Forest fun and floral delights

Sirdar’s Blossom and Buds blanket CAL, designed by Lindsey Newns of Lottie & Albert, is made in pretty spring shades and inspired by a garden plan, including beds of tulips, fresh green grass and scatterings of daisies. The pattern is suitable for beginner and more experienced crocheters as it starts with simple crochet stitches, gently progressing through new techniques including colourwork, texture and pompoms. 

This CAL includes six free weekly pattern drops accompanied by video tutorials until 5 June, enabling you to follow along at your own pace, and there’s still time to join in the fun. Sign up at sirdar.com for the free patterns, and you can buy Hayfield Bonus DK yarn packs from Sirdar stockists such as blacksheepwools.com.

Also look out for King Cole’s new crochet-along, launching on 7 June. The Woodland Wonders blanket is designed by Eleonora Tully of Coastal Crochet, and will also run for six weeks, with accompanying video tutorials. This vibrant forest-inspired design can be made in either King Cole Cottonsoft DK or Big Value DK, and you can join the CAL Facebook group for support. Find more details and stockists at kingcole.com.