“More than a Granny” – review and giveaway

One of the first people I started following on Instagram must have been the very talented Shelley Husband, aka “Spincushions”.
She used to make marvelous – and sometimes quirky – felt pincushions (hence her name), but she now says: “Crochet is my current obsession”.

This crochet ‘obsession’ does not only result in delightful crochet (have a look at some of the lovely blankets Shelley has made, here, here and here), but in designing delightful crochet as well!
I truly love Shelley’s designing skills and the crochet beauty they result in.
I’m sure you’ll feel the same way after you have checked out her work (here‘s where you’ll find the “Spincushions”-blog).

You can imagine how pleased I was when Shelley announced she was working on a lot of new granny square designs, and that all of them were to be published as an ebook!
Even more pleased when she sent me an advance copy of her book, “More than a Granny” – I could not wait to click the link, download the book and browse through it.

Knowing Shelley, her beautiful work and expertise in the crochet/granny squares department, I was not surprised at all that this is an excellent book indeed.

For starters, there are 20 gorgeous and versatile granny squares in the book – to me, that alone would be a reason to buy the book.
You can easily mix and match several squares many times and have a totally different looking blanket/cushion cover again and again. She even has some great advice on that.
The squares themselves rank from reasonably simple to (a bit) more complex, and are thus categorized. There’s fun for every crocheter, whether you’re a beginner or like a good crochet challenge. Shelley’s very clear instructions make sure you’ll enjoy plain sailing through them, no matter your crochet skill level.
But wait …… there’s more! Included is a “Stitch Dictionary”, that has a brief description of all terms used in the book – very helpful. On top of that, ‘how-to’ video links have been added; extremely useful if you’re more visually inclined.
Of course I had to try my hook on some of the squares right away! For these I wanted to use the wonderful Bendigo Cotton that Shelley had graciously gifted me some time ago, and I’m truly pleased with how my squares look.
Going short on the Bendigo off-white, I used ‘my’ Katia for the last rounds and as a joining color. It made me chuckle a bit: Shelley’s favorite yarn mixed with my favorite yarn, who would have thought!
And then last, but definitely not least: you can win your own advanced copy of this fantastic ebook right here!

Leave a comment and you’re in, it is as simple as that. One lucky winner will be selected next week (closing date November 20th, 2014, 22:00 CET) and announced here.
Just in case you can’t wait, here’s the link again to find out all about the book and how to get your own copy.
Good luck to all of you!

Love,
Marianne

EDIT: Giveaway is closed now (November 21, 2014)