AMMA CAL - TINNA’S 2021 CROCHET ALONG

CAL launch is September 3rd and we start hooking October 1st! The CAL is hosted in Tinna’s Crochet Club on Facebook and there will be Video tutorials available for each part on YouTube! Kits and hard copy AMMA CAL pattern book available on Tinnacrochet.com

The name of the pattern bears a special meaning. AMMA means grandmother in Icelandic and this design is a special tribute to my grandmother, AMMA MÆJA, and my great grandmother, AMMA LÓLA, who taught me the textile arts … and so much more!

Furthermore it´s a tribute to all the wonderful grandmothers worldwide that pass their knowledge on and teach their grandchildren with such love. I think we can all agree that grannies really rock! My hope is that you will make your own AMMA project as a tribute to your grandmother, with love in every stitch.

The motif I use here is very traditional in Icelandic textile culture and I’m so very fond of it. In Icelandic we call this ÁTTBLAÐARÓS, or the Eight Petals Rose, and I’ve been working it for as long as I can remember. It’s traditionally mostly used in embroidery and knitting, but here I work this classic geometrical design in mosaic crochet.

The pattern comes in two versions, the traditional AMMA is a rather large square, where I frame the roses up with an element of the interlacing chains from our classic viking knot, that ties it all together and continues onto the border. In the simple AMMA version we have smaller squares, using only the traditional roses, which then form additional patterns in the anti-spaces between them on the joins. Incidentally this version reminds me of the old traditional American quilts, where you can also find this classic motif.

Yarn

You will need at least 2 colors and can use any yarn you like for this project. If you use thicker yarn than suggested here, your squares will be bigger, if you use thinner yarn your squares will be smaller. Really everything goes and I can especially recommend using your scraps and stash for the pattern color B to make all sorts of colorful roses and then only buying the yarn you need for color A, the main color, and the color B you use for the frames and border, to tie it all nicely together.

I used the wonderful Lettlopi wool from Istex for my AMMA blanket and can wholly recommend that. It’s DK weight, 100% cruelty free Icelandic wool and 50 g = 100 m.
You can find the Lettlopi yarn stats for all 5 sizes of both traditional and simple AMMA blankets the AMMA CAL blog post on https://tinnacrochet.com/blogs/news/amma-cal-tinna-s-croc...

Crochet hooks

You need a 4 mm hook for the squares and 3.5 mm hook for the border, if using suggested yarn. Otherwise use a hook that suits your yarn for the squares and then go down half a hook size for the border.

Size

The size of the squares will vary depending on the hook and yarn you use. All measurements here are approximates and according to the officially suggested hook and yarn.

My traditional AMMA squares are 27 x 27 cm (10.5” x 10.5”) large after blocking.
My simple AMMA squares are 18 x 18 cm (7” x 7”) large.
My tiny AMMA squares are 9 x 9 cm (3.5” x 3.5”) large.

Since this is a motif blanket, you can really do it in any size you like. You will find the 5 predetermined sizes of both versions of the AMMA blankets that are included in this pattern in the yarn stats table.

Abbreviations (US terms):

ST = stitch
CH = chain stitch
SS = slip stitch
SC = single crochet
HDC = half double crochet
DC = double crochet
FPDC = front post double crochet
SDC = slanted double crochet
XDC = extended double crochet

AMMA variations

This is a motif pattern that comes in several variations and can be used to make different projects, for example both blankets and cushions in various sizes.

First of all we have the three sizes of squares, they are all made following the same pattern, but completing the whole 23 rounds for the traditional AMMA square, the first 15 rounds for the simple AMMA square and finally you can work only the first 7 rounds and do a project with the tiny AMMA square.

You can find predetermined sizes for the first two versions, but honestly the tiny version is just a little extra because I find it so cute! Well, that, and I’m a huge fan of tiny squares! Specially for baby blankets and cushions.

Furthermore, the three sizes of squares all fit together in a way. 4 tiny squares are the same size as 1 simple square, 9 tiny ones are the same size as 1 traditional square and 9 simple squares are the same size as 4 traditional squares. You can play with this for example when making AMMA cushions, using one size for the back and another size for the front, still getting each side the same final size.

You can also combine the different sizes of squares into one blanket, but then I recommend only using the tiny and simple versions, because the frame of the traditional square doesn´t mix and match very well with the others in my opinion.

Additionally, there are 5 types of squares included in the blanket, all in the same motif of the eight petals rose, but with different center designs.

Video tutorial schedule

The AMMA CAL has 7 parts, that’s the 5 different AMMA squares, plus joining and the border. I will release a detailed video tutorial for each part on my YouTube channel, where I’ll crochet along with you, showing you each and every stitch!

Here’s the AMMA CAL video schedule:

AMMA CAL LIVE LAUNCH

Friday September 3rd I´ll do a LIVE video (4 pm GMT) on my YouTube channel, showing you all the different versions of AMMA blankets and cushions and hopefully answering all your questions about the Crochet Along.

PART 1 - Friday October 1st – the AMMA SAGA square
PART 2 - Friday October 8th – the AMMA LÓLA square
PART 3 - Friday October 15th – the AMMA MARÍA square
PART 4 - Friday October 22nd – the AMMA ÞÓRA square
PART 5 - Friday October 29th – the AMMA TINNA square
PART 6 - Friday November 5th – JOINING the squares
PART 7 - Friday November 12th – the BORDER

LINK TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCLETbuS9Y_v1o2BpSjj-oA

I´m so happy that we are finally starting and positively can´t wait to see all your AMMA projects in the making! Looking forward to crocheting along with you guys and seeing all your different versions and colors!