It was lovely to meet so many people at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival who told me they are going to be taking part in the hap-along, casting on on April 10th. I know many were using the marketplace as a great opportunity to search for your hap yarn.

I am aware too that there are some non-knitters who are taking part and so thought I would look for some inspiration for our crocheters this week.

Alchemilla is a square hap by crochet designer Kat Goldin and is published as part of the Crochet Project Botanics Collection. Using over 1500 metres of fingering weight this is a full sized hap and consists of a central square of paired double crochet is edged with a detailed ripple pattern. While I can’t (yet) crochet, I absolutely adore the texture of crocheted fabric and I think the hap is a gorgeous design in crochet. It has a vintage feel, but there is something quite fresh about it too.

© Kat Goldin used with kind permission

© Kat Goldin used with kind permission

The pattern cost £3.00 on Ravelry and you should be aware that the terms used are US, though a UK terms version is in the offing.

© Victoria Hewerdine Thornton / 2011 Interweave Press used with kind permission

This is the Hap Blanket, by Victoria Hewerdine Thornton. It first appeared in Interweave Crochet Winter 2011 and is now available as a download for $5.50. Modeled after a traditional Shetland hap shawl, this reversible blanket has a centre worked on the diagonal in double-ended crochet with a feather-and-fan border interpreted in traditional crochet. I really like the colour choices used here in the central panel. There is less emphasis on a deep lace border, but the stripes in the centre really add interest. I can imagine there could be a lot of fun here and you could choose muted harmonising colours, or something with a bit of pop!

© Berroco Inc.

Shoal, by Maureen Basher, is a free pattern from Berocco and is described as a shawl or lap blanket. Again, it uses fingering weight, but at nearly 4,000 meters I suspect the yarn amount required is incorrect on Raverly! I like the use of the lighter blue as a piping stripe between the border colours. It’s a nice bit of contrast. I also really like the deep lace border on this one – there is a lovely wave-like quality to those zig-zags!

I love seeing the hap being created in crochet and would love to know if any of our hap crocheters have found any more patterns out there that would work in the hap-along? These seem to be the only 3 on Ravelry.

Happy crocheting AND knitting!