All posts tagged: New Blog Posts

Simply Crochet: Coastal Garden Shawl

Note: this pattern is now a Ravelry download, just $4! You guys!!! I have a super fun pattern published in the most recent (July 2017) issue of Simply Crochet Magazine. Scheepjes teamed up with the popular crochet magazine to create a Shawl Special, an insert with five beautiful shawl patterns by some of the talented Scheepjes bloggers. It is a total honor to be included with such talented ladies as Esther of Happy in Red, Carmen of Crafty Queens, Nerissa of Miss Neriss, and Esther of It’s All in a Nutshell. (Buy this issue here to see the shawl special and more!!) So here it is! My Coastal Garden shawl all laid out. It’s like a mix of a rectangle and a vortex shape. A couple of close-ups coming up. This was actually my first shawl ever (I had to convince myself it’s really just a small blanket lol!) and the first time I blocked anything also. Blocking was actually really fun! My husband bought me that foam puzzle piece flooring – 4 large squares that piece …

Hearthside Blanket Free Pattern

Find my Hearthside crochet blanket pattern in an ad-free, easy to print PDF for a small fee on: Ravelry // Craftsy // Etsy Or scroll down for the free pattern! Hearthside is also featured on AllFreeCrochet.com AND on AllFreeCrochetAfghanPatterns.com. Sign up for their free newsletter to get free patterns sent to you daily! Kaelyn of iiirdwind (on Etsy, Instagram, Facebook) has graciously finished her eye-catching sample blanket to test my free Hearthside pattern, and what a beauty! She has also provided all of the breathtaking photos for this post. Thank you, Kaelyn!  When Scheepjes added solid colors to their Secret Garden line, I positively had to have all of them. And what’re a bunch of solid colors missing? A bunch of variegated colors of course. More is more and less is a bore, right?!? (Shop Secret Garden: LoveKnitting (US), WoolWarehouse (UK), KnottyHouse (CA) ❤️)* You can read about my love for Secret Garden yourself, but I will say it’s like working with a special handspun yarn. Every stitch is a joy, and I cannot wait to release this free pattern to you lovely …

Rebecca Möbius Scarf Free Pattern

The Rebecca Mobius Scarf free pattern is finally here! Create this elegant striping by alternating from inside and outside of a Scheepjes Whirl cake in Blueberry Bambam, or use any of the gorgeous colorways for a totally different look. Check out my review of Scheepjes Whirl to see all the deets and where to cop. This is the perfect project if you’re trying to make something that will be appreciated by anyone. There is an alternate version without the beads to widen the wearability even more.  The scarf uses about half of the cake, so grab one and make two! You might remember a while back I was playing around with a new cake of Scheepjes Whirl in BlueBerry Bambam, and decided to make a beaded scarf. Check out my review of Whirl for all the details! Well that scarf turned into the Rebecca Möbius Scarf, named after my 10 year-old because she ended up loving the blue colorway.  I pre-strung the beads, and worked alternating from the inside and the outside of the cake. It was …

Stone Washed & Stone Washed XL 

I recently received a shipment of yarn from Scheepjes Yarns, and I cannot stop brainstorming projects with this giant stash of Stone Washed and Stone Washed XL. Scheepjes was generous enough to provide one in every color. I made some yarn pegs to play palette mixer later, and then got to work designing. I truly love this yarn! Find Stonewashed and its XL buddy at LoveKnitting* (US), WoolWarehouse* (UK), and KnottyHouse* (CA), and other Scheepjes retailers. Trust me, you can put 10 random colors in your shopping cart and it’ll make a smashing palette. Obviously I’ve said this a hundred times, but this may be my favorite Scheepjes yarn… I’m swooning over my own photographs of it while putting together this post, and that’s saying something! If you’re wondering the difference between the original and XL versions, check out these two. They’re both the “Enstatite” color and it’s easy to see the thickness comparison. While the yarns look pretty much the same, the content is actually slightly different. Check out the ball bands on this …

Scheepjes Spirit

When I got my hands on Scheepjes Spirit yarn, I knew it was something special. It has a beautiful “halo” about it like a wool yarn, but it is actually a cotton blend. And the subtle monochrome color changes are to die for. I love it so much I have to tell you all about it! Worked with these beauties this week and snapped a candid pic of them spilling out of my yarn bag ❤️❤️❤️ And then a posed shot: US shoppers can find Spirit at LoveKnitting* for free shipping on orders over $60, international shoppers can find it at WoolWarehouse* with free delivery to the UK on orders over £25, and as always, it is available at other Scheepjes retailers. Look at the gorgeous color range – and all of the yarns are named after animals (as in Spirit Animal!) I’m loving Grasshopper ❤️ The deets: Fiber Content: 56% Cotton, 46% Acrylic Needle size 1: 3.5 mm Needle size 2: 4 mm Ball weight: 50 gram Length: 210 meter Gauge: 22 stitches, 30 needles …

Scheepjes YARN 03 – The Tropical Issue 

Scheepjes Yarns has come out with the third volume of their YARN Book-azine, the Tropical Issue. And I cannot wait to show you my contribution! I’m so proud to be included in a group of such talented designers.  When I saw the first two YARN volumes, the Sea Issue and Midnight Garden, I knew I wanted to be a part of this incredible project. Flipping through these beautiful volumes never gets old. Check them out at WoolWarehouse.com*.  First, the Sea Issue… Then, Midnight Garden… And now, the Tropical Issue! You can hop over to Ravelry and take a peek at all of the designs in the new Tropical Issue. I’ve chosen a couple of my favorites to show you here: the Piña Colada shawl by Nerissa Muijs, and the Cactus Puzzle Balls by Dedri Uys.  The design I made for this issue is the “Amazon Blanket” seen on the cover above at the bottom-right corner, and here in the following fantastically styled photos: You can imagine my glowing pride for my piece to be included …

Working on a NEW Desert Bloom!

Hi, y’all! Since late 2012 when I began designing crochet blanket patterns, I have gotten oodles of feedback, but had little time to implement updates. So this year is all about designing new patterns and taking time to update old ones. I’m even having them tested to make them more “user-friendly” for you lovely crafters.  The first pattern is Desert Bloom – one of my favorites!  Here is the original Desert Bloom Blanket. The border still gives me heart eyes. Did you know that Desert Bloom was based on a dress belonging to my middle daughter? Take a look at the quick preliminary sketch and the inspiration dress: And check out some Desert Blooms that pop up in the #DesertBloomBlanket Instagram hashtag… Now these are some real beauties! The color alterations and craftsmanship – it is an honor to have such beautiful pieces made from my patterns. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• There’s just something about those flowers, and mixing motifs in the design takes it to another level. I mentioned I’m having this pattern tested, and …

Hygge-Chaka: “Hooked” on a feeling!

(Featured photo by Simy Somer) Sing it with me now! Hygge chaka, hygge-hygge-hygge chaka! The #ScheepjesCAL2017 has begun! February 15 marked the day everyone dove hooks first into their BEAUTIFUL Scheepjes Hygge Kits*. It’s also my wedding anniversary, but I am completely disctracted looking through the Hygge Instagram posts… The abundance of showoff photos that I have for you today will really let the Hygge Kits and WIPs shine. Information So this is basically a Hygge photo drool-fest, but first: some info! Browse lush Hygge Kits internationally at WoolWarehouse.com*. (I’ve been told these are the most complete CAL Kits ever released!) Hygge CAL creator, Haak Maar Raak, has a blog post with all the important CAL info – including the answer to “what does Hygge mean???” It’s All in a Nutshell – CAL videos! Yessssssssss ❤ Hygge comes in 3 main color packs (see photo at top of post) and a special edition pack, “Danish Mermaid” – swoooooooon! Kit Palettes Full color palettes – yarns are Stone Washed* and Catona* Kit Pics There are some beautiful …

Moon Landing Blanket Free Pattern

I’m so pleased to bring you all the Moon Landing Blanket free pattern! Named for its resemblance to moon boots and for those outlandish bobbles, Moon Landing is a unique hexagon blanket that you can make using three different yarn types of a similar weight. Of course the same yarn can also be used throughout. This piece is perfect for any space from a newborn’s crib to a college dorm room. With clever color choice, anyone will enjoy this modern and striking blanket design. Pattern Find the ad-free, easy to print Pattern PDF for a small fee on RAVELRY//Etsy//Craftsy//LoveCrochet.com You can also find this pattern on AllFreeCrochetAfghanPatterns.com. Or scroll down for the free pattern! Allow me to introduce my newest FO: the Moon Landing Blanket!  Features:  Bold, large hexagons with color rings worked through BLO for a beautifully neat layered look Bobbled corners that reach out to each other creating a diamond visual PLT join using HDC instead of SC which gives a wider band of color between motifs 3 Different yarn types (see below!) with …

Mixing Yarns for a New Project! 

Hi, y’all! I’m planning a new project and I pulled a few different Scheepjes* yarns to  mix it up. These may have slightly different weights, but if you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that I’m definitely not afraid to cross yarn types, even if they’re just “close enough.” I’ll mix in a heartbeat!  Yarns: Colour Crafter* – 4 balls – My yarn review Stone Washed* – 10 balls (2 duplicate colors not pictured) Softfun Aquarel* – 6 balls Ran these gorgeous yarns through the Prisma app for some fun!  And here’s my plan for this project. My upcoming free pattern: Moon Landing Blanket! Stay tuned! Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using the links marked with an asterisk*. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps keep CypressTextiles going!

Big Leaf Border

Hey-ooooohh! It’s me again – bringing you a new freebie. This one’s a border that looks like a line of connected leaves.. hence the name! For the demo sample, I used Scheepjes Softfun* in color 2535, a lush leafy green shade.  Use the Big Leaf Border pattern for any size blanket. Head over to the Ravelry page for a PDF version (coming soon!) or keep scrolling and we’ll get started! Basic information: Border is 7 rounds With DK weight yarn and size H hook, I get a width of approximately 2 inches  Use the same hook you used in the blanket body for Rounds 1-6, then switch to a hook size smaller for Round 7 Special stitches: Beg DC = (SC, Chain 1) DC4tog = (in next St work DC up to final step, leaving behind one loop on hook) 4 times, YO, draw yarn through all 5 loops on hook 3DC Cluster = in indicated st/sp, work DC up to final step, leaving behind one loop on hook 3 times in same spot, YO, …

Lissmiss Blanket WIP (Wonderfully Interesting Project)

I have a new project in the works called the Lissmiss Blanket.. What is Lissmiss??? Well it’s the way “LSMS” is pronounced, which stands for Linen Stitch Mitered Square – of course! 😛 I’m making a no-sew linen st mitered square blanket because this is a pattern that has been floating around my head (and scraps of paper) for long enough! This needs to be made!  Here’s a pic of my prototype – pulled from my Instagram from November 2013!! Dude! Three years this baby has been marinating…  And the current WIP… The glorious Lissmiss! Hellooooooo Fall! Peep this Scheepjes Colour Crafter – YUM!  Why the mitered square?  Did you know I used to knit? Well my crafterly adventures all started back in the day (my college years) with WendyKnits.net, when blogs were definitely more primitive. I got busy knitting all. the. things. And one of the Things was the Psychedelic Squares Afghan. Only I used the  No Sew Mitered Square Afghan tutorial over at Mason-Dixon Knitting because, well I’ve always known I stink at sewing…  So I gathered …