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I am a big reader, I always have at least one book, normally 2 or 3, on the go at any one time. Usually, I read books on my Kindle. It's so light to hold, I can read in bed at night without needing a light on and it's super convenient for taking with me when I leave the house however over the last few months I have been picking up more and more physical books. I love this for me as I have so many physical books on my bookcases that are just begging to be read. The only problem is that whenever I want to take my book out and about with me it ends up getting so beat up in my bag. I knew that I needed to make a special sleeve for it just like I did for my Kindle. I love my Daisy Delight Kindle Sleeve (You can find a the free pattern here) but I knew for this that I wanted to try something that was super easy but still looks really cute and could accomodate books of varying thicknesses. Cue the super simple Granny Square Book Sleeve! The beauty of using a granny square is that you can use any yarn and hook combo that you choose and simply work the square until it is large enough to accomodate your desired reading material. I made mine to fit standard UK paperbacks as this is what I tend to read most but you can absolutely make it larger to keep your favourite hardbacks cosy, or even make a slightly smaller version to hold a Kindle. Whilst you can use any yarn you like along with a corresponsing crochet hook, I will be referring to the yarn, hook and measurements releveant to the book sleeve that I made. Simply use this as guidance when making your own. Let's get to the pattern! Before you begin: You will need: 1 ball of Yarnsmiths Bizarre DK - I used approximately 52g per book sleeve in shades Splendiferous (brights) and Shennanigans (neutrals) A 4mm crochet hook Scissors Tapestry needle Button or toggle Try to have a book to hand for checking the sizing! Stitch Abbreviations (US Terms) SC - single crochet DC - double crochet Cluster - granny stitch/ 3DC worked into the same space Sp - space Sl st - slip stitch Ch - chain Gauge: Gauge is not especially important for this pattern as you will work to the measurement of your book or device using whichever yarn you choose. However, for reference after completing 3 rounds of my granny square it measured 7cm in width. Pattern Notes: Ch3 at the start of a round does count as a stitch unless stated otherwise. Round 1 will be the right side (RS) of your work. You will turn your work at the end of each round. I did not change colour at all for my book sleeve but you could opt to change colour every round, have a contrast border etc whatever is most appealing to you. I am assuming some knowledge of crocheting a granny square, if you would like a more indepth tutorial for this you can find one here. The Pattern: Making the Granny Square Make a magic circle (or you can chain 4 and sl st to join and create a circle) Round 1 (RS): Into the magic circle, ch2 (counts as a stitch here and throughout). Work 2 DC and ch1. Then work *3DC, ch1* repeating from *to* 2 more times. Sl st to top of ch2 to join. Ch2 and turn. Note: At the end of this round you will have 4 clusters of 3DC and 4 ch1 spaces. The ch1 spaces are your corner spaces. Round 2 (WS): Work 2 DC into the chain space at the base of the ch2. [3DC, ch1, 3DC] into each of the next 3 ch1 corner spaces. 3DC into the final corner space (where you worked your initial ch2, 2DC) and ch1. Sl st to top of ch2 to join. Ch2 and turn. Round 3 (RS): Ch2 and work 2 DC into the chain space at the base of the ch2. *3DC into the space between clusters from previous round and work [3DC, ch1, 3DC] into the corner space* Repeat from* to* 2 more times. 3DC into the space between the clusters from the previous round. 3DC into the final corner space and ch1. Sl st to top of ch2 to join. Ch2 and turn. Repeat round 3 until you have a total of 16 rounds, or however many rounds are required for you to be able to fold three corners together to meet across your book (see photo). For my granny square to snuggly fit a standard paperback is measured approximately 41cm across diagonally from corner to corner. Fasten off leaving a tail of about 30cm. Joining Once your granny square is the appropriate size for your chosen book or device, you will need to seam the three flaps together to join and create. the envelope style we are after (see photo). The seam will be done with the RS of your work facing you. Note: As we have been turning our work with each round there is technically no right or wrong side to our granny square however I always count round 1 as the RS. I had 16 rounds for my granny square, meaning that I ended on a WS round and need to turn my work before beginning the seams. Try to orientate your granny square so that one of your seams can be done with the tail you left when fastening off - it saves an extra end to weave in! I simply seamed the two edges together by working through both loops of the stitch on one side and the corresponding stitch on the other. If you have a preferred seaming method then feel free to use that here. You will need to attach yarn to seam along the second join, work this in the same direction as seam one to ensure a neat finish. Fasten off. Border I like to add a simple SC border around the opening of the book sleeve to neaten the edges and add a little bit of extra strength. With the RS facing you, attach your yarn to the centre point of the sleeve opening on what will be the inside (where you just completed the joins). SC into each st around the opening. When you reach the ch1 corner space, work 2SC into the ch-sp and then continue around. Sl st to first SC to join and fasten off. Fastening Sew on your chosen button or toggle to the 'inside" of your book sleeve, ensuring that it is in a position where it can be reached by the top flap of your sleeve. We have not intentionally created a buttonhole for our sleeve as the fastening will go through the ch1-sp of the remaining corner. It's a good idea to check that your chosen fastening will fit before you sew it on! Weave in all of your ends and your Granny Square Book Sleeve is complete! I really hope that you enjoyed making your very own Granny Square Book Sleeve! I think these would make great gifts for the book lovers in your life or even as quick makes for selling at markets or craft fayres! I'm always happy for you to sell items made with any of my patterns, I just ask that you direct people to the pattern should they ask ☺️ I'd love to see your versions so please do tag me in your posts on social media @Brambles.and.Hart and use the hashtags #BHFreePatternMakes #BramblesandHart If you are not already following me on social media then what are you doing?! I'd love to see you over on Instagram @Brambles.and.Hart, and do subscribe to my YouTube Channel which is currently undergoing a little revival! If you would like to support me further and help me to keep creating free patterns and tutorials to share with you then do consider buying me a coffee on Ko-fi! Happy crocheting! Shelley ♡

The Rainbow Drops blanket is perhaps the softest, snuggliest blanket I have ever made! I designed this blanket using Yarnsmiths Chenille DK which is a new yarn to the Yarnsmiths range and available exclusively at Wool Warehouse (not an affiliate link) You can read my honest review of the yarn here. For this blanket pattern I selected 9 stunning pastel shades of the Chenille DK and paired them together in a colourblock style to create a beautifully eye-catching pastel rainbow blanket. Finished with a clean and simple border, this blanket is the sweetest! At time of publication (April 2026) Chenille DK is currently on offer for £1.50 per 50g ball (usually £2.50) so it's pretty sweet on the price too. A large baby blanket for less than £15 (still only £22.50 at full price!) This is a beginner friendly pattern, although if you are not familiar crocheting with chenille yarn I would suggest having a little practice first. It would also be a great mindfulness crochet project for a more experienced crocheter. I also think that the Rainbow Drops Blanket would make such a wonderful new baby gift! Of course you can switch up the colours to work with a colour scheme of your choice but I am a little in love with this one even if it's not my usual colour palette. Now let's get to the pattern! Before you begin: You will need: 1 ball of Yarnsmiths Chenille DK in each of the following shades: Blush, Peach, Lemon Yellow, Light Pink, Pale Lilac, Sky Blue, Duck Egg, Light Sage and Cream. A 5mm crochet hook Scissors Tapestry needle Optional - lighter or match to melt the end of the chenille yarn before weaving in your ends. Yarn Notes: The yarn amounts provided for this pattern are based on making a blanket that has a finished measurement of 88cm x 85cm/ 34.5" x 33.5". If you wish to make alterations to the size of the blanket then you may need more or less yarn. Also be sure to check your gauge as a different tension could also result in you requiring more or less yarn. I have used 8 different shades to give me 8 different colour blocks. You could use 4 colours and repeat them twice, or add in more shades for more colour blocks. Stitch Abbreviations (US Terms) SC - single crochet HDC - half double crochet DC - double crochet Cluster - granny stitch/ 3DC worked into the same space Sp - space Sl st - slip stitch Ch - chain Gauge: 4.5 Clusters x 9 rows = 10 x 10 cm/4" x 4" Pattern Notes: Ch2 at the start of a row does count as a stitch unless stated otherwise. You will be working in rows, turning your work at the end of each row. For the border you will work in the round. You will only change colour at the end of a row. To do so, fasten off your working yarn leaving a long tail for weaving in. Turn your work to begin the next row, attach your new colour to the first stitch and ch2. To alter the width of your blanket you will need a starting chain that is a multiple of 3. The Pattern: Blanket Using Blush and a 5mm hook, chain 108 Note: If you find it difficult working into the chain you can use a larger hook then switch to the 5mm for row 1 onwards. Row 1 (RS): DC into the 3rd chain from then hook (the ch2 counts as a stitch here so you now have 2 sts - the ch2 and the DC). *Skip 2 chains, 3DC into the next st*. Repeat from * to * until you have 3 chains remaining. Skip 2 chains and work 2DC into the final chain. Ch2 and turn. You should have 34 clusters (3DC) and 2 2DCs (one at either end). Row 2 (WS): Work 3 DC into the space between the 2DC and first cluster of the previous row. 3DC into each space along until you reach the end of the row. DC into the top of the ch2. Ch2 and turn. Row 3 (RS): DC into the st at the base of the ch2. Work 3DC into the space between each cluster along. Work 2 DC into the top of the ch2. Ch2 and turn. Rows 4 - 9: Repeat rows 2 and 3 alternately. Fasten off Blush at the end of Row 9 and join Peach. Rows 10 - 18: Repeat rows 2 and 3 alternately, ending with a repeat of row 2. Fasten off Peach at the end of Row 18. You will continue on in the pattern, repeating rows 2 and 3 alternately and changing colour every 9 rows. Your row count and colour order will be as follows: Rows 19 - 27: Lemon Yellow Rows 28 - 26: Light Pink Rows 37 - 45: Pale Lilac Rows 46 - 54: Sky Blue Rows 55 - 63: Duck Egg Rows 64 - 72: Light Sage Fasten off Light Sage and continue on to the border. Border Using a 5mm hook. With the RS facing you, attach Cream to a space between clusters along the bottom edge of your blanket. Round 1: Ch2 and work 2DC into the same space. Work 3DC into each space along until you reach the corner. You will be working over your starting chain. When you reach the corner, work (3DC, ch2, 3DC) all into the same space. This will mean working over the 2DC at the end of the row. When working along the edge of the blanket, work 3DC into every other row. These will be the rows that started/ended with a single DC. You will crochet over the post of the stitch. At the corner, work (3DC, ch2, 3DC) and then work 3DC into the space between each cluster along. Repeat this around your blanket until you reach where you began. Sl st to top of ch2 to join. Ch1 and do not turn. Round 2: HDC into each stitch around, working 3HDC into each corner ch-sp. Sl st to first HDC to join. Ch1 and do not turn. Round 3: SC into each st around, working 2SC into the middle HDC at each corner. Sl st to first SC to join. Fasten off. Weave in all of your ends and your blanket is complete! Note: When it comes to weaving in your ends using chenille yarn, you may find that you experience a lot of shedding. To combat this you can use a lighter to melt the end of the yarn, only very lightly as you don't want any black charring! Then you can weave in your end as normal without the shedding. Project Complete! I really hope that you enjoyed making your very own Rainbow Drops Blanket! I'd love to see your versions so please do tag me in your posts on social media @Brambles.and.Hart and use the hashtags #BHFreePatternMakes #BramblesandHart If you are not already following me on social media then what are you doing?! I'd love to see you over on Instagram @Brambles.and.Hart, and do subscribe to my YouTube Channel which will see a little revival very soon! If you would like to support me further and help me to keep creating free patterns and tutorials to share with you then do consider buying me a coffee on Ko-fi! Happy crocheting! Shelley ♡

A couple of weeks ago I was kindly gifted some of the new Chenille DK from Yarnsmiths. I'll admit to being a little apprehensive at trying this yarn because whilst I love Yarnsmiths as a brand and all of their yarns that I have tried before I don't have a great track record when it comes to Chenille yarn. Chenille yarns, blanket yarns, velvet yarns, plush yarns, anything like that are normally a no go for me. I'm not a fan of the texture, the shedding and how awkward they can be to crochet with. I also generally don't like how they look in projects either, aside from cute amigurumi plushies but I'm not an amigurumi girl. So let's put this yarn to the test and see if I can be a Chenille yarn convert! The Details: Name: Yarnsmiths Chenille DK Yarn Weight: DK/Light worsted/3 weight Composition: 100% Polyester Ball Weight: 50g Yardage: 100m/109yds Recommended Hook: 4mm Machine washable: Yes, cool wash 30 ° Tumble Dryable: No Special notes: This is a DK version of the Yarnsmiths Chenille Chunky yarn. There are 40 shades available which match with shades of the chunky version. Note that the chunky weight comes in 100g balls. Shades I tried: (3050) Cream (3062) Blush (3422) Peach (3170) Lemon Yellow (3410) Light Pink (3340) Pale Lilac - this is my favourite! (3256) Duck Egg (3260) Sky Blue (not pictured) (3185) Light Sage   My initial thoughts: The colours are really beautiful, I chose a selection of pastel shades to try and they were all stunning. The Cream shade is perhaps more of an off-white and slightly duller than I was expecting but all of the other colours are lovely and just as I'd imagined. I do like how across the whole Yarnsmiths range there are the same shades. Some sub-ranges within the overarching brand have more or less shades available but I do find that it helps when it comes to choosing colours. For example, I love the Light Sage shade of Yarnsmiths Create Acrylic. I also like this same shade in their Cotton DK, Merino DK and Aran and now their Chenille DK! This yarn is super soft in such a nice, pleasing way. I'm not sure I can accurately describe how some Chenille yarns feel to me, like they have a kind of tackiness to them perhaps? Anyway, this yarn didn't give me the sensory overload that I would usually associate with this type of yarn and that's a win because it means I can actually attempt to crochet with it! Side note to say that my boys absolutely love the feel of this yarn and they have liked similar yarns I have previously tried also. If this is a yarn fibre that you would usually gravitate towards I think you'd be very pleased with the texture and feel of this one. Let’s Crochet! First off, I tried a couple of small sample squares one with the recommended hook size of 4mm and then with a larger hook. The 4mm hook felt like it was creating quite a dense fabric. If you were going to use this for an amigurumi project then that may be what you're after. For other projects such as a blanket which is what I intend to try and make you would be better off with a larger hook to get a softer fabric with more drape. I tried both a 4.5mm and a 5mm and it was the latter that gave me the finish that I was after so that is what I will be using for my project. I did find it a challenge to maintain an even tension but that may be more because I am not used to using this type of yarn rather than the yarn itself. Having said that there is a little bit of resistance or drag on the yarn against the hook, it doesn't glide smoothly. I do find this to be the case with this type of yarn which always surprises me as the yarn itself is so soft you think it would glide like butter! One big thing in favour of Yarnsmiths Chenille DK is that I did not experience any shedding whilst crocheting with it. That's definitely a huge plus as chenille yarns can be notorious for shedding and covering you in fluff whilst you crochet. Some are also quite patchy but in a full 50g ball I did not experience any 'bald spots' at all. Or factory knots! Not to say that this wouldn't happen but it's definitely a good sign. It also held up well to frogging. Chenille yarn is basically a piece of thread with lots and lots of fibres around it which create the fluffy texture and the bulk or weight of the yarn. The inner thread is very thin especially on a DK weight yarn so it can be snapped quite easily. I was able to put pressure on it and frog without experiencing a breakage. I also didn't experience any shedding whilst frogging. The yarn does show little indents in places where it has been previously crocheted and then undone but I think that is unavoidable with this type of yarn. The one time that I did experience an issue with shedding was when I fastened off and tried to weave in my ends however, a little bit of a google search later and I realised that this type of yarn needs to have the ends burnt/melted a little to prevent the shed. I tried this on my next end and it solved the problem. Yay! Would I Recommend? I would recommend this yarn for certain projects. I think it would be great for makers who enjoy creating amigurumi plushies, also baby blankets, comforters and perhaps cushions. Would I recommend it for garments or wearable accessories? No, probably not because I'm not sure how well the yarn would hold up with regular wear. For a chenille yarn I am impressed and it is one that I would look forward to working with again. If chenille/plush yarns are ones that you tend to reach for anyay then I think you would love crocheting with this Yarnsmiths Chenille DK.   Rating: 7.5/10 + Beautifully soft texture + No shedding whilst crocheting + Good range of colours available   - Maintaining consistent tension takes effort, could be challenging for a beginner - Nature of the yarn makes fastening off and weaving in ends trickier than other types of yarn   Thank you to Yarnsmiths for sending me the yarn to try. It has definitely made me reconsider my general ban on plush yarns! Yarnsmiths Chenille DK can be purchased exclusively from Wool Warehouse for £2.50 per 50g ball. (At time of release of this blog post [April 2026] it is on offer for £1.50 per 50g ball!) If you have used or intend to use Yarnsmiths Chenille DK what projects do you have in mind? Which shade is your favourite? I'd love to know so please do leave me a comment below. I hope you have found this yarn review helpful and informative. If you have any other yarns that you would like me to review then send me a DM on Instagram @brambles.and.hart Happy Crocheting! Shelley ♡