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Book Report No. 2: The Secret Lives of Color, by Kassia St. Clair

Published by Rachele Carmona

2544 words // 13min read time

Hello, fellow creative! Today, I’m going to share a book review/report with you. I look forward to sharing many titles in these reports and connecting them to my Creative Journey Series. I believe as creatives it is so important for us to study the works of others, and use the creative tools that other artists have provided. Seeing the field of art through many perspectives and lenses is crucial to growing ourselves as artists.

Whether you purchase these books second-hand, or check them out from a library, I can say that I recommend perusing them, taking them in, and processing their contents. Sometimes I will review a book that is written by an author who means to help us with our art, and sometimes I will review a curated art book that has a few editors and focuses on the artworks of a certain artist. In both cases, there is something to be learned and inspiration to be gathered. Also check out the accompanying free crochet pattern: Color Story Motif!

Without further ado, I present:

The Secret Lives of Color, by Kassia St. Clair

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The Creative Journey, Part 2 of 12: Imitation as a Creative Superpower

Published by Rachele Carmona

2687 words // 14min read time

Hello, lovely crafter! Today, I’m releasing Part 2 of 12 of the Creative Journey Series. I am so proud of this series, as it’s a deep dive into the life cycle of the creative art experience. I hope you will read the tips and insights, and decide where you are in the journey, gleaning any help that you can to guide you through to the next step. Enjoy!

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[Crochet Pattern Shown: Beach Hut Blanket]

Free Crochet Motif Pattern: Chroma Block (US and UK Terms)

Published by Rachele Carmona

1704 words // 9min read time

Chroma Block is a modern crochet motif inspired by my time reading through Palette Perfect by Lauren Wager. Her book invites makers to see color as language, emotion, and a design tool all in one. This motif is meant to represent the little color palette “swatches” that Wager shown in her book.

Whether you’re playing with muted tones, or contrasting brights, the Chroma Block will make your color palette look amazing. US and UK terms are in this post.

PDF Format

The PDF version of this pattern is available on Ravelry, and both US and UK Terms are included in the PDF.

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Book Report No. 1: Palette Perfect, Vols. 1 and 2, by Lauren Wager

Published by Rachele Carmona

2390 words // 13min read time

Hello, fellow creative! Today, I’m going to share a book review/report with you. This is the first of many, and I look forward to sharing these titles and connecting them to my Creative Journey Series. I believe as creatives it is so important for us to study the works of others, and use the creative tools that other artists have provided. Seeing the field of art through many perspectives and lenses is crucial to growing ourselves as artists.

Free Crochet Motif Pattern

Every book report in this series will have a free crochet motif to go along with it. So, don’t forget to check out Chroma Block, when it releases tomorrow, April 24th – the new crochet motif pattern inspired by this book, and designed by me. Enjoy!

Find the free Chroma Block pattern here!

Without further ado, I present:

Palette Perfect, Vol. 1: Color Combinations Inspired by Fashion, Art and Style
Palette Perfect, Vol. 2: Color Combinations by Season. Inspired by Fashion, Art and Style

By Lauren Wager.

The Creative Journey, Part 1 of 12: Starting with Informed Inspiration

Published by Rachele Carmona

2023 words // 11min read time

Hello, lovely crafter! Today, I’m releasing Part 1 of 12 of the Creative Journey Series. I am so proud of this series, as it’s a deep dive into the life cycle of the creative art experience. I hope you will read the tips and insights, and decide where you are in the journey, gleaning any help that you can to guide you through to the next step. Enjoy!

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FO No. 2 of 19: Spring Palette 2024 VVCAL Blanket

Published by Rachele Carmona

Hello, gorgeous crafter! Today, I have another WIP to FO reveal for you. I am so determined to finish these blankets and telling you about it is keeping me accountable. As I complete each blanket, I will be updating the WIP entry In the WIP pile reveal post. There isn’t really any order that I am finishing these in either, so expect them to be fairly random! I tried to organize them in a way that made sense, but after all was said and done, it just made the most sense to go with my creative gut and finish whichever one I wanted to work on next.

So, here is my 2024 VVCAL demo blanket using the Catona 50g balls in a Springy color palette. I didn’t use all of the motifs, and this is a baby blanket, like 30x30in. I’ll fill in more details along the way!

I’ll be adding in FO pics and links to all of the WIP -> FO blog posts on the WIP pile reveal post.

12 Steps from Copying to Clarity: The Creative Journey Through Style, Burnout, and Artistic Breakthrough (Series Main Post)

Published by Rachele Carmona

Hello, lovely! Today, I’m announcing a very special series. If you remember a while back to the Creative Clarity Series, I’ve broken a couple of the posts down into a more digestible 12 parts. I’m calling it the Creative Journey, and it has 3 phases, each with 4 parts to it. This series is for crafters of any kind who are feeling a bit lost, don’t know where to begin, feel uncertain about personal style, are burned out, or want to take the next creative step, but don’t know which direction to go.

This 12-part Creative Journey Series will guide you through 3 phases of creative discovery. It’s like a map that tells you where you are in the process instead of telling you how to find a destination. The Creative Journey Series will help you recognize that you are already an artist, you just have to figure out which phase you are in, and trust me, this is not a linear path, rather it’s a spiral upward. You may find yourself back at the beginning at times, and that’s okay!

Free Crochet Pattern: Cottage Quilt Blanket (UK Terms)

Published by Rachele Carmona

Hello, gorgeous crafter! Today I want to share a crochet pattern that is from 2014 – a full decade ago! Throughout all these years, there has only been a paid PDF version, but now I want to release the free version in an effort to continually make sure all of my patterns are accessible to everyone.

This versatile blanket pattern is inspired by fabric quilts which mix patterns together to make an eye-catching piece. There is a lot of thought that goes into every part of this blanket, and you will definitely enjoy the different ways you can use this pattern. Enjoy and happy crafting!

PDF Format

The PDF version of this pattern is available on Etsy, Ravelry, and in my online shop, and both US and UK Terms PDFs are included in the purchase.

This pattern is in UK Terms – Click here for US Terms.

Free Crochet Pattern: Cottage Quilt Blanket (US Terms)

Published by Rachele Carmona

PDF Format

The PDF version of this pattern is available on Etsy, Ravelry, and in my online shop, and both US and UK Terms PDFs are included in the purchase.

This pattern is in US Terms – Click here for UK Terms.

FO No. 1 of 19: Rainbow Galaxy 2024 VVCAL Blanket

Published by Rachele Carmona

Hello, lovely! Today, as promised in my last post, I am showing off the first of 19 WIP finishes. I truly hope to finish these WIPs this year, but time will tell. In the WIP pile reveal post, I was wondering which WIPs I would start with first, and when it came down to it, I decided to just pick something I knew I would really enjoy. Of course this means it was 1) a rainbow! and 2) hexagon motifs!

So, here is my 2024 VVCAL demo blanket using the Catona color pack and the Stone Washed and River Washed color pack. I didn’t use all of the motifs, and this is a throw-size blanket. There were some challenges along the way, which I’ll be sure to mention in case it helps someone out.

I’ll be adding in FO pics and links to all of the WIP -> FO blog posts on the WIP pile reveal post.

Major WIP Round-up: 19 projects to finish!

Published by Rachele Carmona

Hello, gorgeous crafter! Today I’m revealing something deeply personal: My enormous WIP pile. I used to be that person who finished every project, but these days, raising four growing kiddoes, writing a book, and trying to find quiet time for my husband and myself, I am more like a person who photographs projects so that they look finished, and then relegating them to the WIP shelf of shame.

So, let me bare all, here in this blog post, the 19 projects of my WIP pile. These projects are in various stages of completion, and there’s even an unpublished pattern here! As I finish them, the completed project will be up for sale, and I may group them up into a little sale periodically, so y’all don’t get sick of me peddling my wares.

I list the 19 projects below, with a few photos for each one and pattern/yarn information as well, because I know some will be wanting that info. Expect a full blog post with all the details and progress/finished photos as I complete each one. Thank you for holding me accountable!

A CypressTextiles Year-End Update!

Published by Rachele Carmona

Hello, lovely crafter! It’s been a couple of months since I made a blog post, and so I wanted to make sure I checked in before the end of December. (Narrator: “She did not finish the post in December lol”)… It’s been a very interesting year, and a lot has been going on behind the scenes that I can’t wait to share with you. Enjoy this little 2024 recap celebration of the goings on in CypressTextiles land – thank you for reading!

Etsy Success!

Sometimes I find I have a tendency to just release patterns and then walk away, to move on to the next artistic endeavor. The joy in my work comes from first, designing, then making, and then sharing, in that order – so often I do rush through the sharing part.

I post on my website, I list in the shops, and then head back into my cave and start designing again, which leads to my shops being neglected at times, but this year I had an unexpected surprise in my Etsy shop.

Free Crochet Pattern: Pink Pony Blanket (UK Terms)

Published by Rachele Carmona

Hello, gorgeous crafter! Today I want to share with you my latest crochet pattern. I wanted to create a simple and fun pattern that could tie together any color palette. This piece would be great for a stash buster, or with a planned layout, but if you use DK weight yarn or another weight thinner or thicker than Aran Weight yarn, then you will need to adjust the number of motifs that you make to achieve the same blanket size. Resizing instructions are at the end of the pattern. You’ll love this one!

A note about the name, I was looking through Chappell Roan songs (currently obsessed), and thought Pink Pony Club would fit this blanket perfectly. The colors and the vintage, kitschy style of the blanket are well suited to her style I think! Then, I looked up the meaning behind the song, and it says the Pink Pony Club is a metaphor for having a safe space to exist, and I thought that was really beautiful. So Here you are! Pink Pony Blanket is born!

Happy crafting!

PDF Format

The PDF version of this pattern is available on Etsy, Ravelry, and in my online shop, and both US and UK Terms PDFs are included.

This pattern is in UK Terms – Click here for US Terms

If you are saying “All Those Ends!!” I have a blog post for you!

Free Crochet Pattern: Pink Pony Blanket (US Terms)

Published by Rachele Carmona

Happy crafting!

PDF Format

The PDF version of this pattern is available on Etsy, Ravelry, and in my online shop, and both US and UK Terms PDFs are included.

This pattern is in US Terms – Click here for UK Terms

If you are saying “All Those Ends!!” I have a blog post for you!

Colour Lab Blanket Crochet Pattern Update, Plus Full PDF Now Available!

Published by Rachele Carmona

Hello, lovely crafter! As we have just wrapped up the 2024 VVCAL, I want to share some news about another CAL that I wrote nearly two years ago. The Scheepjes Colour Lab CAL was a massive undertaking, from brainstorming the design, to creating the blanket and tweaking the yarn amounts to build the yarn kits, to coming up with alternate colorways for more yarn options. After all the hard work, it was an absolutely incredible experience.

Now, I am pleased to announce that Scheepjes has allowed me to put together a full PDF version which includes the entire blanket pattern. As of now, the pattern is available in the Scheepjes Facebook groups as several separate files, and it takes some digging to go back and forth for the pattern. Now, the whole pattern is in one place, and in case you need assistance with the pattern, the PDF includes links to the associated blog pages as well as links to the videos for each part.

Shop the PDF

Find the Colour Lab Blanket PDFs here! Purchase includes 3 PDFs: US Terms, UK Terms, and a Dutch Translation.

PDF Pattern Includes:

Detailed stitch descriptions and special techniques section
Links to all video tutorials and blog support pages
Schematics and charts for colorways
Full pattern broken into 8 parts for clarity
Completely tested pattern, ready to dive in!