Latest Forum Posts by: Bastelfan

Hi Josefa, I hope you’re doing well, too, and everyone else here.

So far, we’re doing pretty well—everyone’s still healthy—but in the midst of the stress of moving, one disaster after another keeps happening.

It started right when we tried to register at the citizen services office. We had to book an appointment three months in advance, and then it was canceled again; we stood in line;
then we went to the bank to change our address—the system glitched at first, but then everything worked out.

Then our new washing machine arrived; the delivery guy carried it up to our third-floor apartment, unpacked it, and said, “I can take this right back.” The lid was broken.

Our kitchen was supposed to arrive today. The guys were standing downstairs in front of the door; I’d just gotten home and asked if they had anything for us. The guy was on the phone and didn’t answer me at all; then he supposedly rang our doorbell—of course he didn’t, since my husband was upstairs—and then they drove off again.
Maybe a new appointment sometime next week. I’m telling you, this is no fun right now.

But there was one positive thing, though. I had my first job interview today at a nursing home as a caregiver, and I get to do a one-day trial shift next week. Maybe it’ll work out. (I found the ad online.)

So I hope you all have a great weekend!

Mmm, it smells so good in here.

Inge, your bread looks delicious. What a pretty Römertopf you have. I’ve never seen one in a light color like that before. Your flea market find was definitely worth it.

Marion, your little round loaves turned out great, too. Baking two loaves in one pan at the same time—good idea.

Hey Marlene,

I hope everything goes smoothly for you, too.

We just moved, too—the moving boxes are still scattered everywhere. Since our cabinets won’t arrive for another 1–2 weeks, we can’t really put much away yet.
You’ve moved more times than I have—15 times, in fact. I think this is my 10th time.

You’ll manage just fine, and I’m sure you’ll have everything cozy and settled by Christmas.

Best wishes

I’m so overwhelmed by your welcome messages, thank you all so much. I was absolutely delighted.
I still can’t quite believe that I’m finally here. But we’re here.

Of course, it will take some time until it feels reasonably homey, and Mom and Dad are taking good care of us. My youngest son is also visiting until Sunday and has been a great help carrying the sofa up to the 3rd floor, as well as driving to the furniture stores and DIY stores.

Our moving goods are supposed to arrive on Wednesday. That already sounds good.
The kitchen and cabinets will still take a while before they arrive.

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone

Hi everyone on the forum,

just a quick update.

We’ve been in Germany since Wednesday. We’ve finally arrived in our new old home. It was sooooo wonderful to see everyone again—such a warm welcome, with a few tears of joy.

We’ve also checked out the apartment—it’s been beautifully renovated. Everything still smells so new.
We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us to get settled in. Tonight is our first night here.

Pictures will come later. Anyway, everything went really well.

Warm regards from Germany

throwing leaves at each other, or jumping into leaf piles. We always loved doing that.
It's so much fun

That doesn’t sound good at all, Inge. Get well soon from me too.


As for me, the apartment is empty. The moving company is coming on Saturday to take everything away. I’m curious to see whether everything will arrive at our new home on September 21st (they do a kind of consolidated shipment, so it’s not just our moving things)

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

falling colorful leaves

Cappuccino trinken,  and lounging on the Couch with some crochet

Oh yes, Christmas market.
After all these years in Norway, we’re longing to set foot in a German Christmas market again. To drink a proper mulled wine with amaretto, eat a hot waffle, cotton candy, and gingerbread. I can practically smell the Christmas aroma already.
We’re really looking forward to that as visitors.
The last time was 9 years ago.

Good evening,

ruthk , your temperature blanket already looks great. The colors go together perfectly. I’m curious to see what it’ll look like when it’s finished. You still have quite a few rows to crochet.

Monika , thank you—that makes me happy. Yes, I needed another little project—and something colorful.
We’re slowly entering the home stretch, and the end is in sight—our excitement is growing, and of course so is the tension about whether everything will turn out the way we imagine.

Steffi, your mosaic granny square turned out great. The idea with the bag flap is good.
I’ve also been thinking about crocheting myself a bag with a mosaic pattern.

Have a great rest of the week, everyone!

Thanks, and have a great weekend, everyone.
The weather here is a bit mixed. We still have plenty to do indoors in preparation for the move.
We still have to make a few more trips to the dump, and a major cleaning is on the agenda—I’m really dreading that.

Otherwise, best regards from here

Hey Josefa,

Fimo is the new Suralin from back in the day. I think you can make really nice things with it.
I have the silicone molds and Fimo here, but I just haven’t had a chance to try it out yet.

Maybe someday, once we’ve finished moving.

Quark cheesecake baking

I’ll stop by again sometime,

Wow, Sonja, what a masterpiece. All that hard work really paid off. To me, it already looks finished. I’m guessing the other extension piece goes on the bottom, right?
I wouldn’t have the patience for such a huge project.

Instead, here’s a little final crochet greeting from Norway.
Everything has to be packed by September 11.

My little color (AL from here)

Painting by numbers (whether with a pencil or oil paints)

Needlework to relax

First, let’s tidy things up a bit—maybe we’ll find something suitable.

Wow, you have a wonderfully large button collection. And there are some really great ones in there. It’s great when they’re gifts.

There’s so much you can do with them. As Ursula already mentioned, things like button art. I’ve also seen them crocheted around. You can make little figures out of them using wire, or use them as Christmas decorations (string them all in green from largest to smallest, like a little Christmas tree), make bracelets, necklaces, and cool earrings...Use them as eyes for crocheted figures... as wheels for cars... and so much more

Personally, I really like those vintage glass buttons—they shimmer so beautifully. They come in such gorgeous colors, too. Actually, I’ve always liked glass buttons—ever since I was a kid. My grandma and my mom kept them in a box in their sewing boxes, and I used to love playing with them as a child.

U – Rearranging and decluttering

Well, I’m also saying “no” to perms. They were “in” back then, but never again. Too many chemicals, and my scalp itched, or I even lost some of my hair because the stylist left the stuff on too long.

Now my hair is nice and soft and shiny (thanks to the clear water here—no limescale).

Diana , I know that too—with long hair and dyeing or tinting it, hairdressers throw their hands up in horror, and you end up paying a fortune.

If I want curls, I just use my curling iron or my rollers.

Bead crafting (flowers, trees, earrings)

I hope you all have a great weekend.

The weather here is so-so—just windy and cloudy.

We’ll keep packing and head to the dump (to get rid of old furniture and more).
We still need to buy some more moving boxes—it’s the home stretch now. The moving company is coming in two weeks to pick everything up.

F – colorful leaves falling from the trees—you can even crochet them

Petra, the pattern is only available in English. If you’re familiar with English crochet abbreviations, that’s no problem. The pattern includes both written instructions and a diagram.
You’ll mainly be crocheting single crochet, double crochet, and chain stitches, with slip stitches at the end of each row.

I’m glad you like the blanket. At this size, it would also make a perfect baby blanket.

I’m glad to hear that, Petra—yes, this pattern fascinated me right away, too.

I’m also imagining the blanket in just two colors (black and white, for example) with a red border or something like that.

Hihi Steffi, there aren’t many left, though. They were just too delicious :-)

Have a nice afternoon

I didn’t bake anything, but we’re about to have pancakes with jam, powdered sugar on top, and whipped cream. Mmm, delicious!

Hey there!

I’ve crocheted my squares together into a little blanket.
Maybe I’ll make it bigger, or maybe I’ll leave it like this for now.

Here’s my little masterpiece

Also, happy belated birthday from me.
I hope you had a wonderful day.

Marion, I’m sure you’ll find time for this eventually, and once you start, you won’t be able to stop—it’ll be so much fun, believe me.

There’s just something about this mosaic “bug.”

We all inspire each other here. Everyone has their own creative side—that’s what I love so much about this place.

So have fun experimenting and tinkering, everyone :-)

Sure, I absolutely love the mosaic technique. If there are others who also love this technique and want to give it a try, it’s great to be able to admire different color variations here. You can really let your creativity run wild.

Once you’ve learned this technique and know how it works, you can even come up with your own patterns using a sheet of graph paper.

The mosaic technique is actually just regular crochet, but worked into the back loops. You can use as many colors as you want, since each row is worked in a single color.
At the end of each row, you change color, and the alternating double crochets worked into the front loops of the previous round create this wonderful pattern.

You don’t have to carry the yarn across the entire row, as you do with tapestry crochet, so it’s quick to crochet.

If you crochet this mosaic technique in rows, you cut the yarn after each row, which leaves you with beautiful fringes at the end that you can then tie together.

You can even crochet wall hangings with this technique. I’m totally hooked on this technique, and I have so many ideas.

Yarn Diet. What now?

Hi Bettina, welcome to the forum.

If you’re crocheting in spiral rounds, yes, the seam will run diagonally.

To make it straight, you can work a slip stitch and 1 chain stitch at the end of each round, then work 1 single crochet into that same stitch, and continue crocheting as usual.

Give it a try.

Ruth, my granny squares made using the mosaic technique are about 24 x 24 cm, crocheted with a 2.5 mm hook and Catania yarn. If you sew two of them together, you’ll have a nice, thick potholder. To make sure you don’t burn your fingers in case it does turn out too thin, you can always sew something in between.

Since the squares are so nice and big—and a breeze to crochet—they’re perfect for a blanket or even a decorative cushion cover.

I’ve finished 9 squares so far, which I’ll be crocheting together soon. Then I’ll have a small blanket to start with. Maybe I’ll make it bigger, or maybe I’ll leave it as is. We’ll see.

To all the night owls out there, sleep well. See you tomorrow

Hey Steffi, that looks great for your first try.

My round start is pretty much in the middle, so it’s hardly noticeable. Once I finish the first round, I make a slip stitch with the new yarn and start the single crochet right there. Give it a try.

Here’s the front and back

we ran out of yarn. Oh no, what now...

a wonderful good morning to everyone

thank you Ines, good to know. I'll have to see where I can get a crochet hook with a cable like that.

You all are putting a smile on my face again because I was able to get you excited about mosaic crochet, and because you're not alone with this crochet passion.
So 27 rows are crocheted up quickly, and you only have to weave in the starting and ending yarn tails.

It feels really good to be here in the forum; you always learn something here and there from others, new techniques, get newly inspired... so it never gets boring here.

But over the next few days I'll have to take it a bit easier again. Final sprint with packing, and getting the apartment a little spruced up, because the landlords want to take pictures tomorrow for the listing page (for re-renting it after we move out).
And the weeds still need to be taken care of too :-(

If I can't show as much anymore, I'll still be a "silent" reader here. I wouldn't want to miss out on this.

have a pleasant week, everyone, don't stress yourselves out. But if you have enough yarn on hand, stress doesn't come up in the first place. :-)   :-) At most, you have sooooo many projects in your head, but there just isn't enough time in the day for them

best wishes
Andrea

I just can’t stop

Hello at this late hour

I’m always amazed by your new creations. This forum is my nightly reading material.

Sandra, the birthday card looks great. Even I like Fireman Sam. Great drawing.
It’s nice that you get to test-crochet, and the crocheted loop looks fantastic, as does the motif.

Steffi, wow, I’m thrilled. Your mosaic granny looks fantastic. See, it’s not hard at all. It’s addictive, isn’t it? The pattern really pops with those colors. You’re giving me a run for my money :-)

Ines, your sweater looks very pretty. I always wonder how you crochet large areas in Tunisian crochet?

Of course it was delicious. We’ve already tried it. But the rest is for the weekend.

Exactly, Inge—whipped cream on the side. Mmm, delicious

Having it on the right is of course awkward; I hope you get well soon.
Your swatch already looks great.

Hi everyone,

Wow, Marion and Monika, look at all the things you make with your fruit!
We don’t have a garden,

but instead, I baked a sheet pan apple crumble cake today with chocolate pudding underneath, and sprinkled cinnamon on top of the apples.
It just came out of the oven. The whole apartment smells like it.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Monika, your nest looks really pretty, colorful on the inside and solid-colored on the outside. I like it. For my purposes, I could easily imagine a small potted plant in it.
You’ll definitely manage the mosaic crochet.

I’ll come by for breakfast too. Looks delicious. I’d add some oatmeal to mine.

I’ve already “infected” Steffi too. Nice. I hope you have lots of fun and that it turns out well. I’m already curious to see how yours looks when it’s finished.
That pattern really appealed to me too—simple, with a big impact.

This pattern only really comes into its own when you use just 2 colors. I tried it in multicolor today, and you can’t really make out the pretty pattern.

yes Ina, that’s right. But due to time constraints, this dollhouse has been put “on ice” for now. I do hope I’ll be able to finish it in Germany.

Your dollhouses are wonderful. That really makes a doll mom’s heart beat faster.

Steffi, I’m really impressed by this technique. It looks great and interesting.

I also sent you a private message (Mosaic)

Good morning, everyone—have a wonderful day!

I’d like to introduce you to No. 4. It crochets up so quickly, and the squares are a nice, large size—about 24×24 cm. Just right for a blanket. Of course, they’re also great for pot holders if you sew two together.

I used leftover Catania yarn and a size 2.5 hook.

Your bunny is so cute. You’ve created some really pretty decorations using this technique. I like it

Exactly—I’ve been wanting to try these African flower granny squares to make animals out of them, too. I have the patterns and templates, but I just haven’t found the time yet. It’s really interesting.

Really, it smells so good in here. Everything looks so delicious.

Steffi, your oatmeal cookies look soooo delicious. Thank you for the recipe. I’ll definitely try it out sometime, either when I can get all the ingredients here or I’ll save it for Germany, when I can try out my new oven.

Petra, mmm, your broccoli quiche looks really delicious, too.
I once made a cauliflower-broccoli casserole topped with cheese. I love casseroles with loooooads of cheese.

It’s amazing what you can cook and bake.

Wow, Ina, who wouldn’t want to be a “kid” again? After all, deep down, we all still are.
Finally, I’ve gotten a glimpse of your doll collection. It’s wonderful, and it’s such a joy to look at your pictures and play along in my imagination.

Now we also know how you set up your “doll’s house” with the walls. Everything should be practical, after all, and kids want to be able to take everything apart and put it back together anyway.

schnatter_design, your homemade doll’s house looks fascinating. Wonderful. Especially because it’s so big and versatile, and so lovingly furnished. I just love things like that—doll’s houses in general.

Thanks to both of you for showing us.