Author: ELeni

I love yarn and I love working with yarn. I especially love crochet and Tunisian crochet. Sometimes I test crochet patterns, sometimes I design something myself and sometimes I just make something nice for myself.

Again a bit off opic – My Detour in Stranded Knitting

In this post I share my first experiences with stranded colourwork and the challenges of knitting with two colours. After a lot of experimenting, I found a method that works well for me and makes knitting feel relaxed again. My Christmas stocking turned into a practice piece, but two Christmas baubles and a small new project came out of it.

My Progress in Colourwork

Last month I shared my excursion into knitting – more precisely into stranded colourwork, a technique that was completely new to me. I started practising it by knitting a Christmas stocking. If you missed that post, you can find it here.

Even back then I wasn’t sure whether the stocking would be finished in time for Christmas. I’m quite proud of how much it has grown since then – and yet I’ve decided not to finish it.

That may sound frustrating, but it really isn’t. By now, I truly enjoy knitting with two (or more) colours. Getting there, however, took some effort.

Learning Colourwork the Hard Way

I learned to knit decades ago, using the continental style. That means I usually hold the yarn in my left hand, wrapped once or twice around my forefinger. When it comes to knitting with two colours, there are countless ways to manage the yarn – and even more tutorials.

I watched many of them. And I tried many of them.

None of these techniques worked for me in the long run. Either I felt like I was about to break a finger, or after just a few stitches everything got hopelessly tangled and I had to stop and rearrange the strands. I found it exhausting – and I was close to giving up.

An Aha Moment

My turning point came almost by accident. While reading about colour dominance (a topic you inevitably encounter when dealing with colourwork), I watched a video by Arne & Carlos about tension. In that video I noticed how Arne knits with two colours.

I tried his way – and so far, it works surprisingly well for me.

I now knit with just one strand at a time, as I’m used to, and pick up or drop the second colour only when needed, usually with my right hand. It doesn’t feel slower at all. My tension isn’t perfect yet, but it’s much more even, my fingers no longer get tangled, and knitting feels relaxing again.

When Practice Shows

Of course, all that experimenting turned my Christmas stocking into a real practice piece – and unfortunately, it shows.

If you look closely, you can clearly see the improvement over time: the stitches in the later sections, starting after the first green part, are much more even than at the beginning.

That alone wouldn’t have bothered me too much. But I also discovered a few mistakes in the early part of the pattern. That was the deciding factor.

The stocking is a thing of the past.

From Stocking to Christmas Baubles

Instead, I knitted two Christmas baubles – and I love the result.

Like the stocking, the bauble pattern is by Arne & Carlos. It’s their 2021 design and includes a basic pattern for a Christmas bauble plus 24 different motifs. So far I’ve made two of them: motif #19 on the left and #24 on the right

A Small, Last-Minute Project

Besides that, I’ve just started a small project that might become a last-minute Christmas gift: a phone cozy.

The pattern comes from the book

SOXX Look by Stine & Stitch (Kerstin Balke),

a German pattern book featuring stranded colourwork designs for beanies, loops, socks and more. Unfortunately I’m not sure whether it’s available in English or outside Germany.

The phone cozy pattern has a short repeat, which makes it easy to adjust the width. It also includes instructions on which section to repeat if you need more length. With a bit of simple maths, it can even be adapted to make a tablet cover.

I‘m about half way done… Lovely, isn‘t it?

In case I got you inspired, here some links to

Patterns, Books & Videos That Inspired Me

Have a lovely time 💕

A bit off topic – my little excursion into knitting

A gentle dive into my renewed love for knitting — from experimenting with gradient squares to tackling my first Christmas stocking and discovering the joy of learning new techniques along the way.

It’s already mid-November – just a few weeks left until Christmas.

Honestly, I have no idea where this year has gone.

Much of my year was influenced by health issues with my eye. They often forced me to pause and to slow down.

Over the months, I collected several different diagnoses, and I’m now recovering from a stay in the hospital and eye surgery. Further treatment will accompany me for another three months, and a small hole in my retina will likely remain.

Still, I’m hopeful that by spring, with new glasses, I’ll be able to see reasonably well again.

As difficult as all of this sounds, it also allowed me to discover and learn completely new things.

I have developed a new fondness for audiobooks – very calming companions! And I learned that knitting is far less demanding on my eyes than crocheting. So I picked up my needles again and began searching for a suitable project.

Squares – this time knitted not crocheted

Some time ago, I ordered a beautiful gradient yarn from Wool Warehouse in the UK: Yarnsmiths Lagoon. I had originally planned to crochet a blanket made of differently sized squares, but I had never quite settled on a pattern that would do the colours justice. Now I wondered whether knitting might bring out the gradient even better.

I used to knit a lot – mostly socks and fine doilies, in a kind of lace knitting known as Kunststricken here in Germany. Back then, I mostly followed patterns, without thinking too much about the basic techniques. Only now did I realise how little I actually knew about increasing, decreasing, or constructing simple shapes like squares.

So I researched and experimented a bit … I finally decided on a relatively simple variant: diagonally knitted in garter stitch. I think this best shows the gradient of the yarn. Besides, knitting garter stitch is very relaxing for me.

Aren‘t these colours beautiful?

Along the way, my search for different techniques and tutorials took me in another direction: colourwork, especially stranded knitting. I’ve always wanted to try it, but I never have…

My first Christmas Stocking

I discovered – or better re-discovered – Arne & Carlos, two Norwegian textile designers. Their work is full of charm and tradition. Every year, they have new Christmas-themed designs: a Christmas stocking and 24 Julekuler (baubles).

Right now they’re hosting a mystery knit-along (KAL) for their 2025 stocking. If you enjoy knitting, the KAL is free – and it‘s still time to join. Just have a look at their site.

I did not join the KAL so far, but I treated myself to the pattern for their 2024 Christmas KAL, Jingle Bells Stocking. A lovely design!

Now I just hope my stocking will be finished in time for Christmas – there is much to learn! And my progress is very slow!

A Christmas Stocking is just a single sock ?

No! It‘s a completely new challenge!

The stocking is worked from toe to cuff, something I’ve never done before. I tried Judy’s Magic Cast On and the Turkish Cast On; after a bit of practice, both worked beautifully. But knitting the first rounds with only 16 stitches proved fiddly, so I ended up using a long cast-on and will close it later.

Next will be the heel, which is a so-called afterthought heel that is knitted in afterwards — another ‚first‘ for me.

In the meantime, I’m still experimenting with how to hold the yarns. I usually knit continental style, holding one strand of yarn in my left hand. Two strands, however, feel quite strange. Trying to keep both colours in position and not mix up the threads affects my tension. It becomes too loose.

A view inside


If, like me, you have never done colourwork knitting before, here you can see the little strands, called floats, that emerge when the unused yarn is carried. They need to be held at the correct tension – not too loose and not too tight.


So I tried a mixture of continental and English style: holding the main colour in my left hand and ‚throwing’ the contrasting colour with my right. Not my style either – my tension becomes too tight.

Well, it’s probably only a matter of practice.

Still, I’m quite pleased with the result so far. For a first attempt, it doesn’t look that bad at all.

So I’ll keep knitting a little each day — without pressure, just for the fun of it. Sometimes that’s exactly what a creative hobby should be!

Testing the Wheel of What Square by A Yarn of Serendipity

I had the pleasure of testing the Wheel of What Square by A Yarn of Serendipity – a beautifully textured Afghan block that’s easy to customize with colours and perfect for mix-and-match patchwork blankets.

A new design by Pam Knighton-Haener

A few months ago, back in August, I had the pleasure of testing another pattern for Pam Knighton-Haener of A Yarn of Serendipity. Pam has just released her beautiful new design: the Wheel of What Square.

The Wheel of What Square is another lovely Afghan block that perfectly complements all of Pam’s other designs. Like most of her squares, this one is designed in Aran / worsted weight yarn (#4). It measures about 11 or 12 inches, depending on whether a 4.5 mm or 5 mm crochet hook is used. All of Pam’s 11–12 inch squares share the same stitch count per side, so you can easily mix and match them to create a gorgeous patchwork blanket.

About the pattern

The pattern is rated as intermediate, but as always, Pam provides detailed, round-by-round photos that make it easy to follow along – even if you’re not an advanced crocheter.

Pam also includes two different colour versions in her pattern:

  • Version 1 uses four colours
  • Version 2 is worked in a single colour for a clean, classic look

My Test Version of the Wheel of What Square

For my test version I used Stylecraft Special DK from my stash and a 4 mm hook.

I opted for some light, summery colours.

As I used five colours in my version, it was difficult to stick to Pam’s original colour scheme.
As so often, I created my own combination – the one you can see on the left in the photo.

My finished square measures about 25 cm (10 in). It’s a little smaller than Pam’s sample simply because I used DK / light worsted yarn (#3), while she used Aran / worsted weight yarn (#4).

I‘m totally happy with how it turned out!

A Spark of Inspiration

I have to confess, after my square was finished and blocked, it was still lying on my desk for quite a while — I just didn’t get around to taking pictures. But seeing it every day sparked a new idea in my mind:

Every time I looked at it, I thought “This design would look amazing in Christmas colours!”

So of course, I had to try it!

My Wheel of What Christmas Version

For my Christmas version, I again used yarn from my stash – a mix of Stylecraft Special DK and Yarnsmiths Create DK, with the same 4 mm hook.

This time, I followed Pam’s Colourway 1, but replaced her shades with my own festive choices:

  • Colour A: 3090 Claret Red – Yarnsmiths Create DK
  • Colour B: 1824 Cypress – Stylecraft Special DK
  • Colour C: 3045 Off White – Yarnsmiths Create DK
  • Colour D: 1834 Lincoln – Stylecraft Special DK

And the result?

I absolutely love it!

The colours give the design such a warm and festive touch – perfect for the holiday season.

Final Thoughts

The Wheel of What Square is another beautifully written and well-thought-out design from Pam. It’s fun to crochet, looks amazing in any colour combination, and fits perfectly with her other squares.

If you’d like to try the Wheel of What Square yourself, you can find Pam’s pattern on Ravelry.

Falling for Crochet – My Autumn-Inspired Makes

Autumn has finally arrived, and nature is showing its most beautiful colours! 🍂 Inspired by the golden leaves outside, I crocheted some colourful decorations for my home – easy, fun and perfect for cosy autumn days.

Autumn has finally arrived in Germany. The temperatures have dropped, days get shorter and the trees have coloured their leaves in shades of yellow, orange and red.

I love this time of the year!

The beautiful colours of nature just have inspired me to make some autumn decorations. Just to bring a bit of autumn indoors.

At first I had the idea to browse Ravelry and look for some patterns there. Maybe little leaves or pumpkins. But then I remembered a book that I got a while ago: Crochet Collage Garden by Chris Norrington.

Do you know her work? She creates beautiful collages of flowers and leaves – all in crochet. You can find her under the name @chris.made.this on Instagram.

In 2023 she published a book with some of her beautiful collages. Of course there are corresponding patterns for each flower, each stem and each leaf. Both in written instructions and as a crochet diagram.

I assume the book is available in many places.

I bought my version – the Kindle edition – on Amazon.

As you may know, I prefer to work according to English pattern. So of course I got the English version. But there is also a German translation available, as well as many other languages.

As I said, I got this book a while ago. And although I have leafed through it many times, I have never found the time to work through it. Until now!

I didn’t even remember how many different leaves are in it!

Finally, I managed to crochet some of them!

My collection of leaves

Here’s an overview of the patterns I’ve made so far. However, there are still many in the book that are waiting to be reworked.

All of these leaves were quick and easy to make. However, I had to be quite careful: Since Chris lives in the UK, the book is written in UK terms. Personally, I’m more used to US terms. Therefore, I often had to think twice before crocheting a stitch. The diagrams were really helpful to me!

My yarn and colours

I used some yarn from my stash. A mixture of Limone from Schneller + Stahl and Catania from Schachenmayr. Both are 100 % mercerised cotton and have a yardage of 125 m / 50 g. I used a 2.5 mm hook for both.

A few autumnal impressions

Have you ever tried crocheting leaves or autumn decorations? I’d love to see your creations – feel free to share them in the comments or tag me on Instagram!

Have a lovely time 💕

Ein kleiner Nachtrag in meiner Muttersprache:

Der Herbst ist endlich da – und ich liebe diese gemütliche Jahreszeit! 🍂 Die bunten Blätter draußen haben mich inspiriert, ein paar kleine Häkelblätter und Dekorationen für mein Zuhause zu machen. Schnell gemacht, farbenfroh und einfach herbstlich schön – perfekt, um ein bisschen Gemütlichkeit ins Wohnzimmer zu zaubern. Das Buch, aus dem ich die Anleitungen für diese hübschen Blätter habe, gibt es auch in einer deutschen Übersetzung!

My Cozy Winter Blankets in Overlay Mosaic Crochet

Explore my overlay mosaic crochet winter blankets – patterns, yarn, and colourways to inspire your own cozy crochet creations.

Here in the northern hemisphere autumn is slowly setting in. The days are getting shorter and the evenings cooler. It feels like the perfect time to curl up with a cozy blanket and a hot cup of tea. With this in mind, I would like to show you some of the winter-themed blankets I’ve crocheted over the past few years.

Since 2021, I’ve had the joy of testing one of Ana’s (from One Skein of Love) beautiful winter designs each year. All were made using the overlay mosaic crochet technique.

Winter Wonderland (2021)

Winter Wonderland was my first winter blanket back in 2021.

I found inspiration for my colours in a mood board. It showed a (Swedish?) winter landscape with a red house.
Nevertheless, when I started crocheting, I had no clear idea of how I would arrange the colours. I chose them step by step as I went along. And I was very happy with the result in the end!

To my surprise (and of course delight), many crocheters ended up following my color scheme. I hadn’t expected that!

And Mary Maxim even created yarn packs not only in Ana’s original colours but also in mine. I still feel a little proud!

My Winter Wonderland Blanket –
with a colour palette of white, various shades of grey and a little red 

Materials used

For Winter Wonderland I used Stylecraft Special DK and a 4 mm hook. In total, I used something over 1,000 g of yarn.

The finished size of the blanket is 114 x 148 cm.


My colours are

  • 1001 – White
  • 1203 – Silver
  • 1099 – Grey
  • 1246 – Lipstick
  • 1063 – Graphite

My colour placement is listed in a downloadable PDF which you can find in this post.

The pattern is available through Ravelry.

Wintry Forest (2022)

In 2022, Ana released Wintry Forest. The pattern was originally designed for a blanket similar in size to Winter Wonderland. However, when I saw it, I immediately had the idea of turning it into a wall decoration instead. Therefore I worked the pattern only over one repeat and divided it in three parts.

I still remember what difficulties I had in putting together the colours. So many failed attempts … But again, in the end, I was very happy with the result.

My Wintry Forest wall decoration –
with a colour palette of creme, blue, grey and mocha

And my wall hangings also attracted a lot of attention and kind feedback:
In November 2022, they we’re featured in „Eye Candy: No Place Like Home“, an article on the Ravelry front page.

Another proud moment! It meant a lot to me!

Materials used

For the wall hangings, I chose a combination of Stylecraft Special DK (SSDK):and King Cole Comfort DK.

My colours are

  • 1005 – Cream, SSDK
  • 1728 – Stonewash, King Cole
  • 1099 – Grey, SSDK
  • 1064 – Mocha, SSDK
  • 1302 – Denim, SSDK

My colour placement is listed in a downloadable PDF wich you can find in this post.

The pattern is available through Ravelry.

Oh, and if you are interested in my colour-journey you will find some details here.

Magic Winter (2023)

Do you know those icy winter mornings, when the sun rises with a soft pink glow? On those days my grandma used to say, „The angles are baking in heaven“. That memory instantly came back to me when I saw Ana’s 2023 design. And I knew I wanted my blanket to capture that feeling.

My Magic Winter Blanket –
with a colour palette of white, grey and peach

Materials used

Again my blanket was made with Stylecraft Special DK and a 4.0 mm hook.

Then finished blanket measures about 121 x 146 cm and I again needed something over 1,000 g of yarn.

My colours are

  • 1001 – White
  • 1203 – Silver
  • 1836 – Vintage Peach

My colour placement is listed in a downloadable PDF which you can find in this post

The pattern is available through Ravelry.

Winter’s Love (2024)

And so far the last in my series of winter blankets is Winter’s Love from 2024.

When I saw the design for the first time, I could immediately imagine it in a classic, Nordic style. So I choose a classic red- and white palette. Though I can also imagine it looking beautiful in cream and taupe tones.

Working on this blanket was a little different for me, as I was struggling with eye health issues during that time (and I’m still receiving treatment …). But despite this challenges, I love this blanket no less.

My Winter‘s Love Blanket –
with a colour palette of white and red

Materials used

My Winter‘s Love is made with Yarnsmiths Create DK. It was the first time I had worked with this yarn, but certainly not the last!

The size of finished blanket is 120 x 150 cm, using a 4. 0 mm hook. I needed 10 balls / 1,000 g of yarn. I had almost nothing left. So, with a different tension, it could be tight.

My colours are

  • 3045 – Off White
  • 3090 – Claret Red

My colour placement is listed in a downloadable PDF which you can find in this post

The pattern is available through Ravelry.

For me, finishing a big crochet project is always a very special moment – do you feel the same?

I truly love each one of my blankets, and for me they all stand for warmth and comfort during the long, dark winter months.

I hope my winter blankets have inspired you as well! There’s still plenty of time before the season begins to create your own cosy piece.

Which colours would you choose for your winter blanket?

How I Organize My Crochet Projects with a Crochet Journal

Stay organized with a crochet journal! Track hooks, yarn, and progress while keeping all your crochet projects in one place.

The cover photo was created by WordPress AI

Effective Crochet Management: My Journey

I’m usually not a very organized person – sigh. And since I always need some variety, this definitely shows in my crochet projects. I often have several projects going at the same time.

Are you the same?

And do you always remember which hook or needle size you used for a special project, or which row or round you’re on? Well, I usually didn’t. When I came back to crochet I pretty quickly realized how important it is to keep track of my projects.

But it took some time until I discovered that a crochet journal (or crochet project tracker) can make all the difference.

Getting Started: My First Attempts to Organize Crochet Projects

At first – over 10 years ago – I simply noted the hook or needle size and the yarn used on my Ravelry project page. At this time I also used a printed copy of the pattern to make some notes. It worked quite well – for a while.

Over time, however, I printed fewer and fewer documents and switched more and more to my tablet. That’s when I started using a PDF reader – PDF Expert by Readdle. (I can definitely recommend it – in case you use Apple products)

From Ravelry to Digital Notes – My Early Crochet Tracking

My version of PDF Expert allows me to make marks and notes in a document. So, it was perfect to tick off the progress directly in a digital copy of the pattern. Or just make some short notes about the changes I made.

With PDF Expert, I also started to store all my purchased patterns in one place, in the cloud – including the ones from Ravelry. Believe me, it is much easier to find something when everything is together. My father always said that, and today I have to agree with him.

Why I Needed More Than Just Ravelry and a PDF App

When I started testing crochet patterns, however, that wasn’t enough anymore.

Testing isn’t just about recording your own progress. Sometimes you have to mark mistakes and note corrections. Besides it is helpful to keep track of details like yarn used, colours, or time spent. People love asking those things later when you show your finished work on social media!

For larger, more extensive projects, I also found it useful to record some basic information about the pattern. Such as assignment of colours, stitch counts, number of repeats or total yarn usage. Looking for that often meant scrolling back and forth or switching between documents. This was simply too time-consuming.

My Ravelry and my pdf app were no longer sufficient for this.

Pin it for later

The Start of My Own Crochet Journal

At first, I was looking for other apps that would allow me to record extensive notes on my projects. Unfortunately, none really met all my needs. The focus – at least at that time – was more on counting rows.

So I decided to create my own worksheet in Numbers (Excel or Google Sheets work just as well).

What to include in a crochet project tracker?

I took everything into account that was important to me:

  • Basic pattern information about
    • the designer and where I got the pattern
    • Special techniques that are used (such as overlay or inset mosaic, Tapestry or Tunisian crochet)
    • Wether the pattern is written in US or UK terms (very important)
    • Original yarn and colours used, including yarn amounts, hook size and gauge
    • Measurements like final size, stitch counts, number of repeats, rows or rounds in total
  • Information about my own, personal, version
    • Like, the yarn I used, including the hook size
    • Details about my colours
    • Finished meassurements
    • Yarn consumption
  • A sheet to take notes
  • And a sheet to document the progress of the project

Perfect! – It worked fantastic!

The only thing that bothered me was the constant switching between pdf (pattern) and spreadsheet (notes) to make the necessary entries – using the keyboard.

Using a keyboard feels kind of strange when you are crocheting …

Designing My Crochet Journal in Canva

Finally this led me to design a crochet journal in Canva (another one of my favorite apps).
I based it on all the contents that were already included in my Numbers worksheet.

I have also added a sheet for photos. And created a way to quickly sketch something. This visualisation often helps me to understand the instructions better, especially with complicated patterns.

And this is the result:

I exported the Canva file as pdf and saved it as a master. Now I just have to duplicate the file and rename it when I start a new project.

I love to scribble around in it with my pen and quickly jot something down. That feels much better than a keyboard- at least for me.

I use this journal whether I’m testing a pattern or just working on something for myself.

The file can, of course, also be printed out or imported into a notes app (if the app supports file imports).

Final Thoughts on Using a Crochet Journal

A crochet journal is the perfect way to organize crochet projects without feeling overwhelmed. I can note down the yarn, the hook size, my progress, and even add photos or sketches.

By consistently keeping notes, I can easily look things up later if a question comes up. I always know which yarn and colours I used and how much time I spent.

Tell me I’m not organized!

If you are interested in my journal you can download a copy here

Crochet Journal.pdfDownload

So, that’s my way of keeping my crochet projects under control. How do you keep track of yours?

Celebrate Granny Square Day 2025 with my new pattern – Simply Petals

Today is Granny Square Day! And, this year I thought about it in time!

I am a little proud! Normally it seems that I tend to completely forget about Granny Square Day, only remembering it when I see all the lovely posts on social media.

But this year I designed another small square especially for this day – just in time!

If you’re not familiar with the Granny Square Day— what it is, what it means, and its history, I made a quick Google search about it. Here is an extract from the Google AI summary:

„Granny Square Day is an annual, global celebration of the crochet granny square, held on August 15th. It’s a day where crocheters worldwide share their granny square creations online, particularly on Instagram, to form a virtual blanket. The event was started by Susan Regalia in 2014 and later taken over by Simply Crochet Magazine. It’s a chance to showcase creativity, connect with other crocheters, and contribute to a larger, collaboration.“ (copied from Google).

I’m excited to see what beautiful creations there are this year!

My contribution is

Simply Petals

a reminiscent of stylised flower petals. It is easy to crochet and perfect for a quick, fun project.

My samples are made with DK / light worsted yarn (#3) and a 4.0 mm hook. The finished squares measure about 10 cm (4 in).

I chose just two colours, but you can, of course, use as many as you like!

My colour combination:

# 1722 – Storm Blue and
# 1842 Spearmint
(both Stylecraft Special DK)

The pattern is written in US terms and uses mainly basic stitches: chain, single crochet, double crochet and treble crochet. In addition, it incorporates back post single crochet and front post treble crochet. This makes it perfect for those who enjoy crocheting but prefer patterns without too much complexity. I also think it’s ideal for adventurous beginners with a little experience.

Each square is worked in 5 rounds and has 15 stitches per side, making it easy to combine with a simple, plain square in double crochet.

I hope you like it as much as I do!
You can download the free pattern here

Simply PetalsDownload

And, since it is not included in the pattern, here a few tips for beginners:

  • Some of the chain spaces can be difficult to identify in the following round. So it can be helpful to mark at least some of them with a stitch marker. Here my tips
  • Round 2 – place a stitch marker in at least one of the chain spaces that is crocheted before a single crochet. This makes it easier to identify the starting point of round 3 and the placement of the first group of double crochet. (There is no need to mark the chain spaces besides the trebles as you won’t work in these later)
  • Round 3 – put at least a marker in a chain space worked directly after a front post treble. This will mark the start of round 4. Note: in round 4 you will be working in all chain spaces
  • Round 4 – I would suggest placing a stitch marker at least in the chain spaces before and after the single crochet that is worked into the front post treble. As in round 4, all chain spaces are worked in round 5
  • Depending on the yarn used and your personal tension the square might look a bit wonky at the end of round 3. Just smooth it a little with your fingers, the problem should be solved after round 4
  • You can find explanations of how to work all the stitches used here.

I am curious about all your creations with Simply Petals!
Please use #SimplyPetals if you share them on social media.

Have fun and happy hooking 💕

Discover the “Around the World Square” Afghan Pattern

Some weeks ago I had the pleasure to test another design by Pam Knighton-Haener from A Yarn of Serendipity.
The Around the World Square is another lovely Afghan square with an intermediate skill level. As almost always in Pam’s patterns there are also a few special stitches this time. But everything is well explained and there are plenty of detailed pictures to help. I therefore think that even an ambitious beginner can work the pattern.

The size and the number of stitches per side, of course, fit perfectly with Pam’s other squares.
The pattern is available on Ravelry, and if you hurry, you can still get a 30% discount until the end of July. The discount also applies to all other patterns by Pam. It’s worth a look!

For my version I used Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/6 from my stash.
It is 100 % cotton and has 105 m / 50 g (115 yards / 1.76 ounces).
Hobbii classifies it as a fine/sports weight yarn. I personally find it to be more on the thicker side, almost a DK weight. I have therefore mostly use a 3.75 or 4.0 mm hook to work with it. This time I decided on my 4.0 mm Clover Amour hook and I am happy with the result.

My finished square is about 26 cm (10.5 in)

These are my colours.

Unfortunately, by now, some of them are discontinued in the 8/6 quality.

Pam offers two different colour schemes in her pattern. One uses seven colours and the other uses five.

I decided on a version with 5 colours. At first, however, I wasn’t so sure whether my colours would really go together. That’s why I didn’t simply replace the colours of the five-colour version with my own. I have once again created my individual colour placement. Even though I had doubts at first, I think the colours match quite well.

I have listed my colour placement here.

And this is the result. I’m really happy with it!

Happy Circles II – A new pattern

YAY – my Happy Circles cushion cover is finally finished! – Okay, to be honest, it has been for over a week now.
Unfortunately, it took me a very long time to write the pattern. Like other countries in Europe, we had a terrible heatwave here. The temperatures climbed up to 40 degrees Celsius. And this was definitely too hot for my brain. I found it hard to concentrate on anything.

But now the time has come. Everything is written down and hopefully well explained!

You can download the free pattern here

If you have any questions about the pattern (or spot any mistakes), simply email me. You can either use the contact form or email me directly under hookedonhakelmaschen@gmail.com

The Design

The cushion cover is designed for a 50 x 50 cm (20 x 20 inch) cushion. The finished size is about 46 x 46 cm (18 x 18 in).
With the size I followed an advice I found on the internet. It said that to make a square cushion look nice and plump, the cover should be about 5 cm (2 in) smaller than the cushion.
At first I was unsure whether this would really work. And when I finally put the cushion into the cover to close the last seam, I was pretty sure at first that it had become too small. But everything turned out well in the end. I am totally happy with the result!

The front part of the cover is made up of 16 squares, arranged in a 4 x 4 layout. Each square measures about 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4 in).
For the back, I opted for a simple square. Mainly single-coloured, with a few small contrasts.

The size is easy to adjust by enlarging or reducing the border of the front piece. The rounds for the back must then of course be adjusted accordingly.

My Colours and Colour Placement

My colour choice was inspired by a cushion cover I got from IKEA some years ago.

I selected five colours from my Stylecraft Special DK stash focusing on yellow-green and blue-green tones.

Originally, I wanted to create a random colour scheme for the design again. This time, however, I failed with the use of the random generator. I didn’t like the results, so I worked out something of my own. The outcome is not really random, but has a similar effect. You can read all about it in one of my earlier posts.

Of course, you can also use different yarns and/or different colours. But please bear in mind that using a different yarn may affect the size of the finished cushion. It may also change the quantity of yarn required.

I am totally happy with the result! And I hope you like it just as much!

Related Posts

Happy Circles II – A Quick Update

Actually, I wanted to have finished my Happy Circles cushion cover a long time ago! But sometimes life turns out differently than you might think. 

Everything had started out so nicely …

End of May is my birthday, so we travelled to the Black Forest for about 10 days. Even though the weather wasn’t so good, we really enjoyed our time. I love the Black Forest, especially at this time of year! Due to the mountainous landscape and the altitude, there is relatively little agriculture but all the more livestock breeding with cows, sheep and goats. The meadows just bloom wonderfully at this time of year! We had beautiful long walks and a very relaxing time!

Here some

Holiday impressions

Of course, I also had my crochet stuff with me (and a little bit of knitting). But I have to admit that I didn’t get as far with it as I had intended.
Towards the end of the holiday I was kind of tired and at the same time my bones were aching … When we got home, I realised that I had contracted a COVID infection. Unfortunately, that put me out of action for another 10 days …

I’m starting to feel better now, even if my voice is still a bit raspy and I’m still coughing – at least my brain is working again!!

My crochet progress

Unfortunately there’s not much news to report about my cushion cover. Let alone a final photo and / or a pattern.

At least I have finished the front panel. All my squares are joined and I also added a small border.

still unblocked …

… the front side

The finished size of the panel is 46 x 46 cm (about 18 x 18 inch).
I would like to use the cover for a 50 x 50 cm (20 in) cushion. I read somewhere that the cover for a square cushion should be about 5 cm (2 in) smaller than the insert to ensure a nice fit. Until now, I have always made the cushion covers to fit exactly. I then often had the problem that they tended to look too big, especially at the corners. So I thought I’d give the smaller size a try. I only hope that it will work out well! Otherwise I will have to start over.

At the moment I’m working on the back. I opted for a simple square. Crocheted in rounds with double crochet. I still have two or three rounds to go, then the joining can begin.

Work in progress …

… the back side


I can’t wait to see how it turns out …

I hope to finish it in the course of next week. Then it’s time to write down the pattern!

Have a lovely weekend 💕

Edit 06.07.2025:
I’ve just stumbled over my notes: I was wrong about the size of the cushion cover. It should not be 10 % smaller as I had originally written, but 5 cm (2 in). I have just corrected this – sorry!