July Projects 2021: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group

Continue reading here:
July Projects 2021, Part 2: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group

Dear users, dear authors,
here is the new thread. Have fun with it.

The remaining June posts are included here in the thread.

You can read the earlier posts from the beginning of June and May at the link:
June Projects + May Projects 2021, Part 2: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group

Dear Andrea, I really like your wind chime, too. Beautiful, big beads—it really makes a statement. If I had larger beads, I’d make one right away. As it is, I’ll have to come up with something using my small beads.

I wish everyone a wonderful summer day!
Best regards, Ina

No sooner has one long-term project been finished (the loop) than I’m already starting the next one: the embroidered picture for my second granddaughter. There’s nothing to show yet, since you can’t really make much out of it.
Instead, I’ve squeezed in a little project: a Frog Prince finger puppet, since The Frog Prince is my granddaughter’s favorite fairy tale.

I can’t get much more done right now—the weather is tempting me to go outside...

Once again, some incredibly beautiful creations have been made. I’m a bit on the go right now since we have guests, and time at the computer is very limited (unfortunately, so is time for knitting). But I’m treating myself to this little break here to admire them.

Ina, your now-lively pond with the matching terrace is an oasis of well-being—it’s gorgeous! I’m sure you’ll get lots of new ideas there. For me, that would be a vacation in itself. Then there’s the pretty, colorful blanket and the wine glasses. Very inviting—really. Your wind chime looks fantastic, too. I think the reflections in the photos come out really well.
By the way, I think the color combination of the Bobbel yarn for the blanket is simply enchanting. I would never have thought to make a blanket out of it.

Andrea, you’ve given me an idea. Maaaybe… I might actually take a photo with all the doll kids. They’re so cute together. I’m glad you’re feeling better again. The sun will definitely lift your spirits completely.
The pillowcase looks great—those would be my colors, too. The baby blanket has a nice pattern, but the color combination would be too dark for me right now.
Your window wind chimes look absolutely fantastic, and you always enjoy every ray of sunshine that reflects in them.

I’ve finished my two squirrel swings, and they’re now ready to find their new residents.
As soon as our guests leave, I’ll start a jacket for Linja using the same yarn as mine and a similar pattern.

Here are the photos—the swings and the finished jacket.

Ruth, that little Frog Prince is so cute. What a lovely idea. And you’re actually already working on your next embroidery project—you’re really hard at work. We’ll get to admire it at some point.

Your jacket turned out really beautiful. At first I thought the pattern at the bottom looked a bit busy. But since it repeats on the sleeves, the jacket turned out really charming.
And Linja will definitely be happy when she gets a similar jacket and can wear matching outfits with her grandma.
And the swings for the little squirrels look really cozy too. They’ll definitely be happy as well. 

Thank you so much, Ruth, for your feedback. By the way, the jacket can be made in different lengths, since you can decide how long you want the bottom to be. If you prefer it shorter, just knit fewer rows of ribbing at the bottom.
The swings have already found their new owners today and are now off on their journeys. The green one will soon have room for three little squirrels once they’ve grown a bit and can start jumping around.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Best regards from Grömitz.

It’s still beautiful here. Today we had our first rain, and even that lasted only an hour. We’re enjoying it to the fullest.

I also have relatively few appointments and plenty of time to crochet. I’ve finished something for my gift box:



My husband delivered the wedding cake yesterday. It was very well received.

I wish you all a wonderful evening 

Sandra, I hope you have a really wonderful time in Grömitz. Get some good rest.
You’ve made a beautiful bag from the elephant motif. It looks great.

Monika: Thank you so much... yes, I really like the bag, too.

So far, almost every day has been absolutely beautiful. It’s like being on vacation.

Marion: That’s such a lovely summery top. I really like the pattern.

I’ve finished a goodie bag for Anton’s birthday. Let’s see if I can get three more done. One has been finished for a while, and so far I’m planning to let him invite four kids. 

A very good morning to everyone, I really enjoyed my morning reading again.

Sandra, it’s great that you’re doing so well during your treatment and can enjoy your time there. Your bags turned out great. They make lovely gifts—I immediately thought of using them to store toys. Although I’d also love the elephant bag for my crocheting at the playground (with my grandson).

Marion, I like your UFO. I love both the color and the pattern. And it’s just right for the start of summer.

Monika, you’ve been hard at work for the wildlife again. They’ll definitely feel right at home in those swings.

Ruth, I think your little frog is super cute.

I have something to show you, too. Little Henry is turning 2 this week, and I crocheted a balloon cover out of some leftover yarn.   



Other than that, I’m working on some baby blankets, and it’s taking a while. But the baby isn’t due until September, so I still have time.

Have a sunny day!

Oh Marion, I really like your UFO—especially the color and the pattern. It’s so light and summery. It’s perfect for this time of year.

Sandra, you’ve been busy again. I’m glad you’re all enjoying it so much and finding it so relaxing. Enjoy it!

Petra, a balloon cover like that is such a nice idea. This is the first time I’ve seen something like that here. Too bad my two granddaughters are already past the baby stage. Otherwise, I would have crocheted another one.

Have a wonderful day, everyone. Summer is finally here—and it’s here to stay.

Sandra, I’m so glad you’re recovering so well during your spa treatment. I’m not really the spa-treatment type myself, because I don’t like having my daily routine dictated to me. I’d rather recuperate at home 😉
Your two bags turned out great. I’m sure you’ll manage to finish the rest before Anton’s birthday. It’s not until September, if I remember correctly?

Your top looks great, Marion—so nice and light and airy. Just right for the hot days ahead!

Petra, the balloon cover is a great idea! Henry’s sure to have a lot of fun with it!

Yes, doing needlework for the grandkids is especially enjoyable.
I’d actually started an embroidered picture for my granddaughter. This is how far I’d gotten:


But now my “big” grandson has his First Communion in a month, and I’d like to give him something lasting. Since he liked the embroidered picture of him and his sister so much (“I’d love to hang that in my room, if Tina weren’t in it too”), I’d now like to give him an embroidered picture that shows just him. But I’ll have to really get a move on. I don’t think it’ll be finished in a month, but I want to get as far as possible. So I’ve set the other picture aside for now. I won’t be able to write here as much anymore 😊, because from now on, it’s just embroidering, embroidering, embroidering...
Here’s what I’ve managed to do so far:

Hello everyone......

Well, it’s been a few days since I last posted here, but I’m sure that will be more regular again now :)
You have all been very busy, and somehow I think everything is lovely,
Sandra I really like your little gifts, I think you’ll still manage to get everything finished. It’s nice that you’re feeling comfortable at the spa, what is it like there regarding contacts? My cousin had one at the beginning of the year and didn’t feel comfortable at all, sitting alone at the table and so on, though I suppose you can expect that beforehand if they have measures like that, right?

Monika, I always admire how industrious you are, the cardigan already looks lovely and cozy, not really something to wear right now, but later it will surely be very comfortable. And your swings too—the squirrels will be delighted.

Marion, I already got to admire your UFO in another way, I like it very much.

Ruth, I can well believe that now it’s embroidery, embroidery, and more embroidery; I think it’s really lovely when the grandchildren ask for it like that, especially a boy—you might not necessarily expect it there. I wish you the stamina you need for it. It will certainly be an eye-catcher again.

I myself have finished my thin, much too thin knitted cardigan from the twin set; I had never knitted such thin yarn, 344 m per 100 g, into a cardigan before, and now the top is still waiting to be started.
I’d like to show you the cardigan in advance.



At the moment I’m crocheting something again for now; I’d had enough of knitting for a bit,

Wishing you all a lovely day

Hello everyone,

it’s summer outside, so I’m not here as often—just like many of you. Every now and then, someone posts a new creation that we can all enjoy.

Since my last visit, you’ve been crafting some lovely things:

@Ruth
The little frog finger puppet is certainly a great addition to the other finger puppets you’ve already crocheted. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to reenact the fairy tales. You’ve also made such a beautiful, matching decoration to go with it. It all goes together so well—and it’s a lovely idea!

With those two embroidered pictures, you’ve really taken on quite a project. But what wouldn’t we do for our children or grandchildren? And you know they’ll love them. That’s your biggest motivation. So keep at it and stitch in lots of love. They’ll still have these embroidered pictures long after you’re gone. Of course, that’s still a long way off. It’s a shame, of course, that you’re under such a time crunch, but some ideas just come to you on short notice. But that’s what makes it such a special gift!

@Monika
Your squirrel swings always look so cozy. It makes you want to curl up in one yourself. And you’re doing a good deed in the process—what more could you want? A truly meaningful craft project.

Your cardigan turned out wonderfully, too. The first word that comes to mind when I see it is “cozy.” It’s really snug, and I love the colors, too. When you showed us the different patterns, I was a little skeptical about whether the colors and patterns would go well together. But since the pattern repeats on the sleeves, it all comes together beautifully in the end. Too bad it’s summer now—the cardigan will have to wait a bit longer to keep you warm and look great on you.

@Sandra
I’m glad you’re both enjoying the retreat and that you have time for crafts, too. That little bag with the elephant is absolutely enchanting. You can practically put any gift inside it, and in the end, you always end up with two gifts. And the goody bag with the fire truck is sure to be a hit with the kids, too.

You’d like to have more spa treatments—I understand that. You want to make the most of your time, after all. But they always have their own schedule, and in the summer, even at health resorts, it’s vacation time, so they run things on a “light schedule.” During my stay, it wasn’t vacation time, and I had treatments every day from 6:30 a.m. (cold-water foot baths with Kneipp to wake up) until 5:00 p.m. I was pretty busy then and would have liked a little more rest. So just enjoy the downtime, too. Things will be different again soon enough.

@Christina
Your top looks lovely and stylish! I really like it, and I’m sure it looks even better when you’re wearing it. The color wouldn’t suit me, but it certainly suits you—otherwise you wouldn’t have picked it out. Very chic, anyway!

@Petra
That little balloon ball for the lively Henry is definitely a great gift. My grandson has a ball like that too, but it’s colorful and filled with synthetic stuffing. I sewed a little bell right inside it, so it always makes a soft jingle when he plays with it or throws it. He’ll be turning 3 soon and doesn’t pay much attention to it anymore, but it’s going into his childhood treasure chest—a little suitcase with his favorite things from his early years.



@Ines
Your new yellow jacket is gorgeous. Such delicate, small, even stitches—that wouldn’t have been my thing. What a challenge. I see a top-down raglan cardigan with a very successful, relaxed summer cut. Especially with a summer twinset, I think it’s nice when the material is thinner and the sleeves aren’t so tight-fitting. Add to that the 3/4-length sleeves and the patterns—it looks really nice. The yellow definitely suits you especially well. Now for the top. But it’s not going anywhere. Enjoy the summer for now!

@ich
I’m not doing much crafting right now because I’m spending a lot of time outside in my garden and enjoying the new pond. Only in the evenings do I crochet a row on my temperature blanket. The colors are now bright red.

I’m pottering around in my garden and am currently having fun decorating and arranging my new lakeside terrace. These are my new favorites: a golden maple that turns apricot-colored in the fall, and blue ceramic pots and decorative garden balls. Next, I’ll be working on curtains for my gazebo—that’ll make it look cozier.



I wish you all a lovely day and hope you continue to enjoy a wonderful summer. Enjoy it—it doesn’t get any better than this.

Warm regards from Ina

Ruth, you’ve been really busy with your embroidery again. It already looks really beautiful, and I think the work is well worth it. Somehow it reminds me of when I was younger and used to embroider a lot—and really enjoyed it.

Ines, thanks for your compliment. I’m more than happy to return the favor, since you knitted your jacket with such extremely fine yarn. Wow, and it’s already finished! That’s a really pretty piece.
My jacket took quite a while—I’m used to working much faster than that. Yes, I’m already looking forward to wearing it in the fall. Right now, it’s more like sauna weather. The swings went to two lovely caregivers, and I’m sure I’ll get some photos of them being used.

Ina, thank you too for your feedback on the jacket and the swings. The photo of your grandson is absolutely adorable. You just want to give him a big hug right away. Your lakeside terrace is looking beautifully decorated now. The blue pots fit in wonderfully there. I wish you many more lovely days and hours to enjoy.

Our guests have left now, and I can finally(!) get back to knitting. I’m already experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Before I start on the jacket for Linja, I’m going to knit the Paris placemat for my friend first. It’s just right for the garden. And I get to do double knitting again—I’m doubly excited about that.

I hope you’re all having a wonderful time in this beautiful summer weather!

Thank you so much for your feedback on my UFO.
I’m glad it’s finally finished—I really like it now. (It must have been sitting around for about 3 years.)

You’ve all been very busy again too and have made some absolutely beautiful pieces. 

Sandra, it’s great that you still have time for crafts while you’re at the health resort. The bags turned out beautifully.

Petra, that little ball is so cute—I’m sure all the babies will love it.

Monika, you’ve already got quite a few projects planned again.  It’s a shame you can’t wear your new jacket right now, but it will get cooler again.
 
 Ruth, you’ve taken on another great project. Now it’s time to embroider, embroider. But the result is sure to be beautiful again. 

Ines, your jacket looks really great. Now I can see the pattern more clearly—it all goes together perfectly.
You’ve done a perfect job.

Ina, the poolside decor looks great. It must be really nice to relax there in this wonderful weather.

I’m also enjoying spending time outside in the garden right now and just soaking up the summer.

Good morning, everyone,

I’m checking in again—we’ve all been working up quite a sweat lately, so things have quieted down a bit here.
Thanks for the feedback on my jacket—it’s not quite perfect yet. It was my first piece without “help” from the RVO, but I’ve since started on the matching top/shirt, and that’s going more smoothly.
But I did manage to work on a few little things—I just brought my little basket to the pool and did some crocheting.
Here’s what I made






After checking with my daughter, I’m allowed to share a photo of the bride and groom—unfortunately, these are from my phone since the photographer hasn’t finished the pictures yet......


But now I wish you all a relaxing day—take a deep breath. I’m going to air everything out first.

Thank you, Ines, for the lovely photo of the beautiful bride and groom! I wish them both all the best on their journey together with all my heart! And you’ve been busy again, crocheting some beautiful shawls.

Ines,
I really like your dishcloths or potholders; I’m already looking forward to them.

I’m curious to see your top from the twinset; I’m sure it’ll turn out beautifully too. 
I completely agree with Christina—the photo shows a lovely and very happy couple.

Luckily, it’s gotten a bit cooler here today too. A little rain like this feels really good.

Ines, wow, you’ve been busy again. Such beautiful shawls and absolutely fantastic designs—perfect for summer. The photo of the wedding couple turned out great. A lovely setting, and right in the middle of it all, the beaming wedding couple. The wedding dress is also very pretty.

Luckily, we’re finally getting a chance to catch our breath here today, after a long, intense thunderstorm with massive downpours swept through last night. Nature really needed it—and so did we.

I’ve been pottering around in the garden a bit and have my first Christmas gift on the needles. It’s the Paris placemat. That’s for my friend. Here’s how far I’ve gotten so far:



I hope you all have a wonderful day! Here’s a photo of me in our garden:

Petra: Your balloon cover looks great—I love the blue color combination.

Ruth: You’ve really taken on quite a task with those pictures. But they already look great.

Ina: The photo of your grandson with the balloon is so cute

Ines: Thank you so much for the wedding photo.
Your dishcloths/potholders look great. Will there be patterns for the flower motifs?
The jacket looks fantastic.

Monika: The Paris design looks great—your friend will definitely be happy.

I’m back home again as of today. The fifth load of laundry is running right now. 😐 If it weren’t for that, everything would be even more relaxed.

But the health retreat was really lovely. It was more like a vacation for us. However, with the new kids around Anton, he has picked up a few new quirks. When he doesn’t get his way, he shouts really loudly, “Oh, Mom!” and starts crying. He’ll get out of that habit again once he realizes it gets him nowhere. 😂

By the way, I was really productive during the retreat:

Hello everyone!

Thanks for your feedback on my shawls—I’m glad you like them.

Monika, I already thought Sonja’s placemat was very pretty, but your color choices are lovely too—I’m sure your friend will be very happy with it.

Sandra, yes, the patterns for the flower pot holders are coming—it’ll take a few more days. I’m waiting for the test crocheters to give the okay, then they’ll go online. I’m glad you enjoyed the workshop, and so many beautiful things came out of it. Oh, Sandra, I think your Anton will get over these new quirks eventually, but we all like to pick up a thing or two here and there, haha—I’m sure you’re firm and stand your ground with him.

Today I’m giving my needles a rest—I’m heading over to my daughter’s to drop off some freshly picked cherries. Luckily, I was faster than the starlings this morning; they’ve been going crazy for them this year. Well, maybe my scarecrow worked—most of the cherries aren’t quite ripe yet.

Have a relaxing afternoon, everyone!

Hi everyone,

I’m popping in again for a quick update :-) It’s clear that everyone has so much on their plate right now that our lovely thread here isn’t getting as many updates as usual. Still, I get the feeling that you’re all incredibly hard at work—just not me ;-)

Marion, I think your top is absolutely great! How wonderful that you’ve put an end to its sad life as an unfinished project and can now wear it. At least I hope the weather where you are is perfect for wearing it right now :-)

Ruth, how wonderful that your grandson wants an embroidered picture! Of course you’re fulfilling his wish right away. When he becomes a grandpa himself one day, he’ll still cherish this memory and think of you. Of course, it’s a ton of work, but I’m sure you’re doing it with all your heart.

Ines, wow, you’ve whipped up a great jacket and some really pretty scarves! Thanks also for the picture of the bride and groom—they look beautiful and happy together :-)

Monika, I already loved the colors so much on the pot holders, and now I still think they’re gorgeous on the placemat. I hope you’re having just as much fun knitting “Paris” as I am! I thought creating my own Eiffel Tower was really special. Thanks to you, too, for the lovely picture of you in your garden! You can really tell you belong there :-)

Ina, of course you’re especially enjoying your new garden area and the pond right now. There’s still plenty to do before everything is finished. I admire your knack for decorating and arranging everything so beautifully—it’s an art in itself, and you’ve definitely mastered it!

Sandra, you were super hard at work at the spa! I’m so happy for you that you had such a relaxing time. Yeah, kids tend to copy the things from other kids that we adults only find so-so *laughs* But you’ve got this!

Now for me. I still have 11 rows left on my blanket. This project is as tough as chewing gum. In the meantime, I’ve designed my second placemat. The design is now all set, and I’m really looking forward to getting started on it. Of course, I’m finishing the blanket FIRST, so I’m hoping that the prospect of the next project will inspire me so much that I’ll manage to finish these last rows by tomorrow. Let’s do this!

Have a wonderful evening, everyone!

Sandra, I have to say, you were really hard at work during your “vacation.” All such beautiful things. I can totally imagine that you all enjoyed it. Anton’s little quirks will pass. Kids that age are quick to pick up habits from others. Once you’re back home, I’m guessing there’ll be new quirks to deal with.

Oh, Ines, cherries! I love them. I bought a kilo for us today, and we’ve actually eaten almost all of them—just the two of us!

Sonja, you’ll breeze through those last few rows—with that kind of motivation! I’m already super excited to see your new placemat. I’m really enjoying knitting Paris. It certainly never gets boring. I still have 25 rows to go, then it’ll be finished. I’ve already put a lot of hours into it. Let’s see what I’ll start next. Maybe another DF project? :-)

Have a wonderful evening, everyone!

Hello everyone, it’s cool outside today, so I’m taking some time again to chat with you online.

@Ines
Thank you so much for the photo of the bride and groom. They look wonderfully happy! The weather gods really blessed their celebration with beautiful weather.

I really like all of your crocheted pot holders—every single one. I think the floral patterns have a nostalgic feel to them, especially the rose in front of the trellis. The rose on its own wouldn’t have the same effect, but at an angle against the trellis—it looks great! I can easily imagine that this pattern will be a popular one to recreate.

Your daughter must have been thrilled with the fresh cherries. Every day, the starlings come to our big sweet cherry tree and help themselves. It’s striking how early they’ve arrived this year. The food supply is probably scarcer this year.

@Monika
Your Paris set is already stunningly beautiful. But I already liked it when I saw it at Sonja’s. Especially the couple on the bench to the right—they’re an essential part of the scene. It’s just like a painting. You can’t just paint landmarks; to bring it to life and spark our imagination, people are always part of it for me. I also think the colors are well chosen. A lovely gift for your friend.

Thank you so much for the photo of yourself, too. You’re wearing the poncho that you also have on in your profile picture. You can tell you’re really comfortable in your beautiful garden with that magnificent peony.

@Sandra
I’m glad you had a wonderful spa retreat that felt like a vacation. That surely did you both a world of good and gave you new energy for everyday life. You made some lovely things during your retreat! Lots and lots of fire trucks and other little gifts for the kids.

Copying others’ quirks is just part of the normal learning process. You watch others and then just try it out yourself. Let’s see how your own parents react. As parents, we’re sometimes quite surprised. But if you’re consistent in your parenting, it’ll soon be forgotten.

@Sonja
We’re all curious to see what design your new placemat will have. Designing such beautiful scenes could turn into a bit of an addiction. The Paris picture was probably the spark that ignited this kind of landscape design. And with the prospect of this lovely new project, you’ll manage those 11 rows. The best thing to do is put on an exciting movie in the evening and then just crochet, stitch by stitch, while you let your mind wander. You’ll be done in no time! I’ve actually seen the main motif of the blanket before. I immediately thought of your blanket and snapped a photo… take a look on the left side of the picture.





Well, everything’s running on “summer mode” here. That means lots of summer, lots of time in the garden, and not much crafting. But I did manage to get a little bit done after all. Specifically, I’ve decided to finish the patterns I’ve started in the near future. A few of them are sitting on my computer and should be finished by fall. I started with the cover for the exercise ball. The zipper still needed to be incorporated. I’ve now added that to the pattern and worked it through in practice. Now I’m tackling the next half-finished pattern. I’m not allowed to start anything new until all the old ones are finished!

In the meantime, my gazebo has gotten some curtains. Now it looks cozier. You can take a look. I’ll just take you inside :-)

Now I’m off to pick strawberries and make jam.

I wish you—and myself—a wonderful day.
Warm regards from Ina

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to chime in briefly again.

Ina, wow, I’m truly at a loss for words. You’ve created a real paradise there. Looking at the pictures, you immediately feel at home—cozy and welcoming. All that work was worth it.
Ines, thank you so much for the pictures of the bride and groom. They’re a very lovely couple, and I especially like the dress—sunny weather, ordered especially for the two of them.
I really like your pot holders, too. I love roses. As Ina already mentioned, the diagonal lattice pattern really adds that special something. I’ll definitely try to recreate it someday.
Monika, the picture of you wearing your poncho in the garden looks great. You can see everything better up close.

Ina has described everything so wonderfully—I’d just be repeating myself now.
So, big kudos to everyone .

Weather-wise, it’s gotten a bit more summery here too—rain, clouds, the whole works. I could do without the 36 degrees, though. It’s a pleasant 20 degrees here. Unfortunately, it’s still very chilly in the morning, around 12 degrees. Never mind.
I have today and the weekend off. It’s time to relax. I really need it, too. Work is pretty exhausting, and I’m always rushing. At some point, you just run out of steam.

So, have a nice, relaxing weekend, everyone. Cherry season hasn’t started here yet, but… strawberries will be here soon—the season has begun. I’m already looking forward to that.

Warm regards from Norway

Ina, I can only agree: WOW!!! That looks wonderful—it’s sure to become a new favorite spot... It’ll make it even better to do crafts, read, relax, unwind, and enjoy life!
Yes, I’ve also seen the hugging heart before on a postcard; there seem to be different versions of it. It really does have great symbolic power. My heart is still very special, though, because it features my daughter’s hands and arms 💞

Andrea, I hope you get some good rest! Enjoy your days off—hopefully with some delicious strawberries and plenty of sunshine 🌞

And what do I say to myself?

HALLELUJAH 💃💃💃💃💃💃💃😅



I’ve finished the first 1,266 grams of the therapy blanket—Part 1 is done, and I’m so happy 😅 I’ll start Part 2 at some point, but first I’m sending the lovebirds off on another city trip 😃

Sonja, your blanket turned out beautifully. Yesterday I thought it would still take you a while to finish it. What a great gift for your daughter. 

Yes, dear Ina, I really do feel very comfortable in our garden. The photo was taken on the spur of the moment when I was wearing my complete pink-and-white knitted set. It was so cool in the morning that it was just right.

Wow, your gazebo is truly beautiful and very cozy. Thanks for sharing these glimpses. It looks huge from the inside. What are its dimensions? I especially love the wooden roof with the beautiful chandelier. I think I’d even spend the night in that gazebo. It would be my summer residence. Having a gazebo like that is still a secret wish of mine. Well, a trailer would work for me, too. I just love little living spaces like that. They’re somehow cozy, comfortable, and you immediately feel safe and secure.

Andrea, thank you too for your comments on the poncho photo. You can view the photo larger by right-clicking and selecting “Open in a new tab or window.”
It’s great that it’s summery over there now, too. I don’t need it to be 30 degrees—22 degrees would be plenty for me. Luckily, the weather here keeps changing, and we can breathe a sigh of relief again.
By the way, I hope your move goes very smoothly and that you find a wonderful new home in Germany—including a job and everything else.

Sonja, we’ve written together again—it’s really fun. Your blanket looks sooo beautiful. Wow, I didn’t know that those were your daughter’s arms and hands. That’s really something special.

You’ve given us a little hint about the next motif. Great—it’s going to be a different city. I could imagine you turning this into a little trip and adding a few more cities along the way. That’s such a lovely idea. I only need about 10 more rows, then the Paris set will be finished.

By the way, I’m feeling a bit like Ina. I still have a few patterns lying around that I want to type up on the computer. Actually, I didn’t want to start anything new before that. But I don’t think I’ll be able to stick to that. My yarn keeps smiling at me and calling out louder and louder for the needles. I’ll be starting the cardigan for Linja soon, and also a pair of knitted pants for Juna. I’d like to have both finished by fall.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Ina, I really envy you all: The pavilion and its surroundings are simply gorgeous!

Sonja: Congratulations on your wonderful therapy blanket! How do you manage to knit with so much weight without straining your wrists?

Thanks, Monika, for the photo from your garden! Knowing you, I’m sure your placemat is probably finished by now. I have the yarn for it ready, but it’ll have to wait a while, since the DF for the little boys need to be knitted first—and right now I’m test-knitting gloves! Luckily, it wasn’t too hot yesterday or today, so I can even try them on without any trouble!

Sandra, you were really hard at work during your rehab stay and created some very special pieces!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Sonja: The blanket turned out beautifully.

Now I’m looking forward to seeing your next placemat.

The gift for my friend is done.



It turned out great, Sandra!

Thank you so much for your feedback on my blanket! Can you believe it—my younger daughter wants one now too, waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ;-) Well, at least it’s not a therapy blanket but “just” a normal, lighter blanket. It’s the same number of stitches (and another 2 x 94 boring rows…), but at least it’s less tiring to knit…

Sandra, your pillow turned out beautifully. What an extraordinary gift for your best friend! I just wonder how you’ll manage to wait so long to give it to her... ;-)

Christina, I didn’t really feel the strain in my wrists from knitting, but then again, I didn’t knit as many rows in a row as I usually would. Knitting so tightly with thick yarn and thin needles was just tiring overall. Taking breaks every now and then made it okay. It wasn’t until the end, when the blanket was very heavy and the temperatures were very warm, that it got a little tedious.

I wish you all a wonderful (soccer) evening!

With light-weight yarn and an exciting pattern, sitting on the patio with a view of the greenery, it’s so much more motivating to work :-) Of course, it also helps immensely that my two girls have arranged to hang out with friends at our place—I just have to put food and drinks on the table every now and then, but otherwise I have the day off.

I’ve gotten far enough with the new placemat that you’ll surely guess right away which city the couple in love is currently in.

Wishing you all a lovely evening

Sonja , you’ve been really hard at work. Hats off to your perseverance. The result is stunning.
The second motif looks great, too. Of course—that’s Venice.
Where do you always find these amazing motifs? Will this be just as big as the Paris set?

You could even make a “travel blanket” out of the different motifs—just sew all the pieces together and you’ve got a blanket from all over the world.

Best regards

Sandra, wow, that turned out to be a lovely gift for your friend. The Paris motif looks absolutely gorgeous on the pillow. Did you design the back with the lettering yourself? I really admire you all for that, honestly.

Sonja, ohhhh wowww—that’s going to be a beautiful placemat. Venice is a particularly lovely motif for couples in love. I’m excited to see how it turns out....

Andrea, there’s something to that idea with the “everyday” blanket…

Christina, you’re right. My gift for my friend is now finished. I also crocheted a border around the Paris placemat. That makes it sturdier. But I’m also thinking about turning it into a pillow. I’d just need a simple knitted back. Since I still have time, I’ll think it over. Here’s what the finished placemat looks like.






And now I’ve decided on a travel project. On my swap site, I got this gorgeous, colorful yarn—it’s a blend of very soft wool and silk. I’m already looking forward to knitting with it. It feels amazing. I’m going to make a loop scarf for myself out of it. Right now, I’m trying out different patterns. Maybe the loop scarf will be finished while I’m on the go.




Oh, and then we had a hedgehog visit in the garden late this afternoon. It was so trusting that it walked right next to the garden chairs we were sitting on and ate some food. Sooo cute!



I hope you all have a wonderful evening, too!

Sonja: Wow, that placemat looks great again. I’m really curious to see how it continues and which cities are still to come.
😂Hamburg would definitely be a great motif too, with the Elbphilharmonie, St. Michael’s Church, etc.

Speaking of the Elbphilharmonie: we were there yesterday with Anton for a children’s concert. It was absolutely wonderful. Anton needed a little time to get used to the new surroundings. At first he covered his ears, but later he even danced along. 😍

Monika: Your placemat looks great, too. But I think it’s just too nice to be used as a placemat. That’s why I turned mine into a pillow.

Yes, Monika, I designed the back (more or less) myself. The letters are from a cross-stitch pattern. The text says “best friends forever,” and my friend’s mother translated that for me. She’s French.

I wish you all a wonderful evening. 

Wow, you’re all so hard at work....

Your placemats look wonderful,

Monika, and I really like the new yarn too—it’ll definitely look great as a loop scarf.
The hedgehog is so cute! We have a nest of garden redstarts here again—they’re quite bold, too. Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to get a photo of the little guys yet, even though they’re quite tame. This is now the third year we’ve had a nest like this in the same spot.

Sonja, the blanket turned out so beautifully. I can well imagine that toward the end, it must have been quite a struggle to work on it because of its weight and warmth, but the result definitely makes up for it. Now you’re back with another great placemat—hmm, Venice. A lovely gift idea for a couple in love who are “traveling the world”; I’m sure you’ll find plenty more ideas to bring to life.

Andrea, a “plain old blanket” like that would be nice, too.

Sandra, your idea to turn this placemat into a pillow turned out great, too—I have to admit, sometimes I also look through my mom’s very old embroidery patterns to get ideas.

Ina, your garden idyll is so inviting—it’s almost like a vacation; I can’t get enough of looking at everything.
Now I’m looking forward to seeing your new craft ideas again—in any case, I hope you’ll have more time for them now.

As for me, my crafting has come to a bit of a standstill right now—I’m so sick of the yellow from the shirt I’m knitting for the twinset, so my next project has to be something colorful, haha...

Wishing all of you here a peaceful day without any storms; over here, it looks like the sky is falling right now.

Sandra, that’s really a great idea to add text to the back of the pillow. I’ve been thinking for a long time about whether to make it into a pillow, but I’ve decided to leave it as a set after all. If it were a pillow, she wouldn’t be able to use both sides. And I don’t know which side she prefers.

I’ll probably knit that beautiful Venice set, too. And then I’ll let my friend decide for herself whether I should crochet both pieces together into a pillow. That way, I could switch up the colors. Since she might visit us for Christmas, it’ll be quick to make.

Ines, a break like that is necessary every now and then. Right now, I’m actually in the mood for one. We’ll be traveling soon, and I’ll only be taking the colorful yarn for the loop with me. I probably won’t get to knit very often—just during the journey. We’ll finally get to see the grandkids again—including Juna, after a year—and then we’ll head to a friend’s birthday party. It’s sure to be a wonderful few days, and we’re really looking forward to them.

Have a great day, everyone, without any storms. We might have another storm here tonight. ;-)

Just quickly leaving a warm greeting for everyone, and wishing you a lovely afternoon

Monika, wow, you’ve already finished the Paris set. I’d use it for a pillowcase, though. What are the approximate dimensions of the finished piece?
That’s so cute—a hedgehog visiting in person, and during the day, no less. I love little hedgehogs. So cute.
Your yarn looks absolutely enchanting. I really like those colors, too. We’re looking forward to seeing your loop scarf.

Ines, I believe you when you say you can’t stand the sight of yellow anymore. I could use a splash of color now and then, too.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to crochet lately. I’m busy packing boxes, sorting papers, and so on.

I made myself a pair of cherry earrings out of beads. The bead boxes aren’t packed yet. hihi

The weather here is mixed—we’ll have to wait and see if it rains. Right now, the sun is trying to break through.

Well, coffee’s coming up soon.

Warm regards from me

Have a lovely afternoon, everyone :-)

Andrea, what a cool idea with the “Everything-under-the-sun blanket” :-) I can really picture that—maybe with solid-color rectangles in between so the motifs really stand out. Great! The placemats all have the same number of stitches and rows; mine turn out to be about 44 cm wide and 30 cm tall, but of course that depends on the yarn used and the gauge. You asked how I come up with the motifs—usually I have a basic idea that I then keep refining. I’d jotted down the city placemats as a project idea many months ago but hadn’t pursued it further. One day, I just had the feeling that it was Paris’s “turn.” I started by thinking about what’s typical of Paris. The Eiffel Tower was an obvious choice right away, and little by little, ideas came for the other landmarks and the couple in love. I first drew the Eiffel Tower by hand onto a printed template with grid squares, using a photo as a guide; I “drew” the other elements directly into Excel cells. The landmarks looked pretty lonely on their own, so I added rooftops and the river to create a complete picture. And then I edit and correct all of that in Excel what feels like 100,000 times until it looks reasonably good. I usually keep making changes even while I’m knitting :-) The funny thing is that I’m extremely bad at drawing—I can’t transfer an image I have in my head onto paper by hand. It works much better in Excel with pixels; my brain seems to be kind of pixelated too ;-)
It’s nice that you at least get to do some crafting in between everything else. It’s a nice way to unwind so you don’t lose your cool with all the moving boxes, decisions, and red tape :-)

Monika, I’ve already admired your placemat in the gallery—I can only say it again: it turned out absolutely amazing! I’d love to have such bold colors too (unfortunately, they wouldn’t go with our house, our dishes, or my husband *laughs*)! Your yarn for the loop scarf is a dream—I’m totally in love with it! I’m already looking forward to seeing the finished product—it’s going to be great!

Sandra, that’s so great that you and Anton were able to attend a children’s concert at the Elbphilharmonie! That must be a very special experience—unfortunately, I haven’t seen the finished building yet. Yeah, Hamburg would be a lovely city for a placemat, too—now you’ve got me thinking. Actually, I’d originally had Berlin in mind as a German city, but Hamburg would definitely have its charm as well... :-)

Ines, after two projects that were completely yellow, I get why you need a different color again—even though I think yellow is so pretty. I’m sure you’ll come up with something nice and colorful :-) I hope the storm didn’t hit you too hard. It was really bad here again this afternoon, but luckily I made it under cover just in time.

Now I wish all soccer fans lots of fun watching the game and hopefully a great result for the German team! Hopefully it won’t be as nail-biting as yesterday…

Best regards from (still cheering) Switzerland—Sonja

a very wonderful good morning to all of you,

Sonja, first of all, congratulations to the Swiss team for staying in the European Championship, what a game, I was really fired up. Well, and our team last night, I found the game quite laborious; it dragged on like a sticky mass.
I’m very curious to see which cities come to mind for you for more placemats. I could actually imagine Hamburg very well, although Berlin also has something that could be turned into a design. I’ll let myself be surprised. Since I couldn’t do anything with Excel at all, I recently got myself a program where I can create various charts, including knitting and crochet patterns; that works quite a bit better than drawing everything by hand, because you can correct your ideas right on the PC.
The storm stayed within limits, haha, although I did get thoroughly wet once. I was out with the dog just then, and because the air was quite pleasant, I walked a bit farther than usual, so the downpour was able to catch me by surprise.

Monika, I’m very happy for you that you’re going traveling and, above all, that you can see the grandchildren; that makes it easy to put the needlework aside. I wish you lots of joy with it-

Andrea, did I miss something? Packing boxes? Oh how lovely, then it’s happening faster than expected after all, back to Germany. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that everything goes the way you want it to. As you know, things work a bit differently in Germany than in Norway, and there is surely a lot of paperwork that has to be taken care of.

Me.....my shirt is finally laid out to dry now, and yesterday I was able to put together my yarn for a new project, but today, after a long time, I’m finally having a girls’ night again, which I’m really looking forward to. We are 5 ladies from the school class and meet up every now and then just because; since it hasn’t been possible for a long time, there will surely be lots of news.

Wishing you all a lovely day

Ines: Girls’ night sounds great. Have fun!

Yes, the soccer match was quite a slog, but they deserved no better. Now I’m rooting for Denmark and Switzerland😄

I was really rooting for the Swiss too.

Monika: Oh, how wonderful that you’re seeing your grandchildren again. Have fun. Enjoy your time.

Andrea: I wish you lots of strength and resilience for the move. But after all that stress, you’ll have your family around you again.

Sonja: that sounds pretty complicated, getting a picture like that finished, but the work is rewarded with beautiful motifs. I also think Andrea’s idea with the blanket is great. I can really picture that too.

As someone from Hamburg, I have to say that Hamburg is the most beautiful city in Germany and of course much better than Berlin 😂😂😂, though Berliners probably see that quite differently.

Hello everyone,

First of all, thank you to Ines and Sandra.
We hope everything works out with the apartment. We’re optimistic.

In between, I naturally have to take a break too and crochet a few more rows of my piece. Maybe it’ll be another bag—folded over and sewn together at the sides. You could also use the pattern from the reverse side; it looks like little hearts there. We’ll see.
Here are my cherry earrings. A 5-minute project





Have a lovely afternoon, everyone.
We had fruit tart today—no, not strawberries.

Warm regards from here

Wow, there’s quite a bit of news here again.

Andrea, you’re planning to move to Germany? Of course, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you that everything works out just the way you imagine it.
The little projects you’re working on on the side have turned out beautifully again.

Ina, the pictures of your gazebo look great. It almost feels like being in the living room—you’ve decorated it beautifully.

Sonja, your blanket is already finished—it looks fantastic. I figured you’d be knitting another one for your other daughter. At the rate you’re going, it’ll be finished just as quickly.
The design on your new set already looks really nice. I’m curious to see where the couple will travel next—you’ve already gotten some great suggestions.

Sandra, your spa retreat is already over. You’ve been really hard at work, and all your bags turned out beautifully. You did a great job on the pillow for your friend—I’m sure she’ll love it.

Monika, your friend will surely be very happy with her gift—the set turned out beautifully once again. I’m glad you’ll be traveling soon. It’ll be wonderful when you finally get to see your family and grandchild again.
I really like your new colorful yarn, too. You’ve knitted such a beautiful loop scarf before—that would be perfect for this. I’m sure you’ll come up with a lovely pattern.

Ines, I can totally believe that after so much yellow, you’re ready to see some other colors again. Have a great time at your girls’ night.

I spoke too soon—I actually wanted to show you what I’ve been working on lately.
I got to test-crochet a pattern.

Wow, you’ve all been super busy again. Before we head off to visit the grandkids tomorrow, I’m popping in here one last time. I won’t have time for this over the next few days. Of course, I’ll share an update when I get back.

Andrea, my placemat is about 50 cm wide and about 30 cm high. I think these dimensions are great because you can still see part of the design even with a plate on top. It’s great that you still find time for crafts. Since you’re already looking forward to returning to Germany, packing is also a source of excitement. I continue to hope that you’ll find your dream home.
Your earrings look great, and the pattern is really special, especially in this color combination. Very nice!

Sonja, thank you for your feedback on the placemat. The next one will surely be just as beautiful. I’ll start on that once I’m back home. That’s a great garden project.

Ines, I’m interested in your program for creating knitting patterns. Can you tell us which one it is? I could really use something like that, too. Thanks also for your good wishes! Yes, I’m so excited to finally see Juna again after a year. She’s sooo sweet!
I’m already looking forward to seeing your finished project and your new one. I’m sure you’ll show them to us.
And from me, too—have fun at your girls’ night!

Sandra, thanks to you as well for the good wishes!

Marion, thanks to you, too! And your new test crochet projects all look beautiful—both the colors and the patterns. It looks like Tunisian crochet, right?

Well, now I have to keep packing and then off to bed. We’re getting up earlier than usual tomorrow. Let’s see if I can even sleep. ;-)

Have a great time here together, everyone. Maybe I’ll check in while I’m on the road, if time allows.

See you soon...

Well, after quite a while, I’m checking in again. Some great things have been created again. You’ve all been very hard at work!

I’m currently busy with a marathon embroidery project. The embroidered picture for my grandson’s First Communion is supposed to be finished by mid-July. I haven’t had time for almost anything else. But now that I’ve decided not to embroider a few centimeters of the border, I’m sure I’ll finish in time and can catch my breath a bit.
In the evenings, I’m still crocheting a row on the temperature blanket. Here’s what it looked like yesterday at the end of the month:
I’m liking it more and more now that the red tones are starting to show up. 

Ruth, your blanket looks great! It really needed that touch of red.

I’ll only be checking in here sporadically for now, and for a bit shorter than usual. That’s because I’m completely busy with my two granddaughters. It’s sooo nice after a year! With Juna, it feels like no time has passed at all. She reached out to us right away.

Have a great time here—see you soon!

Monika

Ruth, your blanket is looking better and better.

Last night, on a whim, I tried making Sonja’s coaster. It was done in no time.
I’ll definitely make some more—maybe even with my own design someday.

Hello, my dears,

it’s raining outside, so it’s time for a little chat with you :-)

What’s new to admire?

@Sonja
Congratulations on the therapy blanket for your daughter. It looks wonderful and unique. You have created something very special for her and for yourself, namely a lasting memory that connects the two of you. On top of that, she will love her blanket and feel especially safe and cozy under it and in it. I even like that it has only 2 colors; it doesn’t need any more. The motif is so beautiful, it wants to be the star of the show. 1266 g—that was certainly a labor of love, but the blanket needs that weight for its therapeutic purpose too.

I can well understand that your other daughter now wants something special, just for her alone, too. If you had a third child ...

But for now you’re busy with the beautiful new placemat . Venice—another romantic destination that the motif carries us away to. Even while knitting or crocheting, you start to dream. Without the couple in love, it would just be a postcard of a city; with the couple, it begins to come alive and you feel drawn into the scene. Thank you so much for creating such beautiful things!

@Sandra
The pillow with the Paris set is dreamily beautiful. Your friend will love it. There are so many details to discover on the front, and on the back there’s a sweet saying for her—I think that’s a lovely combination. The saying simply makes it even more personal. That’s the kind of thing you only make and give to your best friend. I also like the pillow version better than the table sets. You can cuddle with the pillow and use it for decoration. We don’t use placemats in our household, so that’s probably why I prefer it.

@Andrea
Since we’re just on the subject of Sonja’s city trips, I think your idea with the “world blanket” is absolutely fantastic. It simply appeals to everyone who likes to travel. One person loves one city, another loves another—everyone would recognize something in the motifs. A blanket like that would of course be a lot of work, but it would also be something very special. For example, for a young couple moving in together into their first home. They both like to travel, and then a blanket like that—I would find that simply brilliant. And you wouldn’t get bored while crocheting or DB knitting, because you’d have lots of different motifs. And solid color in between—as Sonja writes—to give each motif a “calm frame.” I’m curious to see whether Sonja picks up the idea.

Dear Andrea, I hope you’re making good progress with your moving preparations. The apartment situation already sounded hopeful. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. Soon you’ll be in Germany, able to hug your loved ones, eat German bread, and also gingerbread. Experience shows those are in the supermarkets starting in September.

The cherry earrings are lovely, just the thing to do something nice for yourself. You’ll stand out, and no one but you will have such special earrings. I especially love the transparent leaf on the cherry—without it, something would be missing. They’re perfect for summer!

Your colorful test doilies are also pretty to look at. I know this pattern is simply fun because you always get surprising color combinations and effects. That can surely be expanded into a real project. Once you’re in Germany, you can choose the right colors in real stores. I suspect it will be a true yarn frenzy.

@Monika
Your Paris set is also something to fall in love with. Here, the cheerful, bright colors jump out at me first. And when you look more closely, you discover all the little scenes that carry you away to Paris and put you in a cheerful vacation mood. What craft can do that?

I’m happy for you, your husband, the children, and grandchildren that after such a long time you can hug each other again and simply spend time together. Any yarn can wait when you can be with family. After that, your batteries are fully recharged again and your heart is filled with many happy feelings.

@Ines
Your yellow twin set is a lot of hard work. We already got to admire the cardigan. To add a top on after that takes a lot of self-discipline. Always the same color and so many small, fine stitches. With me it probably would have become a UFO. But you’re a hard worker who doesn’t let herself be beaten. Soon it will be finished, and then you can wear it proudly.

The standstill in your crafts has to happen too. You’ve had so many things to organize and think about lately that doing nothing feels good. Just doing the bare necessities and enjoying the day. That’s how you gather strength and energy for the next project, which then unexpectedly jumps out at you :-)

@Marion
Your test-crocheted potholders are all very beautiful across the board! I had already seen the ones with the flowers at Ines’s. Yours look just as great! I like the color combination too. I could hardly decide which ones I like best. Luckily you don’t have to decide, but can put them all to use. If I needed potholders, I would choose the one with the rose on the trellis.

I also like the coaster with the cloverleaf very much. A pretty little item that could also be used as a potholder instead of a coaster. Just add more solid-colored area all around. The green and white has something fresh about it, somehow suits summer. If you use it as a coaster, you could also make some in different colors, then everyone would have their own in their favorite color.

@Ruth
Your temperature blanket already looks really good and is already halfway done. Just another half year of crocheting, and it will be finished. The red tones make it look very lively. I’ll show mine in a moment.

You are super diligent with the embroidered picture for your grandson. What a time-intensive project. But he wants it, and as a grandma you do everything you can to make things possible. It’s good that you’re able to do such fine work at all. Embroidery requires a lot of detailed work, concentration, good eyes (or good glasses), good light, and loosening exercises for your neck now and then. But the result justifies every effort. It will be a very special gift for him.

After that, will all the grandchildren have an embroidered picture of themselves? Or is there still more to come?

@Ina
So, now I’ve arrived at myself. In summer I tend to do fewer crafts. I have a large garden, and there’s always something to be done: watering, harvesting, planting, decorating, etc., etc. In the evenings we often sit on our terrace by the new pond. It’s such a beautiful little spot. When the water is gently burbling and you watch the fish in their slow movements, you totally relax. It’s as if you were on a little island.



That’s where I now do my crafts in the evenings too. A request came to me from the family that I please make another cover for an exercise ball. So I gathered all my leftover yarn and am now crocheting this cover.





Every day I also crochet one row of my temperature blanket. Now it’s halfway finished. On 12/31 it will be done! It still fits on my table for taking photos.



Oh, one more little thing was made: I needed climbing stakes for my greenhouse for the cucumbers to climb up with their tendrils. We only had smooth metal rods, and they were too smooth for the tendrils. Since my husband couldn’t find his insulating tape just then, I simply crocheted around the rods instead. Thick yarn, thick crochet hook, around and around in a circle, and then just slipped them over.



Otherwise I’m not thinking up any new crafts right now, because July is an exciting month in the family. My son’s house construction is entering the hot phase. The young people are having a really hard time right now and have to be everywhere at once and solve problems. The move is supposed to happen in July. Of course we’re helping wherever we can: at the construction site, with providing meals, looking after the grandson, giving moral support, etc., etc. But we’re happy to do all of it. So for now I can only do crafts that require “no thinking.”

I wish you all a lovely day and hope you haven’t fallen asleep reading my long article. But you could have just scrolled on :-)

Warm regards from Ina

Oh, Ina,

how could anyone fall asleep while reading your article! You write so vividly and warmly and respond to each of us so personally; I think that’s just wonderful!

Your temperature blanket has really grown a lot too. I think the idea of leaving the fringes at the sides is great. I always crochet the new colors in so I don’t have so much to weave in, but you can see it a little in my pattern if you look closely.

On the one hand, I envy you your beautiful garden (I only have a balcony), but on the other hand I’m glad I don’t have to do any gardening anymore. I really hated it because my back would still hurt for days afterward.

I’ll finish the embroidered picture for my grandson in time. Since I’m nearsighted in one eye, I don’t need glasses—neither for watching TV nor for close-up work. I just always see sharply with one eye. It was already like that when I was young. A few years ago I had cataract surgery, and the ophthalmologist said we’d leave it that way and not correct my vision, because otherwise I probably wouldn’t get used to seeing with both eyes anymore and would then need glasses for reading too. So embroidery isn’t such a big problem for my eyes, provided I have good light. But in summer that’s usually the case.  After that comes the picture for my granddaughter, and for the other one I’ve now also ordered a design based on a photo. But I’ll take a little more time with those two pictures. Honestly, I’d like to crochet something again at some point too. On the other hand, embroidery has the advantage that you really don’t have to think much while doing it. It’s almost meditative.

Marion, the cloverleaf coaster turned out very beautiful. About how big is it? I also think it could be used as a potholder. Or would you have to crochet it even bigger then?

Yes, the idea with the around-the-world blanket really has something to it! That would certainly be a huge amount of work, but you could really let your creativity run wild. I can think of lots more cities: London, Vienna, New York, Rome, San Francisco, Copenhagen... and of course Munich, my hometown!

Monika, I’m happy for you that you can finally see your family again. I have it easier there, since the grandchildren live very close by. So I do see them at least once a week. I can’t even imagine what it would be like if they lived so far away. I’m sure you already have lots of new ideas again for what you can make for them when you get home.

Andrea, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you that everything with the move works out the way you want it to. Where exactly are you moving to? And exactly when?

Well, my embroidered picture is calling me again. It’s a bit cloudy, but warm enough to work on the balcony.

Hi everyone,

it’s been so quiet here lately.

Ina, it’s great to hear from you again. I didn’t fall asleep while reading your long post. You write so well, and you have some news for us again.

I can totally imagine how much you enjoy sitting by your new pond. We had one in our garden for many years, too—it was truly wonderful. Now there’s a greenhouse in its place, much to my husband’s delight.
The idea of crocheting around the poles is brilliant once again—so typical of you, Ina. You’ve also made great progress on the new cover for the ball; the color is great.  Your temperature blanket looks better and better with all those shades of red. How quickly time flies—half a year has already gone by.

I have a little something to show you, too. Right now, I’m really enjoying working with the tapestry technique. I saw something on Sonja’s blog and gave it a try, but I’ve also been experimenting on my own... 









Now I wish you all a great start to the week.

hello everyone,

I thought I’d pop in again too. I have the day off today, and I’m not doing anything for once. I’m still so exhausted from my weekend job at the hotel. Today I feel like I’ve been “run over.”
It feels good to take a look in here.

Oh Ina, your posts are always written so lovingly; they always read like a wonderful book. You can really lose yourself in them. Your feel-good oasis is a place where we’d all probably love to sit with you, chat, drink cappuccino, and watch the fish—that’s so calming.
Thank you so much for your feedback.
Depending on how I’m feeling and how much time I have, I’ll of course keep packing. Little by little the cupboards are getting emptier, and the boxes are multiplying.
Of course I’m already looking forward to my much-loved gingerbread and all the different kinds of chocolate, and... it will be my first birthday back in Germany after such a looooong time, together with my parents and children, no longer just the two of us.

ruthk, thank you. We really can use some luck right now, because the apartment search is turning out to be difficult after all. We’ve sent everything off, and now we have to wait and see what they decide. I feel really sorry for my dad because he has to handle all the appointments and viewings for us. Hopefully it won’t all have been for nothing.
It’s near my parents (Brandenburg/H.). I went to school there too.

Marion, I think your tapestry crochet pieces are so wonderful. Each one has something special about it. You chose lovely motifs.

I wish everyone else a pleasant rest of the week.
It’s cloudy here too, with a light drizzle now and then, but at least it’s not quite so warm today.

There’ll be coffee and cookies in a moment.

Best wishes

Good morning, everyone!

Yes, things are indeed a bit quieter here in the summer, but everyone is enjoying the weather outdoors and probably making the most of some newly regained freedoms.
We’ve had rain here for the past 3 days, so it’s not exactly weather for pottering around in the garden—but that means more time for crafts :) .
You’ve all created some wonderful things again.

Ruth , your temperature blanket is halfway done and getting more and more colorful—I also admire your perseverance in bringing out your work every day and continuing to crochet.

Ina, it’s the same with you—you’re also making a second cover for an exercise ball, which seems like a labor of love as well.
I really love the idea of the crocheted plant supports.I’m always surprised by the ideas you come up with.

Marion, your coasters are pretty neat too, and yes, they really do make it easier to keep track of YOUR glass. Well, we’ll soon have a chance to chat at length about crafts—and other things as well.

Andrea, despite all the preparations for your move and your job, do you still have time for crafts and jewelry design? The earrings remind me a little of the “jewelry” I made as a teenager for myself and my girlfriends—back in the days of the GDR—but there were spray cans that we guarded like the apple of our eye; they came in “Westpakets,” and we’d puncture them, cut them into triangles, and somehow manage to turn them into earrings.Today, of course, there’s a wide variety of beads and such, so you can get creative. I also like the crochet piece—I’m curious to see how it turns out.

Monika, I’m so happy for you—you get to spend plenty of time with your grandchildren, and little Juna connected with you right away. Unfortunately, visits have been really difficult lately; let’s hope for all of us that this doesn’t happen again.

As for me, I’ve finished my sweater/top in the meantime. I’m not 100% satisfied with the RVO from the top yet—it fits well, which is important, but I still find the sleeves and the raglan line a little too long/wide. I can’t quite describe it right now, but I guess you just have to learn and practice.

As I mentioned, I needed to make something colorful, and since we had a few not-so-nice days last week, I thought of fall—and sure enough, two little trolls in the shape of pumpkins hopped off my needles. Take a look.



Now I’m going to focus on new designs, because it looks like it’s going to rain cats and dogs today—I’ll probably have to dash through the rain with my dog… Anyway,
have a great start to the weekend.



The elephant and the dinosaur are set to embark on their big journey to the U.S. tomorrow!

Oh, it’s been so long since I last posted here... It certainly can’t have been because of the nice weather these past few days *laughs* But my excuse is that school vacation starts here in 1 1/2 weeks, so it feels even busier than usual.

Andrea, your earrings look absolutely charming! Very pretty :-) You could have just made the photo frame a little bigger, though—then we would have been able to see you in the picture too :-) Any news on your apartment hunt?

Marion, you’ve been super hard at work on those pot holders and coasters. And each one is prettier than the last. I think it’s great that you’re trying things out for yourself—they turned out really well! We’ll definitely be seeing more of those… :-)

Ruth, your temperature blanket is really lovely to look at. At the start of the year, we had no idea that the temperatures this year would be so unusual. At least here—they’re forecasting 17 degrees for next Tuesday, and that’s in the middle of July. That’ll show up on your blanket, too. But I hope for all of us that you’ll be able to crochet with red again soon! With all that embroidery, I can imagine you’re missing crocheting. You’ll be done soon—then you’ll be proud, and your grandchild will be very, very happy. I hope you’ll show us a picture of the finished project again.
By the way: at least two of the cities you mentioned are on my list :-)

Ina, reading your posts is always a highlight for all of us! Thanks for your feedback on the therapy blanket. Yes, it really was a labor of love. And that’s just the first part. The blanket is already too small and too light for my daughter, so next up is the next size—it’ll be 1.20 m x 1.60 m and weigh about twice as much, so around 2.5 kg. The next step will also bring more color into the mix.
Thanks for your beautiful photos! It looks so idyllic where you are! The cover for the sitting ball has great colors—did I understand correctly that you pieced together several pieces of leftover yarn to make it? The effect is fantastic, anyway. Your temperature blanket is growing too and getting more beautiful every day! You haven’t told us yet what it’ll turn into in the end; I’m still curious.
For your son’s move, I wish you all the best of luck, strength, patience, strong nerves, and plenty of good fortune so that everything goes smoothly! Having a mom like you who pitches in and helps out wherever needed is priceless. The crafts can definitely wait for now.

Ines, I really like your top! I especially love the V-neck. Can we see a photo of you wearing your new outfit? Maybe just in time for next Tuesday, when the weather hits a new low? Then you can bring a little sunshine to the forum with your cheerful yellow and a beaming smile :-) And your pumpkins are so cute!!! Even though I don’t want to think about fall just yet, those two are just too cuddly. They remind me a bit of the grumpy old men on the balcony from *The Muppet Show*.
You mentioned something about your program for creating knitting and crochet patterns. I’d be very interested to know what kind of program that is. Maybe I could make my life a little easier too—even though I’ve gotten pretty good with Excel by now.

Christina, those two shawls are so beautiful! You’ve really spiced them up wonderfully with your own ideas. I’m so happy they get to “emigrate” to the U.S. I hope Elo and Diggi bring your grandchildren lots of joy!


Now for me: the Venice placemat is finished—some of you have already seen it. For the sake of completeness, I’m still officially presenting it here:



I’m really itching to start designing the next pattern right away. But first, I’ll crochet Venice—otherwise, the crocheted Paris would be so lonely. Maybe I’ll give away the complete crocheted set someday.

And now I have to get dressed right away—out of these baggy pants and into some decent clothes *laughs* Tonight, I’m going out to dinner with my friend in Zurich and then to the theater. Yippee :-)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

Ohhh, my dears. I’m absolutely blown away by the sooo many beautiful things you’re showing here. It’s all gorgeous! We didn’t get back home until yesterday evening after a 7-hour drive—nothing but roadwork. Today I need to get my bearings again and catch up on a few things. It was sooo nice with the grandkids. It was as if no time had passed at all. Everyone had a great time! And my friend’s birthday party was also really lovely. It’s something else entirely to be together with loved ones in person again. We really enjoyed it. That’s why I didn’t get much knitting done. My loop scarf hasn’t grown much. I’ll show it to you in the next few days.

So, now I’m going to take a look at all your pretty creations one by one.

Marion, your coasters all look really great. I’m going to make some of those too, just for fun. You’ve really inspired me to do it.

Ina, you’re having the dream vacation right at home. All the hard work you put into it has really paid off. I’m so jealous of your beautiful oasis of relaxation. A seat ball cover like that is a lovely relaxing project. Kind of like my animal nests or treehouses. Your temperature blanket is really taking shape now. The colors are beautifully blended, and I’m already curious to see what you’ll make of it in the end—or what you’ll use it for.
You have such brilliant ideas. Crocheting a cover for your plants’ climbing pole—you really have to think of that first. It looks really great, too.
How could anyone fall asleep with your interesting posts? ;-) I hope July is a month of renewal for you all, filled with plenty of moments of relaxation. Moving into a new house is surely a great joy for your son’s family. And when the parents can help out and look after the grandchildren, that’s especially wonderful.

Ruth, the new embroidery piece is sure to turn out really beautiful again. I actually love that kind of detailed work too, but I just can’t find the time for it right now. There’s too much else that needs to be done first. I can’t really imagine doing needlework with just one eye—do you close the other one? On the other hand, it’s actually pretty practical. Everything has two sides to it, doesn’t it?
Yes, you guessed it right. I came home with a few ideas for what I can knit for my granddaughters. There are quite a few things they’ll need starting this fall. I even measured their clothes right away so they’ll fit into the new ones right away. Honestly, I don’t even know where to start.

Oh, Andrea, I can totally imagine how excited you are to be back in Germany for your first birthday. Celebrating with family—that’s just the best. You’ll enjoy it all the more because everything we didn’t have back then makes us appreciate it so much more now. I wish you all the luck in the world with your apartment search. I’m sure you’ll find the perfect one for you. It was the same with my son last year before Christmas. It came together at the last minute, and they’re very happy there.

Ines, your sweater/top looks great. I probably wouldn’t have knitted it that way—with raglan sleeves—but rather straight up. I didn’t even notice the raglan slant at first. To me, the armhole looks just right. I have to say, you always have such wonderful ideas. Your fall trolls are so cute again. They just scream, “Please take me home!” A great decoration that’s sure to be a hit. And you’ve got new ideas already? Wow, you’re really in a creative mood right now. You definitely have to make the most of it. And we’re all really excited to see the result here.

Christina, the elephant and the dinosaur look really cute, too. Your grandchildren are going to be thrilled when they unwrap them. I could totally see these as washcloths for my two granddaughters, too.

Sonja, here we are writing together again. I just refreshed the page and saw that you’d posted here. :-)
Wow, you’re already getting ready for the next cities? I’m really curious to see what they’ll be. I’ll be starting the Venice set in the next few days—I’m really looking forward to it.
You’ve got something nice planned for tonight. I hope you have a great time with your friend. Enjoy it! These are the joys that do us good, not just during this time.

Just a quick note about our visit with the grandkids. Juna probably saw us properly for the first time. Of course, her parents had told her about us long before we arrived and talked about us over and over again. That naturally fueled her anticipation. When we were sitting at the table on the first day, Juna looked at us with a beaming smile, her eyes darting from one of us to the other. She kept saying “Omi”... “Opi.” It was as if she first had to realize that we were really sitting there in front of her. Then she wanted me to do everything for her. Feed her… dress her… and of course, there was lots of cuddling. With Linja, I went through the full repertoire of what five-year-olds are into. From Memory to reading stories to playing hide-and-seek—we did it all. Which I also found funny. I was knitting a bit on my loop outside—and Linja wanted to hold the ball of yarn. Meanwhile, Juna was busy with other things. That was kind of a highlight, because Linja had a task that was important to her. In the process, she got to see firsthand how knitting is done. By the way, she’s already tried crocheting—at preschool.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! It’s only 18 degrees here today, but tomorrow it’ll be 25. I’ll take advantage of that to knit in the garden again. It’s time for the next placemat.
And I’m already looking forward to the next designs for the kids… a jacket for Linja, pants for Juna.

If any of you have tips on sewing zippers into knitted jackets, please share them. My son has mentioned that it’s easier that way… and I’ve never sewn one into a knitted garment before.

I’m popping in here again for a little chat.

Monika, it’s great to have you back—the forum was much quieter without you! Now you’re clearly still buzzing from your wonderful visit with your grandchildren and just brimming with new ideas. And with your enthusiasm, you might even inspire Linja to become as dedicated a knitter as you are. It seems to be the same with my granddaughter. She’s always asking what I’m working on and then wants to help. She still lacks a bit of patience, but for my new project— the hammock for her Barbies—she’s already braided the ends. 
The embroidery is almost finished now, just in time, since her First Communion is in a week. Now I’ll wash it so the guide lines disappear and then I’ll see where I might have forgotten a little cross stitch here or there. I’ll take a picture of it after I iron it. (By the way, I don’t keep one eye closed when I’m doing needlework. The eye that doesn’t see clearly is watching along, but it just can’t make anything out.)

Your Venice picture turned out great again, Sonja! Did you use a drawing of the Rialto Bridge as a template, or how did you get it to look so good? Have fun at the theater today!

Christina, those Doubleface scarves are amazing! The colors go together really well and are so vibrant.  If only I had more time, I’d definitely give it a try sometime.

I fell in love with your two trolls right away, Ines. A great idea and beautifully executed. I like your top, too. However, I don’t really like wearing short-sleeved knitwear in the summer. It’s either too warm for me, or my arms get cold.

  Any news on the apartment hunt, Andrea? I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything works out.

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend. The weather’s supposed to get a little better. With this wet summer, you’ve got to make the most of every ray of sunshine. 

My evening yesterday was wonderful :-) It’s so nice to be able to enjoy a bit of “real life” again.

Monika, how lovely that you were able to fully savor your time with Linja and Juna. You may not see each other very often, but when you do, it’s very intense and heartfelt. These are wonderful shared experiences that you and the girls can draw on for a while! And hopefully the next reunion won’t take quite as long… Unfortunately, I can’t help you at all with the zipper—I have no clue ;-)

Ruth, that’s so nice that your granddaughter is helping out, too. Did she get to play in the hammock as well? It’s super cool—you really always have great ideas! I’m really looking forward to seeing the photo of the embroidery.
For the Rialto Bridge, I printed out a blank knitting chart (i.e., empty squares in knitting stitch format) from Excel and drew the bridge by hand into the squares using a photo as a guide. Then I transferred the design into Excel. I usually do the fine-tuning in Excel anyway, but with such complicated designs, sketching by hand helps me get the proportions right—it makes it easier to make corrections. I “drew” the rest directly in Excel; I’ve gotten pretty good at that by now.

We’re finally having nice summer weather again today—I hope you’re enjoying it just as much!

Good morning everyone,

you have all been so busy again. One handmade piece more beautiful than the next.
Sonja’s "Venice" placemat, Christina’s dino elephant potholders, Ines’s top—I absolutely love all of it.
Monika, it’s lovely that you were able to enjoy the time with your granddaughters and family.

I still have the joy of being with family ahead of me, and I’m already looking forward to it so much.

Unfortunately I can’t show you anything at the moment, as much as I’d love to crochet, but today we emptied my glass cabinet and packed everything into moving boxes. The apartment is slowly getting emptier, but there’s still too much here.
We still have some time.
Somehow I wasn’t feeling so well today, though; I’m constantly tired, and I felt so woozy. So I lay down in bed for a bit and was totally out, asleep. Now I’m okay again.
Maybe it’s the stress of the last few days, excitement and joy at the same time because of the move. A lot of emotions come together.
I have a total of 4 days off, which I really need, and we’ll get quite a bit done then. With breaks, of course.

Well, about the apartment—as things look right now, we might get our lease sent to us in the next few weeks. If the mail doesn’t take too long to get here. That means waiting a little longer, and then we can be happy. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Your crossed fingers helped, thank you so much.

I wish you all a lovely weekend

rain is forecast here, just right for clearing things out.

best wishes

Oh, Ruth, that was so sweet of you to write. Thank you! :)
The fact that it’s been quieter here might also be because of summer. A lot more people are outside then—I’m the same way. I spend a lot of time in the garden and enjoy “real” life. Yeah, you’ll laugh—when Linja was sitting next to me with that ball of yarn in her hand, I immediately thought about teaching her how to knit someday. After all, she’s already tried crocheting before. That’s easier to start with anyway.
Your hammock for the dolls is another great idea. Kids can make one too. They’ll definitely have fun with it.
You’re already a real pro at embroidery—and incredibly fast!! You just started on the current one, didn’t you?! I’m really looking forward to seeing the result.

Sonja, I totally believe you when you say your girls’ night out was really nice. Especially now, it feels like pure luxury and does you a world of good.

Andrea, that sounds great! We’ll get to congratulate you on your new apartment soon. Do you already know if you’ll have a garden there, or at least a balcony? Oh, you’re going to love having all those perks here in Germany again. Just your family alone… the warmth… and the selection of yarn! The Brandenburg area definitely offers lots of possibilities and has some beautiful spots. I’m sure you’ll show us a few photos then, too.

We were out and about again today, but starting tomorrow I’ll begin working on Sonja’s Venice picture. It’ll be the second placemat for my friend for Christmas. The colors are the same, so everything goes well together.

Have a lovely evening, everyone, and a great start to the week.

This is absolutely amazing!
Great, great, great!!!
Best regards from Switzerland

Yesss! It's finally finished! Unfortunately, I won't manage to frame it by Sunday. Oh well, my grandson will just have to give it back to me for a while. For now, I'm going to take a longer break from embroidery. So much has been left undone. And there are so many ideas buzzing around in my head that want to be brought to life.

Yes, Sonja, of course my granddaughter got the hammock to play with. The idea came about because her mom was supposed to get a hammock for her birthday, but she was supposed to choose it herself. So I put a little hammock in the package as a "model." Of course, it was clear that the daughter would then get it to play with for the Barbies.
I can well imagine that you draw your knitting charts in Excel. I do that quite often with cross-stitch patterns. But for knitting you need a different aspect ratio for the boxes, since they aren't squares. What ratio do you use there?

Andrea, I'm glad things are working out with the apartment. Of course, you still have a lot of work ahead of you now. The days off that you actually need for recovering will be spent packing. It's really no wonder that all the excitement is making itself felt physically too. I hope you still manage to find time now and then for a bit of relaxation so it doesn't all get too stressful. Do you already have a job in Germany, or will you start looking once you're there?

So, now I'm off to my son's place. Mondays are always granddaughter afternoon.

Ruth, you’ve done a fantastic job again! I really admire you! I also enjoy embroidery, but I don’t think I’d ever dare try something like this. How big is the picture, actually? And what kind of thread do you use?

Good evening

I was just really in the mood to crochet after all that packing.

I discovered this cute little radish here on the blog page and crocheted one right away. It was finished in 2 days. I had such a huge amount of fun crocheting it.

And ta-da, here it is.

 

It’s me again,

ruthk— your embroidery turned out absolutely amazing. Hats off to you, especially for your perseverance. It’s definitely something “personal,” which makes it all the more special and something to cherish.

Thanks to everyone who’s wishing us all the best for our new apartment. I’ll definitely post some pictures from my hometown.

Monika, we’re moving into an apartment building without a garden, but with a balcony. That was important to us. It’s on the 3rd floor, though. Never mind that for now.

The lowest floors are so in demand—there are more and more older people, after all. There wasn’t anything left there. A little exercise can’t hurt.
It’s not even a 5-minute walk to my parents’ place. We’re really looking forward to setting everything up—it’ll all smell so new—and we’ll be able to have breakfast on the balcony, drink coffee, or even have a barbecue in the evening (with an electric grill), along with a glass of sparkling wine, sitting together with my parents, or having the kids come visit us anytime. That’s our biggest wish—to experience all of that again. The neighborhood, speaking German again, and so on.

I’m sure I’ll find a job, too. They’re always looking for people in nursing, and everything’s close by—I could even ride my bike there or take the streetcar.

Not like here, where it takes 1 1/2 hours to get home, with rail replacement service, stress...etc.

I think it’s time for us to be more on the “sunny side” now *hihi*

Have a nice rest of the evening
—tomorrow it’s back to work.

Best regards

A warm welcome to you, Doriana, here in our craft group. It’s great to have you here. Maybe you’d like to tell us what kinds of crafts you enjoy doing. We’re always happy when someone new finds their way to us.

Wow, Ruth, that’s absolutely amazing. You embroidered such a large picture just as a little side project. Hats off to you for that! It looks fantastic! Now you can show us lots of new ideas here again, the ones you probably already have in mind.

OMG, Andrea, that little radish is so cute! :) If it weren’t so tiny, I’d say it was "made for cuddling". That’s such a nice change in the middle of all the stress of moving. Yes, crocheting really can be relaxing. It is for me too.

Today I knitted the first 10 rows of the Venice set - in the garden, of course. Tomorrow will be another lovely day, and I’m going to make the most of it for that. Everything else will have to wait until Wednesday, when it’ll be cooler and rainy.

Have a lovely evening, everyone, and best wishes from Monika

Oh my, Andrea, you were writing something while I was writing too. How funny!
That sounds great—with a balcony and being so close to your family. You’ll enjoy it, I’m sure. You’ll definitely find work; it’ll all work out once you’re back in Germany. And the third floor will definitely keep you active. You won’t need to exercise anymore.

Yes, of course you deserve it—just like all of us—to walk on the sunny side of life. With all the amazing cakes you always bake, you’re sure to have visitors often. They’re just too tempting. Have fun continuing to pack—you’re especially motivated right now.

Andrea, I'm happy for you that you found an apartment. That takes a lot of pressure off you, and you can pack in a more relaxed way and also crochet a pretty little something again in between.

Monika, a “technical” question: How do you handle it with double-face knitting when the rows are so long? My magnets aren't enough for that many stitches. How do you keep track? Even with potholders (about 44 double stitches), I have to pay close attention when there are lots of color changes. 

Doriana, welcome! It's great that Switzerland is getting reinforcements! What area are you from? I live in the Mittelland, Bernbiet.

Christina, do you use magnets with the DF? Interesting! Would you like to tell us how that works?
I printed out both pages and taped them together on the back. Then I place a long ruler over the row I’m knitting. A pen or a small pair of scissors marks where I am. When a row is finished, I draw a line at both ends. That works best for me.

Monika, I have magnetic boards with the corresponding magnetic rulers, so they don’t slip. Unfortunately, they’re too small for the placemat (about A4 size), and the ruler is only about 20 cm long. I still have some time to figure this out—I’ve got other things to take care of first.
And, was the weather really that nice where you are today? It rained (poured) all morning here, after we’d already had a lot of rain overnight. Now it’s just gray…

Yes, Christina, yesterday—at least until the afternoon—it was so nice that I could sit outside. Today it’s more like fall, with temperatures between 17 and 20 degrees and rain. But it’ll be better again starting tomorrow.

I’m curious about how you solved your problem. Feel free to share how you handled it when the time comes.

I wish you all a wonderful day!

I’m checking in again.
So many great things :)

I wanted to knit a Möbius scarf, but it just wouldn’t work out.
So I started a scarf:


Plus, my pot holder is waiting for the pattern to be finished:

Hi everyone!

I’m totally impressed by everything you’ve already done this month!

 >  How many projects do you usually complete in a month/a year?  

Welcome, Klara! It’s great to have you here. Of course, we’re all delighted by your praise.

You’re welcome to join our group and tell us what kinds of crafts you enjoy making. I’m sure you have some really wonderful things you could show us. Right?

How much we manage to get done probably varies from person to person. The main thing, after all, is the joy of crafting. I’m taking it a bit slower right now because there are so many other things to do in the summer.

Marlene, your scarf has an interesting pattern again.

Warm regards
Monika

Thanks, Moni :)

I usually work on slightly larger projects and am happy if I manage one pattern a month, Klara.
It took me about half a year to make a tablecloth.

Doriana, welcome from me, too! I’m originally from southern Germany, but I’ve been living in Switzerland for 8 years now (and I don’t want to leave here anymore), in the Zurich Weinland region.

Klara, welcome to you as well! It varies a lot for me, too—I started one project many weeks ago, and it’ll keep me busy for a few more months. I work on it every now and then, but in between I need smaller projects so I can actually finish something. That way, I can sometimes finish something in just a week. But as Monika writes, it’s not about the number of projects, just the amount of fun :-)

Andrea, what a cute little radish! I don’t usually like radishes, but I might actually like this one :-) I had to laugh when I just reread your post and saw your joy in life on the “sunny side.” Um, yeah, let’s hope—for you in particular, but also for all of us—that the weather shows its sunny side again soon... ;-)

Christina, that Swedish furniture store has a 40 x 60 cm magnetic board—maybe that could help you out? If you have a tablet and can imagine working on it, I could also send you the file.

Ruth, your embroidered picture—unbelievable! The amount of work that went into it is crazy. Just the pattern on the T-shirt alone... It turned out wonderfully, just like the last picture did. No wonder all your grandchildren are lining up to get an embroidered piece from you! Regarding your question about what size I use for the Excel cells when knitting: the width-to-height ratio is about 3:2. That works for most of my gauge swatches. If I happen to be working with a yarn where the gauge differs significantly, I adjust the cells accordingly.

Speaking of Ruth, here’s a little anecdote for everyone—it’s a bit embarrassing for me, but I can laugh at myself pretty well. I’m sure you all remember my “Venice” placemat. The knitted version has actually been finished for a few weeks now, and I finally finished the crocheted version this week. In the product description for both patterns, I wrote… “When I think of the city, Romeo and Juliet immediately come to mind.” Makes sense, right? With Venice, Romeo and Juliet really were the first thing that popped into my head. Completely wrong, of course—which Ruth kindly pointed out to me; thanks again! Oops... :-) Yeah, that was probably a different Italian city... I was totally embarrassed about it, because of course, when I think about it more carefully, I know that Romeo and Juliet have nothing to do with Venice. But I had that wrong flash of inspiration right at the start, and then I never questioned it again. Does that happen to you, too??? The best part of the story, though, is that countless people have already read the same text, and no one pointed out to me that it was nonsense. Now I’m wondering: are they all still in the corner, holding their sides with laughter? Or did I write it so convincingly that everyone thought, “Yeah, sure, Venice—oh, those poor lovers…”? That could be it, too…. In any case, whenever I think of Venice, I’ll definitely ALWAYS think of Romeo and Juliet ;-)

Our summer vacation starts on Saturday, and we’re heading straight to Lake Constance for a week—back to my old hometown. I’m really looking forward to it—I lived in that area for many years until I moved to Switzerland, and I spent every summer of my childhood and teenage years at the campground where we’re vacationing. It’s going to be really nostalgic :-)

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful evening and enjoy the rest of your days! See you soon :-)

Christina, the embroidery isn’t actually that big: about 27 x 35 cm. I embroidered it using 3 strands of DMC embroidery floss. It was already included in the kit. It’s not that hard either, since everything is pre-printed. You just need good eyesight and patience. But it’s also very relaxing because you don’t have to think while you’re doing it.

Andrea, your little radish is so cute! So you found a little bit of yarn that hadn’t been put away yet!

Monika, you asked once about sewing in a zipper. I always do that by hand for knitted items, because I don’t dare do it with the machine. But maybe you could ask Inge (Akela) about it.  She always has such great sewing tips.

Marlene, your scarf is definitely going to turn out great. I like the pattern. And the pot holder with the Japanese characters looks really interesting, too. I’m sure the characters have a special meaning. Will you tell us what it is?

Klara, it’s great that you found your way to us! Yeah, how many projects can you manage in a year? That depends, of course, on the scope of the projects. For example, I mainly make smaller items that you can create with leftover yarn. That’s sort of the motto of my shop. I don’t like to spend too much time on any one thing. That way, you naturally get more done than if you were making clothes or blankets, for example.
Well, the weather is practically begging you to do some crafting again. So, have fun!

Of course I’ll tell you, Ruth :)

Ki t(su) chi n = Kitchin—it says “kitchen” on it,

So this weekend is my grandson’s First Communion. We’re all still hoping for better weather. The forecast is still pretty uncertain. I actually wanted to take a break from embroidery, but I ended up pulling out my embroidery supplies again to make the congratulatory card. It went pretty quickly, too:

@Monika Huch, it looks like half of my message didn’t get sent at all. I also wanted to proudly tell you about my biggest project so far:

My first crocheted dress:

I took me 3 months to make it (crocheting in the evenings now and then). But I always pick out loads of patterns too, and unfortunately I never get around to all of them ^^ Just wanted to know if it’s the same for you all :D 

@Marlene, thanks for your reply! I’ve crocheted curtains using the filet crochet technique before too. That also took quite a long time. 

@Sonja Yes, I understand — with such a big project, it takes a long time before you get that feeling of accomplishment. 

@Ruth, all your little amigurumis are so cute! So far I’ve mostly made big stuffed toys, but the little ones are really adorable, and you finish them more quickly too! I’ve just noticed that with particularly thin parts, my fingers always get in the way, and it’s almost more tiring than crocheting the same thing in a larger size or with thicker yarn. What do you think?

Yes, Katja, you’re absolutely right: You do need a bit of practice for the little amigurumis. But you’ll get the hang of it over time. I started with little finger puppets because that’s what my daughter wanted for her kids. The first ones weren’t that great either, but they’ve gotten better and better over time.

I think your dress is beautiful! I like those shades of blue, too. And I don’t think three months is that long for this. You can’t crochet all day, even if you might want to ;-) But as I mentioned before, I probably don’t have enough perseverance for that, because most of the time I already have a new idea in my head.

klara-seitz: Your dress turned out beautifully, and I don’t think three months is too long for a project like this. Hopefully summer will return soon so you can wear the dress.
I haven’t worked on anything major in a while—right now, I’ve already made several DF pot holders and comfort blankets, and others are either in progress or in the planning stages. The baby blanket I just started will take a little longer. 

I like your dress, Klara :)

I used to crochet curtains—though for small windows.

@a-mano....
Uh.... Venice is, after all, the city of lovers... what could be more fitting than Romeo and Juliet.... and maybe the two of them would have loved to take a leisurely gondola ride through Venice.... Dreaming....
🙈😂🙈
You’ve all made such beautiful things. I haven’t really been able to knit lately—it’s way too warm. So my scarf will have to “wait” a little longer... 

In merino, hand-dyed.... half of it is already on the needles.

Wow, there’s a lot going on here. How nice!

Sonja, that’s funny about Venice and Romeo and Juliet. Honestly, I wouldn’t have noticed it either, because to me, Venice is also an Italian city for lovers. Oh oh… that’s probably how it was for a lot of other people, too. So there’s absolutely no need to be embarrassed about it. It’s great that we have Ruth, who noticed it. :-) I can totally relate to how excited you are for your vacation. We love camping, too. I hope you have a wonderful time at Lake Constance with your family.

Ruth, I’d also thought about sewing in a zipper by hand. But to be honest, I’m not really thrilled about it. Inge doesn’t sew with knitted fabrics, so that’s a bit of a different story. I’m not quite sure yet if I’ll actually go through with the zipper.
Your congratulations card really reminds me of the cards I used to embroider for Easter. I even still have one of them that I once gave to my mom. I’ll have to dig it out. I always really enjoyed that embroidery, too. Your card looks very nice.

Wow, Klara, your dress is absolutely gorgeous! I’d love one like that, too. All that effort and perseverance really paid off. Three months is totally fine for such a big project. I’ve been thinking about making myself a dress someday, too—though it’ll probably be a knitted one.
Yeah, I feel the same way. I have a few patterns lying around but just can’t seem to get to them. Mainly because I have so many projects of my own. I’m always coming up with something new.
I feel the same way as you about small crochet projects—they’re too fiddly for me. I have more fun with larger ones.

Steffi, the colors and patterns on your scarf—or shawl—are simply a dream! I’m such a pattern fan, too. I’d need at least 10 hands to bring to life all the ideas buzzing around in my head.

Tomorrow I’ll show you how my Venice placemat and loop scarf are coming along. Everything’s progressing a bit slowly right now.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Wow, that dress turned out great. Are those different yarns or a variegated yarn? I can’t quite tell, unfortunately.

Sonja, your Venice placemat is absolutely beautiful. That would make a great gift for a couple in love.

  Ruth, I admire your embroidery. The card is so unique—it’ll remind your grandson of this special day for many years to come. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will be nice—or at least dry—tomorrow.

Steffi, your shawl is turning out beautifully. Different patterns and colors—a lovely combination. The second pattern looks interesting. Will that one come up again? And what about the other patterns—or will new ones keep appearing as the shawl gets bigger?

I’ve finally found the right yarn for the next baby, who’s due in September. I found the pattern a while ago, and now I have the perfect yarn.

We’re celebrating a birthday this weekend—we’ll see how much time I have for crocheting.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend 

I’m so glad you all like the dress as much as I do :D

I used variegated yarn.
I found it on Facebook at Zaubermausis Wollstübchen—she drew inspiration for the color gradients from paintings! Mine is the “Dark Monet.”

@steffi, I think your shawl and the pattern are really awesome, too! 

Thanks.....
I’m already knitting this scarf for the second time.... The first one was so much fun that I just had to knit it again. There aren’t many stitches on the needle, the individual pattern rows/blocks are relatively short, and you only knit with one color per row...
The first one... 

The patterns themselves repeat, usually in a different color combination. I have three colors: the main color and two contrasting colors....
I could really use 10 hands.... Soooo many beautiful things you’ve “conjured up.” ... I’m just going to quickly grab my sewing needle (not the machine)—I sew by hand here—and give my bag its new strap; I actually finished weaving it last night (11:30 p.m.—I just couldn’t seem to wrap it up).... Now I’m going to do a little sewing outside in the garden.....
Love, Steffi

Steffi, your scarf is soooo beautiful. Thanks for sharing it. I can totally imagine how much fun it is to make. Very varied.

I took a picture of my blanket. I love starting blankets in the middle and crocheting/knitting in a circle. 

Hey there, after a little break, I’m checking in again—I actually needed a bit more time to read and admire everything; there’s been—and still is—a lot going on here........

But first, a warm hello from me to Klara, Steffi, and Doriana.....if I’ve forgotten anyone, sorry....I really like all the projects you’ve shared....

Ruth, the embroidery and the card are so beautiful again—I really admire your perseverance, especially with that embroidery....

Petra, the blanket has such lovely colors; I’m curious to see how it turns out in the end....

Oh, Sonja, Venice and being in love—that fits! I didn’t notice it at first either, haha… and who even thinks of the city of Verona when you can have Venice… soooo, I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all, and without Ruth, none of us would have thought of it.

I’ve been working on a few projects again—I’m not quite done yet, but I’ll probably finish them today, since it’s not exactly garden weather right now; it’s pouring rain, and my thoughts are with everyone who’s struggling with the flooding—it brings back memories of the flooding we had here.
So, I’ll just quickly show you my almost-finished projects and wish you all a pleasant weekend.

Blankets.....
And such a beautiful color—it looks wonderfully light and soft.....
Here, things like blankets, placemats, or even just simple dish towels don’t get any appreciation at all.... I knit and crochet only for myself, or amigurumis for my nephew.... Right now, he really likes tiny dinosaurs.... 

Hello, dear friends,

I’d really love to immerse myself in your works of art. But today it’s just a little greeting from me. Tomorrow and the day after, we have to get our son and his family’s move done. I’ve just made a huge bowl of potato salad, and later I’ll bake some muffins. You need that kind of fuel for long moving days. Along with some muscles and good cheer.

And because it’s summer and summer vacation, the other grandchildren were also visiting us last week. Here they are all playing with the doll beds I built once.



And then the daughter-in-law who is moving also sorted out her costume jewelry and makeup, which was very popular too.





I wish you all a lovely weekend and lots of joy crocheting or knitting.

Warm greetings from Ina

PS. If I scroll up just one post and see this old-fashioned kettle on Ines’ potholder, I’m instantly head over heels in love. Soon I’ll take a closer look at everything :-)

Oh yes, costume jewelry and makeup stuff..... Kids love that; they had fun, 
I wove a new strap for my shopping bag.... it’s really comfortable to carry, and it’s adjustable too. I simply “crafted” the old one apart and replaced the strap....

Now I just need to pretty up the “rings” for attaching it, and then it’ll “fit” 
In the next few days I can prepare my weaving frame and weave a strap for my crocheted backpack. There is one on it, but it’s not very comfortable to wear.... 

Steffi, I’m completely smitten.

Your bag with sheep 😍

Your strap turned out beautifully. I could use a new one for my sewn denim bag too, but I’m still unsure about the materials and how to make it. Do you think weaving it on a school loom would work too?

I make these things for myself, too, Steffi.
I only make them for others in very rare, exceptional cases.

My scarf is coming along.
I’m now on the second half, which continues in the opposite direction: