Author: Rachele Carmona

Boho Desert Crochet Blanket

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Welcome to the Boho Desert 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! [Jump back to main CAL page.] 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 …

Scheepjes Whirl Ombre and Four Free Patterns!

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Hello, friends! I’m taking a short moment to shout something besides The Art of Crochet Blankets from the rooftops. It’s a yummy new yarn and four free patterns! Whether you’re a die-hard Scheepjes fan, or you’ve just newly discovered their yarns, I think you can agree that everyone is batty over Whirl! So it’s no surprise that Scheepjes just keeps giving us more Whirl flavors to love. This time they’ve come up with a Special Edition: Scheepjes Whirl Ombre, and it looks scrumptious as ever. The Colors – YUM! How sensational are these shades? When you see them all together, they look as sweet as candy, which is awesome! But taken individually, there is a lovely range of sensible colors here. The Shrinking Violet and the Coral Catastrophe are really calling to me, but that’s just today. Yesterday I was fawning over Sippy Sage and Golden Glowworm.. I guess it will just depend on my mood because they’re all winners! Hashtags – #scheepjes and #scheepjeswhirlombre and #scheepjeswhirl Related Links Scheepjes Whirl page to learn more …

A Look Ahead at My Holiday Season of Crochet (plus everything I published in 2018!)

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Okay, you guys… it’s crunch time. ‘Tis the Season… for Xtreme crafting. Are you as behind as I am? It’s November and I have a zillion projects I wanted to complete in 2018 that aren’t done yet. I know many of y’all are in the same boat, and you are probably freaking out that the year is almost over as much as I am… Where does the time go?? Well, In order to help me feel like I have my life together, I’m going to make a list of everything I want to accomplish before 2018 is over. Yay! Before I let you guys into my check-list of non-stop crochet design, let me show off all the patterns I published in 2018 so far. This is going to be a long and comprehensive post that is more meant for my sanity than your viewing pleasure, I can already tell.. Bear with me. Jan-Oct 2018 ShadeTree, Issue 1 A collection of five crochet blanket patterns, all made with Scheepjes Yarns, inspired by the artwork and nature …

Scheepjes Bookazine YARN 6 – FOLK – and the Happy Folk Blanket

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Looking for something new to crochet? Scheepjes Yarns has released their latest issue of YARN bookazine *, and it is so lush. Find this issue here at > WoolWarehouse or Knotty House < FOLK is this issue’s theme, so the strong, deep colors – beautiful reds, purple, blue – are cozy, warm, and inviting. In fact, my coze factor has just dramatically increased.. I think I need a cup of coffee and a blanket; give me a sec.. Okay I’m back. So my contribution to YARN 6 is a blanket named “Happy Folk Blanket.” I did loads of research on Dutch and American Folk Art for my design. If you’d like to read more about that, check out these links! Dutch Hex Signs, Style, and Symbolism Guide Museum of International Folk Art American Folk Art Museum Fine Art America – Folk Art Paintings Before I dive in, check out the teaser for this issue – it is bananas! This may be my favorite issue yet. I absolutely fell in love with the scene depicted in the piece below, …

Scheepjes Bloggers go to Yarndale 2018!

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Hi, y’all! Today I’m going to share one of the most fun things I did in 2018 – when the Scheepjes Bloggers went to Yarndale for Bloggers’ Days! Every year, the blogger group meets for an event called Bloggers’ Days where we get pumped about what we do, and discuss yarny thangs. While being very helpful to us as designers to keep our creative juices flowing, it is also an event that fills our hearts because all of the bloggers (we are from around the globe!) get to see each other again. For me, this was super special because I haven’t made it out to a Bloggers’ Days yet, as the first year I was a blogger, my family was in Disney World, and the second year, my city was under water… So, I have a treat for you all today! I have about a zillion photos from the trip, but I want to share with you all just a few of them. Come along with me to see my trip from Texas, USA all …

2018 VVCAL Reboot Edging Border – Free Crochet Pattern

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Hello, everyone! It is finally time to present you all with the 2018 VVCAL Border. I am quite obsessed lately with flat and neat borders that have a subtle ruffled look, like when you create slight ruffles with a serger in sewing. So here’s what I created for the reboot! It’s a great contrast to the original border, so if you want something ornate and very Victorian, you can use the 2016 VVCAL border, and if you prefer something simpler and sweet, you can use this one. I just fell in love with the sugary simplicity! 2018 VVCAL PDF Now available in the 2018 VVCAL PDF – the entire 2018 VVCAL pattern (35 squares, join, and this border) all together in one place! Get it today: ETSY or CRAFTSY Check out the 2016 border pattern – you can see the original is very ornate and Victorian, and made in several yarns from my stash . I wanted to give a couple of options, especially one that was still very wide, but more simple – less fancy. …

Crochet Book Review: Cutest Crochet Creations, by Alison North

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Hi, y’all! I am super honored today to be participating in Alison North’s (KornFlake Stew) book tour / blog hop, for her recent release of Cutest Crochet Creations. I’m sandwiched in between two of the greatest in the biz – taking the baton from the great Sarah Shrimpton of Annaboo’s House who gave a wonderful review yesterday – find it here, and handing it off to the talented amigurumist, Lauren Espy of A Menagerie of Stitches, who will be giving us her perspective tomorrow. Can’t wait to see! Even Alison’s banner for the blog and IG tour is adorable! I shamelessly lifted this image off of her gorgeous Instagram feed, because I just had to show you all. What a precious representation of her book! [Related: Find Cutest Crochet Creations on Amazon.com – affiliated but I love Alison’s work and highly recommend the book!] A Confession Okay, I must confess something: I have never amigurumi’d! I’ve never, not even once made a stuffie, because as you all know, I am blanket obsessed. This has made me intimidated …

Scheepjes Namaste Yarn – Plus free “Shavasana Hexagon Motif” crochet pattern!

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In case you haven’t seen the new beauty by Scheepjes Yarns, I wanted to show it off! I had the pleasure of testing out a ball of Namaste before it was released, and of course I could not resist creating a crochet hexagon motif right away. A mondo hexie crochet blanket has been on my list for a while now, and Namaste was the perfect yarn for it. So let’s check out the yarn, and then the free Shavasana Hexagon Motif crochet pattern is ready for you at the end of this post! Here’s the teaser image from Scheepjes for Namaste. Gorgeous! The tagline for Namaste is that “crafting is the new yoga,” and this resonated with me because my eldest daughter and I have been doing yoga together four days a week for the past two months. It’s such a sweet moment of connection for us when she gets home from school, and a great time for us to both work on our balance – mental, physical, and spiritual. Plus added bonus, we hold …

Whip Stitch Join for Hexagons

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Whip Stitch Join for Hexagons You may use this joining method for any project, but it is originally featured in the Dutch Rose blanket pattern. Video Instruction Written Instruction: Join motifs to make blanket body Lay out motifs according to blanket schematic if you are working Layout 1. For Layouts 2-5, choose a motif placement that suits you. Whip st motifs together as follows: Hold 2 motifs with wrong sides together, and use the long tail of one of the motifs. Using your hook, pull the long tail through the center sc of both motifs, back to front. Insert the hook front to back through both loops of the next st to the left, on both motifs. Grab the long tail and pull it all the way through to the front of the piece, allowing the whip st to rest flush against the top edge of the motifs. Repeat steps 3 and 4 across, inserting the hook through both motifs from front to back in the next st to the left, and pulling the yarn through …

Tiny Garden Crochet Blanket Pattern

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Update: This pattern now has a yarn kit at my storefront on Deramores.com. Check it out and get the yarn in just a few clicks! 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, 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:

Crochet Motif: Pecan Tree Square

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Pecan Tree Square VVCAL Pages 2020 VVCAL Main Page 2018 VVCAL Main Page 2016 VVCAL Main Page Pin Me! Introduction Each of the VVCAL 2018 Squares were dedicated to a tree by one of the members of my CypressTextiles Tree Huggers Facebook group. (Ravelry Link) Materials and Measurements Yarn: Scheepjes Softfun (affiliate link) – (60% Cotton, 40% Acrylic); (140m/50g) Color: If using the Warm Neutrals palette, make 5 square each of 9 colors, and 6 squares each of 3 colors, leaving the cream out for joining and border. Hook: US Size 4.5mm Size: 6 inches Key Stitch Descriptions beg beginning beg dc (sc, ch1) – counts as 1 dc chN chain N number of times dc double crochet lp loop MR make ring: slip knot, ch3, ss in third ch from hook sc single crochet sp space (chain space) ss slip stitch st stitch yoh yarn over hook Video Instruction This video tutorial includes information on how to: Make the beg dc and join rounds neatly Create chains behind a “petal” to make a flower Weave ends as you go …

Crochet Motif: Scots Pine Square

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Scots Pine Square VVCAL Pages 2020 VVCAL Main Page 2018 VVCAL Main Page 2016 VVCAL Main Page Pin Me! Introduction Each of the VVCAL 2018 Squares were dedicated to a tree by one of the members of my CypressTextiles Tree Huggers Facebook group. (Ravelry Link) Materials and Measurements Yarn: Scheepjes Softfun (affiliate link) – (60% Cotton, 40% Acrylic); (140m/50g) Color: If using the Warm Neutrals palette, make 5 square each of 9 colors, and 6 squares each of 3 colors, leaving the cream out for joining and border. Hook: US Size 4.5mm Size: 6 inches Key Stitch Descriptions beg beginning beg dc (sc, ch1) – counts as 1 dc beg tr (sc, ch2) – counts as 1 tr chN chain N number of times dc double crochet lp loop MR make ring: slip knot, ch3, ss in third ch from hook sc single crochet sp space (chain space) ss slip stitch st stitch tr treble crochet yoh yarn over hook Video Instruction This video tutorial includes information on how to: Make the beg dc and beg tr and join rounds …