Hello, amazing crafter! Isn’t there just something about receiving a yarn order in the mail and taking that fresh yarn out of the package? I know my yarn stash mysteriously multiplies in the night, but that doesn’t stop me from getting new yarn… I’ll crochet through it all someday, right?!
The yarn I most recently received is some Scheepjes Metropolis in two colors for my latest crochet blanket design. In this post, I’ll show you the yarny goodness, of course, and I’ll also let you in on a little of my thought process as I start my new project.
Keep reading to see a tiny peek of this latest blanket design, take a look at my newly-arrived Scheepjes Metropolis yarn.
Scheepjes Metropolis
The yarn I am using for my latest design is Scheepjes Metropolis. I have used the 10g Colour Pack of this yarn for my Gloria Blanket released in the Fall of 2019, and I used 4 full-size colors for my Downtown Scarf, released in Summer that same year. Both the Gloria Blanket and the Downtown Scarf are free patterns; just click the links to find the patterns!
Metropolis is plush and squooshy, as well as being durable and soft. It has that cozy fuzzy wool feeling, but the acrylic part of the composition makes it easy care. I truly love this yarn. It works up like butter.
Head to WoolWarehouse or Deramores to shop Metropolis through my affiliate links – this helps support my work at no extra cost to you! Or head to a Scheepjes Retailer near you.
The color range is outstanding! There are 80 colors, and yes, some other ranges have more, but I think Metropolis really tells a fantastic color story with those 80 shades.
I spend a good amount of time looking at the Scheepjes website Metropolis page, seeing what color combination to choose. This work will only be two colors. And you might be thinking, Rachele? CypressTextiles? Is that you? I know I usually use every color under the sun, or at least a handful of unexpected colors, but this time I decided to push myself and come up with a fun design that is not overtaken by such a wide ranging color palette.
For this piece, I will let the design speak through the voice of two contrasting colors, and when I was done browsing through the colors, I chose orange and grey.
Orange and Grey Come Together
These colors are just meant for each other. Orange and cream would have been a more obvious choice, but grey has always had my heart as a neutral, and it just gives that unexpected vibe.
Yes, I got a lot of yarn for this project! I don’t know how large the blanket will be, because I only have preliminary sketches so far, but I do know I want to include lots of signature elements, and that sometimes calls for a larger canvas, if you will.
I have said it before, but the reason I love designing blankets is that I think of the dimensions as a canvas. I paint with the yarn, which is why many times you look at my designs and think – why? Yes, you can make a blanket design like that, but – why? 100% of the time, it was just me, fulfilling my artistic fantasy. You can certainly make a blanket with just the same motifs repeated – and I have several, scratch that, MANY designs like that – but there is loads of room in crochet blankets for projects that take you through an artistic journey.
These projects are more about the discovery process than the outcome. When I push the limits of crochet and border on freeform crochet is when I feel the most creative. You should know that I design for myself, and that’s something I am working on! But anyway, here’s another angle of this fabulous yarn.
For this one, you can really choose any two contrasting colors that you love. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Sketchy Sketches
Here is a blurry sketch of the beginnings of my thought process for this piece. I am using fabric quilts as my inspiration. If you’ve read my crochet pattern book, The Art of Crochet Blankets, you’ll know that I look to non-crochet sources for inspiration because it helps me advance my craft.
This sketch is only the start of the journey though, as of course I will be adding the CypressTextiles flavor. There will be some weird elements, like pieces cut out and other stitch patterns spliced in. I don’t want to give too much away, but just know that the final product will be surprising.
Tiny Peek at My Latest Design!
The center square will be one of my Granny Square patterns. You know I like my granny squares to have the smallest holes possible, so I don’t chain in between 3-dc groups, and I only chain 1 in the corners. Turning every round gives it that ridged look, and finishing with a round of (US) single crochet really leaves a neat finish – check it out below.
And here is the first prototype of the block. I do love it! We shall see if things change during the design process.
Another shot of this one. It’s a fun make, and definitely won’t bore you.
Of course I had to show you the opposing motif playmate that I worked up. The more orange square that you see below is meant to contrast for the checkerboard, but I think it has a bit too much orange, so we shall see.. I’ll be playing around with that a bit while I finish up the design layout.
Well, I cannot wait to show you some more of the blanket in my next post! Thank you for coming along with me as always. Every time I get new yarn, I’m just so thrilled to share my ideas with you!
Thanks again for stopping by! Happy crafting to you,
Rachele C.