Tag: A Yarn of Serendipity

Ta-Dah … – another square from Pam!

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It is originally made with Aran / worsted weight yarn and will be about 11 or 12 inches, depending on the hook size you use (4,5 or 5 mm hook).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.

Another test for Pam

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.

Here the details about my version:

Sage Advice Square

I tested this little beauty already in August.
Once again I had the feeling that I didn’t have the right colours in my Rainbow Cotton to do justice to this design. So I used a yarn that I had actually ordered to try out for a completely different project. Drops Muskat.
Drops Muskat is a mercerised cotton yarn, classified as DK yarn with 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 splits a bit, so you have to be careful when crocheting, but I’ve worked with yarns where this was worse. And the finished look is worth the effort I think.

As always Pam‘s design is rich with stitch combinations and full of texture. And again the square was designed with a Aran / worsted weight (#4) yarn. Depending on the hook size it is supposed to be either 11 x 11” (4,5 mm hook) or 12” x 12” ( 5 mm hook). That makes approx. 28 cm respectively 30,5 cm in the square.

It was absolutely fun to test it! Here some details of my version:

Head over Heels Square

Head over Heals is the new design from Pam Knighton-Haener / A Yarn of Serendipity. I had the pleasure to test this square in July.

Although I had decided at some point to do all her tests with Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4, this time I felt I didn’t have the right colours for it. So I came back to my SSDK after all. Instead of the 4 mm hook I normally use with this yarn I chose 4,5 mm this time. I think the result is better but I am still not 100% satisfied with the stitch definition.

I love the colours though. I wanted to try this combination for a long time

Cream, Apricot, Pistachio, Silver and Graphite.

For my test square I followed Pam‘s colour way 2 with some slight changes for two rounds. Hooking the square I was so fascinated by the center part that I wanted to see how it would look in another colour combination. And I also was curious how my colours would look in another arrangement. So I made a second one following my own ideas. Not sure which one I like better.

I was thinking about mounting one of the squares on a cushion cover. Unfortunately I only have one in a dark grey. So I’m already thinking about whether I should make a third square in slightly brighter colours, hm … Well, we will see!

Here some details

This year, Pam Knighton-Haener from A Yarn of Serendipity has created some new designs and so far I have already been able to test three of them. Two are already published, so I can show them. The third one is still in the testing phase and will be released in August.

As you may know I have been unsure all the time which yarn to use. Pam’s squares are designed to use a cotton yarn in Aran weight. Depending on hook size – 4,5 or 5 mm hook – the finished size will be 11 or 12 inch – that’s about 28 respectively 30,5 cm.

When I started testing for Pam in 2020 I made my first squares with Drops Paris and Love you 8 using a 4,5 mm hook. I love the colours of Drops as they are soft and subtle but somehow I don’t like to work with Aran weight. It’s probably a matter of practice, but I’m never satisfied with the look of my stitches when I use Aran. Especially since Pam often uses trebles and double trebles. Somehow it stresses me out and I have been looking for alternatives.
So, after a short excursion to Stylecraft Special DK (not as good stitch definition as cotton and harder to block), I came to Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4. It is a fingering weight with 170 m / 50 g. Much thinner than Aran but I still think my squares are a good size at around 19 or 20 cm. I like the colours, I’m happy with the look of my stitches, I feel less stressed – I’m sticking with it.
Luckily Pam doesn’t mind me using it.

The first Square I tested this year was the

Simple Wonders Square

---

And the second one was the lovely

Apart Together Square

If you are interested in the other squares I tested for Pam, just have a look

From left to right:
Carter Jude Square, Brood of Angels, Margaret Square, all made with Drops yarn

Have a good time

While revising my Pattern Tests page I noticed that I still haven‘t shown my Fancy Nancy square. Shame! So I thought I would write a quick post to catch up!

Fancy Nancy is a design by Pam Knighton-Haener from a Yarn of Serendipity. I tested this pattern already in October last year.

Normally her squares are designed to use an Aran cotton yarn. I must confess not exactly my favorite yarn. At least I haven‘t found one I like to work with yet. So this time I decided to try my standard acrylic DK yarn. Just to see how it works.

I used Stylecraft Special DK in Copper, Parchment and Gold, my favorite autumn colours. I followed her colour scheme 2 and only switched the colour for the last round.

With Aran the squares should be 28 cm (11 inch) or about 30 cm (12 inch) depending on the hook size. With DK yarn my Fancy Nancy became 25 x 25 cm (about 10 inch) tall.

I am very pleased with my result although I assume a cotton yarn would work better. Pat uses a lot of trebles and double trebles in her patterns. These stitches just look better when they are blocked. Unfortunately I still have problems to block acrylic yarn properly.

I started testing for Pam in September 2020 and since then had the opportunity to test four of her lovely squares. Well, five, to be correct! I just finished testing her latest design. The pattern has not been published yet, so I cannot show it. But what I can show again are the squares I have made so far.

Maybe I should get some suitable cotton yarn and make some more? One day it would make a beautiful blanket.

All of Pam’s designs are so rich in texture, they would even look great in a solid colour.

If you would like to try one of Pam’s designs just visit her Ravelry store. She also offers some of her patterns for free, have a look!