AUGUST NEWSLETTER

Hello, my crochet friends!

Before we dive into what’s coming this August, I wanted to share a quick note about the Christmas in July Subscriber Pass.

If you haven’t had a chance to use your 20% discount yet, I’ve extended the Subscriber Pass through Monday, August 10, so you have a little extra time to enjoy the patterns in the 2026 Christmas in July Collection: the Trinity Christmas Stocking, Mittens, Hooded Scarf, and Potholders.

If you tried using the code earlier and ran into trouble, I’m so sorry! A checkout setting issue was discovered late in the month and has now been corrected. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding while I got everything sorted out.

You can use code CIJ2026 at checkout to redeem your Subscriber Pass discount on both Ravelry and Etsy.

Thank you again to everyone who participated. You made Christmas in July such a fun event, and I can’t wait to do it again next year! I’m already dreaming up ways to weave flower motifs into wintry holiday designs. A stocking made of poinsettias? YES!

But for now, it’s back to the dog days of summer. Thankfully, my project bags are full of small crochet projects that are perfect for these sweltering days—dish towels, pillows, washcloths… and, of course, wildflower appliqués.

What types of crochet projects do you like to work on when the weather is scorching hot?

Curious Little Ideas Weekly Studio Chat

Last week, I started something I’ve wanted to do for a long time: a weekly studio chat called Curious Little Ideas.

The newsletter will always be the best place to hear about new patterns, testing opportunities, subscriber perks, and what’s coming next. But the studio chat gives me room to share something different: the ideas behind the designs, works in progress, experiments that don’t always make it into a pattern, and a little more of what life as a crochet designer is really like.

If you’ve ever wondered how a pattern comes together or why I get so excited about a particular stitch, I think you’ll enjoy it. I’d love for you to join me for the first two episodes!

Episode 1 | Trinity Stitch, Wildflowers & New Beginnings
https://youtu.be/kM0-Rg2hh8k

Episode 2 | What Happens When a Stitch Keeps Inspiring You? https://youtu.be/Rj2JWLHYKCc

New Free Wildflower Pattern Coming Next Week!

The Columbine Applique is an entertaining project that lets you play with:

• making an adjustable ring (double magic ring)

• joining with standing stitches

• working into the back bars of a chain

• chain color changes

• cluster stitches, double crochet decreases (dc3tog), and stitches of various heights

It’s a fun way to stretch your skills without committing to a large project.

✔ Free on the blog

✔ Step-by-step photos

✔ Full video tutorial

Watch for the release email next Friday!

Help Test the Trinity Medley Scarf

The fun with trinity stitch continues with my latest design: the Trinity Medley Scarf! Alternating stripes of trinity stitch, crossed treble crochet, and a ruffled V-stitch create a long, skinny scarf that’s seriously entertaining to crochet.

It’s also a fantastic stash-friendly project. Crochet it in a single color to let the stitch textures shine, or combine coordinating shades to highlight the striped design for a more playful look.

If you’d like to help test the pattern, I’d love to have you on the team! The tester call will be posted in my Ravelry group on August 15. To apply, simply reply to the group thread with the yarn you’d like to use (a photo is welcome, too!).

Call for Testers: August 15

Test Begins: August 22

Test Deadline: September 25

Worth Sharing

Find Your Perfect Cotton

Cotton is one of my favorite fibers for summer garments. It’s machine washable, breathable, moisture-wicking, and can be wonderfully soft against the skin.

If you’ve ever wondered why some cotton yarns feel crisp while others are silky, or which types work best for different projects, you might enjoy these two articles. I found myself nodding along while reading; they explain many of the same things I’ve learned from working with cotton over the years.

Interweave: Top 100% Cotton Yarns for Knitting and Crochet

Learn about several popular cotton yarns, their different constructions, and the types of projects they’re best suited for.

https://www.interweave.com/article/knitting/top-100-percent-cotton-yarns

Brown Sheep Company: The Ultimate Knitter’s Guide to Working with Cotton Yarn

This in-depth article explores how cotton behaves, why it works differently from wool, and what to consider before choosing it for your next garment project.

https://brownsheep.com/the-ultimate-knitters-guide-to-working-with-cotton-yarn/

Maker Spotlight

This month’s Maker Spotlight features this beautiful Prairie Flower Market Bag, crocheted by Ravelry member foundthethread using Aunt Lydia’s Fashion 3 Crochet Thread in Cream.

One of the things I love most about this project is the beautiful, even stitching. The crochet is wonderfully neat and consistent, allowing the lace motifs and floral details to really shine. It’s such a lovely example of the pattern brought to life.

You can see more photos on the maker’s Ravelry project page: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/foundthethread/prairie-flower-market-bag

If you’d like to make a Prairie Flower Market Bag of your own, you can find the pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/prairie-flower-market-bag

To be featured in a future newsletter, email your project photos to crochet@JenniferOlivarez.com — or create a project page on Ravelry to share your yarn choices, notes, and photos!

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter!

Having you in my crochet circle means so much to me. This newsletter is sent on the first Friday of the month. Additional special mailings are sent each Friday after that, featuring new patterns, new stitch tutorials, tips and tricks, hot topics in the yarn industry, book and yarn reviews, and a peek into my design process. 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!

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