Third Kaleidoscope Cushion - design 14

The colours for the third design of my summer Kaleidoscope cushion collection was inspired by a visit to the seaside on a sunny warm day in June. The dog played on the beach we paddled in the sea and indulged in very big ice creams! The sea was very blue and the cliffs were two shades of rusty brown and in bright sunshine the sand was a pale beigy grey.

The colours didn’t seem like an obvious combination but if they work in nature.....When we came back from the seaside I had the inspiration for my 3rd cushion in my head and I couldn’t wait to start. For this 3rd cushion I wanted to show more detail of the crochet stitches so I needed to use a finer yarn.

Searching my stocks of yarn  I found some Shilasdair which is made using natural dyes  and is a lovely yarn  from independent spinners on the Isle of Skye. It has slubs of wool something that I love as it brings another dimension to the finished designs. In this cushion I used an oatmeal colour. For some reason finer yarns seem to have more subtle colours. I combined the Shilasdair with West Yorkshire Spinners 4 ply from the Spice range. The blue is Sirdar Country Style 4 ply. I used a 3.5 crochet hook.

The theme that runs through the Kaleidoscope collection is the colours and using colour combinations to define the designs. All of the Kaleidoscope collection were made by me when sitting in the garden when it was not always warm and I sometimes had to dodge the showers!

The garden in June

Join me here.....

You can see the first Kaleidoscope cushion design 12 here and the second Kaleidoscope cushion design 13 here.

As you know I love embellishments and while I loved the finished design it looked a bit masculine with an all square design so I added the 3d roses. As you can see I loved making them and got a bit carried away. Find the pattern here

Third Kaleidoscope Cushion

The colours for the third design of my summer Kaleidoscope cushion collection was inspired by a visit to the seaside on a sunny warm day in June. The dog played on the beach we paddled in the sea and indulged in very big ice creams! The sea was very blue and the cliffs were two shades of rusty brown and in bright sunshine the sand was a pale beigy grey.

The colours didn’t seem like an obvious combination but if they work in nature.....When we came back from the seaside I had the inspiration for my 3rd cushion in my head and I couldn’t wait to start. For this 3rd cushion I wanted to show more detail of the crochet stitches so I needed to use a finer yarn.

Searching my stocks of yarn  I found some Shilasdair which is made using natural dyes  and is a lovely yarn  from independent spinners on the Isle of Skye. It has slubs of wool something that I love as it brings another dimension to the finished designs. In this cushion I used an oatmeal colour. For some reason finer yarns seem to have more subtle colours. I combined the Shilasdair with West Yorkshire Spinners 4 ply from the Spice range. The blue is Sirdar Country Style 4 ply. I used a 3.5 crochet hook.

The theme that runs through the Kaleidoscope collection is the colours and using colour combinations to define the designs. All of the Kaleidoscope collection were made by me when sitting in the garden when it was not always warm and I sometimes had to dodge the showers!

The garden in June

As you know I love embellishments and while I loved the finished design it looked a bit masculine with an all square design so I added the 3d roses. As you can see I loved making them and got a bit carried away. Find the pattern here

Sirdar Crofter Review

 Sirdar Crofter double knit (US equivalent) is a quality yarn at a good price. Very soft it is designed to create a Fair Isle effect in knitted jumpers and cardigans. 60% Acrylic and 25% Cotton a 50g ball gives a Yardage/metre of 170m/184y.

I’ve seen Crofter used in knitting to create that lovely Fair Isle look, but you can also use Crofter very effectively in crochet. Use Crofter to crochet tops and jackets. However when you use it for scarves, cushions or throws, Crofter will make a simple design look very effective and much more intricate than it really is.

Simple strips or motifs of double crochet Crofter looks very effective combined with other Sirdar yarns, including Baby Bamboo. Crofter would be lovely used  in a ripple pattern using contrasting or blended colours with the colours of the Crofter Fair Isle.

Popcorn stitches in Sirdar Baby Bamboo

I used Crofter for my summer bag/work bag. I added strips of Sirdar Crofter in a blue/rust/brown blend in double crochet in between rows of Sirdar double knit Snuggly. To add interest and to tone in with it Sirdar Snuggly double knit in a rusty brown colour.

Sirdar Crofter comes in a range of colours with dyes that tone in with other Sirdar yarns. Choose from 21 colours including pinks, purples, heathers, oranges, grey, greens and a lovely pale sea grass.



for a big selection of Sirdar and great customer service buy it from Little Lamb or The Wool Warehouse.