Latest Forum Posts by: Bastelfan

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

Here you go, Veronika.
I really hope it finally gets a little warmer here, too. We’ll see.

Donauwelle (cake)

Thanks, Monika, but it’s still pretty chilly. Definitely jacket weather.

Oh Ina, such wonderful and thoughtful gifts you received. Just looking at them makes me happy right along with you. You’re beaming from ear to ear.
Experiencing your special day together with family and grandchildren is surely the greatest joy alongside the gifts.
Looking at it all, you somehow feel as if you had been there—so warm, so fun, even rosé sparkling wine, mm, delicious.

I think those cards made with that paper quilling technique are so great; I know them too, but I’ve never tried making them myself. It was too fiddly even for me.
Of course you treasure such gems.

We’re so glad you had such a wonderful day, and thank you so much for the wonderful impressions in pictures.

Warm regards from me

You guys are so funny—I love that.
I’m giving you all a big virtual hug.😍😍😍

Thank you all for your help. I’ve already found what I was looking for. Exactly, a peace lily.
I even found it in my houseplant folder from A to Z.

Now nothing can go wrong. Thank you, thank you, thank you

Best regards
happy Andrea

My plant is blooming for the second time now. I got it as a cutting from a coworker.

Does anyone happen to know what this plant is called?
I found it listed as “spathiphyllum,” but a calla lily looks different, right? I’m not sure.

I’d really appreciate your help. It’s also about watering and care. I really like this houseplant.
But it is a bit delicate—every time I accidentally brush against a leaf, it turns yellow. I handle it very carefully, but it’s still blooming. Yay!

Best regards
Andrea

I also agree with Sonja that you are sharing this personal experience with us. Thank you.
Honestly, I had tears in my eyes while reading your story.

I’m always quick to tears anyway, and now in this difficult time even more so, because I miss my family and that personal closeness so much. Terrible homesickness for home.

One saying from my great-grandma also comes to mind  "Long thread, lazy girl".

There are actually hundreds of sayings and prophecies that have helped you here or there in life.
"Don’t put anything on the back burner" ,  "never put off until tomorrow what you can do today".

Supposedly, if it rains into the veil at the wedding, there will be tears in the marriage.
That was really true for me; it rained on my wedding day.
Or if 2 couples get married in the same year, then one marriage will go wrong.
My ex-sister-in-law and I got married in the same year, and now we are both divorced once—crazy how some things come true.

Yes Ina, you’ve started a really wonderful thread; so many lovely sayings from memory are coming back to light.

wishing everyone a lovely afternoon
we’ll be having cappuccino and muffins here later.

 


Hi everyone,
I finally got around to uploading my photos from my walk last Friday.
Since we don’t have a garden, I captured some spring scenes for you along the way.

  








    

Wow, Christina, looks like we were writing at the same time.

No, the mosaic technique isn’t tapestry. You don’t carry a thread. Each round is crocheted separately in a single color. There’s always a color change at the end of each round.
You basically crochet all the stitches into the back loop. The pattern is created by the double crochets worked deeper into the front loops of the previous row.

You keep finding such great patterns like this.

good evening again at this late hour,

wow, it’s exciting here again, with such wonderful crochet and knitting projects again.
And thank you to everyone if you like my things.

Sonja, mosaic technique isn’t hard. It consists only of double crochets, single crochets, and back-loop and front-loop stitches.
Sometimes I have patterns, and sometimes I crochet a lot from pictures, since I already know the technique. I really only need a photo for inspiration, and then I’m off.
Take a look in Google search for mosaic crochet or in the Et...y shop; you can find great patterns for inspiration there, or on You...e.
The pattern is created only by the double crochets worked into lower rows. I can’t knit DF, though, even if I’m tempted to try it sometime. I only have 2 hands too, but so many ideas. My yarn will still last, although I’d also love to order some.

Marion, has also ordered yarn, oh how lovely, and such great colors. I’m always happy along with you all. Someday my yarn diet will be over too, but right now I’m keeping things low-key. We’re really excited to see what comes from it.

Monika, Your swatches for the dress look so wonderful. I’m excited to see how it looks finished. With gradient yarn, such a big mix of patterns doesn’t really come into its own, that’s true. Maybe more in the “middle section” or at the edge—I can imagine that looking great. You’ll do fine.
It’s sweet of you to think I could manage an “author position.” But I live abroad, so there are all kinds of things I’d have to pay attention to, and implementing it with all the regulations would be difficult. Everything is already complicated here as it is, and the way they work here (at a snail’s pace), they all have soooo much time. I’d rather stay a buyer. You all benefit from that too :-)

I’ve also knitted a few rows on my knitted triangular shawl in between.
When I take a little break, I surf the internet, and when I discover something interesting there, of course I try it out—like the large mosaic granny. It was just a test for now. I don’t know yet what I’ll make from it.
I still have the other granny squares that I want to sew/crochet together into a blanket. A few are still missing, and I’m not really making progress on that either. Maybe I’ve simply started and tried out too many things. But that’s exactly what it’s all about: doing varied crafts.
In between, I get one of my urges and clear out my overfilled drawers, sort patterns... every day I tackle one craft box and declutter it.
If we ever go back to Germany or move, I won’t have to take so much with me; it gets disposed of right away, which is easier here without prior registration or anything. You pack your car full and drive to the recycling center. There are just a few little guys there who make sure you’re sorting correctly.

So, that’s it from me; I’m slowly getting sleepy. Sleep well. See you tomorrow, full of energy and yarn.

best wishes

Best wishes on your birthday

Best regards
Andrea

Hi,
I can’t help with the calculations right now, but I think with thinner yarn and a smaller crochet hook, the yarn might be enough.
If it’s a small amigurumi, definitely. I crochet a lot with 50g/125m yarn—you can even make a small doll with it. Without clothes.

Good luck!

Dear Ina,

my warmest congratulations on your special day today. Take a break from the “construction zone” today and let yourself be pampered—enjoy your day with your family and grandchildren over coffee and cake. Stay healthy, and continued success with your wonderful shop.

Warmest regards from me
Andrea

I always feel really bad about your little fruit trees.
But here in northern Norway, we’re used to these long, cold months. It’s really starting to get on my nerves. It just won’t get warm.

You can see it even better here. I crocheted two more rounds.

And my Oreo cookie as a coaster. I thought that was funny

Hi everyone,

The written and detailed part will come later.
I just wanted to show you my sample piece in the mosaic technique. The small purple granny is basically the center section of the large green-and-purple granny. I only had one photo. It was more about the border.
I'm very happy with the result. Finished crocheting it yesterday

Well, I crochet a lot of amigurumi. Mostly little dolls, too.
For dolls, I embroider the noses using the same color as the face—just a few small cross-stitches repeated a few times. I don’t like noses that are too bulky—just a subtle hint of one.
Sometimes I’ve also had a pattern where the nose was practically crocheted right in (multiple stitches into one, then decrease again)—that way, the nose practically puffs out on its own.

For animals and teddy bears, there are those ready-made black triangular noses. For teddy bears, you can also embroider these Y-shaped noses with a mouth. So, the Y; below the Y, a half-arc = mouth; embroider the upper part of the Y completely.
For larger figures, just crochet small bumps and sew them on.

For blush, I use an old lipstick. Put a little on your finger and rub it lightly onto the amigurumi’s cheeks. Done.

That’s how I do it. Have fun!

Dear Pinky, I’d also like to offer my sincere condolences.
We’re all sending you a big hug from afar.

Best wishes, Andrea

You have such cute little residents there, and so close by. Wonderful.
We sometimes get a few little birds, a cat, and even a squirrel and some magpies. But before I can take a picture, they’re already gone. Unfortunately

A wonderful good morning!

There’s plenty to read and marvel at again. Lovely reading here in the forum.

Ina, you’ve got quite the mammoth project there. I can practically picture it already—with fish and plants, and you relaxing on a lounge chair under a little umbrella, doing your handwork. 
Marion, those pot holders look so beautiful with Ines’s pattern. Until now, I’d only known this technique without a pattern. Amazing effect.
Christina, your cloverleaf pot holders look great. DF really is something special.

I have a little something to show you, too. I didn’t feel like crocheting anything big with that thick yarn anymore, so it became a small bag.  And a coaster, one size smaller, using a 2.5 mm needle.

Here you can see the front and back.




Warm regards

I wish you all a lovely evening.
Hope you had a great May 1st. Where are your “waving elements” and the “May carnation”?
Just kidding.
You’ve made me smile again. Just had to think of all the sheep running around in the meadow.
Thank you, thank you for your encouragement. But let’s skip the yarn package—it’s sweet of you, but the customs fees aren’t exactly cheap. Anticipation is the greatest joy, after all.

Every day I delight in your beautiful creations.
Ines’s bee is super cute—she looks so relaxed.
The car for Anton turned out great—it’s sure to make a child’s eyes light up again.

I have to crochet little things like this every now and then, like the coasters here on the forum, otherwise it gets boring.
Today I was too lazy to crochet, so I just sewed something together.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thank you so much, Marion—it sounds delicious, and I can get the ingredients here, too.

Anja, “here” is way up north—Norway—where everything is more expensive anyway.

Have a lovely afternoon,

Anja and Marion, your knitted pieces already look very promising. I’m already curious to see how they’ll look when finished. I really like delicate patterns like these, but I don’t knit them that often myself.
Ines, your little bee already looks really cute, and so big. Great.
You got some new yarn, too. I couldn’t get enough of looking at your yarn delivery. Such gorgeous colors—those would be right up my alley, too. I’m actually a little envious of you all. Which brand is it from, and what kind of yarn do you use for knitting with fine yarn?

I’m always having to look for alternatives here; I still have some yarn in stock, so I’ll make do with that for now.
A larger yarn order wouldn’t fit into my budget right now anyway, because I don’t know how long this short-time work situation will last, or if they’ll have to close the hotel. So I don’t dare order anything right now.

But I’m happy for you all.

Warm regards from here

Hi Tina,
Belated birthday wishes from me too—and all the best! That’s such a great gift. You’ll surely be surprising us with wonderful things soon.
Stay healthy, and good luck with your new Brother.

Warm regards 

Mmm, it smells so good in here again.
Marion, your cake looks delicious—and so beautifully light in color. I’d love to try baking it myself. Will you share your secret recipe with us? Please, please 😊😉

Oh Monika, your garden is so beautifully colorful. It really makes you feel at home.
Thank you so much for sharing.
This is what it looks like here—and it’s still too cold for this time of year



But at least things are blooming indoors

Exactly, Petra—“ich stehe auf dem Standpunkt” was that little “1” with the dot underneath it, right?

Welcome to the club, Anja,

That’s amazing. I can still read quite a bit on your note. Everyone writes differently, after all.

In the 1st line, the last word says Goten
5th line says Otto
13th line says Bein

I learned dictation shorthand. There was also speech shorthand.
Here are my treasures still. Oh, and the writing in the notebook is my first name twice

Hello everyone,

That sounds really great for you all. Of course that makes you happy when you can go somewhere again, like to the zoo, for example, or like Monika, into the garden.
The weather here isn’t exactly inviting. Gray, cloudy, nothing green here, but... the shops are open again here in the small shopping center. I don’t know what it’s like in Oslo.

Today is a lazy day for me. Spring fatigue, slight stomach problems, but after chamomile tea and rusks I felt better again. My eye is okay again, too. However, I have to take another break from crocheting today; the thick yarn was probably too strenuous after all. Better to use thinner yarn. So I can’t show anything at the moment. But soon.

It’s nice to hear what interesting professions you all trained for. Maybe there’ll be a “careers thread” sometime.
When writing long texts like this, the secretary in me comes out too. The letters just flow from my fingers without looking. What is learned is learned, and shorthand was part of that too; I can still do it.

Have a lovely sunny afternoon, everyone.

Warm regards from the gray north

Wow,
this is just like a novel. Every chapter is interesting to read, and there are great pictures of your work.
In addition to my large coaster, I’ve also crocheted a small one.

I had this thick yarn left over from a commissioned project—it’s not really my style—so I’m trying to work with it using the Entrelac technique, with a size 5 needle. It’s hard to crochet with—it’s cotton.

What I wanted to ask you is: aren’t Entrelac and Tunisian crochet the same thing, technically speaking? Why are they called different things, or am I way off base?


 I crocheted this slipper from the blog’s pattern collection—it goes really fast.


Have a great day, everyone. I’ll check back later.
Bye!