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.
It looks like Granny Square Day has become a kind of tradition in the crochet world. Since 2014, every year on 15. August, people from all over the world post their (Granny) squares on social media, mainly on Instagram. The original idea was, that all the squares together on IG would look like a colourful Granny Square blanket. Just search for the hashtag #grannysquareday2023 and you will see what I mean.
Last year I posted Ana‘s Sweet Marigold Square. She designed it especially for the Granny Square Day and I had the pleasure to test the pattern. This year I decided to show one of my own designs.
One of my own designs sounds a bit like having a huge pool of designs to choose from – he, he. In fact, I don‘t! Sometimes it just comes over me and then I grab my yarn and hook and start combining stitches … I am still learning … Sometimes something emerges that I like and perhaps develop further. Sometimes I just discard everything …
This is how the small square here was “born”. Something I like and thought I could at least show on Granny Square Day. ( It is based on my very first square that I designed over a year ago, but never showed anywhere. )
So far it doesn’t have a name – and no finished pattern, only my notes. I do not yet know exactly what I will do with it. It’s a 6″ square, maybe I’ll develop it further into an 11″ or 12” square? And combine both, the small and the big one to … ??? We will see!
First I need to write down the pattern properly and maybe take some detailed photos. And think about a name! So there is still a lot to do.
My sample is made with Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/6, a DK or Light worsted yarn. Colours are Jeans Blue (#29), Light Jeans Blue (#28) and Pearl Gray (#73).
Unfortunately, I still don’t spend much time crocheting – most of the time I sit at the computer or tablet.
During the last weeks I have translated Ana’s Go with the Flow pattern, did some kind of tech editing on another pattern . Besides I wrote down a pattern for a shawl I made for myself some time ago. The pattern is currently in the testing phase and of course I will present it here as soon as it is ready.
And every spare minute – and I definitely have too little of that – I am sorting through my old photos and revising some of the older blog posts here.
When I started with this blog I didn’t think of putting a watermark on my photos. From a legal point of view, watermarks are not really necessary, because every photo I have taken belongs to me and I have all the rights to it. No one may publish it without my permission!
Unfortunately, some of my photos have already been found on other, sometimes dubious, websites where people try to earn money with patterns that are not theirs. This is so annoying, especially for the designers concerned!! I know that a watermark on the photos won’t save me from that in the future either. But it makes it easier to prove and I just feel safer doing it. Especially as some of my photos – mainly with blankets – are not so unique. I have seen photos from Winter Wonderland blankets, done in my colourway, where I first had to think about whether they were mine or not. So I just make the effort!
But I digress!
Dudes, Dudes, Dudes
While sorting my photos I realized how many of the Dudes patterns I tested during the last years. TheDudes are very, very cute Amigurumi designed by Dana from missBerlin.
She writes about these patterns:
The little Dudes live among us, but only a child at heart can truly see them. They are bald and shy, so they cover their heads and half of their faces with whatever they find in their surroundings. These endearing amigurumi/crochet dolls are faceless little fantasy creatures. They are educational dolls for learning and for play-therapy, as well as unique collectible decorative figurines. The Dudes’ minimalist features, inspired by the Waldorf approach, are designed to stimulate the imagination, and their pocket size is suitable for those little hands to make the perfect companions.
I think it was back in 2019 when I fell in love with her designs, discovering the Pumpkin Dudes.
All the others I never wrote about, because I tested them before I started this blog. It’ a shame! So I thought I could at least share some photos here.
Here my collection – so far …
Theses cuties are all made with #2, Sport weight yarn and around 10 cm tall. I mostly use a 2,5 mm hook, sometimes a 2,25. My favorite yarn for the Dudes themselves is Scheepjes Catona in the colour 505, Linen. For the caps I either use Scheepjes Catona or Schachenmayr Catania. But any other yarn works as well.
The first Dudes pattern I tested were the Woodland Dudes.
The Cap of the PineCone Dude is still one of my favorites.
But I also love the Cactus Dudes, the little Pumpkins, the Seashells (which I haven‘t made yet) and well … all the others. Each one of them was so fun to test!
Each pattern has instructions for the Dude and comes with 3 different, themed caps. Some of the caps are really easy to make, for others you will need a bit more concentration, but every step is explained very well.
In case I could inspire you: the patterns are available in Dana‘s Ravelry or Etsy shop . Or just have a look at my Ravelry projects where I have partially listed additional info.
Ana from One Skein of Love just released the pattern for her latest design: Go with the Flow – a blanket made in Overlay Mosaic technique. The pattern is available in her shops.
Picture by Ana Morais Soares / One Skein of Love
Isn’t it lovely?
Actually, I didn’t want to test this pattern. After the death of my parents-in-law we are still sorting out and dissolving their household. They didn’t live nearby and it’s a longer drive every time – so I don’t have much time at the moment … But I couldn‘t resist …
The pattern has a small repeat and so I was able to make something I wanted to do for a long time: a cover for my iPad.
I used Stylecraft Special DK with my 4,0 mm Clover Amour hook. The colours are Graphite (1063) and Pale Rose (1080). Ok, perhaps a cotton yarn would have been better for this purpose. But I didn’t have any matching yarn on hand and I also think that the colour combination suits the pattern very well.
I used Graphite as colour C1 and Pale Rose as C2. To avoid the yarn tails on both sides I just worked the body of the cover in the round.
For me, 72 stitches made a perfect size in width. Especially as I wanted the cover to be a bit bigger so that my pencil would also fit in.
Unfortunately I have no ‘work in progress’-pictures, but here a short summary of what I did.
Body and flap of the cover
Width of the cover
72 stitches, worked in the round = 9 repeats (no border stitches, no extra stitches)
Height of the cover
rows 1 – 22 / 1 time
rows 23 – 30 / 3 times
46 rows in total
Flap
in continuation of the pattern but only worked over 17 stitches (1 repeat, plus extra stitches, plus border stitches) and worked in rows
rows 199 – 219 of the pattern / 1 time
Border
To attach a small border I prepared the edges of the flap in the same way as it is done for the blanket. My slip stitches (only around the edges of the flap) are made in Pale Rose. For back and front layer I used Graphite.
Back layer
The back layer was only worked on the sides and the top of the flap. Therefore it was worked in rows with turning the work in between. row 1: double crochet worked in the back of the slip stitches, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in each of the 2 corner spaces row 2: single crochet in both loops, (1 sc, ch 2, 1 sc) in the corner spaces
Front layer
The front layer was worked in rounds over the flap and the upper edge of of the cover. To get a rounded transition from the flap to the upper edge of the body, I skipped the first / last stitch of the upper edge (directly after / before the stitches of the flap) in each round. round 1: single crochet, over the flap worked in back loops of the slip stitches, in the corner spaces (1 sc, ch2, 1 sc) like explained for the border of the blanket. Over the body worked in back loops of the stitches of the last round. rounds 2 and 3: single crochet worked in back loops, (1 sc, ch2, 1 sc) in the corner spaces of the flap.
Joining
Back and front layer of the flap are joined with a row of slip stitches in Pale Rose. To get a consistent look I continued the slip stitches over the body. A small loop on the upper edge of the flap, made with some chains, serves as buttonhole.
Finishing
I closed the bottom of the cover with some whipstitches and a sewed on a button.
If you want to make one for your own
To get the measurements for a cover that fits your Tablet I would suggest that you make a little swatch first. For this, two or three pattern repeats should be enough. Then you can work out how many repeats you will need in width and also estimate how many rows / repeats you will need in height. Or – and that was my way :) – you just cast on some chains and put them around your tablet. (I suppose this method will even work better with foundation single crochet but FSC still is not MY thing.) Just keep in mind that your total number of stitches has to be a multiple of the stitches of a pattern repeat. After you have crocheted a couple of rows, put your tablet next to it and check now and then if you have already reached the required height. It doesn‘t sound very professional but it worked perfectly for me!
Two more points are important:
When starting the flap double check that the pattern is continued as it would be in a blanket. And, before closing the bottom of the body make sure that the flap is in the middle of the backside and take care that the pattern is centered. That‘s all – have fun!
Oh dear! You may have read in my last post about the problems I was having with my hand. My wrist was obviously overstretched and a tendon was also causing me problems. A bandage helped me for the wrist, but unfortunately it didn’t work for the tendon. So it really took forever to finish the border on my Dancing Diamonds blanket. But it is done now! Sigh … I am in love …
For the border I deviated a little from Ana’s pattern. Since I used less colours overall I thought it would look better with just one stripe of Raspberry.
Here my details
For those who like to follow my colour placement and like to download a pdf – I updated the file in my previous post with all the information about the border. You can find it here
Already in April Pam Knighton-Haener from A Yarn of Serendipity has released a new design: The Jewel Square. Fortunately I was able to test this beautiful pattern – I am a bit late with this post though.
As always the pattern is very clearly layed out with detailed stitch explanations, helpful pictures for each round and two different colour ways.
It is originally made with Aran / worsted weight yarn and will be about 11 or 12 inches, depending on the hook size you use (4,5 or 5 mm hook).
I have used Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 again and a 2,75 mm hook. The finished size is about 20 cm / 8 inch.
My colours are a soft, light grey, two different blues and a mint. I bought the blue and grey tones some time ago. I was thinking of using them for all of Pam’s patterns and combining the squares into a nice blanket – some day. I love blues very much and choose the grey because the contrast to white was just too hard for me. Now I sometimes think that this colour combination, especially in photos, just looks a bit dull and boring. So I guess I also thought I needed to spice up the colour combination a bit when I was working on the Jewel Square. That’s why I added the mint. In retrospect, I don’t think it was a good idea. When I look at the pictures now I think it would have been better to repeat the dark blue.
However the Jewel Square is a lovely pattern and I can always make a second one. Maybe using a nice Off White instead of Grey? We will see …
My Colours and Placement
I followed Pam’s colour way 1 using the following colours
Colour A 25, Pastelmint Colour B – 29, Jeans Blue Colour C – 97, Mist Colour D – 28, Light Jeans Blue
All from Hobbii, Rainbow Cotton 8/4 (Fingering weight – 170 m / 50 g)
The only change I made is that I swapped the colour D for A in round 11.
In case I’ve made you curious: the pattern is available in Pam’s Ravelry store and all her other places.
Unbelievable! It has been a week since my last post and I am still working on the border of my Dancing Diamonds. But to accuse me I have to say: I currently have a wrist injury and a tendon in my hand is apparently overstretched. So I am only able to crochet a few stitches at a time and my progress is VERY slow. And so this will be a very short post.
But at least I managed to write down my colour placement for the entire blanket – except the border of course. But I will update everything as soon as I know for sure which colours I will use! Big promise!
First of all, a big SORRY to all of you who follow my blog. Unfortunately, you already got a message about a new post a few hours ago. But what you saw was probably only the beginning of this post … It seems there have been some updates and all the technology has conspired against me today! But I did it and won – em, almost – but here it is …
Today the Dancing Diamonds Cal from Ana Morais Soares / One Skein of Love starts. It runs for 5 weeks and every Thursday – from now until 01. June – a new part will be published. If you haven’t got the pattern so far, it is available in Ana‘s Ravelry shop.
I finally managed to start the border on my test version this week. I didn’t get much further than the photo shows though …
I already showed you the colours I am using in my previous post: Grey, Mushroom, Raspberry and Pale Rose, all Stylecraft Special DK.
For those who are interested in my colour way, so far my yarn amounts are:
My Part 1 of The Dancing Diamonds Cal
And here my colour scheme:
Foundation
C1 – Grey
Pattern 1
throughout the whole blanket: C1 – Grey C2 – Raspberry C3 – Pale Rose
Pattern 2
C1 – Grey C4 – Mushroom
That‘s all for today – I am still struggling with the technique, so I better stop now and try to learn how this update works.
Have you seen that Ana from One Skein of Love is hosting a new Cal?
The Dancing Diamonds Cal.
Photo by Ana Morais Soares / One Skein of Love
It will start on May, 4th and comes in 5 parts. Ana just released the Introduction file with all relevant information. Again it will be a blanket made in Overlay Mosaic Technique. This time there also will be translations into several different languages like Spanish, Dutch, French and German. You can read more about it in Ana’s blog post or on Ravelry.
Besides translating I had the pleasure to test this pattern. Or better, have … So far I am still working on it … for very sad reasons.
Shortly before the test started we lost my mother-in-law. And, after a long life together – they had been married for over 70 years – my father-in-law followed her only 4 weeks later. I miss them sorely! It has made a bit of a mess of my life.
But it also makes this blanket very special for me – I will always associate it with memories of them.
My choice of colour this time really comes from deep within my heart.
Originally I had something completely different in mind. I wanted to make something really colourful – just to cheer me up a bit!
So I spread a mountain of yarn on the dining table: Spice, Saffron, Tomato, Clementine – Vintage Pink, Apricot, Powder Pink, Pale Rose – Plum, Grape, Raspberry, Burgundy, Violet and some neutrals like Cream, Mocha, Buttermilk, Silver and Grey. When I started combining hubby looked over my shoulder and started rearranging everything.… Most of the time it brings good results when we connect our thoughts, this time it led to nothing! He did not agree with my ideas and I did not agree with his. As I started to tidy up with the words < I’ll have to sleep on it > my eyes fell on a ball of Mushroom that I’m using for another project. Somehow four colours stayed in my arms …
I started with these colours the same evening. Not sure if it would work … What shall I say?
I never thought of combining Grey and Mushroom but I absolutely love the result!
The colours are hard to capture in a photo though.
I am just working on the last part of the blanket and hope to be able to show you more of it when the Cal starts. I don’t think I will be completely finished by then but I’ll do my best
Pam Knighton-Haener from A Yarn of Serendipity just released one of her new designs: Efflorescent Square. I am happy that I was able to test it!
Efflorescence demonstrates the growth and beauty of nature’s flower bloom and the personal growth and splendor of human love.
Pam
For this test I tried a new yarn: Drops Safran. It is a sport weight cotton yarn that has 160 m per 50 g. I am very happy with this choice. It is a soft yarn and nice to work with. I definitely will get some more colours of it. It also will be a good match with my Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4! As recommended on the yarn label I used a 3 mm hook. But it should also work with my 2,75 mm hook that I usually use with Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4.
I didn’t follow one of Pam’s colour ways this time, but created my own. Therefor I have listed the colours for each round below.
A – 28, Orange B – 10, Vanilla Cream C – 23, Dark Taupe D – 18, Off White E – 11, Sunshine F – 65, Pistachio
Colours per round
Round 1 – A, Orange Round 2 – B, Vanilla Cream Round 3 – C, Dark Taupe Round 4 – D, Off White Round 5 – E, Sunshine Round 6 – A, Orange Round 7 – F, Pistachio Round 8 – B, Vanilla Cream Round 9 – D, Off White Round 10 – D, Off White Round 11 – A, Orange Round 12 – D, Off White Round 13 – D, Off White Round 14 – D, Off White Round 15 – A, Orange
I am sure you all know the times when suddenly ‘life happens’. Well, it just happened to me – a bit unexpectedly! So during the last two – almost three -weeks I had only very little time to crochet and, to be honest, only little desire to do it.
Nevertheless I’d like to show you some of my Easter decorations that are really quick and easy to make.
I made these back in 2021. Patterns are The Easter Dudes, a paid pattern by missBerlin and Easter Eggs, a free pattern by Tatiana Saienko from Planet Piu.
And – as a kind of return to the world of crochet – I am just working on a 2023 edition.
As usual my Dude is made with Scheepjes Catona in the colour 505, Linen. But this time I decided to use the same colour for the Dude‘s Cap and the Easter egg – it is Schachenmayr Catania Trend in 507, Salbei (Sage).
I hope to get the Dude assembled today and then I will have to think about some embroidery. Still not my best discipline … so I guess it will be something simple and easy …
Hooked on Häkelmaschen 