You’ve arrived at the annual NatCroMo Designer Blog Tour 2022! It’s a virtual celebration of National Crochet Month with new blog content daily throughout March, including featured crochet designers, pattern showcases, free patterns, coupons, discounts, giveaways, and more. This year’s theme is Pawprints on Our Hearts, so we’ll talk about our pets – furry, feathered, and scaly!
Today’s featured designer of our NatCroMo Designer Blog Tour 2022 is Carolyn Calderon of The Purple Poncho. In addition to showcasing some of her crochet patterns, she’ll tell us about her newfound love of feeding the hummingbirds – or maybe just one hummingbird… Fred.
We appreciate our NatCroMo designers so much! They’ve so graciously shared their time (and often a special goodie) with us, let’s show some love! Some ways to do that are to like, follow, and shop! ❤️
- You can follow The Purple Poncho on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group
- You can shop patterns from The Purple Poncho: Ravelry | LoveCrafts
Carolyn has also had patterns published in print sources including Interweave Crochet Magazine, Simply Crochet Magazine, Noro Magazine, and Yarnspirations.
About Carolyn
The Purple Poncho, Crochet by Carolyn, is a blog to bring you beautiful, and unique designs in crochet, Tunisian crochet, and knit patterns. You’ll find easy and fun to make patterns, and video tutorials. There are a wide range of things to make such as accessories, home decor, garments, and holiday items.
Carolyn’s Hummingbird
Please tell us about your animals!
Recently, we’ve adopted a hummingbird and named him Fred. Being at home, we spent a lot of time outside and noticed some hummingbirds zooming around. So we bought a feeder and started watching for the birds. We noticed one would come by a lot and chase the others away. Then we bought another feeder, but Fred wouldn’t let them feed there either, so we bought yet a third feeder and put it out front. It seems that he is patrolling that one too, but we can see other hummingbirds feeding there when he’s not around. With three feeders in different areas, it is keeping Fred on his toes. I wish he would share but we’ve learned they are territorial. It’s been fun discovering nature right in our own backyard and feeding the hummingbirds, or mostly feeding Fred!
Favorite Crochet Reference
What is one of your favorite crochet reference books or websites that is one of your go-to sources for crochet information?
My favorite website resource is the Craft Yarn Council for crochet industry standards. They are a great source for information on abbreviations, charts, patterns, yarn weights, hook sizes, symbols, to name a few.
Design Showcase: Granny Square Bag
Pattern name: Granny Square Bag
Get the pattern: https://www.thepurpleponcho.com/granny-square-bag/
About the pattern: I love making granny squares and it’s usually one of the first things a new crocheter will make. This Granny Square Bag is an on trend crochet purse design and great way to use up leftover yarn or plan out your favorite colors. An easy square, and intermediate JAYGO method to join the squares into the shape, then add a tubular rope handle to complete the look of this pretty bag.
Design Showcase: Flower Trellis 12” Square
Pattern name: Flower Trellis 12” Square
Get the pattern: https://www.thepurpleponcho.com/flower-trellis-square/
About the pattern: The Flower Trellis 12 Inch Square is a pretty floral pattern with some intermediate stitch placement that is fun for every skill level. Begin by making the round 3-D flower and then turn it into a square. This looks great in a solid or multi-color yarn and includes a video on the flower and the square itself.
Design Showcase: One Skein Shell Cowl
Pattern name: One Skein Shell Cowl
Get the pattern: https://www.thepurpleponcho.com/shell-cowl/
About the pattern: This One Skein Shell Cowl is a perfect transition piece to go from Winter to Spring. Uses only one skein of yarn and works up quickly in an easy to memorize stitch repeat, and includes a video on the stitch. A fun and fashionable layering cowl to make for your family and friends.
Learning to Knit Properly
I love to learn new things that involve yarn. I’ve recently been learning how to knit properly by taking classes from Candace Broeker at her yarn shop Stitches In Time. She is an expert knitter and crafter and carries beautiful yarns. My latest knit design is a knit hat with a crochet flower attached. I’m having a lot of fun knitting and am combining knit and crochet together in some of my latest designs.
Carolyn’s NatCroMo Special
To celebrate National Crochet Month, I’m offering 22% discount in my Ravelry shop now through the end of the month (3/5/22 – 3/31/22). This will include all of my independent patterns, and excludes my magazine or yarn company designs. No code necessary, discount automatically applied.
(Offer valid March 5, 2022 @12:00 am PT through March 31, 2022 @11:59 pm PT.)
Follow Carolyn Online
Here’s where you can connect with Carolyn online to be sure you don’t miss any of her new designs, sales, events, or other good stuff!
- Website: thepurpleponcho.com
- Blog: thepurpleponcho.com/blog
- Instagram: @thepurpleponcho
- Facebook: @thepurpleponcho
- Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/CrochetPlayground
- YouTube: youtube.com/c/ThePurplePoncho
- Pinterest: pinterest.com/thepurpleponcho/the-purple-poncho-designs
- Ravelry: ravelry.com/designers/carolyn-calderon
- Newsletter: Subscribe to “The Purple Poncho, Crochet by Carolyn” Newsletter
- LoveCrafts: The Purple Poncho Patterns
We hope to see you again tomorrow on the NatCroMo Designer Blog Tour 2022!
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