January Projects 2021, Part 2: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group

January Projects 2021, Part 3: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group (No Advertising)
Have fun with Part 3.



Dear users, dear authors,
so here is Part 2 of the January projects.
You can read Part 1 here:
January Projects 2021 Part 1 + December Projects Part 3: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group (No Advertising)

Marion, your nostalgic doll carriage is an absolute hit, and the little girl seems to be enjoying this luxurious ride too!

Ines, where were you able to enjoy such beautiful winter scenes? Here, it was white on New Year’s morning as well, though quite wet, and by noon the splendor was already gone. Now there are just remnants on the roofs and meadows, with a dull gray sky overhead.

Hello, dear all,
I’ll try to pick up the thread. There’s always so much going on here.

Marion, your New Year’s pretzels look very delicious! I’d want to eat them right now too. I think you can always eat them—fresh from the oven. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe with us.
What a pretty doll carriage you have there for your little Mäxchen. It looks absolutely stunning. Any baby would feel comfortable in it. Of course, you also have to have room to place a doll carriage like that.

Sandra, the rattle ball wasn’t your favorite project. Sometimes that’s just how it is. All the more admirable that you finished it at all. But it’s still great to play with, because it crinkles and rattles and makes you want to grab and explore things. That’s what makes it special. Some things don’t come easily, but the result still turned out very lovely.

Ines, I think it’s a real shame that you already have to put the Christmas things away again. For you too, I’m sure Christmas is suddenly over with that. But you know what you’re making the sacrifice for. Are you still working on your new bathroom? If you have to/are allowed to help with the construction work, that 1 kg will come off again very quickly. But now you first have to nurse your lumbago. Thank you also for your winter pictures. The hoarfrost on the trees always looks especially beautiful.

Christina, the cloverleaf good-luck charm is very cute and will definitely bring you luck. Does he have a cloverleaf on his head as a hat? I think the idea with the cloverleaf hat is really great. And the two of them are doing well together too. So you basically have double luck in the new year. And you have a real lucky cat too—Nala is a very pretty one.

Monika, your teddy and doll collection is impressive. And each one has a name and a story. None of them is just sitting there. Well, you’ll have your favorites too. The 5 teddies look like a cheeky little teddy gang—only the one on the left is still waiting for his clothes. Probably because he’s the smallest and all the others pushed ahead. It’s good that your husband is tolerant. For the grandchildren, of course, it’s paradise.

The top-down raglan sweater for you looks colorful. What kind of yarn is that? The colors are so strong, and it has such a beautiful play of color.

Marlene, the beginning of the shawl looks promising. We’ll see how it develops. Unfortunately, the pattern only unfolds its full beauty and effect at the very end after blocking.

*********************
I caught the bug from Ruth with the temperature blanket. As soon as I read it, I was on fire for this idea, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. After taking stock of my acrylic yarn stash, it was decided: I’m making a blanket like that. Yesterday we had visitors for my husband’s birthday, but that didn’t stop me from starting. I roped the visitors in too—they had to wind small balls of yarn from large 500 g balls.

I decided on 19 colors. Each color—except the first and the last—covers 2 degrees of temperature. Each color went into a pickle jar with a number. And because I was very impatient, I already crocheted in tomorrow’s weather too. Hopefully the weather god sticks to my temperature forecast.

Since this is a 365-day project, it will take 1 year until it’s finished. Now only the “winter jars” remain in the living room. I’ve stored away the spring, summer, and fall colors—they’re waiting on the basement shelf for their time.

I wish everyone a relaxed Sunday afternoon.
Best wishes from Ina

Wow, Ina, that looks really good. The photos turned out great.

Ina, I think it’s great that you’re making a temperature blanket too! Now we can always compare them. Yours will be even more colorful because you have a finer grid (for me, each color covers 5 degrees, which is why I’m still on the same color). I really like your colors, too.
You’re also using a different pattern. Isn’t that the moss stitch?

Ina, this already looks interesting. As far as I can tell, the pattern consists of sc and ch. I always call it the “yarn-eater pattern,” but the effect is sooooo beautiful. Or are you using different patterns as well? After all, the year is long. You’ve used some gorgeous colors.
It already looks fun—your little jars filled with that beautiful yarn—and you even had some helpers for it. I’ll have to keep your yarn-selection system in mind if I ever crochet something big and multicolored.

Thank you, Marion for the pretzel recipe.
Fresh from the oven (I got 2 trays out of it). Three pretzels have already been eaten. Oh man, they are so delicious. Now I have a stomachache.

We could almost publish a CP cookbook and baking book soon—so many wonderful recipes have already been shared here. Now these delicious pretzels are joining them.

Ruth, yes, that’s the Moss Stitch crochet pattern. It just doesn’t look quite as strictly striped, and the colors blend together a bit visually.

I’m glad you like the photos, Josefa :-)

Oh, you've made some great things again.
The temperature blanket already looks great.

Marlene: the box only contains baby gifts... and babies don't have any toy preferences yet 😃, which is why I'm separating them by boys and girls.

Right now I have 3 projects on the go.
12 coasters for a coworker, 1 dragon and another hat for Anton

One hat was finished today:

Ina, you really have some great ideas. Putting the yarn in jars is just brilliant. The picture of the table looks great. With those beautiful colors and the pretty pattern, the blanket is sure to turn out gorgeous.
We’ll just have to wait and see what the weather’s like this year and how your blanket and Ruth’s blanket turn out.
.
Andrea, you sure were quick. Your pretzels look really good. I’m not surprised you tried one right away. I’d love to take a bite out of one right now, too.

Sandra, your hat looks great, too. You’ve really set yourself quite a lot to do.

Oh wowww—help, I can’t keep up here anymore! :-) You’ve all been sooo hard at work and have shared and written so much. I’ll have to read through it all first.

Marion—you know, I’m totally in love with your doll stroller, and my little star would love to ride in one like that, too. But I think I’d have to move first for that. Too bad....
I’m also going to try out your pretzel recipe sometime. I’m sure it’s really easy. As soon as I’ve baked them, I’ll post a photo. I’m going to make them with whole wheat flour and honey.

Andrea—I bought the large doll on eBay, secondhand, to use as a model for the baby clothes. She’s 60 cm tall, like a 3-month-old baby. 
Your pretzels really make me want to bake some too. I can totally imagine them for breakfast.

Ines—your sense of humor is one of a kind. You put a big grin on my face with the way you described the witch. I’m glad you’re feeling better again.

Ina—the colors for your temperature blanket look absolutely stunning! That’s going to be an absolutely luxurious blanket. I’m sure the joy of crocheting is at least as great as the joy of seeing the finished product. I also think the pattern is very pretty for a blanket. I’m sure you’ll show us the progress photos every now and then.
My sweater is being knitted with Drops Alpaca yarn. The stripes at the top are made from “sock yarn” from Finkhof (organic sheep in Ravensburg). It goes very well with it.
The dolls and teddy bears in the photo are actually my favorite teddy bears and dolls. There are a few more teddy bears. They’re up in our large attic loft. And I’m actually going to swap out some of them now to make room.

Sandra—you’ve been busy again. That turned out to be a lovely hat. I’m already looking forward to the coasters and the dragon.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback on the sweater. The rest will now be knitted entirely in the blue alpaca yarn, so it’s really simple this time. The yarn is just super cozy and doesn’t itch at all. Last night I knitted a little more. Now you can see the seam better. In the original, the colors are a bit darker.

I see, Sandra—it’s more about the parents’ preferences.
I’d wear your hat—I like it.

Good morning, my dears,

there’s a lot going on here, but first of all, thanks to good care, haha, my husband supplied me with Voltaren etc., I was doing better yesterday, and so I was finally able to finish my vase




and in the end a little candle ring even hopped off my needle



.
Some of you will surely recognize Ina’s blossom, which I modified a little so that it fits as a ring on a taper candle.

Now I’m going to make a few small things first, the ideas are in my head, and after that there’ll be something bigger again

But now on to your projects
You hardly know where to start..
..
Ina, you amaze me again and again with how you approach projects, everything you do looks so well thought out, yes, it should be, especially when it comes to color combinations etc., but the idea with the jars, I think it’s wonderful, and with the moss stitch I really like it a lot, and no, I’ve only just covered one blanket, even though I’m itching to do the same as you and Ruith, but the colors I still have from one type of yarn (yes, I did already look) just don’t go together that well right now. You see, the contradiction in me.....
Yes, taking down the Christmas decorations also made me a little sad, it means something like... well, Christmas time is over... but it would be a shame if all the dust made the carvings dusty; I do always clean them with a brush before they’re packed away again, but that would be too much... well, now I hope that work on gutting the bathroom will start next week. We already had some remodeling done in November because otherwise we couldn’t implement our plans the way we want to, now it depends on the sanitary fixtures, bathtub etc., which I hope will be delivered on time and the company can get started. We’re doing a lot ourselves, but connections etc., you can’t do that yourself.

Monika, your sweater looks very pretty, and the colorful stripes make it look cheerful. How do you always knit so evenly? When I put my work down and start again the next day, you can usually see the transition.

Sandra , I also think the hat is very pretty, and you still have plenty to do, as I read


Andrea you always put a smile on my face with your treats, and if I weren’t starting my resolution today, I could bake pretzels; Marion provided the recipe, after all. Both results look sooooo delicious...... I baked an olive ciabatta on New Year’s Eve

it was gone in no time

So, enough chatting from me now, I have to get to work, and after that I’ll go for a long walk with my dog...
Wishing you a good start to the new week

Dear Sandra, you’ve really taken on quite a challenge, but it’s also a lot of fun. The hat turned out beautifully. The red-and-black color combination definitely stands out, so the new owner will spot their hat anywhere right away.

Dear Ines, the vase looks very elegant and harmonious. Everything goes together perfectly: the white background and the various flowers in different shades of brown—you’ve crocheted, put together, and arranged them beautifully.

Thanks so much for the photo of the olive ciabatta, too—we’d all love to taste that right now. If just looking at these delicious baked goods made us gain weight… then there’d have to be a photo ban until spring. But as it is… you’re just making our mouths water, all of you out there who love to bake so well :-)

I’m currently cleaning up my computer. Yes, I love it when everything is organized and I don’t have to search for things. My hard drive is getting fuller and fuller. It’s amazing how many photos showing countless work steps for various patterns I’ve saved over time. Now I’m sorting through it all to make room for new things.

I hope you all have a lovely afternoon. It’s already getting dark again.

Warm regards, Ina

Ines, I’m so glad you’re feeling better again! I really like the vase and especially the candle decoration. Great idea to turn Ina’s flower into a candle ring.

Monika, you’re already well on your way with your sweater again. You like doing RVO, right? I always find that to be quite a bit of math, at least when knitting. When I’m crocheting, I often just get started and adjust the piece round by round. But with knitting, you don’t really see how it fits until you take the piece off the needles...
.
So, today I finally got around to finishing the pattern for my stuffed animal. Now I can show you my latest creation:

It’s the Wild Animal of the Year 2021, the otter!

Yes, Ina, I really should clean up my computer too. I’m planning to do that sometime soon.

Dear Ruth, the otter looks so cute—and it just caught a fish. You’ve even worked out the claws beautifully. And I’ve learned that the otter is the “Wild Animal of the Year.” You’ve captured its facial expression well, too. The next time I see one on TV, I’ll take a closer look.

Dear Ines, I completely forgot to mention your candleholder. The floral arrangement on the vase probably distracted me. The beads really make the candle ring look elegant. They adorn it, so to speak. It’s easy to imagine it sitting on a coffee table.

Ines—I’m so happy for you that you can move around pain-free again. Did you and your husband finally manage to chase that witch away? :-)
I think your vase is especially beautiful with the crocheted flowers on it. That’s a great idea, and I’m actually thinking about whether I should give my drab vases a similar makeover. But everything in its own time… I’ve got other things to take care of first.
Turning Ina’s flower into a candle decoration is also a great idea. It turned out very pretty with the beads.
And your ciabatta looks delicious. I can totally imagine it was devoured in no time.

Ina—you’re in the same boat as me. I’m already doing my spring cleaning on the computer, too. All those photos that have piled up there—oh my. And I don’t even want to delete them all. It’s always so hard for me.

Ruth—your otter is sooo cute. You’ve done a great job with it again. I didn’t even know it was the Wild Animal of the Year.
Yes, it’s true—I’ve been preferring to knit with RVO for a while now. It always works out, and best of all, there are no seams. By now I’ve got the calculations down, and yet that’s still the hardest part of it. Since I don’t have an RVO sweater of my own yet, this is a first for me.

Today I really felt like baking those great New Year’s pretzels. I tweaked the recipe a bit for this. They’re made with whole-grain spelt flour, Alsan (vegan margarine), and honey. I brushed them with oil. I really have to say, they’re super delicious and crispy! We’ll have them for breakfast tomorrow.

I baked a few pretzels and made a braided loaf with the rest. That way, everything fit on one baking sheet. Here’s what it looked like after baking:

The otter is the Animal of the Year for 2021? I think that’s great. I really love these cute little guys.

Ruth, your otter turned out super cute.

That ciabatta bread looks very delicious. It rose beautifully and has a nice shape. They often spread out too much on the baking sheet.

Monika, I’m excited to see your sweater. I really like this top-down raglan, and as I’ve already mentioned, the colors are a great choice. You have such treasures—aren’t you going to run out of yarn soon? You’ve been living off your stash for so long. And thanks for the tip about opening images in a new window. Now I can view your creations nice and large.

I’m on my fourth pair of Gammlo now. This time, they’re for me again.

Have a lovely evening, everyone

Petra, if you could see my yarn stash, you’d be amazed. I could knit and crochet nonstop for at least another two years. I actually got the yarn for the sweater as a gift from an acquaintance. And since there are 8 skeins, I decided to make a sweater for myself. The colorful yarn is sock yarn from Finkhof. That’s still from my stash. I really like the colorful stripes, too.
Are you knitting the next Gammlos for yourselves too—to have in stock? Or do you plan to give them as gifts? They’ll probably work up pretty quickly. What kind of yarn are you using for them?

I’ve been thinking about ordering some yarn again. But for now, I want to work through my stash first to make some room. After all, two boxes are empty, and another drawer already has some gaps.

The first pair was for my sweetheart—a blended yarn with 55% merino and the rest polyacrylic
; the second pair was for me—Micro, 100% polyester
; the pair for my cousin was made with Bravo, 100% polyester;
and now another pair for me using Bravo and leftover yarn. My first pair is already dirty and should go in the washing machine. I wear them as slippers. I sewed a suede sole onto the bottom of my sweetheart’s pair so they’d last longer.

The Gammlo slippers are crocheted, and since the yarn is worked double, they come together very quickly and easily. It’s really fun, and my stash is shrinking.

It’s the same for me as it is for you—yarn scattered everywhere, only I’m not very consistent. I keep buying new skeins every now and then. I’m looking forward to seeing your sweater. You have a dear friend if she gave you such a great gift. 

Petra, what’s the yardage for the Gammlos? Theoretically, you could crochet them with felting yarn too, right?

The acquaintance had some yarn left over, and I was really happy about it, especially since I love alpaca so much. I received so many gifts in December (outside of Christmas)—that was really extraordinary. And I’m very grateful for every single one.

When it comes to felting yarn, I’m the wrong person to ask. I gave it another try. They were supposed to be size 46 shoes. After felting, I ended up with size 37. When felting, shouldn’t everything be big enough to shrink down sufficiently? But I’m slowly starting to think—after my failures with felting yarn—that my washing machine doesn’t like it when tennis balls are whirling around in its drum.

My yarn has a length of 120–133 m, depending on the yarn. I use it doubled with a size 5.5 or 6 needle. 

Ah, thanks, Petra, for the detailed information. Yeah, I’m not really into felting either—it rarely turns out really nice. I would have crocheted with felting yarn, but then I would have washed it only on the wool cycle or by hand, not felted it. I actually knitted my husband’s jacket with felting yarn, too. It has to be washed very gently—otherwise, it’ll end up fitting my granddaughter. ;-)

Good morning....

Oh Ruth, your otter—I’m absolutely thrilled, and I just had to add it to my favorites. I didn’t know until now that it’s the Wildlife of the Year 2021.

Ina, yes, your flowers inspired me, and that’s how this candleholder came about. I just wanted to try it out, because you really can create so many beautiful things with them. My daughter stopped by briefly again yesterday, and she thought it was very pretty too. She said you could surely put something like that on a headband for a girl, maybe with fewer beads if it’s for a little lady. I’ll see how that works, but later; right now I have other things on my needle.
Oh yes, cleaning up the PC—that has to be done now and then. Ever since a total crash, I’ve been doing it every quarter for 3–4 years now, and I bought an external hard drive for important things. It has so much storage capacity that there’s room for plenty more patterns, and vacation photos that won’t end up in a book are stored there too.

Monika, hmm, the vase, haha, there isn’t an old one underneath it. I raided my retired plumber (my dad), and he had to cut something to size for me from two smaller pipes.
Between the pipes there’s also this hologram film and a light source. It’s supposed to have a place in the new bathroom later; since that will also be in shades of brown and white, I made it that way.
I’m amazed by your yarn stash.... I also keep hearing people ask when I’m going to use it all up, but I certainly don’t have that much, and now and then I have to buy more. Just yesterday I checked whether I had the colors and quantities to make a temperature blanket too, which I actually didn’t want to do, but somehow I can’t stop thinking about it, haha. All in good time; a few ideas still want to be brought to life, and at the moment I only get to do handicrafts in the evening. In a way it’s also “lucky” that no shops are open (ironically), otherwise I’d be standing in front of my favorite yarn shelf again. Buying online is tempting too.... better not think about it.

Petra, the ciabatta bread is a Thermomix recipe, and those usually turn out really well, unless you don’t like some things purely taste-wise. But the dough was very thin and I had my doubts, so when kneading it again I simply added a little more flour and was able to shape it well. It was really delicious.

I hope you all have a lovely day; we’re having really miserable weather here, brrr

Good morning

Ines, I really like your vase for the new bathroom, too. Your candle ring turned out beautifully—that’s a great idea. Your ciabatta bread turned out great as well—it really makes your mouth water.

Ruth, your otter turned out so beautifully. Learned something new again—Wild Animal of the Year 2021.

Petra, it looks like you’ve caught the Gammlo fever, but they all look great. I can understand that.
many years ago, I crocheted lots of pairs myself. For example, for my grandchildren when they were about 3 years old—today they’re already turning 20.

Monika, your pretzels and the braided loaf made with whole-wheat flour look fantastic, too. I’ve never tried that before.

I wouldn’t make Gammlo out of felting wool. They’re crocheted with post double crochets, after all. I don’t know if you’d even be able to see that after felting.
I’ve always crocheted mine with 3 strands of regular sock yarn or, like Petra, with 2 strands of acrylic yarn, 130 m (50 g). It’s a great way to use up leftover yarn.

I’ll look for the remaining ones I still have and take some pictures.

Have a nice day.
 

Hi everyone,
After Monika showed off her many teddy bears, I decided to take a
group photo of my own “residents” too. They’re all scattered around here.
Only the ones at the top are sitting on the couch. The moose in the front snuck into the picture. He’s so cute and really special. My husband gave him to me when we first met. They all have their own stories. 
The one on the far right in the middle—the little beige one—I got from a good friend; he’s also a bit of a nostalgia fan, with movable arms and legs. My former bowling buddy gave me the red cuddly teddy for my birthday once. The polar bear in the middle is from a flea market (20 years ago)

Here they are

They’re all so cute, Andrea! And each one reminds you of something beautiful—I think that’s great.

Andrea, you have such a beautiful collection of teddy bears. It’s impossible to decide which one is the cutest. I’d adopt your moose in a heartbeat, too.

These are my old slippers that I found. They’re partly made from sock yarn (leftovers) and acrylic yarn, in various sizes. 

Ines, your vase is special in two ways. Thanks for telling us about it in such detail.
Yes, my yarn stash—I’m amazed by it myself. I just have a good selection of colors and different types of yarn. I’ll work through it little by little. You don’t use that much for small things like doll clothes or kids’ clothes. So it’ll last me quite a while.

Marion, your pretzels are sooo delicious in the whole-grain version. Mine are honey pretzels. I posted the variation in the recipe thread, in case anyone wants to try making them.

Andrea, I’m absolutely blown away by your bears! They’re sooo cuddly. I especially like the ones at the top with the nightcap and the white one standing below them. It’s such a lovely thing to enjoy and take pleasure in. It’s not tied to any particular age. There are certainly a few among them who would be happy to have some clothes, right? :-)

By the way, I just crocheted a coaster for my friend. She asked for a second one, and she wanted it to be very simple.

Mmm, it’s not just creative here—it’s delicious, too :-) Just looking through these has made me really hungry. Luckily, dinner will be ready soon...

Ruth, your otter is to die for! That little guy turned out so cute. And crafted with such attention to detail—hats off to you!

Ina, your color selection is fantastic, and I’m absolutely delighted by your idea of displaying your colorful yarn stash decoratively in a jar. You can leave it out all year round with a clear conscience! By the way, this beautiful organization system has motivated me to finally bring a little order to my own yarn chaos. But more on that below.

Ines, the candle ring is a great idea! With just a little something, you can quickly spruce things up if you have an eye for it. You definitely do :-)

Petra, your slippers look really cozy and are sure to keep you nice and warm. Are you going to add something underneath them so they don’t slip? The floor at our house is so slippery that I only dare to walk around in anti-slip socks.

Sandra, I really like the hat you made for Anton! It seems like you’re never short on projects. I know the feeling...

I’ve finished my first sock in the meantime. I’m actually a little proud of it, though it was really easy with Monika’s pattern. 



Then today I also managed to finish the beanie for my godchild. Unfortunately, because of the quarantine rules, I can’t hand over the birthday gift in person this year—I’m sending it by mail to Germany.

And then, ta-daaaaaa—I actually managed to gather my yarn stash from all sorts of different places and put it away neatly. What you see in the picture right now is actually my entire yarn stash. Well, okay, almost my entire yarn stash. But other than that, it’s really just scraps, all of which fit into a small box. That doesn’t count ;-)

And I already know that I’m missing the right yarn for my next planned projects and will have to buy more :-(

Sonja, I’m thrilled with your sock! You did an amazing job. Now you can knit for the whole family. Awesome!

What I really love is your fantastic display case for the yarn! Now I know what to ask for. A display case just like that. Looking at it, you’ve got a beautiful selection, too. You could make so many things with that... *sigh*. And most of your colors would be my favorites, too.

I don’t even want to say it out loud... but I still have about twice as much yarn as you do. And for next winter, I’m afraid I won’t have just the right yarn. We’ll see... there’s still plenty of time until then. :-)

You’re all so hardworking.

I’m trying my hand at a little double-face knitting, doing a bit of mending, and sewing curtains for my daughter.

At bu... I saw a cute hat 😊—let’s see if I order the yarn and knit it for myself..... 

At the “Christmas House Suitcase Market,” I was able to sell quite a few things; the most important thing was to get my name out there so people know what I make..... I’m very happy with that and excited to see what’s next.
I filled a few slipper orders before the year ended..... 

Wow, Sonja, that display case is great! I’d love to have one like that for my yarn, too. Unfortunately, I just don’t have any room for it 😒

Sonja, now you've done it ... everyone, well, almost everyone, now wants a glass display cabinet like that for their yarn. It really is brilliant. At a glance, you can see what treasures you have. No ball of yarn can hide in a dark box. If I were standing in front of it, I’d almost feel like I was in a yarn shop ... I can look at everything and choose, so you’ve brought that “buy me” feeling home.

The finished sock looks very nice; now just the second one. And then come the ones for the family. Maybe soon they’ll come as easily to you as your DB things.

Marion, your slippers, or rather the family’s, look colorful, warm, and cozy. I’m just imagining everyone at your home dashing around in them. That’s why I would have put non-slip underneath too. We have tiles on the ground floor, so it’s essential there.

Andrea, you also have quite an impressive teddy collection. They are lovely to look at too, and many have their own story. And some become very precious to you because of that—like the moose, for example. My favorite teddy is sitting in the second row from the top, the second from the right, the self-crocheted one—he looks so loyal. You just want to pick him up right away and stroke his chubby little belly. Good thing only we are reading this here ...

I only crocheted 1 row on my temperature blanket today. It was 1 degree, clearly a case for light turquoise.

I hope you all have a lovely evening.

Ruth, I was just thinking about where I could put them… maybe I’d need two display cases, too? But they can’t be in direct sunlight, or the colors will fade.

Marion, yes, I think you can never have enough warm slippers, and they’re so much fun to crochet. No. 4 has just been finished. For my hubby’s pair, I sewed on a suede sole for durability and to prevent slipping. Not on mine. For children, I would definitely add anti-slip grips. 

The glass display cabinet is great for the yarn. Lovely to look at, and you can keep everything in clear view. 

You have a lovely collection of dolls and bears. I could also be tempted by Monika’s bear, the one that got the newest sweater. 

bergli, you’re always so hard at work on so many things at once. I really admire that. I never doubted that you’d be a hit with your suitcase at the mini Christmas market, because your items are truly uniquely beautiful. I’m so happy for you. Next Christmas, it’s sure to be even bigger, right?

Marion, wow, your slippers look amazing—great colors. I completely missed them because we must have been posting here at the same time. I love my felt slippers too, and I also have a pair similar to yours that I always wear on the couch.

Petra, my bear is happy that he has such an effect on you. :-) He was sewn with lots of love by an acquaintance. I was so happy when I received him as a gift. Oskar really is a very special bear.

Yeah, what can I say, Sonja, you’ve really inspired us with your amazing display case. I can’t get it out of my head either, and I’m actually thinking (purely hypothetically, of course) about where I could put it. Could you send us the dimensions? And also tell us where you bought it? It would really make me feel like I’m in a store—such a great feeling.

And I just want to tell you all how much I enjoy our time together here. It’s a little highlight for me every day. Thank you for being here.

Hey there, you hard-working needle-clackers, haha

Well, I’ve actually made myself a list of names now, so I don’t address anyone incorrectly—it’s easy to lose track of things.
I, too, really enjoy this exchange of ideas, sharing knowledge, and simply writing here as a substitute for conversation, and I feel really at home here—so thank you from me as well.

Oh my, Sonja, that display case would be just the thing for me. I’d still have space for it and could put it in my husband’s model railway room. Maybe seeing all that yarn would make him want to pick up a needle too... I’ve sorted my yarn by quality and color too, though in boxes—luckily labeled, otherwise finding anything would be too much of a hassle. And looking at your stash, I’d certainly need 1 1/2 display cases, but I see some really beautiful yarn there; you could get started right away.
Your sock turned out beautifully, and you knitted it with Moniká’s heel? I’ll probably have to get that pattern, haha. My mom still knits socks for me, but someday...

Marion, the Gammlos appeal to me too; they look warm. I already have them on my screen... oh, if only we had dozens of hands

Andrea, you have so many teddy bears, and each one is prettier than the next. I had planned to get my dolls down from the attic, so I’ll still put that idea into practice, but it may take a while. If I bring them into the guest room now, my husband will flip out because we’re currently storing lots of bathroom supplies there, but guests aren’t allowed to come anyway :)

Bergli, I’m glad your sales case was well received. Yes, you have to draw attention to yourself somehow, and if the opportunity arises, why not? Continued success, so your hard work pays off.

Now I’ll show you my candle rings, which came about on a whim. I’ve already lost the yellow/orange one—my friend abducted it.



Have a lovely day, Ines

Ruth: The otter looks great. It’s already made it onto my wish list... but I still have so many projects 🤣

Andrea: Your teddy bear gang is so cute.

Marion: The slippers look awesome.

Ines: The candle holders look really great.

I finished my dragon today

Oh my gosh, Ami turned out so cute :)

Oh wowww, Ines! Your candle rings look fantastic. They’re something really special. You’ve brought such a lovely idea to life.

Sandra, your little dragon baby is absolutely adorable. I’m sure Anton fell in love with it right away, didn’t he? Sooo cute!

The glass cabinet of Sonja looks so elegant. I’m afraid that cabinet wouldn’t be enough for me either, with my mountains of yarn…

Bergli, it’s so nice that your Christmas suitcase arrived safely.

Ines, your candle rings turned out lovely too; you always come up with something special.

Sandra, your little dragon is just sooo cute. I’d have to think twice about whether I’d give it away at all.

Something has happened here too. Yesterday I spontaneously tried out my Tunisian hook. I’ve actually had it for quite a while, but never used it. It’s the one with a hook on both ends; you can crochet in the round with it.

Here I’m showing my first piece of work now - homemade.     

How hard-working you all are, and so many beautiful things have been created again.
Sandra, the dragon turned out really cute!
Marion, I’ll definitely try Tunisian crochet in rounds sometime—it looks great!

Of course, I was immediately drawn to the bear pictures, and I don’t want to withhold my teddy bears from you either—you’ll find a few pictures below.







The polar bear with its baby is only on the stairs during the Christmas season; the bears on the top shelf are in my office; the family is on a shelf in the bedroom; and the group photo was taken just today for this post—normally, the teddy bears are scattered in various places, usually in small groups.

Oh Christina, your bears are so cute you could just fall in love with them!!! The two big ones at the bottom look sooo cuddly. I’d love to give each and every one of them a big hug. And the polar bear with the baby—absolutely adorable. Thanks for showing them to us. I’m sure you put a lot of love into them. :)

Marion, your Tunisian-crocheted gloves are a work of art! I can’t even imagine how that works in rounds. You did a really great job. Hats off to you!

I actually wanted to build a snowman this afternoon… But unfortunately, the snow isn’t sticking together very well yet. And I realized that I’m not 30 anymore. I almost threw my back out while building it. So I decided to stop there. But the snow is just fantastic!

Have a lovely evening, everyone. I’m going to get back to knitting my sweater now.

Thanks! I really hope things get back to “normal” soon so I can go to a real craft fair. But this was just the right way to start.

I also think it’s great that you’re all here. It makes everything more fun. Thank you for the forum and for being here. But I’m not as diligent… as you are.

I have lots of ideas, but not enough time… or I don’t always manage to put them into practice.

Good evening, everyone,

Wollbaerli, you really do have a lovely big collection. But that teddy bear in lederhosen, if I’m seeing it right, is absolutely amazing. I thought I had a lot, but I’m not the only one. Oh, that’s so nice. Thanks for showing us.
Monika, you were lucky again with that back pain. Yes, things like that can happen quickly: one wrong move and that’s it. But don’t be sad; we do have more snow, but it’s not good for building a snowman either, what a shame. I want a snowman on our patio too. It’s just powder snow.

But today was overcast, with a bit of blue sky, not much, but it was freezing outside. My husband said it was -12 degrees this morning, feeling like -20. I only went to the mailbox and took the Christmas decorations into the garage, and after that I first had to make myself a hot tea.
Right now I’m crocheting a tunic for myself (pattern from here), and on the side I’m working on another little crochet project; it’ll be finished soon, then I’ll show it to you.

It’s nice when you keep popping in here, and once again so many wonderful things have been made that you can admire.

Well then, see you tomorrow
Andrea

Good morning,

Christina, you really do have quite a collection of teddy bears, each one cuter than the last; thanks for sharing them :)

Marion, I also have the double-ended crochet hook and would like to try my hand at Tunisian crochet in the round; I still have three projects I want to finish first, then I’ll give it a shot. I really like the gloves.

Oh Monika, I feel for you when the “witch” strikes. Hopefully she only grazed you; I hope you feel better soon. Ever since my last bout of lumbago, I’ve been making sure to keep my sciatic area warm, and yesterday evening I even had a hot water bottle on my back.

Bergli, I’m right there with you about the lack of time we’d like to have to bring all our ideas to life, and things don’t always work out on the first try for us either. But personally, I think you really do pick up quite a lot here, where sometimes just the finishing touch is still missing, and besides, a lovely writing community has developed here in the meantime.

I don’t have anything to show today; I’m just tinkering around for now.

Well then, I hope you all have a wonderful day

Now my thick gloves are finished. I also knitted on some cuffs.

I really got you thinking, didn’t I? ;-) Or rather, a yarn display cabinet :-) I’m so glad you all like my yarn storage so much! I actually sometimes go into the room just to stand in front of the display cabinet, simply because it’s so lovely to see all that colorful yarn. I’ve had the display case for at least 20 years; it’s been moved a few times and has been sitting more or less unused in the guest room for the last few years. Now it’s fully serving its purpose again—and even my husband thinks my yarn is pretty now, HA!

But I’m so glad that some of you have even more stash than I do.... :-)

Christina, you have such a great teddy bear collection, too! Did you knit the polar bears’ clothes yourself?

Marion, I’ve never tried Tunisian crochet either. Your result looks great, anyway!

Sandra, that dragon is absolutely beautiful! You must have had your work cut out for you... Does he have a name yet?

Monika, you were just lucky there... The snow’s sticking pretty well here, but there isn’t that much of it. And now it’s starting to melt...

Bergli, how’s the double knitting coming along? Are you still working on the sheep hat?

Have a wonderful afternoon, everyone!

bergli, we’re not in a race here to see who can get the most done. I think you’ve finished a lot of really beautiful things. And that’s even though you have other things to do. That’s quite an achievement. The main thing is always the joy of doing it, not the quantity.

Andrea and Ines, thanks for your sympathy. :-) I can still feel a little bit of the lumbago. I noticed it last night in bed. After all that snow shoveling, building a snowman was probably a bit too much after all. Especially since I’m so out of practice. But I have the best husband in the world. He’s not only a massage therapist (retired) but also a Dorn therapist. And with him, it’s quickly a thing of the past. Once the snow gets firmer, I’m going to build a mini snowman on the bench in front of our house, together with my favorite man. :-) That way I can be a little easier on my back.

My dear friends, I wish you all a wonderful day, too, with all the beautiful things that come with it.

Whoops—I just wrote and sent that off—and already two posts have popped up out of nowhere.

Marion, your gloves look really nice and warm. I like them a lot. In your favorite color, blue, of course. :-)

Sonja, you haven’t even shown us your new hat here yet. I just spotted it among the new arrivals and I think it’s awesome. It offers plenty of room for creativity, I think. And it’s perfect for everyone in the family. I’m seriously considering knitting one for my grandchildren. If I have any blue sweater yarn left over, I could easily make a hat out of it.

Sonja: The polar bears were a gift from my younger daughter, and they were already fully dressed—just like the old bear in the bottom-left corner of the very last picture, by the way. That one is really special because I found it at a flea market. 

Marion: Last night I tried to picture how Tunisian crochet works in rounds—I’ll have to take another look at my reference books, or… maybe you’ll post a pattern soon?

Monika: You guys definitely got more snow than we did: Here, we only had enough for a thin layer on the roofs and meadows. Today we can enjoy the first rays of sunshine of the year, which also makes my laundry on the porch happy!

I’m working on my shawl for the annual CAL, currently on the last row (610 double crochets) of Part 11. I’ve already crocheted a dishcloth as a birthday gift for my friend in Norway, and today the yarn for a second one arrived. And in between, I still need to finish up the winter decorations…

Good evening,

I’m so glad you like my gloves. I got the idea because I knitted myself a glove before my hand surgery. It was cold, and my hand had a bandage on it. So I needed something to keep me from freezing. I couldn’t wear a fingered glove, so I just knitted this one, without a thumb.
It’s made only from sock yarn, but it’s very warm.  








Sonja, I like your new hat, too. Soon I’m going to try my hand at double-faced knitting.
Monika, you’re so lucky. I’d love to have a husband like that, who can massage the pain away.
Christina, unfortunately there isn’t a pattern for the gloves. —I’m not an author, after all.

a-mano I’ve set the double-face sheep hat aside again; it didn’t turn out the way I wanted or the way it was supposed to, so I’ve put it on hold....... now I have yarn for a potholder, and I’m starting that..... I downloaded the Flamingo pattern from you.... so I can learn the technique better; my problem is that I never read everything through, I just think it’ll be fine...... and simply try it....... now I’ve read it through and I think it should work......

mowi19 yes, you’re right, the main thing is always the enjoyment 

Even at this late hour, I still have something to show you. I finally finished it. It was a store-bought pattern, and just before I finished, I was about to lose my motivation, but I bravely persevered. As promised, ta-da—here’s the result


and I’m still just getting started on my tunic

The new beanie somehow got lost among all the socks and yarn tidying... so I’m officially posting it now after all—tomorrow it will be sent by mail to Germany to my godchild, and I hope it arrives in time for her birthday.



I also managed to finish a bookmark for my daughter’s birthday, following a pattern by Nicole from Somethinks Design:


I think the idea is really funny :-)


Bergli, what exactly didn’t work out with the beanie? If you’d like, let me know how I can help.

Monika, thanks for your idea! Yes, that’s right—with a little creative tweaking, everyone in the family can wear the polka-dot beanie :-)

Andrea, wow, that’s such a great blanket with the cats! It looks really cool. What do you use it for?

Have a nice evening or good night!

Good morning....

there’s quite a bit to look at again :)

Andrea , the cats turned out really well—is that tapestry crochet? I’d like to try that technique soon, but I have 2–3 other projects lined up first. What are you using it for? I could also imagine it working well as a placemat.

So, Sonja , now you’ve got me—your beanie looks “beginner-friendly” to me when it comes to double-face knitting, and just like that, it’s landed on my wish list. Sorry if I’m calling it beginner-friendly—I think, as a beginner, I’d have an easier time getting the dots right than a figure.....But I’ll get to that later—I have other projects in mind right now that I’d like to tackle.

Marion, the gloves (blue) turned out great—I really like the knitted edge, but the colorful ones are nice, too.

Monika , I’m glad you’re feeling better again… may I ask what a “Dorn therapist” is? It’s really valuable if someone knows how to give a good, proper massage. I have one of those massage eggs—my husband uses it to give me the occasional “gentle rub” every now and then. It feels good in the moment, though I’m not sure if it’s always done correctly. I got massage gift certificates for my birthday—6 manual massages and 2 Thai massages. I’ll use them after the bathroom renovation; I’m already looking forward to it.

I’m sure I’ll have something to show you again this weekend.

Have a great Friday!

Andrea, I really like your cats. Are they crocheted in the usual way? The idea with the fringes is great. No need to weave in the ends. I’m thrilled.

Sonja, your hat reminds me of a little ladybug. It also looks really soft and cozy. Your godchild is going to be so happy.

I’m working on a new collar, and so far I really like how it’s turning out. Now my grandson gets to try it on to see if it’s suitable for children, too.

Have a sunny day—work is calling me for now........

a-mano Thanks for your help, but I should read the pattern properly and work precisely.
I’m still practicing the cast-on and side edge; everything keeps twisting... but it’ll come together if you read properly and follow the pattern exactly 😋.
It’s like cooking/baking: my daughter keeps saying, “You don’t need to complain when something doesn’t turn out right if you cook ‘by feel’! That’s what recipes are for.” 

I see so many great things here again.

My shawl has grown a little bit more.

Marion, your glove made from sock yarn looks great. I really like the yarn, too. A really great color combination. I’d already had the idea of knitting gloves using double-face knitting. They’d have to be really warm. Maybe I’ll give that a try. I’m already itching to knit something with double-face again.

Andrea, you make such amazing things—wow!! Is that a placemat with the cat motif? It looks absolutely fantastic! How did you make it? It reminds me a little of Ina’s blanket, where a row is always crocheted (or knitted) and the threads are left on the outside as fringes. In any case, it’s a very pretty design with the cats. I could imagine something like that in double-face too.
Your tunic also looks promising and seems easy to recreate. Great!

Sonja, thanks for sharing. The gift for your daughter is truly extraordinary and is sure to be a delight for anyone who loves ballet.

Ines, we both learned the “Dorn Method,” as it’s called, in person from Dieter Dorn, its “discoverer,” after my husband—who was suffering from severe sciatica—couldn’t move for four weeks and was able to return to work after just one treatment with a Dorn therapist. It still fascinates us because it’s so simple and logical. You can Google it. There’s quite a bit of information out there. If you’d like, I can send you a private message about it. After a treatment, the vertebrae are back where they’re supposed to be. We’ve relied on it time and again over the past 20 years and are so grateful for it.

Marlene, your shawl looks really great now, especially the color combination.

Last summer, I also knitted a shawl with a cable pattern in the middle. I still haven’t gotten around to writing the pattern for it yet. Other things have taken priority so far.

Moni - thanks :)
I’ve got a few ideas in my head again.
Let’s see which of them I’ll put into practice.

Hello, all you hardworking knitting and crochet friends,
hello, sweethearts,

First of all, thank you so much for the feedback. This is crocheted using single crochet stitches; the colorful yarn is practically crocheted right in, and you don’t need to weave in any ends—those will become the fringes later.
Exactly, tapestry technique.
I don’t know yet what I’ll use it for. I wanted to hang it on the wall, but then the fringes would have to be at the bottom.
It’s actually too nice to use as a placemat, but it’s sturdy enough. We’ll see. Now that I know how to do it, I can experiment with embroidery patterns as templates

Monika, exactly, like with Ina’s blanket with the threads as fringes.
I’d never heard of Dorn therapy either. Learned something new again. It definitely has its advantages when someone in the family can do that, like your husband.
I know that thing with pressing those cones on certain points from videos by Lie... and Pra....
I used to go for massages and acupuncture before कोरोना, and it did me a lot of good.
There’s definitely something to it.

a-mano, the hat looks great. It reminds me of a ladybug too. For younger children, I could also imagine adding "antennae" to it. I like it.

Wollefaden. The glove has beautiful colors. I could also imagine it as a sock. Unfortunately, I’m not really into knitting socks. The main thing is that it keeps you warm, and I hope your hand gets better soon.

Well then, I’ll get back to crocheting my tunic, but first I’ll have a cup of coffee when my husband gets home from work.

until then
lg Andrea

Andrea, I really like your doily with the cat motif too; the tunic already looks good. I'm excited to see how it looks in the end. 

Sonja, your bookmark is really funny, but it turned out nicely.

Marlene, you've been busy again too. I only just noticed that your pattern has several cables.
I really like the color.

I don't have anything new to show yet; I still need to decide what to choose as my next project. ,
I wish you all a lovely weekend.

Oh oh, it’s so easy to fall behind here. You’re all so, so hardworking! And so many beautiful things have been created.

@Ines
I really like your candle rings with the incorporated beads and curls. Little eye-catchers that bring a smile to your face. By the way, I also have the real names next to the nicknames here on my pinboard ;-)

@Sandra
The little dragon is absolutely adorable. I mean, it’s a dragon and it’s supposed to be scary, but I think it’s more of a cuddly little thing—it’s still a baby dragon, after all. I’m sure it can’t even breathe fire yet. It looks like a lot of work and dedication went into it. I’d keep that one at home, too.

@Marion
I’m also amazed that you can do Tunisian crochet in the round. But you must know, since you’ve tried it successfully. And even with a thumb gusset and cuff. It turned out very nice and is surely nice and warm, too.

The glove for the bandaged hand is genius! If I’d broken my wrist in the winter, I would’ve needed one just like that. You’d think everything’s wrapped up thickly, but the little fingers just stick out and get cold. Good thing you knitted it beforehand. Maybe medical supply stores should start carrying products like this.

@Andrea
It was definitely worth sticking with that little kitty blanket. It looks great—both the design and the colors. It’s a real showstopper. If you put it on the coffee table with a small, transparent bowl of cookies on top, you could enjoy both. Every (female) visitor is guaranteed to smile and comment on it. Or you could turn it into a small pillow. Use a solid-colored square for the back, then stuff it and crochet the sides together. The fringes catch on things. If you arrange it with other solid-colored pillows, it’ll definitely look great.

Your tunic is looking good already. It’ll definitely be finished by spring, when it gets warmer. Let’s see how it turns out in the end. Do the colors suit you? Probably yes—otherwise you wouldn’t have chosen them.

@Sonja
Your godchild will surely love the new red-and-black beanie. I do, too. It reminds me of a ladybug, too :-)

The bookmark is definitely original—very delicate and perfect for little ballerinas. It wouldn’t work as a bookmark for me, though, because you’d have to be able to slip it into a book, and it’s too thick for that. But as a decoration on a gift, it’s both pretty and funny.

@Christina
You’ve got plenty of cuddly company. Sooo many little bears that make your home cozy. It’s good that in real life they sit around in small groups—that way you can group them together and don’t have to look at them all at once. Sometimes one here, sometimes a little group there—that’s nice for visitors and, of course, for you.

@Marlene
Your shawl is getting more and more beautiful. Now that more color is coming into play, it’s certainly more fun and keeps you motivated. We’re still excited to see how it turns out.

@Monika
Good thing the witch only grazed you—a warning shot, so to speak. Sometimes you just get a little carried away; that’s part of it. All this snow just lets us become kids again—we switch off our brains and just do whatever comes to mind without thinking it through first. But you’ve got the best “first aid” in the house anyone could imagine :-)

**************
I’m still in the middle of tidying up, but my enthusiasm is waning. Now I’ve also decided to buy a new camera this year. There are endless options, and I need to do some research to figure out which model is best for me. My current one is already 7 years old and is showing more and more signs of wear—or maybe my expectations have just grown.

As for crafts, I’m currently crocheting a few appliqués for my grandchildren’s felt slippers. It’s all very small and miniature. Well, it’s not really my thing, but it has to be done. I admire people who enjoy doing this kind of fiddly work. 

My temperature blanket isn’t ready to show off yet, since I’m only allowed to work one row a day. This project is definitely testing my patience. But on the side, so many other ideas are already swirling around in my head. They’ll have to sort themselves out first, though. Until then, I’ll just keep tidying up.

I hope you continue to enjoy your creative projects.
Warm regards, Ina

Yes, Ina, I’m already proud of my glove without a thumb.

A few years ago, my husband had a thick bandage on his hand for 6 weeks. That’s when I came up with the idea for the glove. He couldn’t wear any others. I even knitted him one that can fold over at the front, like market gloves.

Luckily, the day before the surgery, I remembered that I needed one like that too. Mine, however, doesn’t fold over. I had to keep my hand elevated, even at night. It’s cold in our bedroom, so I wore the glove in bed too,
My surgeon also said, when he saw it, that it was a great idea.

Marion, these are very narrow cables too.

Ina, after I had to start over, it’s going like clockwork now.



Crocheted potato with a face ...is still in the testing phase, and maybe I’d rather just make fried potatoes...it’s easier....Best regards

Hello everyone, the weekend is here! Finally (more) time for all the lovely things.

Dear Petra-Perle, your potato scares me a little. It could easily appear in a Brothers Grimm fairy tale; any moment now it will start talking and then someone will be put under a spell if they don't .... I think I'd prefer the fried potatoes after all :-)

Dear Marion, that idea with the glove for injured people is really clever! Good thing you thought of it just in time. You must have been under a lot of time pressure, since you wouldn't have been able to keep knitting it the next day.

I added appliqués to the second pair of felted house slippers for my grandson last night. The area on the shoes in shoe size 20 is very small, so only little motifs fit on them. Since we—well, I for him—always fold boats, I decided on maritime motifs this time. I crocheted the sailboats using a free pattern by Petra—and personalized them a little.

Oskar will be with us tomorrow because his parents have urgent appointments. We'll see what he says about them ... and first he has to discover them, of course. Since he's very tidy, his shoes are always in the shoe rack at home, so that should work out.

I wish you all a lovely weekend.
Best wishes, Ina

Oh, there’s already something new to discover again. 

Petra Perle, if the potato is still talking, oh dear, it scares me a little too, though I’ve often looked at your great ideas in the news; in this case, however, I’d rather go for fried potatoes too. 

Ina, the little felties for Oskar are enchanting, and if they’re waiting for him so nicely laid out, he’ll definitely find them. The little boats look so pretty on them. I’ve never felted before; maybe I still will.
Monika, I really need to look up that “Dorn” method with Mr. Google, thanks for the tip. 

Things are moving along very slowly for me at the moment; I’m tinkering around a bit, let’s see how far I get today. I still have to give my husband a hand; he’s taking down the old ceiling panels.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend 
Best wishes, Ines 

Petra Perle, how wonderful that you’re joining us here now! :)
I think your potato turned out great—and a little spooky at the same time. But definitely original.

Ina, you’ve done a really great job with Oskar’s shoes once again. They look fantastic with the crocheted sailboats on them. You even incorporated Oskar into the design. He’ll surely spot the shoes right away and happily put them on. From what I can see, Oskar already has quite a shoe collection (just like my granddaughters, by the way). ;-)

Ines, don’t overdo it, so the witch doesn’t get a chance to stop by again. ;-)
Getting back to the Dorn method. The “discoverer” is a farmer! And I learned it back then, so I can treat my husband that way. Since then, my scoliosis is a thing of the past, and we’ve always managed everything on our own. Mr. Gockel—funny name. :)

I’m already on the first sleeve of my sweater. The body is finished so far. I’ll post a photo tomorrow. Today I’m also going to start knitting some shoe insoles, which I’ll then felt. I noticed during my walk in the snow that my snow boots could use some. And another project is waiting—tomorrow I’ll start test knitting for a new project by Sonja. I’m not revealing what it is just yet. Let yourself be surprised.

Petra-Perle, I think your potato is creepy too. If it had colorful eyes and lips, it might look a bit friendlier, or would fried potatoes be better after all?

Ina, the shoes for Oskar turned out great again; you really have a knack for it. And they’re standing there so neatly too. Luckily, we have a big shoe cabinet that stays closed.

Monika, you’re making good progress again if your sweater has already grown so much. I hope you have fun test knitting; I always enjoy it.

This afternoon, I’ll keep working on my Tunisian crochet project. But first, I’m going for a walk. We finally got some snow too, and the sun is even shining today.

Have fun, whatever you’re up to.

Have a wonderful Sunday,
everyone—so many new creations have already come to life. It’s always a pleasure to admire your work.

Petra Perle , that potato with a face looks a little creepy. As Ina already said, it could be straight out of a fairy tale. It reminds me of those talking magic trees with faces—I could totally see that crocheted.

Ina , thank you, and thanks for your idea. So far, my cat blanket is sitting on top of my laptop.
The felted slippers for Oscar look so cute standing there on the shoe rack—totally adorable, those tiny little slippers next to the big shoes. With the colorful sailboats, he’ll learn to tell “left” and “right” right away. Great. He was surely happy about his new slippers at Grandma’s. I’d love to have grandchildren, too.

So keep up the good work, everyone. Let’s see if I can continue crocheting my tunic today—if no last-minute ideas pop up that I want to try out first.
But first, I’m having a latte macchiato, since the coffee machine is working again. The valve was broken.
I’ll check back in later. Take care,

Andrea

Marion, thank you. You’re just great! :-) I’m also enjoying test-knitting for Sonja. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to it today—I’ve put it off until tomorrow. Other things took priority.

Andrea, you haven’t shown us your beautiful pillow made from leftover yarn here yet. I just admired it in the gallery and in another thread.

My sweater is coming along, and it looks like I’ll be able to finish it in January. Here’s the current progress:



I also baked again today, and here’s the result. They’re Amerikaner pastries—I’m sure you know them. They usually have icing. I adapted them with chocolate coating, and this time I used gingerbread spice instead of grated lemon zest (for example). They taste sooo delicious, and I just couldn’t stop eating them this afternoon. I’ll post the recipe on the forum in the next few days. It’s one of my old recipes from my very private recipe book, and it can be adapted to any flavor you like.

Here’s a virtual sample:

Oh man, you’ve all made such great things again.

By the way, the dragon doesn’t have a name yet and is waiting to be given away. Anton’s friend has a birthday in June. I want to make a second one, and then Anton can choose one and Johann will get the other. 

Andrea: the cat item looks great. 

 Ina: the shoes for Oskar are really stylish. Was he happy with them?

Marion: the sweater looks great, and your Amerikaner pastries look really delicious.

I finished something today too. A gift for a coworker.

It’s me. Just popped in here for a quick look, and lo and behold, something new to marvel at.

Arni, your Woodstock looks so cute. I love Snoopy stories

Monika, oh, mmm, yummy, mini Amerikaner pastries. I always loved eating those in Germany. Of course, I’d definitely love to have your recipe so I can bake a little taste of home here. You can’t buy them anywhere around here—they don’t know them here. All the cakes and chocolates here are extremely sweet anyway. I’m going to virtually snag one right now. Sorry.
Your sweater’s almost done. It’s amazing how fast you can knit.

Well, good night, see you tomorrow

Andrea

Good morning, dear all.....

I wasn’t at the computer yesterday and, just like that, there’s already quite a bit to look at again....

Arni, that’s such a cute little rascal; your colleague will be delighted, and Anton’s little friend will certainly be happy to have a dragon like that too, so the two friends can have a wonderful time playing together.

Monika, I’m amazed at how fast you knit, and the sweater looks great again. I really like the colorful edge. But that speed.... I’m pretty quick with the needles myself, especially when I’ve really got my teeth into a piece, but you’re setting records, haha
Well, and what can I say: Amerikaner pastries—everyone here in the East knows them, and our bakery used to have them in several sizes too, at least that’s how I remember it from childhood. Later they probably had “standardized” sizes.... But with chocolate glaze, mmm....

I’ve also been clicking away a bit with my needles and finished a little spring greeting. Now I’m working on two bigger projects, one of which I threw into the corner yesterday; I just didn’t have the peace and quiet to figure it out. We’ll see—once I’ve taken care of everything today, I’ll get back to it.
But of course I’ll show you my spring greeting


Now, have a good start to the new week, everyone

Good morning—what a sweet spring greeting. A very pretty decoration—small but lovely. I just can’t bring myself to crochet such tiny figures. The snowdrops, sure, but not the little beetle. I admire you.

inse66 that’s a lovely greeting—here it’s thick with fog and freezing cold, no sign of spring; after all, it’s only January....

Yesterday I had to unpick my work again..... if you don’t read properly, that’s what happens..... 

Hi everyone

Monika, you really are fast. Your sweater is looking better and better. Your Amerikaner turned out great, too. Once I have your recipe, I’ll give it a try as well. I’ve baked some before too, from my cookbook. Let’s see if there’s a difference.

Sandra, your Woodstock looks great too; you’re getting better and better. I’m sure your coworker will love it.

Ines, I really like your spring greeting; it really does make you look forward to spring. Did you try Tunisian crochet in the round for that basket?

I’m still working on my Tunisian crochet. My husband wants gloves too; one of them is almost finished.

Marion, no, I didn’t do Tunisian crochet in the round; that will be for an Easter project. But I didn’t have that much yarn here, and the Tunisian full stitch in the round practically eats up the yarn, at least I think so, and with 2 skeins you have to crochet it that way too, so it wouldn’t have worked. I simply worked the stitches one row lower, which is very similar.

Bergli, yes, I’m also doing a lot of unraveling at the moment, but since I want to write a pattern for it, it has to be right. Well, my notes look the way you’d expect, too. Later I’ll keep tinkering and hope I can get the decreases and increases right.... It’s quite icy here too; we’re not used to that anymore.

Petra, those little crochet projects aren’t usually my thing either, I just gave it a try. I don’t always want to crochet such tiny things either; I always admire others for that

Hello everyone,
I hope you all had a lovely weekend and also a little time for crafting.

My grandson Oskar put on his new felted slippers right away. He’s always my test subject when it comes to putting things on by himself. Thanks to the heel loops, it works really well. Whether it’s the right or left shoe doesn’t matter to him at all—either way, it fits.





Yesterday, my temperature blanket had a colorful jump upward with 4 degrees above zero. Oskar wrapped the piece around his neck; he thinks it’s a scarf.



You all have made some really beautiful pieces!

Monika, you really are a very fast and hardworking knitter. The sweater is almost finished already and already looks very good. The colorful top part livens it up, and together with the blue, the sweater will certainly suit your type, too.

Your black-and-white cookies are making my mouth water. But they can’t tempt me, because as of today sweets are off the list for now. Well, all right, I want to reduce them. You know how it is with Christmas and its temptations... in January you first have to hit the emergency brake.

Sandra, I think it’s lovely that you want to make a second dragon too, so Anton can choose one and his friend Johann can get the other. That would be a really wonderful and special gift and would connect the two boys in a way, too. But it is quite a lot of work.

The Woodstock figure is something special too; your colleague surely enjoyed the little fellow. If she likes the series, then definitely.

Ines, your spring greeting is absolutely adorable. A real still life to look at. If that can’t lure spring here, I don’t know what can. It’s really lovely to look at: the little snowdrops, the butterfly, and especially the ladybug, which is taking another rest before its first big flight around the garden. It’s sitting there so relaxed and waiting for its turn. And its seat in the flowerpot is even crocheted by hand. You were very, very busy!

I wish all readers a lovely day.
Best wishes, Ina

Oh Sandra, another cute little dragon(?) again. Your friend will surely be delighted. I don’t know what a Woodstock is; to me it looks like a dragon.
You seem to have a thing for them, don’t you? Each one is cuter than the last. It’s a great idea for Anton and his friend to each get a dragon. They’ll definitely have fun playing with them.

Wow, Ines!! Your spring greeting is simply enchanting. That cute little beetle and the flowers—you’ve made them look so true to nature. It really makes you long for spring, even though it’s cold right now and there’s snow on the ground. 

Ina, your Oskar is such a sweetie. He’s clearly enjoying the shoes, and they really do look great with the little sailboats. Your temperature blanket could actually already fit Oskar as a scarf. He’s right about that.

As for my sweater, I mostly knit in the evenings. It’s actually growing pretty quickly. I don’t even realize that I knit so fast. ;-) The second sleeve is already in progress now too.

The recipe for the Amerikaner pastries is coming soon. Luckily, I froze half of them. They’re so tempting. I just love cake....

Have a lovely rest of your Monday1

Woodstock is from the Snoopy series. My coworker got a Snoopy for her birthday last year, and she was actually supposed to get a Woodstock for her birthday this year… well, now everything’s different, and next week we have to turn in our keys, and then the store will close for good.  And since we won’t be seeing each other anymore, I finished it up really quickly. Now I have to hurry up and finish the coasters for my other coworker. We all still have contracts until the end of March, and I thought I’d have more time… well.  

Ah, Sandra, now I get it. Snoopy was the clue. Yeah, of course I know Woodstock. You did a great job with that one. It’s really sad that so many stores have to close now. But chin up—better times are coming, and change can be a good thing, too. That’s how it’s always been in my life. I’ve been through quite a few rough patches.

I’ve also posted the recipe for Amerikaner here:
https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/forum/topic/137155/rezept-fuer-leckere-amerikaner-verschiedene-varianten

I hope you all have fun baking them.

Good morning......

Ina, the start of your temperature blanket already looks good, and of course it would be the right size as a scarf for Oskar. I had to zoom in because I’m crocheting this moss stitch right now too. I like it more and more, but the pattern really does eat up yarn.
Hmm, with my spring greeting I really do want to get a little taste of spring. I’m not a winter person, and right now it’s very stormy and snowy here, which means wrapping up really warm when I take our dog for a walk.

Monika, I’ll copy your Amerikaner, or rather the recipe, then. I can’t say yet when I’ll bake them, but the ingredients appeal to me. I also like using spelt flour. I bake my bread with it too, though I also add whole-grain rye.

Sandra, it’s really sad—you keep hearing that small shops have to close. Here in our little town, two are also currently considering whether they’ll reopen. One of them is my hairdresser—grrrrr, it’s a terrible time... still, chin up, things always move on somehow, and changes can also make you stronger.

Yesterday I just took it easy; I simply needed to. Now I’ll just see what I can get done today. I have more phone duty at the moment, haha. At least you can order from the DIY store by phone or online, and luckily we were smart enough to buy most of it in advance. Now we’re waiting for the bathtub, and then we can get started.

Have a lovely Tuesday, everyone, and get through the storm / snow safely

ines66, your spring greeting is very pretty and really makes me want to whip up something like that too. I love little, cute things like this@Ωt7
As you can see, my kitty is helping me write once again…

Christina, I’m glad if I’ve put you a little in the mood for spring and for working on such little things—your kitten, and for me it’s usually my grandson’s dog, a Mini Yorkie, who helps me while I write, haha.
Best regards, Ines

I hate crafting, but somehow I have to keep Anton busy 😃

Today we made a snowman lantern, and yesterday a parking garage out of toilet paper rolls and a cardboard box 

Tomorrow we're baking. I'm just not sure yet whether we'll try the New Year's pretzel or the American cookies

Hi Sandra, the snowman lantern turned out great! And I really like the garage, too! That’s a really good and practical idea for using up leftovers.  Anton is clearly having a blast playing with his new parking garage. Be glad that Anton enjoys crafting. It shows he has a creative imagination and loves DIY. That helps him develop and shapes him for the future.
Have lots of fun baking today and enjoy the delicious results!

Hello everyone,

Sandra, I think your snowman lantern is lovely, and the garage is also a great activity for Anton. I assume Anton is at home, and I think it’s especially nice when children are kept busy with crafting. It’s not easy for the little ones either, since they miss their friends, and this way they get a bit distracted and can then play with some of the things they made themselves afterward.

I’d like to quickly show you my tea light holder “From the Heart,” which spontaneously hopped off my needle last night
right now these small projects are bringing me a lot of joy, but my UFOs should slowly start getting finished too.

I hope you have a lovely day

Hi Ines, your cute tea light holders look really lovely. Am I seeing transparent beads crocheted into the points on the one on the left? Here’s a little spontaneous idea from me: I’d try threading a narrow white silk ribbon through the chain-stitch arches that connect to the round of single crochet stitches. The ends of the ribbon should hang down from the tip of the heart. Then tie a small bow and let the ends hang down a little longer. That would add a bit of extra decoration to the already beautiful tea light holder.

Best regards, Ina

Ina, that’s a great idea—I’ll have to try it. Let’s see if I still have some white or maybe pink ribbon in my stash. Yes, with beads—now that I know how to crochet them right in, I’m really into it at the moment.

Best regards, Ines

Sandra, your crafts with Anton turned out great. I’m sure he had a lot of fun with them.
Anton is definitely thrilled, as you can see in the photo.

Ines, your spontaneous evening project looks really nice again. And with the ribbon, as Ina suggests,
it’ll definitely look good too.


I’m still working on my gloves. I’ve taken a little break. i

Hello to all you hardworking crafters!

Ines, your heart-shaped tea light holders are a lovely idea, especially with Valentine’s Day just around the corner! With the ribbon based on Ina’s idea, they’re sure to look very elegant. And your spring decorations are enchanting—the set with the ladybug, butterfly, and snowdrop really gets you in the mood for spring :-)

Ina, these little felties for Oskar are soooo cute! I can totally believe he loves wearing them. Your temperature blanket is still tone-on-tone. At some point, we’ll get some real temperature drops—that’ll be exciting (I just remembered the day before our church wedding; it was pure sunshine and 29 degrees—one day later, on our wedding day, it was 10 degrees and pouring rain... :-) ) I really love following your project and am always happy to see your progress. Let’s see just how colorful the rest of the year turns out to be :-)

Sandra, I totally get where you’re coming from—I’m not really into crafts either (or rather, I prefer doing them alone). But Anton is definitely enjoying it, and the result turned out great. We still see plenty of those “artworks” (often oversized) made from toilet paper rolls and/or paper glued together in meter-long strips.

A few days ago, I finally finished my second sock—here’s the photo of me wearing them :-) 



Since I knitted them a little too wide, they’re wonderfully comfortable :-) Just a bit slippery—I definitely need some kind of anti-slip treatment. Can you recommend anything specific? I’d be very grateful for any good tips :-)

Right now I’m working on a little gift pouch—another doubleface project :-)

Have a lovely afternoon, everyone! Warm regards, Sonja

Have a nice afternoon, 

I’m only making slow progress on my tunic. In my eagerness, I crocheted the wrong sides together and first had to rip it out. 
At one point, I couldn’t continue for a short while, but thanks to the quick help, that wasn’t a problem. 
Then I also have a C2C project in the works that is supposed to become a tablecloth. How far I get with it depends on my leftover yarn. We’ll see.

Oh Andrea, your tunic looks really great with that black border! At first I thought the colors were a bit boring—they lacked some pizzazz. But now it looks fantastic! Plus, the black in the middle has a slimming effect. You certainly don’t need to worry about it, but it certainly can’t hurt. It’s a bummer that you had to rip out a section again, but with crochet stitches, it’s still easy to fix.

Your C2C tablecloth looks like the result of a lot of hard work—just the right project for the long winters in Norway. Hopefully you have enough yarn.

Sonja, your new socks look wonderfully warm, colorful, and cozy. To make the soles non-slip, you could coat them with latex. I always use that for my felted items, and it doesn’t wash off even in the washing machine. You can find it on e.ay in various bottle sizes.



I was just picturing your wedding with that sudden drop in temperature. Well, you really need a lot of butterflies in your stomach to be able to smile through 10 degrees and rain. But that’s the kind of thing that sticks in your memory.

I wish everyone a lovely afternoon. Ina

Wow, there’s a lot going on here again—how wonderful!

Sandra, I also think it’s great that Anton enjoys crafting. Creativity is always a good thing. And I think your craft projects—made from whatever you had lying around the house—turned out especially well. The lantern—wow! Very original. And the parking garage—such a fantastic idea! I’ll have to share that with my son. Who came up with that? By the way, my son had a rug like that too, and it was his favorite toy back then. He even built his Legos on it, and the roads were sort of complemented by structures—including bridges. Maybe that would be another idea for Anton.

Ines, that’s another one of your spontaneous, great ideas. The tea lights would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. Something small like that is quick to make and always a joy to give as a gift. I think they’re perfect even without the ribbon—with beads. But I’m curious to see how they’ll look once they’re finished.

Sonja, your socks look amazing! I love the pattern, too. You did a great job with them, and they’re actually the first ones you’ve ever knitted. 

Andrea, your tablecloth is turning out really pretty. I already like it—the colors too. It looks like you don’t have much left to do. You’ll easily finish by the end of the month. And your tunic is almost done. It’s a really chic piece and it’s in my favorite colors too.

I’ll be finished with my sweater soon—I just need to finish knitting the second sleeve. I’ll post a photo once I’m done.

But I still have something to show you. I got to test-knit a little new DF project for Sonja. It’s an egg cozy, and it looks really cute—here are both sides in the photos. Underneath is an egg cup with an egg in it. So it fits perfectly.

Ina, thanks for the tip about washable latex. I’ve never tried that before—I always thought it would dissolve. Is that just the case with your latex, or is it generally true?

Sonja: Anton got some Filzies from a friend, and I ordered Sockstop from Bu....nette for them. That works really well, too.

Monika: I got the idea online... just Google “parking garage made from toilet paper rolls”... you’ll find some really great works of art there.

Today we made a kite out of pipe cleaners and baked chocolate rolls (recipe from Marion’s Brezel). 

The coasters for my coworker are finished.

So much has happened here again.

Arni, those coasters for your coworker look really fun. Thumbs up—great

job! I used to do a lot of crafts with my kids, too. You can find so much online these days. But back then, it wasn’t like that yet—we had lots of craft books. Now you can also print out coloring pages and color them in. Or make a memory game (by gluing simple symbols onto cardboard), or make little school cones, or fold paper airplanes out of origami paper...
I still enjoy crafting today. But there aren’t any occasions to use up my leftover materials.

Monika, those egg cozies look so cute. They look so tiny, but they fit. It’s a nice change from those figures.
As for my tablecloth, I still have quite a bit of crocheting to do. So far, it’s only about half the intended length. I still have some leftover yarn cakes, but the colors don’t really match—oh well. I’m going to crochet up everything I have now. (Yarn diet)

Ina, that made me laugh—about black being slimming. Actually, the black was supposed to come at the end of the lower part, but I didn’t quite have enough yarn for the top part, so I had to start the second skein. And the yarn from the center started out bright red, which somehow didn’t really go with the dark purple. Oh well. I don’t even know yet what the whole thing will look like in the end. Let’s wait and see.

Okay, then I’m going to crochet a few more rows on my tunic. I had a little project in between. Every now and then I have to switch from a thin crochet hook to a thicker one.

Have a nice evening,

Andrea