Cactus Cross Stitch Patterns

It’s the time of year when I can feel summer coming on even though we’re still firmly in springtime. It makes me want to start crafting projects with more of a summery feel to them, which is probably why I was recently drawn to look up some cactus cross stitch patterns.

Witch Stitch has an adorable little cactus in a pot pattern that wouldn’t be too hard for a beginner. It uses seven colors and has a little backstitch for the spikes.

This set of little cacti from Ugly Duckling House are cute all together on a hoop, but they’d also be cute stitched individually on different projects. Napkins for summer picnics, anyone? The full project is about 7.1 by 6.4 inches (18.8 by 16.3 cm) and 14 count fabric, and it uses 25 colors. There’s a little back stitching to make the spikes on a couple of the cacti, but you can leave them off if you don’t want to do it. Note: this pattern is no longer free but can be accessed on their membership site.

Another little sampler of mini cactus patterns is available from Nikki Pattern on Etsy. This design has four little cactus patterns in pots with geometrical designs on them. The set measures 71 by 108 stitches, which is 5.07 by 7.71 inches or 12.88 by 19.59 cm on 14 count fabric, and uses 14 colors.

Looking for something a little more realistic? Check out this set of four cactus in pots from Goffin Design (which I just profiled the other day). This one uses 20 colors and measures 207 by 108 stitches, which comes out to 4.79 by 7.71 inches or 37.56 by 19.59 cm on 14 count fabric.

Or if you really want a challenge, try this cactus collection from Patrones a Puntadas. This stunning realistic cactus cross stitch pattern uses a whopping 82 colors in 217 by 276 stitches. This would be a true labor of love for a dedicated stitcher who loves cacti, but how pretty it would be on your wall!

Christmas Cactus

Cute Little Cacti to Cross Stitch

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Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal.

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles.

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges.

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to.

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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