Latest Forum Posts by: Bastelfan

as smooth as glass, view toward Drammensmall fishAn anglerThis silence is wonderfulStopped for a moment—a magnificent view, such peaceWaiting time before the vaccination

I thought this was kind of funnyNotice the figures on the roofin Oslo, near the train stationThe castle is in the background, the government building is on the leftopposite directionColorful bike rack

Oslo National Theater

One last walk down this hallway
where are they?  Farewell cake with "good luck"  Flowers too


 
 guests forgot them, didn't pick them up, now they're mine. (that's the equivalent of 50 euros)

my Thai colleague

This is roughly what it looks like. You can get a general idea from the
belts on both of them (photo taken by me)

Hello there late at night—

wow, you’ve all been busy again.
Those little finger puppets are so cute.

Marion, your Maxima looks lovely in that pretty dress, perfectly matched with the hat. Great job.
I’m glad you found your other little doll again. I like it. She’s surely happy to have seen the light of day again, too. Is this doll sewn from jersey fabric?
Monika, you’re really quick with your nests. When do you even get any sleep? *:-)* No one can keep up with how fast you knit and crochet. Kudos. The new residents are sure to be delighted.
Steffi, your woven ribbons look great. It sounds complicated, with all those little cards you have to turn. I don’t know anything about it, but hats off to anyone who can do it.

But that’s pretty much how these ribbons and embellishments are woven here in Norway for the bunads (traditional costumes). Every region has its own colors and patterns.
I really like that sort of thing.

I didn’t crochet anything today.

Best regards

Hi Ina,

I agree with Monika.
There is sooooo much to discover in your garden, too. Watering the flowers at Grandma’s with your own little kids’ watering can is definitely fun. I always loved doing that as a child, too.
We also filled old “spray bottles” with water and wrote words on the sidewalk. There was also a chalkboard and chalk (I had one like that to stand up when I was a child).
It’s really interesting when you see and watch a ladybug, or watch bees or butterflies sitting on a flower and sipping nectar.
Watching the fish in the pond, or helping Grandma with the harvest, too.

Children simply love things to be very colorful, and when it flutters so beautifully in the wind, that’s just great, and they’re proud of their homemade creation.

That’s true, children/grandchildren grow up so quickly. Unfortunately, I don’t have any grandchildren (yet).
I used to do lots of crafts with my children, too. We had so much fun.
That also encourages children’s creativity.
My youngest son back then even made up his own dice games (with spaces like miss 1 turn, roll again, ...move forward).
There are so many possibilities.

You could also set up a medium-sized mop bucket a short distance away and try to hit the bucket with a small ball, or get the ball to land in the bucket. Or throw cans, like at the fair.

Have a nice evening, everyone

Hey Steffi, that sounds familiar to us.

Recently, we also had 4 chairs and a dining table listed on a Norwegian platform to give away.
First, people didn’t show up, then the next day they didn’t arrive on time for the agreed-upon appointment.
No idea why that is. But we’ve had that experience too.
So maybe you should ask for a small token after all.

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone.

Today I have another little something to show you.
I used leftover yarn from my crocheted bag to make a doily in the c2c technique. The color gradient looked like this in some places.
Of course, my beloved slides couldn’t be missing either. Here you go

Wow, Inge, you’ve got a great collection there. That bag made from measuring tape strips looks really original. I like it.
bergli, your little bag looks so cute. Judging by the way it looks, it could go well with a dirndl, too. Chic

Do my crocheted bags count too?
Otherwise, I’m currently using a blue leather crossbody bag (medium size).
For work, I have my big blue fabric backpack with lots of compartments (for a T-shirt, water bottle, reading glasses, a puzzle book for the train ride...)

At work, I use my crocheted bags (I switch them out often). I put my breakfast, water bottle, reading glasses, rubber gloves, and charging cable in them. I can also hang them on my trolley; the backpack stays in my locker.

For walks, I use either my two small leather backpacks or a crocheted shoulder bag.
For the evening, I have my little disco bag that I crocheted/designed myself, with a chain handle, matching my “little black dress.”

It’s all still pretty manageable. I think I have more crocheted bags than regular bags.

Saturday is almost over, so I’d like to wish you all a wonderful Sunday.

We—that is, my husband and I—are going to rest and relax. No packing boxes. Just taking it easy for a change.

We had fruit tart again. The rest will be served tomorrow for Sunday coffee.

I used up some leftover yarn from my crochet bag. Pictures are coming soon.

The other yarn is actually already packed, but since the box is sitting on top of it, I snagged a few more skeins. I just can’t do completely without crocheting a little here and there.

But next week, I’ll get back to packing.

Until then, take it easy and let those needles or hooks clatter away.

Warm regards

Mmm, it smells so good in here.

Monika, your rolls look absolutely delicious. I love poppy seeds and sesame seeds. Then enjoy them.

Petra, your sheep's cheese rolls look delicious too - they make you want to take a bite right away. I haven't tried them yet.

Yes, Gabi, everything is numbered and listed. We’ll need that list for customs anyway.

That’s true. I think the anticipation outweighs the packing.

Homesickness, looking forward to seeing my family, finally getting back home, being able to speak German again, visiting my friends, drinking cappuccino together, and talking about the good old days—oh, it’s going to be so nice.

Time is flying by pretty fast now. Before we know it, the day will be here.
Of course, I’ll keep you posted.

It’s just a shame that most of my yarn and craft supplies are already packed, and I only have scraps left for my projects. That just makes me look forward to later even more.

See you then

Thank you so much, Ina and Monika. The cake was delicious. The only thing missing was the whipped cream.
We’ll have the other half tomorrow.

Oh yes, plum cake—I love that too. Good luck with it.

Thanks, Josefa, and Ina—I wish the same for you both, and for all the other readers.

Unfortunately, I have to work this weekend. By the way, this is my last weekend on the job.
Then I’ll have to work eight more times. August 10 is my last day at the hotel. Finally.

After that, I can take my time packing, tidying up, and cleaning the apartment—my husband’s going to repaint it.

Ina, enjoy your weekend at your new favorite spot. I’d love to relax there right now, too.
Mmm, delicious braised cucumbers—I love those, too.
We’ll catch up on all that once we’re back in Germany. We’re already looking forward to it—if only we were there already.
But time is just flying by now—that’s how it’s supposed to be.

Warm regards

Have a nice afternoon, everyone

I baked again today too: a delicious apple cake with crumble topping, which we'll have with coffee shortly.

The boxes are slowly piling up.
They’re now lined up in rows of two. We still have a month to go

Have a wonderful afternoon, everyone.

I baked again today—apple cake with crumble topping.
We’ll be having it with coffee in a bit, and the sun is shining again today after yesterday’s downpour.

Hey Josefa,

I can only tell you what “RV” stands for. Zipper

My peace lily is blooming—it even has two flowers—and the patio outside is a sea of blossoms




Have a great week, everyone

Hello everyone,

You’ve all been busy again.
I can finally show you something again despite all the packing I’ve been doing.

My crochet bag is mostly finished—I just need to sew on the handles.

I learned a new crochet technique from a video: double-face crochet. It’s so much fun now that I’ve got the hang of it.

Of course, I used this technique right away to make the handles—they’re nice and thick and sturdy.

Here it is

Thanks, Josefa and Monika —I wish the same for you.

Monika , congratulations—29 years is quite a long time. We probably won’t live to see that. So have a nice time—maybe in the garden with coffee and cake, along with a glass of sparkling wine, and then, as evening falls, gaze at the starry sky and wait for a shooting star.

We’re going to empty out our bed boxes and break them down for the recycling center (here we call it a “gjenvinningsstasjon”), maybe pack up another 1 or 2 boxes, and then it’s time to relax.
Maybe I’ll bake another fruit tart and keep crocheting the handles for my bags.
I haven’t packed all the yarn yet *hihi*

To all of you who are stopping by here, have a wonderful weekend, too. It’s getting very warm here again.

Warm regards

Have a lovely rest of the evening, everyone,

thank you Josefa, apart from the stress of moving and all the paperwork, we’re doing fine so far.

Weather-wise, we don’t have any flooding here, but it’s changeable.

When I see the pictures online of the whole natural disaster, it really affects me that so many people have lost their belongings and are dependent on financial help, while others are looting shops.
One woman even had to spend days sleeping in the car with her 80-year-old neighbor because there was no emergency shelter available, but apparently they’ve now got a hotel room somewhere.

It’s really sad what’s going on in the world right now.

Ouch Marlene, I hope you get well soon, and that everything goes well if you need surgery.
That makes me a little nervous, since I also take the bus almost every day (currently rail replacement service).

Anyway, I hope you all still have a pleasant week

best regards

Fan to cool off

Paddleboat

It’s me again,

ruthk— your embroidery turned out absolutely amazing. Hats off to you, especially for your perseverance. It’s definitely something “personal,” which makes it all the more special and something to cherish.

Thanks to everyone who’s wishing us all the best for our new apartment. I’ll definitely post some pictures from my hometown.

Monika, we’re moving into an apartment building without a garden, but with a balcony. That was important to us. It’s on the 3rd floor, though. Never mind that for now.

The lowest floors are so in demand—there are more and more older people, after all. There wasn’t anything left there. A little exercise can’t hurt.
It’s not even a 5-minute walk to my parents’ place. We’re really looking forward to setting everything up—it’ll all smell so new—and we’ll be able to have breakfast on the balcony, drink coffee, or even have a barbecue in the evening (with an electric grill), along with a glass of sparkling wine, sitting together with my parents, or having the kids come visit us anytime. That’s our biggest wish—to experience all of that again. The neighborhood, speaking German again, and so on.

I’m sure I’ll find a job, too. They’re always looking for people in nursing, and everything’s close by—I could even ride my bike there or take the streetcar.

Not like here, where it takes 1 1/2 hours to get home, with rail replacement service, stress...etc.

I think it’s time for us to be more on the “sunny side” now *hihi*

Have a nice rest of the evening
—tomorrow it’s back to work.

Best regards

Good evening

I was just really in the mood to crochet after all that packing.

I discovered this cute little radish here on the blog page and crocheted one right away. It was finished in 2 days. I had such a huge amount of fun crocheting it.

And ta-da, here it is.

 

Deck chair

go to a jazz evening

lounging around

Good morning everyone,

you have all been so busy again. One handmade piece more beautiful than the next.
Sonja’s "Venice" placemat, Christina’s dino elephant potholders, Ines’s top—I absolutely love all of it.
Monika, it’s lovely that you were able to enjoy the time with your granddaughters and family.

I still have the joy of being with family ahead of me, and I’m already looking forward to it so much.

Unfortunately I can’t show you anything at the moment, as much as I’d love to crochet, but today we emptied my glass cabinet and packed everything into moving boxes. The apartment is slowly getting emptier, but there’s still too much here.
We still have some time.
Somehow I wasn’t feeling so well today, though; I’m constantly tired, and I felt so woozy. So I lay down in bed for a bit and was totally out, asleep. Now I’m okay again.
Maybe it’s the stress of the last few days, excitement and joy at the same time because of the move. A lot of emotions come together.
I have a total of 4 days off, which I really need, and we’ll get quite a bit done then. With breaks, of course.

Well, about the apartment—as things look right now, we might get our lease sent to us in the next few weeks. If the mail doesn’t take too long to get here. That means waiting a little longer, and then we can be happy. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Your crossed fingers helped, thank you so much.

I wish you all a lovely weekend

rain is forecast here, just right for clearing things out.

best wishes

Magazines to browse

Thanks, Josefa—same to you.

We’re still packing boxes here. This time it’s my glass cabinet’s turn. Hope we get a lot done, since we both have the weekend off.

That also means sleeping in and enjoying a leisurely, full breakfast with all the trimmings for a change. No stress—I get enough of that at work.

I now have a total of 4 days off, which I really needed after that stressful job. I “fought” for them, so to speak, and went on strike. I managed to get the time off. After all, I’m the oldest among our colleagues.

Have fun with your crafts, or whatever else you’re up to.

Warm regards from here

hello everyone,

I thought I’d pop in again too. I have the day off today, and I’m not doing anything for once. I’m still so exhausted from my weekend job at the hotel. Today I feel like I’ve been “run over.”
It feels good to take a look in here.

Oh Ina, your posts are always written so lovingly; they always read like a wonderful book. You can really lose yourself in them. Your feel-good oasis is a place where we’d all probably love to sit with you, chat, drink cappuccino, and watch the fish—that’s so calming.
Thank you so much for your feedback.
Depending on how I’m feeling and how much time I have, I’ll of course keep packing. Little by little the cupboards are getting emptier, and the boxes are multiplying.
Of course I’m already looking forward to my much-loved gingerbread and all the different kinds of chocolate, and... it will be my first birthday back in Germany after such a looooong time, together with my parents and children, no longer just the two of us.

ruthk, thank you. We really can use some luck right now, because the apartment search is turning out to be difficult after all. We’ve sent everything off, and now we have to wait and see what they decide. I feel really sorry for my dad because he has to handle all the appointments and viewings for us. Hopefully it won’t all have been for nothing.
It’s near my parents (Brandenburg/H.). I went to school there too.

Marion, I think your tapestry crochet pieces are so wonderful. Each one has something special about it. You chose lovely motifs.

I wish everyone else a pleasant rest of the week.
It’s cloudy here too, with a light drizzle now and then, but at least it’s not quite so warm today.

There’ll be coffee and cookies in a moment.

Best wishes

Two-piece

X number of times going into the water, swimming

Money

Shopping bag for shopping

Hello everyone,

First of all, thank you to Ines and Sandra.
We hope everything works out with the apartment. We’re optimistic.

In between, I naturally have to take a break too and crochet a few more rows of my piece. Maybe it’ll be another bag—folded over and sewn together at the sides. You could also use the pattern from the reverse side; it looks like little hearts there. We’ll see.
Here are my cherry earrings. A 5-minute project





Have a lovely afternoon, everyone.
We had fruit tart today—no, not strawberries.

Warm regards from here

ID documents

Just quickly leaving a warm greeting for everyone, and wishing you a lovely afternoon

Monika, wow, you’ve already finished the Paris set. I’d use it for a pillowcase, though. What are the approximate dimensions of the finished piece?
That’s so cute—a hedgehog visiting in person, and during the day, no less. I love little hedgehogs. So cute.
Your yarn looks absolutely enchanting. I really like those colors, too. We’re looking forward to seeing your loop scarf.

Ines, I believe you when you say you can’t stand the sight of yellow anymore. I could use a splash of color now and then, too.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to crochet lately. I’m busy packing boxes, sorting papers, and so on.

I made myself a pair of cherry earrings out of beads. The bead boxes aren’t packed yet. hihi

The weather here is mixed—we’ll have to wait and see if it rains. Right now, the sun is trying to break through.

Well, coffee’s coming up soon.

Warm regards from me

Vitamin drinks for refreshment

Wishing you all a lovely evening

Sonja , you’ve been really hard at work. Hats off to your perseverance. The result is stunning.
The second motif looks great, too. Of course—that’s Venice.
Where do you always find these amazing motifs? Will this be just as big as the Paris set?

You could even make a “travel blanket” out of the different motifs—just sew all the pieces together and you’ve got a blanket from all over the world.

Best regards

Beach towel

Thanks, that’s sweet of you, Christina.
That’s pretty much what we had in mind, too—staying nearby or with my parents for the time being. Somehow, things always work out.

“Schufa”—I have no idea what that means, but it’s that credit report for landlords to check whether you can pay your rent, whether you have any rent arrears, or if there’s a negative note about you on file.

They just don’t have Schufa here in Norway. Where are we supposed to get that from? They insist on their own forms, which you have to fill out. If they’re incomplete, it’s a rejection.

Best regards

It’s late,

but I wanted to say a big thank you for your support and encouraging words.
Ina always hits the nail on the head. It’s true

—we now have 2 1/2 months to pack all the boxes at our own pace. Anything we don’t need is already going into labeled boxes for customs.
We’ve already gotten a lot done today—four boxes of books and crocheted figures are stowed away, and my husband’s model train set, or rather his modules, are also well packed.
The move didn’t come as a surprise; the plans were already in place either way.
I did the math—this is actually my 10th move. You know what to expect. It can only get better.

We’ll be happy just to get any apartment at all. We can always move within Germany later, which will be easier.
The paperwork for the WBG has been filled out and emailed. Let’s hope for a positive response.

I still have a few days off, so I can keep packing.
When I take a break, of course, I’ll get my crochet supplies out. I’ll have to make time for that, too.

We’re already really looking forward to coming home. No more shoveling snow, more summer, going out for ice cream, eating strawberries and cherries—and above all, hugging my kids and my parents again…
and of course, as you’ve all advised me… ordering some wonderful yarn from Germany, and especially a custom yarn cake.

When I think that I only have two more months of work left, it’s such a liberating feeling. No more stress.
We’re listing our furniture here on Finn.no (a Norwegian classifieds site) to give away to anyone who can pick it up themselves—it saves us the trouble of taking it to the recycling center (gjenvinningstasjon).

Oh, but now I really have to head off to bed.

Good night—or good morning to you all. I’m sending you all a big, big hug :-)

Wow, ruthk, your crocheted bracelets with the beads look great.
I have plenty of beads myself, but I haven’t tried making something like that yet.

Now I’m curious. I like it.

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to check in again. I still read along here on the forum every now and then. I hardly have any time for crafts these days because of our upcoming move to Germany in September.

It’s official now. Everyone here is going crazy. So many factors have come together that told us, “Now’s the time.”
That means from now on: stress, packing boxes, sorting things out, organizing the move… Everyone knows what that means. All the furniture is staying here.

Finding an apartment is also proving complicated with their stupid Schufa credit report. It’s all true, but things work differently here in Norway. Here’s how it goes: the landlord calls the previous tenant or the workplace to check. If everything’s okay, the process moves forward. There’s no Schufa here like there is in Germany.

So without a Schufa report, no apartment, no job, and no registration possible. Our heads are all over the place.
I’ve already involved my parents, who are on site and have to attend the appointments for us. There’s no other way.
So by the end of September, it’s game over here, no matter what happens.

Keep your fingers crossed for us that everything works out.

Have a great weekend, everyone

Warm regards from me

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to chime in briefly again.

Ina, wow, I’m truly at a loss for words. You’ve created a real paradise there. Looking at the pictures, you immediately feel at home—cozy and welcoming. All that work was worth it.
Ines, thank you so much for the pictures of the bride and groom. They’re a very lovely couple, and I especially like the dress—sunny weather, ordered especially for the two of them.
I really like your pot holders, too. I love roses. As Ina already mentioned, the diagonal lattice pattern really adds that special something. I’ll definitely try to recreate it someday.
Monika, the picture of you wearing your poncho in the garden looks great. You can see everything better up close.

Ina has described everything so wonderfully—I’d just be repeating myself now.
So, big kudos to everyone .

Weather-wise, it’s gotten a bit more summery here too—rain, clouds, the whole works. I could do without the 36 degrees, though. It’s a pleasant 20 degrees here. Unfortunately, it’s still very chilly in the morning, around 12 degrees. Never mind.
I have today and the weekend off. It’s time to relax. I really need it, too. Work is pretty exhausting, and I’m always rushing. At some point, you just run out of steam.

So, have a nice, relaxing weekend, everyone. Cherry season hasn’t started here yet, but… strawberries will be here soon—the season has begun. I’m already looking forward to that.

Warm regards from Norway

Here in Norway, it’s not quite as hot as it is in Germany. Maybe 20 degrees—which is already warm for us, but pleasant.

I’ll be working this weekend.

Wishing you all a peaceful, shady weekend anyway.