ELeni

Wooly Friends

One of my crochet tests from 2022 I haven’t shown you yet: Wooly Friends.

I tested this lovely pattern already in April last year. Actually it is a pattern for a baby blanket. It was featured (with UK terms) in issue 125 of Simply Crochet Magazine. Ana now published the pattern herself and it is available in US and UK terms in her Ravelry store.

Through testing, I have meanwhile collected a lot of blankets – although I have already given many away. That’s why I often think about what else to make out of a pattern. With this one I had immediately a bag in mind for all my different projects – but with only a vague idea of how to do it. In the end it took almost 3 months (including holidays and other tests) to get it done, but I am more than happy with the result!

How my bag came to life

Yarn and colours used

Stylecraft Special DK (100g = 295 m) in the following colours

1820 Duck Egg
1067 Grape
1099 Grey
1203 Silver
1061 Plum
1218 Parchment

and a 4 mm hook

I started the bag with two identical panels, worked over 4 repeats.

Pattern Sequence for the panels

Foundation Row
Pattern 1
Pattern 2
Pattern 1
Pattern 3
Pattern 1
Final row of the pattern
plus 4 additional rows, just single crochet worked in back loop

Colour placement

Foundation Row
- C1 – Grey
Pattern 1
- C2 – Duck Egg
- C3 – Plum
- C4 – Silver
Pattern 2
- C1 – Grape
- C2 – Parchment
- C5 – Grey
- C6 – Duck Egg
Pattern 3
- C1 – Grey
- C2 – Parchment
- C5 – Grape
Final Row (pattern)
- C1 – Grey
Additional Rows
- Plum
- Grey
- Duck Egg
- Grey

My panels were about 40 cm in width and 42 cm in height.

At this point I first thought about joining the two panels (with all the tails inside) and lining the bag. But then I decided to give it a little more storage space for yarn. So I made an additional smaller panel that now serves as bottom and sides of the bag.

I worked this additional panel over 235 stitches in single crochet. Like in mosaic technique: each row starting and ending with a border stitch, all the other stitches worked in back loop only, cutting the yarn after each row.
The tails on both sides are hidden in a small double border: front and back layer made with 3 rows of back loop single crochet.
The final bottom/side panel is a little (4 stitches in total) shorter than than the main panels.

Colour sequence for the additional panel

Grey (Foundation)
Grey
Plum
Duck Egg
Grey
Grape
Duck Egg
Plum
Parchment
Grey
Grey

Joining

I finally joined the panels with the slip stitches for the double border, just working through both layers- bottom/side panel and main panel – at once.
I have to confess: this was not my favorite part as it took a lot of patience and a lot of time to catch the correct stitches at the same time!

On the upper edge I skipped the middle 39 stitches with a chain to make the handles.

Double Borders

Front and back layers of the borders were made with 3 rows of back loop single crochet, three single crochets worked in one stitch for the corners (note: it‘s always good to use a stitch marker to mark the middle stitch).
At the upper edges the double border was just continued over the chains to form the handles.
All slip stitches and borders were made in Plum.

As I said, I am more than happy with the bag. After it was finally finished, I immediately started using it. Since then it has not been empty for a single day!

New Colourway

Mere Curiosity

I have spent the last days with translating the Mere Curiosity pattern into German. Oh dear! Since German is my mother tongue I actually thought this was a good idea. Well … I hadn’t considered how long it had been since I had worked with a German pattern! In some places it was really difficult for me to find the right terms. I hope I have done it well! Any feedback is welcome!

However … To check the German instructions I made a new square. Originally I had planned to use four colours. After 10 rounds it looked too much like 70s for me, so I decided to add another colour. So now there is a new colourway available using 5 colours!

I used yarn from my stash, the brands are a bit mixed.

Schachenmayr Catania
# 206 – Honig
# 254 – Taupe
#+392 – Lime

Scheepjes Catona
# 520 – Lavender

Uschi Wolle Superglanz
# 63 – ?

Uschi Wolle is a German brand and unfortunately I only have the colour number and no name. I’d call it ‘Lachs’ which means ‘salmon’ in English. It is a little bit lighter than # 427 Scampi from Catania.

If you are interested you can download the new colour chart here.

mere-curiosity-colourway-3 Download

Please also see my other posts about Mere Curiosity and

Have a nice weekend 💕

Mere Curiosity

Mere Curiosity is Live

Mere Curiosity is live

Phew, I finally managed to set up the Ravelry store and Mere Curiosity is uploaded! I am really excited!

The pattern is now available here.
As already mentioned, we will donate the proceeds for the Ukraine aid to Unicef.

You will find some more details about the Mere Curiosity Square either on Ravelry or in my previous post.

Although all special stitches used are explained in the pattern: if you are not familiar with some stitches or e.g. the technique of working in the 3r^d loop, have a look at the ‘Good to know’ section. I have put together some explanations there in the last few days.

Have fun crocheting Mere Curiosity!

Mere Curiosity

Last updated on May 14, 2026

What was your biggest crochet adventure last year? Apart from testing all these lovely patterns shown here on my blog, mine was simply ‘Mere Curiosity’!

Last year, Pam Knighton-Haener from ‘A Yarn of Serendipity’ set up a design group within her testing group. Towards the end of last summer, I finally began working with her to create a design. The result was ‘Mere Curiosity’.

What an adventure and what fun!
Each of us designed a few rounds and then passed the pattern on to the other so she could continue it.
The bulk of the work – as I already knew – involved writing up the pattern with all its details, such as abbreviations, the types of stitches used, and so on. Finally, the pattern was tested by Pam’s test group in December. I’m currently making the final minor changes, and then the pattern will be available in my Ravelry shop – stay tuned!
We’re donating the proceeds from the sales to Unicef.

The finished square has 39 stitches per side, making it a perfect match for Pam’s other Afghan squares. The final size will, of course, depend on the yarn weight and crochet hook size used.

We obtained the following results regarding the size of our samples

Pam’s sample, shown in the pattern

Aran / Worsted Weight / #4

4.5 mm hook

24 cm / 11”

My sample, shown in the pattern (the blue one)

DK / Light worsted / #3

3.5 mm hook

24 cm / 9,5”

The two samples shown below

Sport weight / #2

3 mm hook

21 cm / 8,5”

Fingering weight / #1

2,75 mm hook

20,5 cm / 8”

Mere Curiosity in Colourway 1

is made with Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4, a 2.75 mm hook and measures about 20.5 cm / about 8”.

Colour A – Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 – # 64 Dark Powder Rose
Colour B – Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 – # 50 Light Coral
Colour C – Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 – # 02 Natural White

Mere Curiosity in Colourway 2

Is made with Schachenmayr Catania, a 3 mm hook and measures about 21 cm / 8.5”.

Colour A – Schachenmayr Catania – # 427, Scampi
Colour B – Schachenmayr Catania – # 263, Soft Apricot
Colour C – Schachenmayr Catania – # 437, Sunkissed
Colour D – Schachenmayr Catania – # 402, Reseda

For this square I followed Pam’s colourway and only swapped colours C and D for rounds 7 and 8.

I hope you like Mere Curiosity as much as we do!

Edit May 2026:

Pattern Link

Mere Curiosity on Ravelry

Oh Xmas Tree

Post revised in December 2025

Have you already seen the new pattern by Ana Morais Soares from One Skein of Love?

Oh Xmas Tree is a lovely overlay Mosaic pattern designed as cushion cover. The pattern is available in Ana’s Ravelry shop.

The panel fits beautifully with the Wintry Forest pattern.

Using DK yarn it will be about 40 x 40 cm (16 in). You can either sew it onto a cushion cover, like Ana did, make a wall hanging out of it, a placemat or whatever else comes to your mind.
It works up quickly and is great to use up some leftover yarns.

I made my test version with Cabaret from Stylecraft yarns combined with Stylecraft Special DK in Cream.
Cabaret was one from my extensive single-ball-of-yarn-collection. I ordered it years ago to check quality and colour but never found a project to use it. I am afraid it’s discontinued meanwhile. The colour was Forest Glade – changing in different green shades with a silver metal thread running with it. Unfortunately, you can’t really see the glitter in the photos.

I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do with my panel. I was thinking of sewing it onto a fabric bag. Let’s see if I can find something suitable.

The picture above shows Ana’s work – photo credit goes to her. Below you can see my test version.

Have fun!

Looking for some Christmas crochet ideas?

Are you already busy with your Christmas preparations?

We are currently in the process of insulating the staircase in our house. One of the last major works – hopefully. Originally, we just wanted to insulate the ceiling and the outer wall. But in the middle of it all, we thought that since we had already started, we could also renovate the rest of the walls and the hallway. We have never liked the plaster… Looks like it will take a little longer now …

Besides I have redesigned this blog – you have probably already noticed that : D. It took me some time to decide about the layout and everything. And I am still working on some pages and revising some posts. Needless to say that my crochet time is very limited at the moment.

But maybe you are still looking for a little something to crochet? A few things I have done in the last few years are

Snowflakes and Stars

Some lovely little stars or snowflakes by Renata Saj. Easy and quick to make. And all are available for free in her Ravelry shop. I made

The Flower Star Snowflake, The Frosted Lace Snowflake and the Sun Star Snowflake

Hopefully I will find the time to make some more this year.

Or what about

The Xmas Dudes

One of the more Christmassy patterns from the Dudes Series by misssBerlin. The pattern is available in her Ravelry store.

I had the pleasure to test this pattern in November 2019 and loved it so much that I made some more in December.

The Yule Dudes

Also a cute pattern from the Dudes series and also available via Ravelry.

Here some pictures from my test project from September 2020.

You can read all about my ‚Christmas Dudes’ projects on my Ravelry pages

The Yule Dudes TEST, The Xmas Dudes TEST and Xmas Dudes

And last but not least the

Origami Star Ornament

You may have seen these beautiful stars on my old homepage. At the moment I am still looking at how I can integrate them there again, because it was my very first test – back in 2019.
Oh dear, I was so nervous at that time! But all went well!
I didn‘t make them as Christmas decorations but I think you can use them very well for that!
I am still in love with this pattern although it takes some focus and concentration to make them! I made mine with a sport weight (#2) yarn but you can also use a thicker yarn to make them a little bigger.

The pattern is from Goolgool and available in Galit‘s Ravelry store

I am just trying a new app with which you can isolate objects (just in case you wonder about the logo). Not bad!

Have a great time

Wintry Forest – Final details on my wall hangings

Today part 2 of Ana‘s Wintry Forest Cal was released. I hope you enjoy following along.

In the meantime I have summarised the details of my colour placement in a pdf document. There you will find the colours I used for the individual patterns. Besides I listed the additions I have made to create the three panels.

You can download it here.

Wintry Forest Download Download

All the general information about the yarn used and detailed yarn amounts for each colour were already listed in my previous post.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.

Happy hooking 💕

Wintry Forest – Colours and yarn amounts for my wall hangings

Today part 1 of Ana’s Wintry Forest Cal was released. Lots of fun to all who follow the Cal.

My wall hangers are finally decorated in our living room and I love them, love them, love them.

For those who are interested here some details:

My Colours

Even though I’ve already shown the colours in a previous post, here they are again:

I used

Cream, Mocha, Grey and a little bit of Denim – all from Stylecraft Special DK
and Stonewash from King Cole Comfort DK (that‘s the lovely blue on the upper left)

and worked with a 4 mm hook.

You will find detailed information about the colours I used for each row / pattern in my next post as download.

Yarn amounts for my wall hangers

Happy Hooking

Wintry Forest Cal

Finally I can show something I worked on for the last few weeks: Wintry Forest.

Wintry Forest is the new Cal by Ana Morais Soares from One Skein of Love. It will come in 6 parts (5 for the blanket and 1 for the border) and starts on November 10^th. The Intro File with all relevant information is already available on Ana’s Ravelry page.

When I started testing it about 4 weeks ago I knew right away that I was going to make a wall decoration. But this time the decision about colour was a difficult one. It cost me a lot of time and nerves.

At first I thought about using just cream and grey, but I abandoned the idea after one of my fellow testers used exactly this colour combination. My next idea was to make it colourful, changing background and contrast colour for each pattern. So I picked about 10 or 12 colours from my Stylecraft Special DK and began mixing and matching them. I ended up with a pile of colour swatches but somehow I didn‘t get the colour placement balanced. So I also discarded this idea.

The picture above shows only some of them :D

Nevertheless I will keep my pile of swatches as I found some really nice combinations. For instance I never thought that Mocha and Pale Rose would look that great together. Duck Egg and Storm Blue also are a great combination. Strong but beautiful!

In the end, I came back to my idea with Cream and Grey and decided on a combination of

Cream, Mocha, Grey (Stylecraft Special DK) and Stonewash (King Cole Comfort DK).

I also added a little bit of Denim (Stylecraft), just because I fell in love with that colour and thought that it matches the rest.

The colours remind me on a cold and sunny winter morning. I love them!

I separated the pattern (10 different designs) into three parts and am just framing my panels with borders and make some tassels.

Hopefully I will be able to show you my completed decoration next week when the Cal starts.

… and another pattern test for Pam – The Sage Advice Square

Last updated on May 13, 2026

In August 2022 I was able to test another pattern for Pam Knighton-Haener from A Yarn of Serendipity: the Sage Advice Square, another lovely Afghan square.

The pattern

The Sage Advice Square was designed using an Aran / worsted yarn weight (#4). Depending on the hook size it is supposed to be either 11 x 11 inches (using a 4.5 mm hook) or 12 x 12 inches ( using a 5 mm hook). That makes approx. 28 cm respectively 30.5 cm in the square.

The design is full of texture and features a variety of stitch combinations. It was absolutely fun to test it!

The skill level is rated as easy intermediate.

The paid pattern includes round-by-round pictures that show the stitch placement and clarify instructions. It also has an ‘easy navigate’ function that allows you to switch from written instructions to pictures or stitch explanations without any scrolling.

Besides there is a free version – without the additional features – available on Pam’s website.

You’ll find the links at the end of this post.

My yarn choice

My plan to use Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 for all the test pieces I make for Pam (with a view to eventually piecing all the squares together into a beautiful blanket) is slowly fading away. Once again I had the feeling that I didn’t have the right colours in my Rainbow Cotton stash to do justice to this lovely design.

So I used a yarn that I’d actually ordered to try out for a completely different project: Drops Muskat.
Drops Muskat is a mercerised cotton yarn, classified as DK yarn (#3) with a yardage of 100 m per 50 g. It comes in 45 colours and has a lovely shine that gives it a bit a vintage touch (at least in my eyes). It does tend to split a bit, so you have to be careful when crocheting, but I’ve worked with yarns where this was even worse. And in my opinion, the end result is well worth the effort.

Some more details about my version

Yarn

Drops Muskat
100 % cotton, #3

Colours

following colour way 2
A — 81, Clay
B — 61, Light Beige
C — 85, Mustard
D — 24, Taupe

Hook

Clover Amour Hook, 4 mm

Finished Size

approx. 25 x 25 cm (about 10 inches)

Patterns Links

Sage Advice Square on Ravelry

A Yarn of Serendipity website