February Projects 2021, Part 2: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group

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March Projects 2021: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group (No Advertising)


Dear users, dear authors,
so here is Part 2.
You can read the earlier posts at the link:
February Projects + January Projects 2021, Part 4: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group (No Advertising)

Thanks, Sandra, but your egg cups are also very cute—especially since, as we all know, the little things do tend to take a bit of time.

Ines, your glass looks just right—beautiful colors. Is that going in your new bathroom?

I’ve finished my test piece in the meantime, but I can’t show a picture yet. I can tell you, though, that it’s something for my little Max. 

Yes, Marion, that’s for the new bathroom :), glad you like it.

Now I’m curious to see what new thing your little Max is getting again.

I’m stuck just watching today—drywall work; I can’t really help with that as a woman, oh well… we’ve got sunshine, so I’ll grab my little dog and see what the woods look like; for now, we’re just glad it’s stopped snowing.
I can only work on my crafts in the evenings right now, so it’ll be a little while before I show you anything again.

Have a lovely day, everyone

I can already show you my latest project. I crocheted this from some really old diet yarn (fluffy yarn), and I really like it. Mäxchen is happy to have gotten such a warm sleeping bag. He can really use it in this cold weather.

 

Marion, your little Mäx is definitely cozy in his warm sleeping bag—at least that’s what it looks like. It turned out beautifully; it just goes to show what Dlätwolle is good for sometimes.

Brrr... it’s freezing out there. I just cleared a bit of our driveway, so now I need to warm up first.
I’ll continue working on the police officer today—my husband wants him to be true to detail, haha, so he’ll just have to model for me :)

That’s lovely, Marion, how you’ve bundled up your little Mäx. With this weather, he definitely needs a warm sleeping bag like that.
We don’t have quite as much snow here (though there’s more further up), but it’s freezing cold. It definitely felt like -20 degrees, but at least we had some sun.

I can totally relate to you guys shoveling snow, and it makes me smile a little, too.
Spring is definitely on its way.

So cute, your third egg cup, Sandra.

Ines, you’ll surely be happy when you move into and start enjoying your new bathroom. That’s when your newly crocheted candle holder will make its debut—so beautiful. I can’t even bear to think about having contractors in the house this spring. We’re getting new skylights installed in the loft... Luckily, it’s still winter. ;-)

Marion, your little Max looks absolutely adorable in that new sleeping bag. As you can see, he’s really comfortable in it and is already fast asleep. I really like the color combination, too.

Tomorrow I’ll be able to show you the little Easter bag. It’s almost done. I’ll work on the last few rows tonight. It already looks really pretty.

My next project, which is still in the planning stages, will be a little baby dress for my little star. Using this pattern, I’ll then knit a larger baby dress, and my two granddaughters will each get one, too. The little one will be the prototype, so to speak—at least as far as the shape goes. I’m letting myself be surprised by how it turns out.

Have a lovely evening, everyone, with your knitting needles and cozy yarn.

If you don’t keep up with this every day, you’ll hardly have a chance to catch up :-)

You’ve made so many cute egg cups, Sandra! And didn’t you just finish your second dragon? I admired that one, too.

Ines, the look on your bunny’s face practically invites you to virtually toss a few Easter eggs into the empty basket—so he doesn’t look so desperate anymore... You really nailed that expression!

Marion and Monika, with the freezing cold, your little stars and Mäxchen are surely very happy that they’ve now gotten such a pretty, cozy sleeping bag. 

Christina, what exactly do you do at school? Do you help the students with crafts? Are you doing this as a classroom assistant or as a volunteer? I imagine that’s a really wonderful thing to do—being able to share your own beloved hobby with children and teens.

Ina, personally, I think it’s a real shame that double-faced knitting didn’t win you over. But you should actually be glad—just imagine if, on top of all your many ideas and projects, you’d now have a double-face knitting addiction to deal with…! It’s also nice that we’re all so unique here, yet at the same time have so much in common.

Yes, I couldn’t have asked for a better test knitter than Monika. I can barely keep up ;-) While I’m still finishing up the second Easter bag, my thoughts are already circling back to the next project. But actually, I’d planned to do a little reading in the evening again—I’ve been neglecting that way too much lately.

I wish you all a cozy, relaxing evening! 

Marion: The sleeping bag looks great.

So, my 4th egg cup is finished. The first boy 

Wow, I’m so glad that you all like Mäxchen’s
sleeping bag too.
Thank you, Monika, for having such a lovely idea again.

Sandra, your egg cups are getting prettier and prettier. They really put you in a good mood at breakfast.

This morning I shoveled snow too; it was really nice.

Hello everyone,

I’m still just a “spectator” in the bathroom... even though I do love to keep things moving along. Well, now I’m sitting here writing first; after that I still have to organize something.

Sandra, the egg cups are getting prettier and prettier, this time a boy; it really makes you want a colorfully set breakfast table.

Monika, I’ll be making more than three crosses when we’re finished... With these temperatures, we’re really noticing the still-unfinished “shell”, but after that I’ll be able to enjoy it. I don’t envy anyone who’s renovating or extending. Replacing windows is a bit like that too, although it’s quite straightforward these days; there’s still dust and work involved.

Sonja, I think the bunny’s look is because of those cartoon eyes; it gives the whole thing a bit of melancholy :) It’ll be better once the treats are inside. Maybe I’ll take another little picture of it, but I have a man with a sweet tooth in the house who’ll gobble everything up pretty quickly.

Sandra, your chickens—and now the rooster—are just so cute! I can totally picture Anton playing with them. They’re practically begging to be played with.

Marion, I’d love to thank you for testing the pattern. Your finished piece really stands out.

I’m going to finish knitting the Easter bag today and hope I can take a photo while it’s still light out.

Sonja, you’ll definitely show yours off first, right? And what you haven’t shown here at all is the new hat. I think that’s great, too.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Sandra, the fourth egg cozy turned out great too. Looks like there’ll soon be a really cheerful family sitting on the table—and surely around the table too :-) 

My second little bag is finished now. It’s snowing here and I’ve had the lights on since noon, so for now there are only quick phone snapshots. The pattern goes all the way around; in the first picture I tried to arrange both little bags so you can imagine the complete picture.




Oh yes, and my hat—there’s a story behind it. I’ve been wanting to knit my husband another double-face hat for a long time. Unfortunately he isn’t as fond of motifs as I am, to put it mildly :-) He likes things plain. But I find plain boring to knit—you see my problem, right? For his upcoming birthday, I’ve now come up with a hat that is—hopefully—plain enough for him, while still giving me a bit of joy while knitting. Since it’s meant to be a surprise, I always had to knit in secret, which isn’t exactly easy in times of working from home... With all that sneaking around, I obviously didn’t even mention a word about it here... Now it’s finished, my fashion-grump hat :-)



I hope my husband will like it. Of course, I’ll also tell him what I officially named it when I give him the gift :-)

Wishing you all a lovely afternoon that’s not too cold!

Good afternoon, you hardworking crafters!

Thank you so much, Andrea, for your detailed answers to my questions. That really helps me understand everything. It’s a shame your tunic is on hold for now, but I’m sure you’ll eventually come across the right yarn to finish it—or you might change it again since it’s too big for you. But it would have looked great on you.

Ines, your crocheted-design scented candle jar is very decorative, especially with the color-coordinated bow. You could hardly find a prettier one in stores. It’s just the right little gem for your new bathroom. I think the bulbous shape of the jar makes the whole thing especially beautiful.

Sandra , you’ve finished four egg cups by now—and each one is prettier than the last. And each one is different—I think that’s great. Things won’t get boring at the breakfast table, and everyone will have their favorite.

Marion, your sleeping bag for Mäxchen is absolutely enchanting. He feels cozy in it, and you used up your leftover yarn. A good deal.

Sonja , yes, secretly I’m also glad that the DB bug hasn’t bitten me—that way I have more time for other things. There’s never a shortage of ideas. And I also think it’s nice that everyone has their own special preferences when it comes to crafts. That way, I can continue to admire your DB creations. To me, you’re the Double-Face Queen! I love your work, but I don’t have to be able to do everything.

************
In the meantime, I ’ve started knitting a cardigan for myself. It’s always pretty chilly in my room when it’s below freezing outside. That’s because of two exterior walls, one of which is a large sloped ceiling. So I really need a nice, warm cardigan! I rummaged through my stash of “good yarn” and found a few skeins of Noro yarn. It won’t be enough, but I’ll just add something else at the end. I quickly knitted the gauge swatch…
and then I couldn’t find that thing for counting stitches. So I quickly made one on the computer.



We had gorgeous winter weather here today, too, and we went for a walk. But now it’s time to get those knitting needles clacking away. I hope you all have a relaxing afternoon and evening.

Warm regards, Ina

Hi everyone,

wow Sonja, your Easter bags look absolutely adorable. I’d love to just snatch them right out of the forum. So cute.
I can’t quite pull that off yet.
I’m already excited to see Monika’s results. They’ll surely look just like the original. She’s practically a pro, just like you.

That new hat for your husband is really something to be proud of. I mean, if your husband doesn’t like it, then I don’t know what will. It’s got a little pattern but is still understated—I definitely like it, even though I’m not really a hat person myself.

Well then, happy crafting!

Oh, you’re all so hard at work!

Sandra, your chicken-shaped egg cups are truly enchanting. Unfortunately, nobody in our household eats eggs for breakfast. But they can also be used as table decorations.

Sonja, I also really love the Easter bags. You’ve really struck a chord with your double-faced projects. These are all such wonderful ideas!

Here in the south, we’ve had a bit of snow too, though it’s more like wet snow and nothing compared to the massive amounts that fell in the north. In any case, the weather makes you want to stay home. So I’ve made myself comfortable with a few carnival doughnuts and a cup of tea.

Oh wow, Ina, your cardigan already looks really cozy, and the colors are beautiful, too. Ombré yarn is always something special.
How did you manage to do that stitch-counting thing on the computer? Will you tell us? It looks really interesting.

Sonja, your Easter bags turned out super cute—just like everything you make. I’m just finishing up mine. Then I’ll weave in the ends and twist the cord. I’ll be able to show it to you tomorrow. It’s too dark to take pictures today. I chose just three colors for it, and I already think it’s very pretty. You’ll see. Yeah, it looks just like Sonja’s. :) I used thicker cotton for this, which made it a bit bigger and allowed me to knit it up using a circular needle.

Have a lovely evening, everyone! Everything here has turned beautifully white with snow.

Sonja: the little bags look really beautiful, and I really like the hat for your husband too. I'm not really a pattern type either

Ina: I already really like your cardigan too. I'm excited to see the result.

Well, No. 5 is finished, and before midnight 😂. Good night

Sonja, I absolutely MUST knit those Easter bunny pouches—they’re too cute! And I really like the “fashion-phobe” hat—my husband, who’s a total fashion-phobe, might even like it (shh, don’t tell anyone!)

Marion, your little Mäx is so lucky to have that cozy sleeping bag in such beautiful colors!

Ina, the yarn for your cardigan is gorgeous—those are my colors, too! I’ve never heard of this yarn with the rather unpleasant name—where is it from?

Sonja, you’ve chosen another beautiful design for your Easter bag. I really like the blue-and-white combination.
I’ll definitely give your “fashion-shy” hat a try—for my husband, in different colors. He also prefers “subtle patterns” like that. I already have the pattern—let’s see when I have time. I’ve never knitted DF before, but I’ll give it a try. If Monika managed it right away, it should work out for me too.

Ina, your new jacket is sure to turn out beautifully. I’d like those colors too—I’m curious to see what else you’ll add to it.

I’ve picked out a comfort blanket and am knitting away at it.

Today we have bright sunshine—there’s snow on the ground, but it’s freezing cold. We’re going to go for a walk at lunchtime anyway.

Hello everyone,

the sun is shining outside and I’m sitting here at the computer—but in my case, that’s what you call work :-)

Sonja , I really, really like the Easter bags, too. They’re just as beautiful as the previous designs. These ones feature Easter motifs and are therefore, of course, perfect for Easter. You can fill them with all kinds of candy or other little treasures to give as gifts. I like the turquoise-and-white one with the egg-yolk-yellow ribbon best. I find the colors more appealing for Easter or spring than the others.

The hat for your sweetheart turned out great, too. I totally understand that you’re not really into plain, patternless knitwear. But that’s just how men are: if they wear a hat at all, they want it to be as inconspicuous as possible. Well, I hope he likes the delicate pattern. In any case, his head will stay warm, and that’s what really counts in the end.

Sandra , No. 5 of your egg warmers turned out great, too. I can’t wait to see them all lined up in a row next to each other. Please be sure to take a photo like that. Then we’ll really be able to see how many different designs you’ve created.

Christina, Noro yarn was invented by a Japanese textile designer named Eisaku Noro. What makes it special is the colorful play of hues in every skein. I discovered it at my favorite knitting shop in Berlin (at Mr. U’s), which also carries lots of high-quality and beautiful hand-dyed yarns. And during a clearance sale, I once bought this remnant because I love green so much.

Monika, maybe you unconsciously inspired me to make my raglan cardigan with all your raglan sweaters :-) Tonight I’ll keep knitting on it. The upper part, up to where the underarms meet, is finished. I tried it on today—it was already nice and warm around the top.

I designed the counting frame on the computer. It’s not hard at all, since it only needs to be a 10 x 10 cm square as the cutout area. Then I added two precisely scaled rulers and made everything look a little nicer. The printable template is now available in my shop. The good thing is that I can now print one out whenever I need it—because I do tend to misplace them sometimes.

I hope you all have a lovely, sunny day.

Warm regards from Ina

Thank you, Ina, for your information. I think your idea with the counting frame is great - I often look for mine too!

Hello everyone,

it’s snowing again here, and I’ll probably have to shovel again whether I like it or not—there’s no helping it....

Sonja ,those Easter bags are so pretty—I especially like the blue/white one, and that hat would be perfect for my husband too. He doesn’t want to wear anything too flashy, but I guess that’s how a lot of people are :) I wonder if I’ll ever get around to trying double knitting????

Sandra, your egg cups are all beautiful, one after another, and you’re fast at crocheting too.

Ina, the idea of a counting frame is great—I’ve mostly measured and counted it out by hand so far, which is much more cumbersome .....I’ll keep that in mind. I do knit something now and then.
Your cardigan is sure to turn out beautiful; I really like the colors, although I’m currently on a yellow kick when it comes to my clothes, but it would go well with it :)

Right now I’m really lazy when it comes to needlework; it’s more because my arms feel heavy in the evening from shoveling every day, and then wiping the laminate flooring throughout the whole apartment every evening......but the end is in sight. My dear husband is tiling like the devil, so the installation can surely be done next week. Oh, I’ll be so happy.

I wish you a lovely rest of the day

Sandra, your chickens are a hit—each one cuter than the last. You must have a lot of fun with them at breakfast.

Marion, we also went for a long walk today in the snow and sunshine, even though it was pretty cold. It was great!
I’m sure you’ll get the hang of the DF—I’m convinced of it. Even if it takes a little practice at first. Hats are still the easiest to start with. And I really like the “Modemuffel” hat, too. Maybe I’ll knit it for my son next winter. He loves simple, understated styles, too. I think he’d really like it.

Ina, you always have such great and helpful ideas. That DIY counting frame is fantastic. I bought one once, and it’s always right by my side.
You’ve already made quite a bit of progress on your raglan jacket—if the top part is already finished. You’re a fast knitter, too. :-) When it’s all knit stitches, it goes by quickly.

Ines, I can totally relate to how excited you are for your renovation to finally be finished. It’s in sight now. And then you’ll have more time again for the nice things in life.

So, now I can show you my little Easter bag, too. I knitted it with thicker cotton yarn (yardage 100 m), which makes the whole thing quite a bit harder. But I have plenty of that in stock, and I really like the colors for this project. Mine is yellow-green with red around the edge. Here’s what it looks like from different angles:

 

Dear friends, first of all, a huge thank you for your wonderful feedback. It really makes me happy :-)

Reading through it, you’d think we all had the same husband—at least when it comes to his lack of fashion sense ;-)

Ina, your cardigan is turning out beautifully; you can already tell. And surely just the anticipation of such a great piece keeps you a little warm while you knit, right? That’s the tricky thing about attic rooms—chilly in winter, hot in summer, but still sooo cozy. I’m curious to see what you’ll pair it with in the end—surely something great, given your keen eye for colors.

Sandra, No. 5 is great too! From now on, you’ll have to eat a breakfast egg every day so those cute little guys can get to work.

Andrea, if teleportation worked just a little better, I’d love to send you a little bag :-) The Easter Bunny would definitely have a nice spot at your place! You’ve already reawakened your knitting muscles—maybe someday you’ll feel like giving it a real try yourself.

Marion, I’m so glad you want to try double-faced knitting! I think you’ll get the hang of it soon, too. It’s just a bit of a struggle at first until the two strands finally stay taut, but then—poof—suddenly it works. It’s really just a matter of technique—you have to find the version that works best for you from the different options. I’d be happy to help you when the time comes. And you’ve got a great motivator in Monika, too :-)

Ines, I can imagine you’re completely wiped out by the evening. Your house is really in the midst of an exceptional situation right now… It’s great that you have such a hardworking husband and that you two can do so much of the renovation yourselves. You’ll be able to enjoy the results all the more afterward!

Monika, thanks for showing us your beautiful Easter bunnies! It’s amazing how quickly you’ve become a Doubleface pro. Yes, it’s not quite as smooth to knit with cotton, but you’re right—the colors are perfect for it.

I wish you all a wonderful evening!

Monika: Your little bag looks really good, too.

No. 6 is finished as well... it’s the blue one on the far left. 🙂

Thank you, everyone, for the feedback on the Easter bunny pouch. :)
Sonja really did a beautiful job designing the motif again.

Sandra, your chickens are now sitting on the sofa just like they’re perched on a roost, looking forward to the eggs they can hide inside themselves. Unfortunately, the photo is so small that it’s hard to make them out clearly and compare them. Maybe you’d like to take another one. I think they turned out great. It’s something completely different.

So, I took some more individual photos. Now it’s easier to compare the egg cups. By the way, the pattern is from here, and it’s a great way to use up leftover yarn. We don’t actually eat eggs either. But I still wanted to have some nice egg cups for Easter. And then I want to dye a few eggs with Anton, and we’ll give them away along with the egg cups to friends at daycare 





Monika, your Easter bags are once again indistinguishable from the original, so great.....I’m really curious when and if you’ll come up with your own design someday, because you’re so good at double-face knitting, it’s bound to happen :)

Sandra, your chickens are each more beautiful than the last; it shows what lovely things you can create from leftovers.

Sonja, yes, do-it-yourself is the way to go, I have to say, we do a lot ourselves. If you hire a craftsperson every time, you’ll go broke....it’s also a lot of fun when you can say, we did that ourselves....so my husband really has a knack for tiling, and I’m the painter in the house, even though neither of us learned a trade.
I can wallpaper on Monday now, I’m already looking forward to that ......

Have a lovely Friday, everyone

Hi hi,

Monika, your DF Easter bags look amazing. The effect is incredible. I like them.

Ines, your egg warmers are getting prettier one after another. They really make you feel like spring.

I can show something again too, a leftover yarn project. It really lasted right down to the very last stitch. I only had this one ball of yarn, not even quite 50 g. The handles are made from another leftover.
The ball of yarn looks so unassuming, and then while crocheting, the wow
effect
My question: I wanted to sew this flower on too—on the side or in the middle, or leave it off completely? What do you think?

Hello my dears,

the sun is already smiling down from the sky again and calling us outside. I’ll follow it in a moment, but first a few lines here.

Monika, I like your little gift bags too. But I like Sonja’s better, because her softer yarn supports double knitting more. With softer yarn, the motifs are embedded more gently and the color transitions blur more. Cotton just gives it a rather stricter look, and it looks more “grid-like.” But that’s just my personal opinion. Your little Easter bag is definitely beautiful and also something very special for the person it’s given to.

Sandra, the 6 egg cup colleagues look absolutely charming. That will make for a cheerful hello at the breakfast table, or with Anton’s daycare teachers or friends. Anyone who receives something like that as a gift will instantly be in a good mood. It’s actually a shame that they’ll have to part ways at some point, because I like them best together. They lined up once more for the vote for the prettiest one:



Yesterday, during the long TV evening, I kept knitting on my cardigan. By now I’ve decided that I like the left side of the cardigan better than the right. So this will be on the outside later. My guess is that the yarn won’t be enough for the sleeves anymore ... we’ll see how far I get. It’s already nice and warm.

I wish you all a pleasant Friday.

Best wishes from Ina

I thought I could line up the six egg cup companions side by side and make them a bit bigger, but that didn’t work out.

But then Andrea's bag got added as well. Really lovely, fresh and colorful - and made from just one skein of yarn. The lovely pattern goes well with the colorful yarn and creates a beautiful effect. I think the bag is perfect without the flower. The flower would simply be too much on the colorful bag. Just save the flower for another project.

Best regards, Ina

Monika, your Easter bag turned out wonderfully again—the bunny motif is so pretty. I’m looking
forward to seeing what you’ll be working on next.

Sandra, your flock of chickens turned out just great—they’d make perfect decorations, gifts, or even something for the breakfast table.

Ines, have fun wallpapering soon. I’m glad everything worked out so well.

Andrea, your “wow” effect looks great. Those are beautiful, bold colors. I’d leave out the flower—personally, I don’t think the soft pink goes with it, since you’ve already used red buttons. I’d even swap those out for blue ones.

A flower might work, but only in a color that’s already in the colorful skein.  

A quick update from me.

Ina, your jacket has really come along quickly—it’s getting more and more beautiful. I also really like your decision to use the left side as the outer side.

I’m going to get some fresh air again today, because the sun is already shining so beautifully here. Then I’ll get back to knitting.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Ines , thanks for the feedback! :) You’ll laugh—I’m already working on a design, but I’m realizing it’s not that easy. Sonja is a true artist. There’s a ton of work that goes into just the ideas and the execution alone. The actual knitting is the least of it with the DF.
Wallpapering! Oh no, those are the kinds of chores I really don’t feel like doing at all. I do like painting, though—my husband, not so much. That’s why I took care of this one.

Sandra , your chicks are now clearly visible in the larger photos. Those are very nice Easter gifts; they’d look great on your table, too.

Andrea , thanks to you as well! :) Your bag looks aaaawesome! I’d place the flower on the side.
I still have a few skeins of that colorful yarn, too. I can see there’s a lot you can do with it.

Ina , I always thought I was fast. But you beat everyone. The jacket is almost done!
Thanks also for your feedback. Personally, I like the clearly visible transition created by the cotton in these figures. In terms of ease of knitting, I would have preferred to use acrylic or wool, but I didn’t have any stash left in colors that would have matched. So I ended up using “diet” cotton.

Marion , thanks to you too for your feedback! And enjoy your walk! :)

Have a wonderful winter day, everyone!

Andrea: The bag looks great and really brightens your day... but I’d leave out the flower.

Ina: You’re really fast—the cardigan looks great.

I’ve finished No. 7.



I think we’ll keep 4 egg cups and give the rest away.

Now, here’s another little playground anecdote😂.
Anton was on the swings today and shouted pretty loudly, “Mom, my penis is wiggling!” 😂😂😂

Good morning, everyone.....

Ina you are quick, it will surely be a lovely cardigan; at least what I can see so far looks good to me.

Andrea, your bag is beautiful, absolutely fine without the flower. For me it would be too delicate against all those bright colors, but that is my personal taste, and I think the beautiful flower will find its place somewhere else. But look what can come from yarn you don’t really like :)

Sandra, No. 7 is adorable again too; it surely won’t be easy to choose which one you want to keep..... yes, children sometimes come out with very sweet anecdotes. Back when our daughter was little, I could tell a few stories too.... she had a kindergarten friend, and later school friend, “Rudi”; she once said to his mother, well, Rudi can tidy up my room so nicely, is he gay .... oh dear, I was so embarrassed, especially since we never had such conversations in her presence, but TV probably teaches too, especially children’s vocabulary :) and today this Rudi is actually married to a man, and has become a lovable young man.

I was able to crochet a little yesterday, but there is nothing to show yet... coming soon

have a lovely weekend

Sandra, your number 7 is just as cute as the other 6.
Anton’s little story is really funny. Kids can blurt out such funny things—it leaves you speechless at first. I wonder what goes on in their heads sometimes. ;-)

I wish you all a wonderful weekend, too. 

I still have a top-down raglan sweater for Sternchen on my needles. Here’s what it looks like so far:

Monika: I like the yarn for that sweater. I’m curious to see what it looks like when it’s finished.

Number 8 has just hatched. 

A little something in between

Cute—what are you going to do with that?

How cute—what you’ve crocheted there! Sandra, your No. 8 is adorable.

And Andrea, those little sandals are just so cute. I just admired them in another thread. Do you want to give them away as keychains? I’m sure there are little dolls they’d fit. ;-)

I wish you all a wonderful rest of Valentine’s Day.

And here’s number 9 😃

Sandra, this is a great way to use up your leftover yarn. Your little ducklings are super cute. I could totally picture them scattered among flowers during Easter. 

   

Just finished: the outfit for my colleague’s doll. The sweater turned out a bit short—should I make it a little longer? The outfit with the short pants is already a bit older, and it doesn’t (yet) come with booties. By the way: I knitted the little shoes based on a baby pattern, simply adjusting the number of stitches.

 

Christina, that turned out really pretty. I like the colors, too. I’d leave it as is—it looks very cute.

Christina, that looks really nice—I’d leave it just the way it is.

Christina: I would leave it that way too. 

No chicken from me today. My husband ordered coasters for the living room table.

That was also a way to use up leftovers.  Both shades of gray are gone now. With the chickens, I also completely used up a total of 5 colors 😄... tomorrow there will probably be another chicken again 

Sandra, you’re really working hard on using up your yarn scraps right now. The coasters turned out beautifully.

I’ve finally finished something myself. I’ve been going for a lot of walks the last few days—the weather has been so nice.

The security blanket is also made from scraps.

Hello, dear friends,

It’s so exciting to see what you’ve conjured up again.

I immediately fell in love with Andrea’s little flip-flops. They make you long for summer. When you wear something like that on your keychain, you’re always in a good mood because it reminds you of summer. The turquoise-and-white one would be my favorite :-) Dear Andrea, your varied creativity lately is really contagious and makes me want to do my own crocheting and knitting. If we didn’t live so far apart, we would all meet up for a “craft circle” — there would be delicious cake and coffee, and we would let our needles click and laugh and chat.

Dear Sandra has made 3 more Sammy egg cozies in the meantime. I’m always missing the right term for them. Egg cozy is too boring for me. After all, the little fellows look so cheeky and mischievous.  You still need to come up with a fitting name for them. I’m already counting 9 different ones now, really wonderful and creative.

Your husband is doing well if he orders something woolly from you. Mine would never think of it. But nice, now you have coasters, and they’re also nicely neutral in color; otherwise the table would quickly get too colorful.

Dear Christina, the knitted doll outfit for your colleague’s doll is soooo enchanting. It really turned out so beautifully; doll moms big and small will fall in love with it.

A snuggle cloth made from leftovers is a lovely idea, and so beautifully done, too. Dear Marion, you did a very good job!

Dear Monika, the start of your little raglan sweater is already very nice to look at, too. I’m looking forward to seeing it when you show it finished. The little sweaters always look so cute — I like that.

***********

What is there to report from me?
I have finished knitting my cardigan . Now I just have to steam it and shape it a little. Since I can’t photograph myself, my dress form put it on for you. I always wear my cardigans open, so it doesn’t have buttons. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough yarn left for pockets. If I’d had more yarn, it would have gotten 2 pockets, and I would have knitted it 10 cm longer at the bottom. A different color or solid color simply didn’t match. So it will have to do as it is. In any case, it is very nice and warm and cozy.







Every day I crochet one row on my temperature blanket. But now the frosty time is over; starting today it will get more colorful again.



I uploaded the gauge counting frame as a free pattern. So if anyone needs it, here you go. Simply save it in the “Tools” folder on your PC and print it out when needed.

Then I also completely refurbished a pair of felted slippers for my brother. He had washed them and wondered why they were so small now. So off to me they came. I soaked them completely again, spun them, and stretched them over my size 44 shoe lasts. Yesterday I coated the soles with anti-slip, too — now they’re like new and he has warm feet again.



I wish you all a lovely day. Just one more day of clearing and shoveling snow today, and then spring will come. That’s why we absolutely have to take one more winter walk today. Tomorrow the white splendor will already be almost gone.

Best wishes from Ina

Marion: Your comfort blanket looks great. The giraffe has such a sweet expression.

Ina: The cardigan looks great even without pockets, and the blue of the felt shoes is awesome, too. It really pops.

My husband usually doesn’t order anything cozy either. 😂

His comment: they’re not pretty, but they’re practical. You can pull them across the table... they don’t break and they don’t damage the table.

Marion, that’s such a great comfort blanket. It’ll surely be a joy to give as a gift and will be loved dearly.

Sandra, you’ve been busy again. The coasters look great. I’m looking forward to the next chicken.
You can take your husband’s comment however you like… in any case, he’s practical.

Ina, it’s great that you were able to bring those felt shoes back to life. 
Please don’t ever say again that I’m a fast knitter. ;-) Because you outdo all of us here. The speed at which you finished your jacket is practically record-breaking. And it’s so long, too! On top of that, you’re still crocheting your temperature blanket and surely doing lots of other things as well. I really can’t keep up with you. 
Your jacket looks super cozy. That yarn must be a dream.
And thanks so much for the gauge. I’ve already made a note of it. If I ever misplace my counting frame, I’ll come back to it.

I just finished the little summer sweater for Sternchen—it matches her diaper.



Now I’m knitting a hat for Linja’s birthday. I’ll show it to you when it’s done. I just started a gauge swatch.



Have a wonderful day! The first starlings have just flown in here... :) Spring is on the horizon.

Monika, the hat for Linja is going to be a DB hat - that makes me very happy, and I’m already very excited to see what it will look like. Now you can use the new technique, and there are more and more possible applications for it. I think that’s especially great for a hat, because the yarn is doubled.

I also really like the little summer sweater for Sternchen. It’s soooo cute.

I wish you a lovely afternoon. It’s still winter here today ... here’s the view from my attic window: it’s hazy and water is dripping everywhere.

Ina, all I can say about your cardigan is: WOW! I’d love to jump right into it from here—it looks super cozy. I love the simplicity; it really lets this beautiful yarn shine. Now you’re perfectly dressed for your attic room. Hopefully it’ll stay cool for a little while longer ;-)

Marion, what a cute comfort blanket! Seeing this makes me a little sad that my kids are already past the comfort blanket stage. You’ve combined those leftover yarn scraps really well.

Monika, the sweater for Sternchen is absolutely charming. Spring can come now for her :-)

Andrea, your flip-flops are so cool! Did you crochet them free-form, or do you have patterns for them? As a keychain, like Ina already suggested, or as a gift tag, or just as a decoration—I think they’re really great. I’m just realizing how the excitement for summer is starting to take hold of me too :-)

Christina, I’ve already admired your wonderful doll set in the gallery—it turned out great and is just right. Does your Nala also steal finished knitted items? I recently had to rescue my wrist warmer from Lily—she’d already carried it off in her mouth; luckily, she didn’t make a hole in it...

Sandra, your husband’s comment had me laughing out loud. My husband is really trying hard these days to show me he’s interested in my work. It goes something like this: “Oh, what pretty thing are you crocheting now?” “I’m knitting.”

  Since it’s slowly getting warmer now, I actually didn’t want to start anything wintery anymore. But a few days ago, I had a spontaneous idea that just had to come out right away. Do you guys know that feeling? So my youngest daughter is getting another hat—luckily, heads don’t grow that fast at that age anymore. 



I hope you all have a lovely afternoon!

Sonja, I really have to laugh now. My husband always confuses crocheting with knitting, too. Even though I’ve explained the difference to him, he still says, “You’ve done a great job crocheting that again.” ;-) Yeah, yeah… our men. But he does know his way around screws and tools.

Your hat is so cute. Now I can finally see what it looks like knitted in wool. I’m already curious to see how it’ll turn out for me.

Yes, dear Ina, now you can already see Sonja’s hat pattern. I get to do a test knit again and I’m really looking forward to knitting this cute hat for Linja. She’ll definitely be happy. I’ve finished the swatch and will start on the hat tonight. Since Linja’s favorite color is blue, it’ll be light blue with dark blue. Luckily, I still have enough yarn in stock.

A rather feeble hello to everyone...

My goodness, there’s a lot going on here :)

You’ve all been very busy; I’m on day 3 of not getting anything done, I’m just too exhausted, BUT the end is now in sight, and starting next Tuesday I’ll be able to enjoy my new bathroom, and then I’ll really get back into my needlework.

But now, on to you all: I really like all of your projects...

Sandra’s chickens and the coasters are really perfect for using up scraps.

Ina, I’d take your cardigan right away; it’s exactly the kind of cut I like, I think that open style is lovely.

Christina, the doll outfit is very pretty; I’d leave it just the way it is.

Marion, the comforter turned out lovely; I think it’s a little different from the comforters I’ve seen so far.

Monika, you really are in love with DB, but yes, once you’ve got your teeth into something, you want to do it. The sweater for your little one turned out really well again too.

Sonja, that’s another pretty design for the hat.
Well, men and needlework—I think there are plenty who can’t tell the two techniques apart.

So, I’m going to wind down the evening now with my husband and a glass of wine; tomorrow will be very stressful again.
I wish you all a lovely evening.
Warm regards, Ines 

Ines, I hope you have a relaxing evening so you’ll be back in top form tomorrow. Looking forward to Tuesday will surely give you the stamina you need. And spring is already on the horizon.

Thanks for your kind comments about the cuddle cloth.
I liked it right away, too, when I discovered the pattern. It’s from Crazypatterns here.

Ina, you’re especially fast. Your jacket turned out beautifully; the yarn matches it perfectly. I really like the style, too.  I had no idea you could still save felt shoes once they’ve shrunk that much. Your brother will definitely be very happy about that.
Your temperature blanket looks lovely despite the cold temperatures; that will change very quickly now.
Your winter photo made me smile. If I’m seeing it correctly, do you live by a railway line?
Then I have almost the exact same view from my skylight.

Monika, your summer sweater, matching the diaper, turned out lovely again. The new hat for Linja is sure to be beautiful, too. Sonja has come up with another pretty pattern. 

Ines, I hope you’re feeling better again today so you can diligently keep working.

Ina, I’d snuggle right into your jacket too—it turned out beautifully!

Sonja, it’s really too bad—I don’t have a use for that cute little mouse hat, but maybe I’ll “borrow” the motif for something else someday (from the purchased pattern, of course!)
Nala is totally obsessed with balls of yarn and finished projects, and I have to work hard to get everything out of her reach as quickly as possible. Recently, she got her paws on a ball of yarn and tore it into at least three pieces, and it took me half an hour to wind a new ball—of course, the end of the yarn was very well hidden! But last night, I was able to knit in peace for the most part, and she lay curled up on my lap, purring contentedly. 

Ina, your jacket turned out absolutely beautiful, and you knitted it so quickly! You’re right—a different color would have just been distracting and made it look patchy. Just as it is, the jacket is very harmonious, and I really like the color combination.
My temperature blanket is (like yours) still very much in the frosty blue range, but it’s slowly starting to turn greener. I’m already looking forward to seeing the first hint of yellow. But the year is still pretty much just beginning, so we’ll have to be patient.

Monika, the sweater for Sternchen was finished in no time again and goes perfectly with the diaper. Candy colors aren’t really my thing, but I think they go well together here. 

I’m already excited to see the finished hat for Linja. Sonja has already shown us the pattern. That little mouse is really cute, Sonja! I wonder where you always get the ideas for your patterns!

In the meantime, I’ve crocheted another little (quick) project—a dish sponge:

I needed another finished project, since I’m making such slow progress on my long-term projects (the embroidery, the loop scarf, and the temperature blanket). With Easter not too far off, the little chick will soon be moving into my kitchen.

Hi everyone,
a little afternoon chat never hurts :-)

Dear Sonja , your DB hat for your youngest daughter already looks great. I think the pattern is really cool. It works for both boys and girls. Too bad I can’t do that. If I could, I would have knitted this pattern in boys’ colors for my grandson. Your colors—the salmon pink and the gray—go together very well; it doesn’t look cheesy, but rather classy.

Dear Monika , the same hat in light blue and dark blue for Linja will definitely turn out just as beautiful. It’s actually a shame that winter is almost over. But the hat grows with her a little bit. Maybe by next winter you’ll make one or two… other designs, then she’ll have plenty to choose from every day.

Dear Ines , you’re so hardworking. All of us here are just lifting a few grams of needles and yarn, but thanks to your renovation project, you’ve really become a hard worker. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel… and then you’ll finally be able to relax in the bathtub in your new bathroom—with lots of bubbles and a glass of sparkling wine :-) Once the calluses on your hands are gone, you can devote yourself fully to your crafts again. No more walls or floors waiting for your attention.

Dear Marion , no, I don’t live next to a railroad track. You probably assumed that because of the old-fashioned power poles with their accompanying power lines. Yes, we still have those around here; they power the streetlights.

Dear Ruth, I just had to include that cheerful Easter chick in there somewhere. These long-term projects just take time; there’s no sense of accomplishment from having finished something. The chick really lights up the room and puts you in a good mood. Little things like that are always nice, and they’re quick to finish.

I really should be working on the projects I’ve already started, but I just don’t feel like it right now. I need something new, something fresh. That’s why I went up to my yarn stash in the attic today and rummaged around for treasures. I unearthed two treasures and wound them up for now. But I don’t know yet what I’ll make with them. Still, I’ve wound them up for now. What would you make with them?

The green yarn (from Herzfasern, 100% virgin merino wool) is finer; it’s 1,200 meters per 200 grams.



And the orange-yellow-red yarn is sock-weight (Drachenwolle, hand-dyed, 75% virgin wool, 25% polyamide). I have 200 g with a total of 820 meters. 



Warm regards and have a lovely afternoon—Ina

Ruth, the chick turned out cute. That sponge yarn wouldn’t be my thing to work with. I need it to be cozy and soft. But a hand-crocheted sponge like that—it really has something special.

Christina, your Nala is so funny. She gave you a peaceful evening of knitting while purring on your lap. Now that’s quite an achievement.

Ina, that orange-yellow yarn is a dream. I have some similar yarn in my stash, too, but I’m not sure what to make with it right now. I’m sure you’ll have a great idea—or get one here.

Sonja: The hat already looks great

... I’m curious to see Monika’s version.

Ruth: The chick is so cute.

My No. 10 is finished. Now it’s time for something else 

Hi everyone,
you’ve all been so hard at work again. My new book is finally here—in English, though—and I got started right away. I’ve been crocheting with Jaerbo and Catania yarns. I’ve also added a few slippers to the mix. I’ll keep those for now and use them as bag charms or on my keychain.
My new crochet hooks (including ergonomic ones) arrived yesterday—I couldn’t get the hang of the others either. These ones have longer handles.

Here’s what things look like at our place today. I only crocheted a few small things today since my muscles are sore from shoveling snow.

Hi Andrea,

That’s great that you got the book. I see you’ve already tried something out. Your granny squares look good. I’m curious to see if you’ll make a blanket too and which pieces you’ll choose.

The little flip-flops look cute. You can always use little items like that, even as small gifts to bring along.
Have fun with your new needles.

Sandra, is your flock of chickens complete now?

I’ve started a c2c blanket; it’s going to be a gift.

Andrea: The granny squares look great.

Wow, you have a lot of snow—we don’t have any left here at all. Today it was 11 degrees.

Marion: Since I want to give away a few chickens, I actually planned to make 17. But now I’m taking a break from making chickens for a while. 

You guys are really hard at work! I need to motivate myself a bit right now: I’ve been in quarantine since yesterday (or rather, self-isolation), and today I had to get tested (two days after my first vaccine dose), all because the mother of one of my students caught a virus variant! Luckily, we live in a spacious house, and since my husband is usually in his office, I can still move around a bit between the guest room (sleeping and reading) and the office (working and eating).
Now I’m eagerly waiting for my colleague’s test result and, of course, really hoping it’s negative. 

My baby’s set is now complete with the shoes too; I’ll show it to you soon—it's just missing a small decoration (and the idea for it). Tonight I want to keep knitting on the sock so I can start something new soon.

oh dear Wollbaerli, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that it's a negative result and that you haven't caught anything despite the vaccination.
Here, it will still be a while before it's our turn to get vaccinated. This week it's the 80-year-olds' turn.
I'll be so relieved when we can return to normality again. Everything still has to be taken with caution. The only thing that helps is distraction with crafts.

Thank you very much for your feedback. Yes, crocheting little things in between is fun. You get quick results, but now I'm thinking about which granny square I'll crochet next, or maybe something completely different. We'll see.

Arni, Your chick parade looks great. It makes me look forward to Easter and spring, which are still a long way off here.
Ina, Your new balls of yarn look interesting. My favorite is the orange one. I haven't worked with virgin wool yet. What does it feel like? Can you crochet with it too? Virgin wool is hand wash only, right? How thin is it? I could imagine making a lace crochet scarf from the orange one, with lots of openwork pattern and still soft and cozy, I think.
Monika, Your summer sweater for Sternchen looks so sweet. I like that color gradient too. Summer can come now.

I wish you all a lovely evening

Thanks for your feedback.

Andrea, your granny squares look really pretty, just like everything else you crochet, including the flip-flops. What’s so different about the hook?
Luckily, the snow’s gone here and little flowers are starting to sprout everywhere.



Sandra, Chicken No. 10 is just as cute as all the others. Well, it’s going to be quite a clucking party over at your place. All that’s missing is the rooster. :-)

Marion, I’m also looking forward to seeing your blanket. You’re so tireless and always finding something new to work on.

I’m taking it a bit slow for now because I have other things to take care of. For example, I’m transferring everything from my 11-year-old computer to a newer one that my husband gave me. He inherited an almost-new one from our friend’s late husband. I’ve been working on it all day today—it’s really a lot of work.

At least I’ve knitted the hat high enough that the pattern is finished. It looks really cute with the little mouse. Now I’ll keep knitting upwards.

Monika, that blue hat looks really cute, too—I could even see it on a boy.

Hello, everyone...

Oh dear, Christina , I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the test is/was negative.....we’ve also had cases among our friends recently where someone caught something.

Andrea , your granny squares turned out lovely again—oh, you’re all so hardworking :)

Monika , the blue hat is also beautiful; you’re probably in a knitting race with Sonja, haha...I’m still amazed at how quickly you work with the DB—I already struggle just reading the pattern. Oh dear, moving the PC is such a hassle too; I hope you’ve made good progress.

Sandra, are the chicks all finished now? The parade kept growing day by day—they’re all so beautiful.

Ina , your yarn has such beautiful colors—I wouldn’t know what to use them for right away, but with your wealth of ideas, you’ll surely come up with something, and you’ll show us eventually what lovely thing you’ve made.

I’m starting to get withdrawal symptoms when it comes to crafts—today there’s a lot going on in the bathroom again, then various little tasks and the big cleanup. Oh, I’m sooo happy...I’ll post a picture next week—I’m really looking forward to showing you the results. Here, the sun has melted almost all the snow, and the first snowdrops are peeking out; even the winter aconites are starting to bloom. Oh, it’s so lovely when nature awakens—I just haven’t had a chance to snap a few photos yet.

Wishing you all a sunny Friday. Warm regards, Ines

Yes, Christina, that hat would look really cute on boys, too. I’m going to knit the same one again in red and white for Juna. There’s still time until next fall. But I’ll probably have it finished by her birthday in May. That way, both of them will have matching hats.

PC migration… it took until late at night just to get all the data onto the external hard drive. Now I’m already writing from the “new” one, but I still have to transfer all the data to it. And I’m busy sorting through and deleting things. For some reason, I also feel like decluttering everywhere and giving things away. I’ll be posting quite a few items on my swap platform.

Well, it really feels like spring. I’m going to drive over to the farmer just around the corner in a minute and bring back a few flowers. While I’m there, we’ll pick up our vegetables, too.

Ines, I’m really looking forward to seeing your new bathroom!

I wish you all a pleasant weekend and hope you’re all healthy—or will be soon.

I wish everyone here a lovely afternoon and a relaxing weekend.
We still have plenty of snow.

Monika, you wanted to know what’s different about the new crochet hooks.
For one thing, the handle is longer, so I think they fit better in your hand. My other ones are much thinner and shorter. I just couldn’t get the hang of the Addis.
The new ones in the case have a flatter handle—not round. I’m getting along just fine with them.
See the difference for yourselves

I’m so relieved: The test result is negative! Now I’m getting the urge to do some crafting again!

Andrea, those crochet hooks look great—I can’t get the hang of the Addis either; they’re too curved for me.

Oh yes, Andrea, that really does make a difference. It’s worth it for you—you crochet quite a lot. I get along just fine with mine. I have a bent one like that, too, and I like using it.

Christina, I’m happy for you. :)

So, I’ve now finished the blue hat and can show it to you. It looks cute from both sides. The dark blue yarn, however, is alpaca and has a slightly longer yardage. You can see that a little bit, but it’s not a big deal. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything else in my stash.

This is what it looks like now, and I hope it fits Linja.



Since I’m on a roll, I’ve decided to start the same red-and-white hat for Juna right away. I still have Drops Flora in both colors in my stash. I’m sure it’ll look great, too.

Have a wonderful Saturday evening!

Dear Christina, we’re all so happy for you! That’s such a huge relief.

All the items shown are so beautiful again :-) I’m especially taken with Andreas’s colorful little trinkets. I still think the little flip-flops make great keychains. You could even give them as a gift along with a travel voucher—as a hint, so to speak. Yes, someday we’ll be able to travel again!

I also think it’s great that you treated yourself to some new ergonomic crochet hooks. You really have to try them out and see what works for you. Then you’ll never want to use anything else. So every cloud has a silver lining.

I’d also like to congratulate Monika on her inherited new addition—a new PC means a lot of work. But after that, things usually go faster. When you’re tidying up, you find all sorts of treasures and only then realize what you’ve been up to over the last few years.

I put my colorful, thin yarns away again. I’d crocheted and knitted a few samples with them and realized that they still strain my wrists too much. My left one, which is still quite stiff from the fracture, just can’t keep up. With fine needles, you simply have to make much smaller movements, which is more taxing.

So I’ve switched back to thick yarn and knitting. I still had 150 g of a beautiful, colorful yarn that I’d used a few months ago to knit a hat and a scarf. That was the start of a new cardigan. Since my friend admired mine so much, I decided to knit one for her, too. I know she likes the colors because she’d already received the hat and scarf. But hers will have a shawl collar with a turn-down, so she can snuggle into it even more. Here’s the beginning:



And then another new project came my way. I came across a souvenir fan from a dance school on eBay. My former coworker and friend collects them. Yes, a very unusual hobby. She’s even created a website about it. Anyway, I bought one from 1910 at auction for a small price. It was so inexpensive because someone else had "restored" it incorrectly. So today I took it apart and will rethread it. This is what it looked like. You can’t even make out the painted floral motifs.



When the individual sections are arranged in the correct order, you can make out the motifs. Now, of course, I have to rethread the whole thing with a new ribbon, and my husband has to take care of the clasp.



I hope everyone has a lovely evening.
Warm regards from Ina

Ina, I really like the colors of the jacket for your friend. Those are the kind of colors my friend likes, too. You’ve made great progress again, and all while tending to the garden.
I’ve seen fans like that before, too. It looks pretty.

Things aren’t moving quite as fast for me right now. Now that I’ve finished the hat for Linja, I’m going to start on the one for Juna right away. It’s getting cool again, so both girls can try out their hats soon.

Good morning....

oh, all you hard workers......

Christina, I can really imagine how relieved you were when you saw the test results...

Andrea, I like your crochet hooks—they look like they’d feel really comfortable in your hand. I have a few different ones; so far, I’ve been getting along just fine with them. I actually have one just like the yellow and white one in your photo, but I don’t use it—I find it very difficult to work with. But if I read correctly, you had the same experience with it.

Monika, you’ve done a great job on the hat again, and now you’re making a second one. Yes, the temperatures are supposed to drop again, so your grandchildren will surely be happy to have the hats and will still be able to wear them.

Ina , you’re so quick, and the warm colors look great, too—your friend will surely love the jacket.
I admire your fan project—that’s definitely a project that requires a lot of patience. The fan itself is beautiful; years ago, I had a really big one hanging on the wall as decoration. It was one of those trends I just had to go along with, but the fan is long gone now.

Our bathroom is now finished except for the shower screen—that’s coming a bit later because of COVID. Everything else turned out beautifully; now it’s time to dust the entire apartment—haha, that’ll be my spring cleaning. Picture to follow......
What made me happy yesterday was that I was able to keep crocheting on the police officer, so I’m sure I’ll be able to show him off soon.

Now I wish you all a wonderful Sunday

Ines, I’m so happy for you about your bathroom. Tomorrow is Tuesday, so it should be completely finished by then, right? Well, if the shower screen is still missing, I’m sure you’ll manage just fine with a bathtub, I suppose. In any case, you can now get back to doing nicer things, like crafting.

My second hat is now taking shape. I think it’s really pretty in red and white. Here’s what it looks like from both sides. I had to take these pictures today while the sun was out.

Monika , that red-and-white hat is turning out really cute! Are you knitting it with pure wool? I’m always amazed at how fast you are… I haven’t been able to do as much crafting lately—Nala says hi. At least I wove in the ends on the test socks today and cast on another pair for my husband yesterday, since he likes them so much and there’s still some wool left. Then I finally started on the little head for the comfort blanket (Nala decided to take a long nap this afternoon, which gave me a chance to work with the yarn and needle.)

Ina , I also really love the colors of the new cardigan, and I admire you for your work on the fan!

Monika, your little mouse hats are so cute. Your granddaughters are going to be thrilled. 

Dear Petra and Christina, thanks for the feedback on the hat! :)
I think it’s really cute too, and I’m excited to see how it’s received. I especially like the red-and-white one.
Yes, it’s made of pure wool—a merino-alpaca blend. It’s great to knit with double-stranded yarn because it’s pretty thin, just like sock yarn. The blue one is just merino.
I’m not working that fast right now, but I’m making progress. ;-)

You’ve all created some amazing things again.

I’m still taking a break from the chicken project and have now made a bag.... If the pandemic allows, Anton is invited to a birthday party at the end of March. The birthday boy or girl wants an Elsa and Anna kindergarten friendship book, so I thought an Olaf bag would be a nice way to wrap it:

Hello everyone......

Monika, the red hat is also very beautiful; your grandchildren are sure to be very happy about it, and the yarn for the red/white hat sounds very cozy.

Sandra,the Olaf bag turned out really well, I think the idea of using it as packaging is great—something a bit different and really nicely done.

I had promised you a few pictures of the new bathroom and don’t want to keep them from you now. Except for the shower wall, everything is finished. It’s coming on Friday, and the extension won’t make any more mess either, just a few drill holes for the frame. We were already able to enjoy the big tub over the weekend. I’m so happy about the bathroom; on Friday I praised the craftsmen to the skies and treated them to a cozy coffee break.
Now I can devote myself to my handicrafts again and will soon be able to show the policeman. But first, here’s the bathroom....





I took these from several perspectives; unfortunately, I’m not a super photographer.
Have a lovely day, best wishes, Ines

Ines, all that hard, tedious work and the mess were worth it: The bathroom turned out absolutely, absolutely great—congratulations! I think the little boxes on the wall are really cute—they hold not just bottles, but even a snowman, or maybe an Easter bunny soon. I’ll have to keep that idea in mind—our bathroom (which is now 15 years old) lacks any kind of decoration, aside from a mini-calendar between the door and the mirror cabinet and the plastic ducks and such, all of which have ended up in the bathtub ever since Nala moved in.

Oh, Ines, your bathroom looks sooo beautifully modern now! Such lovely modern tiles and such beautiful ceramic fixtures (tub and sink). You chose them wonderfully and, with the help of the contractors, turned them into a truly chic bathroom. Hats off to your strength, energy, and perseverance. Professional tradespeople do this every day, but for you, it was quite a challenge. NOW you can enjoy it and finally turn your attention back to other things without feeling guilty.

Warm regards and have a wonderful day.

Ines, all that effort was definitely worth it!
Your bathroom is so beautiful—you’ll never want to leave it in the morning. Enjoy it now and treat yourself to a long, relaxing bath. And afterward, you can do a little crocheting...

I wish you all a wonderful afternoon

Every time, I’m excited to see what you’ve been working on.
Arni, your Olaf bag looks absolutely awesome. I love Olaf—he always looks so funny. You did a great job with it. That would be another great idea for one of my crochet projects.

Ines, wow, your bathroom turned out really great—you wouldn’t even want to leave it. Everything’s so beautifully decorated, with colors that go together perfectly. In my mind, I’m picturing a warm bubble bath—lying in the tub—and letting my gaze wander around the room—and enjoying everything you’ve created. All that effort and perseverance paid off. I’d love to have a bathroom this pretty, too. That idea with the box shelves is great. I think
the butterflies are pretty. Are they made of fabric or metal? Just looking at the pictures of your bathroom already makes me feel at ease.

Monika, your DF project is looking really pretty already, and that cute mouse motif—great.

I’m back to working on my mosaic crochet project. I’ll post pictures later when it’s finished. So far, I don’t know what it’s going to be yet.

Sandra, the Olaf bag is such a fun idea for packaging. A great idea. It’s sure to be well received.

Ines, wow, that must be an amazing feeling to walk into such a beautiful bathroom in the morning. It looks very nicely decorated and laid out, especially with the little shelves—I really like that. I hope you enjoy it a lot. I know you already do.

My 2nd hat is finished now, and both are going off to the grandkids tomorrow. It’s going to get chilly again, so they can try them out right away.



And now I’m going to knit a hat for Sternchen from a few leftovers for the time being, until I figure out what comes next. I have several ideas and can’t decide. Since I like working on several projects in parallel, I’ll probably also start a drey for squirrels. I feel like doing something for the animals again. And a few leftovers will then be crocheted into nests.

Oops, everything got shifted around...

Good morning ...

Dear all, thank you for your feedback on our bathroom, yesss, I really am enjoying it so much. And it also fills me with pride, because apart from the installations, we did everything ourselves.
The butterflies are ceramic, Andrea; I just had to bring them back as a souvenir from a vacation in Portugal.
By the way, you can find the little decorative boxes in the small furniture section of various furniture stores.

Monika, the hats are so lovely, your grandchildren will certainly be very happy when the package from Grandma arrives, and hat weather is supposed to come back again, so now I’m curious to see what jumps off your needles next.

Andrea, I’m also curious about your mosaic crochet

I’m almost finished with the policeman now, and my original plans were to make small things at first, but yesterday I got a request from our daughter: she asked me to crochet a floppy animal, preferably a pug. Her friend is giving birth soon, and she wants to put a little animal like that in the welcome package. So last night I looked through my yarn and already got everything ready, so I can get started. Does that happen to you sometimes too, you still have something else on the needles and already have everything ready for the next project?
But now I’m going to clear the last room of renovation dust first, then everything will shine, haha, and I can help my mom tackle her spring cleaning soon; because of several slipped discs, she can’t do things the way she would like to anymore.

I wish you all a sunny day, best wishes

Good morning, everyone,

I’m checking in briefly again. Some truly wonderful pieces have been created here once more.
Monika’s two hats turned out really great again—I couldn’t decide which color looks better.
I really like Sandra’s bag, too—it’s a lovely idea to use it as packaging.

Andrea, I’m also looking forward to seeing your mosaic work. I still haven’t tried it myself, though I do have the patterns.

Ina, the jacket for your friend has beautiful colors. I’m sure it’ll look absolutely great when it’s finished.

Ines, your new bathroom turned out beautifully. I’d love to have one like that, too. You guys did a great job.

I’ve been working in the garden a lot these past few days and haven’t had much time for crafts. With this great weather (almost 20 degrees), I didn’t feel like sitting inside either.

But the baby blanket has grown quite a bit anyway.

I wish you all a wonderful day.

Good morning everyone,

I tried out a new stitch pattern again in between, which I found online. It’s so easy, and the effect is huge.

I hope I can explain it reasonably well.

You always crochet 1 round of hdc (half double crochet) and 1 round of sc (single crochet) inserted lower down.
You start with a round of hdc, next row 3 ch, insert into the top of the stitch from the previous round, pull up a loop and immediately insert 1 stitch lower into the stitch where the hdc was crocheted, pull up a loop and draw it out long, then pull the yarn through all 3 loops.
Always alternate rounds 1 and 2.
If you then crochet two squares like this and sew them together, you have a super-thick potholder or something similar.
You can also use the back as the front, and maybe thread cords or colorful ribbons through the stitches there.

This is what it looks like (sample piece)

Thanks, Ines and Marion! :) The hats are on their way, but they’re currently stuck at Hermes. I hope they arrive soon.

Andrea, the pattern looks great. I actually crocheted the sleeping bag for Sternchen in a similar style—though I used rows of half double crochets.

Oops, it should be 2 WLm, not three.
Thanks, Monika.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Hello everyone,

today I’m sending a little greeting from me again.

Dear Sandra, the Olaf bag as gift packaging is at least as interesting as the gift itself. A kindergarten friends book is a great thing, but I think the bag is even more special because it’s one of a kind. If word gets around, Anton will surely be the most-invited boy in the daycare group :-)

Dear Andrea, it’s nice that you’re making swatches. This one looks very pretty, and I could easily imagine using the pattern for, for example, potholders. But I’m sure you’ll come up with more ideas if you really like the pattern. I find the version with the colorful crocheted-on stripes especially pretty. Can you also crochet it in a square, all the way around? Then the colored slip stitches would of course look even more interesting.

Dear Monika, the new DB hat is once again beautiful, and the motif makes it very original. Your grandchildren are surely very proud that their grandma knits such lovely hats for them. 

************

Since it’s more springlike outside, I have been doing less crafting. In the meantime, I have restrung the 111-year-old dance-lesson fan and put the individual segments back in the right order. Now my friend can receive it as a birthday gift for her “dance-lesson fan museum.” There is a before-and-after picture:







Then I continued crocheting on my temperature blanket ... the ice age is over, and it’s slowly getting more colorful:



And the cardigan for my friend has grown too. The other day, I got to knit outside in the sun for the first time. Oh, wonderful—the colors shine so differently right away.





And then over the last few days I had another idea for how to get a better overview of my knitting needles. I still had one of those plastic shower curtains where you can insert photos. I have now repurposed it as a needle garage for my circular knitting needles. Since my yarn lives in the attic and there are only slanted ceilings there, I had to hang it on the wall next to the stairs. I still need to sort and label it a bit, but I really like this option because it gives such a good overview—and it doesn’t bother anyone there anyway.





I wish all readers a lovely evening and a relaxing weekend.

Best wishes from Ina

Dear Ina, I’m totally thrilled with your jacket. I’d love one just like it—both the colors and the cut. I’m going to knit myself a new cardigan for next winter, too—using Finkhof yarn. I’m already looking forward to the yarn package.

Your knitting needles have really found a very organized home. The pockets are a great idea.

Your temperature blanket is starting to look interesting and colorful now. I’m curious to see how it turns out. It looks great.

And the fan has a different look now, too. You’ve really put a lot of work into that. Wow! To be honest, I wouldn’t have the patience for that.

My DF hats have arrived, but I haven’t heard back yet. I’m sure I’ll get a response soon, probably with photos.

In the meantime, I’ve knitted a hat for Sternchen that matches her sweater.




And I’ve got a crocheted nest for wild animals on my hook now. I want to use up some leftover yarn and do something good for the animals again. They’ll need it this spring.

A lovely good morning to everyone,

Just checking in briefly too; things are a bit tedious at the moment, I have to write on my phone because my PC is done for. The new one won’t arrive until Tuesday, and then first I’ll have to set everything up and see which data I can/must transfer back from the external drive. Luckily, I was still able to save it all. 

Andrea, I think your test piece is beautiful; the colorful stripes make the whole thing even more appealing. I’m excited to see what you conjure up from it. 

Ina, the fan looks very beautiful again now; that certainly took a lot of time. I’d love to have that cardigan— I really like the color and cut. The blanket is growing too and getting some color, so lovely. But I find the idea with the needle wall really original: no more searching. I have all my needles in a box, and the one I need is usually at the bottom.

Monika, the hat for your little star is lovely again too; your little star is beaming with joy. 

I spent the past few days dusting the apartment, found a little more time for the garden, and now that I’m without a PC for the time being—we do still have my husband’s, but I rarely use it—I was able to do quite a bit of crafting. I’ll show that when everything is up and running again on my end; using the phone is too tedious for me. 

I wish you all a lovely day, warm regards, Ines

Wishing you all a lovely, relaxing Sunday!

Monika, you’ve really gone into full-scale hat production! I don’t even know which one I like better: the blue one or the red one... And Sternchen got one right away, too.

Andrea, your crochet stitch pattern looks really interesting. I’ll have to try that sometime. I could also see it working well for a bag.

Ina , you’re so neat and organized. I wish I could be like that too. The idea for storing the needles is brilliant. But I’m afraid it wouldn’t do much good for me. When I’m in a hurry, I’d probably just stick the needles somewhere, and then I’d be back to chaos. I’ve tried lots of storage systems, but in the end, everything’s a mess again!
The fan turned out beautifully. That must have been a ton of work. Your friend will definitely be happy.
The jacket looks great, too. I’d like those colors myself. I like colorful things.
Your temperature blanket has grown some more. Is it white or pink? So far, I’ve always seen it as white, but in the last photo, it looked pink on my screen.

My blanket looks like this now:

It’s getting more and more colorful!

In the meantime, I’ve also been knitting away at the loop scarf, but I have to admit that this thin yarn is really testing my patience because I’m not making any progress at all—especially since I want to make the loop scarf pretty long so you can wrap it twice around your neck. I’m afraid it won’t be worn until next winter.

On the other hand, the embroidery is coming along better. You can already make out the grandchildren’s faces:

And then I crocheted three candy jar lids for the grandkids for Easter:

I want to bake little Easter bunnies and put them in the jars. At first I wanted to fill them with chocolate eggs, but they’re probably getting enough of those from other people anyway.

Continue writing here:
March Projects 2021: the Crazypatterns Handicraft Group (No Advertising)