Introducing Pura Vida! 🦋

Oh I have been busy! 😅 And I’m delighted to reveal another blanket design which I’m incredibly happy to share with you all… 🦋

This is ‘Pura Vida’!

I recently introduced ‘Woodland Wonders’ – a crochet-along blanket I designed for King Cole which starts on 7th June. 💚 That will run over 6 weeks and more info is here: https://coastalcrochet.com/2024/04/13/introducing-woodland-wonders/

‘Pura Vida’ is a blanket I’ve designed for Crochet Now Magazine and will run over 13 monthly issues starting in Issue 108 which is on sale 23rd May. So this blanket will be a slow grower over the next year making it a lovely and gentle crochet-along! 😃

There’s currently a subscription offer to get all the acrylic yarn needed for the crochet-along when you subscribe to the magazine: www.practicalsubs.com/9198

I crocheted two versions: one in acrylic and one in cotton…

Remember with magazines that as well as picking up a paper copy in a newsagent or traditional subscriptions, there are digital copies available, magazine apps such as ‘Pocket Mags’, plus local libraries often have access to magazines too, so there’s lots of different options for people to access the pattern in the magazine and join in from all around the world! I do so love a crochet magazine. 🥰

Now let me tell you more about this design…💚

This 13-part blanket crochet along is inspired by the Costa Rican greeting “Pura Vida”… Living the “Pura Vida” lifestyle! 😄🦋💚

Simply translated, ‘Pura Vida’ means “pure life” in Spanish. Just like ‘hakuna matata’ from The Lion King, ‘Pura Vida’ is the Costa Rican version of that laid-back, everything’s cool philosophy!

My eldest son Morgan spent 3 months volunteering in Costa Rica in 2022 with Raleigh International and helped with work to maintain parts of the beautiful forests. Hugely inspired by his travels, the photos he sent home and the stories he told, this blanket will capture some of that ‘Pura Vida’ beauty!

Here are just a few of the photos from his time there:

When he came home, and seeing the positive impact it had on him, I knew that I would one day design a blanket around his beautiful experience… and 2 years later later Pura Vida is here… I absolutely love it!

And it gets Morgan’s approval too…💚🥰

In the blanket there are Blue Morpho butterflies which Morgan saw in the wild but didn’t manage to get a photo of. There are macaws, monkeys, tropical flowers, trees and also ocean waves all crocheted into this blanket.

And of course there just had to be an iconic sloth! 🦥

Costa Rica has been named one of the happiest countries in the world with Costa Ricans often having a relaxed and simple way of looking at life. No worries, no fuss, no stress – Pura Vida to them means being thankful for what they have and not dwelling on the negative…Morgan loved it!

And he even came home with a ‘Pura Vida’ tattoo so it’s definitely a theme very close to our hearts!

Not having been to Costa Rica myself I found a couple of places locally to try and capture a little piece of Pura Vida beauty!

Not too far from where I live there’s a butterfly garden:https://www.sussexbutterflygardens.co.uk

And there we could see some actual stunning Blue Morpho butterflies fluttering about… 🦋

And then there’s a beautiful stream which I felt was a perfect backdrop to showcase my blanket! It’s not Costa Rica and it’s not tropical but it’s very beautiful! 😃

And maybe if I hadn’t said anything you might have believed it was Costa Rica! 😆💦

So with Woodland Wonders starting soon as a 6 week crochet-along and then Pura Vida starting alongside it but gently paced over 13 issues, there are Coastal Crochet designs to keep you happy for the year ahead!😃

Happy Crocheting Everyone! 😃💚🦋