New Book: Haken en Kleur

yesterday I wrote about it a little, the new Dutch crochet book Haken en Kleur, by darling Claire and Saskia from the pretty and colourful blogs Haken en Meer and Saar en Mien.

what I love about the book is how it shows pure love for crochet, love for colour and brightness, the joy of good friendship and what may come from that, the love for high quality crochet and for sharing beauty. even if you don't read Dutch you will be able to enjoy this book, not only because of the beautiful photography and projects, but also because of the crochet diagrams that explain every project in detail.

I took a few shots of the book to give you an idea. the photography is beautifully done and looks just like their blogs. I love the flower squares for the cushion cover, the blanket made out of stars is hard to resist. and when I looked at my stash and found this pink, green and grey (not black, as it may seem in the pictures) merino wool I had to start with the two-tone shawl. well actually it is becoming a four tone shawl, but the same size as the original shawl was meant. because of the extra colours I might let go off the flowers at the waves, but let's see when I get to the end how I fee like it. for now I  am just so happy to have found a project that matches yarn from my stash. not needing to go out and buy more yarn is just perfect. I mean, I've just moved my yarns across the ocean and I can tell you, there's a big need for a lot of projects to suit that yarn, ahum…

so far I love this project. it is quick and has a nice rhythm to it with alternating rows of stitches. do you know what I mean when I am talking about a rhythm when it comes to crochet? it is about getting to know your stitches, repeat them for a complete row, getting to know the next row, and slowly getting to see what you are doing and how this combination of stitches is making up a lovely pattern. it makes you want to move on and on, row after row. never stop, change colour here and there and see what that does to the pattern. and crochet a few more rows, since by this time you can crochet the combination of stitches with your eyes closed. well, almost. but at least while sitting in front of the fire place and having a good conversation, while sipping a glass of good wine. or tea, depending on the time of day.

well, I am getting a little carried away, but do you recognize a good crochet rhythm? well, this is your project. the merino wool makes this shawl super soft, warm too and light weight, together this makes it perfect for a Fall and Winter wrap, don't you think?

I have some pink yarn left over and I am already dreaming of crocheting a rose brooch to keep the wrap around me when I am sitting by the fire place… hmmmm

congratulations sweet Saskia and Claire on this wonderful, inspirational, beautiful and lovely book! thank you for sharing your pretty projects with us. get your copy in your local Dutch bookstore, or here. and did you notice those cute little cross stitch stamps? the alphabet is available through Petra's cute shop, you can find it here. enjoy!