 sp; rep from * to last 4 sts, 4dc, (cc to Yarn B in the final of these 4 dc as before), turn. ⬇

Now we are going to continue in this manner, using exactly the same technique of changing colour every 2 rows, making dc and chs, and working mtr into every skipped stitch of the same colour in front of the two rows of ch in the other colour.

Row 7 (RS) Ch1, (1dc, ch2, skip 1 st) twice, *1mtr, 5dc, ch2, skip 1 st; rep from * to last st, 1dc, turn. ⬇

Row 8 (WS) Ch1, 1dc, ch2, skip ch-2 sp, *6dc, ch2, skip ch-2 sp; rep from * to last 3 sts, 1dc, ch2, skip ch-2 sp, 1dc, cc back to Yarn A (in this final dc in the same way as before, carrying the yan up the side of the work), turn. ⬇

Row 9 (RS) Ch1, (1dc, 1mtr) twice, *ch5, skip 4 sts, 2dc, 1mtr; rep from * to last st, 1dc, turn. ⬇

Row 10 (WS) Ch1, 4dc, *ch5, skip ch-5 sp, 3dc; rep from * to last st, 1dc, cc to Yarn B (in this last dc), turn. ⬇

Row 11 (RS) Ch1, 1dc, *ch2, skip 1 st, 2dc, 4mtr; rep from * to last 4 sts, (ch2, skip 1 st, 1dc) twice, turn. ⬇

Row 12 (WS) Ch1, (1dc, ch2, skip ch-2 sp) twice, *6dc, ch2, skip ch-2 sp; rep from * to last st, 1dc, cc to Yarn A, turn. ⬇

Row 13 (RS) Ch1, 1dc, *1mtr, 5dc, ch2, skip 1 st; rep from * to last 4 sts, (1mtr, 1dc) twice, turn. ⬇

Row 14 (WS) Ch1, 4dc, *ch2, skip ch-2 sp, 6dc; rep from * to last st, 1dc, cc to Yarn B, turn. ⬇

Row 15 (RS) Ch1, 1dc, *ch4, skip 3 sts, 1dc, ch3, skip 2 sts, 1mtr; rep from * to last 4 sts, ch4, skip 3 sts, 1dc, turn. ⬇

Row 16 (WS) Ch1, 1dc, *ch4, skip ch-4 sp, 1dc, ch3, skip ch-3 sp, 1dc; rep from * to last 4 sts, ch4, skip ch-4 sp, 1dc, cc to Yarn A, turn. ⬇

After 16 rows, your swatch will look like this ⬇

If you want to make the swatch bigger, repeat Rows 5 to 16 until it reaches the size you like. Here, I have repeated Rows 5-16 once more. ⬇

Next, we need to add the final 2 rows to the top edge so that it's neat and tidy, ready to add the edgings. These final 2 rows are worked in Yarn A, and are in the main pattern as Rows 197-198. For the first 'finishing row', you simply ch1, then make a dc in every dc or mtr st from the previous row, and an mtr into every ch-sp, so there are NO ch-sps in this row. For the second 'finishing row', ch1, 1dc in each st to the end. Once you've completed this, fasten off both yarns and weave in all ends. ⬇

And there you have it, a Snaggletooth Swatch. Now you have got the basic technique, you can use it to make a Snaggletooth of ANY SIZE!

The pattern also comes with a clear chart and full instructions on how to read it. I always LOVE using the charts rather than the row-by-row written instructions for mosaic crochet as it's far easier to see where you are. But again, personal choice!

See you next week when we will add some rather lovely aqua blue edging to the top and bottom edges, and a simple edging to neaten up the 2 raw sides. Until then, happy mosaic crocheting and happy Snaggletoothing to you all!

Esme x