Welcome to the Color Garden crochet blanket beginner’s guide and CAL page. This page is meant to be a supplement to folks who purchased my book and would like some gentle support with their pattern. If you are looking for alternate yarn selection, videos to help with tricky stitches, and the fun that comes with working up a project in a group, then this is the page for you.
My plan is to break the blanket up into weekly segments, then list all of the weeks below. Dates will not be assigned, so you can jump in at any time and flow through the project. Ways to connect with the community are provided on this page. I can’t wait to get started!
Before you begin
- Order my book to get this pattern
- Add your project to Ravelry to enter the giveaways (see below)
- Join my Facebook Group to connect with other CALers and get my weekly check-ins
- Follow me on Instagram @cypresstextiles and use hashtags for your pics (see below)
Gather your materials
Use the yarn listed in the book, or use the following suggested alternate yarn. This section has affiliate links marked with an asterisk. Ordering through these links will gain me a small commission (at no additional cost to you) and helps to support my free patterns.
Alternate yarn option
Scheepjes Colour Crafter (100% premium acrylic; 328 yd [300 m]/3.5 oz [100 g]):
- #2005 Oosterende (A), 4 balls
One ball of each of the following:
- #1020 Leiden (B)
- #1081 Gouda (C)
- #1114 Eindhoven (D)
- #1019 Texel (E)
- #1302 Dokkum (F)
- #1316 Almelo (G)
- #1722 Alphen (H)
- #1026 Lelystad (I)
- #1132 Leek (J)
- #1084 Hengelo (K)
- #2009 Kortrijk (L)
- #1123 Roermond (M)
Supplier: WoolWarehouse*, Deramores*, Black Sheep Wools* or find a Scheepjes Retailer near you!
Weekly CAL timeline (9 Weeks)
As stated, I have omitted dates here, and shifted the focus from deadline-based to increment-based. This way you can focus on chunking the blanket up into bite-sized pieces and it doesn’t seem so overwhelming.
Don’t forget to take a photo of your progress each week so you can share it with everyone! (See “Get involved!” below.) I will choose 1 of your photos from Ravelry each week as the “model.”
- Week 1: Work Motifs 1-7
- Week 2: Work Motifs 8-14
- Week 3: Work Motifs 15-21
- Week 4: Work Motifs 22-28
- Week 5: Work Motifs 29-35
- Week 6: Work Motifs 36-42
- Week 7: Work Motifs 43-53
- Week 8: Fill zig-zag sides
- Week 9: Weave any remaining ends and work Blanket Border. Block if desired or necessary.
- All done! Head back to the book CAL main page to pick your next project!
Beginner’s guide
This section includes videos of tricky stitches where applicable, and any other significant notes to supplement your book.
If you are looking for a list of the basic stitches used in the book (with videos), head to the main book CAL page. There, you will also find tips like how I weave in my ends, how I block my work, and other general tips to make your work shine. There are no especially tricky stitches used in this pattern.
Get involved!
Ways to share your WIP pics (and any concerns!) with others in this CAL community.
Step 1: Take photos of your progress each week and make note of any questions you have.
Step 2: Share your photos and questions in any or all of the following ways. I recommend choosing the same day each week to post
Post in my Facebook Group where the CALers will meet weekly to check in. PLEASE INCLUDE in your post:
- The name of the blanket – This way a simple search in the group will pull up all of the posts for that blanket. (Remember all 18 of the pattern CALs are going on at the same time.)
- What Week you are on in the CAL timeline
Example: If you’re on Week 3, put “Color Garden Blanket – Week 3” somewhere in your post.
Post on Instagram using all three of these hashtags. This is important because it will help me see and share your posts on Instagram. It will also allow folks to click the hashtags and see everyone’s posts together in one place.
- #cypresstextiles
- #theartofcrochetblankets
- #colorgardenblanket
Ravelry
Here is the page for Color Garden. Interacting with the Ravelry page will help people find my book page and grow the CAL community. Plus, folks who are outside my social media circles can see your projects and be inspired. Go ahead and do the following two things.
- Put it in your favorites!
- Add your project to enter in the weekly giveaway. Each week I will select someone from the projects on Ravelry as a giveaway winner. More details to come!
Other ways to get involved with and support my book
- Do you like my book? Add a nice review on Amazon.com.
- Share a review of my book on your blog if you like! Head to my book info page to see the Press Release and Media Kit PDFs for all the deets. Send me the link to my email cypresstextiles @ gmail . com, and I will add a snippet of your review and link to your blog in the Reviews section.