#cathrynsvintagetop - my photo tutorial I showed on instagram today

Hello my dear blogfriends,

I hope you all got a chance to enjoy the lovely and very hot weather we've been having today!!!

I wanted to share something I've been working on today!

The internet can be a wonderful thing, filled with amazing people and ideas. (Yes, I know that is not always the case, but stay with me and focus on the positive here!)

Last week I encountered the lovely @cathryncook via my instagram . I know, not everybody is on instagram. Which is why I will publish my tutorial here as well. Only you get it all in one nice blogpost, whereas I had to post numerous times on instagram.

Cathryn posted a most lovely photo of a crochet vintage top she bought in a charityshop.

You can find it here: Cathryn's Vintage Top - Photo

I used this one, saved the photo, turned it upside down on my computer and used my skills to 'hack' this pattern - that is to work out the stitches for a crochet pattern. (This is my term) ;))


The Stitch Tutorial for Cathryn's Vintage Top

The swatch I made for this pattern

Step by Step:

#1

First post of a new #series :
#cathrynsvintagetop

@cathryncook - this is for you especially!!! My #crochethack at working out the pattern from your post.

Row 1: all treble stitches

Row 2: * three trebles, two chains (skip one treble below) , one treble into the 5th stitch ,two chains (skip one treble below) *
Repeat from * for row2.

Shown: rows 1 and 2.

#funkycrochet ,#crochetpattern,
#vintage ,#patterndesign ,#ilovecolour ,#ilovecrochet ,#crochetaddict ,#crochetmearainbow ,#instacrochet

#2

#series #cathrynsvintagetop
Post #2

Showing Row 3

Row 3: * five trebles , three chains. * - see crochet stitches here.

Repeat * for the entire row.

In the #original #crochetpattern @cathryncook the first three rows are in the base #colour (#white ), I am using #lilac as my #basecolour.

#funkycrochet ,#crochethack ,#crochetpattern ,#instacrochet ,#ilovecrochet

#3

#series #cathrynsvintagetop
Post #3

Showing row 4 in #yellow = #colouraccent

@cathryncook
Row 4: *three trebles, then into 3 chain space below: three trebles, one chain, three trebles *

Repeat * across the entire #row
Note: basically rows 2-4 form the pattern

Rows 2 and 3 are in #basecolour, and row 4 is in #colouraccent.

#myfunkycrochet ,#crochethack ,#vintage ,#crochetpattern ,#instacrochet ,#crochetmearainbow ,#crochettop ,#crochetlove

#4

#series #cathrynsvintagetop
Post #4

Here you can see row 5 in my #basecolour #lilac .

You will notice that this row repeats row 2 again.

Please refer to all the posts with #cathrynsvintagetop together.

@cathryncook
#instacrochet ,#myfunkycrochetblogspotbe ,#ilovecolour ,#crochethack ,#crochetpattern ,#crochetlove ,#crochettop ,#crochetmearainbow ,#crochetmania

#5

#series #cathrynsvintagetop
Post #5

Showing row 6 in #basecolour #lilac - this row is a repeat from row 3.

Please check out all my posts in this series.

@cathryncook
#crochetpattern ,#vintagepattern ,#funkycrochet ,#ilovecrochet ,##crochethack ,#crochetaddict ,#instacrochet

#6

#series #cathrynsvintagetop
Post #6

Hooray, we got another #colouraccent row!!! Showing row 7 in #colouraccent #mintgreen .

Each #colouraccent row follows the #stitchpattern for row 4, with two rows of the #basecolour inbetween.

#instacrochet ,#ilovecolour ,#crochethack ,#funkycrochet ,#vintagelove ,#crochetdesign ,#crochetmearainbow

#7

#series #cathrynsvintagetop
Post #7

Next: row 8 in #basecolour #lilac which is a repeat of row 2

@cathryncook
#crochetmania ,#crochetpattern ,#crochethack ,#instacrochet ,#ilovecrochet ,#vintagepattern ,#fun ,#funkycrochet

#8

#series #cathrynsvintagetop
Post #8

@cathryncook
Row 9 is a repeat of row 3 in the #basecolour #lilac
Now you can see the pattern emerging!

#instacrochet ,#crochetpattern ,#crochethack ,#funkycrochet ,#vintagelove ,#ilovecrochet ,#crochettop ,#crochetmearainbow ,#colour

#9

#series #cathrynsvintagetop
Post #9

If you check out the original :
#cathrynsvintagetop @cathryncook then you will notice what a difference a bit of #colour can make!!! Hers comes in one #basecolour
Plus 2 #colouraccent s

What I did here is add a new #colouraccent !! You could add any number of colours be creative!

I would love it if anyone might try this #crochetpattern. Please use the tag #cathrynsvintagetop when sharing.

I do not claim to be the original designer, I merely tried to work out the pattern and share it here. Feel free to change the number of stitches to make it #unique.

I want you to feel inspired!!! I am going to do a post on my blog about this #ctochettutorial soon. Check: myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be

#instacrochet ,#crochetismagical ,#creativity ,#crochethack ,#myfunkycrochetblogspotbe ,#ilovecolour ,#colourful ,#crochetpattern ,#crochetlove ,#crochetmearainbow

#10

This is #series #cathrynsvintagetop
Post #10
Here is my handwritten #crochet #diagram

@cathryncook
Please see my other posts in this series, giving a step by step guide.

#crochetpattern ,#crochethack ,#vintagepattern ,#instacrochet ,#ilovecolour ,#crochettop ,#crochetmearainbow ,#crochetismagical ,#myfunkycrochet
Please share and link back to me!
Enjoy!!!



Notes:

Of course, this is only the main part of the pattern, it wasn't meant to be an instruction how to make the entire top.

You could take any general pattern and just replace the stitch pattern! You could make any number of garments using this stitch pattern. I'm thinking cardigans, tops, dresses, jackets, etc.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, let me know what you think! I love reading your comments!

Have a lovely summery weekend!

A Fancy Crochet Bag Tutorial, A walk in Zemst and many shades of Grey

Hello my blogfriends!

First, thank you so much for all your kind birthday wishes! I had a lovely day, first spending it with my oldest daughter who is currently visiting and in the evening together with the nice ladies from the Knitting group 'T Arm Schaap in Zurenborg, Antwerpen.

The other day I made another Crocodile Stitch Flower Brooch when visiting my friend. I also gave her the South Bay Shawlette I recently made with chunky black yarn (I wrote about it in this post) . My friend was very happy with both!

04.01.15 Finished Crocodile Stitch Flower Brooch made with Scheepjeswol Stone Washed

For those of you who are interesting to find out more how I made my Fancy Crochet Bag/Purse I will share this Tutorial with you!

A Fancy Crochet Bag Tutorial

You will need:

A crocheted piece approx 25 cm wide x 30 cm long (I used Fenna yarn and this crochet stitch pattern)

I first mentioned about making this 'sample' piece in this post. Sew up the ends.

Note: I crocheted this sample piece well before I managed to find the metal frame for the bag. I was hoping to buy a more rectangular shaped closure, but they were only available in a gold tone colour which I didn't like for this project.

In hindsight I could have crocheted a more rounded shape (in 2 parts) for my bag. You could do so from the start, if you wish. Remember to add a little seam allowance for crocheting the sides together.

A similar sized piece of material for lining the bag (I used a kind of velour/fake suede material which I found cheap in a charity shop).

Note: Using a more stiff fabric/material it had the advantage that I did not need to add a seam allowance all round. If you use thin fine Cotton for example, you will need to stitch around at least the top part to prevent the fabric later from fraying.

Note 2: You could probably omit the lining if your crochet piece does not have any large holes (The pattern I used certainly makes big gaps between stitches!).

A bag fastening called Bella by Prym (it measures approx 19cm across the pivotal points at the sides) or similar.

Sewing thread that matches the lining plus sewing needle (I used a long darning needle that could go through the stiff lining)

Steps:

Fold your lining fabric in half (pin together) and draw the outline of your bag shape onto it - use the metal closure as a guide for the top part.

Cut out lining shape leaving pins in place.

Fold crochet piece in half (inside out) and arrange edges to make a tapered shape.

I gathered the top edges by inserting a yarn thread into the crocheted edge stitches and pulling tighter. Do not cut the yarn yet. If your crochet edges already follow the rounded bow of the metal frame you do not need to gather anything.

Crochet each side (seam) together, making sure you attach both layers firmly to one another.

(If necessary, sew the seam for the top of your lining before....)

Likewise, sew lining along the side seams just below the point of the pivots of the metal frame. Take care to double check this corresponds correctly to your frame and that the side seams do not go beyond that point or you might have trouble opening your bag fully later on).

Lining with side seams, Crochet outer with either side seams crocheted together

Insert sewn lining into crochet outer and pin both crochet and lining together. You can now tighten the drawstring yarn in order to gather the top part of the crochet layer.

Both layers pinned together

Sew both sides with tiny stitches using thread. Check that the bag opens as far as it should corresponding to your metal frame. Once sewn together, you can now sew up the drawstring yarn ends.
 

Crochet layer and lining sewn together at the opening top part of the bag

Now take the closure/metal frame and line up with your sewn bag shape. The closure has tiny holes along the outside, you can place pins through them and pin bag and frame together.

Sew in and out of the frame and make sure the thread is reasonably taut (without breaking the thread!). You can see the stitches pretty well in this picture. After sewing frame and bag once together, you should try to sew it a second time to secure the stitches.

PS: This is the first time I made a bag like this and I did not follow any instructions, would you believe! I thought I was going to glue the bag to the frame, but sewing it instead seems the better option, especially since the crochet makes it a bit too bulky! (Hope this answers your question, Birgit!)

Your bag is ready!!!

A Walk in Zemst

On Sunday my partner and I went on an organized walk in Zemst near Mechelen. Here are some photos I took.

Start and Registration Point in Zemst

Walking across countryside

Scenic Interlude with Swans

A field full of Brussel Sprouts!

Chickens

An amazing tree with red berries

A majestic double alley of trees...

...and the beautiful castle at the end of it!

Walkers everywhere!

My refreshing break at the control point after 4.5 km

Turning back towards Zemst

The route of our 7.5 km walk

We did the 7.5 km long walk (including short break) in about 100 minutes. When we returned to our starting point I noticed a sign where it said that by 3pm 1400 people had registered for the walk!!!! (This includes all different length of walks from 4 km to about 20 km).



Finds for my Wool Stash

On Monday my daughter and I went to the charity shop and I came back with a small bag of mixed yarn! I got now at least 50 8 new shades of grey!!!

It included some Vintage Phildar Wool. I really love the label!!!

Front and Back of the Wool label

Hope you enjoyed reading this bumper length post!!! If you are making a similar bag and got any questions, please ask!

Feel free to leave me your comments below, I love reading them!

Merry Christmas to you all! (A crochet wreath tutorial, an Alpaca Shawl and another hat or two!)

Hello my friends,

Finally I get a chance for another post! Enjoy the photos, there are plenty! I've been rather busy lately! But then I'm sure, all of you have as well. Isn't there just so much to do, no matter how you much you plan ahead?

How to make a Christmas Mini Wreath Decoration - Quick Tutorial

You will need a small wooden craft ring, I used one about 7cm and one of 5cm. But any kind of ring could be used (think curtain or shower curtain rings, rings from broken jewellery etc) The ring needs to be big enough so that you are able to crochet around it!

I used Scheepjeswol Stone Washed for the first example, but you could use any yarn you like, plus a matching crochet hook.

You start with leaving a long enough tail (10-15 cm), this will be used for a hanging loop later. Crochet once all around the ring, making sure you cover it tightly and completely, keep pushing the stitches so they are very close next to each other, but not overlapping. (In my case there were about 95 stitches for the larger ring).

Close the ring with a slip stitch, chain 3 (counts as first stitch) and begin the second round: *crochet (always) a total of 5 trebles into the first stitch, then a double crochet into the next stitch, then skip 3 stitches*. (Repeat from *to*)

You might find it a bit tight to crochet 5 stitches, you could also make this less, and depending on the size of your circle and number of total stitches, you could leave more stitches inbetween the trebles.

This is what it will look like:

Once you have crocheted this ruffly shell stitch all around the ring, close with a slip stitch. Cut your yarn, but leave a long enough tail. Knot the two yarn tails with each other a couple of times to secure.

Now you will need the contrasting yarn (if using) and a large wool needle to make large stitches around the outer row of shell stitch. See below:

Now we are adding a small bow. I crocheted a small number of chain stitches (here in red yarn) that would be enough to form a bow, then cut the end and pulled the yarn through the last stitch to secure.I had some nice bright Neon thread with which I sewed the shaped bow to the wreath at the bottom (opposite the 2 tail ends which are used as a hanging loop).

This is the second wreath I made. Here I used a different yarn (Veritas Laura which contains wool) and a smaller wooden ring. I needed to use a larger hook for the yarn, therefore the stitches looked much bigger in relation to the size of ring! I also needed less stitches in total. The number of stitches is not that important, obviously it helps if you can divide it by the number of stitches in a repeat (in my case above it was that the pattern repeats every 5 stitches).

Here I wanted to add some tiny crochet balls which I made by chaining 5, then closing into a ring with a slip stitch, cut the yarn and leave long ends, see photo. I used 3 different colours for the 'balls' and red for the bow.

Here you can see what it looks like at the back. All I did was to thread the 2 yarn ends through the shell stitch row in regular intervals, then knotting the yarn ends twice and then cutting them off (taking care not to cut into the knots obviously!) I also attached the bow with a small length of yarn, which I threaded through to the back and then knotted and cut.

Last step: Knot the 2 (green) yarn ends together and trim, this will be your hanging loop so you can hang the ornament

This is what the finished wreath looks like from the front.

And here you can see both wreaths together. Using different sizes, different yarns or colours can give different results. You can vary it according to your own taste. I thought it might also look nice if you got some pretty beads which you could sew on or even incorporate into your crocheting.
Use your own imagination! I would be very interested to see your own version if you try this out, just leave a link in the comments below!

Here are the finished Mini Wreaths

Cleo and my Maybelle Flower Bunting

Maurice Knits in Antwerpen

Recently I made a visit to a new Knit Cafe in Antwerp called Maurice Knits. It's in a temporary location in a bank building. They even got the caravan parked outside!

To find out more about Maurice knits, visit their website: http://www.mauriceknitwear.com/

The cafe inside is quite large and roomy with plenty of seats. When I went there there were lots of students working with their laptops! The coffee is tasty and the tart I sampled was yummy! Some of the furniture there is vintage and also for sale! There were quite a number of knitted items for sale, such as chunky winter jumpers and woolly hats! They also had a small amount of wool for sale! (Hooray for some nice Rowan yarns!) I had a nice time sitting there and crocheting some of my Christmas stars!

11.12.14 Maurice Knits, Antwerpen

A Christmas Market in Germany



Last Saturday we went to Hanau, Germany for a quick day trip to visit my family. After a meal, we went for a stroll across the Christmas market. In the first photo you can see some people dressed up in animal costumes which probably had something to do with the Brothers Grimm. (Hanau is the birth town of the Brothers Grimm, you can see their statue just behind the booth on the left side).

13.12.14 Christmas Market in Hanau, Germany

Little houses and tree ornaments

Lots of Red and White Christmas ornaments!

From the bottom of my heart I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!!

Colourful wooden toys

New and finished projects

Here a quick mention of some other crochet and knitted makes....

I made this crochet sample after a pattern I found here: http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L0435.html?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Crochet%20Lacy%20Scarf&utm_content=12%20Popular%20Thick%20%2026%20Quick%20Patterns%20to%20Knit%20and%20Crochet&utm_campaign=Weekly%20Stitch%2011012014

I used Fenna yarn again and I like the effect of the pattern. The idea is to transform this rectangular sample into a bag later.

13.12.14 Crochet Stitch Sample

Stitch Close up

The following is my absolute favourite make of recent times! I made a large, soft Alpaca Shawl, knitted from Drops Alpaca Boucle which can be a bit tricky to knit with thanks to the Boucle loops, but it is oh, so soft!!! It measures around 1.50m wide by about 60cm high. It is my own pattern. The effect is that the stitches create a sort of double layered pattern, thus trapping the warmth inbetween. This shawl is absolutely wonderful to wear, either with the triangle tip at the front or at the back.
I can highly recommend this yarn!!!

(I first mentioned this shawl here: http://myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be/2014/11/blue-shells-cowl-hart-labeur-in.html )

12.12.14 Finished Black Alpaca Shawl

Alpaca Shawl Stitch Detail close up

And I also knitted another hat with the great Rico Tasai yarn, this one is a Birthday gift and has already been posted! Again, I love the range of colours!!!

17.12.14 Knitted Hat (5)

Here is my current WIP that I am concentrating on and that soon will be finished: I'm knitting a cape, again from Drops Alpaca Boucle, this time in a mauve pink. I've just binge watched the Outlander series which plays in Scotland in 1743 (more about the series here!!!)

I'm totally in love with the costumes in the series, especially all the shawls, capes, neckscarves etc that the main character Claire is wearing. Oh, and also you can find these original costume designs here on etsy! I already got my mind on the fabulous Sassenach Capelet! I mean, how difficult can it be???

However, my cape here is more inspired by this.  But the pattern is different, it is my own. I'm using different sized needles, starting with 8mm and currently I am down to a size 5mm.

Below you can see a new crochet hat that I also started at the same time!

15.12.14 Crochet Hat

19.12.14 Crochet Hat

I close with these cute little Christmas ornaments/garland that I made for last year's Christmas. Each decoration was completely handsewn. It took me quite a long time, I recall, but I loved making them!

My handsewn Xmas Garland from 2013

Well, that's all for now! I do hope you enjoyed reading this. Maybe you got a tiny bit of inspiration out of one or another picture, I do hope so! I want to thank you all for your kind support and loyalty, thank you for following my blog and visiting from time to time! I warmly welcome all new followers! Thanks again for all your great comments, which I enjoy reading, so please leave a little note below!

Last, not least: Here is wishing you all a wonderful Christmas!!!!