FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

As I write, my studio (which is actually 10% bedroom and 90% yarn stash and design business) is overrun by projects in various states of completion. Over the past 6 months I’ve been working on some major design commissions. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to keep these under wraps until later this year. I don’t mean to tease – I guess I’m mentioning it because I feel a bit guilty for not releasing any of my own patterns over the last few months.

Believe me, it’s on my mind all the time. I hear these projects calling to me from the many bags and boxes on my shelves where they wait until I can pick them up again. I have to keep promising them (or maybe I’m really promising myself) that it won’t be much longer now. In fact, the inspiration to start another project has always been a major source of motivation for me to finish current one. As I’m finally weaving in the last tail end on a piece that I’ve been designing, planning, and stitching since last September, I’m dreaming of all the projects I might work on next.

So this month, I want to pay homage to those projects that are patiently waiting on the shelves for me to get back to them by sharing some sneak peeks here with you. I’ll list the anticipated release dates as a kind of pledge, a pact you can hold me to.

Filet Crochet Produce Bags

Love Local Produce Bag

Teatime in the Garden Blanket

Stripes on Stripes Wrap

Jump for Joy Blanket

MAKER SPOTLIGHT

I’m so excited to share with you this gorgeous “Save Me a Spot Blanket” by my friend and tech editor, Randy Cavaliere. Randy crocheted her blanket using Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo in White and Icelandic. Isn’t it fantastic? I just love the colors she chose. Using a variegated yarn for the contrasting color really adds an elegant touch and accentuates the woven look of the pattern. Great job, Randy!

To make a 2-color “Save Me a Spot Blanket” like Randy’s (1 Main Color and 1 Contrasting Color for the stripes), you will need approximately 1100 g of medium-weight yarn for the Main Color and 400 g of medium-weight yarn for the Contrasting Color.

Find the pattern on Ravelry and Etsy.

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO

My Ántonia by Willa Cather

For the last few years, I’ve been very interested in exploring the history of the American West. Last December, I finished the outstanding lecture series by Patrick N. Allitt titled The American West: History, Myth, and Legacy (The Great Courses Series), and I decided to follow it with a novel I had been meaning to read since high school.

Willa Cather’s My Ántonia tells the story of young Jim Burden, an orphan sent to live with his grandparents on the plains outside Black Hawk, Nebraska. Here, he befriends Ántonia Shimerda, the eldest daughter of a Romanian immigrant family who has also just moved to a nearby farm, attempting to find the American Dream on the frontier. These first years on the prairie leave strong impressions on both children, affecting them for life.

I listened to My Ántonia while making good progress on my Stripes on Stripes Wrap. It was a fantastic combination. There’s nothing quite like hearing about frigid and wild Nebraska snowstorms while crocheting a warm winter wrap.

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!