Latest Forum Posts by: Bastelfan

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.

Yes, I’m doing well too, thanks for asking, Josefa. My husband and I had the weekend off; the weather was very autumnal—rainy and windy. It was perfect weather for us both to do some crafts.
I kept crocheting a doll and working on little projects, while my husband tinkered with his model ship.
All in all, it was relaxing, just as Ina mentioned.

@Ina, do you have a fireplace too? We do, but we’ve never used it yet. Who knows? It gets cold here faster than you’d think.

Wishing everyone a pleasant week

Best regards, Andrea

Thanks, ruthk. That’s right—you’re absolutely correct. :-)
The next doll is almost finished.

Wow, I almost don’t dare mention that I have 455 patterns on my wishlist. It includes everything that caught my eye right away, including some free ones. Mostly crochet figures and dolls, but also jackets and shawls.

I’ve already crocheted some of them, but I’d need a second life to make them all :-)
There are also some really cute patterns in there—you just have to have them.

Those are some impressive pictures. I also enjoy looking at photos from other regions.

I could really go for that treat with whipped cream right now.
The heather bloom looks great.

Definitely, Ina. Thanks. Hope you have a great weekend. I have to work.
I just had two days off.

I’m glad you like the pictures. I enjoy sharing my impressions and letting you in on the experience.
Now we’re back to our daily routine. But we’re always looking forward to the next vacation, which will come eventually.

We’ve been back from vacation for a while now. It was really beautiful in Eidfjord. There’s the famous Sjøfossen (waterfall), which is absolutely massive. It has a viewing platform—everything’s been completely renovated.

Here are a few impressive photos from there. Even the “AIDA” stopped there.




Even crocheted trees and figures
We walked across this new Hardanger Bridge (1,380 m long). It’s definitely worth seeing, with its own pedestrian tunnel

My order has finally arrived. I ordered the set of four. I unpacked it with great excitement—everything was there—but... these diamonds are so tiny, and those numbers on the design. I’ll probably have to use a magnifying glass. Oh well.
We’ll see when I find the time for this. I’ll keep you posted on the final result.
Until then, please be patient. Love, Andrea

My order has arrived, I’ve tried it out, and… my conclusion is: I still have room for improvement.
It works, but it looks too loose—like nothing at all.

Here’s my first attempt

I used to have a scissors sharpener in the family. I used to have all my knives and scissors sharpened by him. My ex-father-in-law—unfortunately, he passed away two years ago.
Right now, all my scissors are still very sharp. Good question—where do you go for that? I haven’t found anything like that here in Norway yet.

I tried that out right away. You never stop learning. Thanks for the info.

Congratulations and all the best to you, lots of luck. I hope you have a lovely time today with your guests

Gratulerer med Dagen - Happy Birthday

Best wishes
Andrea

First of all, thanks for the information.
Like giselinde, I don’t plan on making money from this either. Most of the time, I give the items away because it brings me joy to make others happy.
As I said, you can also just ask to be reimbursed for the cost of materials.
I’ve also had someone give me the materials/yarn, and I crocheted the project they wanted from it—that’s allowed, right?

I’m not the type to try to profit from this anyway. It should all just be for the fun of it, and I’m happy to pay for well-thought-out patterns and hold them in high regard.

I just read this too and followed it with interest.
I’ve already bought quite a few patterns here and crocheted them myself. I often show pictures of my finished projects to my coworkers. They’re always amazed at how cute they look and would like me to crochet one or two of these little dolls for them.

If I were to sell these dolls to a coworker—which would be a private transaction for me—would that be okay, or could it even be a criminal offense?

Well, I’ve tried quite a few things in my crafting life.

There was this “artichoke” technique (folding ribbons and pinning them onto Styrofoam balls), and I’ve also worked with Keramofix—pouring the casting compound into molds, letting it dry, and then painting it. I still have a few of those figures lying around somewhere. We even made picture frames out of it. The plastic molds are still around.
Window-Color pictures for the window panes.
Back then, there was this Suralin (a modeling clay that hardens in the oven)—we used it to make rose pendants or towel hooks.
My Fimo is still there too, still in its original packaging, and all the molds are there, but I haven’t found the time yet. I tried out this shrink plastic—it’s really great.
Paint-by-numbers with oil paint.

For now, yarn remains my favorite. Back in the day, we used to make these little yarn dolls, or we’d weave coasters on wooden frames using nails.
As a kid, I had a wooden loom and a leather braiding kit (it came with pieces of faux leather—with round holes—so you could thread everything together with leather cords to make pencil holders or something like that; I don’t remember exactly what it was called).

There are just soooooo many possibilities. Paper and cardstock for greeting cards, which I’d then embroider with bead motifs, or that thread technique—I’ve done it all. I’ve also done paper pricking and embellished cards with die-cut motifs. I still have the machine and all the materials for it; I could pick it up again anytime.

Cotton ball of yarn
Crochet hook
Tunisian crochet hook
Circular knitting needles
Row counter
Stitch marker
Notepad
Tatting shuttle
Scissors
Patterns from CP!
Cable needle
Sewing needle
Stuffing 
Safety eyes for crocheted figures
Tape measure
Camera 
A T-shirt in a matching color for the yarn, so I can take my new shawl out right away 
Pins
Large safety pins for putting knitted pieces on hold
Loom Like  
Highlighters for marking the pattern
Pencil
Notebook for writing down the individual steps 
Smartphone, if there is no camera available 
Eraser 
Doll hair
Project bag to pack everything into
The CraSy Trio 
Finger protection or band-aids: I almost always manage to make my finger bleed from too much crocheting 
a second ball of the yarn in a different color
Set of double-pointed needles - sometimes you need short knitting needles
Knitting dolly
Stitch stoppers 
Pincushion
Wooden stick as a stuffing aid
Needle gauge template 
other colors of the yarn
Lint roller to prepare the piece for photographing 
Reading glasses (very important)
Magnetic box for the pins
Thick darning needle with a large eye for weaving in ends
Small flat-nose pliers to pull the darning needle through the crocheted animal if there’s no other way
Doll or teddy bear for trying things on (model)
Toothpick as a stuffing aid for very small parts and possibly also 
to stretch a stitch from the previous round that has become too tight a little, so that 
inserting the hook becomes possible.
Merino wool 
Embroidery thread (for embroidering the eyes if no safety eyes are available) for crocheted animals
List with addresses of local yarn shops :-D 
Tablet or phone so I don’t have to print out the patterns.
Buttons
Felt scraps for eyes or other embellishments  
A second bag, because I can’t fit all the many things into one ;-)
An empty bag for all the purchases
Definitely a credit card to pay for the yarn I buy
a sharpener for the pencil

We’re on vacation right now. View from the cabin


Cute

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