Florentines Blanket

Showing off your hand dyed yarn, with crochet.

Well, how are you? It’s been a while since I last posted (almost 5 months) and I have been feeling a tiny bit guilty about that fact for at least the last three of those five months. I started my Substack at the beginning of the year in a flurry of excitement and rejuvenated hopes for re-kindling my blog-style posting of the past, but given my track record since I started podcasting, I suppose it’s not surprising I didn’t quite fulfil that promise. Nevertheless, I am here now, and somewhat unoriginally, it’s because I have something to hawk. 🙄

Yes, I’m here because I have completed a new pattern and I’m somewhat tentatively attempting to drum up some trade. You see, despite having been in this ‘pattern selling’ game for years now, I really don’t find the process of releasing a pattern any easier. Even less so, promoting it. I did start to gain some confidence in the area for a while and for a time even felt more… if not comfortable, at least accustomed to the process. But, in recent years that has declined again and now I’m back to very uncomfortable, unconfident and honestly really wondering why I even bother continuing with this strange ‘job’ of sorts I seem to have created.

But I don’t seem to have actually given up yet, so here I am. With my new pattern. It’s called the Florentines Blanket and it’s been a total pleasure for me to work on. I came up with the original motif quite a few years ago when I wanted to a pretty crochet design that would show off hand dyed yarns and that could be made with just one 20g mini. As is often the case, despite liking the creation, it got put to the side while I worked on other things.

Recently it resurfaced though. I’ve been worked on de-stashing some of my 4ply/fingering weight yarns and my latest obsession is holding them double. It helps mitigate the tininess of 4ply motifs and with a 4mm hook seems to work up nicely like a DK weight. I decided to try this motif out in this new style and loved the effect. It makes a lovely size motif and it also inspired me to come up with a better way to fit the motif into a nice square which I had struggled with before. Huzzah!

Armed with a motif I liked, I set about pulling out some of my favourite 4ply left-overs and random minis and happily settled into working up motifs. (I have a little video I made of me enjoying this part.)

I decided to keep to 24 motifs, the idea being that it would then work perfectly with a 20g advent yarn calendar, a way to show off each day’s yarn! Honestly I could have made many more though, they seemed to come together so easily. I added one more round to each square, to frame each one and as a way to join too. A simple border with a playful bobble and the whole blanket was done. It seemed to go in a flash.

In something of record time (by my own terrible standards) the pattern didn’t take too long to pull together either. I have my usual written instructions in both UK or US terms. The whole pattern is charted as well, so if a more visual option is your preference, then I have you covered. I’ve also linked to a range of photo tutorials that I thought might be useful. I’m calling this an intermediate pattern, just because there are a few non basic stitches (puffs and bobbles) and some experience with Join As You Go would be useful, but otherwise it’s quite straight forward I think.

All there is to do now is send it off into the world and to hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

If it sounds like something that you might be interested in, the pattern page link is below for you. Full of all the details you need to know and some lovely purchase links too.

Florentines Blanket

I can even offer you a discount on Ravelry sales of 20% off till the end of August! Get it while it’s hot, as they say!

Hand dyed yarns take centre stage

S x