October Projects: Fun with Handicrafts + Nice Chats

Here is the October awards ceremony
Final Sprint and Awards Ceremony // October 2019 Edition (No Advertising)

And there you’ll find the November projects from the Crazypatterns handicrafts group
November Projects: Fun in the Crazypatterns Handicrafts Group (No Advertising)

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Dear users, dear authors,
so here is the new thread for the October projects.

UFO week as always in the last week of October.
Awards ceremony then at the beginning of November.

More information to follow.

I’m happy to be back and looking forward to everything we’ll be sharing here together.

Best regards, Monika

I’m joining in again, too. For October, I have a few projects that need to be finished. For Anton’s Advent calendar, 6 elves still need faces and the elf house still needs a roof. 

The door wreath still needs to be put together. 

And a teddy bear still needs a leg and also has to be sewn together.

I’m looking forward to seeing your projects
 

Of course I’m in :)
I’ve started the crochet bag for my coworker (or rather, her pregnant daughter).
It’s not an easy task. It should be made from leftover cotton yarn in as pastel shades as possible, and WITHOUT any pink. The bag should be rectangular and big enough to hold baby supplies. I had to buy new colors because my leftover stash only includes brown and olive, as well as pink and bright colors.
A little duck should be on the bag if possible, because the baby looked like a little duck on the ultrasound—I hope it doesn’t stay that way, otherwise that would be a medical miracle ;)
I’ve already started three times and still don’t know if I’m on the right track. This is probably going to take a month…
If, against all odds, I finish sooner, I’d like to knit some socks for my mother-in-law. Maybe I’ll knit the socks on vacation, too—that way I won’t have to lug all the colors for the bag around with me.

I’m participating, too.
In addition to my knitted hat, I’ve come up with a lace-cable pattern.

I’m already excited to see what the pattern will look like in person.
Right now, there’s only a knitting chart for it.

Well, this is going to be an exciting month. You all have a lot planned—and so do I, by the way.
Mel, your bag is sure to look great, knowing you. Those are some real challenges. Just from the colors, I can already picture it looking very pretty. And I’m sure you’ll do a great job with the little duck, too. I’m sure you’ll show it to us when it’s finished.

I knitted a sock for the baby today, and I’ll start on the second one tonight. Then I’ll add some mittens—all made from the leftover yarn from the leggings. It’s sure to be a cute set.

After that, I want to knit a jacket for the baby that should fit for a little longer. I’ve already got the yarn ready. It’ll be yellow with brown accents.

I hope you all have fun with your needlework!

I'm joining in again too.
Today I tried out a new hat; it's almost finished.

You already have some great ideas again. I'm already looking forward to the pictures and am very excited.

I’m happy to be back, too. Today I unraveled 23 rounds of my shopping bag because it was getting too big… Now it’s already grown a few rounds again. Besides that, I’m knitting socks for my oldest grandson, and in between, I’m always working on little things for decorating or giving as gifts. And then there are so many ideas just waiting to be brought to life! 

Hey there...

My sweetheart ordered a sewing machine as a surprise—and I wasn’t quite sure if he actually wanted to try his hand at sewing... I don’t think he was entirely sure either. Now he’s been looking at the machine for a few days, flipping through the manual every now and then, and then he actually sat down to try it out… on an old shopping bag whose seams are slowly coming apart. So, very much in the spirit of environmental protection.
His comment: “It’s not pretty, but we can still use it this way.”
I thought that was totally cute… By the way, I haven’t made anything with it myself yet.

Instead, I’ve started decorating for Halloween. I’ve already accumulated quite a few decorations… I especially like Gernot and his buddy right now; they’re dangling from my crate shelf.

Oh Claudia, how cute is that!! Your bats are absolutely adorable. Did you design them? Really cool!

I finished the little socks for Juna today. At her mom’s request, I knitted them with a little ribbon to tie them on. Juna always kicks all her socks off really quickly. Such great ideas always come up, and I’m really grateful for them.

Those bats are really incredibly cute.
We don’t have any Halloween decorations at all. I’m already working on the Christmas decorations :-)))

Monika, the little socks are totally cute, too. The little ribbons are really practical.

My teddy bear is finally finished, too.
  Anton is starting daycare on November 1... the group is called the “Wuselbären,” so he’ll get a Wuselbär. 

So, now the next UFO has landed. The last 6 gnomes are finished.




Now only the one for the 24th is missing. The house. When I have filled them on 11/30, you'll get another complete photo.

OMG—that’s sooo cute! So many things to fall in love with. You’ve been super busy. Your bear, Sandra, is mega cute! I just love cuddly bears so much. :)

And those little gnomes—absolutely adorable! They somehow remind me of the Seven Dwarfs... They look really cheeky. I’m sure they’ll have numbers added to them too.

I’m thrilled to see what you’ve all made again!

Claudia, the bat looks great.
Monika, the little socks for your Juna are so practical, and I really like them too.
Sandra, your gnomes turned out beautifully as well. The teddy bear for Anton is especially cute. Does he have a little bag slung over his shoulder for daycare?

I’ve also finished a little teddy bear. My little Mäx got to serve as the model. It’s actually meant for bigger heads, though.

Monika: Yes, numbers will be added to it. But I’m still missing that brilliant idea.

Marion: Your little bear hat is also adorable.
The teddy bear is, of course, wearing a daycare bag. :-) The heart is a button, and you can also take it off. That was an idea from the pattern.

Oh Marion, your little Mäxchen looks so cute in that hat. And I’m sure the baby who gets it will look cute too.

Sandra, you can also embroider the numbers on it… I’m sure it’ll look great.

I’m currently working on gloves for Juna—that’ll make it a complete winter set. Since I still have some sock yarn left over from the leggings, I think I’ll knit a scarf to go with it, too. I already have an idea for that...

Progress update on my hat, which I’m knitting with size 2.5 needles.
Luckily, it’s a pattern I can work on while watching TV. 

Marlene, your hat looks really interesting from above. I like the color combination. You’ve been quite productive these past few weeks.

Thanks, Moni :)

I’m really on a roll right now.
Things are moving along quickly.

I think everyone here is pretty hardworking and produces great stuff.

I think the little elves are sooo great, and the teddy bear... and the teddy bear hat—it looks really nice and cozy.

Monika, I also think the tie-on socks are super practical. It reminded me of a trip to the zoo with my sister and her granddaughter—the little one just wanted to be carried the whole time, and I had to pick up her socks every few steps… great idea.
And yes, the bats are mine; I bring them out every year and hang them up somewhere.

We really took advantage of the holiday today to just lounge around; we just played around a bit with the new sewing machine—it can even sew a dog-stitch. We’ll see when we finally get the hang of it. Since we don’t have a project in mind yet and we don’t have any fabric on hand, we practiced on paper for now, and ended up making a few little gift bags out of old book pages... 

I’ll soon be able to retake photos of a few things.
My mannequin should arrive today.

Marlene, you chose a beautiful color for your hat.
Claudia, your latest work with the sewing machine is, once again, original. It seems you’re really enjoying your new machine.

Now I can finally show you pictures of the test knit. It was for the color challenge, which is why it had to stay secret until today.

What exactly is a “dog seam,” Claudia?

Claudia, that’s a brilliant idea with the gift bags made from old book pages. You really have to come up with that first. Cool!

Yes, Marion worked very hard on the test knitting, and I think her result—in green—is really great. You’ve already seen my color project, but here it is again—this time together with the leggings. Sternchen is wearing it in one photo, Lena in another. :)

The color challenge presented me with a bit of a challenge—different material than usual.
After frogging it several times, this is what came out:

My second hat is finished.

Marion, that hat is absolutely adorable—I like it even better than the last one. Your little Max looks good enough to eat in it. Who’s getting it?

Yes, Monika, I like it better too.

I don’t know yet who’ll get it. I just liked it, so I had to give it a try.😉😉😉

Ruth, I took a photo of it...



Pretty much in the middle is the dog stitch... by the way, it can do a few other animals too. I honestly have to say, it’s a bit intimidating...

For the last few days I took a break from crocheting; I felt like playing with colors again. This mobile was made from sawed wooden leaves and my old watercolors. Now the autumn leaves are blowing in the wind here.

Claudia, your husband really bought you a great machine. It can do so much—I’m really curious to see what else you’ll show us in the future.

Wow, your mobile is also really beautiful—another great idea from you. 

Claudia, you make beautiful, creative things—kudos!

Yes, Claudia, I’m really impressed by your creative projects with those beautiful fall colors. I hadn’t heard of the “dog stitch” before either… interesting.

I wish you all a wonderful Sunday! The sun is shining here.

The hat is finished.
Now I can tackle my knitting chart.

Marlene, your hat turned out lovely.

I’ve now finished the baby set using the leftover yarn from the leggings. The only thing missing is a ribbon for the mittens so they don’t get lost.

Here’s what it looks like now:



And then today I finished knitting the first sock for my girlfriend.

Monika, your granddaughters are sure to love this pretty set.

Yes, Marion, this set is just for the baby for now.
I’m thinking of knitting a shawl collar for Linja too, using the leftover yarn from the leggings.

My son had an idea yesterday—yet again.

Linja sleeps in a thick sleeping bag. However, her arms get cold at night. He’s now asked me to knit her some sleeves—long arm warmers—to keep her arms warm. He thinks a jacket would be too thick to wear with the sleeping bag.

As you can see, I’m always getting new things to do. This is a great way for me to use up my leftover yarn.

Monika, a sleeve scarf would definitely come in handy so the arm warmers don’t slip down while you sleep.

Ruth, that’s an interesting idea. I’ll have to think about what something like that might look like. I’ve never heard of that before...

Monika, years ago I knitted a sleeve scarf for my grandchildren. I found one more.

This is what it looks like.

That looks great, Marion. I’ve found something similar myself in the meantime. The things you find out there… ;-)

Do you happen to have a closer photo showing how the transitions at the sleeves are worked?
I have the measurements now and can get started.

Have you checked out the patterns for sleeve scarves here?
Helpster.de also has a very simple (free) pattern. You just knit a rectangle and sew it together at the sleeves.
You can always Google it.

Thank you, Moni :)

What I like about your children’s clothing is that it doesn’t look so typical.

Sleeve scarf, I can also imagine it being practical for bigger kids.

Monika, I’ve sent you a message.

Best regards, Marion

Marion, thank you—that really helps me a lot. I think I’ve figured out now how easy it is. But I’ll probably knit the sleeves in the round and then leave an opening for the scarf. That way, there won’t be any seams to dig in, since Linja wants to sleep in it. I’m already excited to see how it turns out.

Ruth, your tip is also very helpful, because I didn’t even know about that site yet. There are so many tips there on all kinds of questions. Awesome!

Marlene, thanks for the kind words! :)
I always get good ideas from my grandchildren’s mother every now and then. Just like this time. They sometimes present me with a challenge, but that’s okay.

I’ll definitely show you the result here. I’ve learned something new again.

After a bit of tinkering and unraveling several times, I finally managed to finish the first pattern repeat:

It looks great, Marlene.

I’ve now picked out the yarn for my granddaughter’s sleeve scarf. It’s a very soft, cozy—and not too thick—baby merino yarn from Drops. I’ll be knitting it using a combination of orange and purple.

And since I realized last night that I could really use something like this myself, I’m going to knit a second one for myself afterward—this time using sock yarn with cashmere. I’m already looking forward to it.

We’ve been sewing—well… actually, my sweetheart did; I just drew the “paper model” for the sewing pattern… and since I’m a bit of a hoarder, I still had an old sofa pillow and a scrap of fabric (dark brown…) from a curtain lying around here, which I used to make this needle roll.
OK, not the prettiest material… but it was just lying around.

I got the basic idea from a free sewing tutorial here, by JoSa-Su-Design, which I then adapted to my own preferences in terms of measurements.

It’s really nice to try something new together with my husband, and I’ll always cherish his first creation. It’s definitely practical.

Wow, Claudia, you guys are really hard at work. That looks great, and it’s useful, too.
It seems your husband brought home just the right thing to make you both happy and creative together. I think that’s really great.

Hello Claudia, the bag looks really great. 

Marion, the sleeve scarf looks very good.

Marlene, I'm curious to see what your pattern looks like when there's more of it. I always have such a hard time picturing knitted things.

My husband was on a business trip from Tuesday until today, and I sewed a car rug.



It has been approved ;-)

That rug looks great, Sandra. I remember that my son used to have a rug like that with roads on it, too. He loved it. It was almost his favorite toy.

I’m going to head out to my neighbor’s patio now. She’s already waiting with her knitting supplies.

I had to unravel the sleeve scarf I’d started for Linja because it was too tight. Now the pattern is actually looking even nicer. Let’s see how far I can get by tonight.

Once that’s finished, I can finally send off the winter package.

This is what my scarf with sleeves looks like now—one sleeve is finished.

Monika, your sleeve scarf is already looking great.

First of all, thank you for the kind words; I’ll gladly pass them on.

The play rug is bringing back memories... my nephew always used to take the bathroom rug from my parents’ place into the living room, because it had lines on it that he could use as roads. Back then, he could only dream of a rug like that.

The sleeve shawl is a great idea too. A grandma who does crafts is really pretty practical.

I’ve been too lazy for crafting these past few days... my blanket has grown by a few rows, but that’s about it.

On Thursday we went to a concert again...
New Model Army—admittedly quite a bit older now (just like us...) but still in good shape. Up front, the crowd was really into it, pogo dancing like in the old days... though I didn’t really want to find out whether there were older people mixed in there too. 

By the way, here’s an excerpt from the rules of conduct for punk concerts:
Pogo is not an ego event, but a group experience!Bumping into others is okay; deliberately knocking others over, kicking, or hitting them is not! If someone does end up on the floor, you help them back up!

You dance in front of the stage, not at the back of the crowd; that’s where the retirees and other wimps (e.g., us...) hang out.

In any case, it was really fun again (at the back!!!)!

Claudia, those are some funny rules at the concerts. ;-)
Yes, my son and his girlfriend also think it’s totally awesome that they have a grandma who knits and can even make their wishes come true. They’re always coming up with great ideas.

Thanks, Marion! The sleeve scarf has grown again today, and I’ve already started on the second sleeve.

The first photo is from this afternoon; the second was taken just before I started the second sleeve.





Tomorrow I want to finish knitting the sleeve in the garden. Let’s see if that works out.

I now have the final version of my pattern—inspired by the “Japanese knitting style.”

Marlene, your pattern looks interesting. :) I also like to test out patterns until I’m happy with them.

Today I spent the whole afternoon coming up with new designs and calculating the measurements. That often takes me longer than the actual knitting.

My husband is getting a nice, thick cardigan—it’ll be knitted with raglan sleeves starting from the top and will have a collar.

And then I’m in the process of designing a sweater for Linja and a similar one for Juna. For those, I’m using the great new green cotton I just received. And Juna is also getting a thick cardigan in yellow. So I’ll probably have three projects on my needles at the same time. It definitely won’t be boring.

Yes, I’m the Shopping Queen in October, too! :) I got really lucky again on my swap site—twice, in fact. Check it out—this is the yarn I got. First, the green one, and then some really thick yarn in gray and white. I just had to snap it up.

Oh, and I also have two finished projects to show you.

The socks for my friend are done. And so is the scarf with sleeves. Now I can finally finish the package and send it off.

Monika, you’ve really stocked up again. But the yarn is beautiful. I know that cotton yarn; I’ve used it for tops quite a few times.

Things are going especially well for you right now. All your finished pieces look great. I’m curious to see how the sleeve scarf is received.

You certainly won’t be bored these days—you’ve got quite a few projects on your plate. 

Monika, you’ve been very productive again! You’ve made some beautiful things. I really like the sleeved scarf—it’s definitely practical.

Right now, I’m mainly working on embroidering my picture. At the end of the month, I’ll show you how far I’ve gotten with it. On the side (mostly in the evenings, when it’s too dark to embroider), I’m tinkering with a few Christmas decorations.

I’m also curious, Marion, to see if the sleeve scarf fits well. I did have the exact measurements, but it’s still a risk when you don’t have the child there to try it on.

Thanks, Ruth! :) I used to do a lot of embroidery, too. But I wouldn’t have the patience for that right now. I’m totally into knitting right now.

Last night I started the thick wool jacket for my husband. It’s really tiring to knit with such a thick needle. I’d much rather stick with thinner yarn. But I’ll stick with it. He really wants this jacket, and the yarn (dark red) has been sitting in my stash for quite a while.

For that reason alone, I need to knit something small and thin on the side. And the new green yarn is just perfect for the little sweaters. As soon as I’ve knitted the gauge swatch, I’ll figure out where to start the raglan at the top. Both sweaters will have a side button placket. I’ll figure out the rest as I go.

  


For once, just two photos from our short vacation in eastern Switzerland (Toggenburg):
The climbing piglets attracted a lot of attention, and the Thur Falls are quite impressive!

Very nice photos, Christina. It sounds like you’re having a really wonderful and eventful vacation.

It’s been pretty quiet here the last few days… are you all on vacation?

I’ve numbered my Advent calendar in the meantime; now I just need something to put in it.




I finished the first little Christmas decorations today; I’ll be sending the wooden snowmen along with Christmas cards to acquaintances.




Also, my sofa blanket has grown quite a bit, and I’ve crocheted and felted a felt hat for my mother-in-law—I really hope it fits her and that she likes it… she’s always looking for alternatives to regular hats, which she doesn’t like. But she still wants her ears to stay warm. I think it turned out pretty well…



I wish you all a great start to the week.

Are you ready for UFO Week?

Wow, Claudia, you’ve been so busy! It all looks really great. The hat turned out especially well. It looks like it came from a store. The fir trees are very pretty, too.

I’ve been enjoying the last few days in the garden and on the patio in this beautiful fall weather.

I started a raglan sweater for Linja and kept working on the thick cardigan for my husband. The green yarn isn’t really suitable for warm sweaters, so I’ve switched to merino wool. It’s the same yarn I used for the sleeve scarf.

My UFO—the crocheted sleeping bag for the dolls—will carry over into next month. Other projects take priority. Since we’re going on another trip at the end of the month, I might continue crocheting the sleeping bag then.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Best wishes
Monika

I have another photo for you. A lone little horned violet is blooming in our meadow—so pretty. 

So, we’re back from vacation and the daily madness has caught up with us again :)
I knitted two pairs of socks this week—I had so much time and was even surprised at how quickly it went!
At home, I’m continuing to crochet the bag; the pieces are already crocheted together, now all that’s missing is the shoulder strap and a few small accessories.

UFO Week has begun.
Are you ready and full of energy?

I’m working hard, yes—but my UFO will have to wait until next month.

Here’s what my two current projects look like right now. The red jacket is darker than it appears in this photo and has grown by 10 cm in the meantime:

Monika, you’ve really been working hard.
I didn’t have time to finish a UFO this month.
But I’ve been working hard, too.

Here’s another piece featuring a “special model.”

Marion, your model is so funny! The hat is really cute.
The crochet bag is finally finished, too. Today I’ll take it with me to work and give it to my coworker.
I’ve cast on the next pair of socks, but I have to rip them out again. 

Marion, your little elves are so cute! They turned out so beautiful! :)
And your hat, too. They’re a big hit.

Mel, I fell in love with your crochet bag right away. I think the pocket you sewed onto it is especially practical.

I’m going to knit a few more rows on the jacket for my husband tonight. It’s a real challenge with that thick yarn, but I’m making good progress. ;-)

The gnomes are great, and I think the bag is awesome, too. By the way, the “special model” totally reminded me of a melon.

My UFO blanket is definitely carrying over into next month… I just can’t manage more than 1–2 rows at a time.



I finished a throw a while back, and now I’ve crocheted two more fall versions of it. Crocheted with a loose stitch, a throw like this is done in no time—I could even imagine making it in other colors… well, we’ll see.






The hat’s been lying around here for a few days now, and I’m really tempted to play around with the colors a bit more here too… I love crocheting with felting yarn.
I think I need to make (at least…) one for myself as well… but in a different color.



Today we started getting our balcony ready for winter—that is, bringing the geraniums, olive trees, and lemon trees inside and getting rid of the plants that have started to look unsightly. I really don’t like this work; it just marks the end of the outdoor season. I always hope so much that the plants will survive until next year.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Claudia, you’ve been busy! That hat looks great on you! It really makes me want to crochet something like that myself.

This weekend, I’m also planning to tidy up my garden. There’s still quite a bit to do, since winter weather is set to arrive starting Monday.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Best wishes, Monika

Thanks for your compliments.

Mel, your bag turned out beautifully—I like it, too.
Claudia, you’re right about the model.
I made another hat.

By the way, Claudia,

that felt hat looks great. I think it suits you perfectly. 

Thank you so much, but this is actually meant for my mother-in-law... we just need to find a weekend for the “fitting,” since she lives about 350 KM away... so I’ll crochet one or more for myself (or my mother-in-law, in case it doesn’t fit her...).

By the way, your melon is a great model head—it really makes you smile. The hat will look very cute on a live model, too.

Yes, Monika, winter is coming… you can really feel it here, too. I’m always so glad that we “only” have to winterize a balcony and not a garden—that’s quite a bit of work.

By the way, I’d already dug out some felting yarn again to crochet a variation of the hat—but it turned out I’d rather turn it into a bag. And I think it was right… 



Felting yarn is sooo great—thanks to the large hook size, a project like this is done in a flash. And those gorgeous, vibrant colors… I love felting yarn. I once bought a large quantity of it very cheaply when a store closed down, and I’m working through it little by little…

Claudia, I really like your bag, and that hat looks great on you! I have a ball of felting yarn lying around somewhere, too, but I’ve never dared to try it. I probably won’t get very far with just one ball, though! Any tips?

Claudia, you’ve created some beautiful pieces. I’m not really a hat person myself, but it looks great on you!
During my last shift, my coworker foisted a bag of thick purple wool on me and asked me to knit a scarf out of it for her daughter’s mother-in-law. If I’d had any, I might have combined it with dark green wool. But since my stash has dwindled significantly, all I have left is dark teal mohair yarn. So I’ve added that to the mix. The pattern, width, and length don’t matter—the main thing is that it looks nice. I “love” instructions like that... :(
Here’s a picture of how it looks so far—though in real life it’s not as teal-heavy; the purple is actually still very clearly visible as the main color.

Mel, your scarf project is definitely going to turn out great. It already looks fantastic. I could also imagine it as a cowl.

Claudia, I like your bag too; those are my colors as well. You could write a story about it right away ... like how the hat wanted to become a bag ... or something like that. ;-)

Christina, you can make all sorts of things out of felting yarn, for example slippers for the whole family. They’re always needed. I also use it unfelted, for example for jackets (right now for my husband) or hats and gloves. I’m also going to try making slippers with this yarn without felting it. Unfortunately, after felting I usually don’t end up with the right size.

I’ve managed to collect quite a bit of felting yarn through my swap page, though unfortunately it’s all gray. I’m going to knit slippers for us from it first. But one thing at a time...

Our garden is now winter-ready. My husband did most of the work anyway. Still, I’ve made some more progress on my projects. My husband’s jacket is coming along nicely, and so is the sweater for Linja. This is what both look like now. The jacket is a beautiful dark red - it doesn’t really show here.

The weather was finally sunny again this weekend, so we went out and enjoyed it.
I haven’t seen as many mushrooms in previous years as I have this fall—since we don’t know much about them, I prefer to just take pictures of them.









Tips on felting...
I only crochet, and it actually works just like regular crocheting. However, it does use up quite a bit of yarn...
For a hat, for example, I need a little over 3 balls, each weighing 50g.

You can crochet everything as usual at first, but you should choose a large hook size. The instructions usually call for a size 8 hook—but that makes it come out too tight for me, and it doesn’t felt properly—so I use a size 12 hook.
I calculate it so that it shrinks by about a third. The finished piece before felting is always very large...
I put it in the washing machine at 60*, along with 1–2 pairs of jeans. This is so it can move around and rub against something else; it needs enough space in the drum for that.
By the way, the laundry detergent shouldn’t contain any fabric protection, as that prevents felting.
If it doesn’t felt evenly, I first reshape it while it’s still damp and then wash it again. One particularly stubborn piece of wool even needed a third wash… but that only happened once, and it lost a lot of color as a result.
By the way, I find towels unsuitable for felting—they end up totally linty. With jeans, though, no lint sticks to the fabric.
Patterns are possible, but subtle textures get lost—it’s better to work with coarse textures.
Then, I pull it into shape IMMEDIATELY after washing, using plenty of force. It’ll keep the shape it’s given at that point. For example, I like to stuff pillows into my bags to help them dry.
By the way, I wash my bags normally every now and then, but at a max of 30° and with a fabric protector—just pull them back into shape afterward.

Well, that’s all I can think of right now...

By the way, I’ve started on my second hat. Yes, and it’s actually turning into a hat.

Monika, is the red jacket in the picture made of felting yarn? It’s definitely going to be really heavy once it’s finished.
Is it regular felting yarn at 50m/50g, or is it thinner?
I imagine working with it so “tightly” would be pretty strenuous—felting yarn is already rather rough and doesn’t glide very well. Coarsely worked, that’s not a big deal, and small irregularities disappear during the felting process anyway. But worked so finely, with such great stitch definition—wow, that’s amazing.

By the way, the scarf is turning out great—I absolutely love the pattern. The recipient is sure to be delighted.

Wow, you’ve all been so busy!
That scarf is turning out really nice and will surely be nice and warm, Mel.
Monika, your knitting projects are growing steadily too!
I think the bag is great, Claudia!

I really need to try felting sometime. I’m just always afraid that the size won’t be right, and once you’ve put in all that work…

I have to tell you a story about felting.

I once had a beautiful, hand-knitted traditional jacket in off-white. It got an ugly brown stain. I don’t remember what caused it, but I couldn’t get it out no matter what tricks I tried or how many times I washed it. So I decided to dye the jacket brown, even at the risk of it felting—at 60° in the washing machine! Of course, it came out completely shrunk (like a loden jacket, so to speak). It had shrunk so much that it fit my daughter, who was 4 at the time:
My daughter loved this jacket very much and wore it for a long time.

This month, I’ve mainly been busy embroidering my picture. It’s grown a bit more already:
This is how it looked a month ago:


and this is how far it’s come now:


Well, I’ve still got a lot of work ahead of me!

But now I’ll probably take a break for a bit, because I need to finish up a Guardian Angel pattern first—it’s supposed to be out by early November.
And then I have a commission to sew Christmas doll clothes for my grandchildren’s baby dolls. They’re getting “ethnic dolls”—that is, a South American boy and an Asian girl. And they’re supposed to be dressed according to their nationalities. I’ll have to tinker with that a bit. For now, I’m looking for some nice, colorful fabrics.

Wow, Ruth, you really have the patience of a saint. I used to do a lot of embroidery, too. But I wouldn’t feel like doing that now, especially not on that scale. Hats off to you!

I also think your felted jacket is very pretty. It’s great that it’s become your daughter’s favorite jacket.

Claudia, thank you so much for your felting tips. I haven’t dared to wash it at 60 degrees yet. Even at 40 degrees, it’s already shrunk by about a third.

Yes, the yarn is actually 50 m/50 g. I think I’ve started my ninth skein now. It’s really quite a challenge to work with. It slides pretty well on the needle, but sliding the stitches along the long cable really takes a toll on my wrists. I can manage at most one skein a day.

Knitting is also much slower than with thinner yarn. I have to make sure the yarn stays nice and even as I go. And I’m knitting with size 5 (!) needles! I just wanted to achieve this beautiful, even pattern.

Yes, the jacket is definitely going to get pretty heavy toward the end.  But I think my husband has already fallen in love with it. I’m guessing I’ll use at least 15 skeins. I have 15 skeins of the red yarn, after all. Then there will be light gray stripes at the bottom.

The good thing is that I can watch the mountain of yarn shrink. And that alone is a great sense of accomplishment. :)

You’ve all been quite busy getting things off the ground—or rather, knitting—in the meantime.

I’m still working on my scarf—or rather, a narrow stole.

There are really a lot of mushrooms this fall.
A few days ago, for the first time in a very long while, I made a small mushroom dish using birch boletes and chestnut boletes that I’d picked myself (okay—just one of each).

Golden autumn in the Valais mountains

The backlit photo unfortunately doesn’t capture the intense autumn colors… It was simply gorgeous on Saturday on our hike, probably the last one of the season.
By the way, I was busy knitting little wrist warmers on the train ride (they’re finished by now.)


What a beautiful photo, Christina! It already looks amazing.

What a great photo!

So, to wrap up the month, here’s a quick “spooky” picture of my Halloween ghosts. Good night....

How cute are these, Claudia! :) Funny little ghosts that are sure to spread some cheer.

Here is the October awards ceremony
Final sprint and awards ceremony // October edition 2019 (No advertising)

And there you’ll find the November projects of the Crazypatterns crafting group
November projects: Fun in the Crazypatterns crafting group (No advertising)