Summer greetings - broken arm news, new creative outlets

Hello dear blog friends,



Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and wishes which were much appreciated. I find it truly touching how people from the online community have responded to my news. I'm so blessed to have your support.



An update on my broken arm

My arm is healing slowly. A few days ago I had another appointment for a check-up. My (blue) plaster cast was taken off and the many metal staples were removed thankfully. The operation wound is healing up ok.

Then I was fitted with a new (purple) plaster cast which still supports both my broken wrist and also my broken elbow. Having your arm in this fixed position is not much fun as you can imagine. Basically my right arm needs to rest.

I hope you are all enjoying your summer so far, even though the weather is continually up and down.

Last weekend we had a joint barbecue with our neighbours and it was a great success!

At the BBQ

As you can see I was wearing my funky fairisle knitted dress I made the previous summer. On my chair is the Rainbow Bubblegum Shawl I crocheted recently.

I found wearing some of the things that I had made cheered me up whilst I'm feeling frustrated about not being able to crochet currently.

Wearing my Flight of Fancy Shawl

For those of you who have been following my instagram feed you already know what I have been up to lately....



(Left handed) Adult Colouring In


I already started whilst I was still in hospital and I have been continuing since - doing colouring in using only my left hand. I am improving and learning new skills!

Here are some examples.

Mandala

new colouring in magazine - meer dan kleur

my favourite : colouring in page by Flora Chang

Made with mandala colouring app on my phone

My latest obsession is the new Prisma app!


I love making art using my own photos and transforming them into exciting new images!

Here are some of my works...

My artwork + layout app + Prisma app

 

  

using my photo + Prisma app

photo of my yarn + layout app + Prisma app

Jasper

Cleo

Well, there are more things I got to tell you about, but I will save that for the next time!!!


Until then, why don't you tell me what you have been up to and take care!!!




funkycrochet xx



Out of hospital

Dear blog friends,


This will be a hard blog post for me to write. Not just because of the subject matter itself, but also due to the fact that I can only use my left hand and I am naturally right handed.

Well I will do my best. What happened is this: last Saturday I fell down the entire staircase. With the result of breaking my right arm in 2 places - the wrist and the elbow.

I was admitted to hospital and received treatment. My arm had to be operated upon and a plate and pins inserted. The wound is fastened with over 20 metal staples and my arm to be kept immobile.

I was allowed to leave hospital on Wednesday.

Next week I will receive a plaster cast. There is still a lot of swelling. My right side of the body took the impact so there is a lot of bruising still.

My partner has taken over my care.

For me it means lots of rest and coping with the pain.

I'm pretty much devastated that this has happened now, but of course there is never a good time. I was so full of new ideas and projects. I only started a new crochet shawl the day before my accident.

I know that it was only right to tell you about it, so you would understand that the next weeks will be very different. I cannot use my right hand.



Thank you all for your support - sorry if I cannot acknowledge each comment individually.

Purple and Knitting - Totally Triangular Scarf

Hello dear blog friends,


Hope you had a nice weekend? Here the weather has been very good*, so we visited my youngest daughter and went for a nice long walk in Gentbrugge, but outside the city, walking in the country side.


Thanks again for all your kind comments about my latest project, I enjoyed reading them.

After concentrating so hard on my recent Rainbow Bubble Gum Shawl, I did little bits here and there on my other crochet wips, but nothing really grabbed me.

It was a recent comment by Jodie from the blog https://lupeyloops.blogspot.be  that sparked off something new in me. I had been reading how she was making crochet scarves from mohair yarn. I have got some wonderful Rowan Kid silk Haze mohair which I treasure! It's as soft as a feather!

Then I happened to come across this designer : Leah Michelle of leahmichelledesigns.com. You can find her also on Ravelry under http://www.ravelry.com/designers/michelle-krause . I think I found the ideal garter stitch scarf!!!


The scarf/shawl that I have started to knit is called:



Totally Triangular Scarf

You can find a direct link to the free pattern page here. In total there are 5 simple knitting patterns that you can find on her website for free : 3x shawls, 1x hat, 1x Cowl.

These are very easy patterns, great for beginners! :) I highly recommend that you take a look!


I only have got a single 25g ball of Rowan Kidslik Haze Eclipse in a lovely purple colour. I wanted to make one of these garter stitch scarves/shawls where you get to use the entire ball by weighing your yarn during the project, you keep increasing until you used half the yarn, then you start to decrease! No more guess work!!

Whilst the pattern is easy, I find it takes concentration to keep track of which row you are in, for example when you get interrupted etc. So I am writing this down. I also got a nifty row counter thing!

I learnt something new: the scarf is made in garter stitch (Knit every row), but the last stitch (edge) is purled, not knitted. Then the first stitch of the new row needs to be slipped onto the needle. This makes a wonderful edge, I really like it.

I don't have much to show yet, here are a couple of photos, the first one shows the first 62 rows (which I did last night), the second one my progress since (up to row 109 today). It's about 46 cm long x 24 cm wide. Due to the slow increases the scarf will be narrow and long in shape.

I am using the mohair yarn double with large 6mm needles. I knit nice and loosely, it makes for a good flexible fabric! What is more, this yarn has got a little bit of a glitter thread and it has a wonderful fuzzy 'halo'.



Row 62

Row 109

I love how this yarn goes so well with the pattern - purple perfection!!!

And, coincidence or not, I finally got a pretty purple Lupin flower which I only photographed yesterday in the light of the evening sun!




My purple Lupin flower

Hope you enjoyed reading this, perhaps it has given you some new ideas? You might want to do a crochet version perhaps? (I know there are quite a few to be found on Ravelry!

* Since starting to write this, we just had 3 hefty rain showers here, so I'm off now to start singing 'Purple Rain, Purple Rain...'

Leave me a little note below, and thank you so much for visiting!

My finished Rainbow Bubble Gum Shawl

Welcome back, old friends and new,*


After 10 busy days doing the Crochet Along for the Bubble Gum Shawl, I finished it last night!

I am really pleased with it, and due to the many colours I have renamed it:


My Rainbow Bubble Gum Shawl


Here are some photos to show it to you!

It looks equally good worn at the front or the back

10.07.16 My finished Rainbow Bubble Gum Shawl

 

 

Nearly finished all the yarn!

Side Edge detail with the smaller 'bubbles'

my growing shawl - curling inner edge

 

Splicing the yarn colours

One side edge with spikes

You will have to excuse me not blocking my shawl, but I just couldn't wait to start wearing it already... It might possibly be my most favourite shawl that I made so far, but on the other hand that is a difficult statement - I made so many lovely shawls and I love them all!

If you want to see some of my shawls, check out this blog post here if you haven't read it before.

For more information on this project, read my previous blog post here and also here.

For those of you on Ravelry, you can see my completed project (again) on this page. You will also find the original pattern link there. Please note that this pattern is no longer free, as the CAL 2016 is finished. I do hope you managed to download this pattern for free like I did!!! Even so, it is a wonderful pattern and well written out, row by row, so for a small charge it can be yours! The designer is called Katia Loeffler.

I found this pattern easy to follow, you will soon get into the rhythm of it. Instead of the 16 spikes in the pattern, I worked 20 spikes as I wanted to carry on until the yarn ran out more or less.

The side edge has a similar pattern with smaller bubbles which adds interest.

In order to achieve my rainbow of colours, I just looked at the yarn and decided to splice it by starting a different ball of yarn in similar colours that carried on to a different range of colours. If you look very, very closely at the photos, you might see the yarn ends which I left so you could see where I started a different colour way. Now they are all sewn up, you cannot guess where they were!


* and as for 'old' and 'new' friends, I wasn't referring to age, but more to longstanding followers and to the amazing influx of new followers I have - wow, thanks for signing up! Hello also to my lovely followers on instagram and your unwavering support there as well! I'm just so happy to have found so many like minded people!

My little instagram page is here!


I hope this has provided you with fresh inspiration! Thanks for your visit, please write a little note in my visitor's book below, I love reading your comments!

Making progress on my Bubble Gum Shawl

Happy weekend everyone!



Just a short post for now. I just want to share my joy about making the Bubble Gum Shawl, it is such a delight. I let the photos speak for themselves!


My Bubble Gum Shawl - taking part in the CAL 2016

 Bubble Gum Shawl 02.07.2016

 

Yesterday afternoon at Nata's in Antwerp with a friend

I met my friend in Antwerp and we had some lovely Portuguese coffee and a nata which is a scrumptious little custard style cake served hot. Absolutely delicious! We had a lovely time catching up and my friend snapped this picture of me whilst I was working on my Bubble Gum Shawl!




Thanks for your visit, feel free to comment below and enjoy your weekend!

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!