It is finally here! The Enigma Blanket crochet pattern will be available for free starting February 22 on Esther’s “It’s all in a Nutshell” blog. If you want a printable file without advertisements, you can purchase it through Ravelry on the same date. The Enigma Blanket design was originally published as a crochet along in Crochet Now magazine in 2021. Esther notes, “The blanket changes shape several times. It starts as a circular mandala and then becomes a square, which is rotated to form a new square. Finally, the blanket is turned into a rectangle. You can work the full blanket or stop at any point where the blanket reaches a finished shape.” It is a very pleasant challenge and one I encourage you to take on! I had the pleasure of testing the blanket and working on it through a wild cold weather spell last December, keeping me warm and determined.
Esther has made 4 official colorways for you, but you can choose/use whatever you like. The two Flower Field colorways are the original colorways she designed for the magazine, while “Vintage” and “Sunset Sky” are the two new colorways she designed for the new/stand-alone release of Enigma. Side note: Did you know you can purchase the yarn kits from Esther’s own online shop? You will get a surprise gift with every order! I chose to use a variation of the Flower Field in Scheepjes Stone Washed, substituting a few colors as I had them on hand (color C Amazonite 813, color D Red Jasper 807, and color E Blue Apatite 805). Though the colors I used may not reflect grouping and contrasting as they probably should, I am nonetheless pleased with the final product. Not to mention that I love blue, and the color E defines the boundaries between the different sections of the blanket. Also, as I am a tight(er) crocheter, I used a 4mm hook to stay on gauge.
If parts of the blanket may look familiar to a recent mandala design of Esther’s, then it is because it is! Remember the Enigma Mandalas (I wrote a post about them)? The Enigma mandalas were inspired by the first two parts of the original Enigma blanket pattern, plus a few minor changes in the first few rows. The patterns partially overlap. The mandalas’ finishing with the rings and the yarn for the mandala compared to the blanket are different. So, if you have made the Enigma Mandalas, then you will find familiarity as you set off on this new adventure. If not, then you might want to make them after you crochet the blanket.
Let’s talk about the Enigma Blanket 12-part crochet-a-long (CAL). Esther will release the crochet pattern parts once a week, starting on February 22 and ending on May 9. You can follow along on her blog or join Esther’s It’s All in a Nutshell Crochet Nuts Facebook group. You can also access weekly video tutorials (left-handed and right-handed) on Esther’s YouTube channel. As you can see, plenty of resources are at your disposal, and there are no excuses for not embarking on an ambitious yet completely doable, engaging crochet project! So, pick your yarn and yarn colors, gather your notions, and get ready. Have fun!
Your version of the Enigma is beautiful Sabi 🙂