APRIL NEWSLETTER

Hello, my friends! It’s good to have you here. In today’s newsletter, I’ll share two new color palettes for the Butterfly Waltz Baby Blanket and some tips for customizing yours, plus upcoming pattern releases including produce bags and a heritage-inspired blanket.

Butterfly Waltz Baby Blanket Color Inspiration

One of the things I love about Scheepjes is the wide range of colors they include in each of their lines, and Stone Washed is no exception. I had so much fun choosing colors for the original blanket that even after the pattern was released, I couldn’t deny the urge to return to my color samples and create alternate color palettes.

Two New Color Palettes Now Available!

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve put together two new color schemes for this design: a Classic Pastels palette and a Nature-Inspired one.

I’ve added an Alternate Colors bonus pdf to the listings on Etsy and Ravelry. So that you can seamlessly incorporate these new colors while working on the pattern, this pdf includes the yarn colors and quantities, assembly diagram, and color combinations chart for each new palette. I’ve sent the pdf to everyone who purchased this pattern so far, so be sure to check your email or app messages for details. (If you haven’t received your copy, please reply to this newsletter with your order information, and I’ll be happy to send you the file.)

Customize Your Own Butterfly Waltz Color Palette

Creating your own color palette for this design is so much fun to do! Here are some tips to get you started:

1. You’ll need 8 colors for the butterflies and 1 color for the background. If you don’t already have a color scheme in mind and this blanket is for a child or new baby, consider the colors used in their room’s décor.

2. Choose contrasting colors. The butterfly motif works best with contrasting colors. Here’s a good trick to determine if 2 colors will work well:

• If you’re lucky enough to have access to the yarn itself, the best way to judge if the colors work well together is to hold them up together and take a close look at them in the daylight. If you’re viewing them on the computer, take a screenshot of each one and paste them side by side in a document.

• Pay attention to the boundary that separates the two colors, noting how crisp or soft it is. For this project, we want the colors to be fairly distinct, so look for boundaries that are crisp.

• The difference in brightness between two colors is also a key factor in determining contrast. Ask yourself, Would I be able to distinguish the color of each yarn if they were mixed together? For instance, a light pink and a light gray may wash each other out when worked together in this butterfly motif, but using a darker shade of one (for instance a dark pink and a light gray) can create just enough contrast to make the two colors shine.

• Check the color wheel. Colors that are directly opposite each other on a color wheel (like red and green, or blue and orange) are considered complementary colors and provide high contrast.

• In the end, trust how the colors make you feel. Say no to color combinations don’t sit right with you, especially if they make you feel overstimulated or bored.

3. Mix it up. For the reasons mentioned above, your chosen color palette should include a mixture of dark and light shades.

4. Consider including an unconventional or unexpected color to add visual interest. In my original design, I chose to include Morganite (light orange pink) and Yellow Jasper (amber yellow), which are both very eye-catching. In the Nature-Inspired palette, I included Lemon Quartz (bright yellow-green) and Corundum Ruby (dark rose), which add a nice pop.

5. Try out your palette. Use the coloring sheet at the end of the pattern to fill in the butterflies with your chosen palette and plan your layout.

Whatever colors you choose, I hope you enjoy making your Butterfly Waltz Baby Blankets! Inspire others and show off your handiwork by creating a Ravelry project for your blanket or by sending your photos to crochet@jenniferolivarez.com to be included in a future newsletter.

Give a Shout-Out to Your Local Yarn Store for LYS Day 2025!

Thanks to everyone for sharing about your neighborhood yarn shops. It’s been so great to hear your stories.

If you’d like to join the fun, reply to this newsletter with the name of your local yarn shop, and I’ll add it to the growing list of fantastic yarn shops from fellow readers around the world.

Look for the list in the April 25th special mailing – just in time for Local Yarn Store Day on April 26.

The 2025 Produce Bag Pattern Is on the Way!

For the sixth year running, I’ll be releasing a new produce bag pattern to celebrate Earth Day. This year, I’ve designed a set of three produce bags in different sizes using the gorgeous lace stitch that I originally chose for my Sweet Season Market Bag.

I really get a kick out of using elegant lace for practical purposes. I think that’s why I keep designing these produce bags each year! I also love that they’re an ecofriendly and much more stylish alternative to the typical plastic bags we see at the grocery store. And I always get compliments when I pull out my crochet bags at the farmer’s market. There’s something really sweet about carefully choosing veggies from the market stands and placing them in my handmade bags.

If you’re in the mood to whip up some produce bags of your own, stay tuned for the Sweet Season Produce Bag pattern coming later this month. In the meantime, check out my full line of crochet produce bag patterns:

Star Lattice Produce Bag
Tall Thistle Produce Bag
Bellflower Produce Bag
Fresh Mesh Produce Bag
Filet Crochet Produce Bag Collection eBook

On My Hook: A Heritage Blanket Inspired by My Great-Grandmother

One of the big things I’m working on this month is the next blanket pattern in my series paying homage to the talented women in my family. This blanket is inspired by my great-grandmother, Jennie May Seidel. I wish I could’ve met her, but she died before I was born. I’ve always loved hearing my mom’s stories of visiting her on the weekends. Apparently the rooms in her house were filled with lace, trims, and fabrics. She worked at Trimtex in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, which was a leader in the trimmings industry for most of the 1900s. I can’t wait to share more of her story with you.

For this blanket, I’m incorporating a few of my favorite lace stitch patterns. I’ll use a lacy eyelet as the main stitch pattern, but I’ll break it up with bands of floral lace stitches made with clusters.

As I’m stitching, I find my mind returning again and again to ponder what the edging will look like. Should I honor my great-grandmother with an extravaganza of lace? Or keep it simple? Maybe I should take a look through her crochet and tatting projects I inherited and see if they can tell me how she would handle it.

Stay tuned! I’m hoping to release the pattern for this blanket, with instructions for multiple sizes, in May.

Coming Soon: April’s Special Features

• Roundup: Level up your stitches with my favorite crochet skill-building books

• New Pattern: Sweet Season Produce Bag crochet pattern for 3 sizes

• How-To Guide: How to care for your handmade cotton bags

Recent Discoveries

Queer Eye Season 9, Episode 2 “Special Delivery”

The Fab 5 are visiting guest Nicole Owens’ house for the first time, when (around minute 8:00) Tan picks up a roll of thick crochet fabric and asks, “Are you making something out of (plastic) bags?” Nicole replies, “Yes, we’re making sleeping mats for people who don’t have a house so they can sleep a little more comfortably. I was having a really hard time last year, and I needed some purpose. And I found crochet. When you’re doing something for somebody else, you don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself.”

Isn’t that true though?

Now Karamo did say later in the episode that he recognized she was using crochet to avoid her feelings, and no doubt he’s right – but I also saw this in a different light. When you’re hurting but you don’t yet have the energy or strength to heal yourself or even to find the way forward, crochet can provide moments of peace and comfort until you’re ready and able to face life’s tough challenges.

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. 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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