JANUARY NEWSLETTER

Hello, dear reader! I hope your year is off to a good start. Heading into this new year, I’ve been taking stock of my designs in progress. I’m excited to share that I have a whopping 11 designs in the works! Of those, six are blankets. I’m hoping to release three blanket patterns this year (and three next year). Would you believe I already have names for some of them?: Teatime in the Garden, Butterfly Waltz, Lace Rose Quilt, Wedding Bouquet, and Cables in Bloom. Aren’t those fun? I’ll have several blanket designs in magazines too – I can’t wait to share the news when these are released. In addition to blankets, we’ll celebrate Earth Day with the release of this year’s produce bag pattern in April. I’m working on a few cold weather accessories for fall as well.

I look forward to sharing with you all about my life as a crochet designer. Throughout the year, I’ll talk about new yarns I’ve discovered; the movies, audiobooks, and podcasts I’m listening to while stitching; tips and tricks I think you might enjoy; and inspiration and advice to help you create garments, accessories, and heirlooms you and your loved ones will treasure. Thanks so much for joining me here. I can’t wait to see where the year takes us!

New Pattern: Dream of Spring with the Lacy Lavender Pullover

While winter is always the perfect season for making blankets, sweaters, and hats, it can also be a great time to start working on your spring and summer wardrobe. It was about this time last year when I started designing the Lacy Lavender Pullover. I didn’t have a contract for this garment when I started; I didn’t even know where it would end up. I just happened upon a stitch pattern that I wanted to try with some luxurious Shibui Pebble I had gotten on sale from my LYS back when I was living in Colorado. After taking up space in my stash heap for a few years, I was really excited to finally find the perfect stitch for this yarn. The geometric floral stitch pattern, with its open lace, creates a wonderfully beautiful fabric. It’s flowy while still holding its shape. I knew right away the type of garment I would make with it.

The Lacy Lavender Pullover is a light and airy garment that feels heavenly to wear. Use a lace-weight yarn in a fiber that will provide plenty of drape, such as merino, silk, cashmere, or alpaca. There’s no shaping in this design. The fluid drape of the fabric comes from combining these fibers with a large lacy stitch pattern. If you were to use a stiffer yarn like cotton, your garment would be inflexible and boxy. (More about the yarn used in this project can be found below).

Here’s what I love most about this design:

Three-quarter sleeves.

Scalloped edge to the bottom hem and neckline, which is created naturally as part of the stitch pattern.

An easy, uncomplicated construction. This pullover is made in two pieces without any shaping. The front and back are worked from the hips to the armholes. Additional chains are added to extend the rows for the arms. Then the top of the sleeves and shoulders are seamed with a join-as-you-go technique. I’m mighty proud of the invisible seam the JAYGO creates at the shoulders (see third photo - far right - below). Finally the bottom edge of the sleeves and sides are sewn.

The perfect yarn, from Pebble to Cloud. News that Shibui was going out of business reached me about the time that I was starting this design. I was heartbroken at first, knowing that after all that work to find the perfect stitch pattern, I wouldn’t be able to use Pebble for this project. But eventually I embraced the opportunity to find another perfect match. This was to be a special spring garment, so I wanted a heavy lace (or a very light fingering) in a combination of merino and silk (or nylon), with a touch of cashmere. My search led me straight to Anzula.

Anzula Cloud (80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon) was the winning choice. It’s just as gorgeous as Pebble. Plus it’s super soft and comes in a wide range of colors, each dyed to semi-solid perfection. I love the slight halo the cashmere brings. It’s just the right amount – enough to add some dimension, but it’s not hard to frog if you have to. This heavy lace-weight yarn sells for about $35-37 (USD) for a generous 575-yard (525m) hank.

But if you were hoping to make this top in Pebble, you’ll be glad to know that the Shibui story doesn’t end there! According to the yarn’s new page on Ravelry, “On Nov. 27, 2023, Laura Zander of Madelinetosh and Darcy Cameron, founder of Shibui Knits, agreed to transfer Shibui Knits’ product lines to Madelinetosh. Shibui Knits’ products will be remarketed as part of the Madelinetosh brand.” Cloud and Pebble are similar in weight, so Pebble is a very close substitute. (I always recommend getting an extra hank just in case.) Find the new Tosh Pebble at your local yarn shop. According to Madelinetosh, the yarn should arrive to stores in the US in February.

You can find the Lacy Lavender Pullover crochet pattern in the February 2024 issue of I Like Crochet, an online-only crochet magazine. The basic pattern is free, or you may subscribe to get the premium pattern, which includes a stitch chart and schematic.

RECENT DISCOVERIES

Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday Worsted Yarn

I’ve just begun using Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday Worsted for new blanket designs, and I’ve been really impressed by the quality. I was turned on to it by editors at one of the publishers I’ve been working with recently, and I’ve used it for two of their upcoming designs. This 4-ply yarn is incredibly soft and easy to work with.

For my blanket designs, one of the most important factors I consider when looking for yarn (aside from quality) is the range of colors. Among the 66 available colorways, the Anti-Pilling Everyday Worsted line has an impressive variety of tones and shades for any palette you’re inspired to try. You could even go retro ’80s with some of their neons. It also comes in a wide selection of colors that would be perfect for baby blankets.

Here are the details:

• 100% Anti-Pilling Acrylic

• 3.5 oz/100 g, 180 yds/165m

• #4 Medium Weight

• Machine washable and dryable

• Crochet gauge: I-9 (5.5mm) hook: 12 sc & 15 rows = 4” (10.2cm)

• Knit gauge: US 8 (5mm) needles: 18 sts & 24 rows = 4” (10.2cm)

• Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX® Certified

Best of all, it’s regularly priced at $4.99 (USD) and seems to go on sale pretty often. I’m already thinking of using it in my next self-published design, and I’ll definitely be recommending this yarn as a budget-friendly alternative for all of my blanket patterns.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO

Good Grief

I’ve been in love with David Levy since Schitt’s Creek. I even watched the first 2 seasons of the Great Canadian Baking Show (just like the British original, but Canadian!) just because he was the host. It did not disappoint. And now, he is back and better than ever as the writer, director, and star of Good Grief on Netflix. This gentle movie is a funny and tender exploration of love, friendship, and grief.

Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/bR_MPXTaEZw?si=m1D7YBtXOXV0SNDn

HOW TO SHARE YOUR PROJECTS

I always enjoy seeing what you make with my patterns and I love showing off your work! If you would like for your work to be featured in a future newsletter, email your project photos to Jennifer at crochet@JenniferOlivarez.com.

Or create a project on Ravelry: Share your project photos, yarn used, details, and more!

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter!

Having you in my crochet circle means so much to me. I aim to publish a new pattern every quarter and a new tutorial every month, but I’ll only send you crochet content that I think you will enjoy. In the meantime, you can contact me by replying to this email or crochet@JenniferOlivarez.com. I would love to hear from you!