Tag: Decoration

Happy Circles II – My new experiment in random colour placement

Last updated on January 11, 2026

Although I really didn’t crochet much this year, I’m actually working on a new project right now. A cushion cover!

I’m still a long way from having finished it. But so far I like it so much that I wanted to show it off!

I opted for a similar design to the Happy Circles wall hangings I made last year.

Do you remember them?

You can find the free pattern here or on Ravelry.

Back then I used 15 different colours and created the random arrangement of the colours with a random generator. I was totally happy with the result! You‘ll find all information about it in this post.

Choosing colours for my new project

Although I am using a similar pattern, the colours will be different in my new project. I’m using a colour combination that I’ve wanted to try for a long time. 

My inspiration is a cushion I have from IKEA.

A mixture of green and blue tones, with a yellow undertone in the green shades.

My colours

Stylecraft Special DK

1822 – Pistachio
1027 – Khaki
1065 – Meadow
1725 – Sage
1820 – Duck Egg

My colour placement – Random or not?

For my Happy Circles wall hangings, the random colour placement worked so well, so I wanted to use the same method for the cushion cover.

Well…

Using a random generator

Unfortunately, using a random generator didn’t work out as expected this time.

No matter how many times I started the random generator and regardless of the order in which I entered the colours., they were not evenly distributed. Certain colours appeared more frequently than others.

What happened?

A bit frustrated, I then took a closer look at the topic, and it is actually logical. This effect is known as ‚true randomness‘ and that’s exactly what random.org provides. Without any corrections, repetitions and clusters are not only possible but even to be expected in true randomness.

What I learned is:

A pure random generator aims to be random, not uniform – therefore repetitions can occur that quickly catch the eye and may feel unbalanced in a small colour set. In a larger colour set, however, this same kind of distribution can create an attractive tension that supports the design.

So it wasn’t a mistake of the randomizer, it just wasn’t the right tool for this specific project

That’s why I decided to create my own ‚controlled’ randomness with a more balanced distribution of colours.

Creating my own randomness

My starting point was

  • The five colours I wanted to use
    • First, I assigned a letter from A – E to each colour – without a specific scheme, just to make it easier
  • The sixteen circles I needed to create the squares for my front panel
    • The layout I planned was a 4 x 4 layout – 4 squares wide and 4 squares high

A – Duck Egg
B – Meadow
C – Sage
D – Pistachio
E – Khaki

I decided to start 4 circles with the same colour and 3 circles each with one of the other 4 colours. Makes a total of 16.

So I listed the 16 circles in a table and assigned them the colours A – E. Circles 1 – 4 started with colour A, circles 5 -7 with colour B and so on. This was the colour placement for the first round.

To determine the colours for the second round, I started at circle #1 with colour B (as it had already colour A for round 1) In the following I entered the colours consecutively downwards. To avoid two rounds having the same colour, I skipped the relevant letter in these cases. For example: in circle #6, following the sequence, it should have been colour B for round 2. I skipped this to C as B was already assigned for round 1.

Afterwards I did the same for round 3, starting at circle #1 with colour C.

The final result is shown in the table below. In this way, the colour combination looks much more balanced.

Random colour sequence

The finished circles were then ‚squared’ by adding two more rounds in Cream.

Creating a layout

Similar to my wall hangings, I created the final layout with the random generator.

Very easy, although it sounds a bit complicated when written.

  • Each of my squares already had a number, defined by the colour arrangement (according to the table above / random colour sequence)
  • I also numbered the places in a 4 x 4 grid symbolizing the layout (shown as mall grid, upper left in the picture below)
  • I entered numbers 1 -16, symbolizing the squares into the list generator of random.org and generated a random result
  • I arranged the squares according to this result in the 4×4 grid, made some changes and voilà …


Below my detailed list of the colours used for the circles for each round and the corresponding layout.

Final colour scheme and layout

Joining the squares

Currently I am working on the join…

For my wall hangings, I had opted for a relatively inconspicuous joining method in the colour of the squares. In comparison, I now use Pistachio, so it’s more of a contrasting colour. And I opted for the Zig Zag Slip Stitch Join.

I really like how this turns out!

After joining, I will probably have to work a few more rounds around the whole panel to achieve the desired size.

However, I’m still not sure what the back should look like. Single coloured or colourful? I think I’m leaning towards single-coloured, but that could still change …

Have a great start to the new week 💕

My Crochet Flower Collage: Fresh Spring Craft Ideas

Last updated on January 10, 2026

About a week ago, we returned from a relaxing holiday on the North Sea coast. Those were wonderful days! The weather was cold but mostly sunny. So we had long walks on the beach … Sigh*

Back home – we live about 500 kilometres south in central Germany – we then noticed that spring is slowly arriving…

The birds start singing, the apple tree is showing tiny green leaves, and our little peach tree has the first pink blossoms. Spring time!

These first delicate shades of green and pink inspired me to bring some colour into our home as well.

Although I really don’t crochet much at the moment, I spontaneously thought of making something Easter-themed. The search for a pattern led me back to a site that I had actually discovered last year: Bomuldskys .

It is a Danish site, and Emilie, the person behind it, lives in Copenhagen. She offers both, paid and free patterns. I just LOVE her style and her designs, especially the greeting cards.

Last year I already fell in love with one of her Christmas designs. Due to my eye problems, however, I didn’t have the patience to make it. This time Summer Flowers caught my eye. It is a pattern for a greeting card that shows a bunch of roses, tucked in a paper bag. The pattern is available for free on her website and I just had to try it!

Summer Flowers – The Pattern

The pattern is written in US terms. It contains the instructions for the small and the large flowers, as well as the leaves. The instructions only require a few basic stitches. I found it easy to understand and I think it should be doable even for beginners. And it’s really quick and easy to make!

Yarn and colours I used

I used a mixture of different cotton yarns from my stash. All are classified as sport weight (#2) yarns. I worked them with a 2.5 and 2.75 crochet hook.
Please note: you will find some detailed notes about the hook sizes at the end of this post.

  • Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 (160 m / 50 g)
    • 64 – Dark Powder Rose
    • 46 – Old Rose
  • Drops Safran (160 m / 50 g)
    • 57 – Mauve
    • 10 – Vanilla Cream
  • Cotton Kings Cotton 8/4
    • 41 – a green shade, I have no name for this one, sorry

Please note: I got the Cotton King some time ago as part of a colour pack from Hobbii yarn shop but it looks like the brand doesn’t exist any more.

My Greeting Card

My materials for the greeting card

For the greeting card I made

  • 1 big and 2 small flowers in Dark Powder Rose (Hobbii Rainbow Cotton)
  • 1 big flower in Old Rose (Hobbii Rainbow Cotton)
  • 2 small flowers in Mauve (Drops Safran)
  • 4 leaves in green (Cotton King)
  • The stamen are embroidered in Vanilla Cream (Drops Safran)

I found a suitable card and paper (for the little bag) in the stationery shop. The card is a craft card with a window on the front where you can place a photo or similar. The pattern calls for an A6 card, mine was a bit different, about 12 x 17 cm (4 3/4 x 6 3/4 inch).

Assembling of my greeting card

For the assembly of the flower bouquet I orientated myself on the instructions and the photo from the pattern.
I first made the little bag and glued it on using a craft glue. Afterwards, I arranged the flowers and leaves until I found a position I liked and glued them on.

I absolutely love the result, although I think that my ‚bag’ turned out a little too big.

I will probably use it as birthday card for a dear friend. But it would also make a nice Easter card, wouldn‘t it?

The flowers and leaves are really quick and easy to make! This made me want to do more, so I crocheted some more flowers and leaves and made a

Flower Collage

My materials for the flower collage

I used the same yarn and colours as for the card. I made another

  • 1 big and 3 small flowers in Dark Powder Rose (Hobbii Rainbow Cotton)
  • 3 small flowers in Old Rose (Hobbii Rainbow Cotton)
  • 1 big and 1 small flower in Mauve (Drops Safran)
  • 5 leaves and 3 stems in green

The little stems were not part of the pattern.

I just made a chain in a suitable length (mine are between 18 and 20 chains long) and slip stitched all the way back in each chain.

For the collage I got a white picture frame that is 13 x 18 cm (5 x 7 inch) in size.

Assembling of my flower collage

First, I disassembled the frame, removed the glass, and cut a piece of cardboard to the right size. I then inserted the cardboard into the frame to create a nice background for my bouquet of flowers.

The further process was basically the same as for the card. I first arranged the flowers and leaves until I liked the placement and colour distribution. Then I glued on the individual parts. I started with the stems and then worked from the bottom upwards.

A Word about the Hook Size

According to the instructions, a 2.0 mm crochet hook should be used. I understand the intention behind it. Amigurumi etc. Are often worked with a smaller crochet hook to obtain the necessary stability. Still, 2.0 mm seemed to me personally too small for the yarn I used. Especially as both yarns tend to split a bit when a small hook is used.

But please, don’t get me wrong! I love both, Hobbii Rainbow Cotton and Drops Safran. I especially like their softness and the matte look. I just find it difficult to work them with a smaller hook than recommended on the label.

For the card, I therefore crocheted the flowers with a 2.75 mm hook. This is the size I normally use with this yarn. At first they seemed a bit loose to me. So I went down to a 2.25 mm hook when I made the flowers for the collage. There were pros and cons: I preferred the structure of the flowers made with the smaller hook. But the ones made with the bigger hook were easier to shape.

I think you can’t see any difference in the end. So both seems to be ok.

I hope I was able to inspire you a little for a beautiful and quickly made spring decoration.

Have a nice time 💕