Latest Forum Posts by: Bastelfan

Wow, a butterfly and a bee at the same time. Great snapshots :-)

That’s true—you only see a butterfly every now and then. So your lovely snapshots of them are all the more delightful, of course. I love colorful butterflies.
Thank you so much for sharing them.

Sure, you have your worries, but we’re still taking it in stride—or at least not stressing about it yet.
We save water wherever we can. For example, with those “quick” trips to the bathroom—we don’t always flush right away. The water meter’s still running, after all. In Norway, electricity and water were very, very cheap—there are plenty of waterfalls to power the system, after all. They don’t have water meters there.

As for regular groceries, you always have something in the house. But toilet paper and cappuccino/coffee—you’ve got to have a stockpile of those.
Exactly—I also remember using newspaper from my grandma’s days, and the outhouse.

In the GDR, we were raised to be frugal anyway, and we learned to improvise when the going got tough.
But flashlights, batteries, and candles—it’s really important to stock up on those.

Stay healthy, everyone, and don’t drive yourselves crazy.

Really great photos, Gabi, that you’re showing us here. I love looking at things like that, too.
We saw a sand sculpture exhibition like this years ago on the Baltic Sea—I think it was on Rügen. It’s always amazing to see what some people can create out of sand.

Thank you so much for sharing.

Hi Sandra,
I hope you get well soon, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for your upcoming vacation.
You’ve crocheted some lovely things during this time—that’s a good sign.

Sending you lots of love and get-well wishes from me

Hi Anja, I’m glad you like it. Thank you.
The bunny pattern is by “Schneckenkind” here. It’s really fun to crochet.

Oh, how cute, Monika. That’s such a lovely idea with the little boleros. It really adds a special finishing touch to the rest of the outfits for the dolls.

Ruth, your firefly is just great. I knew this glow-in-the-dark yarn existed, but I haven’t tried it yet. It really does seem to glow brightly in the dark. Also great for bag charms or crocheted ghosts/spirits.

Have a wonderful evening, everyone!

Hi there,

I have something new to show you again. Mosaic and c2c techniques. Front and back.
And another bunny for my coworker—she needs a replacement because the other one gets cuddled too much. That really makes me happy.

Oh dear, Anja, that’s just not right. My hands always have to be busy, too—whether it’s crafts or painting/drawing. But you’re not even allowed to do that.
I hope you get better soon so you can get back to your projects.
Hang in there—you can do it.

I like to work with thinner needles because the stitch pattern is finer. However, the handles have to be thicker than the thin needles; otherwise, I also get problems in my hands and fingers.

Hi everyone,

I sometimes have this problem too.
For small, round mochillas/pouches/bags, depending on the size, I place a blank CD between the two bottom pieces. Yes, you have to crochet the bottom twice.

Or I cut the piece out of an old placemat—there are thick, sturdy plastic ones, or you can layer several on top of each other—and crochet around it.

That’s how I do it. I’ll have to keep the wool felt idea in mind. Thanks for the tip.

Hi aivlis 1,

I have the crochet book "Childhood Heroes 3" by Alexandra Schwarz. It has something like Tom and Jerry in it. Take a look. You can find it at a....n. Maybe that will help you.

Best regards

Thank you, Ina, for sharing your post about this new find. It sounds interesting and simple.
There are just the two of us, too, and this lid promises little effort and is easy to use. It’s crazy how technology changes.
I remember this from back in the day with my mom. That big gray pot with a hole in the lid and a thermometer inside. Ah, those were the days.

Steffi, your gloves are beautiful. I can’t manage to do that myself. I can’t get the hang of a set of double-pointed needles either. I do have that other curved size 2 knitting needle, but I haven’t tried it out yet.
But these gloves also remind me of Norway—they knit a lot there, and this style too. All those gorgeous patterns really fascinated me.
You’ve really got a knack for this. Great job.

Thank you for your feedback.

Yes, Monika, that’s going to be the RvO sweater (pattern from here). This pattern has been on my list for a very long time.

Warmest congratulations from me, too—wishing you good luck and good health

Hi there,

I’m working in this thin pink yarn from the swap package because I’m not sure whether my own yarn will be enough. Just for contrast. Maybe I’ll crochet in the light blue yarn from the swap package too.
I can only crochet a few rows at a time in between other things.
This is what it looks like right now.

All right, Josefa.

Oh my, I’m completely out of the loop. That made it all the more enjoyable to look at your creations.

ines, I think your scarf is really beautiful with that pattern. It looks complicated.
Your grandma and grandpa are just brilliant, sitting there on the “retirees’ bench.” You did a great job with them. I wouldn’t want to part with them. I could look at those two all the time.

Veronika, your Aquarius is a real stunner, it turned out great. I like it. I really like crocheted figures. By the way, I’m married to a Pisces. That has to do with water, too.

Hopefully I’ll be able to show something again soon. It really bugs me that when I’m always working the late shift, I hardly get any time to crochet.

Ina, you’ve ordered some gorgeous colors there. I like them too (except for the green and dark gray).
I’m curious to see what you’ll make with them.

Oh, sorry, Josefa. Now I understand. Is it okay to post the link to that sweater page here?

Yes, me. I found this gorgeous unicorn yarn with glitter at T..i. It’s nice and soft despite the glitter thread, and pretty thin.
I’d like to crochet an RVO sweater out of it (pattern from here). I’ll use the thin pink swap yarn for the contrasting stripes. 
This is as far as I’ve got so far

Thank you so much for your compliments. And I had a lot of fun crafting again.
The birthday cards are all written too.
Now I’m going back to crocheting.

Inge, you always make such pretty things. I like your keychains.
Is it made of felt?

Oh, Inge, by the way, I really like your new avatar picture.

Hi everyone,

I hope you all have a great weekend. Unfortunately, the heat is still lingering. No relief in sight. If you open the windows, all that comes in is warm air anyway.
It was so nice at the Baltic Sea.

I made a special trip into town today to buy a small table fan. No luck. The ones available start at 50–70 euros and up. Nah, thanks. Guess I’ll just keep sweating. Darn.
They’re probably hard to find in this sweltering heat.

Since the birthday gift is finished, I can get back to crocheting.

Hugs from me

Birthday gift for his 60th. A “survival kit,” so to speak.
The birthday card is for his wife. It also comes with a framed quote made of wood and metal. Unfortunately, it’s already wrapped (bought at the Baltic Sea).
Here you go.

We went on vacation without any yarn —there wasn’t any room left in the suitcase. We did so much that there wasn’t any time to crochet anyway. It was still a bit strange, though.

The vacation’s over for now. We went to Hamburg to see the Tina Turner musical, visited the Landungsbrücken, and walked along the Reeperbahn; then we headed to Kühlungsborn on the Baltic Sea. We took the Molli train to Bad Doberan, spent a day in Rostock—beach, Ferris wheel, ice cream, coffee and cake, fish sandwiches…
yep, and just like that, it was over.

It was really nice.

Thanks, Ines and Monika —unfortunately, we’re back in the “heat zone” again :-)

Monika , your quadruplets look so cute in their little dresses. It’s crazy how different the little dresses look when you use a different color for each one.

I won’t be able to do any crafting for now. I only have a few days left to make a gift for a 60th birthday. We’re invited to a double birthday party (meaning two people are celebrating).
I’ll buy the “ingredients” for it tomorrow. I’ll make something fun.

Best regards

Thank you all.
Unfortunately, the vacation is already over. We’ve arrived home. Pictures will come later.

As soon as we got here, the heat hit us, and the air conditioning on the trains was broken—we were sweltering. It wasn’t pleasant.
I read that it’s supposed to get even hotter starting Monday—oh dear.

Hi there, yarn lovers!

You’ve been busy again.
That embroidery is quite a labor of love. Great job.
I’m still on vacation. Didn’t bring any yarn, and no internet either—Wi-Fi issues. I can post from my phone, though.
Have fun the rest of the way.

Wow, that looks great.

We’re on vacation right now in Kühlungsborn. There’s a bit of a breeze here. A pleasant 25°. We were even able to ride the Ferris wheel in the evening and sit on the beach watching the sun set.

Kind regards from the coast

Thank you all. And here’s the version made from leftover yarn, and the back side

Yes, saving money is definitely a topic that’s on all of our minds right now.
We were raised to be frugal even as children—there wasn’t much available back in the GDR days, but we appreciated what little we had. Cell phones and computers didn’t exist yet.
My husband and I always buy discontinued cell phone models; they’re cheaper, and I don’t need to have the latest and greatest anyway.

To stuff my crochet figures, I collect all the cut-off and woven-in ends that are left over—you can use them to stuff small figures, too.
For my mosaic crochet projects, I use all the leftover yarn I still have. I want to use it all up before I buy any new yarn. Yeah, that’s tempting—it’s a good thing the “swap package” exists.
We just “cleaned out” some stuff, and beforehand I removed the pretty colored buttons from shirts and blouses that no longer fit. I need those buttons for my crochet figures.

When it comes to groceries, we also only buy what we really need right now. We keep an eye out for special offers (by studying the advertising flyers)—though I get upset by the sheer volume in the mailbox and wonder how many trees must have had to die for them.
When it comes to meals, we turn leftovers into new dishes (frying leftover pasta, rice, etc., with eggs and sausage in a pan, or adding the rice to soup… and so on).
We don’t need a 3-star meal. We’re switching to smoothies now (homemade)—they’re refreshing and healthy.

When shopping, I sometimes buy those cloth bags if they come in nice colors; I then use them as linings for crocheted bags, so I don’t have to sew them.
With old pajamas, you can sew the two cuffed sleeves together to make doll pants.

There are so many ways to save money. You also often see these tiny houses with functional furniture in the media. That’s really interesting.

Finished another big granny square. Started today, and now it’s done. It’s so much fun when new patterns keep emerging.

Size: approx. 25 x 25 cm

Warm congratulations from me, too. Hope you had a wonderful day.

Yes, Christina, I know all about customs. I could never take part in the parcel swap either when we lived in Norway. That makes me all the happier to be able to join in now.

"wool-crazy swap ladies" sounds great *laughs* and it’s a ton of fun.

Thank you, Inge.

But of course, I can’t compete with the things you sew. For me, it’s more of a side project because I have so many other hobbies.

I still wonder today how I managed to make that blouse—even with a buttonhole—I have no idea. There are just so many talents in each of us.

Best regards

Hey Bine,

I’m totally blown away. What a wonderfully large haul, and I even recognize some of my own yarn. Have fun working with it.
I would have liked that “Moonlight” yarn, too.
But the “swap package” was sent off right away, and just like that, it’ll be with Ina soon.
I’m so curious to see what else arrives at Ina’s.
Wonderful.

Have a nice evening

Hello, everyone.

Here are the promised pictures of the doll sewn from leotard fabric and the blouse made from an old nightgown.

I can’t keep up at all. You’ve all made such great things again. I’m just amazed.

Marion, your Mia looks so cute in her outfit. Red, white, and blue are my favorite colors too (*grin* reminds me of the wonderful time in Norway)

Steffi, great work. The pattern looks complicated. Hats off to dark yarns — I struggle with them.

Christina, your bookmark is great. Small projects like that work up quickly, and thanks for the bookmark inspiration.
You can find these mosaic motifs online. Just type "Mosaic crochet pattern" into the search bar.
Or you can also find ideas and patterns for purchase on Etsy.
Since I know how it works, I often crochet from pictures.
I’ve already thought about drawing patterns on graph paper and then crocheting them using the mosaic technique.

I think we were raised to be frugal in the former GDR. There wasn’t much, but what we had was cherished—and it actually lasted longer than things do today.
I’ve always liked sheer fabrics, lace, and ruffles.
There were those nylon scarves my mom used to have. She’d wear them as a bow in her hair. Today, you could use them for a Barbie doll (blouse, dress).

We used to make a net out of old nylon stockings and wire for our little aquarium back then, to scoop out the fish when cleaning it.

A few years ago, I sewed a cute blouse for myself from an old cotton nightgown—sleeveless, even with buttonholes, and tied at the front—and embroidered a heart out of beads on it. I’ll dig it out (picture coming soon)

Then I plan to sew fabric bags out of my old tunics (workwear for the nursing profession)—in gorgeous colors like pink, light blue, and rose. Unfortunately, they don’t fit me anymore, and the fabric is washable at 60 degrees. It’s far too good to throw away.

If I do have to get rid of clothes, I remove the zippers and buttons—they’re expensive, after all. I use these zippers for my beaded pouches (wallets)

I’ve also sewn panel curtains for myself from old, long curtains.
So, as you can see, I sew every now and then, too.

A wonderful good evening to everyone here,

Hey Steffi, glad you found what you were looking for after all. Have fun working with it. I also held the dark gray yarn (in the middle)—it was sooooo soft, but unfortunately too dark for my projects. I’m really curious to see what your “fingerless” gloves will look like.

Ha, Ines, I feel exactly the same way as you do. Just a few more days, then we’re going on vacation. Since we don’t have a car anymore, we’re traveling by bus and train, so I can’t take much yarn with me in my suitcase. Two or three skeins are okay. What can you do?

Warm regards

Heartfelt congratulations, lots of luck and good health

Here you go, Sabine. You can start by crocheting small mosaics and then crocheting or sewing them together to make a doily. That way, you’ll see if it’s your thing or not.

It’s really a lot of fun. Once you get started, you won’t want to stop.
You can also make a little bag out of the many mosaic squares—just sew them together, add a handle, and you’re done.

I’ve also seen in English tutorials that curves and body proportions are worked directly into the crochet (by increasing and decreasing in that row).

For the nose, too, you can work several stitches into the center stitch of the face and then join them together in the next row. This is how you create cheeks on the face, for example. The same applies to ears.

It’s hard to explain right now. It works the same way for the bottom and knees. Just increase over 1–2 rows at the desired spot, and in the next round, crochet those stitches together so you return to the original number of stitches per round.

This saves you the trouble of sewing on separate pieces.

ruthk, that’s right. You’re right. Exactly, for the little doll. Maybe even a “matching outfit” for the clothes.

What else comes to mind? I’m sure there are those little fabric pouches with designs on them that you can color in yourself with fabric markers. Would that work? Or a small porcelain cup that she can decorate herself with porcelain markers (with Mom’s help, of course)—that way she’ll have her very own breakfast cup.

Hi everyone,

Moni , I just read that. As a crocheter, I’d crochet a little doll with a school cone as a good-luck charm.
Or I’d make a sort of abacus bead necklace with 1–10 beads, and attach a metal charm to it. I’ve already seen something like that on my beading forum (MyBB).
Acrylic beads work too, of course.
You could also crochet a little teddy bear with a safety vest and a school backpack—or did you have something specific in mind?

I wish you all a relaxing weekend, and of course wonderful Pentecost holidays.
Hope the weather cooperates.

I have to work this weekend, but then I’ll have three days off. We’ll be having a barbecue at my parents’ house.

If the weather’s nice, I’ll be crocheting on the balcony, or doing whatever else comes to mind (diamond painting, making beaded flowers, painting/drawing with stencils, continuing to knit the doll blanket I started). My dollhouse is also still waiting to be finished. I won’t be bored.

Thanks, Steffi, exactly. It’s really easy.
Once you get the hang of it, you can work any charted grid pattern.

Bine, it’s no big deal. I only have basic English skills, and I managed just fine with the patterns.
You can also find a list of English crochet abbreviations online.
If you’re having trouble, just ask Steffi or me. We’re happy to help.
Once you start, you won’t want to stop making these mosaics. It’s best to crochet in rounds. So, work each round separately with one color and single crochet stitches. Work everything into the back loop (the pattern is created by working the double crochets into the front loop).

Crocheting in rows makes sense if you want fringe on the sides, such as for a table runner or a small coaster.