Namaste Mandala

This design began as a custom pattern for a yoga instructor. The meditative pose shown on this blanket is what I think of as a basic yoga pose but I have learned that there are a lot of nuances in yoga. I read a bit about chakras and mudras and spirituality and culture and although I find it slightly interesting I don’t think I’ll become a yoga master anytime soon.

“At the base level, namasté is a salutation of respect and reverence. A traditional Indian greeting, it literally translates to “I bow to you” (namah or namas, meaning bow, te meaning you).”
https://chopra.com/articles/learn-the-meaning-of-namaste

“Mudras are sacred hand movements that are used in yoga and meditation to deepen the practice”
https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/beginners/the-meaning-of-namaste/

~*~

Fun side note: the floral design behind the person will become it’s own pattern in a few weeks.

With permission, I inverted and adjusted the colors on Heather Passmore’s interlocking crochet sample just to show off some more color options for you.

I have heard a few requests/suggestions to create an entire series of yoga designs. There is so much symbolism in all of it and a lot of the imagery is quite beautiful. However, as of now I do not have plans to draw other poses.

Heather Passmore’s actual finished blanket.

When I drew this pattern I used black and white, and the person was drawn using the black. This is also how the charts appear, the dark grey (on the interlocking chart) and the blue (on the mosaic chart) correspond with the Main Color on the written instructions. Heather Passmore was the first tester to show me her project and it confused me at first because I expected the person to be the darker color! But she is not the only tester who chose to use white as the Main Color and I love seeing all the options!

Overlay mosaic sample done by Darquis Bushey of Just_Duckie_Crochet

While this pattern was in testing I saw so many patterns of this theme pop up, like knitted blankets and crocheted potholders. Another designer also contacted me because she has just started the testing phase of a similar design and she wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be upset that our blankets were so similar. She wouldn’t have known they were similar except one of my testers also tests for her and alerted her about it. There’s been a lot more drama behind the scenes than either of us expected from crochet and she wanted to make sure we weren’t going to create more drama.

It sure was a breath of fresh air to hear kindness from Anke Wintermans and I am sure you are going to love her blanket when it comes out! It is definitely of the same theme, but not a copy and it was just luck that mine happens to be published first.

Thank you to my testers: CarolinevdB, Chantal Lariviere, Heather Passmore, Darquis Bushey of Just Duckie Crochet, and Nessa Miller.

This blanket is one of my larger patterns. If you feel the size is too large you can always use a smaller hook and thinner yarn but this won’t change how many stitches you make. A personal gauge swatch is the most accurate way to know how large your blanket will be.

If you use worsted weight (4 – medium) and meet gauge your blanket should be about 65″ square when you do the interlocking crochet method. Because overlay mosaic crochet is a different technique it creates a different gauge; your blanket should be about 69″ wide and 75″ tall if you meet the mosaic crochet gauge listed in the pattern.

The nice thing about blankets is that gauge is not extremely important. Just be aware that you may need more yarn if you use a looser tension than mine.

Get the Pattern

Use code “MAY2022” to get 30% off your purchase of my new pattern, Namaste Mandala, until 11:59 pm May 24, 2022.

Code applicable on Etsy and Ravelry. On ravelry, this code will apply to your entire cart! (but you must include the “Namaste Mandala” pattern for it to apply)

**Check out my Facebook group for a chance to win a free copy! Draw to take place May 20**

“Namaste Mandala” on Ravelry

“Namaste Mandala” on Etsy

Interlocking Crochet Details

Chart is 261 x 261
Gauge: 16 DC x 8 rows = 4”
65” x 65” / 166cm x 166cm
4.5 mm hook (US7)
Worsted weight yarn (4800 – 5000 yards total)
- Main color (MC) (the person) – 2400 yards plus 200 for optional border
- Accent color (AC) – 2400 yards

Overlay Mosaic Crochet Details

Chart is 257 x 257
Gauge: 14 sc blo stitches x 15 rows = 4”
69” x 73” / 174cm x 187cm
5 mm hook (H-8)
Worsted weight yarn (6500 – 7300 yards)
- Main color (black) – 3500 yards
- Contrasting color (purple) – 3000 yards
- Plus, optional envelope border – 800 yards

To choose colors, be aware that the person is the Main Color.

An image where the left half has dots showing the interlocking chart and the right side is solid like the mosaic chart is. The interlocking crochet and mosaic crochet patterns have slight differences in the patterns to account for the natural mesh dots. — The interlocking crochet and mosaic crochet patterns have slight differences in the patterns to account for the natural mesh dots.

May 18, 2022May 18, 2022

ashleebrotzellLeave a comment

Dream A Dream: Center-Out Crochet Square

Have you had a chance to bump up your crochet skills yet? My tutorial on crocheting from the Center-Out has been live for 2 weeks now. I have seen a few of the Tutorial Squares and I am eager to see what everyone plans to do with a square so small. I think I will have to design more of that size!

The tutorial and this pattern (and all my other patterns) come with written line-by-line instructions and charts for two techniques. Overlay Mosaic Crochet seems to be the most popular. Interlocking Crochet is fun too (and sometimes goes by other names, such as Locked Filet Mesh / LFM)!

Click here for the Center-Out Tutorial squares

This pattern here (called “Dream a Dream”) is a little bit larger than the tutorial square. But it is not an overwhelming size. Plus, to make it more accessible I have created a full video walk-thru for each technique!

9 squares makes a perfect toddler-sized blanket

You don’t NEED to buy the pattern in order to follow along with the video. You can view the Key for the Interlocking Crochet method or the Overlay Mosaic Crochet method here and each row is written on the screen on the video; the charts are only available in the paid PDF. I truly do appreciate each purchase of the PDF pattern!

View Interlocking Crochet Key online

View Overlay Mosaic Crochet Key online

View Interlocking Crochet Yarn Details

View Overlay Mosaic Crochet Yarn Details

View Interlocking walk-thru on YouTube

View Overlay Mosaic walk-thru on YouTube

Purchase “Dream A Dream” on Ravelry (Both techniques, PDF pattern & charts)

Purchase “Dream A Dream” on Etsy (Both techniques, PDF pattern & charts)

This square is not a size that easily mixes and matches with my other patterns, but I am sure you will still love it! There are so many things you can do with a square!

The first thing I think of is blankets. You can crochet as many squares as you like and then join them together to make a blanket.

The beauty of this technique and these squares is that you can use any weight yarn (as long as the yarns used are similar to each other in weight) and then an appropriately sized hook.

Just make sure you always have good contrast between the Main Color yarn and the second yarn you use.

If one of your yarns is self-striping you need to make sure the contrast color contrasts well with ALL the colors in the striping yarn.

Pillows (or throw cushions) go well with blankets, especially when you can have a matching set!

Then there are always so many bag options. A simple, small bag with just two squares and a strap is quick to make. Or, using multiple squares, you can create a larger bag.

I’m attempting to create a cardigan from my squares. My toddler really liked it when I had the back panel done – she used it as a blanket for a day!

I joined my squares!

Get the Pattern

Grab the ad-free printable PDF (with charts) with a 30% discount until May 10, 2022! No code needed, valid on Ravelry and Etsy.

“Dream A Dream” on Ravelry

“Dream A Dream” on Etsy

View Interlocking walk-thru on YouTube

View Overlay Mosaic walk-thru on YouTube

Interlocking Crochet Details

Finished size 8.25” x 8.25” / 21cm x 21cm
5 mm hook (H-8)
Main color (MC): Lion Brand Mandala (yarnsub.com for other options) – 60 yards
Contrasting color (CC): Bernat Baby Sport Sparkle (yarnsub.com for other options) – 60 yards
Gauge: 18 DC x 8 rows in one color = 4”

Overlay Mosaic Crochet Details

Finished size 8.5” x 8.5” / 22.5cm x 22.5cm
5 mm hook (H-8)
Main color (MC): Lion Brand Mandala (yarnsub.com for other options) – 60 yards
Contrasting color (CC): Bernat Baby Sport Sparkle (yarnsub.com for other options) – 60 yards
Gauge: 18 sc x 18 rows = 4”

My Copyright Statement

KEY FOR INTERLOCKING / LOCKED FILET MESH / LFM CROCHET

AC = accent color (pink on chart / even-numbered rounds)

MC = main color (green on chart / odd-numbered rounds)

Back = the wrong side of your work

Front = the right side of your work (you never turn your work, so the right side is always facing you)

AC/MC to Back indicates you need to place the AC/MCyarn towards the BACK of your project

AC/MC to Front indicates you need to bring the AC/MC yarn towards the FRONT of your project

CROCHET STITCHES USED (US terminology)

BLO = use the back loop only

ch = chain: pull a loop of yarn through the loop on your hook

dc = double crochet: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop, *yarn over, pull through two loops* twice

hdc = half double crochet: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through all three loops

MR = magic ring: lay yarn across front of index and middle fingers, loose end hanging down; wrap yarn over and behind fingers then back up the front of your hand; cross yarn over yarn towards your wrist and hold working end of yarn with pinkie finger; insert hook under yarn closest to fingertips, grab the other loop of yarn and pull a loop up (with a slight clockwise twist); chain 1 to hold it together. You will crochet over the side that has 2 strings and when you are done you can tighten the loose end. See my video tutorial or my photo tutorial at ashleeslint.com/magicring

sk = skip a stitch

SS = slip stitch: insert hook, pull a loop through everything on your hook

SPECIAL TERMS USED

Ch3 in Back/Front counts as your first dc and chain

C = Corner: chain 2 (when added to previous stitch that makes 3 chains between the double crochets in each corner)

B = double crochet (dc) behind the previous row, and chain 1

F = double crochet (dc) in front of the previous row, and chain 1

Join = SS to finish the round. This stitch goes into the 2^nd chain of the first ch3 of the round, or it can be made into the first window space

INTERLOCKING CROCHET TECHNIQUE

You are creating two layers of mesh that happen to be worked around each other. Each color of yarn gets stitched into itself only. Each double crochet goes into the previous row’s double crochet. There is a chain space between each double crochet that doesn’t get worked into. You alternate using each color of yarn and thus can do the double crochet in front or behind the opposite color’s chain space (never yarn over in a way that it encloses that chain space on both sides). Do not cut your yarn at the end of each round, just use a stitch marker to keep the live loop waiting. Detailed tutorial on this technique in PDF and YouTube video format can be found at https://ashleeslint.com/interlocking-crochet-tutorial-center-out/.

KEY FOR OVERLAY MOSAIC CROCHET

MC = Main Color: blue in chart

CC = Contrasting Color: white in chart

ch = chain: pull a loop through

SC = single crochet: insert hook, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops on hook

DC = double crochet: yarn over, insert hook, pull up a loop, *yarn over, pull through two loops* twice

MR = magic ring: place yarn across the front of your fingers with the tail hanging down, wrap yarn over and behind your fingers, cross yarn at the top of your hand towards your wrist, insert hook under first loop on the back of your hand and grab the second loop, pull the loop up and chain to keep it in place. View my video tutorial or photo tutorial online: AshleesLint.com/magicring

SPECIAL STITCHES (TAKE NOTE OF THE LOWER CASE VERSUS UPPER CASE WAY OF USING THESE):

sc = SC into Back Loop only

dc = dropped double crochet: DC into Front Loop of stitch in the round below, skip the sc stitch that gets hidden behind this dropped stitch

scC = single crochet corner: SC into Back Loop Only of previous round’s corner chain, chain 1, SC into the same Back Loop again

dcC = double crochet corner: do a dropped DC into front loop of previous round’s corner chain, chain 1, do another dropped DC into same front loop again. The next stitch, if it is a dc, will use this same front loop as well.

Remember to skip the same number of stitch(es) behind your dc(s) before doing your next sc

Mosaic Technique when working from the CENTER-OUT

Technique tutorials: https://ashleeslint.com/overlay-mosaic-crochet-tutorial-center-out/

The front of your work is always facing you (this is the right side, the side showing the design)
Yarn colors can be anything you like
- They need to contrast well (try a black and white photo to see if they are too similar)
- They need to be the same weight (size/thickness)
Foundation round counts as round 0 – it is a magic ring with 8 single crochets in it; uses the MC
Do not cut your yarn at the end of each round, carry it up through the corner stitch
Even-numbered rounds use MC; odd-numbered rounds use CC

May 7, 2022May 7, 2022

ashleebrotzell

2022 May Cat

Thank you for such a wonderful April! It was so much fun celebrating my 2nd Year Designaversary and remembering all the progress I’ve made. I was also able to give away a bunch of patterns and I will be doing a live giveaway for my Grand Prize on YouTube tomorrow (it’s almost midnight on the 30th of April for me as I post this)!

Check my YouTube channel

Welcome to May!

There are four cats on this month’s square! No matter which way you turn it, someone is staring at you.

This square was based on a quilt block. I have a few quilting-inspired designs now: Bonnet Girl Blanket, Double Wedding Rings, and now this May Cat!

If you’ve purchased the eBook (2022: A Year of Cats) on Ravelry, Etsy, or by direct purchase from my website, then you should have received your update. Please check all your email folders and make sure you’re looking in the email account associated with the purchase. Let me know if you still can’t find it.

Click here for more details on the EBook

Thank you to my bundle of testers! You all did a great job and it helps me more than you know to have the peace of mind that I have such a trustworthy team! I am using black yarn for the Main Color in all my squares but I love to give my testers free range on color choice and you can see in these photos below that both Maja Serec and cyncitycrochets have used grey/black as their second color instead. Which colors would you use?

I have been trying to get my kittens to pose with each square monthly. Sometimes they don’t really want to pose for my photos. I managed to get a little video with Flippers the orange cat walking across my square. His meow is the weirdest sound. We thought he’d grow out of it, but he’s about 6 months old now and still sounds weird. Maybe it’s normal and I just haven’t been around enough cats.

Thank you, Flippers, for making my cat square authentic

Get the Pattern

“2022 May Cat” on Ravelry

“2022 May Cat” on Etsy

“2022: A Year of Cats” eBook on Ravelry

“2022: A Year of Cats” eBook on Etsy

“2022: A Year of Cats” eBook, direct purchase

Interlocking Crochet Details

Chart is 81 x 81
Finished measurements approximately 20” x 20” / 51cm x 51cm
4.5 mm hook (US7)
Worsted weight yarn (460 – 485 yards total)
- Main color (MC) – 230 yards plus 25 for optional border
- Accent color (AC) – 230 yards
Gauge: 16 DC x 8 rows = 4”

Overlay Mosaic Crochet Details

Chart is 77 x 77
Finished measurements approximately 20” x 22” / 52cm x 56cm
5 mm hook (H-8)
Worsted weight yarn (600-850 yards)
- Main color (blue on chart) – 275 yards
- Contrasting color (white on chart) – 325 yards
- Optional Envelope Border – 250 yards
Gauge: 14 stitches x 15 rows = 4”

2022: A Year of Cats (ongoing updates)
eBook (Ravelry) (Etsy) (Direct Purchase)
January (Ravelry) (Etsy)
February (Ravelry) (Etsy)
March (Ravelry) (Etsy)
April (Ravelry) (Etsy)
May (Ravelry) (Etsy)
June (Ravelry) (Etsy)
July (Ravelry) (Etsy)
August (Ravelry) (Etsy)
September (Ravelry) (Etsy)
October (Ravelry) (Etsy)
November (Ravelry) (Etsy)
December (Ravelry) (Etsy)
All-in-One Blanket (available only in eBook)

April 30, 2022May 1, 2022

ashleebrotzell

April 24-30, 2022: Blanket Bundles

It is the final week of my Designaversary Celebration! Thank you so much for celebrating 2 years with me!

I gave away some free patterns on Instragram in the first week, on my Facebook Page in the 2nd week, and for the 3rd week I picked a random winner from my mailchimp email subscribers list! This is the final week to ~~enter the Grand Prize Giveaway~~ on my YouTube channel!

Giveaway CLOSED NOW – congratulations to RescueBooks Bookkeeping!

Go check out the YouTube Video to ~~Enter the Grand Prize~~

For this final week of my Designavery Celebration we are going to focus on my blanket patterns! I have blankets of various sizes. They start at baby blankets (chart size of 121 x 121) and go up to my biggest blanket (Brotzell Tiger King: chart size of 203 x 307).

Update: I have added the Cruise patterns to the sale (they have a chart size of 101 x 101) because they were already on the list I created earlier.

Baby Fish, my Retro Stripes mosaic sample

On Etsy and Ravelry you will get an ~~automatic 30% discount~~ on my blanket patterns. No code needed, discount shows up in cart, offer ends April 30, 2022.

Or, you can create your own bundle of any ~~10 blanket patterns and get 60% off~~! This bundle deal is only available on Ravelry, offer expires April 30, 2022. Use code 2022BUNDLE.

~~30% off~~ blankets on Etsy

~~30% off~~ blankets on Ravelry

~~30% off~~ Baby Blankets on Ravelry

~~Create your own, use code~~ ~~2022BUNDLE~~ ~~on 10 blanket patterns on Ravelry = 60% off!~~

There are 72 patterns that are part of this week’s promotion.

If you’re looking at my Etsy shop on a desktop browser you can see a list of categories on the left-hand side; there is a section called “on sale” and that will be all the baby blankets and larger blankets.

If you’re shopping on Ravelry, go to my designer page: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/ashlee-brotzell and scroll past my introduction. The first pictures of patterns are organized sections (Ravelry calls them bundles). You can view all the blankets or all the 60-window squares (aka. baby blankets) and those are the patterns you can choose from for this week’s sale. I show a printed screenshot around minute 14 in this video linked below:

Remember, you can’t use eBooks to get the 60% off. I couldn’t think of an example in the live video that is embedded just above, but a perfect example is my eBook “Baby Ocean & Others“. It has 6 baby blanket patterns in it. Individually, these patterns are $5.50 CAD; the eBook of all 6 patterns is $20 CAD, so that’s a 27% savings already. To get 60% off you’d need to add each baby blanket to your cart individually and then add 4 more blanket patterns.

To be thorough, here’s a list of this week’s promotional patterns and their links to either Ravelry or Etsy:

2020 Father’s Day Throw (one-piece blanket) (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Make a Wish -includes left-handed instructions- (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Birthday Cupcake -includes left-handed instructions- (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Cupcake Sparkle (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Wild and Free -includes left-handed instructions- (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Wild and Free Moose -includes left-handed instructions- (Ravelry) (Etsy)
But First, Coffee -includes left-handed instructions- (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Many Hearts Throw (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Oh Canada Throw -includes left-handed instructions- (Ravelry) (Etsy LFM) (Etsy Mosaic)
Moon Fairy (Etsy) (Direct Purchase)
Rocking Horse (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Abstract Queen (Ravelry) (Etsy) (FREE on blog)
Speedy Train (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Abstract Princess (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Warm Wishes (Gingerbread) (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Oh Tannenbaum (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Moose on Plaid (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Dinosaur Stomp (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Bonnet Girl Blanket (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Pins and Needles (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Gnomesflake (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Live Laugh Love Paws -includes left-handed instructions- (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Evelyn’s Expression (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Evelyn’s Favorite Guitar (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Common Unicorn (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Into the Ocean (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Mesmur Avenue (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Lucky Stars Throw (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Chained Ponds (Ravelry) (Etsy bundle)
Brotzell Tiger King (Ravelry) (Etsy)
MusicCAL (Ravelry) (Etsy) (Free on Blog)
Goodnight, Unicorn (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Magic Decanter (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Monstera Leaf (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Hobby Stencil Blanket (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Sunflowers and Butterflies (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Summer Direction CAL (Ravelry) (Etsy) (FREE on Blog)
Pumpkin Trio Throw (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Evelyn’s Repeat (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Seahorse Dance (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Long Hauler (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Glacial Warmth (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Tinsel Tangle (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Soaring Dreams (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Winter 2021 (Ravelry) (Etsy) (FREE on Blog)
Forever Be My Always (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Nordic Squares Blanket (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Medical Staff (Ravelry) (Etsy)
My Heart is Full of Love (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Bubbles the Sea Turtle (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Double Wedding Rings (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Dress to Impress Yourself (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Come a-Llama (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Cruise Lighthouse (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Cruise Whales {XL Square and Single Whale} (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Cruise Waves (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Preemie Love Blanket -includes left-handed instructions- (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Feline the Deer (Alice’s debut design) (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Many Hugs -includes left-handed- (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Baby Ocean (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Baby Dolphin (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Baby Crab (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Baby Sea Turtle (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Baby Whale (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Baby Fish (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Many Hearts Baby Throw (Ravelry) (Etsy)
One Octopus (Ravelry) (Etsy)
To Sail Away (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Trident (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Four Lobsters (Ravelry) (Etsy)
All the Waves (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Electric Shock (Ravelry) (Etsy)

A small sample of patterns:

Wild and Free, crocheted by Debbie Burford

I am so thankful for everyone who allows me to share pictures of their finished works! The photo I’m using as the title of this blog entry has quite a few patterns on it: Summer Direction, Bubbles the Sea Turtle, Many Hearts Baby Blanket, Nordic Squares Blanket, My Heart is Full of Love, Seahorse Dance, Preemie Love Blanket, Monstera Leaf, Glacial Warmth, But First Coffee, Baby Sea Turtle, Long Hauler, Brotzell Tiger King, Into the Ocean, Sunflowers and Butterflies, Common Unicorn, Speedy Train, Make A Wish. Crocheted by myself, cyncitycrochets, Angela Kermack, Esperanza, Jackie Lindsey, Eileen, Christine Schneider, Semicci, Anneke de Groot, Sherry Shaffer & Monique.

A final note, for those who may not know: all of my patterns come with written line-by-line instructions and charts for two techniques. If you’re not familiar with interlocking crochet or overlay mosaic crochet you should check out my tutorials on YouTube!

April 24, 2022May 1, 2022

ashleebrotzellLeave a comment

Crochet from the Center-Out

Are you ready to take your projects up a notch? I feel like we have just leveled-up on a video game because now we can crochet from the center-out! You may also see others refer to this technique as “from the middle” or “in the round”.

It is not a new technique. Other designers have been doing it for awhile. But it is new for my patterns.

I always offer written line-by-line instructions and charts for my patterns. And all of my patterns (minus a few) are designed for BOTH the interlocking crochet technique and the overlay mosaic crochet technique.

This tutorial is no different.

There are written instructions and charts for both of these tutorials. These tutorials each have a PDF photo tutorial and a YouTube tutorial.

Overlay Mosaic Crochet from the Center-Out

Interlocking Crochet from the Center-Out

April 22, 2022April 28, 2022

ashleebrotzell1 Comment

April 17-23, 2022: Wall Hangings Bundle

I hope everyone has been enjoying my Designaversary Celebration (don’t forget to enter the Grand Prize giveaway on YouTube)! April has gone by so quickly already!

Last week’s contest winner has been notified on my Facebook Page. This week’s contest will be drawn from my email list subscribers! If you’d like to get in on that, sign up below:

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Last week’s bundles were HUGE! One bundle had 94 patterns, the other bundle had 73. They were all squares (designed to be joined together as blankets), but if you saw my last post you’ll know there’s so much more you can do with a square!

This week I am featuring my wall hanging patterns!

These patterns were designed to decorate your wall (but I also love that you can really put any of my designs on your wall). They all come with written instructions and charts for BOTH the interlocking crochet method and the overlay mosaic crochet method (like ALL of my patterns).

My selection of wall hanging patterns. *Fa La La* crocheted by Altona Newcombe, Parisian set crocheted by An Anonymous Squirrel, Blooming Owl crocheted by me

Skip ahead to the BUNDLE Deal

What makes these patterns different? Mostly, the yarn suggestion.

Using a 1 – fine / fingering weight yarn keeps these projects smaller and lighter than my normal 4 – medium / worsted weight recommendation. You’ll use a smaller hook as well.

Of course, you can use fingering weight yarn on any project but these patterns specifically include instructions for attaching them to a wooden dowel for you to hang on the wall.

There are many ways to join your project to a dowel. Blooming Owl Wall Hanging was designed so you could tie the mosaic fringe on the top of the piece to the dowel and then hide it behind.

Fringe gets tied together and then hidden at the back of the wall hanging. The piece is sideways in the photo.

For my other patterns, or if you use the interlocking crochet technique where there is no fringe, I suggest a simple whip stitch.

I also really like the way it looks when you create tabs to go over the dowel. I added 3 sections of single crochet tabs to my single-width sample of Glacial Warmth (a blanket pattern, not a wall hanging pattern).

I also have these two Mountain squares on my wall (these are also not wall hanging patterns but, as you can see, anything can get hung on the wall!).

Mosaic sample at the top uses the lighter blue for the main color (MC) whereas the interlocking sample below uses the darker blue as the MC.

Details on the Bundle

I have 5 patterns designed as wall hangings and for this week only you can get them ALL in one bundle!

The ~~bundle deal gets you 60% off~~! *Cue the jaw-drop!* But it’s only available on Ravelry and the offer ends 11:59pm CST April 23, 2022.

~~Wall Hangings Bundle on Ravelry~~

If you don’t want ALL of them, you can also buy them individually and you’ll get ~~30% off. The 30% off offer is valid on Etsy and Ravelry until 11:59pm CST April 23, 2022~~; no code needed, no eBooks included.

Parisian Wall Hangings eBook (Ravelry) (Etsy)
- Eiffel Tower (Ravelry) (Etsy )
- Fleur-De-Lis (Ravelry) (Etsy)
- Une Autre Fleur (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Blooming Owl (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Fa La La Wall Hanging (Ravelry) (Etsy)

They are each available separately (the Ravelry and Etsy links are listed above), and the three Parisian designs are also available as a set (eBook on Ravelry or eBook on Etsy). The Parisian eBook represents a 23% savings versus buying each pattern individually; normally that’s a good deal, ~~but this week (if you’re not going to grab the~~ ~~Wall Hangings Bundle~~ ~~at 60% off) you’re better off grabbing each pattern individually so you can get the 30% off!~~

Why even bother with such a small bundle?

Well, this Designaversary Celebration month is intended to take you on a journey of discovering more about me! And the first wall hanging I ever made also happened to be the one I got published in a magazine!

Unfortunately, my crocheted Eiffel Tower got lost in the mail back to me in Canada from Crochet Now! magazine in the UK.

But, besides that, I am proud of these designs and wall hangings seem to be one of the preferred ways crocheters can show off their talent so it’s time for you to show off your talent!

Next week it will be all about blankets!

April 17, 2022April 28, 2022

ashleebrotzell

April 10-16, 2022: Squares Bundles

We have reached week 2 of my 2nd year Designaversary! Congratulations, again, to the winner of my giveaway on instagram! This week you’ll want to pay attention to my Facebook page! 😉

Contest details for this week.

Last week my Crochet-A-Long patterns were featured; this week it’s all about squares!

Jump down to the ~~Bundles that are 80% off!~~

~~Automatic 40% off~~ is fine for me

Enter Grand Prize Contest on YouTube

Some of my blanket patterns are technically squares, but I am referring specifically to the squares that were designed to be joined to other squares. Blankets and baby blankets will be featured in the final week of April.

Small Squares / Mini Squares / Free Squares

The smallest square I have has a chart size of 21 x 21 and those are my tutorial squares. LFM PDF Tutorial square, Wave 10 & Tutorial Hearts 10 for Interlocking & Tutorial Hearts 10 for Mosaic all have YouTube videos to help you learn! These tiny squares are all free downloads and are not included in the bundle promotion.

I have been working on a new tutorial pattern for both interlocking crochet and overlay mosaic crochet: center-out!
I hope to have that ready for you by the beginning of next month.

Medium Squares

The next size up has a chart size of 41 x 41. These patterns begin with 20 windows when you use the interlocking technique, so you will notice that they have the number “20” after their title. I have 73 squares of this size listed on Ravelry. I don’t have many of these listed on Etsy (because the listing fee on small items makes it not worth it). The ones I do have on Etsy are all in eBooks (like my Monogrammed Alphabet).

All of my patterns are listed on my website: ashleeslint.com/patterns#medium and you’ll notice they are in the “medium” category because I reserved “small” for those tiny tutorial squares. For details on getting ALL of these medium-sized squares in a ~~bundle at an 80% discount, keep scrolling or~~ ~~click here~~.

Skip to the ~~80% off bundle / 40% Automatic sale~~

Small selection of my medium-sized squares

Large Squares

My first crochet-a-long (CAL) was actually a series of large squares. They had flowers and leaves and butterflies and the intention was that you join the squares together and create a blanket. At that time I only did interlocking crochet but the Mother’s Day CAL has since been updated to include mosaic crochet as well (having both techniques is kind of my “thing”). These squares have a chart size of 81 x 81 and the titles end with “40” because that’s how many windows you have in the foundation row when you do interlocking crochet.

I have 94 squares of this size listed on Ravelry! I have listed 25 of these large squares on Ravelry individually and some of them are only available in eBook sets on Etsy (such as the Sophisticated Alphabet). You can see the entire list and where to find the patterns on my website: ashleeslint.com/patterns#large or keep scrolling down to find a ~~bundle deal that includes ALL of them at an 80% discount~~!

Skip to the ~~80% off bundle / 40% Automatic sale~~

And Larger Squares?

I also have larger squares with a chart size of 101 x 101, 121 x 121, and 161 x 161 all the way up to 241 x 241 (that’s a 60″ / 152cm blanket). These square are not included in this week’s bundle deals; wait for the final week of April.

Bundles at 80% off!? <EXPIRED>

Yes, it’s true! This is the largest discount I have ever offered!

I have quite a few square patterns, so I’ve created TWO BUNDLE DEALS. One for the medium-sized squares and one for the large squares. Each bundle contains ALL of my patterns of that size (for interlocking crochet AND overlay mosaic crochet, of course)!

Now, because a lot of these squares are also included in eBooks (that are usually quite heavily discounted already), I was left with a decision to make: calculate the discount off of the individual price of the squares? Or calculate the discount based on how much a person could save if they tried to add all the patterns to their cart (and obviously that person would choose the eBooks when available).

To be clear, these bundles are 80% off the cost if you added the eBooks to your cart. If you did the math on adding ONLY the individual squares to your cart, you’d actually be saving 88% on the Large Squares Bundle and 85% off the Medium Squares Bundle!

And, to add to the value of the Large Squares bundle: we are in the midst of an ongoing series (2022: A Year of Cats) and this Bundle includes the eBook listing so you will also get the next 8 months of cat squares! If you’ve already got that eBook you may find this bundle is still worth the value with a 78% discount on the rest of the squares. Check the bundles out!

~~Purchase the~~ ~~Medium~~ ~~Squares Bundle on Ravelry (80% / 88% Off~~)

~~Purchase the~~ ~~Large~~ ~~Squares Bundle on Ravelry (80% / 85% off)~~

No Bundles for Me, Thanks

There’s many reasons why someone might pass on the super amazing bundle deal; that’s ok! You can still take ~~40% off any~~ ~~individually listed~~ ~~medium or large square from April 10-16, 2022~~. The eBooks are not included in this sale but it is valid on both Etsy and Ravelry. And you don’t even need a coupon code! I have organized the listings a bit so you can see what’s available:

Medium Squares listed on Ravelry

Large Squares listed on Ravelry

Large Squares Listed on Etsy

And that is this week’s sales and bundles! I hope you guys can feel the love – I am so thankful that these past two years have given me an outlet for my art and helped keep me sane (or at least somewhat sane).

I really appreciate the way this craft has allowed me to help support my family and make new friends and make pretty things!

Don’t forget, you have all month to enter into my big Grand Prize! Check out the video on YouTube!

Grand Prize Giveaway on YouTube

Grand Prize includes these physical prizes as well as an all-access pass to my patterns for a year!

April 10, 2022April 28, 2022

ashleebrotzellLeave a comment

April 3-9, 2022: Crochet-A-Long (CAL) Bundle 60% OFF

If you read yesterday’s post, you’ll know that April 2022 marks my 2nd year designing anniversary and I want to celebrate! I will have sales and prizes all month long! Check out my original post about the designaversary sales.

We are starting my celebration month with a focus on the Crochet-A-Longs (CALs) I’ve done over the last two years. I don’t have my next CAL ready yet – but I have at least two different projects that are going to be CALs at some point.

There is something a bit magical about joining a CAL. People from all over the world are working on the same project at the same time and the accountability means that people are more likely to finish their project.

I usually offer a free version and a paid version of the pattern. The formats have been slightly different from my first CAL to my latest CAL because I have been learning and growing and changing. I am always blown away by the support from everyone, I have the best customers and fans and friends!

I have a page here on my website that lists my Crochet-A-Longs:

Ashlee’s Crochet-A-Longs list

For this first week of my anniversary celebration you can buy a bundle on Ravelry (sorry, Etsy doesn’t have the same promotions available) of ~~ALL my CAL patterns with a steep 60% discount~~!

~~Buy the CAL Bundle on Ravelry (60% off!)~~

Mother’s Day CAL crocheted by Erie Krol / zus, Father’s Day CAL crocheted by Claudia, Abstract Queen CAL crocheted by Emily Harmon, MusicCAL and Summer Direction CAL by myself, Winter 2021 CAL crocheted by NotSoBorenCrochet.

Or, if you don’t want all of these patterns, you can take an automatic 35% your purchase of any of the patterns that were originally published as Crochet-A-Longs (CALs), no code needed. This is valid on Ravelry only. Etsy is silly about percentages I am allowed to offer you, so the automatic discount on the CAL patterns there is only 30%.

Shop on Ravelry (link shows the CAL patterns)

Shop on Etsy (link goes to main store)

These links below go to these patterns on Etsy (Ravelry let me section them off for you, but Etsy is different):

Next week I will have a different set of patterns on sale for you! I will get a YouTube video up soon where I babble about the sales this month and tell you how to enter into the first contest!

April 3, 2022April 28, 2022

ashleebrotzell

2022 April Cat

Goodbye, March. Hello, April! It is almost looking like spring here – ~~it hasn’t snowed in at least 2 days.~~ Had to update before publishing this from drafting this entry this morning, it is now snowing again. April brings us a new cat square and it is my 2nd year anniversary since publishing my first pattern! Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on my social media accounts so you don’t miss out on this month’s celebratory sales and prizes!

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The official name of each cat pattern in this series is just the month; like “April Cat”. But they all have unofficial nicknames as well. January was the yin yang. February was the love tails. March was “The L” (of the “Love” miniseries). And April is a heart-cat!

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again because we always have new people joining us and not everyone knows: all of my patterns come with written line-by-line instructions and charts for two techniques. You can choose to crochet the pattern using the interlocking crochet technique (also called Locked Filet Mesh / LFM) or you can use the overlay mosaic crochet technique (that’s the one where you cut the yarn at the end of each row).

You can work from the charts or the written instructions. I personally prefer to use the written instructions. The mosaic charts do have X’s on them to show you where the dropped DCs go. I hope to get my tutorial up on YouTube this week (that will show you how to use a chart only).

I have sent my email updates – if you were expecting an email and can’t find it, please check your junk mail first and if you still can’t find it send me a message (on whatever platform you prefer: facebook message, email, instagram message). A private message is best because we will need to search your purchase history.

I hope you know by now that I have an eBook and each month I update it to include the next cat pattern. By December there will be 12 cat squares and then I will add an all-in-one blanket pattern so you don’t have to join squares.

You can also purchase each square individually as they come out.

Click here for more details on the EBook

Thank you to my many testers who continue to create pretty squares for us to look at!

CarolinevedB is using the overlay mosaic technique – you can see the fringe on the sides where the yarn gets cut and joined for each row. You can hide those tails with an envelope border later.

I am crocheting each square using the interlocking crochet method.

cyncitycrochets used the interlocking crochet technique and used white as the MC instead of black (see my picture where I’m holding the square: I used black as the MC).

My cats weren’t as cooperative for a video this time. Flippers, the orange cat that isn’t shown here, was too busy playing with feathers on a stick. Tiger, this black cat, was more interested in getting a good scratch and he didn’t want to model or pose on the crochet. Good help is hard to find.

I did remove the sound because it is a combination of all 5 of my family (myself, husband, 3 kids) in one room doing breakfast, Barbie dance party, smashing some Lego around, and it’s generally just a chaotic noise that no one wants to hear.

Get the Pattern

“2022 April Cat” on Ravelry

“2022 April Cat” on Etsy

“2022: A Year of Cats” eBook on Ravelry

“2022: A Year of Cats” eBook on Etsy

“2022: A Year of Cats” eBook, direct purchase

Interlocking Crochet Details

Chart is 81 x 81
Finished measurements approximately 20” x 20” / 51cm x 51cm
4.5 mm hook (US7)
Worsted weight yarn (460 – 485 yards total)
- Main color (MC) – 230 yards plus 25 for optional border
- Accent color (AC) – 230 yards
Gauge: 16 DC x 8 rows = 4”

Overlay Mosaic Crochet Details

Chart is 77 x 77
Finished measurements approximately 20” x 22” / 52cm x 56cm
5 mm hook (H-8)
Worsted weight yarn (675-925 yards)
- Main color (blue on chart) – 350 yards
- Contrasting color (white on chart) – 325 yards
- Optional Envelope Border – 250 yards
Gauge: 14 stitches x 15 rows = 4”

March 31, 2022

ashleebrotzell

Come A-Llama Throw Blanket

My newest pattern features a big, llama-butt. It makes me giggle to myself each time I see it.

There are actually two shaggy llamas looking back at you. They are saying, “Come along!” but since they are llamas I made them say, “Come a-llama” … get it? It’s punny, right?

My husband helped me come up with the title and so I am going to blame him if this blanket pattern is a complete flop. I know not everyone can be as funny and cool as my beloved hubby.

I debated internally on whether to put the words on the top corner or not. Having words on the design means I have to create written instructions for the left-handed crocheters. I don’t want to leave them out.

I just liked the way it looked better, so I decided to put the words on it. I make a lot of decisions based on a whim like that. So far, it’s working out okay for me!

Interlocking Crochet Sample by Skye Acker. Dark brown used as the Main Color (MC).

To summarize, you’ll get this super-awesome, funny little llama throw blanket crochet pattern written up for two techniques (interlocking crochet and overlay mosaic crochet) and each technique has right- and left-handed instructions. There is a one-page chart for the interlocking crochet technique (it is best used on a screen, good for zooming in). And the multi-page chart for the mosaic technique has X’s on it so you know where to drop those double crochets.

The mosaic version of this pattern has had the interlocking mesh dots and the extra border lines removed and the gauge gets slightly larger because of that.

Usually I say you can use whatever colors you want. For this pattern it is important that you definitely use the darker color as the Main Color (MC), that is the first color used. It will allow the llama drawing to show properly.

Wrong side of interlocking crochet sample by Skye Acker. If you use the mosaic technique your “wrong side” will just be stripes.

Interlocking Crochet Details

US crochet terminology
Chart is 185 x 185
Finished measurements approximately 46” x 46” / 117cm x 117cm
4.5 mm hook (US7)
Worsted weight yarn (2500-2575 yards total)
- Main color (MC) black – 1250 yards plus 75 for optional border
- Accent color (AC) yellow – 1250 yards
Gauge: 16 DC x 8 rows = 4”

Overlay Mosaic Crochet Details

US crochet terminology
Chart is 181 x 181
Finished measurements approximately 48” x 52” / 123cm x 131cm
5 mm hook (H-8)
Worsted weight yarn (3050-3650 yards)
- Main color (black) – 1200 yards
- Contrasting color (yellow) – 1850 yards
- Optional envelope border – 600 yards
Gauge: 14 stitches x 15 rows = 4”

Get the Pattern

~~On Etsy, take~~ ~~20% off~~ ~~this pattern until March 25, 2022 by using code “20MARCH~~“.

I put a ~~special secret promotion on Ravelry~~ ~~for this pattern: make sure you’re signed in to Ravelry and then add “Come A-Llama” to your cart to see! 😉 This secret offer ends 11:59 pm CST March 25, 2022~~.

“Come A-Llama” on Ravelry

“Come A-Llama” on Etsy

March 21, 2022April 28, 2022

ashleebrotzell