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*This posy may contain affiliate links It’s no secret that I am crochet obsessed. From the moment I picked up a hook, 8 years ago (wow!), I completely fell in love with this craft and there's hardly a day that goes by where I don't pick up my hook. There’s something so special about slowing down and making something with your own two hands. Whether you’re a busy mum carving out a few minutes of quiet time, seeking a way to ease stress and anxiety or someone looking for a new creative hobby, crochet offers so much more than just playing withe a ball of yarn and a hook. Here are SEVEN reasons I think you should give it a go, even if you’ve never picked up a hook before. 1. It Sparks Your Creativity You don’t need to be “artistic” to enjoy crochet. I definitely would never have described myself as artistic or creative before I began crocheting and honestly it’s not really how I’d describe myself now! The real joy of crochet is in the process; picking colours, choosing the yarn, learning new stitches and techniques, watching something grow from your hook one stitch at a time. As you go, you'll find yourself experimenting with different project types and yarns, developing your own style and with every project you finish your confidence will grow. Even those questionable first attempts are something to be proud of! (I always remember my first attempt at an amigurumi dragon and my husband saying it looked like a cock sock 😂 It’s safe to say my amigurumi skills never really improved) 2. It’s an Affordable Hobby (or as affordable as you make it!) Unlike many hobbies that require lots of expensive tools or materials, crochet is super accessible. A single hook and a ball of yarn are all you need to get started. Nowadays you can find these pretty much anywhere - I saw yarn in my local Tesco yesterday! B&M, Home Bargains, The Range and Poundland all sell yarn and crafting materials, you can head to Hobbycraft if you have one locally and don’t forget your local yarn stores! Of course, you can order from online craft stores such as Wool Warehouse and LoveCrafts or even Amazon but with minimum spends for free delivery you may end up spending more money than necessary. When you are first starting out you can often reuse yarn or repurpose materials as you go. Frog a swatch once you’ve completed it and then practice another stitch. Once your skills improve and you feel ready t o tackle a project then you can buy more yarn, experiment with different hooks sizes and brands etc but still you can keep it as affordable as you want to. Don’t let anyone convince you that you need an entire set of £30 each hooks and to only use £25 a hank hand-dyed yarn for your projects - yes these things may be beautiful but if you can’t afford them or simply don’t want to use them then don’t! (I personally don’t find the fancy ‘ergonomic’ hooks comfortable to crochet with!) Use the yarn, hooks and notions that are within your budget - there’s no yarn snobbery here! 3. It Teaches Patience and Promotes Lifelong Learning Crochet is relatively easy to start but it never gets boring as there is always something new to learn and ways you can improve. Whether it’s a learning a new stitch you’ve never tried before, tackling your first garment or amigurumi project or learning to read patterns so you’re not totally reliant on YouTube tutorials, you’re always learning and there’s always something new to challenge yourself with. As an ex-teacher I am hugely passionate about encouraging a love of learning and crafts can be a great way to do just that! As you experiment with your crocheting and work to improve your skills mistakes will inevitably happen, and as frustrating as frogging (pulling back your work) and starting over is you do learn to embrace it as part of the process. As previously mentioned, crochet is a slower craft and your perseverance builds patience and resilience which are skills you can use in your daily life not just when crocheting! 4. It Builds Confidence and a Sense of Achievement As you learn and your skills improve you’ll find your confidence starting to increase. You begin to challenge yourself to try a new stitch or technique and when it finally clicks - it’s absolute magic! Every time you finish a project, even a small one, it feels amazing and you have that sense of ‘I made that!’ I think that’s really special. Crochet gives you tangible proof of progress, compare your first project to your tenth and you’ll be amazed by the difference. Each stitch is a step forward, and every piece is something to be proud of. 5. You Can Make Beautiful, Practical Things You Can Use! One of the best things about crochet is that it’s practical  and  beautiful. Your time and effort results in something that can bring you joy for years to come. From cosy blankets and baby bonnets to cardigans, hats and market bags - there’s no better feeling than using something you made with your own two hands. And handmade gifts? Always a winner! Crocheting is a slower, more thoughtful way to create the things you and your family need. Could I buy my boys new hats from Primark every winter? Sure, but then I wouldn’t get the warm and fuzzies every time I see them wearing it like I do when they’re wearing a beanie I made for them with love. 6. It’s a Gentle Way to Support Your Mental Health Crochet has a calming rhythm that naturally encourages you to breathe slower and focus. It's no surprise that so many people turn to it as a way to manage stress and anxiety or simply to unwind at the end of a long day. I find a lot of comfort in crocheting whilst dealing with my anxiety. When I’m having a particularly rough time it’s the thing I turn to rather than doomscrolling on my phone or laying on the settee bing watching Netflix, both of which have their place but when my anxiety is high they exacerbate the issue. Sometimes I need a really complex pattern that’s going to require all of my focus and attention so that my mind cannot wander. Other times I need a simple, meditative project, such as a ribbed beanie or ripple blanket, that doesn’t need my attention at all and I can just relax into the rhythm of the stitches. It’s like a mini reset button and I don’t know what I’d do without it. Setting yourself mini goals with a crochet project such as ‘I will crochet two rows of my blanket today’ can be a gentle way to motivate and remind yourself that you are capable of doing things. Because you can do things, you’re amazing! 7. You Can Find Community ♡ Crochet is a lovely way to connect with others, I’ve made a lot of friends online through my crochet and they’re honestly some of the kindest most supportive people I know! Whether it's a local crafting group, a hosted CAL (crochet-along) online (like the Sirdar Halloween CAL that starts on 23rd July), or just sharing your makes on social media there’s a whole world of makers ready to welcome you into the community. It's a shared language of stitches, a love of yarn hoarding and a whole host of abandoned WIPs (work in progress) and there’s always room for one more in the club so grab your hook and yarn and come join us! Bonus reason: It’s a super portable hobby. I love to have a small project such as a hat, washcloth, a panel of a cardigan or something that I can pack into my bag when I go out and then whip out when I get a spare 5 minutes. It stops me from feeling like I have to reach for my phone whilst I’m waiting at the doctors or waiting to pick up the boys from Beavers. Ready to Get Started? You don’t need much to start, just a hook, some yarn and a little creative curiosity. If you're looking for a simple, beginner-friendly project to try, I’ve got plenty right here at Brambles & Hart to get you going. Try the free Flower Power Garland , get a Dino Beanie on your hook or if you're feeling ready for your first garment then the Hazel Cardigan is a great place to start! Crochet isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way to slow down, create, and connect. And I’d love to help you start your journey. Shelley ♡

Last month I did not post my monthly update for May (sorry!). I kind of got in my head a bit about nobody reading the posts anyway but actually I need to remember that these posts are for me. I want to be able to look back on them and see what I was reading, what books I enjoyed, what I didn't and have a reminder of this process. With that being said - let's get into the June update. This one is going to be slightly different to my normal monthly updates. As we have now officially entered into the second half of the year (how?!) I want to take a look back on the books I've read and give a little run down of my top ten books of the year so far. At the end of June, I had read a total of 66 books ! Just 4 shy of my overall yearly goal of 70 books - I've honestly amazed myself, audiobooks have absolutely played a huge part in this number and if you've not tried listening to audiobooks yet then I highly recommend it. So out of the 66 books that I read in the first half of the year I'm going to attempt to pick my top five. I have read some absolutely incredible books so I feel that this is going to be quite the challenge! My Top Five Books of 2025 so far!      (Title, Author, Format, Rating) Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman - 6 stars! Yes 6 stars! My husband and I listened to this during our road trip from Scotland to England to visit family. It had been on my TBR for a while but never near the top as I wasn't sure that I would actually like it. It's a LitRPG and as someone who doesn't play video games I wasn't convinced that this genre would be for me. Oh boy, how wrong I was. The story is so well written and the audiobook is absolutely phenomenal! It's hilarious, really laugh-out-loud funny, there's action, mystery and intrigue, a talking cat named Princess Donut, trolls, monsters, battles and more! It all sounds a bit crazy but it works. We're now listening to book 3 in the series and so far they've all been amazing. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 5 stars This was a new release last month and I had been waiting patiently for it to come out since I'd seen it advertised at the start of the year. I've read a few books by TJR and I really enjoy her writing style, I'm also a bit of a space nerd so knowing that this was about a female astronaut at NASA had me really excited. It was so much more than I expected, oh my heart! TJR writes people and relationships so beautifully. I was fully invested in the characters and their lives. The NASA storyline was perhaps not quite the star of the show like I was expecting but it was still really well written and I enjoyed every moment of this book. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab - 5 stars This book is now one of my favourite books of all time, it may even top The Time Traveler's Wife which has been my number one for the last 15+ years! I was so enamoured with the life of Addie LaRue. Such a beautifully written story. It broke my heart and put it back together and broke it all over again. The story of Addie’s long life as a result of the deal she made was engaging, I enjoyed the time-hopping chapters and also the dual perspectives of both Addie and Henry. Henry himself was a well-written, multilayered character who I just wanted to give the biggest hug. The whole thing was just beautiful. Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L Wang - 4.75 stars This book was incredible, I listened to it back in February and it's still one that I keep on recommending to people. It has such an original plot and a really unique magic system. The main characters are great, the world building immersive and the pacing good. The magic system is complex and at the beginning it was a bit of information overload and it took me a while to get my head around but once I was in I was locked IN! I laughed, I cried, I felt hopeful and heartbroken all at the same time. I highly highly recommend this book. Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - 5 stars I also listened to the audiobook back in Februrary and I still think about it often. The characters are fantastic, the plot original and engaging, the world believable (unfortunately perhaps too believable), it’s fast paced and action packed. Everything you could ask for in a book. The book addresses many complex and important issues such as racism, injustice, the American prison system and how society is becoming desensitised to violence and it does so in a way that is both thought provoking and impactful. This book really will stay with me for a long time. What have been your top reads so far of 2025? I realise that all of these are books of which I listened to the audio version. There is something so immersive about audiobooks that I am truly obsessed with. I have clearly spent hours and hours listening to audiobooks this year and I'm not mad about it - I hope I have many more amazing listens this year. As always, you can follow my progress on Fable App and if you decide to join me in making a book blanket then be sure to tag me in your content @brambles.and.hart and use #BookBlanket2025 and #Booksandcrochet. I'm loving connecting with people who love both books and crochet like me! I'll be back with another update on my book blanket next month so be sure to keep an eye out for that. Happy reading and crocheting! Shelley ♡

This month saw me finally pull myself out of the horrible reading slump that I'd been in all of March. I started strong with a couple re-reads of books that I knew I would enjoy and then let's just say that the month got kind of interesting and I read books that I certainly never envisoned myself reading much less enjoying! Books Read This Month      (Title, Author, Format, Rating) The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith. Audiobook. 4.5 Stars (re-read) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Physical. 4 Stars (re-read) Diddly Squat: A Year on the Farm by Jeremy Clarkson. Physical. 3.5 Stars The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith. Audiobook. 4.5 Stars (re-read) You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero. Kindle/Audiobook. 4.5 Stars Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage. Kindle. 4.25 Stars The Seventh Girl by Andy Maslen. Audiobook. 3.75 Stars Diddly Squat: Til' the Cows Come Home by Jeremy Clarkson. Physical. 4 Stars Stay in the Light by A.M Shine. Audiobook. 3.75 Stars The Witches of Santo Stefano by Wendy Webb. Audiobook. 4 Stars (re-read) 12 Week Year by Brian P Moran and Michael Lennington. Audiobook. 4 Stars This makes a total of 53/70 books read this year so far! You can follow my progress on Fable App ! Best Book of the Month: I don't really have a stand out favourite book this month, nor was there any particularly bad reads which was nice. What I do have is perhaps the most surprising book that I've enjoyed, or rather the two most surprising books - Diddly Squat by Jeremy Clarkson. Never did I think I'd be reading a book by Jeremy Clarkson let alone enjoying it! But at the start of the month my husband and I started watching Clarkson's Farm on Amazon Prime. A bit late to the party as Season 4 is due out later this month (May) but there's nothing unusual for us there! I have absoluetly fallen in love with the show. I've never been a fan of Jeremy Clarkson, I definitely never enjoyed shows like Top Gear but Clarkson's Farm very much shows a different side to him. I've loved learning more about British farming, seeing just how much hard work and blood, sweat and tears goes into running a farm and of course laughing at the hilarious goings on with Jeremy, Kaleb, Charlie and of course Gerald! If you've not watched it yet then you just need to take my word for it that it is very much worth the watch! If you have seen it and enjoyed it then I would recommend the books although it's worth noting that they're comprosed of Clarkson's Sunday Times columns that he writes about his farming exploits and it isn't written in. the style of a normal book. Some bits are a bit repetitive, particularly if you've watched the show, but overall I found them to be a nice read. Good for dipping in and out of. I found a copy of the the first two books in a charming little second-hand bookshop in Huntly for just £2 each...and yes I may have bought the next 2 on Vinted too 🙊 but at just £1.50 each it was hard to pass them by! Second-hand Books Whilst we're on the topics of second-hand books let's talk about why I think they're a great way to purchase books and the best places to get them! Charity shops and Second-hand Bookstores These are perhaps the most obvious places for second-hand books. They can be absolute treasure troves and I love nothing more than mooching about the charity shops and eyeing up the bookshelves to see what I can find. It feels nice knowing that whilst you're giving a book a second lease of life you are also helping to support a charity too! Vinted Now I started off on Vinted with the intention of selling a lot of the boys' outgrown clothes and I do do that regularly but I've found it's a fantastic platform to use for both buying and selling books. I've sold so many books on Vinted, ones that just aren't for me or that I know I'll never read again. I've also bought books from Vinted and whilst they are technically second hand you can get books that are practically brand new for a fraction of the price of a new copy. Amazon Marketplace You can buy new books on Amazon, normally at a much cheaper price than in a bookshop but you can also purchase second-hand books via their marketplace. If you scroll down a little you will find a section that says 'Save with Used' or the section that gives other format options and you can see used copies that are available from other Amazon sellers. Websites There are second-hand bookstore websites such as World of Books and Awesome Books where you can get great deals on used books, again many of which are actually in great condition. Buying second-hand/used books is a great way to enjoy your reading hobby sustainably, you save money and are also doing your bit to help the environment by preventing perfectly good books from being thrown away. It’s also a fantastic way to support independent bookstores, community groups and charities - do some good whilst treating yourself! It’s also nice sometimes to have a book that’s already been read because you don’t have to worry about cracking the spine or if a corner gets a little crumpled. A win all round! So go and find some bargain second hand books and enjoy some quality reading time - you deserve it! If you want to do decide to join me in making a book blanket then be sure to tag me in your content @brambles.and.hart and use #BookBlanket2025 and #Booksandcrochet. I'm loving connecting with people who love both books and crochet like me! I will be sharing updates of my book blanket on my Instagram/TikTok and my monthly wrap ups here on the blog so do follow along. I'll be back with another update on my book blanket next month so be sure to keep an eye out for that. Happy reading and crocheting! Shelley ♡

It's been another good month with two fantastic 5 star reads! Audiobooks have dominated again as I've been listening a lot whilst working and on my morning walks. Books Read This Month      (Title, Author, Format, Rating) The Conjurer's Wife: A Short Story by Sarah Penner. Audiobook. 3.75 stars Summer Knight (The Dresden Files 4) by Jim Butcher. Audiobook. 3.25 stars The Magpies by Mark Edwards. Audiobook. 1.5 stars The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. Kindle. 3 stars The Watchers by A.M Shine. Audiobook. 4 stars Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. Audiobook. 4 stars Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Audiobook. 5 stars The Survivors by Caroline Mitchell. Audiobook. 3.75 stars The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw. Physical. 4.25 stars Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann. Kindle. 4.25 stars Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L Wang. Audiobook. 5 stars Ward D by Frieda McFadden. Audiobook. 3.5 stars All the Sinner Bleed by S.A Cosby. Physical/Audiobook. 4.5 stars This makes a total of 34/70 books read this year so far! You can follow my progress on Fable App ! I had two DNFs this month The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake - this was just word vomit, so many words to say so little. I could not get to grips with it. Untamed by Glennon Doyle - I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book but it definitely didn't deliver. The writing style was easy reading but it was just a lot of 'my life was shit and now it's not'. Great for the author but no real takeaway for me that I could see. Best Book of the Month: Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah The audiobook for this is phenomenal so if you can listen to this I highly recommend it. Check trigger warnings as there is a lot of violence, murder and racism. The best way I can describe this book is like Death Race the film with Jason Statham crossed with Gladiators TV show but make it real violence and ending only when one person is dead. It's brutal, the prisoners who are largely black, are essentially enslaved and their only way out is to win their freedom or to be low-freed (killed). It's an action packed story with great characters but also extremely hard hitting and thought provoking. It addresses issues with the American prison system, social injustice and inequality, racism and more. It's set in a world that is unfortunately all too believable. A truly worthwhile read, it will stay with me for a very long time. Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L Wang I can have two favourites right? This is another one that I think greatly benefits from being listened to. This is another book that addresses issues of social injustice, inequality, racism and misogyny but in a fantasy setting. Sciona is the first female high mage and uncovers the secrets to the magic of her city whilst fighting against some of the most egotistical, arrogant and misogynist men I've ever encountered. The magic system within this world is amazing and truly unique. It does take a little bit of getting used to and I do think that this is made a bit easier when listening to the audiobook. I laughed and cried to this book. Worst Book of the Month: The Magpies by Mark Edwards The audible narration wasn't great but I could have forgiven that if the plot was interesting but it just dragged on and on. The premise was good, reviews say an unputdownable psychological thriller but I was far from thrilled. I even skipped parts and it made no difference because still nothing had happened. The ending was okay but a bit of a let down and definitely did not make up for the rest of the book. I believe that this is a trilogy - I will not be reading the others. Also - huge gripe with this book was that it described the weather as being in the high 80s even though the characters are all British and it's set in London! Blanket Progress In January I was making the square for each book pretty much as soon as I'd finished it and adding it on to the blanket. Sadly, that did not happen again in February! I actually made all of my squares this weekend (2nd weekend in March) and I'm still yet to join them to my blanket but I will! It's going to look so cute with this month's squares added, I'm really excited to see them altogether. If you would like a tutorial for how I am joining my granny squares for my book blanket you can find that here . Do you love reading too? I'm assuming that if you're reading about my book blanket plans then you do! If you want to join with me in making a book blanket then be sure to tag me in your content @brambles.and.hart and use #BookBlanket2025 and #Booksandcrochet. I'm hoping to find a whole community of people who love both books and crochet like me! I will be sharing updates of my book blanket on my Instagram/TikTok and my monthly wrap ups here on the blog so do follow along. I'll be back with another update on my book blanket at the end of March so be sure to keep an eye out for that. I'm hoping for another 5 star read or two next month - fingers crossed! Happy reading and crocheting! Shelley ♡

March was a much slower month for me when it came to reading but I did read what is now one of my favourite books of all time! I think I've been in a bit of a reading slump. I found myself picking up and putting down so many books this month because I just could not get into them. I couldn't decide what genre I wanted to read, I struggled to focus on new audiobooks and honestly I was just so tired from solo parenting whilst my husband was in Italy for a few weeks that starting a new book felt like a lot of effort. It happens and I tried not to force myself to read or feel bad for putting a book down after barely reading a page. Things did pick up towards the end of the month and that's when I had the pleasure of reading my latest 5 star read! Books Read This Month      (Title, Author, Format, Rating) Her Last Move by John Marrs. Audiobook. 3.5 Stars Eyeshot by Taylor Adams. Kindle. 3 Stars. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. Audiobook. 5 stars (Re-read) You Killed Me First by John Marrs. Audiobook. 3.75 Stars Gravewater Lake by A.M Strong. Kindle/Audiobook. 4.25 Stars The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson. Physical/Audiobook. 4 Stars The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab. Audiobook. 5 Stars What's Your Dream? By Simon Squibb. Physical. 4 Stars This makes a total of 42/70 books read this year so far! You can follow my progress on Fable App ! Best Book of the Month: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab Synopsis from Amazon: " When Addie La Rue makes a pact with the devil, she trades her soul for immortality. But there's always a price - the devil takes away her place in the world, cursing her to be forgotten by everyone. Addie flees her tiny home town in 18th-Century France, beginning a journey that takes her across the world, learning to live a life where no one remembers her and everything she owns is lost and broken. Existing only as a muse for artists throughout history, she learns to fall in love anew every single day. Her only companion on this journey is her dark devil with hypnotic green eyes, who visits her each year on the anniversary of their deal. Alone in the world, Addie has no choice but to confront him, to understand him, maybe to beat him. Until one day, in a second hand bookshop in Manhattan, Addie meets someone who remembers her. Suddenly thrust back into a real, normal life, Addie realises she can't escape her fate forever." This book was utter perfection and is now one of my most favourite books of all time! Schwab's writing is lyrical and mesmerising, her character building flawless. My heart broke for Addie as her very long life unfolded and you feel her longing to be remebered, to leave a mark on the world in some way. The relationship between Henry and Addie adds joy, heartbreak and suspense. He's such a lost soul. My favourite book for the longest time has been The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and this book has a similar vibe, especially with the switching to various points in time. There's not lots of on-the-edge-of-your-seat action or really any of the popular BookTok tropes but it is a beautifully written book that will leave a lasting imprint upon my heart for sure. I do acknowledge that it's unlikely to be a 5 star read for everyone but I would suggest giving it a try. The audiobook is narrated by Julia Whelan, who is fast becoming my favourite narrator for audiobooks, she delivers them perfectly and this one is no exception! Worst Book of the Month: Eyeshot by Taylor Adams Having read Adams' No Exit last year in one sitting I was expecting similar this time. It started so well, I was hooked into the story quickly and loved the setting - stranded in the desert - I was expecting a 4/4.5 star read for sure but sadly it lost its way. Around the halfway mark it began to feel like things were being dragged out and the pace slowed considerably. I almost DNF'd because I wasn't feeling any connection to the characters. I did continue on and the ending was okay, not great but okay. I hate when you read a book by an author and it's incredible and try another but it's a let down. Will I go in for a third? I'm not sure, possibly. Blanket Progress My blanket is becoming pretty sizeable now and I am really loving how all of the colours look together. Now I'm over halfway on my reading goal I can picture the finished size of the blanket and I think it's going to make the perfect reading blanket once it's finished. I'm glad that I've kept on top of joining all of the squares together because it makes for easy storage, I'm not misplacing any squares or having to go through my reading journal to check the order the squares should be in. I do need to try and get back in the habit of making the square as soon as I've finished the book though as once again this month I had to sit down and make them all over a few days because I hadn't done any during the month. It wasn't too bad as there were only 8 to make and add to the blanket but really I should be doing it as I go. It would definitely make it easier to share updates on social media! If you would like a tutorial for how I am joining my granny squares for my book blanket you can find that here . I have had quite a few people DM me to say that they have started book blankets too which is absolutely amazing. It's not too late if you want to start your 2025 book blanket. Just choose how you would like to make your blanket - squares for each rating like me, squares related to the book cover, a row for each rating or even the genre of the book. The options are endless. There is a group on Facebook for Book Blankets that I highly recommend joining if you are looking for some inspiration! If you want to do decide to join me in making a book blanket then be sure to tag me in your content @brambles.and.hart and use #BookBlanket2025 and #Booksandcrochet. I'm loving connecting with people who love both books and crochet like me! I will be sharing updates of my book blanket on my Instagram/TikTok and my monthly wrap ups here on the blog so do follow along. I'll be back with another update on my book blanket next month so be sure to keep an eye out for that. I'm hoping I'll manage a few more books in April but so far it has been a slow start. Happy reading and crocheting! Shelley ♡

(This post may contain affiliate links) This is my own review of the Bella Coco's Crochet Stitch Library Book and the Bella Coco's Crochet Stitch Card Deck . I bought both of these with my own money from Amazon, this review is entirely my own opinion. I have been crocheting for almost 8 years now and I have never owned a crochet stitch book before. I kind of can't believe that! I've always wanted one but whenever I've looked at ones previously they've either not had a varied enough selection of stitches to warrant me buying the book, they've been written in UK terms which I don't tend to use or the instructions haven't been very clear. Recently, I've been feeling a bit stuck-in-a-rut when it comes to my crochet and pattern designing. I've been wanting to try new stitches but kind of drawing a blank when it comes to anything more adventurous that the bobble stitch! Of course, the internet is full of stitch tutorials in both written and video format but I found that you kind of have to know what you're looking for in order to find them. Getting random inspiration was harder than it should have been! I then saw a TikTok video of a creator sharing some crochet related gifts they'd received for their birthday which included a set of Bella Coco's Crochet Stitch Card Deck . As someone who loves an Oracle Card I was intrigued to see crochet stitches being presented in such a way and like a lot of people I used Bella Coco's YouTube tutorials when I was first learning to crochet so I had high hopes for this product. The Card Deck vs. The Book When I searched for the card deck on Amazon the book also came up so of course I decided to order both and see which one I liked best. Skip ahead to comparison table and overall thoughts Bella Coco's Crochet Stitch Card Deck The card deck is beautifully presented, the storage box is nice and sturdy and the quality of the cards themselves seems really good. There is an accompanying booklet inside the box that gives you some information to help you with using the deck, a recap of the basic stitches (SC, HDC, DC, TR, DTR) and a glossary of the abbreviations used throughout (US terms). There are two 'Extra Information' cards, one that explains how to use the deck and the other provides stitch conversions from US Terms to UK Terms as well as all the different hook sizes from 2mm to 12mm. I was slightly disappointed that these 2 cards counted towards the '52' meaning that there are in fact 50 individual stitch cards. The cards are split into two sections the blue cards are 'Simple Stitch Combinations" and include things like the ripple stitch, moss stitch and suzette stitch. Then the yellow cards are 'Textured Stitches' and include things such as the basketweave stitch, almond ridges and a personal favourite, the even moss stitch. Each card is double sided. On one side you have the name of the stitch, a photograph showing a swatch, a skill level and the basic information you need for that stitch e.g. the mutlipes needed. On the back of the card there are full written instructions for that particular stitch/ stitch pattern. My thoughts: As I said I was a little disappointed that there were 50 rather than 52 stitch cards as the information cards counted but overall I was really really impressed with the deck . The quality of the cards themselves is great, they feel like they could withstand a lot of looking through and usage. Having them in a sturdy little storage box makes them easily portable so they could come with me when I go away or on road trips which is super handy. The photographs of the stitches themselves are beautiful, really clear and with great stitch definition so you get a good sense of how the stitch will look worked up. There is a fantastic selection of stitches included in the deck, some stitches were completely new to me and I've been crocheting for a long time now! Shuffling through the deck and picking out cards at random to see what stitch I would get was a lot of fun and I think they will be a great source of inspiration for future crochet projects and designs. If you are not familiar with reading written instructions for crochet then I do think that you would need to practice this skill a little before using the cards or be really confident with your basic stitches as there is no additional support alongside the instructions e.g. photos. Of course, this is to keep the cards small and concise. If you can read a written pattern then I don't think you would have any problems at all and if you did need extra help then I'm sure you could find a YouTube video for the particular stitch that you like, maybe even by Sarah-Jane (Bella Coco) herself. Bella Coco's Crochet Stitch Library (Book) As with the card deck the book looks and feels fantastic quality. It contains a grand total of 75 different stitches, so an extra 20 compared to the card deck (if you don't include the 5 basic stitches). There are also 25 'motifs' including granny squares, solid granny squares, solid half hexagon and a block stitch square, 5 different border tutorials and even a few projects for you to try. As with the card deck the stitches are split up into different sections including basic stitches, simple stitch combinations, textured stitches, squares and shapes and borders and edges. At the beginning of the book there is a detailed information section that covers tools, yarn weights, fibres, gauge, basic crochet techniques such as making a magic ring and even stitch anatomy, all with photographic support. For a beginner this section would be invaluable, even for an experienced crocheter it's nice to be able to refer to something like this. My Thoughts: What I love about the Stitch Library is how the contents section is laid out. There is a photo of each stitch with it's colour coded bar so that you know what type of stitch it is and then there is also a difficulty rating using crochet hooks (1 - beginner, 2 - intermediate, 3 - advanced) for each one. I just think it's so clever and really user friendly. You don't need to flick through the entire book searching for a stitch, you can see it in the contents. Great if like me you often remember what a stitch looks like but not what it's called! There are so many stitches and motifs included within this book that it would be a great source of reference and inspiration for any crocheter. Again, the photos are perfectly clear and show the stitch definition really well. The written instructions are provided in both US and UK terms which is wonderful. As someone who prefers US terms I'm glad to see them being used but having both should suit just about everyone and will help people to better understand US and UK terms and see the differences between them. Being able to read and understand both is a skill I think everyone should have. I think it's great how the colour names of the yarn used are included for each swatch however I couldn't see if it said what brand of yarn was being used. From the shade names though I am fairly certain that it's Paintbox Yarns ! Which One Is Best? Honestly, I love them both and will be keeping them both! The book does have a lot more contained within it; more stitches, the motifs and borders and also the education section at the beginning which would be especially good for those new to crochet. The card deck would be well suited to people who travel a lot and want to take them along as they're nice and portable. They have the element of fun of being able to pick a card at random and try the stitch on the card, this would be great if, like me, you've been feeling stuck-in-a-rut or just want to challenge yourself to try new stitches. I also think they make great photo props, as someone who loves a flatlay for instagram that's a bonus point for me for sure! Crochet Stitch Card Deck Crochet Stitch Library (Book) Stitches Included 50 70 (+5 basic) Variety of Stitches Excellent Excellent Motifs Included No 25 Terms Used US Terms US and UK Terms Diagrams/Charts No Yes for some motifs Portability Excellent - sturdy storage box Good - could get damaged Price* £13.29 £12.49 *Price correct at time of publication, on Amazon UK. I'll leave it up to you to decide which, if any, of these are right for you! I hope that you found my honest review of these products useful, do let me know if there are any other products that you think I should review! Happy crocheting! Shelley ♡

This post may contain affiliate links The Flower Power Bunting is a versatile decorative crochet creation that you could use to brighten up even the drabbest of places, e.g my 'office' aka the corner of our dining room where I have my desk. Choose your favourite colours and create beautiful bunting for your little ones’ bedroom, make a thoughtful gift for a baby shower or use cotton yarn to create bunting that you can hang in the garden to enjoy all summer long! If you would prefer to have an inexpensive printable PDF copy of the pattern with additional photo support you can get this from my website , Etsy or Ravelry . Skip to pattern Before You Begin: You will need: Your choice of yarn (see notes below) Crochet hook 0.5mm less than the recommended size for your yarn Recommended hook size: DK yarn - 3.5mm Aran yarn - 4.5mm Chunky yarn - 5.5mm Tapestry needle Scissors It might also be handy to have a measuring tape and the measurements of where you intend to place the bunting so that you can be sure to make enough motifs. Yarn Info: Yarn Weight You can use whatever yarn you have to hand to make your bunting, this makes it a great stashbusting project! However, the weight of the yarn that you use (DK, Aran, Chunky etc) will affect the size of your finished motifs. Yarn Fibre You can use any fibre yarn for your bunting. If you are planning to hang your bunting outside at all then I would recommend using a natural fibre such as cotton for extra durability against the elements. For the pink/green/blue bunting pictured I used King Cole Big Value Aran in Porcelain, Mustard and Cream, Yarnsmiths Create Aran in Light Sage and some blue scrap yarn from my stash. I used a 4.5mm hook. Yardage This is based off of my use of Aran/worsted/4 weight yarn and a 4.5mm hook. My completed triangle motif measure 13cm/5" across at their widest point. Per Motif: Yarn A - 1g Yarn B - 2g Yarn C - 6g Additional 5g for joining colour Stitch Abbreviations (US Terms) St/s - stitch/es Ch - chain Sl st - slip stitch MR - magic ring/magic circle HDC - half double crochet DC - double crochet Cluster - see special stitches below Special Stitches Cluster Stitch: Yarn over, insert hook into stitch and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through two loops (2 loops on hook) Yarn over, insert hook back into same stitch and pull up a loop (4 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 loops on hook) Repeat to once more (5 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all loops. Stitch complete Note: Your first cluster will look slightly different because of the initial ch2 but this is okay and only noticeable if you know to look for it. Pattern Notes: We will be working in the round for this pattern and all rounds are worked with the right side facing. You will not turn your work at any point. For the purpose of this pattern I will be referring to the different colours used as follows: Yarn A - Mustard (centre shade), Yarn B - Cream (‘petals’), Yarn C - Porcelain (triangle colour) Ch 1 at the start of a round does not count as a stitch unless specified. If you find that you are getting an extra cluster in round 2 then it is likely that you are working into the slip stitch used to join round 1. You can always add a stitch marker to the join to make sure that you skip it. I provide suggestions for where to change colours but you can change colours whenever you would like - work round 1 and 2 in the same mustard/gold shade to create sunshine bunting! I recommend blocking your finished motifs before joining them as this helps to give them all a neat, uniform appearance. I made a total of 7 motifs with aran weight yarn and a 4.5mm hook which gave me bunting that measures approximately 120cm end to end. You can make more or less motifs and you can also alter the spacing between them to alter the length. You are permitted to make and sell Flower Power Bunting in small quantities but please ensure that you credit me, Brambles & Hart, with the design and share a link to either my website, Ravelry or Etsy for the pattern. You may not make changes to the pattern and try to pass it off as your own. Please do not use any of my photos to promote your own version of the bunting. - Thank you! The Pattern Bunting Motifs: Using Yarn A and a 4.5mm hook (or hook size needed for your yarn), make a magic ring. Rnd 1: Into MR, work 12 DC. Sl st to first DC to join. Fasten off. (12 sts) Join Yarn B to any stitch and ch2. Rnd 2: Cluster into first st, ch2, cluster into next st . Repeat from to around. Ch2 and sl st to first cluster to join. Fasten off. (12 clusters and 12 ch2 spaces) Join Yarn C to any ch2-sp. Rnd 3: Ch2 (counts as a st), 2DC into same ch-sp [This creates the first part of corner 1]. 3HDC into next ch-sp, 3SC into next ch-sp, 3HDC into next ch-sp. (3DC, ch2, 3DC) into next ch-sp to create a corner. Repeat from to and then create next corner (3DC, ch2, 3DC). Repeat from to one more time and then work 3DC to complete corner 1. Sl st to top of first DC to join. Do not fasten off. Rnd 4: Sl st across to next space Ch2 (counts as a st), 2 DC into same space. 3DC into each space along until you reach the corner. (3DC, ch2, 3DC) into the corner corner . Repeat from to two more times until you have completed all 3 corners. Sl st to top of first DC to join. Fasten off . Weave in all ends. Repeat until you have completed all of your motifs. If you require step by step photo support for making the motifs these can be found in the paid PDF version of the pattern. Joining the Mofits When joining the motifs together you will be working from the right to the left of the bunting. keep this in mind if you are intending to create a colour pattern for example. I recommend blocking your motifs prior to joining them. I also recommend that the top edge of your motif is the side with where you fastened off your yarn at the end of round 4. This way we can work over the join to hide it and have a nice finish to the two visible sides. Using Yarn A and a 4.5mm hook (or same hook as before) Ch 13 This will be the length of the starting chain before you join on any motifs. You can make this section longer or shorter by altering the number of chains. Keep a note of how many chains you do so that you can repeat it at the other end. Bring in your first motif to join. SC into a corner space and into each st along up to and including the next corner space. ( 20 sts ). Ch3 This will be the width of the space between motifs. If you would like them closer together then omit any chains. If you would like them further apart then add more chains. Bring in next motif SC into the first corner space and into each st along up to, and including, the next corner space. ( 20 sts ). Repeat until you have joined all of your motifs together. Try to keep the same number of chains between each one and an even tension to have them equally spaced out. Once you have joined joined your last motif ch13 or however many chains you did at the start of your bunting. Fasten off your yarn. You can then weave in the two tail ends of your yarn or just trim them down. Congratulations, you have completed your Flower Power Bunting! I really hope that you enjoyed making this free pattern, my first free garment pattern no less! I'd love to see your work so please do tag me in your posts on social media @Brambles.and.Hart and use the hashtags #FlowerPowerGarland #BHFreePatternMakes #BramblesandHart If you would like to join my pattern tester list so that you can be the first to know about upcoming pattern tests you can do that here . Be sure to check out my other patterns also, all free patterns can be found on the website and I have paid patterns on my website, Etsy and Ravelry. I'm also over on YouTube now so please do subscribe!

If you follow me on social media you will likely have seen the crochet ripple blanket that I made for one of my husband's colleagues recently. It definitely got a lot of love and I can completely understand why - ripple blankets are just so satisfying to both make and look at! I have had many comments and DMs asking about my version of the blanket, how I set out my colours and the ripple pattern that I followed so I'm going to share it with you here. The Yarn: I used Paintbox Simply Aran in Vintage Heather and Pine Green along with Yarnsmiths Create Aran in Antique Gold and Parchment. My blanket was approximately 80x95cm. To make a similar size blanket you will need: 1x 100g ball each of Antique gold and Vintage Heather 2x 100g ball of Pine Green 3x 100g ball of Parchment I used a 5.5mm crochet hook. The Pattern: The basis of the ripple blanket is the Neat Ripple Blanket pattern from Attic 24 . This is the first ever ripple pattern that I used when I was learning to crochet and in my opinion it really is the best. It's well written and easy to follow for beginners plus she provides some step-by-step photos which are super helpful if you haven't made a ripple blanket before. The neat ripple pattern is a simple one row repeat and once you are a few rows in it becomes really easy to remember the stitch pattern to create the peaks and valleys of each ripple and it makes for a soothing mindful project - great for making whilst listening to an audiobook or watching your latest series. Whilst I love the original pattern and have used it many times before, including for my youngest son's baby blanket (look how tiny he was!), I did make some slight alterations for this particular blanket. The original Neat Ripple Blanket from Attic 24 uses DK weight yarn and a 4mm hook but for this one I used aran/worsted/4 weight yarn and a 5.5mm hook. You can absolutely play around with yarn weights and hook sizes and still have a beautiful finished project. I also chose to work my stitches (almost) entirely in the BLO (back loop only). This is what creates the beautiful rippled texture that compliments the ripple stitch pattern so well. I say almost entirely in the BLO as I do recommend working the first and last stitch of each row through both loops as normal just to help with the structure of the blanket. I find that this prevents the stitches from stretching out and becoming gappy when working the border. Colour Blocking: For this blanket, I had a colour block section of the 3 contrast colours at either end with a larger section of the neutral shade in the middle. For the starting section, each contrast colour consists of 4 rows, working the pattern as usual just in the BLO, before switching to the next colour. Once I had worked my 3 contrast colours (Pine Green, Antique Gold and then Vintage Heather) I the began the large section of Parchment. The middle section consisted of a total of 36 rows, which is 3x the amount of rows for the contrast section. I felt that this would give nice proportions and it did seem to work well but you could absolutely make this section longer. The final section is worked in reverse of the inital contrast colour section so that it is the same whichever way around you have the blanket. This time I started with Vintage Heather, then on to Antique Gold and finally Pine Green. For ease, follow this pattern: Rows 1-4: Pine Green Rows 5-8: Antique Gold Rows 9-12: Vintage Heather Rows 13-48: Parchment Rows 49-52: Vintage Heather Rows 53-56: Antique Gold Rows 57-60: Pine Green The Border: I followed Attic 24's initial instructions for the border to help square off the edges, although I have been known to leave them as the ripple and I think that looks pretty too, using Parchment before switching to Pine Green as this was my chosen border colour and adding in a row of HDC in the 3rd loop to add some texture to the border also. You could absolutely leave this out and work either in the BLO or as a normal HDC round. Using Parchment: Round 1: Square off ends using Attic 24 pattern Round 2: HDC around, (HDC, ch2, HDC) in each corner Using Pine Green Round 3: HDC around, (HDC, ch2, HDC) in each corner Round 4: HDC in the 3rd loop around, (HDC, ch2, HDC) in each corner Round 5: SC around, 3SC in each corner Finishing Touches: As this blanket was to be given as a New Baby Gift I wanted to package it up nicely for the recipient and one of the easiest ways I know to do this is to use a cupcake box. You can get them really cheaply from places like B&M, Home Bargains and Poundland and they are the perfect fit for baby blankets. I have previously gifted large blankets in large cake boxes too, they work a treat - no pun intended! I did make up a matching newborn Pixie Bonnet to go alongside this blanket and I think it made such a delightful little set. What do you think? I hope that this little overview of how I made my Colourblock Ripple Blanket has been helpful. I honestly think that you could do a ripple blanket in any colour combination, or even a solid colour, and it would look stunning. I'm yet to see a version that I don't love. It's a great project for beginner and advanced crocheters alike and this version goes to show that something as simple as working in the BLO can take one pattern and make it look a little different! It's all about experimentation and finding the joy in the art of crochet. Be sure to follow me on Social Media to stay up to date with all of my latest crochet projects, free patterns and tutorials! Instagram @brambles.and.hart TikTok @brambles.and.hart YouTube Brambles and Hart Happy crocheting! Shelley ♡

As part of a Hobbii Challenge I was sent some of their blanket yarn to try out. Now I have used blanket yarns before (e.g. Bernat blanket yarn, Yarnsmiths Snug as. a Bug) and these are categorised as a super chunky/super bulky/6 weight yarn. I was expecting similar with this yarn but wow I was mistaken! It's huge! The Details: Name: Hobbii Blanket Yarn Yarn Weight: Jumbo/7 weight Composition: 100% Polyester Ball Weight: 300g Yardage: 43yds/ 39m Recommended Hook: 25mm   My initial thoughts: This yarn lives up to its' category of JUMBO it is the chunkiest yarn I have ever used. As it's a 300g ball it was big and squishy and I was really impressed with its softness but I can't deny that I was slightly intimidated by the thickness of the yarn. My trusty 5mm hook was clearly not going to be the one for the job with this yarn and so I ordered a sparkly new 25mm crochet hook from Amazon as this is the hook size recommended on the ball band. I gave the yarn a bit of a stress test - I rubbed the strand between my fingers to check for shedding and there wasn't any which is great and I also pulled on the tail end of the yarn to see how easily it snaps - blanket yarns are notorious for breaking easily. This yarn did break when I pulled it but I did have to give it a good pull.   Let’s Crochet! My initial thought was to make a blanket with the 'blanket' yarn. I had 6 balls - 2 each of silver, anthracite and misty green. I attempted to crochet with the beast of a 25mm crochet hook and I found it quite difficult. The hook felt quite cumbersome in my hand and it was hard to stop the stitches from being too tight. Also, it seemed quite the yarn eater and I wasn't sure that 6 balls would actually make a decent size crochet blanket and more than 6 balls at 300g each would be ridiculously heavy. Upon attempting to undo, or frog, the start of my blanket I found that the yarn didn't frog smoothly. It would get stuck and need a good pull which on one occasion did result in the yarn breaking. Now to try something different... I didn't want to buy another crochet hook, a bigger hook wasn't likely to feel any better crocheting with so instead I decided to try finger crochet! I made some small cushions for my boys to take when we go camping. Finger crocheting with this yarn was so much easier than standard crocheting and it was actually a lot of fun. It's a bit of a finger workout and can be a tad fiddly to get started but once I was in my rhythm I loved how quickly it worked up. For the cushions I crocheted two 4 round circles and then stitched them together. Thanks to the thickness of the yarn they didn't require any stuffing, they're plump enough on their own. This bodes well for when it comes to washing them and yes, this yarn is machine washable! My boys love their new cushions and assure me that they're very comfy for both laying their head on and sitting on. Also great frisbees apparently but that was not their intended purpose - thank goodness they're so soft! Overall, Hobbii Blanket yarn is.a nice, novelty yarn. It's definitely not something that would be a staple in my stash but it is a great yarn for experimenting with and making super squishy home decor or even plushies if amigurumi is your thing!   Rating: 5.5/10 + Soft and squishy texture + Doesn't shed easily + Nice array of colours +Fun to use for finger crochet/knitting - Recommended 25mm crochet hook still felt too small - Difficult to frog or pull the yarn without snapping. -Not the most practical yarn due to its size

A couple of weeks ago I was kindly gifted some samples of the new Colour Burst yarn from Stylecraft. I have spent some time playing around with it and seeing whether or not I would consider using it for future projects and if I would recommend it to other crocheters. The Details: Name: Stylecraft Colour Burst Yarn Weight: DK/Light worsted/3 weight Composition: 80% Premium Acrylic, 20% Polyamide Ball Weight: 100g (I was sent 30g samples) Yardage: 320m/349yds Recommended Hook: 4mm Machine washable: Yes, at 30 ° Special notes: There are currently six colourways available   My initial thoughts: This yarn is really soft to the touch, I find Stylecraft Special DK, their 100% acrylic yarn, to be very soft but this more so. Could that be from the addition of the polyamide? Perhaps! I believe that polyamide is a type of nylon so that should also add some durability to the yarn. The colouring of this yarn is reminiscent of watercolour paintings, the colour changes look to blend quite well and there are some splashes of colour which offer a speckled effect. As with all varigated/colour changing yarns how they look in the skein is not always a true indication of how the colour placements look when they have been knit or crocheted with. On the Stylecraft website you can see each colour in a knit sample but, as is usually the case, there are no crochet samples. The Colourways: There are currently only six colourways avaiable, their shade names are: (top row L-R) Catherine Wheel, Fireworks and Festival. (Bottom row L-R) Northern Lights, Stars and Pixels. All six of the colourways contain a pink shade of some kind with four of them being quite pink heavy. If pink is not your colour, then with the exception of Stars (blues) and Pixels (Green/Yellow), this may not be the yarn for you. Having said that, Stylecraft may well release more colourways in the future. My favourite shades are definitely Fireworks and Stars but I'm also drawn to Pixels so we will see how they work up.   Let’s Crochet! I am on a bit of a granny square kick at the moment so I did make a simple 4 round granny square with each of the colours and joined them together using Yarnsmiths Create DK in Off White to give a neutral contrast. The colour changes are not too jarring, instead they blend together nicely creating subtle colour changes. I really like that as you move into a new colour there are still flecks of the other colours within it. I think this helps the yarn have a satisfying, cohesive feel. In terms of the granny squares, Pixels takes the crown here as being my favourite shade with Fireworks a close second. I think both would make a beautiful Hexagon Cardigan. Do you agree with my choices? I feel that Northern Lights is the odd one out in this palette, it's oversaturated and doesn't have the same pastel tone as the rest. It sticks out like a sore thumb in all honesty. The other five all work beautifully together, complimenting each other well and could definitely be used in a patchwork style granny square blanket but I would have to omit Northern Lights for sure. When it came to crocheting with Colour Burst I found it really easy to work with. The smoothness of the yarn meant that it glided nicely along my crochet hook and the recommended 4mm hook felt like the appropriate choice although I do feel you could size up to a 4.5mm if desired. I didn't experience any splitting and when I frogged a square to see how that went it came undone easily with no tangles. Overall, it was delight to crochet with physically. Would I Recommend? Yes, I would recommend this yarn if you enjoy working with varigated yarns, particularly with the colour pink. It's nice to crochet with and creates a lovely soft fabric and the colour changes are pleasing to the eye. I think picking one or two shades and combining them with a neutral, solid colour would make for a really striking project. I'm picturing a little girl's granny stitch cardigan made with Fireworks and Cream - beautiful! Personally, I'd ditch Northern Lights from the colour palette completely as I really don't feel it works with the others and I'm just not a fan. I hope that in the future Stylecraft introduce more shades that don't contain any pink especially for those of us boy mamas who want to use the pretty yarn but need there to be less pink!   Rating: 7/10 + Beautifully soft texture + No splitting + Subtle and delicate colour changes   - Lack of colour variation (too pink) - Northern Lights colourway doesn't fit   Thank you to Stylecraft Yarns for sending me the samples of Colour Burst to try, I definitely have two new favourite colourways in Fireworks and Pixel and am looking forward to experimenting with them for a future project. Stylecraft Colour Burst can be purchased from LoveCrafts (affiliate link) for £3.49 per 100g ball. If you have any Colour Burst in your stash, or are thinking about purchasing some, what projects do you have in mind? Which colourway 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 ♡

Hello 2025 and Happy New Year to you all! ✨ I hope that you have had a wonderful start to the year and that you have lots of exciting crochet projects in mind for the coming year - I know I do! I have decided to attempt a book blanket again this year and I am really looking forward to it. As I said in my last blog post, I read a lot in 2024 (82 books in total!) but I did not keep up with making the squares. As with any long term project motivation can falter and I think I made it more complicated than it needed to be. Last year I was making a different type of granny square depending on whether or not I was reading a physical book or an ebook. I then got into audiobooks and couldn't decide which type of sqaure to use. All in all it just made it seem like such a hassle to the make the squares that I kept putting it off. This year, I'm learning from my mistakes and adapting to hopefully make things easier to stick to. My Book Blanket Plan I'm using DK weight yarn and a 4.5mm hook. I 'll be making a 4 round granny square for each book that I read or DNF. This includes physical books, ebooks and audiobooks. The colour of the square will relate to the star rating that I give the book. I'll use the CJAYG (crochet join-as-you-go) method to connect all of my squares and form the blanket. And the most important bit... Finish the book - make the square! I'll use Sundays to catch up on a square or two if needed. The Yarn I am going to be using Yarnsmiths Create DK from Wool Warehouse which was kindly gifted. My colour palette is very similar to last year. It could potentially be very green heavy as my most common ratings are between 3 and 4 stars. If you would like to make your own book blanket colour key then you can download my Canva template here . I just copied and pasted the yarn photos of my chosen shades from the Wool Warehouse website into the template, you can do the same with whatever yarn you choose to use. Reading Challenge My aim is to read a total of 70 books in 2025. In 2024, I read 82 but there were quite a few short stories or novellas so I feel they boosted my total a little. This year I will be tracking my reading on Fable, I started using it around the end of September and I really like it. Previously I was using Goodreads but Fable is far more aesthetically pleasing and I love that it gives you fun updates about the type of reader you are. It tells you what your most popular genres are, which authours you're reading the most of and tracks your reading streaks. This in particular I find very motivating! I purposely broke my reading streak so that I could start a new one on the 1st of January. I'm excited to see how many days I can keep the streak up for! If you would like to join Fable then you can do so here (I'm not an affiliate or anything, I just genuinely love the app!) My username there is BookBeneathThePines - so let's be friends! Bookish Community Do you love reading too? I'm assuming that if you're reading about my book blanket plans then you do! If you want to join with me in making a book blanket then be sure to tag me in your content @brambles.and.hart and use #BookBlanket2025 and #Booksandcrochet. I'm hoping to find a whole community of people who love both books and crochet like me! As Brambles and Hart is my crochet business I don't want to overrun my instagram/TikTok with bookish content so I have started a separate account that is more bookish/personal! I would absolutely love for you to follow me there @booksbeneaththepines I'll be able to share book reviews, what I'm currently reading and all things book related. I will share updates of my book blanket on my Brambles and Hart pages though and of course my monthly wrap ups here on the blog. This year I've decided to just embrace everything that I love! ♡ I'll be back with an update on my book blanket at the end of the month so be sure to keep an eye out for that. I'll share everything that I've read in January and the squares I've made - because I will have made them! Happy reading and crocheting! Shelley ♡

Wow, January has been a great start to my reading year! I have managed to read a total of 21 books this month and there have been some great ones! Books Read This Month      (Title, Author, Format, Rating) Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, Kindle/Physical, 4.5 stars The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman, Kindle, 3.5 stars Home Front by Kristin Hannah, Physical, 4.25 stars Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage, 4 stars Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Audiobook, 4 stars Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage, Kindle, 4.5 stars The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb, Audiobook, 3.75 stars Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Audiobook, 3.5 stars The Keepers of Metsan Valo by Wendy Webb, Audiobook, 4 stars The Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb, Audiobook, 3.75 stars Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage, Kindle, 4 stars The Stroke of Winter by Wendy Webb, Audiobook, 3.5 stars The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb, Audiobook, 3.25 stars Five Survive by Holly Jackson, Physical/Audiobook, 2.5 stars The Vanishing by Wendy Webb, Audiobook, 3.25 stars Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, Kindle, 4.5 stars The Good Samaritan by John Marrs, Kindle/Audiobook, 3.5 stars Salt & Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher, Audiobook, 4 stars The Crash, Freida McFadden, Kindle/Audiobook, 3 stars It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, Physical, 3 stars Great and Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros, Audiobook, 4 stars Best Book of the Month: Iron Flame and Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. The Empyrean Series has my heart at the moment. The excitement I felt at the release of Onyx Storm is not something I've experienced since the Harry Potter books as a child. It has been a truly amazing experience, to feel that hype, excitement and positive energy about a book series again. If you have yet to delve into the world of the Fourth Wing then I really recommend it! I have seen people describe it as Dragon Smut and whilst yes there are definitely dragons and sure there are also some spicy scenes they are in no way smut. The world building, epic fantasy, action, relationships, history and characters in this series are truly incredible. If you have yet to start this series, what are you waiting for??? That being said book 4 is not due out until around 2027 🙃 Worst Book of the Month: Five Survive by Holly Jackson I started reading this as a physical book but I found it so tedious and the characters all so unlikeable that I switched to the audio version to see if that would help. It didn't. The storyline had the potential to be fantastic as it was different to anything I've read before but it just fell flat. There was nothing that I liked about any of the characters and I didn't really care who the sniper was or why they were there. I also worked out part of the twist within the first 50 pages which was really disappointing! Audiobooks I have completely fallen in love with audiobooks and yes I absolutely do count them towards my reading goal. Reading is reading in whatever format you choose - this is a hill I will die on! Audiobooks are great for when I'm working because instead of mindlessly watching Netflix I can listen to my latest read instead and be so much more productive. A large part of my work is obviously sitting down and crocheting and this does mean that I can watch a lot of TV but I'm really trying to limit that this year and limit my screen time in general. Since switching to audiobooks whilst working this month I have found that my concentration is better and I'm crocheting faster because I'm not so distracted by the telly. When I posted a mid-month update of the books I'd read so far I got quite a few DMs from people asking where I listen to my audiobooks so here is a little breakdown for those also interested. I have an Audible subscription - this gets me on credit (book) per month and there are also a lot of free books included in the Audible Plus catalogue. I currently have a Kindle Unlimited subscription and there are a lot of books on KU that come with the audible narration. When you borrow the book from KU the audiobook is added to your Audible library. Spotify now offer 15 Audiobook Listening Hours to those with a premium subscription. They do have a good selection of audiobooks to choose from but any hours you don't use are not rolled over to the next month and I don't like that. Also it will just cut off mid chapter if you run out of hours, so frustrating! Libby - this is a FREE app which you can download and then link to your local library (Use your local library services people!) and then you can borrow audiobooks that your library have available in their catalogue. This is very much going to depend on your library service, unfortunately the offerings from my local library aren't great but some people seem able to get an amazing selection from theirs so it is definitely worth checking! If you know of any other apps/platforms through which you can get audiobooks please do let me know! Blanket Progress I have managed to stay up to date with making my squares this month. They are all made and all joined together (not a single end has ben weaved in but that's okay!) As I was making the squares for the books I realised that I needed to add in some extra colours and alter my ratings key a little. I tend to rate books between 3 and 4 stars, it seems to be my default but within that there can be quite a range and so I decided to add in colours for 3.25, 3.75 and 4.25 stars. I use Fable to track my reading and they allow you to do the quarter star ratings so now my book blanket can reflect those too. Bookish Community Do you love reading too? I'm assuming that if you're reading about my book blanket plans then you do! If you want to join with me in making a book blanket then be sure to tag me in your content @brambles.and.hart and use #BookBlanket2025 and #Booksandcrochet. I'm hoping to find a whole community of people who love both books and crochet like me! I will be sharing updates of my book blanket on my Instagram/TikTok and my monthly wrap ups here on the blog so do follow along. I'll be back with another update on my book blanket at the end of February so be sure to keep an eye out for that. I wonder if I'll be able to read as much in Feb? Happy reading and crocheting! Shelley ♡