‘Pura Vida’ Crochet Along…🦋

Here’s all you need to know about my ‘Pura Vida’ blanket which I will be releasing as a 6 week crochet-along starting on Friday 10th October… 😃💚🦋

This is a blanket which holds a very special place in my heart! 💚

Inspired by the Costa Rican greeting “Pura Vida”… 😄🦋💚

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. 🥰

Living the “Pura Vida” lifestyle!

I originally designed my ‘Pura Vida’ Blanket for the 2024 Crochet Now Magazine annual crochet-along and it was featured over 13 issues of the magazine.

I’m so happy that the time has now come for me to be able to share this blanket pattern myself – and I can’t think of a better way than as a crochet-along! 😃💚🦋🧶

My eldest son Morgan spent 3 months volunteering in Costa Rica in 2022 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 some of the photos from his time there:

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!

Here’s all the yarn information:

I originally crocheted two versions – one in Scheepjes ‘Colour Crafter’, a DK acrylic, and one in Scheepjes ‘Catona’, a 4-ply cotton.

The finished blanket using DK weight yarn measures approximately 105cm x 135cm (41in x 53in).

Using 4ply weight cotton yarn the blanket measures approximately 85cm x 115cm (33.5in x 45in).

Yarnsmiths also put together yarn packs of their ‘Create’ DK for the crochet-along when the blanket was originally featured in the magazine and they are still available here.

https://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/coastal-crochet-cal-eleanora-tulley-pura-vida-yarn-pack-yarnsmiths-create-dk

And I’ve now crocheted another version using Scheepjes ‘Chunky Monkey’… it’s absolutely huge and very very heavy! 😅😍🙌🦋🦋🦋

It uses a lot of yarn so is expensive too- it’s certainly not for everyone but Morgan wanted an extra cosy, big version! 💚

My husband is 6ft tall (183cm) and here he is lying on the blanket to give you an idea of size.

So there are a few different yarn options for this CAL and all the requirements are listed below.

It makes a brilliant stash buster too, so please do feel free to use any yarns you like.

I used 10 colours in total including 4 different greens. 💚💚💚💚

Scheepjes ‘Colour Crafter’ DK (100% acrylic, 100g/300m) in the following
quantities:
Yarn A: Malmedy (2014) 2 balls

Yarn B: Terneuzen (1821) 1 ball

Yarn C: Haarlem (1054) 1 ball

Yarn D: Knokke (2012) 1 ball

Yarn E: Brussel (2004) 1 ball

Yarn F: Amsterdam (1010) 1 ball

Yarn G: Emmen (1116) 1 ball

Yarn H: Urk (1034) 1 ball

Yarn I: Veenendaal (1064) 1 ball

Yarn J: Charleroi (2016) 2 balls

Scheepjes ‘Catona’ 4-ply (100% cotton, 50g/125m) in the following quantities:
Yarn A: Apple Green (389) 3 balls
Yarn B: Apple Granny (513) 2 balls
Yarn C: Chocolate (507) 2 balls
Yarn D: Vivid Blue (146) 2 balls
Yarn E: Lemon (280) 2 balls
Yarn F: Poppy Rose (390) 1 ball
Yarn G: Emerald (515) 3 balls
Yarn H: Bluebell (173) 2 balls
Yarn I: Caramel (506) 2 balls
Yarn J: Kiwi (205) 4 balls

Yarnsmiths ‘Create’ DK (100% acrylic, 100g/290m) in the following quantities:
Yarn A: Clover (3215) 2 balls
Yarn B: Bright Green (3195) 1 ball
Yarn C: Chocolate Brown (3080) 1 ball
Yarn D: Light Turquoise (3250) 1 ball
Yarn E: Primrose Yellow (3160) 1 ball
Yarn F: Bright Red (3110) 1 ball
Yarn G: Christmas Green (3210) 1 ball
Yarn H: Glacier Blue (3258) 1 ball
Yarn I: Warm Taupe (3065) 1 ball
Yarn J: Apple Green (3188) 2 balls

Scheepjes ‘Chunky Monkey’ Aran yarn (100% acrylic, 100g/116m) This uses a lot of yarn so is expensive and is very heavy so it’s certainly not for everyone.
Yarn A: Emerald (2014) 4 balls
Yarn B: Lime (1821) 3 balls
Yarn C: Tawny (1054) 2 balls
Yarn D: Deep Turquoise (2012) 3 balls
Yarn E: Canary (2004) 3 balls
Yarn F: Scarlet (1010) 2 balls
Yarn G: Shamrock (1826) 3 balls
Yarn H: Baby Blue (1034) 3 balls
Yarn I: Camel (1710) 2 balls
Yarn J: Fern (2016) 5 balls

I used a 4mm hook with the DK yarn, a 3.5mm hook with the 4-ply and a 6mm hook with the Chunky Monkey.

Make sure you use a hook size that suits your tension and chosen yarn.

The pattern will be here on my website in 6 weekly instalments. There will also be the option of purchasing a printer friendly PDF.

My Facebook Group ‘Coastal Crochet’ is a great place to get to know each other, ask questions and share progress or over on Instagram you can share using the hashtags #puravidablanket and #coastalcrochetcal

Please do also ask any questions in the comments below but hopefully you have all you need to get ready… see you in 2 weeks, I’m sooooo looking forward to it!

Pura Vida and Happy Crocheting Everyone! 😃💚💚💚