Bamcal 2016 – Updates in new colors

So a couple of posts back (which amazingly, was months ago – pregnancy really does snap the time and energy right out of you, doesn’t it?), I updated my 2016 bamcal colors (that’s the 2016 Block-a-Month Crochet Along on Ravelry) from the holiday theme I started the year off with to a black and white one with some strong accents of color – red, yellow, pink and peach.  Since then, however, I’ve narrowed it down even further into just four colors: black, white, red, and peach.  I did like the pink and yellow, but after some consideration, I wanted the main colors to focus on the black and white idea, and then have smaller punches of color as accents.  I’ve been really happy with the way my squares have turned out with this new color scheme, and it makes me realize just how important it is to love your colors when it comes to finding the motivation to work on long projects such as the bamcal blankets. 

I’m going through the past patterns starting from the beginning of this year and re-doing them, along with doing my best to keep up with the newest ones each month.  These squares have been done over the past couple of months here and there, but it’s only been recently that I’ve had enough energy to get them out of my phone and uploaded in order to get them online.  I don’t want to bog down this post with too many details, so I’ll post the larger squares today, and then the 6-inchers tomorrow.  And I still have a while to go before I’m caught up with the beginning of the year (and I really hope to do that before this little one is born, because I know the insane amount of time and energy newborns take.  Stay tuned!

Fan Dance Crochet Square

The Fan Dance Square by Polly Plum was the filler square from February.  I made this in the other colors, but I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out in this color scheme.  Polly Plum is one of my favorite crochet designers; I love the complexity of her designs.  Check out her website here and her Ravelry designs here for even more inspiration.  The pattern for Fan Dance can be found as a  free Ravelry download here.

Grandma’s Heart Square

I love this square.  I’ve made it several times now, and each time I’ve made it, I’ve been so pleased with the results.  This is the Grandma’s Heart Square by Carola Wijma.  This was the main square for February of this year.  After catching up with the current squares, this was the first one I went back to make, because I just love it so much.  You can find it as a free Ravelry download here.

Mattie’s Flower

I fell in love with Mattie’s Flower, by Stacey LW Lee, before it was even released.  I saw the pattern when testers were being sought, and tried to get in on the testing, but I was a little too late.  I was fortunate, then, that it was selected as the filler square for the bamcal group the very next month for June.  This is such a pretty and well designed pattern; I definitely plan on making it again.  You can find it as a free Ravelry download here.

Universal Star Flower Square

The Universal Star Flower Square by Aurora Suominen is another one of those squares that I’ve made before that turns out looking uniquely beautiful according to the color scheme each time.  This was voted to be the filler square for July, and I thought that was absolutely fitting, because the inside motif of the square looks to me (in this example anyway) like fireworks bursting through the night sky.  I loved making it.  This is another free Ravelry download; the link is here.

Cha Cha Cha Square

I love to read about designers’ inspirations for their crochet patterns.  This square, the Cha Cha Cha Square, originally felt to me like some kind of cha-cha dance.  However, on the download page, the designer, Sadie Cuming, explains that her inspiration for this square was “…by my visit to Zambia in 2016 and learning about the peoples fight for independence from British colonial rule. Cha cha-cha was the name given to one of the uprisings.  Hence it has an African feel to the design”.  How amazing is that?  You can download this pattern for free on Ravelry here.

Pinwheel Crochet Square

And finally, my last square for the day to share is this lovely beauty.  I’ve made this Pinwheel Crochet Square by Bonnie Pierce once before for my ongoing Purple Afghan, and I enjoyed making it once again.  I love the way the folds define the pinwheel.  I added several extra rounds to the individual pinwheels to extend them out and make them extend toward the end of the square rather than have a smaller motif just in the center.  I do like the way it turned out.  And you can find the pattern free online here.

That’s it for today – tomorrow I’ll have the six inch 2016 squares up and then I have a gorgeous finished project to share with you all Wednesday that I’m very excited about.  Have a great Monday! <3

~mellie