Clarissa by Helen Shrimpton

Welcome to Week 5 of our 2019 Block of the Week Crochet Along.   I am pleased to see so many of you chatting and sharing photos on my Ravelry board and my Facebook Crochet-A-Long group.

Please post project photos on Ravelry and use hashtags #BAWJ2019 and #crochetalongwithJulieAnny on social media.

This week I have the pleasure of featuring the work of one of the shining stars of the crochet world, Helen Shrimpton of www.crystalsandcrochet.com.  Helen has come up with another “perfect” design, perfectly balanced and perfectly written, called Clarissa for the bright and clear sun in the center mandala. The pattern has a photo tutorial with each round for the visual learners.  I really enjoyed stitching this block, and learned a thing or two along the way.

Helen has only been designing in earnest for a few years, but is a true professional.  You cannot have missed Helen’s beautiful blankets Mandala Madness and Cosmic CAL, and check out her latest design, The Lost Garden.  So beautiful!  If you’d like to try another of her afghan blocks, you cannot go wrong with Spiro Star. Check out Helen’s Deramores shop for yarn packs to go with her designs. Thank you, Helen, and here is my version of Clarissa:

Have you purchased your CAL bag yet?  Mailing out almost every day – my custom heavy-duty canvas tote bag, see here for more information. If you spend $25 in one day on my patterns, send me your address and I will send out the bag to your U.S. address.  For International addresses, postage is at cost and can be calculated on my Etsy listing.

If you purchase yarn through any of my links, I will receive a commission. If you need help with color coordination, check out pre-made palettes at Wool Warehouse and Deramores. Look for good prices at Michaels, Joann, Lion Brand, Hobby Lobby, Red Heart, Annies, and Consumer Crafts.