Crochet CAL 2016 - Bubble Gum Shawl by Katja Löffler

Hello again,

Did you know that there is a Crochet Along going on right now for a shawl?*

I only found out beginning of this week when I came across the image for the shawl on pinterest, find it here.


Bubble Gum Shawl by Katja Löffler




Copyright Cittigato on Ravelry

First things first - here is the Ravelry page with details and link to the free pattern

The CAL is running from 17 June to 8 July 2016. But that doesn't mean that you can't crochet your own shawl any other time, of course. I'm a bit late to this party, but it doesn't bother me.

Important : it might be that the pattern is only free during the CAL, so I would advise you to download it as soon as possible before the 8 July 2016 - just in case!

This is indeed a beautiful and intriguing shawl! I've not seen another quite like it. For me it was love at first sight! It has got lots of holes. I believe a colour changing yarn is a must.

Going through my yarn stash I found the right yarn - Schachenmayr Tahiti which is a fine cotton yarn I have used before for another shawl last summer - you can find the blogpost with photos of the finished shawl here

Unfortunately this yarn is now discontinued. There are lots of different colourways.

And here are my first photos, I only started on Tuesday!

Happy Yarn - Schachenmayr Tahiti

Getting started on the Bubble Gum Shawl

29.06.2016 - making progress

30.06.2016 - Last night's colour changes

Shawl is curving gently

I just finished row 57. There are a total of 109 rows in the pattern. Obviously the rows keep getting bigger each time. I photographed it laid out on 4x A4 sheets of paper.

Each row is written out, so it is very easy to follow! After a while you see how the pattern is built, one side is curved, the other has got spikes every so often. The pattern starts at one side of the shawl and then works across to the other side.

Despite the fact that my shawl in progress has not been blocked you can see the 'bubbles' very clearly!

I am using a 4mm hook versus the recommended size of 2-3mm for this yarn. The pattern actually states a 5mm hook, but I decided against that. Sometimes you have to go with your own instinct! To me this feels the perfect match.



KAL 2016 Knitted Bubble Gum Shawl © Biancha Müller

* For those of you who are also knitters, guess what? There is a KAL 2016 as well!!!
Find the ravelry link to the free pattern here (download before 8 July, might have to pay after that date).

Knitted Bubble Gum Shawl © Biancha Müller

All photos are my own, except those taken from the Ravelry pages of the originators of the CAL/KAL (Katja Löffler and Biancha Müller) - which are credited accordingly. Please check out their pages for detailed information.

Hope you enjoyed this post. Many thanks for all your recent comments, they are always much appreciated. It gives me great joy to share these things with you and I hope you will find some inspiration!

Feel free to leave me your comments below. Thanks for your visit!

Free crochet pattern alert - Moroccan Garden, Shimmering Shells, Summer Air Cardigan

 Hi there!

Yes, it's me again! How are you doing?

I've just been browsing the net and came across these three free crochet patterns, so I thought, why not tell you all about it?

Free Crochet Patterns for download

Moroccan Garden - Projectarian

copyright Projectarian

This is a lovely modular pattern to make an ogee shape similar to the Mystical Lanterns pattern by Janie Crow - see my post here but this pattern has got additional flowers.

I think it really looks stunning, especially in these bright colours!

This could be made into blankets, shawls, cushion covers, anything you like!

Link to the blog page with pattern. (Use the printfriendly page, see also below).



Shimmering Shells by Chandi Agee  (pattern free until 30 June 2016)

© Expression Fiber Arts

The description reads as follows:

This pattern is free through June 30th only. In exchange for it being free, please share on your favorite social network and/or blog. Thank you!
This pattern is designed for use with 2 skeins of our Yak Silk Lace yarn in colorway: Rice Paper. Choose any colorway you like, though.
Beautiful shimmering shells
•Wear on the beach for a bit of coverage.
•Or wear as a poncho.
•Adjust the size too if you like. Make it wider, thinner, longer, shorter.
•Airy, lacy stitches are quick to work up and produce a lovely result.
•Intermediate level. You’ll want to know how to work single crochets and triple crochets as well as chaining and slip stitching.
•You’ll need a size G (4.00 mm) hook.
You’ll receive a digital file only (instantly downloadable as a PDF) and won’t be shipped anything. Please allow a few minutes for the download link to be emailed to you. If the email doesn’t arrive within a few minutes, just log into your account on our site and you’ll see your Completed Orders. From there, you’ll find the download link.
Enjoy!
Chandi
You may sell the items you make using my patterns. I just ask that you link back to my shop. Thanks!

For more information, see: http://www.expressionfiberarts.com/products/shimmeri... 

 

 

Information and photo taken from the pattern description on Chandi Agee's shop page :

 

http://www.expressionfiberarts.com/products/shimmering-shells-crocheted-lace-tunic-pattern.html 

I can confirm that I have just downloaded this pattern for free, you can checkout as a guest or register to the site.

For those on Ravelry, here is the link to the pattern if you want to add it to your favourites.

I think this looks like a nice pattern, because you can adapt it to your own ideas. Great for summer and music festivals! :)



Crochet Summer air cardi vest by Maz Kwok

copyright Maz Kwok

Find the pattern here. It is on a blog page, so the best way to save it is to paste the URL into the printfriendly box on this page http://www.printfriendly.com/ (Printfriendly works for any URL, very useful, why not try it for this blog entry for example?)

Ravelry friends follow over here please!

This pattern is written for a size Large. There is a paid for pattern available for various other sizes (it's all explained on the blog entry), but I believe most of you would be able to adapt it to your personal size. Just swatch the pattern first to determine your gauge and then multiply to your desired size to obtain stitches needed.



Well, it brightened my morning finding such lovely patterns and for free! I appreciate the hard work that went into designing and pattern writing, not to forget to making the actual items and then sharing it on the net. A great thank you to these designers, we salute you! :)

Why not browse through their website for more inspiration?

I just want to point out that the images I used above were taken from the pattern pages published by the designers and that the credit belongs to them, not to me. I'm just happy to share them! If you like any of the patterns, you can further publicise them on your blog, if you wish to do so.

Don't forget, one of the patterns is only free for the next few days, so get there quick!

Have a lovely Saturday and thanks again for reading this!

Round-up of my current crochet wips - keen on green

Hello,


Thanks once more for your kind comments, I love them! And one more thing: welcome to my latest new followers, it's wonderful that you are interested to check out my little blog place!

Just in time for the weekend, I thought I would give you a little round-up of all my crochet wips which I'm currently juggling.

You are probably aware of some of them, but then I started two more since only a week ago....

Sometimes, it seems that these projects just start themselves!!!

Ok, time to get real! Here it goes...

These are my current FIVE crochet wips


My current crochet wips

WIP NO. 1 ; AIRY CROCHET TOP

I started this in the early spring when it still was pretty cold. Took it out again last week to continue working on it to get it finished for the warmer weather now.

(find the first post about it here)

Airy Crochet Top

Last night's crochet

WIP NO. 2 ; LACY FEATHER AND FAN WRAP
Again, started a few months ago, then took a break because I realised I would need a second skein which I had to order specially. Now it has arrived, I can continue. The first skein is nearly finished.

Blogpost is here.


The Lacy Feather and Fan Wrap

WIP NO. 3 ; NEON WAVES SUMMER SCARF

Look, I added some more rows, hopefully it will also be finished before long!

Check also this blog post.




My Neon Waves Summer Scarf

And here are the surprise new works in progress:



WIP NO. 4 ; ARTESANO LACY SOUTH BAY SHAWLETTE

Last Thursday, I received some yarn I had ordered from Artesano. This is the lovely Hand painted Alpaca Silk Lace. As you can gather from the name alone, it is gorgeous to work with, nice and silky. It is also very very fine - there are 400m to 50g. I only got the one ball because I wanted to see what it is like, so now it looks like I might have to order more.... ;)

As I mentioned to Lizette before, I was trying hard to stop myself making another South Bay Shawl, but as you can see, it started itself regardless! I am using a fine 3mm hook, so the stitches are very tiny. I love holding it, it feels so luxurious! I definitely would recommend this yarn (my own honest opinion), you can check it out here on the Artesano website (there is a 33% discount sale for a few days still). It's also a good idea to sign up for their newsletter for promotions.

Artesano Lacy South Bay Shawlette

Making slowly progress

WIP NO. 5 ; OCEAN STRIPES WRAP SHAWL


This is my own design, and it will be quite large. I am using Alize Diva Batik yarn, which is 100% Microfibre and is easy to work with. Of course I love the colours, look: some shades even match my current nail varnish and the summer top I was wearing!

The rows are very very long, and I already had to frog about 1500 stitches in one go because I simply missed a stitch somewhere and did not notice it at the time. Yes, I know, always check your work! And I did, but hey, it can happen.

Previous evening

 

Ocean Stripes Wrap Shawl

Right, that's all about the wips. When I laid them out for the photo, I noticed that there was green in each project, I think it had something to do when spring did not arrive and I was yearning to see something green I guess. I kept choosing new yarn with green in it!


On another note, I had just bought some second hand yarn and it was like this:

Lovely messy yarn

So this week I have been trying to untangle it and start winding it into little balls and cakes. It seems to take forever, I tell you. I think I must be half way there.

I am also unsure what the content is, I checked the internet for details about how to find it, seems like I need to do a burn test! (Don't worry, just a small strand, not the whole yarn!!!) I already worked out it is 4ply yarn.

But one thing is for sure, it just makes me happy looking at this colour combination. Lots of blues and interesting mauve.

And last, not least I leave you with a photo from yesterday lunchtime when it was the hottest day so far. Such a lovely cloudscape!!!

 

Thanks once again for visiting and reading to the end, I really appreciate it!

 

If you want to say anything, go ahead and say it in the little box below! :)

How to make some soft Plushies - Coole Knuffels by La Maison Victor

Hello dear blog friends,


Thanks for stopping by!

Today I want to show you something different! Last week I got totally immersed in making some Plushies which is something I always wanted to do.

Here in Belgium we have a lovely bi-monthly magazine called 'La Maison Victor' which features mostly sewing, but also a little bit of knitting or crochet as well.

You can find their inspiring website here. There are also links to their pinterest, Facebook and YouTube sites at the bottom of their home page.

Not only is there the magazine, but they also publish some beautiful little craft books from time to time.

I bought their book*; Zelf-maak ideeen voor coole knuffels (DIY ideas for cool Plushies) because I immediately loved their quirky style and look! I knew I would have to make something from this book.

The book is beautifully illustrated, there are pictures of the finished toy, as well as diagrams that show how to attach the individual parts, and a full size template for each animal. The instructions are in dutch. Each animal has got a cute name.


Let me introduce to you: Charlotte the Cuckoo and Ferdinand the Cat!

My finished Plushies : Charlotte the Cuckoo and Ferdinand the Cat

The Book by La Madison Victor

Here are a few examples of the different animals in this book - there are 30 different animals!

This is how I made them. Here is Ferdinand the cat. First trace the template, then cut it out. Place on fabric and remember to add a seam allowance. Use contrasting fabrics. I decided to make a few of my own alterations....

Handsewing the cat - shown inside out

Adding some toy stuffing

I added a tail and stitched on an embroidered heart

My alterations were as follows: I added a sideways tail, I changed the ear shape, I embroidered the cat eyes, I added whiskers and a tiny cat's tongue (because Jasper our cat often does this!)

Ferdinand the cat is finished!

 

 

 

 

Here is Charlotte - I used some pretty Vintage fabric for the body, also for her eyes which I hand embroidered with one eye open and one eye shut. I used some shiny and silky fabric for contrasting beak, feet and the wings which I made larger than the template. You can see the construction for the cuckoo is somewhat simpler to sew.

 

I was hand sewing these Plushies whilst simultaneously watching the European Football Championship on the TV, it was great fun! There is something relaxing about hand sewing, I find.

 

 

Assembling Charlotte

 

This little birdie told me you like handmade things!

Plushies need friends!

* Additional information: This book was originally published in French! Clementine Collinet - Doudous a coudre (see these links: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doudous-coudre-mod%C3%A8les-faciles-faire/dp/2848312467/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466679768&sr=8-2&keywords=doudous+a+coudre and https://www.amazon.co.uk/doudous-rigolos-Cl%C3%A9mentine-Collinet/dp/2756510289?ie=UTF8&qid=1466679792&ref_=la_B004N7UHF4_1_2&s=books&sr=1-2 ) it appears that these versions have more models in them. This might be of interest to you if you know French! :)

Charlotte recommends that you also make a Plushie or two!

Have you ever made a plushie toy before? They are not difficult to make, even without a book, just draw your own template, keep it simple and dig into that vintage fabric stash you have been saving. Leftover scraps are fine, you do not need a lot! Use plain and patterned fabrics for contrast.


Thanks for your time reading this, I do hope you enjoyed this little post. Please feel free to leave me your comments below, I love reading them!

I just love colourful crochet shawls!

Hello, my dear blog friends,


Good to see you back here! And a hearty welcome to my newest followers, you are very welcome and I value your input and comments, and appreciate your time!

Today I want to do a review post, one that looks back at some of my previous makes.

As you can see from the title, I just love colourful shawls. You might have noticed this before. It just struck me when I wrote my last two posts, and I warned you to wear your sunglasses!!!

Afterwards I thought to myself, wouldn't it be fun, if I took a look at some of my shawls and took some photos. So that is what I did! And I really enjoyed it, looking at all that colour together.

And the naughty cats proceeded to walk, no run and skid, across my shawls which meant I had to lay them all out properly once again.

So here they are, some of my colourful shawls, most of them are for the summer. Enjoy!



Scheepjes CAL2015: Flight of Fancy, my own Rainbow Circle Shawl, a small neckerchief South Bay Shawlette, All at Sea Shawl, Elise Shawl, Veritas Triangle Shawl, Minty Green Shawl



Here is a striped Crocodile Stitch Scarf I made some time ago (love how the stripes match up)

My Noro Lion's Foot Stitch Scarf in the middle

Some Skinny Scarves made from Katia Yarn, made with a 2mm hook

Here you can see that my colourful South Bay Shawl really steals the show, it is huge!

If you want to find out more about any of these shawls, just click on the right side bar on the tag called 'Shawl' and it will bring up all the posts that I tagged like that!

Obviously I forgot some, like the Tahiti Shawl I made last summer, it must be somewhere else...

And of course there are the two woollen South Bay Shawls which are draped over my chair where I sit, I didn't include them in the picture because there wouldn't have been enough floor space!

It makes me very happy to think that I got all these shawls waiting for me, that I can pick and choose which one to wear, according to my fancy! And to know, that they are unique, that I made them myself, also fills me with pleasure and joy!

I think this is something we all got in common, when we make things for ourselves and others - it brings joy to the maker and to the wearer.



Hope you liked this post, feel free to leave your comments, it's always great to hear from you!

Have a nice weekend!