All posts tagged: Crochet

Relaxghans Ebook: Six free stash-buster crochet blanket patterns designed with peace in mind

Published by

In January, I decided to create a series of blanket patterns that were designed with an air of peacefulness and tranquility. Patterns that you can work on whenever you like, without stressing over any element. I’ve been saying lately: Crochet is meant to de-stress you, not re-stress you. The high strung and tightly wound among you will undoubtedly want to meticulously plan layouts, bypass stash to buy fresh new yarn, or frustratedly obsess over every pattern quirk. This includes me. I am not a laid back person, and I’m as tightly wound as they come, but I’m trying to get better at relaxing. While constant tension does play a factor in CypressTextiles upward motion and in my own personal continuous improvement (pressure makes diamonds, or what-have-you), I’ve recently begun to appreciate letting the light in a bit more. Maybe you also need to let some light in? Join me as I release a new free blanket pattern on the last day of every month from February to July. (Yes! The first pattern releases tomorrow, Feb …

Inside Crochet, Issue 97

Published by

Hey, y’all! Exciting news: I was interviewed for the mini “Blog We Love” feature in Inside Crochet, issue 97. And when I say I rode the confidence-boost wave of this magazine interview for at least a month, I’m not the least bit kidding. The proof is where I’ve been doing the majority of my *squeeeeeee*-ing as of late: my IG stories lol [Related: Check out Inside Crochet!] I’ll let you all read the issue for yourself to see the full interview, but it was so much fun, and got me thinking about big picture ideas like why I do what I do. Sometimes it’s refreshing to get back on track with that “forest” stuff, especially when starting a new endeavor like opening a yarn shop gets you stuck in the trees 🙂 Another fabulous thing about this interview, and the main thing I want to share today, was having to sift through all of my makes to select three photos. Oh my goodness… *Backstory moment* …If you didn’t know, I used to be “BabyLove Brand” …

ShadeTree, Issue 1: Support Page

Published by

ShadeTree Support Page Welcome to ShadeTree, a collaboration of artists from around the world to bring you unique and adventurous crochet patterns. The inaugural issue is focused on pieces inspired by the art and nature photography of Jessica Wilkinson, AKA, “@VanillaLemonCake” on Instagram. What is ShadeTree? ShadeTree is an ebook (possibly print in the future!) of 5 full blanket patterns and 4 free motif patterns which all share a common trait. In this issue, that common trait is the inspiration artist, Jessica Wilkinson of VanillaLemonCake. I call ShadeTree an artistic collaboration because there is an inspiration artist or maybe a certain stitch or a visual element, and that is one piece of the collab. Then, I am part of the collab as the pattern designer. I choose the project yarn from my favorite Scheepjes selection, so I feel like the yarns are kind of collaborating, too. And a crucial collab member is the crafter who tests the blanket pattern. a talented member of the Tester Tribe makes the sample blanket and graciously photographs the piece. …

Callie Crochet Blanket Pattern

Published by

Callie Pattern: Ravelry | Craftsy | Etsy | LoveKnitting Info: Alternate way to whip st join, instead of using the tails: YouTube Tutorial – Click here! Notions: US Size 3.25mm hook, Tapestry needle for weaving ends Gauge: Motif measures about 6.5in at widest point Measurements: Finished piece measures about 70x58in, and is easily resized by using larger gauge yarn and hook, or by making more motifs. Yarn Scheepjes “Cotton 8” (aff) (100% Cotton; 50g/170m) Color x No. of balls Yarn A: 665 Light Blue Green x 3 Yarn B: 723 Sea Green x 3 Yarn C: 508 Soft Yellow x 3 Yarn D: 722 Ochre x 4 Yarn E: 671 Rust x 3 Yarn F: 717 Bordeaux x 3 Yarn G: 657 Dark Brown x 3 Yarn H: 659 Light Brown x 4 Yarn I: 656 Beige x 4 Calliope or simply “Callie” was born from an idea I had in August 2017 to make a floral hexagon with thin petals and an ornate texture. At that time I was working with my Fresh Earth …

Free Pattern: Sunshine Blanket

Published by

Free pattern now available! Whoop-whoop! Pattern is in a lovely ad-free, easy to print PDF for you on the websites below for a small fee. Scroll down this post for the free pattern. Ravelry || Craftsy ||Etsy || LoveCrochet.com Links: Yarn – Scheepjes | Cotton 8 Shop yarn – WoolWarehouse, LoveCrochet, other Scheepjes Retailers Color picking – Pastel Pick-me-up WIP post FO Post My FO Gallery (everything I’ve ever crocheted!) Sunshine Blanket Pattern is also featured on AllFreeCrochet.com AND on AllFreeCrochetAfghanPatterns.com. Sign up for their free newsletter to get free patterns sent to you daily! Pattern info: Yarn – Scheepjes “Cotton 8” (100% Cotton; 50g/170m) Colors (1 ball each): 719 Pink 718 Light Pink 529 Violet 726 Moors 721 Heath 563 Bright Blue 723 Sea Green 665 Light Blue Green 664 Pastel Green 508 Soft Yellow 669 Olive The Sunshine Blanket is designed with your happiness in mind. The color palette exudes Spring, and flowers, and cotton candy, and all the playful, fun things. Plus, there is no border but there are pompoms. A ray of sunshine, indeed. #SunshineBlanket US …

Crochet Pattern: Hundred Chain Scarf – Our Tribe Yarn

Published by

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 …

Cahlista in “Mermaid”

Published by

Okay y’all, if you’re ready to see the results of my newest color palette playtime, then feast your eyes on “Mermaid” and keep reading to see my eensy WIP progress. ❤️ [Browse this yarn!] These scrumptious little eye-candies of joy are Scheepjes | Cahlista 15g balls. I’ve created this Mermaid palette after several iterations and shade groupings. If you’re looking for the Color Pack, it will be in Scheepjes retailers by Dec 1, and you can find the 50g Cahlista* at WoolWarehouse. This is an aran weight cotton yarn that is passed over a flame 2 times to make sure it’s not “fuzzy.” I’ve made a sample Trellis for an upcoming surprise project, and oh my goodness this yarn is lush. I’m not usually the biggest cotton person, but this is a beautiful matte yarn with a lovely hand. It’s not stiff either – my wrists will sometimes get sore working with cotton and I haven’t had that problem with the Cahlista. (Note: I used a size 5mm (H) hook and it works great for …

Cozy Flowers: Free Pattern

Published by

Hi, y’all! It’s time for the release of my Cozy Flowers Blanket free pattern – yay! Typically I would make a PDF for the free pattern, and make it available in my Ravelry shop and my other shops, but since the majority of the instruction for this pattern is in the YouTube tutorial for the joining method, I thought it would be silly to make a PDF. So here is the full free pattern below. See the related posts for more details of the blanket process: Yarn WIP FO Reveal Cozy Flowers Difficulty: Perfect for a beginner who wants to learn some new techniques.  Materials Yarn: Scheepjes | Catona (10 50g balls – all different colors) and Sweet Treat (10  25g balls – all different colors) Colors Note: these are the colors I actually ended up using in the final piece. The blanket is worked from right to left, and the colors are used held together until the Catona runs out. There will be a little amount of Sweet Treat left over. (Catona, Sweet Treat) Flowers …

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

Published by

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 …

Scheepjes YARN 04 – Dutch Masters

Published by

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 < for speedy delivery. Dutch Masters 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 04 is on the cover in the upper right corner. It’s a blanket named “New Horizons.” I did loads of research on the works of Piet Mondrian for my piece, and did you know he did so much more than the mod red blue and yellow squares that he’s known for? Yep, when I think of Piet Mondrian, I picture the primary color squares and rectangles shown in the image above, and I’ll bet you do too. But did you know Mondrian’s earlier works include broody landscapes with muddy, emotional color? …

Amazon Blanket gets a chic pastel palette

Published by

When I was asked to make another Amazon Blanket in a new color palette, I agreed on the spot.  When I found out the colors would come to be an airy pastel array, anchored to the ground with a seriously cobalt blue, I started to get giddy.  And when I cut into the first granny square of fifty-five, my heart melted and I fell in love instantly. [Related: Amazon Blanket blog post] Just look at this Scheepjes | Softfun* and Softfun Denim* chic pastel palette…  How did this color spread come about? Well the recipient wanted a blanket for her daughter that would provoke happiness instantly just by looking at it. (Yes, this is a custom order! No I don’t do custom orders anymore! Slowly backing away now..) So after three palette proposals, and a few color swaps, we came up with the above spread. Actually when I look at it, it reminds me of a top secret project that I worked on with my good friend Carol Janik – The Hoosier Crocheter – Tester …

Scheepjes Linen Soft Yarn

Published by

Tired of the same-old, same-old? Yeah, me too! No more smooth acrylic yarn! We want to feel the hearty texture of the yarn between our fingers as we crochet! Long live linen!  Okay, well, maybe not. Certainly there’s a place for the powerhouse soft acrylics out there. For the Colour Crafters in life that we need for everyday pieces. Yeah we need those.  But! Variety is the spice of life, and the spicy yarn I want to show off today is Scheepjes | Linen Soft*. It really does have an amazing texture to it. Perfect for a throw pillow or a couch blanket.  Check out this expertly crafted fiber content. It’s like the Negroni of yarn – an indulgent 3-ingredient cocktail (equal parts gin, Campari, sweet vermouth – errr.. linen, cotton, acrylic).  My personal favorite color of Linen Soft! Hummingbird ❤️ – although that mustard pictured in the first photo is wonderful. I love how all of the colors in this range would work well together. And here is a snapshot of the full palette …

VVCAL blanket in green palette – A very green post :)

Published by

With my trusty KnitPicks Palette yarn, I’ve started a new Vibrant Vintage CAL blanket. You may remember this CAL from January – August 2016 – the Facebook Group has nearly 4000 members! You can find the 33 free granny square patterns in PDF format at Ravelry or at the post linked above.  In the meantime, check out this spiffy green version! Palette yarn is awesome and as the name suggests, there are a ton of colors – and some are even heathered.  I made one tester square to see what hook I was going to use – Size E! Then I had a serious planning sesh for my chosen squares – the recipient wants mostly three dimensional squares instead of flat ones. And some joining in progress! You can see a bunch of join options on the VVCAL main page linked above, or look through all the joining methods I show on my site. Or to see what some IG crafters have already done by browse the #VVCAL hashtag on Instagram. Looking forward to showing y’all …

Food Scale = Total Game Changer

Published by

Between writing free content, self-publishing paid patterns, and completing design commissions, my business is getting to be more stressful and less fulfilling lately. So I’ve been taking a closer look at the pretty crafter photos on social media, searching for tools and tips to make my crochet life easier. A strong tool that I discovered and added into my pattern designing tool kit is a food scale. This is the one I have: Amazon.com – Weighing the Cozy Flowers blanket free pattern coming soon 😍🔥 Instead of just listing the ways I use this digital scale, I thought I’d spend a week taking a snapshot every time I used it. You can really see it in action during my Hexagon Month with Scheepjes Yarns*! Monday In making motifs for Autumn Blues, I figured out how many of the orange centers I could get from one ball of Catona*. I weighed one motif – 6g. Each ball of Catona is 50g, so I can get about 7-8 motifs per ball. This is the most common way I have used …