Latest Forum Posts by: Bastelfan

Yes, that's true Monika, a little glimpse into your Advent rooms. Such gorgeous Advent wreaths. Thank you for showing them. There's something for everyone.

Ina, I think your Advent arrangement with those green-and-white candles is really wonderful. It doesn't always have to be red. It really has something special.

Even simple and understated Advent arrangements. Sometimes less is more. When you have pets at home, you do have to keep a few things in mind, I understand.

Then I wish you all a lovely 2nd Advent in advance.

Here’s my honey cake recipe (freshly baked yesterday).

Ingredients : 250 g flour
1/2 packet baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger you can also use
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon these ingredients in a jar as a baking mix
               1/2 tsp ground cloves to give as a gift
 1/2 tsp baking cocoa
100 g brown sugar

You’ll also need : 100 g softened butter
150 g liquid honey
2 eggs
                                       100 ml cold milk
200 g powdered sugar
2–3 tbsp lemon juice

Cream together the butter, sugar, honey, and eggs until smooth, then alternately stir in the flour mixture and the cold milk.
Pour the batter into 2 small loaf pans or 1 large loaf pan.
Bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees until done, about 50 minutes.
Finally, pour the glaze (lemon juice and powdered sugar) over the top. Add sprinkles if desired.
Enjoy!

Hi there, everyone!
I also have my handwritten recipe book with stains. I’d like to join in too. Here’s the little gem—and the recipe.

I'd love to see how you've decorated your Advent wreaths.
Here's mine

Dear ruthk, on your birthday today
we wish you all the very best.
Put a bottle in the fridge now,
because your guests will be here soon.

Happy birthday and best wishes from me too.

Dear Akela, I hope you’re feeling better soon. Fresh air is always good for that.
I also wish everyone else a wonderful First Sunday of Advent.

I finally started decorating today—I hadn’t had time yet. At least I put the string of lights in the window and set up a few figurines with color-changing lights. I still have to bake some cookies, too.
Everything’s a bit late this time.

Well, then, make yourselves comfortable, everyone. We’re not going out tomorrow—brrrr, it’s -5 degrees here and freezing cold.

Best regards
Andrea

I use these colorful crochet hooks with the soft grip—they’re great and feel comfortable in my hand (at least for me right now). The hook itself is nice and round and smooth, so there are no sharp edges where the yarn always gets caught. These ones are fantastic.
I have trouble using those thin aluminum hooks because of my osteoarthritis.

Yeah, I’ve had the idea of using a shelf like that as a dollhouse, too—but I just don’t have the space for it yet. We’ll see.
Ruthk, seeing your living spaces as a whole is really impressive.
It makes you want to dive right into that play world. Wonderful.
I think you’re never too old for dollhouses.
For guys, it’s just model trains.

First of all, thank you so much for liking my snowman.
I only looked away for a moment, and already you’ve created some more beautiful pieces.
The Kasperle puppets turned out really well. The little crocheted hearts look so pretty—a great idea for thank-you notes.
That St. Nicholas boot already looks interesting just from its shape; the recipient is sure to be delighted with it.
As we get older, it’s the little things in life that bring joy to the heart.

Hey Ruthk, that looks so cozy, and what a pretty dollhouse. I really like that style of furniture, too. The Christmas wreath and everything else—it’s all decorated with such love. Beautiful.

I only have one recipe for sweet muffins on hand right now. It’s quick and easy (I got the recipe from the nursing home where we used to bake for the residents to go with their coffee).
You can enjoy muffins during the Christmas season—or really, any time.

Ingredients for 12–15 muffins (depending on the size of your muffin tin)

150 g softened butter
150 g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 egg
250 g plain yogurt or similar
220 g flour
2 heaping tsp baking powder

For the filling: Fruit of your choice, small apple pieces, or raisins (as desired, or omit the fruit)

Instructions : Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla sugar, and egg together with a mixer; then stir in the plain yogurt; finally, fold in the flour and baking powder.

Divide the batter among muffin cups (I use these silicone cups—you can fit them all on a standard baking sheet, and it’s enough for 15 muffins).
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius on the convection setting for about 20 minutes until golden brown (or adjust based on how dark or light you prefer them).
They always turn out perfectly. Enjoy them—you can top them with powdered sugar or a glaze, or sprinkle with streusel.

These are wonderful recipes.
Thanks, Ina—I’ll have to try those quark rolls.
Until now, I’d only known about these quark pretzels (my aunt always used to bake them and take them along as travel snacks).
I’ll see what other recipes I can find.

Don’t worry, I haven’t put up any decorations yet either. But I’m in the process of crocheting some decorations.
Here’s a start. A snowman based on a pattern I found online.





One with glasses and one without. All that’s missing are the arms and legs.

Thank you so much, Ina and ruthk. That really motivates me. I want to finish this project soon so I can enjoy it—and so can you, of course.

Best regards, Andrea

Here are the individual pieces for the dollhouse again, so you can get an overview.







And this is what it’s supposed to look like

Hi, everyone. Here, as promised, is a picture of my oven and stove.


I didn’t have any matching silver foil for the sink, so I used this hologram adhesive foil instead—no big deal.


I’ve also placed a casserole dish on top—it stays in place because the pot is made of heavy material (I found it by chance in the store and bought it), and it’s the right size, too.

Yes, Monika, you can also use little tin cans for that. A little “pocket-sized dollhouse to go,” so to speak. I’ve already seen that online. A little crocheted doll you can dress and undress, complete with bedding (pillow and blanket) for on the go.
Or repurpose those little children’s suitcases into a living room or something similar—there are so many possibilities.

My oven and sink are ready for the dollhouse—I’ll post a photo soon.

I’m totally thrilled with this homemade dollhouse. All the little details—it even has a little rope ladder. Kudos.
I used to have some of those little dolls, too—no idea where they went.
So, the dollhouse craze never really went away.
It’s so nice when you’re not alone in your hobby.

Wishing everyone here a wonderful weekend

I’d also like to extend my best birthday wishes. Wishing you good luck, good health, and continued success with your shop. Three cheers!

ruthk: Those dolls are actually quite big. I wouldn’t have thought that. No, they’re too big for my furniture. But thanks for the info.
You could also crochet covers for your dolls using thin crochet thread. I’m just picturing it right now.

I really like this shawl, too. It’s knitted, right? And with that crocheted edge—perfect. Those are my colors, too.

Oh yes, that’s a good idea. I’d like to try sticking to this yarn diet this time, too. I can’t promise anything, but if doing it for 3 months or 6 months is also possible, I should be able to manage that.
By my standards, I also have so much yarn that needs to be “used up.” I’m not the only one here, and with your support, I’m sure I’ll be able to do it.

I’m in.

Wishing everyone here who’s sick a speedy recovery

Over here, the weather’s miserable—sleet and 2–4 degrees Celsius, all slushy and gross.
Just right for crafts, if I have tomorrow off.
I’m not feeling any Christmas stress yet; it’s all still far, far away.

Monika, I agree with you. I’d want to play with it right away, too. It does look a lot like my other dollhouse furniture. Except yours are handmade, and even have real hinges—if I’m not mistaken. It looks so cozy.
Ruth, what kind of dolls are those, and what size are they?

We could start a discussion thread here for dollhouse lovers :-)

Hey Monika,
I asked my husband for this for my birthday. I’m making this all by myself, just for me. I’m not giving it away.
I used to have a little dollhouse, too (my dad built it himself). Unfortunately, it somehow went missing—no idea how. And now I’m making that dream come true again.
Let’s be honest—there’s always a part of us that wants to be a “kid.” It’s lovely, isn’t it?

Thank you for your feedback.
Some of the furniture is made of very light wood. The square tabletop measures 4.5 x 2.5 cm, and the round one has a diameter of 3.5 cm. I’m not sure about the scale—it’s all in Japanese—but there’s a good illustrated explanation included.
Some of the furniture is also made of paper, so you just cut it out and glue it together (cut-out sheets are included). It’s just that kind of fiddly little project—perfect for relaxing after work or on the weekend.
The side panels are all made of sturdy wood.
I’ll keep you posted.

Best regards,
Andrea

I’ve already started putting together some dollhouse furniture—here’s a little sneak peek. It’s so tiny and cute at the same time.
For decoration, I’ve moved my little beaded dolls in for now.
To keep the whole thing from gathering dust, I’ve placed it in an acrylic box with a lid until I continue with the rest.

Hey Ina, this color gradient is truly a dream. It reminds me of those wonderfully colorful fall trees that I love. I’d love to have a scarf like that, too.
What kind of yarn is that? But I’m sure I won’t be able to find it here.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Yes, I bought exactly 4 balls of crochet yarn today. I actually still have plenty of yarn in stock, but I needed those for my amigurumi and ladybugs.
Otherwise, I’ll be fine with what I have through the winter months.

I’ve just read through and followed this thread for the first time. You’ve all made such great things and been so creative.
I would never have thought of crocheting around a string of lights. It looks really pretty.
Now that it’s this dark time of year, I’m all for any and every colorful source of light.
I always have my blue string of lights on in the evenings. Unfortunately, I don’t have a colorful one—just on the Christmas tree—but there’s still time for that. Somehow, lights like that create a cozy atmosphere when it’s cold and dark outside. Add a hot drink of your choice, some crafting time, and you’ll feel great in no time.
I’ll see what I can finish to show you all.
Have fun here, everyone!

Well, I’ve always loved going to Carnival, even as a kid in kindergarten (my mom always sewed me great costumes herself). In school (back then it was called the “Lumpenball”). We’d just throw on some old clothes—a nightgown or a pair of pants with a jagged hem we’d cut ourselves, or an old nightcap… it was fun.

I also enjoyed doing that with my kids—dressing them up and always coming up with something creative (I didn’t sew costumes—I can’t do that—but I’d jazz up regular clothes for carnival with sequins or something similar, or make them look like girls with braided wigs, hats, and clip-on earrings).

Later on, I’d always go to the carnival dance with my husband at the time, his brothers, and their wives—all of us together. It was always a lot of fun.
Not anymore, though—there’s too much hustle and bustle for us these days, and things seem quiet here.

I wish you all a pleasant week too, despite the bad weather. You’re still doing pretty well there.
Here in Norway, winter arrived 3 days ago. Today I shoveled snow for the first time. Actually, the snow was long overdue, although it could have waited a bit longer. Oh well.
The next few days are supposed to bring yucky sleet weather, and then the whole thing might freeze over too. We’ll see.
That makes crafting just the right thing to do, along with a nice cappuccino—perfect.

In sunshine, which is missing at the moment, it looks so wonderful in winter.

@:Arni, wishing you a speedy recovery

Warmest birthday wishes from me too

from one birthday girl to another. So we share the same birthday? Great :-)

Thank you all so much for thinking of me.
We’ll celebrate a little tomorrow, since I was still at work today.
I’ve unwrapped the gifts. Yippee

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Hey Nina, I just read this. So I’d also like to wish you a belated happy birthday, lots of luck, and above all good health—that’s important, because without it, nothing works.
Keep up the great work with your shop. Yes, the budgies are so cute. I hope you had a wonderful day, and that you still have many, many great ideas waiting inside you that we can then bring to life through crocheting.

Have a lovely Sunday

Warm regards, Andrea :-)

It’s hard to say exactly. Since I crochet a lot, I’m naturally familiar with crochet charts. Of course, you need to know which symbol represents which stitch.
I like working from crochet charts and find it easier than reading through all the text; the text can be confusing because it’s not very clear.

For example, DROPS patterns use completely different symbols, which sometimes causes me problems, so I rewrite them using the symbols I’m familiar with—that works better for me.

With knitting patterns, I’d have to get back into the swing of things—there’s a symbol for each specific stitch there, too. If you don’t use it often, you have to keep looking it up until it “clicks,” and you have to know how to knit each individual stitch.

I mostly use this 100% polyester craft stuffing from GLOREX. I stocked up on it in Germany. I’m very happy with it—there are different types out there too (clumpy or that silky, slippery kind—neither of which works well for my projects)

I haven’t worked with pellets yet, but I did use these decorative pellets once in my moose edge sitter. Placed between the craft stuffing—more toward the inside—it worked great. You can’t feel it from the outside.

Thanks, Ina and Claudia, for your tip. That’s a great idea.

Does this sound familiar? You’ve finished crocheting your bag, but you still need handles.
I make three strands using the knitting mill, then braid them into a plait. Now my question is, how do I attach these handles to the bag without them coming undone in the end? If you know what I mean. Does anyone have a trick? Thanks in advance.

Hey Sofi, you really don’t need to apologize. Health is everyone’s greatest asset—without it, nothing works.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a speedy recovery. Of course, in a situation like this, the kids are there for their parents. I’d do the same.
So all the best to you all.

Thank you so much.
Sunrises can be beautiful, too. I like both. We usually only see sunsets from our terrace, but last night there was an incredible display of colors in the sky.

Thank you, and you too.

Yes, the sky was glowing such a beautiful reddish-orange today. I just had to capture it in a photo. Unfortunately, you can never quite capture it through the lens the way it looks in real life.

Well, I don’t really get into Halloween either.
I do crochet pumpkins or little Halloween dolls as small decorations, but that’s about it.
Here, too, kids in costumes roam the streets and ring doorbells everywhere. Of course, we buy a little candy for the kids when they come by. Last year, nobody came, so we got to eat it all ourselves.
You don’t have to “go along with” everything, after all.

Thanks, and have a great weekend, everyone. The weather’s supposed to be nice and sunny—typical fall weather—so we’ll see. I’ll definitely be crocheting, or maybe going on a bike ride to the Drammenfjord if it’s not too cold.
It was only 8 degrees this morning.

Doesn't that look gorgeous?

Hey schnurrliburrli, you have a PM

Best regards, Andrea

I feel exactly the same way, Ina. I’m still putting Christmas way, way off in the distance. The “dark” season is long enough as it is, so I’m still enjoying the wonderful sunshine while it lasts—as long as it shows its face, since the weather is constantly changing. We’re not getting temperatures higher than 15–17 degrees. It might start snowing soon, but not yet—so autumnal crochet motifs and dolls are what’s in demand right now.

Yeah, that cake really looks delicious. It’s practically begging to be snacked on.
@mowie19 Can you still pick raspberries? The season’s long over here. I like those too.

I wish everyone here a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Unfortunately, I have to work again, but I had yesterday off.

Crocheting, though, is always an option. Yesterday I even dug out my beads again and made a little beaded figure and a pair of earrings.

Best regards, Andrea

Hey Svenja, this is the first time I’ve heard about this Wooltasia app today. I googled it and checked it out on YouTube. I need something like that, too. It’s great.
Please share your experiences with us. Thanks so much in advance. You’ve really piqued our curiosity now.

I don’t have a yarn ball holder either. It can be annoying sometimes when the balls roll around on the table, fall on the floor, or get caught somewhere.
I’ve also thought about getting myself such a useful thing. We’ll see.
Most of the time I crochet with small balls, and these Bobbels stay put if you crochet from the inside; it’s just the rest where you have to watch that nothing gets tangled.

Maybe my husband can make one for me. There are still some wood scraps around. We’ll see.