Hi, y’all! Did you miss my new Ravelry ebook release, ShadeTree? Hit the pause button on this post, go read all about ShadeTree Artist Collaboration, Issue 1, then come right back.
Okay, you back? Fab! In that post, I gave a glimpse into the blankets of Issue 1 and the artists that I worked with to produce it. In this blog series, ShadeTree: Behind the Scenes, I want to tell you more about each piece and its inspiration, as well as reveal progress photos and extras. Here are the six parts that you can expect:
ShadeTree: Behind the Scenes, Part 3 of 6
- 1 – 4 Free Floral Granny Square Motifs
- 2 – Colorburst Crochet Blanket Pattern: Triangle Motifs with Free Continuous Join-as-you-go Video Tutorial
- 3 – Birdsong Crochet Blanket Pattern: Intarsia Color Magic with Granny Square Border
- 4 – Indigo Blossom Crochet Blanket Pattern: 2 Large Hexagon Motifs with Free Continuous Join-as-you-go Video Tutorial
- 5 – Spring Flatlay Crochet Blanket Pattern: 5 Floral Granny Square Motifs with Flat Braid Join
- 6 – Tiny Garden Crochet Blanket Pattern: 8 Free Hexagon Motifs with Free Continuous Join-as-you-go Video Tutorial
Introduction
Each ShadeTree blanket starts with an artist or art piece for inspiration, then moves on to my brain where a blanket pattern design is formulated and the perfect Scheepjes yarn is chosen, then I hand that pattern design off to one of my talented Tester Tribe members for prototype construction and photography.
Birdsong Blanket Details
- Price: $4 individually, but just $2.40 when full eBook is purchased! (Download individually here)
- Special Technique – intarsia. See more below.
- Description: The beauty of this piece lies in the color placement. Choose a variety of colors that each fade into the next (a Colour Pack* would work great!)
- Yarn: Scheepjes Merino Soft*
- Credits: Sample blanket and photography by Ariel Jensen of Crafty Trekkie Chick. Note: Every photo in this post was taken by the talented Ariel Jensen. Thank you, Ariel!
Behind the Scenes
Inspiration
The Birdsong Blanket was inspired by a geometric grid art drawing by Jessica Wilkinson of IG @VanillaLemonCake. I knew instantly when I saw Jessica’s drawing that I would want to make a blanket inspired by the awesome color flow. Much like with the Colorburst Blanket, I knew I would have to zoom into the design and somehow still capture the essence. After about an hour of sketching and then leaving it for a couple days and coming back to make tweaks, the Birdsong Blanket was born.
Blanket Pattern Design
First, I needed a yarn that would come to bat with such a huge color palette. Scheepjes Merino Soft* did the trick. Luckily I had a huge amount of remnants that would work perfectly for this piece. Like painting with yarn!
Yarn Choice
Try not to drool when you see this next photo! Yarn makes me so happy. Or maybe it’s rainbows that get me all giddy… And yarn rainbows?? Squeeeeeee! ..I think I need to lie down. But seriously, are these colors not just so delicious and divine?
Had way too much fun playing with this yarn! So thankful for the color variety.
Major Goal Setting Session – Yarn Love
Layout Design
When I sat down to design Birdsong, I realized that it is basically a graphghan. The intarsia aspect makes this piece a simple back and forth exercise in patience. But the outcome is definitely worth it. During her process, Ariel sent me progress photos that took my breath away and were some of the most liked photos on my Instagram feed.
Intarsia Method
I did search up an Intarsia YouTube video to make sure I knew exactly what it was, but good thing Ariel is an absolute pro. She sent me some step-by-step pics of the process that I wanted to share with you all.
Step 1) Pull new color through final 2 lps of dc to change color.
New color is not in use as shown. Drop previous color (do not work over it).
Step 2) Working over tail of new yarn (so that it cannot be seen), start making dc as normal.
Note below that tail is hidden, and dc stitches are neat and seamless.
Finished Blanket
And here it is, y’all! I decided the center portion was too narrow, so I came up with a simple granny square to edge the sides with before the simple border goes on.
I hope y’all enjoyed this deep dive sneak peek into everything that went into the Birdsong blanket pattern. This first issue was about two years in the making from synapse to release, and so worth it. Stay tuned for the rest of the parts in this post series! Can’t wait to share all the cool goodies.
Happy crafting!
Rachele C.
*Disclosure: This post has affiliate links marked with an asterisk. Shopping through these links helps support CypressTextiles and doesn’t cost you anything extra! Yay!