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.
I’m happy to finally be able to show you my version of the Mystified Square. It is the new design from Pam Knighton-Haener / A Yarn of Serendipity. The pattern has just been published. AND: it has been chosen by the Ravelry BAMCAL group as their block of the month for November.
Ravelry BAMCAL
Have you heard of BAMCAL on Ravelry? If not, BAMCAL stands for Block-A-Month Crochet-A-Long. This is a Crochet-Along organised every year by a special group on Ravelry.
The CAL runs throughout the year. Each month 3 different Afghan squares are featured. Two squares, a 6 inch and a 12 inch, are chosen by the mods. A third is chosen by the group members in a poll. All patterns are free – at least for the month they are chosen for. You can choose to do one or all of them – it’s up to you. At the end of the year you can combine all your squares into a blanket. Or make anything else you can think of.
I absolutely love this idea! Maybe I should join in next year?
Mystified Square – The Pattern
The Mystified Square is designed for Aran / worsted weight yarn (#4). But it will also work very well with other yarn weights. Of course, using a different yarn weight will affect the final size.
With worsted weight yarn, the finished square will be 11 or 12 inches (28 or 30,5 cm). This depends on whether a 4.5 or 5 mm crochet hook is used.
The pattern is classified as mid-intermediate. It uses various stitches, including some special ones. But no worries, they are all very well explained. And a picture tutorial helps with each round.
The design comes in two colourways, each with 5 different colours. Of course, you can also create your own colour scheme. I bet it would also look great in just one colour!
I already tested this pattern for Pam some weeks, or rather months, ago. I think it was in early August. Of course, everything had to be kept secret until the pattern was finally published. Hard time :-)
As always, I did not use the suggested Aran yarn. I still don’t like working with it and feel a bit uncomfortable using a 5 mm hook. So, this time I decided to use up some Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/6 (a #3 yarn) from my stash.
I used colourway 2, but replaced the colours as follows
Hobbi Rainbow Cotton 8/6 (50 g / 105 m)
A – 065, Apricot (discontinued?)
B – 73, Pearl Gray
C – 047, Dark Old Rose
D – 049, Peach (discontinued?)
E – 012, Volcano Gray
Unfortunately it looks like two of my colours are already discontinued. At least I couldn’t find them in the actual Hobbii shop.
I like the way the colours come together. I just noticed that they are a bit difficult to capture in a photograph. The Dark Old Rose in particular is a little reluctant to show its true beauty…
Using a 3,75 mm hook my square turned out to be about 25 cm / 10 inch.
I really enjoyed working on this pattern and am happy with the result!
Are you going to try the pattern? If so, have fun 💕
The result of my experiment with random colour placement
In the last few weeks I have been experimenting a bit with random colour placement.
I wanted to try if a random colour placement, generated by a list randomizer from the internet, really would work. And I was curious to see whether the result would look really good in the end.
I started my „experiment” by putting together 15 different colours – mostly leftovers. All 15 looked good together. However, I personally wouldn’t place some colours right next to each other. For example, Camel and Vintage Peach or Sage and Meadow.
For a first try, I crocheted some circles. Each one with 3 rounds and each of the three rounds in a different colour. To generate the random colour placement, I used the list randomizer on Random.org.
What can I say, I was absolutely happy with the first results!
In the end I had 25 colorful circles that I wanted to keep using. So I decided to turn them into squares and combine these into a wall decoration.
Colours, Colour Placement and Layout
The colours for the circles were picked from these 15 colours, all from Stylecraft Special DK. To square the circles I used Stylecraft Special DK in the colour 1063 Graphite.
This graph shows the colours I used for each circle. They are listed in the order for rounds 1, 2 and 3.
The chart also shows the layout I have chosen for my wall hanging.
The layout is also based on the random generator.
If you want to know how this works and what exactly I did, you can read about it here:
There are a couple of different ways to crochet circles and turn them into squares. I have tried several of them while I made my circles / squares. The way described below is what worked best for me. It is adopted from a method for crocheting circles that Polly Plum describes on her site. This gives the circles a very neat look. Another advantage is that you can easily crochet over most of the yarn ends. Simply start a new round at a position opposite the end of the previous round. You can crochet over the starting tail for half a round. Then, crochet over the tail from the previous round.
I started by making all 25 circles first. Each circle consists of 3 rounds in the colours A, B and C. A, B and C change for each circle, as shown in the layout chart above. Colour D – the colour to square the circles – stays the same throughout.
Round 1, Colour A Start with a Magic Ring, ch2 (counts as first dc) , 11 dc in the ring ; close the ring and slst loosely to the first dc; cut yarn [12 dc]
Round 2, Colour B attach yarn in any stitch, ch 2 (counts as first dc), dc in same st; *2 dc in next st **; repeat from * to ** around; slst loosely to the first dc; cut yarn [24 dc]
Round 3, Colour C attach yarn in any stitch, ch2 (counts as first dc), 1 dc in same st, 1 dc in next st; *2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next st**; repeat from * to ** around ; slst loosely to the first dc; cut yarn [36 dc]
Round 4, Colour D attach yarn in any st , ch 2, (1 dc, ch1, 2 dc) in same stitch; *1 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc, 2 hdc, 1 dc in the following 8 sts; (2 dc, ch1, 2 dc) in next st **; repeat from * to ** 3 times omitting the last corner sts; slst to first dc [per side: 6 dc, 4 hdc, 2 sc, 1 ch1-corner sp / 48 sts, 4 ch1-corner sps in total]
Round 5, Colour D Ch1 loosely (doesn’t count as a stitch) and hdc in same stitch (the one you slipped stitched in at the end of round 4); *(2 hdc, ch2, 2 hdc) in ch1-sp, hdc in next 12 sts **; repeat from * to ** 2 times; (2 hdc, ch2, 2 hdc) in next corner sp; hdc in next 11 sts; invisible join to the second hdc [per side: 16 hdc, 1 ch2-corner sp / 64 sts, 4 ch2-corner sps in total]
Using a 3,75 mm hook my squares are about 10 cm / 4 inch each.
Joining
Joining, em, yes … If you follow my blog, you know that I haven’t joined many squares so far. So I first had to find out what options are available, and tried several different joining techniques. In the end, I decided on a kind of slip stitch join. I’m not sure if there is a special name for it. I have seen this join in various places with sc, hdc, or even dc. I finally opted for a simple slip stitch. This produces a really nice flat ridge.
With this join, the actual stitch is only crocheted in one of the two squares to be connected. The opposite square is joined by pulling the loop through the corresponding opposite stitch. It may look a little complicated at first, but I’m sure you’ll find the rhythm after a few stitches.
I first worked the horizontal joins, afterwards the vertical joins. If you like to follow my joining method, here is what to do:
My joining method
First arrange the first two rows of squares according to your planned layout. The right sides of the squares should be facing you. The join is only worked through the back loops (the inner loops). The hook is always inserted from top to bottom (from the right side of the square to the wrong side).
This graph helps to visualize what square I am talking about in the next.
Tip: Make sure not to twist the squares while connecting them. It is helpful to use a locking stitch marker especially when joining the first two rows of squares. This helps to hold them together. And take care to work the join not too tight. Best is to go up a hook size. I used a 4.5 mm crochet hook for mine.
Horizontal join
Referring to the graph above: Work from right to left (provided you are right-handed, like me). Start with joining square F to square A, square G to square B and so on.
First joining row
Begin with square F. Start with a slip knot on the hook. Insert the hook in the chain next to the first hdc of square F. Work the first slip stitch on square F. Remove the hook from the loop. Insert the hook in the corresponding chain of square A, grab the loop and pull it through.
Leave the loop on the hook and work a slip stitch through the first hdc of square F. Connect to square A by pulling the loop through the corresponding stitch of square A, like described above.
Continue until you reach the corner spaces of squares F and A. Work a slip stitch / „pull through“ in the first chain of the ch2-corner spaces.
Move on to squares G and B. Start in the second chain of the corner space. Work the same steps as above.
Repeat these steps until all squares of this row are joined, fasten off.
Second, third and fourth joining row
For the second horizontal join start with connecting square K to square F, square L to square G and so on – work the same steps as above
repeat the same steps for the third and fourth horizontal join
Vertical join
For the vertical join repeat the same steps as before, also working from right to left. I started with joining square V to square U. At the transition from two squares to the next two squares, simply work over the existing horizontal join.
Work away all tails.
Border
Round 1, Colour D Start with a standing stitch in any corner sp *(Sc, ch2, sc) in corner sp; BLsc in next 16 sts; 1 hdc in corner sp, skip join; [1 hdc in corner sp; BLsc in next 16 sts; 1 hdc in corner sp, skip join] 3 times; BLsc in next 16 sts **; repeat from* to ** 3 more times, slst to the first sc [per side: 82 sc, 8 hdc, 1 ch2-corner sp / 360 sts, 4 ch2-corner sps in total]
Round 2, Colour D ch 1, *3 sc in corner-sp, BLsc across to next corner sp **; repeat from * 3 more times, slst in BL of first sc [per side: 93 sc / 372 sts in total]
Round 3, Colour D Slip stitch in back loop of each stitch around [372 sts in total] fasten off and work away the tails
Abbreviations (US terms)
slst – slip stitch
ch – chain
sc – single crochet
hdc – half double crochet
dc – double crochet
BL – back loop
BLsc – back loop single crochet
sp(s) – space(s)
st(s) – stitch(es)
* … ** – marks a repeat
[… ] – repeat instructions as many times as specified
For an explanation on how to work these stitches have a look here
Finishing
So far all my crocheted wall hangings a made from patterns using Overlay Mosaic. This technique gives the panel a bit of weight. The dropped down dc practically double every row. Additionally, the double border adds some weight and you can also easily stabilise the panel with rods. So it’s no problem to hang it up nice and straight.
That’s exactly what I missed when I was thinking about mounting my new panel! Using an Acrylic yarn made it very light weight and I was afraid that it might not hang straight.
So, I got myself some felt – 4 mm thick and anthracite-coloured. I cut this to size and pinned my panel in place. I let the felt overlap a few cm at the top edge. This was later used to create a tunnel for the mounting. I sewed the panel in place along the edges using a running stitch.
Now that I’ve finished, I think the panel could also have been sewn on with a sewing machine. But, I hadn’t worked with felt of this thickness before, so I just didn’t dare. Especially as I was so short on felt that I didn’t have a test piece. Lessons learnt!
After sewing, I folded the upper overhang of the felt back at the edge. I fixed it on the backside with some suitable glue. This created a tunnel through which I can push the rod for hanging. Finished!
My panel measures about 52 x 52 cm / 20 1/2 inch.
In my living room
I think I will make another one. Same colours, different placement. And of course I will use the randomizer again for the placement of the colours and for the layout. I am already curious how it will look like!
Finally I can show you a square that I made some weeks ago.
In August I had the pleasure to test another one of Pam’s lovely designs: Tied Up with a Bow. She now released the pattern and it’s available on Ravelry and in all her other shops.
In case you don‘t know Pam yet: Pam Knighton-Haener is an American designer and the person behind A Yarn of Serendipity. Most of the beautiful Afghan squares you can find here on my blog are designed by here.
The original pattern is made with Aran / worsted weight yarn. The final size will be 11 or 12 inch, depending on the hook size you use. The skill level is mid intermediate.
As with all of Pam’s designs, many different stitches are used. Of course everything is explained in detail and there are clear pictures for each round! And of course the final size and the final number of stitches per side match all the other squares Pam has designed.
Talking about the pictures: Especially for the modified star stitch I found them very helpful! For this special stitch, it was much easier for me to work from the pictures than from the written instructions. However, that may be just personal.
My test version
During the test I made a version with Drops Safran, a sport weight yarn that has a yardage of 160 m / 50 g. Usually I use a 2,75 mm hook when working with this yarn, but this time I didn’t feel comfortable and switched to a 3 mm hook.
I had actually chosen 5 colours for this design. For some reason I couldn’t find a matching spot for two shades of green I had chosen, so in the end I only used 3 of my colours
71 – Marzipan 22 – Light Brown 28 – Orange
Can you see the little bows?
My colour placement
My finished square measures about 22 cm / 8 1/2 inch. I have to admit that using a 3 mm hook made it a bit loose.
My second version
After testing, I just had to make a second version. I lately fell in love with the colour Lincoln from Stylecraft Special DK. I have had two balls in my stash for ages but have never used them. Inspired by Pam’s single coloured version, I thought that the Tied Up with a Bow square would certainly look nice in this colour too. I didn‘t get disappointed …
For this version I used Stylecraft Special DK in the colour 1834 – Lincoln. Only round 11 is made with colour 1822 – Pistachio.
I used a 4 mm hook and the final square is about 26 cm / 10 inch. I am absolutely happy with the result!
About three weeks ago (3 weeks already??) I told you about my experiment with random colour placement.
Originally, I had no particular purpose in mind when I started this journey. I had read about random colour placement and wanted to give it a try – that’s all.
But to be honest, I had my doubts. I had put together 15 colours. They all matched somehow, but there were still colours among them that I personally wouldn’t place next to each other. Raspberry, Duck Egg and Meadow for example is a combination that I would never have chosen myself. So, looking at the colour combinations the random generator gave me, I couldn’t imagine to get nice results. But after I had finished the first three or four circles, I was so amazed at the result that I really wanted to try out all the combinations. In the end I had 25 colourful circles. I turned them into small squares because I wanted to make something out of them.
In case you missed my previous post, you can read about it here. There you will also find details about the Numbers spreadsheet I am talking about below, the colours and randomizer I used, and so on.
I finally decided to make a small wall hanging out of the squares. I plan to arrange them in a 5 x 5 layout. Each square is about 10 x 10 cm, so that will make a panel of about 50 x 50 cm.
In the last few weeks, however, I have not been as fit as I would have liked to be. I have a pretty persistent cold that gets better from time to time but doesn’t quite go away. So, besides testing a beautiful square for Pam and checking and translating the final patterns for Ana’s Fall Sweet Fall Cal I didn’t have much time and energy to work any further on the hanging. But at least I’ve managed to decided on a layout!
What about a Random Layout?
When I tried to arrange my squares in my 5 x 5 grid I didn’t really know where and how to start.
I usually have difficulties with such things. I’m hardly able to make it look random. I orientate myself far too much on what I think looks good together. So I end up with areas that look absolutely great, but also a rest that doesn’t fit together at all. Do you know what I mean?
That’s why I wondered if something like the random colour placement would also work for a layout. Could it work to arrange the squares in a random order instead of following some kind of „pattern”? It was at least worth a try!
So, again I tried the list randomizer from random.org and had a final layout in just a few steps:
1. Numbering my squares
Firstly, I assigned each square a number from 1 – 25. This was just to make the entries in the randomizer a little easier. I didn’t have to type in all the colour combinations but only numbers.
I simply used my Numbers spreadsheet for this. I had created this table when listing the colour combinations. It therefore had no particular order, but was listed in the order in which the results came from the random generator. I have simply numbered these entries from 1-25.
2. Drawing a layout grid
Secondly I created a grid showing my 5 x 5 layout and numbered the boxes from 1 to 25 as well. This served to clearly identify the location of my squares later on. My grid is shown in the picture above.
You can just draw something like this on a sheet of paper. Or, if you are – more like me – the No-Paper-Type you can use Excel or Numbers. If you want to have square boxes, simply reduce the column width a little and increase the row height.
3. Randomisation
Afterwards I entered my numbers from 1-25 into the list randomizer. If you use random.org, you can either make your entries directly on their website or copy them from an existing list in Excel, Numbers, Word, Pages, etc.
Then just hit the button „Randomize”. Wait a moment. Copy the result back to your Excel, Numbers, Word, Pages or whatever. That’s all!
As I have seen, there are also other tools that have a random generator. These, of course, may work differently.
4. Arranging the squares
The result the randomizer gave me was – surprise – a list of the 25 numbers in random order: 19, 7, 13, 24, 4, 12 …
I arranged my squares exactly in this order.
I picked square #19 (from my list I knew it had the colour combination Storm Blue, Vintage Peach, Sage) and, following my layout grid, put it on place #1. Square # 7 (Pale Rose, Raspberry, Buttermilk) moved on place # 2, and so on …
Here is the result:
Random Layout
Left side the layout grid with the numbers in the order the randomizer gave me. And right side the corresponding squares.
Not bad, is it?
5. Changes
I only made 3 changes by switching some of the squares to make the colour arrangement a bit more balanced. And voilà …
Changes and final layout grid
Left side the changes I made and right side the final layout grid.
My final Layout
My final layout
Colour Details
For all those who are interested, I have listed all the colour combinations and the corresponding layout:
All colours are from Stylecraft Special DK. For squaring the circles I used the colour Graphit.
My Conclusion
Even though I initially had my doubts, a colour combination created with a random generator works surprisingly well.
It is definitely a great way to arrange colours in simpler shapes, such as Granny squares, Triangles, Hexagons. Shapes, which you want to highlight the colours more than the stitches.
Presumably this method cannot be used for every design. I could imagine that it might not work so well with detailed and structured patterns. Afghan squares or blankets where the colours serve to highlight the design. However, I haven’t tried it yet.
And random placement of different squares etc. works great as well. At least it gives you a good basis on which you can continue to work.
And, the best thing is, if you really don’t like something, you don’t have to use it. And you can make changes at any time.
In any case, the randomizer helped me a lot and was a great support. I will definitely use it again!
The only thing I would perhaps change: For a layout, I wouldn’t number my squares (only) in an Excel or Numbers table. I would simply pin small pieces of paper (in this case: yes!) with the corresponding numbers on them. That probably makes the subsequent sorting a lot easier. Unfortunately, I only came up with this idea afterwards. My snuffy head was probably to blame :).
See you soon, hopefully with some further progress on my wall hanging 💕
Experimenting with Random Colour Combinations in Crochet
Lately I’ve been having incredible difficulties putting together the colours for a project. Ok, that’s never really been easy for me. But I’ve never found it as difficult as at the moment. I thought about making a new Gretchen but I am not even able to find two colours that would work together ant that I like. It feels like I’ve already used every colour combination before – I can’t think of anything new. Maybe I just need to step out of my comfort zone and opt for colours I don’t normally use? Yes, maybe, but that’s really difficult!
Anyway, this gave me the idea to experiment a bit with colours and try something I’ve wanted to try for a long time
Random colour placement
I’ve read about it several times, but I’ve never gone into it in depth.
If you crochet simple shapes – such as grannies, circles or triangles and so on – and work with a lot of colours, there are countless ways to arrange these colours. And – you have probably noticed that too – you can achieve different effects with the arrangement of the colours. In my eyes a colourful granny blanket, for instance, looks best, when the colours are randomly put together. But how to achieve this?
To obtain random colour combinations, you can of course first list all possible combinations of the colours you are going to use. The easiest and best way to do this is probably with an Excel, Numbers, or Google spreadsheet. But I am afraid this can also get complicated. For instance: assuming you make a motif with 3 rounds, each round in a different colour (which should only appear once), and you use 5 colours, then there are already 60 possible colour combinations. The more colours and/or rounds, the more complicated the list becomes.
I haven’t tried this yet, so it’s just theory. But beyond that, I wonder what would happen if I couldn’t use all the colour combinations for my project. I would probably choose the ones I like best. Would that influence the overall impression?
However, I wanted to try something different for a random colour combination. I had read about a website that has a random number generator: random.org. They offer different services, including a list randomizer.
For my colour experiment I had thought about crocheting circles. Each circle with 3 rounds in different colours.
My colours and the random outcome
I picked up some of my little balls of leftover yarns and added some colours from my stash that I had never used so far, such as Stone, Camel, Lincoln and Violet. In the end I had these 15 colours that I thought might look good together.
All colours Stylecraft Special DK
I listed all colours in a Numbers spreadsheet (shown in the picture below, first column). Then I copied this list to the list randomizer in random.org.
After hitting the button ‘Randomize’ I had the first result in no time – all my colours listed in a random order. I copied this result back to my Numbers sheet, filling the column for Round 1 (see picture below).
Hitting the button ‘Again!’ in the randomizer and gave me another random list of my 15 colours. I copied this result back to my Numbers table filling the column for round 2.
Then I repeated this step once more to get the colours for round 3.
This way I got 15 unique colour combinations.
Unfortunately I had to realise that, based on the result, some colours would appear twice in one motif. Since I didn’t want this to happen, I repeated the steps described above a fourth time and entered the result in the ‘Substitution’ column. Now I was able to replace the duplicate colour with the substitution colour. For example: instead of Storm Blue, Violet, Violet I used Storm Blue, Violet, Raspberry.
My Numbers Spreadsheet
When crocheting, I strictly followed my list and this is the surprising result:
To be honest, I was VERY surprised at the result. There are colour combinations that I would never have put together myself. Nevertheless, I think every single one looks absolutely beautiful!
Afterwards I repeated my random selection – same steps as described above – and crocheted another 10 circles. You can see the result in the cover photo above. Here, too, I was not disappointed by a single one!!
My 25 circles are meanwhile all turned into squares. I used Stylecraft Special DK in Graphit as I thought a dark colour would showcase the colourful circles best.
Yep – a lot of tails to work away, but all done! My squares could do with a bit of blocking though. But so far I am very happy with my experiment!
Now I will have to think about the best way to join them AND what to do with them once they are joined. I can imagine either a wall hanging or a cushion cover. I’m not sure yet …
Anyway, I will let you know. And of course I will provide some information on how I made the circles / squares and what my layout looks like!
Some days ago, on Wednesday, it was Granny Square Day. Em …, I can’t believe it, but I missed it completely!
Blame it on the heat, or the summer flu I’m suffering from at the moment and that is making me very tired, or whatever … I don’t know!
However. Lately I’ve been experimenting a bit with colours and colour combinations using circles and Granny Squares. In this process, I also created a little Granny. So, to honour Granny Square Day, too late or not, I thought I’d share the pattern with you.
Nothing big, but quite nice, I think.
Just a Granny
“Just a Granny” is a four round Granny Square and measures about 10 cm / 4 inch- if made with a #3 (DK / worsted weight) yarn.
I made my version using only two colours as I think it shows the pattern best. Of course you can also use more colours or a different yarn. Using a different yarn though might affect the size of the square.
The Granny requires only a small amount of yarn and I used some leftovers from my stash. For both I used Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/6. It is 100 % Cotton and has a yardage of 105 m / 50 g. I find it best to work with a 3,75 mm hook.
I made two colour variants. The first one is made with
# 49 – Peach
# 47 – Dark Old Rose
… and the second one uses
# 65 – Apricot
# 12 – Volcano Gray
Apricot and Volcano Gray is one of my favourite colour combinations. Unfortunately it looks like #65 Apricot is discontinued, at least in the 8/6 quality.
The Pattern
Like a regular granny, the pattern mostly uses double crochet, but also includes extended treble crochet, double treble crochet, and shallow back post double crochet (all US terms). Due to these special stitches I have categorised the pattern as „beginning intermediate”. But since it is only a few stitches and rows, I think that even an adventurous beginner can do it. Of course, the placement of the stitches is explained in the pattern. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
In case you’ve never heard about a shallow back post double crochet: it is more or less worked in the same way as a normal bpdc. Only the placement of the stitch is a bit different which makes it a bit less textured. The pattern includes a link to a helpful video on how to do this stitch (made not by me but by Tamara Kelly from Moogly).
In July Ana from One Skein of Love released a new pattern: Popping Hearts. She designed it for Hobbii as a Hobbii Plus (paid) pattern.
In case you don’t know Hobbii yet: Hobbii is a shop for yarn and crafting supplies that is located in Denmark. They sell online but they also have at least two or three retail outlets in the very north of Germany. Maybe in other countries too? I don‘t know.
Ana’s Design
The Popping Hearts blanket is made in overlay mosaic technique. But it is not worked in rows, as you may be familiar with, it consists of single squares that are joined together. So it is a great project to work on in the summer! And it’s easy to carry with you to the park or the beach …
The squares are worked in the round using two colours. The colour is changed after every round but the yarn is not cut. It is simply carried along – which of course minimises the number of loose ends!
Ana used Hobbii Fluffy Day for her blanket. Fluffy Day is an acrylic yarn that is available in many beautiful colours. Her blanket consists of 5 x 5 squares and measures approx. 110 x 110 cm. The size of the blanket can easily be changed by using more or fewer squares. The same applies to the shape of the blanket.
And of course you can also play with colour. Ana has used the same colour combination for all the squares. But you can also swap the colours for every second square or make a kind of patchwork blanket with lots of different colours. It’s up to you!
Photo credit: Ana Morais Soares / One Skein of Love
The pattern is available on the Hobbii website and in Ana‘s shops.
My Challenge
During the Popping Hearts test phase I was busy with other things and couldn’t bring myself to crochet a blanket or even make a small sample on the side. So I helped with proofreading the pattern and some technical editing: checking and comparing the written texts with the charts, checking colours, abbreviations, stitch counts and so on.
When it came to translating the pattern into German, however, I had a few challenges at first. Personally, I find it much easier to work according to English instructions. I find them much clearer and more concise. In German, it often sounds quite cumbersome to me. So when I work according to an English pattern, I don’t translate it into German in my mind, but think in English. Unfortunately, this sometimes makes it a little more difficult when I’m working on a translation into German for Ana.
The construction of the Popping Hearts pattern is slightly different from the normal overlay mosaic worked in rows, so of course it also uses some different terms. No idea why, although I know the German crochet terms I just couldn’t remember some less common German expressions. I had difficulty translating a particular term Ana used, even though I knew there was an equivalent in German. At this point, I had the idea to grab my hook and start crocheting. It’s amazing how a brain works in the background. Although I didn’t think in German terms when crocheting here either, it helped me and I suddenly had the German translation. Well, this is how my square was created … I’m pleased with the result – with the translation as well as with my square.
My Popping Hearts Square
For my sample I used Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/6 and a 3,75 mm hook.
My colours are
C1 – #25, Pastel Mint C2 – #02, Natural White
As I only made a single square, I reduced the border a little and crocheted only two rounds. I used rounds 1 and 2 of Ana‘s border: round 1 in White and round 2 in Mint.
My finished square measures about 19 x 19 cm.
I often use these squares in my bedroom as a pad for my mobile phone or to place rings and bracelets on. Maybe I should make another one in reversed colours? Hm …
And finally, a note on the German translation: on the German Hobbii website, there is also a German version of the pattern available. However, this has been created by Hobbii and not by me. Just to prevent any confusion.
Finally I managed to write down the two missing patterns for my Tunisian phone cozies. Yes, I know, it took some time…
But all are now ready – YAY!
These little bags were created when I was experimenting a bit with different techniques in Tunisian crochet. In case you just started with Tunisian crochet they are great to practice some new techniques and / or stitches. Or perhaps they will inspire you to make something beautiful yourself in Tunisian crochet.
My little pouches are made for an iPhone 14 Pro and measure about 9,5 x 17 cm. However, the size is easy to adjust for all 4 patterns. I used Stylecraft Special DK in different colours and a 4,5 mm Tunisian hook. You will need about 20 – 25 g of yarn for one pouch, so the patterns are also great to use up some left overs.
If you need some help or refreshment with the basics of Tunisian crochet you can find all the information here.
The special stitches that are used are explained in the respective pattern. Informations about the different methods used to change colours and decreasing stitches can be found here.
Please note: the patterns are not tested yet. So, if you find any mistakes or have any question, please don‘t hesitate to contact me.
Phone Cozy # 1
The first one is the easiest one and was already featured in a previous post.
It is made only with Tunisian simple stitch and decorated by weaving in some colourful threads.
Easy to make but great effect as I think.
Phone Cozy #2
The pattern for the second one was also already published.
This pattern uses
Tunisian simple stitch and Tunisian front post double crochet
the colour is changed in every row, always at the end of the return pass
and it has a straight flap.
Phone Cozy #3
Number 3 is my personal favorite! I love the woven and rustic look and the slanted flap!
The pattern uses
Tunisian Simple stitch
decreasing a stitch on the left edge (for the flap)
colour change at the beginning of the return pass
The first one I made – shown in the photo above – is in the colours Grey and Parchment. The second one is made in a combination of Grey and Grape.
Except for pattern #2, I didn’t go into detail about how I made the eyelets to close the pouches. Closing the bags really is an optional thing and not necessarily needed.
The size and position of the eyelet naturally will depend on the size and position of the button. So, here just some pictures of what I did.
But there are of course other possible methods of closing them – maybe just straps or press studs?
Used techniques
For these patterns I used the following techniques
colour Change at the left edge
colour Change right edge
decreasing left edge
decreasing right edge
You will find detailed information on how to work them here.
That‘s all for today. Hope you got some inspiration!
I finally managed to write down the pattern for my second phone pouch made in Tunisian crochet.
It is a bit more advanced than the first one as two colours are used. Yet, I think it is still an easy one that can be made by a beginner. If you have already mastered the Tunisian Simple Stitch, it is a great way to get to know a new stitch and to practice a way of changing colours in Tunisian crochet.
The Pattern
The pattern is based on a common Tunisian stitch pattern called Brick or Grid stitch.
This stitch is usually worked in two colours to enhance the visual effect. But I have also seen it made in a single colour, which shows off the texture well. It is made in a combination of Tunisian Simple Stitch and Tunisian Front Post Double Crochet which is also used in Tunisian mosaic crochet.
Both, the Tunisian Front Post Double Crochet and the colour change are explained in the pattern. For the basics in Tunisian crochet just have a look here.
Again my phone cover is made for an iPhone 14 Pro. Worked with Stylecraft Special DK and a 4,5 mm Tunisian crochet hook my cover measures about 9,5 x 17 cm.
The pattern is a 4 row repeat and works in multiples of 4 stitches plus 1. So I think the size should be easy to adjust by adding or decreasing repeats and / or rows.
There is only a little sewing as it is made in one piece. Just the bottom and the sides are to be joined.
I have fitted my little pouch with a flap. But of course you can leave that off if you prefer. In that case just bind off the complete row 23 – or whenever you have reached the desired length.
Sewing on and closing with buttons is also optional.
I had only a little curl on my flap and after adding the small border and smoothing it a bit with my fingers it lay absolutely flat.
I just thought it would look nice with some buttons.
Yarn
And finally, some information about the yarn. As said before I used Stylecraft Special DK. My colours are Grey and Buttermilk. A combination that I wanted to try for a LONG time. I am absolutely pleased with the result and think they go together very well! Even though the colours are a little difficult to capture in photos – well …
I bet other colour combinations will look great too! They just should have a bit contrast. And of course any other yarn will work as well.
Unfortunately I didn’t pay attention on my yarn consumption. I only can tell that I needed a bit over 20 g. So it will be great to use up some leftovers.
If you like this little cozy you can download the pattern here.
As you may know, I’ve been experimenting a bit with Tunisian crochet lately.
I have mastered the basic stitches in Tunisian crochet for a long time and years ago I have also crocheted several patterns. But I never worked Tunisian crochet using two different colours or tried Tunisian mosaic crochet. I have also never looked into the possibilities of decorating a finished piece with cross stitch or weaving. And, besides a kind of ‚join as you go‘-method, I‘ve never joined pieces made with Tunisian crochet. So really time for me to experiment a bit!
The results are 4 different mobile phone covers for my iPhone that I would like to show you here. I will write down the patterns one by one, so that you can make one for yourself if you like.
In case you have never done Tunisian crochet before (or need a refresher), you can find the basics of this technique here.
Tunisian Mobile Cozy I
The first one is a really simple one and absolutely beginner friendly. It is more or less just made from a rectangle made with Tunisian Simple Stitch. No changing colors, no decreases, just some basics. So it’s a great starter piece!
My cozy – made for an iPhone 14 Pro – measures about 9,5 x 16 cm. If you need a different size, the pattern is easy to adjust.
If you are new to Tunisian crochet, please take a look at the detailed explanations first:
Small amount of Stylecraft Special DK, colour 1005 Cream
some leftover yarns in different colours
4,5 mm Tunisian crochet hook
scissors
yarn needle
If you decide to use a different yarn or if you want your phone cover to be a different size, you will have to make a few adjustments:
you will probably have to adjust the number of chains you cast on. My phone is 7, 2 cm wide and 0,8 cm heigh. I made my chain about 9,5 cm long which is equal to: 1 times the width of my phone plus 2 times the height plus 0,5 cm (7,2 + 1,6 + 0,5 cm). The 0,5 cm are just to give it a bit ‚room‘ for joining.
you will probably also have to adjust the number of rows you work. You can easily measure this while working, your crochet piece should have twice the length of your phone. Just wrap it around your phone from time to time and you will know when you have to stop.
Stitches / Abbreviations
FwP
Forward Pass
RtP
Return Pass
TSS
Tunisian Simple Stitch Insert hook from right to left under front vertical bar of the next stitch, pull up a loop and keep it on the hook
yo
yarn over
Pattern
Foundation / Row 1
Cast on 16 chains loosely
FwP: Start in the 2nd chain from hook and pick up a loop from the back bar of every chain – 16 loops on hook
RtP: don’t turn your work, just work from left to right now yo and pull through the 1st loop on the hook, *yo and pull through the next 2 loops on hook, repeat from * until there is only 1 loop on hook
Row 2
FwP: working from right to left, skip first vertical bar, 14 TSS, work end stitch (16 loops on hook)
RtP: work Standard Return Pass like explained above
Row 3 – 43
repeat row 2
Bind off
My rectangle measured about 9,5 cm in width and 32 cm in length.
Decorating
Now you can start decorating your cozy by „weaving“ different yarns under the vertical bars of the Tunisian Simple Stitches. If you like to do it similar to mine, here is what I’ve done:
I used some left over yarns from King Cole Comfort DK in the colour 1729, Glacier and Stylecraft Special DK in 1390, Clematis and 1064, Mocha.
I started in row 23, counted bottom up. (If you are unsure how to count the rows, this picture will help.)
Thread a needle and bring the yarn up under the horizontal bar of the last stitch (end stitch) on the left side (pic 1). Weave the yarn under the front vertical bar of the next stitch in the same row. Then go up a diagonal line, always going one stitch to the right and one row to the top (pic 2) until you reach the right edge (pic 3). Continue doing the same with the next thread, starting in the same row but one stitch to the right (pic 4). Gently sew away the loose yarn ends on the back.
Finishing
I simply joined the edges with a row of slip stitches. I used my main colour, so my stitches are nearly invisible. But it also can be a nice effect to use a contrasting colour. Just fold the rectangle to the half. If you did 43 rows the middle will be row 22. Grab both loops of the first / last stitch of rows 21 and 23 and start with your first slip stitch. (Row 22 stays unworked.) . Go up the edge until the last stitches are joined. Finish off and work away the tails. Do the same on the other side. Finished!
Hooked on Häkelmaschen 