February Projects + January Projects 2023: the Crazypatterns Craft Group.

Continue writing here:
February Projects 2023: the Crazypatterns Craft Group 

Dear users, dear authors,
here is the new thread.
You can read the earlier posts via the link.
December Projects 2022, Part 2: the Crazypatterns Craft Group 
Have fun with it. 

First one 🙂

It’s still so quiet here... After Christmas comes Easter, or something like that? 

I’ve set aside my 15th pair of wrist warmers and am embroidering a pillowcase tonight. 

Today is not my day.
I’ve had to rip out the same row three times, even though I know the pattern by heart.

15??? Whoa Petra! 

Ah, I know what you mean, Marlene. Then I put projects like that aside too; there’s no point. 
 
I’m on a forced break because of pain in the base joint of my index finger. Yesterday, though, I crocheted 5 rows. My shoulder and cervical spine are also hurting; I really imagined crafting in old age differently. 😄

Right, I’m going to have a quick look at the gallery now to see what lovely things others have made. 

I’m currently revising a pattern that customers are having trouble following.
To get it right, I’m knitting along with my own pattern again and have already found two spots where the instructions aren’t clear.

I think that’s great! Do you have to recreate all of it, Ursulapetra, or just part of it? Is that really your name? Or is it a pseudonym and two people make the designs??? 

Marion, your pillow is really beautiful. Is the pattern knitted right into the fabric or sewn on later?

This is as far as I got yesterday. Just the mouth, eyes, and heart left, then I’ll sew it on with the machine

Thanks, Petra.

The pillow is knitted in one piece—or rather, started as one piece.

Your angel turned out pretty, too. How big is the cover? Is that a pillow as well?

@ Anja: My official first name is Ursula Petra. Back then, my mom wanted a Petra, and my dad wanted an Ursula. Since I was born at home, he just went with his preference when registering me. But I’ve always been called Petra.
That silly shop name came about when I signed up for Dawanda. At the time, I didn’t realize what that would actually entail :)
Later on, I didn’t dare change the name because I’d been selling well right from the start.
Best regards, Petra

Petra, you had the same issue with your name as I did. I also had to come up with a name really quickly for Dawanda. Today I’m not happy with it at all, but I don’t dare change it—I’d lose everything I’ve built up over the last few years. I’ll just have to live with it.....

Marion, I also have a small 40 x 40 cm pillow on my bed. I’ll use the fabric with the angel print to make that. 

Dawanda.... I really enjoyed browsing and shopping there...

The pillows turned out beautifully, the knitted piece looks great, and I really like the angel, too....

I just finished the front part of a pillow (though I’ll probably crochet a border around it). It’s 50x50 cm now....

Starting tomorrow, I can get back to working on my blanket—the yarn is back in stock and should arrive here tomorrow 😊

That mosaic crochet looks sooo great. I’ve looked at some other patterns, but for me, the only ones that work are ones where you don’t have to keep checking every row on the chart to see how to continue. I’ve already admired some amazing blankets—blankets in general! That’s a ton of work!!! I admire each and every one of you who completes such a massive project. 

Today I continued working on my scrap-yarn knitted coat and was able to finish the back (it took 9 days, though I had to take a break because of my inflamed index finger). It’s going to be ankle-length, knitted with size 8 needles. All the other pieces should go faster now. Later, I’ll get back to working on the pot holders. 
Unfortunately, the dizziness from my stupid cervical spine is bothering me again. I’m on sick leave until the end of next week for now, and then I’ll have to see how things go from there. I’m feeling a stupid mix of anxiety, depression, and exhaustion. 

Yeah, Dawanda was a nice shop. Etsy overwhelms me a bit—even though there are wonderful things there too, it’s just very international. 

Do you guys also have those idiots who are still setting off firecrackers? One of them is really annoying me right now. 

I figured out why the pattern suddenly wasn’t working out:
it was because of a stitch that had somehow gone missing.
Now it’s right again.

An inflamed index finger sounds nasty, Anja.

Your pillow front looks great, Steffi.

Oh Marlene, how great that you found the “mistake”.... It would have driven me crazy not knowing why it didn’t fit anymore.

@ Anja..... the pattern I’m crocheting now is symmetrical, so the pattern repeats on every edge, and on top of that, I crochet each edge up to the “center stitch,” and then the pattern is mirrored.... I’ve marked that stitch in the pattern.... so I only ever count the first half of an edge.... 

I tried another pattern now, too. First I lost a stitch, and then I had one too many. Unraveled it, annoyed. It’s a mystery to me how you can make whole BLANKETS out of this! All that counting drives me crazy (even if it’s always the same for the row). I still had the ambition to pull it off, but now I don’t like the color combo—oh my, there’s always something... *laughs* 

The color combination is really nice. It reminds me of a giraffe... I’ve never tried mosaic crochet before. But right now I’m making pennants with letters again, so I’m just counting too. But I like that—it keeps my mind from wandering. 

I think the color combination is lovely.... 
If I ever lose a stitch, I “cheat” it into the next double crochet... You won’t notice it at all later 🙈 
The extra yarn arrived today 😊 yay...

Thoughts not going wandering.... that’s exactly why I like counting so much 😊  For me, it’s the only way to actually have a “thought-free” moment; otherwise my thoughts spin incredibly fast, to the point of exhaustion. ... 

Quick question: I’ve finished the front part of the pillow.... Does it make sense to pick up stitches directly for the back, and then knit/crochet on the top and bottom? I wanted to let it overlap and then sew up the sides ....  Is that called an “envelope closure”? I’m sure you know what I mean 🙈 
Or how would you do it.... 

You can do that—then you’ll save yourself one round of sewing.

Here’s how I did it with the cat pillow: 

So far, I’ve either crocheted or knitted my pillows in one piece and then sewn or crocheted the sides together, or made them in two colors—one for the front and one for the back. But I’ve actually always joined them together; I’ve never picked up stitches.

[Image removed]

I crocheted the front piece in rounds, so starting from the center... 
Then I’ll just crochet something onto the “top and bottom” now... 
My in-between project isn’t crocheting up so nicely right now; the color for the pattern is too dark for evenings... 

It’s supposed to become a Celtic knot, or rather one of 12 squares that are supposed to become a blanket by the end of the year... 
Maybe I’ll frog it and use “friendlier” colors 😊

I’d like to make one starting from the center, too. I only found one in English, and I didn’t understand a thing. 

Yeah, the colors aren’t great for evenings. I do have a bright LED lamp, but I still don’t like doing it at night. 

I’d love to make something with a color gradient, but I don’t want to buy anything this year. Hmpf. 

My Amazon shopping diet for this month is going well so far, but it’s hard for me. I’ve already added quite a few things to my cart and I’m curious to see which of them I’ll actually still “need” in the end. 

What are you going to do with all those blankets, Steffi? 

....I have two of those blankets on my bed, and sometimes you need something to change them over 🙈😊
Oh.... yarn stored in the shopping cart tends to get stuck there and usually doesn’t come out voluntarily! When I put something in the cart, I look at the “total amount,” and if that’s too high for me, the yarn goes straight back out. ...
Only if I actually browse again later and the yarn is still available.... I might give in....  

You’ve really set the bar pretty high for yourself there.... A whole year of not buying anything
???? 
It’s so high you can only walk under it🙈 
I’ve now picked up stitches from one edge and am currently knitting the back of the cushion 👍 

Just from the back through the crocheted stitches and then the next row in knit.... That way I could even crochet a “decorative edge.” 

That looks really nice! Great colors—the glitter and the pattern are fantastic.

I saw a YouTube video where someone was making great hats with a mosaic pattern. I grabbed my needles and got started right away. Now I’ve finished the ribbing and the first 2 rows, and I’m already losing interest because the thick yarn is too “stiff” for my taste—it’s not soft or flexible. With a larger needle, I couldn’t get through the stitches, and with the smaller one, as I said, it’s a real faff until you finally get through them. I don’t know why—other people’s projects always look so great, but I’m rarely satisfied with mine. 

Since after Christmas is already before Christmas, I gave an old ornament a new crocheted dress:

Your ball looks beautiful. I’m planning to make one of those, too. I found some balls in a box of things to give away and took them home. I’d like to try my hand at knitting. 

Thanks, Petra :)

I’m sure it’ll look great knitted, too.

Your mosaic crochet projects look great. I think I’ll have to give that a try myself sometime—if I have time!
My first creation this year is a doll dress for my granddaughter’s Barbie. She was in the Black Forest this summer, which is why it’s called the “Black Forest Girl.”

Hello!

I’m also continuing to work on the Begalinis mosaic blanket. But that might turn into a year-long project ;)



Wow

Mosaic crochet looks so great. Maybe I’ll give it a try sometime.

Starting small with potholders

....that could become "addictive." ... 🙈😁

@ " Funny " the blanket is super chic. For me, that would be much more than a year-long project. I most likely would have turned it into a UFO by now. I'd need more variety in the pattern ... 

The little "Black Forest girl" turned out great 😍
And I think the Christmas bauble is chic too. 👍 

My Christmas things have all just disappeared back into the box and can rest until next Christmas. I was a little "late" this year; usually the decorations come down on 01/06... 

The blanket looks awesome! I, on the other hand, would like the repeating pattern so I can crochet it by heart. The color gradient is great. Is the yarn like that, or do you switch colors? But you can only do this in winter, with such a huge project on your lap *sweat*.

Yesss, the Black Forest Girl is a blast, just like everything Ruth creates.

I didn’t put up any decorations this year, neither for Halloween nor for Christmas. It’s too much of a hassle to set everything up and take it down afterward.

I couldn’t fall asleep yesterday because I’ve known for a while now that I’m doing something wrong with the increases from the strand between stitches. I still don’t know how to do the increases that lean to the right or left. I watched a few videos and realized I’ve been doing it wrong all along because I use the right needle to lift the stitch onto the left needle instead of the left one. And that’s what makes knitting through the back loop so fiddly—when you do it with the left needle, it goes much more smoothly. Anyway, I just can’t seem to remember when to insert the needle from where. Neither with a mnemonic nor with logic. Then I noticed that my wrong method actually creates invisible increases in stockinette stitch, while the correct method makes them visible. But now I can’t figure out how I was doing it wrong! Argh. 

Thanks :) It’s gradient yarn—a cotton bobble yarn plus a contrasting color. After the kids were laid up over Christmas and New Year’s, I managed to make a little progress. I’m only at 120 cm wide and 55 cm tall so far; I’ll need twice, if not three times, as much length :) Let’s see if I can finish it this year :D

I think the color combo is great—it really makes the pattern pop.

@Wollzauber_Steffi I’d like to try something without so many pattern changes :) The mosaic effect is really addictive. But with these blankets, the border is always the final boss. 

...that’s why I always crochet them center-out...  The color gradient just looks better in rounds 😁 OK, my round is now more than 4m long....
Right now I’m knitting the back of a “mosaic pillow” in stockinette stitch, and it’s driving me crazy. ... Luckily, I’ve already finished more than half of it....

Oh, you’ve all been very busy again this year.
Some really beautiful pieces have been created. The Black Forest Girl turned out really well for you, Ruth.
Everyone else seems to be caught up in mosaic fever.
That looks great, too. I do have a few patterns, but I haven’t tried any yet.
But I think I’m finally going to give it a try.
I just finished my third pillow—I crocheted it using the tapestry
technique. The back is knitted.

For my next pillow, I’m going to try mosaic stitch.
Here’s my tapestry pillow (by Ines).

I wish you all a wonderful week, and I can’t wait to see what you’ll share here next.

Wow, you’ve all been so busy! Now I’m going to take a look at your masterpieces.

(Wollwunder) Petra—that embroidered angel really turned out great.

(Ursula) Petra, that’s a great idea to reknit it. I’ve done that too when I no longer had the original pattern. It was a pattern where I didn’t have a test knitter yet.

Marion, I’ve already admired your pillow. It’s a really great design. I saw that you now have your cute little doll kids as your profile picture. Such a cute photo!

Steffi, your mosaic pillow looks fantastic—it matches the blanket, doesn’t it? You can really snuggle up in it. I also like your “Celtic knot.” It’s something completely different.

I also have a tip for getting your mind off your worries or fears. It’s simple: sing! When you’re singing, you can’t think. Music is truly very healing.

Anja, I really like the color combination in your pattern. It looks lovely, too.

Marlene, Christmas ornament dresses are always a great way to use up leftover yarn. Good idea.

Wow, Ruth, that Black Forest girl turned out great. That’s probably the one thing that was missing from your dress collection.

funnyhooksandhappycrochets, welcome to our group. :)
Your mosaic blanket is turning out to be a dream! The pattern looks great and is probably addictive. I’m slowly starting to feel like giving it a try myself.

Marion, you sure have nimble hands with a crochet hook. You finished your pillow in no time. It looks great. I’m going to try my hand at tapestry soon, too. As soon as I have time—though, unfortunately, time is in short supply for me.

I’m working on two projects and am almost done. I’ll show them to you when they’re finished. With these, I’ll be fulfilling a wish for my friend’s 70th birthday.

Have a wonderful week!

Hello my dear sweeties,

I admire your wonderful creations and your perseverance. You have been super busy.
At the moment, I’m mostly making smaller projects. I have so much leftover yarn. But see for yourselves.
The hearts are the patterns for the heart boxes.

  

Oh my, you’re all so hard at work! Right now, I only get to do crafts when I manage to carve out the time for it, lol… Since my dear husband has been retired since January 1, 2023, our daily routine has changed a bit, but I’m optimistic and think we’ll eventually settle into a routine where everyone can pursue their hobbies.

Steffi, I still admire your blanket and your pillow... Someday I’ll try my hand at mosaic crochet. Too bad the pattern is in English—it shouldn’t really be a problem for me to translate it, but I’ll have to dig into it.

I also think the crocheted ball is very pretty.

And yes, I’ve already admired the “Black Forest Girl” among the new releases—it’s so great, Ruth.

Funny, your blanket is beautiful too—and quite colorful as well. I’m glad you found your way here; it’s always nice to share ideas with each other.

Marion, thanks for taking the time to test-crochet every now and then—I really like the pillow in your color scheme and with that border, too. A few new patterns are coming soon, haha.......

I mentioned recently that I was crocheting a hand puppet for Wim—well, it’s already been put to use quite a few times, even though it doesn’t look all that spectacular. But he has fun when we change our voices and use the puppet.
Here’s Henry:




Right now I’m working on a cardigan—just one more sleeve to go, then I’ll be done.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Warm regards

Oh Andrea, looks like we were at our computers at the same time—these little projects are sometimes really great; you’ve used some lovely spring colors.
Best regards

Andrea, you’ve made some really cute little things.

Yeah, Ines, it’s not always easy when your whole schedule suddenly gets thrown off. 😂

Henry turned out great—he looks funny. I bet Wim is having fun with that.  

Oh wow, that looks great! I definitely can’t show this to the little mini-boss here, or I’ll get my next assignment :)
@ines thank you

Henry is amazing 😍😍😍
and so are the little heart-shaped tins and the tapestry pillow... 👍😍

I just found a pattern on www. 😲

They crocheted a net for bird feed balls!!!!
Made of cotton—I know the original yarn, and it “splits” even while you’re crocheting. You’re actually supposed to make sure there aren’t even those plastic nets on them because the birds can get tangled up in them.... So how on earth can a shop like Dr...s come up with the ridiculous idea of “offering” this made of cotton....
I’m a bit speechless right now.... To me, this falls into the category of “how to catch birds as quickly as possible.” ... 

Henry is really amazing! 

Steffi you’re sooo right, I’ve already told my neighbor off about fat balls in nets. 
I would actually report it to NABU or write to the people from that page and point it out. 
On the other hand, a net like that won’t last long anyway; I crochet new pennants as garden decorations every year, but okay, the birds like to perch on them and don’t get tangled up (I hope). 
So I would at least try to do something; the birds don’t need any more problems. 

I don’t think the pennants are the problem either.... But there’s food inside that crocheted net, and the “fabric” is there for them to cling to—they’re really hanging in there/on it..... whereas on your pennants, they’re just sitting on top and not “desperately” clinging on to get to the food.... 

I took a look at the comments on this—there are 11 of them, and they all demand that the pattern be deleted. There is a “response” to this; it was forwarded to support… but that was actually before Christmas!!!! 
Okay, you can’t delete it from the copies people already have, but online, that really shouldn’t be too difficult! 

"Basting" .... that’s what it was supposed to be....

Still wondering what “Dr....s” is?

funnyhooksandhappycrochets, I’d also like to warmly welcome you here to the forum. Your mosaic blanket looks amazing. Simple pattern, big impact. With this gradient yarn, it’s a real eye-catcher. It’s truly addictive. I also enjoy crocheting mosaic.
So have lots of fun here

ines, yes, we were writing at the same time, and when the text just flows from your fingers onto the keyboard, you sometimes overlook things, but it’s no big deal. Happens to me too.
Your Henry is really a hit. Sometimes it’s the simple things that are fun, and if the kids like it, then you’ve done everything right.

The Black Forest girl looks so great. Brilliant idea.

I’ve also already admired the carnival jester among the new items. Really funny. Great

You all are so quick with new creations, it’s hard to keep up. The list keeps getting longer, and hopefully my leftover yarn is getting smaller, so I can buy/swap for new yarn again for new projects.

Marion and Steffi, your mosaic and tapestry pieces turned out beautifully, of course, and that knitted border on the mosaic is a great idea, it fits. I’ll have to try that too.

wishing everyone a lovely evening

Tomorrow I’m on the early shift again, i.e., getting up at 4:00 a.m. (I need my own time in the morning).

.....I finished the pillow 😊
It’s finally off the needle and roughly stuffed 🙈 Of course, I don’t happen to have the right pillow insert at home right now.... 
I’ll give it a quick wash tomorrow and shape it a bit, get the insert, and then I guess it’ll be sitting on my sister’s sofa before long. 

The cat has already tried to see if he might “fit in there” 

Wow Steffi, your pillow looks really great.
I just couldn’t resist, so I went ahead and bought this pattern too. Now I just need plenty of time to recreate that pretty mosaic pattern, and the right yarn.

Sleep well

Okay, I’m hooked too. Which pattern is for the pillow? 

These are the first 49 rounds of my big blanket 🙈 

Steffi, your pillow turned out absolutely beautiful. I can totally see how this could become addictive.

Yesterday I was flipping through my knitting pattern book and found a mosaic pattern like this. This summer in the garden, I’m going to focus on this mosaic theme. 

Is that then something like a slipped-stitch pattern, just with stitches worked “deep down”? 
I’m a bit out of steam right now. It’s been raining all morning, I’m waiting for the parcel carrier, and I have no idea when he’ll arrive.... It was actually supposed to be delivered yesterday; apparently I wasn’t home... no idea which house he tried to deliver it to, but definitely not here! Usually the mail carrier delivers it; he was at the neighbors’ too—I saw him and was already looking forward to it 🤷 and then he just drove on. 😲 Anyway, today is the second delivery attempt....

First I’ll wash the pillow and lay it out to dry... 
Wind up the yarn for the blanket; my lunch is already simmering on the stove (rutabaga mash with smoked pork loin 🍽 ) 

Your lunch sounds delicious... just a snack for us—in 6 minutes—then my dear husband is off work. 

Yes, I think with slipped stitches. Purl and knit stitches, yarn to the front and yarn to the back. When I've finished my current projects, I'll try it out. 

My name garland for a coworker’s baby’s birth is almost finished. Just need to crochet the cord, then it will be wrapped up and given as a gift. 

Holy, instead of Joelle Gioele. Or is that an Italian word? It makes me think of Giotto...
The pennants are really pretty ♡ 

Gio..... you see that name quite often in Italian 😊 I really like it. 

Or do you say “GioEle,” like Gabriele? 

The little guy’s name is Gioele.

He’s from Italy. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to pronounce it, but the baby looks absolutely adorable 🥰

Oh, a boy! I wouldn’t have thought of that. Maybe “Gio” has always been short for “Gioele”? Well, you never stop learning. For years, I also thought my colleague’s name was “Gunde,” but it’s actually short for “Friedegunde.” 

I guess it’s like with the Italian name “Andrea”—that’s “masculine” too 🤷

Gioele is the Italian form of the Hebrew name Joel. It’s pronounced “Dschoele.” 

Thanks, Ruth 💟

So many wonderful things again.
In between, I crocheted around the second ball:


I can’t understand the crocheted net for fat balls either.
Luckily, in my neighborhood, metal holders are used instead of nets. 
I use a whisk for fat balls.

A whisk for titmouse suet balls… I think that’s a great idea.
  We make ours out of “wire,” or we also hang birch logs with drilled holes that we fill with a mixture of tallow and mealworms. The woodpecker really loves that....

Last night I took my blanket out of “hibernation” again. The break wasn’t “good”—it was really hard for me to get back into the pattern. Hopefully it’ll go better today. My plan is to do two rounds every day...
The weather here today is such that I could actually get more done—it’s stormy and rainy. Since my dog already “worked” so hard yesterday, I can go for just a short walk (one hour) today with a clear conscience and then head straight to the sofa... 

Hi ladies, 

I’m proud to report that I managed to go exactly 13 days without ordering anything from A...n and 14 days without buying any yarn. Next goal: double the no-shopping period. Not buying any yarn for a year—oh dear, that was a bit too ambitious. 
Just look at all the cute little baskets NKD had, and the discounted yarn... 🙈🙉🙊

I’d hoped the yarn would more or less match my current knitting project, but color-wise, well. Maybe it could work; I’ll start knitting something with it and see how it looks. I’ll take a photo and ask you again. 

I paid a “high” price for the baskets & yarn—I actually had a panic attack at the checkout. I don’t know why I always have such unfortunate circumstances when I’m practicing, where everything takes soooo much longer. The cashier couldn’t process my return... then she couldn’t get the anti-theft tag off the basket... then she couldn’t find the same tag on the blouse... then she scanned 8 skeins one by one, and the second-to-last skein wouldn’t scan... And my pulse was 100, I was dizzy and gasping for breath, and I thought I was going to collapse from all the heart racing. Man, oh man. It’s really no fun right now. I’m on sick leave and hope I can calm down. Not that easy. Everything’s fine when I’m knitting and crocheting, but I can’t do crafts day & night. My hands can’t take that either, or my back. 

Is it stormy where you are, too? I love it when the wind howls around the house and rattles the shutters. 

Have a lovely evening & a relaxing weekend 

Hi Anja,
what kind of material is that? It looks shiny.

I took advantage of the dreary weekend weather to finish up a little pattern: 2 gift tags for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day:

Shopping isn’t exactly one of my favorite activities either, Anja :)
There are too many stimuli for me—like lights, sounds, and smells—and I have a really hard time filtering them out.
The yarn looks interesting.
I’m curious to see what you’ll make with it.

The yarn is basically plastic—polyacrylic and acrylic. Not sure yet. We’ll see. 

Anja.... do you already have the new yarn on your needles???
That looks nice.
I’ve been crafting again. It’s a “test piece,” so don’t look too closely.... 


...my blanket is growing, but very slowly right now... Row 100—one round is now 4.80 m long.... There are still 20 rows to go 🙈 (in theory) 

Two bunnies—they’re cute. Why make a swatch? 

Hey there, finally something to read here again. :-)
As always, I’ve started a thousand different things. I wanted to knit a zigzag scarf, but it’s too monotonous for me. I work on the ankle-length coat every now and then, depending on how I feel. I’m not working on the circular-yoke sweater at all right now. Instead, I spend an hour or so on the potholders in the evenings. I’m sticking with the simple pattern—I know it by heart; the other pattern drives me crazy, where you have to read every row to see what comes next. 
Since Monday, I’ve had a rainbow on my needles (neck pillow, pattern from here). For that, I would’ve had to go to the hardware store to buy a foam sheet, but since I’m back in full-on panic mode, I’m avoiding it wherever I can. So it occurred to me that we still have a fold-out guest bed that’s supposed to be thrown away anyway; I took that apart and cut it to size. It’s 10 cm high (the pattern says 4 or 5 cm), but I can adjust it, and it’s definitely more comfortable to lie on. 

Tomorrow evening we’re starting family therapy online, and I’m already getting worked up again. My younger daughter is doing a trial shift tomorrow—I don’t know why she’s arranged it like that; the family appointment is important to ME, since a lot depends on it for me. I can only heal/de-stress if people here treat each other properly and respectfully, or actually communicate at all. It’s hard for me to be so excluded from my children’s lives. They still live here, but it’s like living with strangers. I’m just not the kind of person who’s good at LETTING go or LETTING things happen—I usually get in my own way. For something like that, I’d have to TRUST—uhhh, very hard; too many disappointments. 
I’m still on sick leave; life goes on “out there” without me. I clean, do crafts, do exercises, try to go for walks (which is outside and difficult right now), practice relaxation, and listen to audiobooks. 

At the top is the neck pillow; on the left is the new yarn I’ve cast on with size 4 needles—way too thin for me; I don’t think I’ll ever finish it (it’ll be a boxy sweater); and on the right are the two halves of the future potholder. Once that’s done, I’ll have finished my fourth one. 

Test piece..... it’s not glued together as perfectly as I’d like 🙈. There were very few pieces for the small bunny (9) and for the large one (14). But they were very complex and quite “fiddly” to put together. Now I know which adhesive tabs I need to join together to make sure the whole thing fits.... 

@Anja.... have you ever considered that your daughter might not necessarily be able to choose the date for a trial shift... how would she explain that to her new boss... If you’re “at work” and someone tells you, “Nah, I can’t come in for the trial shift tomorrow—I have a therapy session with Mom,” you’d definitely give them a blank stare at first, wouldn’t you????? 
You should be happy that your daughter is getting the chance for a (new) job....  

Your priority is family therapy; hers is her internship, Anja.
My view is that family therapy is only likely to be successful if everyone involved wants to do it.
You write that you’re having a hard time letting go—in that case, I’d aim for therapy just for myself.

I’ve finished my stole—after 125 cm, I’d run out of patience to keep working on it.


I like the colors of your stole. It has a beautiful color gradient.

I really like your stole 😍.

My blanket already has 102 rounds.... Based on the pattern, I could “finish” after the next round... but then again, there would only be 18 rounds left until the “end” 🤔
I think I’ll do the math to see how many rounds I can crochet with a whole skein of yarn and then decide.... 

Thanks, Petra and Steffi :)

Only 18 rounds might not sound like much at first—but given the size...

Marlene, I’m in therapy anyway. It’s all about the constant arguments—or rather, the silent treatment and ignoring each other. We’ve reached the point where we’re figuring out how much money we can give them so they can move into an apartment together. It hurts when they’re here, but it’ll also be hard when they’re gone. I think I’ll feel very lonely. And then they’ll be even farther away and more estranged. And they won’t reach out to me anymore, because we haven’t worked through anything. It’s a lose-lose situation. I just wish things had turned out differently. Yeah, I know: life doesn’t always go the way you want it to. It just hurts.

I’m in the final stretch with my neck pillow. Just one more piece to crochet, then sew it all together—and darn it, I’m losing my motivation right now. I’d actually like to crochet a jacket that I really like here, but there’s still so much unfinished stuff lying around—it’s terrible. Hoarders are people who can’t tidy up. What do you call people who don’t finish knitting or crocheting??? 


I’ve decided to finish the circle, so just two more rounds and then it’s done 😊
I’ll have one skein (150g) “left over,” and together with others from my stash, that’ll make a round-neck sweater 👍 with a pattern and long sleeves 😊

Oh wow, that’s sooo pretty!

Thanks..... 😘

Beautiful. So how big is it? Looking at the picture, you’d think it was woven. Really great. How heavy is it?

So unwashed and without blocking, it has an edge length of 1.30.... 
I’m really curious to see what it looks like after washing. It’s pure virgin wool, and it really “blooms” again when washed and then becomes wonderfully soft (like my sweater).... and a little bigger too... 
It weighs just under 800g, so it’s not too “airy” either, just as a wool blanket should be....

What a dream, Steffi—the blanket is so beautiful. 

I can only agree with everyone.

The blanket is just sooo beautiful. 😘

It’s good that you’re in therapy for yourself.
Sometimes, at some point, family dynamics just don’t work out the way you’d like them to.

I think your blanket is just amazing, Steffi.

Steffi, your blanket is so great—I admire your perseverance.

Thank you all so much....
I did the math again today... So, theoretically, I should be able to crochet the blanket up to round 120 🤔
With 150g of yarn, I can do 9.5 rounds... I still have 8 left... with the increases in every round, that should work out.
  Somehow, I “want” to crochet the blanket all the way to the end and not stop before then 🤔🤷.....
The next project will definitely be “smaller”—I found some really beautiful socks with a great two-tone pattern. Those would be the second pair of socks I’ve ever knitted. Tomorrow I’ll print out the pattern and lay out the yarn. A dark blue from my last swap package and a light denim blue from my hand-dyed stash...

Steffi, how sweet that you’re giving the pattern a squeeze; I’m sure it’ll be happy to get so much affection. ;-)

Good grief; I have an app that tracks the prices at the online provider and lets me know when they drop. I was wondering why nothing was happening, so I checked today. They’ve raised the prices across the board by €10 (10-pack). So €1 more per skein. Honestly, if that’s how it is, I just won’t buy anything anymore. I don’t need any anyway (even though I somehow can’t put together anything pretty with all the different colors and yarn weights). 
I think it’s sooo cheeky that the industry is still cashing in now. Food companies are seeing increased sales, raking in profits, and justifying the price hikes with higher costs. Are you kidding me—how can they still be making more profit then? 
So browsing for yarn isn’t fun anymore either. That’s a bit stupid of them. If we all need more money for living expenses now and they make luxury goods even more expensive, then nobody’s going to buy them anymore. I mean, yarn is definitely something you can save money on; it’s not exactly something you need to survive. How do you see it? 

.....if I “press” the pattern beforehand, the socks will definitely knit up better and I’ll actually finish them. ... 😁

Well, I’m back here again. Wow, you’ve all created some beautiful things. Everything is absolutely fantastic!

Andrea, your colorful little projects are always such a lovely sight. Just looking at them brings on that springtime feeling.

Ines, your hand puppet is so cute. Wim is going to love it.

Steffi, your pillow and blanket are a hit. Gorgeous! And don’t even get me started on your bunnies! That new craft project is so cute.

Petra, your name necklace as a gift for a new baby is such a sweet idea. It looks great.

Marlene, you’re in full Christmas ornament mode. You’re getting a head start. ;-)
Your stole looks gorgeous. I’d love those colors and that pattern for myself, too.

Anja, that story about buying yarn is funny. The yarn definitely looks good. Do you already know what you’re going to make with it? In any case, you’re definitely making progress with your knitting.

In the meantime, I’ve also been busy with yarn and needles again. A friend asked for wash mitts for her birthday—with an exfoliating pattern. And that’s how she gave me the idea to design and knit them. Another friend who came to visit saw the wash mitts and loved them so much that she looked at me… and of course I knitted one for her, too. That one’s still on the needles and should be finished tonight.

So I’ve now knitted 7 large washcloths and 4 small ones. They’re for my granddaughters—they’re getting the colorful ones. That let me use up a lot of leftover yarn.






At the same time, I’m knitting a patchwork tunic—it’s called the “Karl Short-Sleeve Tunic.” I fell in love with the pattern right away and bought it on a whim (here at CP). I’ll keep you posted on each step. It’s a real mammoth project, consisting of many individual pieces that are knitted together. But the result is worth it. Probably not your thing, Anja, right? It’s all knit stitches. It’s perfect for watching movies in the evening. I’ll post a photo of the first patch tomorrow.

Of course, I had yet another excuse to buy yarn. I’ve started with one yarn cake. And since I don’t have any yarn that’s exactly the same quality to go with it, I ordered three more yarn cakes from the same company. After all, it has to be worth it… grin. This way, I have more variety for the tunic. It’s going to be beautifully colorful. Let it be a surprise.

You’re right about the prices, Anja.
Ultimately, everyone has their own priorities when it comes to spending money.

Thanks, Moni :)
Photographing the yarn so it looks just right is a challenge.
The daylight is pretty poor right now.
So I’ll put that off until better days.
The patterns aren’t going anywhere.
The Christmas ornament project is on hold because I’m working on the project for the color challenge.

Hey there…
I just wanted to check in and let you know I’m still here.

My life in the “real” world has been a series of events that demanded a lot of my attention—so limiting my time online did me a world of good.

  Now I’m slowly starting to have more time and energy again for the things I enjoy.

You’ve already made so many lovely things this new year—it really makes me want to see more.

At the start of the year, I decided to tackle my box of acrylic yarn, which had been sitting around unloved for a very long time, and I just crocheted a little pig.


And since that was fun, I started on a nativity scene—all using yarn from that box. Let’s see how far I can get with the materials I have.

Here’s the shepherd with two sheep

Monika,  I’ve also been eyeing Karl, but I don’t know how to knit patches, and there aren’t any photos showing what it looks like when worn—except for one, and it looks too tight on me. I prefer things wider and longer.  

I’ve started a second rainbow 🌈—different colors. My enthusiasm for anything is a bit low right now. I can’t decide what to knit or which yarn to use. So I’m just sitting around doing mostly nothing. Feeling a bit down. 

@Anja I can’t decide right now what I should start next either....

Options: 

A headband for a new pattern. The first one is knitted; next would come the text and photos

Work on the color campaign should continue. 

I still need an O as a pennant letter

Two wrist warmers are lying around half-finished as a UFO. 

I’ve set out yarn for a collar....... I’m totally undecided, and have been for a few days now

@Monika your wash mitts turned out beautifully. 

When I last bought yarn, I also noticed that prices had gone up by 20%. But we could go on with bread, butter, cheese........... 

I’m back again and had quite a bit of catching up to do :), you really do fall behind, but to check in here every day, I’d have to send my favorite person back to work—it’s about time he could retire to the woods and “enjoy” his retirement, though the forest and fierce storms aren’t exactly ideal right now.

I really like all of your projects.

Monika, the washcloths are a great idea—I might knit a few myself; I have plenty of leftover yarn :)
But right now I’m working on writing up patterns and using the longer stretches of free time I get during the day to do that.

I’ve also admired these “Karlis”—the designer has some really beautiful projects on offer, and I think No. 2 or 3—I’m going to treat myself to one of them, but I’ll have to order some yarn for that, haha......I might have to buy the pattern first, because I might even be able to use yarn from my stash—we’ll see.

For now, I wish everyone here a pleasant day. I’m going to pick up Wim from daycare since his mom is working late; I hope the storm dies down a bit by then so Grandma and her grandson can get some fresh air.

Thank you, Petra, for your feedback. I think they’re very pretty too. The second pattern is still being corrected.

Ines and Anja, since you’re both interested in “Karl” too.
I now have the first patch almost finished. And just as I’d hoped, the next Rellana bobbles arrived today. I’m going to combine two of them with the current bobble in the tunic. I imagine it will look absolutely beautiful.

So, I can say that knitting the patches is truly addictive. I can watch the stitches get fewer and fewer and the patch get fuller and fuller. You see the result much faster than when I knit a sweater from the bottom up. It’s exciting on top of that, because more and more pieces are knitted on.

Here are a few photos:

These are the newly purchased bobbles—the orange-yellow one will be knitted up later in another project:




And this is my almost finished patch and the bobbles I want to combine with it. The one on the right is the one I’m working with.

Huh? Do you knit this from the outside in? And how do the pieces come together later? Knit them on or sew them??? It looks exciting and beautiful. Have you seen the leggings made from the patches? 

Anja, yes, you knit this from the outside in. The pattern shows how the pieces come together. Just this much—it’s joined by knitting. There’s no sewing involved at all, which makes me very happy.

It was actually the leggings that led me to the shop, where I discovered Karl. I really like the leggings, too. I might very well get started on those too—but there’s no rush. For now, it’s Karl’s turn.

Monika, you’ve picked out some really nice colors. It’s looking great already.

It’s addictive and goes so fast. I knitted my pillow that way, too. 

Oh, now I know who Karl is, too. Yes, those designs caught my eye as well. Absolutely beautiful. Monika, I’m excited to see how this continues. 

Continue the discussion here:
February 2023 Projects: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group