Blue Shells Cowl, Hart Labeur in Borgerhout, and a quick stroll around a Fort

Welcome back!

Hope you had a nice restful weekend? I bet you have been busy making things!!! Or did you take advantage of the good weather?

Thanks for all your responses with regards to the Silver Shells Cowl in my last post! As mentioned before, I was a bit unhappy about how the cowl was crocheted in a rectangular flat piece and then had to be joined up.

So last Monday I managed to buy some more of the merino wool (SMC Select Extra Soft Merino Color), this time in the blue colourway (05282) and began chaining the first stitches on the bus later that night.

This time I joined up and began crocheting in the round. It was finished early Saturday morning (after a quick trip to the shop to get extra yarn!) Note that this yarn has about 3 shades of blue and some lovely Magenta, it is quite different from the grey version I used before.

Close up of the new Cowl

03.11.14 Crocheting in the round

04.11.14 Crocheting the smaller Shell stitches

04.11.14 CurrentWIPs

In the above photo you can see the current projects I was working on last Tuesday. Apart from the Shell Stitch Cowl I was also adding more rows to my colourful South Bay Shawlette and I had started some knitting with Drops Alpaca Boucle (I am making a supersoft neckscarf).

Hart Labeur

Here you can see the wonderful ladies from the Knitting Group Hart Labeur who meet in Borgerhout. This was the first Group I discovered about 19 months ago. The ladies have been meeting here a long time and are very friendly! It certainly helped with learning more Dutch, because we all love to chat!!!
(You might spot my colourful Shawlette lying on the table!)

04.11.14 Hart Labeur Knitting Group (Borgerhout, Antwerpen)

...and here photographed from the other side!

 Here are some photos of the finished Blue Shells Cowl - Ta-dah!!!

08.11.14 Blue Shells Cowl finished

Both Shell Cowls next to each other

Modelling the new Cowl

A quick Stroll around the Fort


Saturday afternoon we managed to go on a quick walk around one of Antwerp's forts - Fort 5 in Edegem. It is surrounded by water. I enjoy going for a walk there. The paths had some work done on them and are easy for everyone to walk on, young and old. Usually we encounter plenty of joggers, as well as people with children and dogs, going for walks. This time we got there late in the afternoon and had to hurry, since the gates are being locked at 5pm in the wintertime! We didn't want to get locked in!!!

Here are just a few photos capturing my impressions!

Entering through one of the fortress walls

View from the other side of the walls

Gorgeous Autumn colours

Pretty Seed Heads

These Seed Heads!!! I was so determined to photograph them in close ups, that I never noticed that my long black cardigan was totally covered in them afterwards!!! They cling and stick to anything and are tricky to remove!!!

I was lucky to get these few photos, as the light began to fade quickly!

Hope you enjoyed this little update! I have got more to tell you, but that is for another post!

Please leave me a little comment, I love to read them all!

Silver Shells Cowl finished and two Weekend walks!

Hello my friends!

I hope you all had a nice weekend and some time to enjoy a little bit of sunshine? Here we were lucky to have had sunny afternoons both on Saturday and Sunday, but we had a storm last night! We just have to make the most of the weather whilst we can! I will show you some wonderful impressions from my walks, but first to my latest completed project.

The Silver Shells Cowl is finished!!!

This Cowl, that I mentioned in my previous post, was completed this morning. I only had to crochet the final 2 rows and then crochet it all together. When worn, the lower part fans out wide and covers the shoulders. Here it is!

03.11.14 My finished Silver Shells Cowl - Ta-dah!!!

The cowl is crocheted flat and then crocheted together on the sides

Double treble stitches

Size difference treble stitches vs double treble stitches

Crochet seam viewed from the inside of the Cowl

Seen from the back (middle seam)

Observations: This cowl was easy enough to make, I love the effect of the soft Merino yarn. I adapted the pattern by going up one hook size for the last 4 rows. I wasn't too impressed of having to join at the sides, I would have preferred to crochet it in the round instead! I am pleased with the shape though, because you could wear this over a Top/Jumper and it would keep you just as warm as when wearing it underneath a coat! No draughts!!!

My colourful South Bay Shawlette and the Harlequin Blanket are ongoing, I managed to work a bit on both this weekend. I will show you some photos another time!


A Walk in the Nature Park Walenhoek near Niel

Walenhoek is a Nature Park in the next village (Niel) where excavated clay pits were filled with water and turned into fishing ponds. There are 13 different ponds, 9 of which are for fishing. There are a number of marked walks through the woods and along these ponds. We went for a walk there before in the early summer. I let the pictures speak for themselves! (Believe me, these are just a number of handselected photos, I took lots and lots this Saturday!)

Blue sky

Ducks

There are fishing ponds on either side of the trees!

Sitting on a bench looking up at the sky!

A Walk in the Park in Heerlen, Netherlands

Yesterday we drove to Heerlen in the Netherlands. We went to see (and hear!) a Multimedia Sound Art Exhibition called (H)EAR XL2 - weblink here. It was really interesting!

Afterwards we took a stroll through the town centre and went for a nice walk in the nearby Aambos Park, which also houses some animals.
Here are some highlights!

Autumn Leaves

Impressive Tree Roots

Two sheep in a field nearby

Aambos Park, Heerlen, Netherlands

Crowing Cockerel

Deer

Thanks, once again for your patience and support! And welcome to my latest followers!!!

I would love to read your comments, so please feel free to write something in the space below!
Thank you!!! Have a good week!

Queen Anne's Lace Scarf, Flowers in November and Shell Stitch Cowl

Novermber greetings to you all!

Time has flown by and October is gone! Here in Belgium the 1st of November is a Public Holiday. Outside the sun is shining brightly and it is a glorious day!

I mentioned that I discovered to my delight that some of the flowers on our balcony have just started flowering! (Let's hope they will survive for a little bit longer!) I decided to take some photos to share with you all. There aren't that many flowers, but I love the little dots of colours!

My flowers in November - here they are!

Cosmos

Baby Chrysanthemums flowering now!

Glorious Sweetpeas

Azalea with 2 blossoms

(Does anyone know the name of this flower?)

Queen Anne's Lace Scarf - finished!!

I finished my first ever Queen Anne's Lace Scarf that I showed you in my previous post, it was completed the very next day.

30.10.14 Ta-dah!

Queen Anne's Lace Scarf in all it's colourful glory!

Silver Shells Cowl

Do you ever find yourself starting one project and hurrying along so you can start the next one? It's often because you feel that you are bursting with ideas!

And one of the ideas that has been buzzing about in my head only recently was the Silver Shells Cowl, you can find the pattern here but more importantly, I first saw it on Anne's post here! (Plus: Ravelry link here!)

Funnily enough, I had previously saved this pattern to my favorites, but seeing Anne crocheting it and how lovely it looks on her pages in a different colour, tipped the scales in favour of trying out this pattern NOW!

So, yesterday afternoon I started this new WIP! Here are some photos:

31.10.14 The Birth of a new WIP!

Shell Stitch Cowl versus knitted Neckwarmer made earlier this year

Interesting how the colour flecks stand out much more in the crochet version!

Some close up details

I love this gorgeous soft pure Merino yarn and the colour flecks add interest! Observe how your preception of the colours change with the different backgrounds! It will be very versatile because it will look great with different colour clothing!

The knitted neckwarmer was made on circular needles earlier this year, in fact I made a number of them, which are currently for sale in my etsy shop - you will find the knitted neckwarmers here. They fit snuggly against the neck, but they are not itchy! And they definitely keep the chill out! The yarn (SMC Select Extra Soft Merino Color) is so pretty in all the different colour variations! I will have to add more items to my etsy shop soon! I've been enjoying blogging here about my makes so much that I haven't had much time for it lately!

Of course I am still working on my colourful South Bay Shawlette and the Harlequin Blanket! I try to work a bit on each project every day!

Thanks again for all your lovely comments, you really are such kind and supportive people and you make sharing my projects with you all a real pleasure! You also inspire me with your countless ideas and projects!

Feel free to comment below, I love reading your notes!!! ;)
Have a relaxing weekend and enjoy November!!!