Latest Forum Posts by: Bastelfan

Thank you, Josefa—I wish the same for you too, and of course for everyone else here on the forum.

Unfortunately, I have to work. Every employee is needed, since some colleagues are off sick and now also with COVID-19; there are already COVID-19 cases on the two lower floors. Not yet up here, but all the residents have to stay in their rooms for now.
We’re all being tested every day.

It’s really sad.

Ina, it’s great that you’re giving us a peek into your beauty routine. I’d love to stop by sometime.
The before-and-after picture is really amazing. And so simple. Thanks for the tip.

When it comes to the hair on my crocheted figures, I handle it differently depending on the project.
Sometimes I first crochet a cap in the hair color and then knot in the strands.

Other times, I crochet a cap normally in rounds, but into the back loop only. Then I crochet chain-stitch strands into the back loops and slip stitch back (starting from the top and working spirally downward). For example, make a chain of chain stitches into one back loop, depending on the length, slip stitch back, single crochet into the next back loop, alternating, and so on.

For smaller figures, I take strands of yarn—depending on the hair length—and lay them across the head, then sew them in place at the center of the head with a needle and thread. Then I braid the strands on the left and right into plaits and secure the side plaits to the head with 2–3 stitches.

For a ponytail, I tie the strands only to the bottom edge of the hair cap, and then I gather everything upward into a ponytail with an elastic band.

You can also crochet the strands of hair directly into the rounds of the hair cap. If you crochet 2 or 3 stitches into one stitch, you’ll get curly locks.

You can also glue this store-bought angel hair to the head with fabric glue, but I’m still experimenting to see if it holds properly.

Hi everyone,

Sandra, your little gnomes turned out really cute. It’s lovely that you’re showing them to us now. A really nice idea.

Now about the yarn swap package.
Yay, it arrived yesterday. You guys are crazy—I wasn’t expecting such a huge package at all. 
I’d just gotten off my late shift and just had to open it—out of sheer curiosity. What a selection! There was something for me too, and it really wasn’t easy to decide.

Here’s what I’ve picked out so far. The cuddly yarn just called out to me. And I’ve always wanted to have such a huge ball of yarn.


Monika, you’re next, so you can start looking forward to it. Have fun—I certainly did.

Best regards
Andrea

Hey there,

you’re all hard at work again. Too bad for me—I won’t be able to join in this week because I’m working late shifts until Sunday. You don’t get to enjoy the day at all, and after work I just collapse into bed, especially since I don’t get home until 9:30 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. (depending on the late shift).
Monika, your Turbo Loop (I’ll call it that because you’re always so quick) looks so great—those would have been my colors too.
I’m sure it looks totally great on you. Maybe you could take a photo of yourself wearing it sometime. I like DF because it gets nice and thick and keeps you warm, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Sonja , oh, so that’s how big it’s supposed to be. Have you ever tried that colorful printer paper in A4 format, if that size works for you?
Maybe I’ll manage to make one too—then you’ll definitely get to see a photo of it. Folding is faster than crocheting, after all. We’ll see.

Good to know about the knitting board . You have to help yourself. I usually need my templates on a single sheet too, for a better overview.

Have fun. I’m slowly getting ready for the late shift.

I wish you all a lovely afternoon.
Finally, the workday is over, and we also had some delicious cake from the bakery—a cherry roll and cream-filled pastries.

Thanks for the compliments, and I’m glad you want more (cake).
It’s actually supposed to be a Christmas cake according to the pattern, but you’re right—it could also be a Black Forest cake; I like those too.

Sonja, do you make Bascetta stars too? I use this origami paper for them, or that colorful kind you also use for those flower balls by Karin Ji... Mayer.
That one was made by putting individual modules together, right? I could make that again for Christmas decorations at home.
I’ve also made it before using regular colorful notepads. That worked, too.

Petra, I really like your acorns, too, but that little one there is so cute. Is that glittery yarn?

Steffi, I’ve never heard of a “knitting board” like that. Did you make it yourself, or did it come like that? I think it’s very practical for crochet, knitting, and embroidery patterns.

Warm regards from me

True—I got that one.

The user below me is good with their hands.

I’m really looking forward to it, Christina.

Have a nice evening!

Hi Sandra,

I’d also like to wish you a very happy belated birthday.
That sounds great—I’m glad you had a wonderful day. All the best to you, and stay just the way you are.

Warm regards
Andrea

wrap everything up nicely.

Hi everyone,

I’ve finished another little project. The pattern is from here on the blog page.
It looks delicious. Now all that’s missing is Mrs. Claus.
Thanks for the great pattern. It was fun to make.

:-)) Oops, Monika—we wrote at the same time again!

Wow, that really went fast. So I’ll be the lucky one next time. Unbelievable.
I still can’t believe it.

Christina, I’m so happy for you that you found something suitable for your projects.
I’m curious to see what I’ll get.
It’s crazy how many types and colors of yarn there are.

Hugs, Andrea

Baumkuchen

In the past it was more boots (like in Pretty Woman), with little skirts; these days, though, it’s ankle boots and pants.
Even in Norway I hardly wore boots. I had my hiking shoes or ankle-high shoes with fur inside. Since they had dry, cold winters there, those ankle boots were definitely enough.
I like leather ankle boots. The ones made of suede don’t do well at all in thawing weather. I had those too. Never again.
Above all, they need to have a nice thick, non-slip, ridged sole, although those little pebbles always got stuck in it.
In any case, I always picked out shoes that would go with skirts as well as with pants.

I used to love going to Carnival events and dressing up. But in recent years, that’s faded a bit.
Most of the time I had to work the next day, so you can’t really party that hard.
In Norway, it wasn’t such a big deal, so I didn’t do much of it.

But when I had to work on November 11th, I heard there was a small Carnival parade going through town, and they passed by our nursing home, where we could watch from the balcony. We brought some of the residents down to watch.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have my cell phone handy. Too bad.

I used to love dressing up my kids when they had carnival celebrations at preschool. I improvised a lot myself and decorated their costumes with sequins.

You have some lovely, funny pet stories to tell.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any pets anymore, but we used to have a few (fish, a turtle, a budgie, a white mouse, a hamster)

So here’s my story: I used to have a budgie who was very tame and gifted at talking. He was also allowed “free flight” around the apartment sometimes.

Anyway, we were just in the kitchen preparing lunch, peeling potatoes, when Hansi suddenly flew right onto my hand to nibble on the potato. I had to be careful not to cut his little legs.
When we were eating, he flew onto the table, nibbled on the boiled potato, and then ran right through the sauce on my plate. That was really funny. I often think back on that.

Good evening,

Sandra, you really picked out some wonderful yarn. I personally especially like the light blue one too. I'm already excited to see what arrives for me, but until then I'll keep practicing patience.
Glühweinwichtel sounds fun. Exactly, we all want to admire him once he's finished. We're excited.

Exactly, Ina, I would also join the yarn swap package again next year. The more people take part, the more interesting and varied the selection will be. This will be fun.

Best wishes
Andrea

False. I cook regular stuff, no experiments—only when I’m baking.

The user below me likes cappuccino

Happy birthday, Kuema, on your birthday today, and wishing you lots of luck and good health.
Keep up the great work with your creative ideas and the fantastic videos that I always enjoy watching.

Warm regards
Andrea

Hi everyone,

that’s lovely, Monika, and where can I find it? Do only shop owners get this link?

great, Marlies.

Oops, I was in the wrong place. I found it. Thanks.

Hi Josefa,
Thanks. I’ve already contacted support and am waiting for a reply.
I won’t do anything before then.

Hello support,

since I started the “Christmas Secret Santa thread” here in the crochet forum and would like to organize it, but it isn’t an official CP event, my question is: how does this work? I don’t want to do anything wrong.
No lists of names will appear in the forum. Everything will be arranged “among ourselves.” Is that okay with you, and are we allowed to carry out this event?

Thank you very much for your help

Best regards, Bastelfan

True, the selection really is huge.

The user below me likes to travel

everything is done.

take care of it. But until…

False

The user below me likes dolls.

me again,

first of all, thank you so much for your interest. I’ve never organized anything like this myself before either, and I’d like to do it, but there’s so much to keep in mind.
Ina is right about the high postage costs. That would be unfair to the others.

@baluque: maybe you’d like to take care of the participants in Austria, and I’ll take those in Germany? What do you think?

I’m definitely joining in too

You’re right, Inge—I’d forgotten that. Thanks.
Up to 10 euros is fine

Thank you. I wish you all a relaxing weekend, too.

I’ve made it through my first week at work, and I’m looking forward to my well-deserved weekend. I might do some crocheting, sleep in, and relax. Nothing planned.

Mixing ratio

Tree: buy and decorate a Christmas tree

Hi everyone,

I read on another craft forum that they’re doing a “Christmas Secret Santa” there, but with beaded animals.
So I thought we could do something similar here on the CP forum.

I’m just not quite sure how it should work. My idea would be:

Let’s say, for example , there are 10 people who sign up for the “Secret Santa” and are added to a list (similar to the “yarn package” event). I’d roll up these names like lottery tickets and put them in a bowl.
The registered participants will be added to a list in the order they sign up.
Then I’ll, for example , draw a slip of paper and send a private message to the first person on the list with the name on the slip—the other participants shouldn’t know who it is, otherwise it won’t be a surprise anymore who’s sending them a Secret Santa gift.
This process continues until every participant has a Secret Santa partner without knowing who the others are.
Then, for example, December 6 (St. Nicholas Day) is set as the date for mailing the Secret Santa package so that it arrives on time on December 24 and may only be opened then.
As for the contents, it’s up to each person to decide what to include—ideally something homemade as a small token of appreciation, along with some treats and a warm greeting from the Secret Santa or something similar.
Each participant can also list any preferences so everyone has a rough idea of what the other person likes.

What do you think? I hope I’ve explained this reasonably clearly, the way I would go about it.

Warm weekend greetings from me

beautiful. A lot of work

Thank you so much. It’s great to be able to share joy with others.
I’ve always wanted a glass display case—more for my beaded figurines, actually—but the crocheted ones look great in there, too.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend

Well then, I’ll join in too.
Well, I’m always really happy to receive birthday wishes, just like on my own birthday.
But what I noticed was that I couldn’t read any of them—or rather, I couldn’t find the thread.

I was starting to think no one was wishing me a happy birthday—what’s going on? Until Josefa wished me a happy birthday and sent me the birthday link, then I was able to read all your birthday wishes and thank you all. Or did I miss something?

is supposed to have it.

Many of the series listed sound familiar. I always liked "Little House on the Prairie," "Miami," "Gunsmoke," "The Magnificent Seven," "Winnetou" (with Gojko Mitic, Pierre Brice), so lots of cowboy and Western films, "Treasure of Silver Lake," "Once Upon a Time in the West," "The Mummy," "Mission: Impossible"... "The Streets of San Francisco"...

Of course, like Ina, I also watched "Bonanza" and "Women's Prison." The other day, reruns were on one channel, and I absolutely had to watch them, but I couldn't keep watching because I had to get up early the next day. Too bad.

Because of my husband, I watch a lot of "SOKO" shows; we also watch Pilcher films together, "Katie Fforde" films, anything to do with romance.

I also used to watch series like "GZSZ," "Unter uns," "Frauentausch," "Farmer Wants a Wife" (but not anymore)

"Nordsee- und Ostsee-Report," "Crazy About the Sea," "Crazy About the River," also those series "Trucker Babes," "Die Straßen-Cowboys," or those English series where they tear down houses, those auctions of the contents of those garage units, or the "tax investigators," those English "customs inspections" series, "Patrol"
We also like watching animal documentaries, so it's a colorful mix of everything.
Computer-animated cartoons too. I used to enjoy watching Maya the Bee, the "Augsburger Puppenkiste," etc. I could list even more. I used to watch "Tatort," but when it's that exciting, I can't fall asleep afterward. Also the Hitchcock films "The Birds," "Rear Window," "Marnie," "The Indian Scarf"... but I don't like them as much anymore today.

Tearjerkers or quiz shows. The range is wide.

Yay! Thanks for your feedback.

I was amazed myself—so many figures, and all crocheted by me—it’s crazy. I haven’t counted them yet, but maybe I’ll do that just for fun.
Today at work, I showed this picture to my new coworkers; they were just as thrilled, and I’ve already gotten requests to crochet one or two of them for them. I’ve already infected them with the “crochet bug.”

I’m not quite done arranging the display case yet. Unfortunately, there’s no room for another one—everything is filled up with furniture. No chance. So I’ll just have to change the display every now and then.
It’s kind of crazy to see all the figures piled up together like that.

Hopefully I’ll be able to get back to crocheting soon.

Hello to everyone from me too,

I took a little nap; I was totally exhausted today after work. I’m on the early shift for the next two weeks, then alternating with the late shift.
Thanks, thanks—my start at work went great. All my coworkers are nice, and we’re getting to know the residents better and better; it’s actually pretty fun. Many of them are still “clear-headed,” so we can have a little chat during morning care.
I just have to get used to getting up early again—I’m a bit of a morning grouch, so it takes me a while to get going, but once I’m up, I’m good.

That’s why I won’t be able to make things as often to show you all. But I have the weekend off, which I’m really looking forward to.
Admiring your amazing creations always puts me in a good mood.

Have a lovely evening,

Your stories are kind of cute.

Well then, I’ll jump in here too. I think each of us has put our foot in it at least once.

My husband and I actually met online. For a while, we could only Skype via the computer. He was already in Norway, and I was still in Germany. We were basically “living” together every day, but the computer was in the way, and he was far away. Everything always looks a little distorted on the screen anyway.

Anyway, the time finally came when he could visit me. The big day arrived, and there he was, standing right at my door. What a joy.
Instead of saying, “Yay, I’m so glad you’re here,”… no… I said, “Wow, you’re really short.”

It just slipped out in that moment—so embarrassing. Even though my husband is 11 cm taller than I am. Every now and then, I still get teasingly reminded of it. It was embarrassing back then. Today, we can both laugh about it.

That’s how it goes sometimes.

Best regards
Andrea

This is just a fraction of the pieces I put away today. I'm slowly running out of space.

Just me again briefly:

these projects were finished long before the move. A small wash bag, a melon-shaped bag, and decorative hearts.


Your new creations look great again—the washcloths, the wonderfully colorful temperature blanket—absolutely beautiful.

it is. But suddenly...

You all have great ideas. I also always love photo albums—they’re so personal.
I’ve heard of a white elephant gift exchange before, but I’ve never taken part myself.
At work, we always did a Secret Santa at our Christmas parties. We’d put all our coworkers’ names in a pot, and everyone would draw a name; then you’d put together a small Secret Santa gift for the person whose name you drew, anonymously. It was really fun.

I don’t have a plan for Christmas gifts yet. I think the greatest gift is when the family can celebrate the holidays together again. Of course, there are little things—something homemade or crocheted. The younger ones usually want money. But it’ll all work out.
There’s still time until then. More than anything, I’m looking forward to a real Christmas market again, with real mulled wine and a shot in it.

Other than that, we don’t really give each other big gifts. The main thing is that everyone is healthy.

ruthk, you were the first to enjoy some new yarn. You made a very good choice.
I would have liked the light blue one from Katja, too.

We’re excited to see what new yarn will be sent on its way next.
It really feels like Christmas.

Have a lovely evening, everyone!

Best regards, Andrea

The Color Line can hold 2,315 passengers—that’s the one we took across. It’s truly massive.
The very first time I traveled on the Color Line, I really felt like I was on the Titanic or in a shopping mall. It was an overwhelming experience. I had just started working at the hotel when the anniversary cruise was organized through work. The food there was like at a gala dinner—small bites, multiple courses—and yet you still ended up feeling full.
I still think back on that experience often. There was even a show and cocktails; everything was reserved just for us. That was in early 2013.

That’s kind of you, Monika. :-)

Christina, it was exactly 9 years. How quickly time flies. I still can’t believe I put up with it there for so long. It was still a nice time, though.

Okay, now off to bed—I have to get up early tomorrow. You want to be on time, after all.

Well, I’ll join in too. I was born in 1963, and I’ve loved crafting and painting ever since I was a child. We had needlework classes in school, and that’s where it all started—crocheting pot holders and learning to embroider with that school yarn.

I can still remember that as a child, I was once given a kind of Barbie doll as a gift (we didn’t have those in the former GDR), and I sewed clothes for her by hand out of fabric. I made a bathrobe and even sewed on little pockets. I also had scraps of curtain fabric and trims—everything was put to use somehow.
I crocheted little dolls and placed them in the middle of the bed as so-called “bed dolls” for decoration, complete with crocheted ruffled skirts and little hats.
Later, during my apprenticeship, my mom taught me how to knit, and I even practiced knitting motifs (a children’s sweater with Pumuckl on it), as well as small cable patterns on my own sweater. Back then, those glittery fringed yarns were all the rage. Today, I can’t really get the hang of them anymore. Simple patterns, sure.
I’ve become more into crocheting ever since I Googled “amigurumi” one day to find out what it was—and ever since then, I’ve been hooked on those little crocheted figures and dolls.

I’ve tried a lot of things, including through former coworkers who did crafts (casting and painting with plaster or Keramofix, paint-by-numbers, decorating Styrofoam shapes with ribbons [the “artichoke” technique], Window Color paintings, and cross-stitch patterns). As a child, I had an embroidery kit (small pre-printed handkerchiefs or doilies that you could embroider) and a weaving kit (a wooden frame with wool inside).
Then I remember a kit where you could thread leather straps through holes around the edges to make coasters out of a kind of leather.
Most recently, I’ve taken up bead crafts. I’ve always been interested in glass beads and glass buttons because they sparkle so beautifully.
You’d need a zillion hands to do it all. Diamond painting is also “on hold” again—I still have two pictures waiting to be finished.

I also bought a sewing machine for my own use after I did a job creation program at “Bad Kösener Plüschtiere.” It was so much fun once you see how a stuffed animal or doll comes to life—from the design, through shaping, to the sewing. I picked up a lot of tips and sketched them out myself, since they’re not allowed to share the patterns (trade secret).

That’s how it is with our beloved hobbies. Lots of ideas, little time, but plenty of variety.

Have fun!

Thank you so much for sharing this, Marlies.
It’s always amazing what people create with pumpkins, and the variety of colors and shapes. My favorites are the orange ones, too—especially the ones with the funny faces.
My mom always makes pumpkin soup. I’ll eat it with her sometimes, but pumpkins like that aren’t really my thing (only as decoration, not for eating). Back when I was at my grandma’s, she always served pumpkin compote—I never liked that.