Latest Forum Posts by: Bastelfan

I’d also like to send you my warmest birthday wishes. Best of luck, and I hope you had a wonderful day in the sunshine with coffee and cake.

Warm regards
Andrea

Hey Josefa,

we already have vacation plans, but we still have to wait for our second vaccine dose to see if we’ll be allowed to travel.
In any case, we’re heading to Germany, back home. To see our family and kids and give them a big hug. We love the Baltic Sea. I hope it works out in September. I’m already looking forward to it.

Heartfelt birthday wishes, lots of luck, good health, and sunshine.
Enjoy your day

Warm regards

Wow, Ina. Thanks for the info, the yarn cake already looks absolutely fantastic. I’ve made a note of it in case I ever order from there while in Germany.
Thank you so much for your feedback.

Here’s my window wind chime. I made it today, and it sparkled beautifully in the sun.


Have a nice evening

For some reason, I had trouble with the internet this morning. So here are the pictures now, as promised. Yes, I have another little project to show you. I still don’t have a back for my cushion cover—I didn’t have enough yarn. So I made a little doily out of it, inspired by the pattern of Ina’s temperature blanket.



I’m trying out this baby blanket pattern from here. I started it yesterday.

The current vaccination situation is definitely the number one topic.
We keep asking ourselves: How long do I have to wait? When will it finally be my turn to get vaccinated? Will we be allowed to travel afterward or not? Will we be able to hug our families again after almost two years?
But there’s a small ray of hope—we’ve finally gotten our first vaccination appointment for June 10, 2021.
I hope we’ll be allowed to travel after the second shot. That’s my biggest wish.

Best regards, Andrea

A late-night greeting from me as well—
my evening reading is all set again.

Ina, that’s right—during the day, everyone’s outside enjoying the great weather. It’s been warm here too; except for yesterday when it rained a bit, then the sun came out again.
It doesn’t really get dark here right now—I always love that. You could sit outside for hours, and… there aren’t any mosquitoes here that bite.
Ina, you’ve captured some wonderful photos for us. Your beautifully colorful tablecloth really catches everyone’s eye. I love the colors. Do you remember what kind of yarn cake that was? Your favorite spot together on the new patio by the pond has become an idyllic oasis of calm—that’s what I’d call it. When the frogs croak and the little fish frolic, it’s so soothing. I can even feel it all the way out here in Norway.
All that’s really missing now is a garden housewarming party with all of us *hihi*
Your beaded wind chime sparkles so beautifully in the sunlight. I had a similar idea the other day, too, since I still have tons of beads left. I’ll hang that in the window. Then, of course, I’ll post a photo.

Sonja, thank you for your kind words. I’ve also had some pain in my right leg these past few days, and a sore throat (a lump in my throat, had trouble swallowing), but now I’m feeling a bit better thanks to chamomile tea.
Your knitted washcloths look so great again. Knitted items always look fancier than crocheted ones.
I believe you when you say you need a little break from your big project and have to crochet something small in between. I always feel that way, too.

Monika, your pair of little girls looks absolutely adorable. You’ve practically got a doll kindergarten there, and you can take care of them all. I’m just picturing a group photo of all your little dolls—how different in size they all are—with Monika right in the middle.

You’ve probably already noticed that I’m in a slightly better mood, and the urge to crochet has grabbed me again today. I’ll post a picture later (I’ll do that from my iPad, not my PC).

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I still have the day off, and on Thursday I’ll get my first shot—finally. Let’s see how I feel afterward.

Well then, have a peaceful evening—we’ll catch up again soon, see you soon

Andrea

That’s so sweet of you, Ina. Feel free to stop by.
You’ve made me smile again.

Hi there, dear all,

I have the day off today, so I can finally pop in here again too.
After the first exhausting days at work, I’ve earned it. I’m still having a hard time with the change, but it’s stressful anyway, even though the hotel isn’t full.
Now all my limbs are aching again. Since yesterday, my right leg when I squat down. We’re not getting any younger.

Weather-wise, it’s been summery and warm here these past few days, so we sat outside on the patio a lot; the PC had to rest for once, and after work I’m so wiped out that nothing more gets done.

Cloudy again today. Time to tidy up, and my muffins are in the oven right now; we’ll have them with coffee.

You’ve all been so busy again. I’m lagging behind a bit with my crafts. But hopefully that will settle down soon.

Ines, your cakes look so professional and so delicious. Your guests surely enjoyed them very much. Yummy strawberry cake—I could eat that right now too.
Unfortunately, the strawberry harvest hasn’t started here yet, and I don’t buy the others because they don’t taste like the Norwegian ones fresh from the field.
Monika, you’ve already made great progress on your cardigan. I’m already looking forward to admiring you in your finished cardigan. Your orange tones are some of my favorites too.
Your swings for the foster babies already look very cozy. Great idea that you’re taking part in that.
Your pair of siblings just looks so sweet, and you’re crocheting/knitting for them so lovingly.
Sandra, it’s nice that you read along here now and then. I hope you’re recovering well during your rehab stay. In the past I always wanted to do a mother-child rehab stay too (because of my divorce), but it never worked out. That makes me all the happier for you. They say that Baltic Sea air is especially healthy. Which area are you in, actually?
You brought your crafts with you too, so you won’t get bored. Enjoy the time. I also really like your tapestry crochet piece with that lovely lettering.

So that’s it from me for now. Muffins are done. Time to put my feet up a bit—see you soon

best wishes
Andrea

Wow, Petra, that sign looks really nice. Is it made of metal, and did you use a permanent marker?

Hello, my dears,

Over the past few days we’ve spent a lot of time outside and on the terrace—you have to make the most of this wonderful weather. We also took the opportunity to do a bit of “spring cleaning” in the cupboards and file folders. It felt really liberating.

Now I’m finally getting around to checking in here again. A whole lot has been happening here again.
I hope you all had a lovely holiday. I first had to check the calendar. No holiday here.

Ines, your cakes look good enough to eat. Delicious. I could start nibbling right away. I’m sure you’ll be working your baking fairy magic again for your husband’s 60th birthday.
Monika, thanks for the info from Tommi. I’m excited to see his new outfits.
Marion, your little bag looks fantastic. What an interesting pattern is that?

I’m going back to work on the weekend, so I probably won’t get much crafting done. But the yarn isn’t going anywhere.

Best wishes

Hello dear Petra,

I’m sending you lots of warm birthday wishes from way up north.
The weather is perfect for an outdoor garden birthday party with all your friends and family, as long as that’s allowed.
Spend this day in good company, let yourself be pampered, and have a wonderful day.

Warm regards
Andrea

Have a lovely Sunday evening,

I’m only just getting around to checking back in here. I was pretty exhausted after my first two days back at work after such a long time. Of course, it was wonderful to see some colleagues again and chat with each other. That felt really good.

@: to everyone
you’ve all finished such wonderful things again. The crocheted cake looks beautiful, and it was finished so quickly. The couple will definitely be happy about it.
The gorgeous crocheted decorative hearts are a very pretty eye-catcher in the window.
Ines’s crocheted flower decoration really makes an impression. From a distance it looks “real.” Great. And... you don’t have to water it.

Now to Monika. Then let me congratulate you very warmly on the new addition. Your Tommy really looks like a real baby. Next to Sternchen, he is already quite a respectable size—you wouldn’t think so. Of course, he looks even cuter in your pretty crocheted baby clothes. Clothes do make the man. The two make a sweet little pair of siblings. That was a good choice. What can your Tommy do?
How many “children” do you have in total now? Why don’t you take a group photo, sorted by size *hehe*, it’s sure to look funny.
Monika, your cardigan already looks great. I really like those warm orange tones too. I’m already excited to see a photo when you wear it for the first time.

So, dear all, have a calm end to the evening. I’m starting to feel ready for bed.

see you
Andrea

Hi Michaela,

best wishes on your birthday—all the best to you! Stay healthy, and continued success with your shop.
Let your family really spoil you today in their circle.

Warm regards
Andrea

Thank you, Josefa—I wish the same for you and everyone else here.

The weather is finally showing its sunny, warm side.
We’ve cleaned the patio furniture and set it out, so today we’ll sit out on the patio for the first time and just enjoy the sunshine, drink coffee, and eat ice cream.
Maybe do a little crafting, too.

Tomorrow I get to go back to work for the first time in a long while. That’s good news, isn’t it?

Best regards

Good evening to you all

—it’s late in the evening now, and the sun is peeking out again. It’s supposed to get a bit warmer here this weekend. Let’s see if we can sit outside. That would be so nice.

Yay, there’s plenty to read here again.
Congratulations on the new addition “in real life” and to the “doll mom.” That’s sure to bring joy back into the house.
Monika , I’m curious to see when you’ll introduce your little doll to us. That’ll mean lots of crocheting again.
Ina, we’ve already had a chance to admire your concrete cake. To be honest, I couldn’t bring myself to smash this masterpiece either. It’s just too much of a shame—not to mention all the work that went into it. You’ve really got a knack for this.
You’re already making great progress on your patio—it looks fantastic. It’s going to be such a cozy spot.
Ines, now we can see the design much better. A very nice idea.
Marion , I really like your colorful dishcloths from Ines, too—especially because of the great pattern. I always enjoy trying out new crochet patterns. It’s already made its way onto my wish list, which just keeps getting longer.

I don’t have anything to show you today. I’m still figuring out how to do the back of the pastel C2C pillowcase. None of the yarn I have in my stash seems to be quite right.
My owl UFO is still waiting, too.
I’m taking a break from my swatch. The pattern is quite a workout for the hands (front post double crochet and back post double crochet). It’s going to be a little bag. Maybe I’ll use it to hold my onions.
I have tons of ideas, but the time to actually make them—well, you know.

So let’s get those hooks clacking! Have a lovely evening—

greetings from the far north!

My heartfelt congratulations on the new addition to your family. That’s such wonderful news. I hope you enjoy many wonderful moments together with your grandchild.
I’m so envious of all of you.

Warm regards

Wow, Petra, that’s quite a snapshot. Great shot with the sun.

It’s not getting any warmer here in Norway either.

Hey Inge,
I’d also like to congratulate you on your 31st wedding anniversary.

It’s crazy—my husband and I are celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary today, too.

Well then, have a nice, relaxing evening.

Have a lovely evening, everyone!

I just discovered this. Thank you so much, Marlies.
I love crossword puzzles

Hi everyone,

That’s such a great idea. Inge, the cover with the rose motif would be right up my alley.

Petra, I think your knitted version is really pretty, too. Is it worked in knit and purl stitches in a rib pattern? I’m sort of getting back into knitting. I’ve done more crocheting.

Have a great day!

Best, Andrea

Good morning,
I hope you had a nice Pentecost holiday.
The weather isn’t exactly great, but I’ve been crocheting a few little things again.

A swatch (alternating vRstb and hRst in a grid pattern)

A mouse crocheted from Irina’s pattern, and

nautical coasters. Inspired by and crocheted from an idea by stjerne61

@Everyone: I wish you all a wonderful Pentecost weekend as well. Make the best of it, even if the weather looks like it’s going to be rainy again.
The main thing is to have plenty of yarn, a hot cappuccino or tea, and then head over to the couch.

Best regards

Good evening at this late hour

it’s really hard to keep up, but your posts read like an exciting book, pictures included. Simply wonderful. My evening reading.

Wow, Ina, you’ve already made a big chunk of progress on your pool terrace. It already looks super. The grouting, and then cleaning up afterward, will be another huge job, but later you’ll be able to relax completely and watch the little fish swim.
The pink felties turned out beautifully :-)
Your pastel-colored blanket looks so pretty. Since I’m also crocheting with pastel shades right now, I immediately used your pattern inspiration for the back of my cushion cover. But I don’t know if my yarn will be enough for that—probably not. Never mind. It’ll become a small blanket with fringe, and then I’ll crochet with a different solid-colored yarn.

Stupsy, Sunny, Waldemar, turned out totally adorable. The way all three of them are relaxing there and spreading good cheer. Lovely.
I was already wondering why you were all crocheting so many bees, until I heard on the radio today about “Bee Day.” The things that exist! True, we need the little bees for many delicious things (honey, fruit...).

Anja, get well soon. How are your UFOs coming along?
My owl UFO is still waiting to be finished too. We’ll see whether I manage that this weekend. If you can do it, then I can get mine finished too.

I’ve taken a crochet break for now. You shouldn’t overdo it, after all.

so all of you get some rest, tomorrow it continues. I’m curious to see what’s next.

best wishes

I baked rolls again today. I used Marion’s pretzel recipe.
And the whole apartment smells wonderful.



Have a wonderful afternoon, everyone!

Cookies

It’s another wonderful day for a walk. I had to take advantage of it right away, after yesterday’s hailstorm.
Less than 5 minutes from home, there’s a path that goes uphill—I walked along it to the top and back down to the street. At a normal walking pace, it took a good hour.
Here are a few snapshots. Even the white lilac is in bloom. The photos are in the order I walked.
Have a great midweek day, everyone.
     
   

Champagne

Wow, Monika, you must have been so happy.
I like the turquoise. I’m sure you’ll work some magic with it.
Have fun with your new yarn.

Have a nice evening

Here’s my almost-finished bag

Warm regards to everyone here,

It’s hard to keep up with everything when you haven’t been here for a few days.
As always, there’s plenty to marvel at and read.

Ines , you have such a beautiful pool. Now all you need is for the weather to cooperate, and then you can finally use your pool.
Your Waldemar and Sunny—they look so adorable. Those two are totally cute.
Sonja , it’s great that the Paris set is now available as a crocheted version too. I used to knit motifs myself, but these days I don’t really dare to try it—crocheting has definitely taken over.
That “Hand-on-the-Heart Blanket”—that’s quite a mammoth project. But it already looks very promising. Hats off to your perseverance.
Sandra , that little crocheted coin purse turned out really well, and it looks so cute. Anton will surely be happy when he can use it to pay for Mom’s ice cream.
Anja, thanks for the tip about crocheting bag handles using the entrelac stitch. It works great and is sturdy. I gave it a try.
Monika , that’s great that you can crochet Kobel again for these little ones. It really makes you happy when you know who you’re making it for and where it’s going. It’s such a lovely idea to then get a photo of your creation with its resident :-)

My bag is pretty much finished. It’s still going to get a zipper, and I still need to sew on the handles. Thanks to Anja’s tip, I crocheted the handles using the Entrelac/Tunisian crochet method and the edge in a mosaic pattern. It’s sturdy, too.

Thanks again to everyone for your suggestions on the handles.

Have a wonderful afternoon, everyone!

Chrysanthemums (flowers)

You’re all so kind to me. We’ll make the best of it. Thank you

Thank you, Josefa

I wish you all, despite the gloomy weather. It’s raining here, too—overcast and hazy.

Here in Norway, today is Nasjonaldag, the National Day.
On this day, Norwegians commemorate the signing of the 1814 Constitution. That was the day the new constitution was adopted. Full independence followed in 1905, along with domestic political freedoms.

But since C... everything has been more distant.

Best wishes from here
Andrea

Cream cake

Clementines

Christian, my son

Clown

That’s great, Ina. I wouldn’t have been able to resist these three beauties either. You just have to love them.
I’m already curious to see what kind of crocheted or knitted outfits your cuties will be wearing.

Warm regards, Andrea

Hi Josefa,
thanks—I wish the same for you and everyone else here on the forum.

I’ll probably keep crocheting with my new yarn and practice hula hooping. I bought it today

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wow, you’ve all been so busy again. It’s great that your motifs can now also be crocheted using tapestry crochet—thank you!

I’ve already started using my new yarn for crochet. It’s going great. It’s less suitable for knitting for me.

I also tried mosaic crochet in the round, following a pattern that I’m currently stuck on.





Best regards, Andrea

Many, many thanks for your feedback.

I’ve already tried out/crocheted with the pastel yarn. It’s 100% acrylic, after all. The colors glow beautifully.
It’s going to be another Tunisian/entrelac crocheted piece with this long hook.

Knitting with this acrylic yarn isn’t really my thing after all; you do have to be careful because the strand splits quickly, and it feels so “fuzzy.”

So I’d rather use this colorful 51% acrylic / 49% cotton; it feels smoother. It has 250 m per 100 g yardage. But I haven’t tried it yet.

Monika, what yardage/weight did you use for your doll clothes? At some point my Krümel will need new knitted clothes too, but I don’t dare tackle that yet.

After such a long time, I really wanted to own some new knitting needles, and in red too. I was still missing the long 120 mm circular knitting needle, because I need it if I ever want to crochet Ina’s cardigan.
 I still had these old gray and metal circular knitting needles from my mom. It was time for some new ones. These needles are a bit flexible at the tips, so not so hard, which was a pleasant surprise. They knit beautifully.
At last I can use my needle gauge to find out what needle sizes I have there.

So I gave myself a little bit of joy; I needed that when you can’t go anywhere anyway.

Then I hope you all have a lovely weekend
with your craft supplies and so on.

Today there was wonderful sunshine, but it was windy, and toward evening there were heavy thunderstorms and rain,
so there’s no sitting outside. So we’ll make the best of it.

Stay healthy, and best wishes from here

Thank you so much—I wish the same for everyone here: have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones, as much as possible.

Best wishes, Andrea

Hi everyone,
I did it. You all got me so excited that I ordered yarn and other things again too. 
My little package arrived today, yay. There it was, that long-awaited feeling of joy.

It was only a trial purchase for now because I don’t know this yarn yet, so that’s why it’s such a small amount. Let’s see what I make with it. 
I now have this long crochet hook and new acrylic knitting needles. Already tried them out—they work great. A few joint discs for my amigurumi.

It definitely makes me want more yarn.



Best regards

That’s so sweet of you, Ina and Monika. I’d love to teleport over to you, to lovely, warm Germany. No more having to wear a thick jacket. Going for a swim, eating ice cream...

Unfortunately, when summer finally arrives, it’s quite short-lived. We savor every ray of sunshine, but until then, we’ll have to be patient.
That’s why I’m always even more delighted by your wonderful photos. Thank you.

Start the new week full of energy

Warm regards

You’ve got such a beautiful feel-good oasis there, Ina. It’s a great place to be, and even more so with the summery temperatures you’re having right now.
You even have a greenhouse—and such a big one at that. You can really go to town with seedlings, herbs, and so on. Wonderful. Thanks for letting us be a part of it.
It really lifts my spirits to see everything blooming like that.

Here, on the other hand, it was gloomy and foggy, with rain and temperatures no higher than 7 degrees. It just won’t get warm. I really envy you all.
I hope you made the most of the great weather, or maybe even had a barbecue in the garden. That must be wonderful—we’re really missing that right now.

So I wish you all a great start to the new week tomorrow. Stay healthy

Warm regards

It smells so good in here again.

Monika, mmm, those strawberries look delicious. I could take a bite right now. Awesome. I’m already looking forward to the cake crust recipe.

Inge, your sponge cake looks absolutely delicious too—so tall. It reminds me a bit of those Baumkuchen.

We had fruit tart crust again.

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!

It really makes you shudder reading your stories — I’m truly at a loss for words — and yet you’ve all come through it as strong women.

As my grandma always used to say: “There’s a lid for every pot.”

For me, this saying rang true: “Love is blind; once you get married, you can suddenly see again.”
Over the course of my marriage, I got to know a different side of my ex-husband. Not as extreme as what you went through, but he caused me “emotional damage,” so to speak.
He was a miser times ten, wanted to take my children away from me, or rather he wanted sole custody, influenced the children when they visited him every two weeks, and never stuck to agreements..... I had nightmares at night.... To my ex, I was “a nobody.”
He once said to me, “We need machines here, not spare parts.”
My self-esteem was at rock bottom.
My divorce was no walk in the park.

But my dear ex-sister-in-law stood by me and went with me to the youth welfare office. I was emotionally at the end of my tether, had lost quite a few kilos... and I wasn’t heavy to begin with.
Without help, I wouldn’t have gotten out of it.

Today I’m glad that I have such a treasure — or rather, a Pisces.
Now we’ve already been together for 10 years, and married for 2 of them. On 25 May we’ll celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary.

One last saying to finish with: “Falling down is no art, but getting back up is”, even if it’s with someone else’s help. Doesn’t matter.

And I’m off to bed now, but I’m still so worked up by your story. It really gets to you.
Stay healthy, everyone, and ... together we’re strong

Hi Petra,
I’d also like to wish you a very happy birthday and good health. Keep up the great work with your shop. I hope you had a wonderful day anyway.

Warm regards
Andrea