All posts filed under: Inspiration

Crochet Tip: A Better Way to Chevron!

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Heyooooo! Today’s post is about you and everything you dislike about chevron crochet blanket patterns. The stuff you don’t like about them is the same stuff I aimed to resolve for myself when I set out to design the perfect chevron blanket. Let’s get to it! The two blankets we will talk about today are Chevron2.0 and Soulful Sierra. The basics of these two designs are the same, but Chevron2.0 is a normal height chevron, and then Soulful Sierra is a deeeeep chevron. Chevron2.0 Find this classic crochet blanket pattern on Etsy or Ravelry. Find inspiration in a gallery of all of the Chevron Blankets I have made on my portfolio site. Popular for Making and Selling/Gifting The Chevron2.0 is so popular among custom-blanket-making crafters that I have added it in my pattern bundle on Etsy that is specially curated for folks who want to make a sell or gift blankets. Essentially, the patterns are simple and classic, and they’re crowd-pleasers. Chevron2.0 fits the bill! 3 Blankets to Make and Sell (etsy link). I have …

Virtual Blankets and Granny Square Day Highlights

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Hello, there! Whew! What an exhausting day yesterday, releasing a fresh new crochet motif pattern, promoting a giveaway, and all the while wanting to just scroll endlessly through all the beautiful Granny Square Day posts on Instagram. #vvcalGSD2019 Highlights In case you missed it, I ran a giveaway on IG to celebrate Granny Square Day 2019 – all of the entries are under hashtag #vvcalgsd2019, and I’ve pulled some highlights! Check them out: Magnolia Square Birch Square Plumeria Square Crystal Square Ponderosa Square Beautiful squares by beautiful folks Virtual Blankets I pulled together a bunch of cool GSD-related stuffs to load into this post, so hope you’re enjoying this whole handful of gorgeous pics! All of the squares that you’ll see here are made from the free square patterns in my 2016 and 2018 VVCALs. I made a few Virtual Blankets with some color palettes – all pulled from the #vvcalGSD2019 hashtag, and keep in mind these are made by folks worldwide. Talk about SYNERGY! Love our community! Neutrals + Mustard Blue + Green Red …

Downtown Scarf in Scheepjes Metropolis

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Hello, you! Today I am stopping in quickly to show you the completed Downtown Scarf. It really did fly off the hook! Since I last posted, I did accumulate a bit of info for this project, so hope you enjoy this quick and easy-breezy post. Related Links To get some fast and helpful info, see the links below. This pattern is now published! Click here to learn more about Metropolis and where to order the 50g balls and the mini Colour Pack Click here to see some color combination recommendations for the Downtown Scarf (Some folks are using them already!) Downtown Scarf Information I made this scarf in Scheepes | Metropolis, and am enjoying the positive feedback about this yarn launch. A few folks messaged me with pics showing they already ordered their yarn, and a couple actually used one of my recommended color palettes from the WIP post earlier. How cool is that?! I also had some folks saying they were going to use this pattern for family gifts at the holiday season, and …

Freeform Crochet Basics: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

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Hello, lovely! Lately I’ve been thinking of you. Who are you, and where are you on your creative crochet journey? Are you just starting out and still learning the basics? Do you have years of crochet under your belt, but you love sticking to those simple rhythmic designs for a little #craftastherapy? Are you looking for a way to push the boundary of your hook and yarn, and let your creativity flow? No matter where you are on your journey, you probably feel like creativity is deeply connected to your soul and cultivating happiness. Keeping that creative feeling fresh is so important to get out – and stay out – of those low energy points of life. It happens to all of us. The creative funk. If you want a creative refresher, I have an idea for you. If you haven’t tried it, you should definitely take a few afternoons to see how you like freeform crochet. The freedom of expressing yourself with fiber art will get those creative juices flowing again. [Related: Scheepjes Cahlista …

Free Crochet Pattern: Large DIY Mandala Crochet Wall Hanging Decor

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Hey, you! Hope you’re doing well and making sure to squeeze some hooky into your busy days. I haven’t had much crochet time lately, so I decided to start on a great project that can be completed quickly. The Trinity Mandala MAL is a free pattern by Esther of It’s All in a Nutshell, and it’s perfect to finish in those stolen crochet moments. Trinity Mandalas Isn’t it beautiful? The Trinity Mandala Make-Along is now over, but the free crochet pattern is still available on Esther’s blog, It’s All in a Nutshell. Check out the materials needed for the original Trinity Mandalas. The colors are so bright and pretty! Materials To make the original mandalas, use Scheepjes | Catona in 10 colors (see below) x 1 ball each. Shopping through these affiliate links is a great way to support CypressTextiles, and it doesn’t cost you any extra! WoolWarehouse KnottyHouse Deramores Black Sheep Wools Or find other Scheepjes retailers near you! You will need 10 colors of Scheepjes Catona (50g/125m) yarn to make the Trinity Mandalas. Here are the colors in the original pattern: …

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, …

Needle-Free Cross Stitch Over Crochet Tutorial for Beginners: Scholar Pillow

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Hey, y’all! My Scholar Pillow pattern is in full effect, but interrupted by a serious jonesin’ to make something for Valentine’s Day this year. So I’ve decided to make a quick Scholar Pillow, but with a heart stitched on, in the same style as my letterman alphabet. While the Scholar Pillow pattern (plus the letterman cross stitch alphabet charts!) won’t be released until March/April, I thought today I’d just go ahead and show you how I will cross stitch the design onto my pillow cover. So, welcome to my “Needle-Free Cross Stitch Over Your Crochet Tutorial for Beginners!” It’s such a fun way to add a design to your piece without the frustration of changing color all the time. If you’re like me, you’re never 100% satisfied with your color changes… Note: I recommend this method if you are going to use just one color for your design. This tutorial is meant to be a way to spice up your craft life by adding in some cross-stitch-esque funsies. If you want to make a more traditional multi-color …

Crochet

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Welcome to the crochet section of Cypress Textiles! As you may know, crochet is my main craft, so I have a lot to share with you all, and this page will continue to grow over time. My goal is to reach every crochet artist at every level – from absolute beginner to crochet entrepreneur. Grab a cuppa and your hooky and dive in! Click here to visit my shop for crochet patterns, yarn, and ready to ship pieces.  Featured Crochet Projects 2018 #VVCAL Reboot – Most recent CAL My book! The Art of Crochet Blankets Relaxghans: 6 free crochet blanket patterns designed with peace in mind Crochet Learning Portal Crochet Learning Portal – Learn to crochet, get my tip te beginners Quick Links: Learn to Crochet Level 1 Learn to Crochet Level 2 Learn to Crochet Level 3 Beyond the Basics: Continued Learning – Get my tips and tricks! You Can Crochet This! – My patterns, fully expanded for absolute beginners – Click to see which ones I’ve updated so far! Crochet Patterns All Crochet …

7 Fun Ways to Crochet a Granny Square!

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Hey, y’all! Ever since I launched the Vibrant Vintage CAL reboot (May 25, 2018), people have been commenting on the plain granny that we use in the pattern. I mentioned in passing that there are so many ways to Granny! Which is wonderful.. I think of the granny square as the mashed potatoes and gravy of the crochet world. It is comfort crochet at its finest.

Crochet Pattern: Hundred Chain Scarf – Our Tribe Yarn

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Well, guys, what can I say? I’m a part of the neatest thing since sliced bread – grabbing the baton from Miss Neriss on this Scheepjes Blogger blog hop – (Thank you, Nerissa!!), and it’s now my turn to introduce Our Tribe yarn. [Related Link: Browse this yarn*!] Look at that pile of loveliness and tell me you don’t want to just reach out and squeeze a skein. A few months ago, Scheepjes reached out to me and asked me for six colors that I thought faded well with one another. I was quite puzzled but I replied with a set of colors which have always been in my heart and often make an appearance in my projects (Trellis and Chevron, Desert Bloom, Moon Landing, and many more). These salient shades included a nice turquoise, a mint green, and an olive green, among others. The navy blue, coral, and deeper teal colors I chose are all hinted at in my yarn skein, but the real superstar is the mint and olive combo. I was actually …

Can I re-learn how to knit?? Plus my new WIP..

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Before I jump into this fun story, go take a look at my new Yarn Shop page! That’s right, I’m working to open up my own yarn shop stocking Scheepjes Yarns for US customers. For now, you can get your hands on exclusive yarn&pattern kits – go check it out – I’ll wait here. ——————————— You back? Okay let’s settle in, where was I? Ah yes… once upon a time, I was a knitter. Surprised?? I actually started out my fiber arts journey as a knitter when I was in college. It wasn’t a whole lot different from now, as I was knitting every day with no end in sight, even sometimes cutting class to knit (sorry mom!). Knit and crochet were in the beginnings of making their comeback and us gals would meet at a cafe on campus and stitch the afternoon away. I made a ton of camis, sweaters, and cardigans, and I even made a blanket! Well, the beginnings of a blanket lol… These mitered squares were found at the bottom of …

Birthday Blankets: Something old into something new :)

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Who remembers that Sesame Street song??? I just knew it would be on YouTube, and yep! Go ahead… you know you wanna watch it 🙂 Today I’m getting into this spirit by turning some (111!) squares that I made last year into 2 blankets for my little cousins on their birthday. They’re 4 years apart, but born on the same day! Wowzers! Here are some old photos of the squares I’m using today. They are the extra pattern tester squares, photo model squares, etc.. from the Vibrant Vintage CAL that I hosted in 2016 using Stylecraft Special DK (affiliate) – All 33 square designs are represented here and I love these squares enough to frog all the edging and joining and give them new life as a pair of birthday blankets. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Here is what my living room looks like at the moment: I’ve frogged most of the edging and joining of the squares that were previously joined up for tutorials and what-not. 48 of the squares have a DC round of edging already on them. …