February Projects 2023, Part 2: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group

The new thread:
February Projects 2023, Part 3: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group


********************************
Dear users, dear authors,
so here is Part 2 of the February projects.
Have fun with it.
You can read the earlier posts at the link:
February Projects 2023: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group 

I also have something to show you.

It’s knitted exactly the same way as that other beautiful, colorful blanket.
I’ve known this technique for quite a while, but so far I’ve only knitted blankets and pillows.

My blanket is from 2015.


Those are Monika’s colors, after all. (Ha, ha.)

Your blanket is also very beautiful—it’s really addictive🤣

Thanks, I’m glad.

The great thing about these patches is that you get faster and faster as the number of stitches decreases. 😂

Wow, Anja, your blanket looks absolutely gorgeous! I could totally see making one out of scraps too. What a great idea!

Oh Marion, your blanket is absolutely amazing! Those are definitely my colors. A fantastic piece. Maybe I’ll knit a blanket myself someday (as soon as I’ve doubled up… grin).

These are beautiful....
I’m afraid I’m taking a forced break for now...
I fell and hurt myself a bit, and, as you might expect... on my right index finger—it’s open, swollen, and the joint is turning blue 😲😝
but it doesn’t seem like anything’s broken or anything. Still, taking a break sucks 😤

Get well soon, Steffi.

Oh Steffi, that’s mean! Get well soon! No, actually, get well fast, right? 

Marion, that blanket is gorgeous!

Something else I wanted to ask you all: how do you handle the edge stitches when you knit just one garter ridge in a different color? (So 2 rows knit = 1 garter ridge)
I have a slip-stitch edge, and if you use the contrasting color and then have to knit the edge stitches, you don’t get a nice slip-stitch edge that I can use later as a guide for where to insert the needle when picking up stitches. 

I’ve just cast on something else colorful and am thinking about whether this might turn into a blanket too—we’ll see. I just had to rip back again because a knot came undone, hmpf. I’m going to set this aside for today. I’m done for now. 

Oh Steffi, for knitters like us, that’s a total disaster, isn’t it? After a few days of rest, you’ll surely be back on track. I hope so for you.

Anja, you really want to know, wow. Have you cast on a new project yet? Well, the motivation here is high—we’ll definitely inspire you, and you’ll stay on the ball—or rather, on the needle. (That sounds kind of funny...)
Your question sounds interesting to me, too... I always do it automatically, but I don’t have a two-color example on hand right now. I’m curious to see how you all do it.

Okay, now I have to make dinner, and then it’s time to get to the yarn. I just ordered some yarn from Rellana—no shipping costs this time, of course. Oh dear.... you know what that means.

I’ll show it to you when it arrives—it’s a big package this time. I’m knitting a Karl No. 4 from it for a friend’s 70th birthday. And I went ahead and ordered yarn for Karl No. 5 for myself, too. It’s all Bobbel yarn made from recycled cotton. I really like it—I’m working on it right now.

Moni, the blanket is made entirely from leftover scraps😚. I just had a little extra of the black yarn. The scraps of the scraps were enough for one more blanket🐑.
Now I have to rummage around—I’m sure there’s something suitable for a Karl somewhere🤣.
Best regards

Steffi, I hope you feel better soon.

Monika, you’ve really taken on a lot there. Your friend will definitely be happy about Karl 4.
Wow, you really went all out there.

Steffi, I also knit the transitions in the garter stitch just as usual: knit at the beginning, slip the last stitch as a purl stitch at the end.

I’ve attached some pictures for you. That way, you can easily pick up the stitches...



I knit the RM like this: knit the last stitch and slip the first stitch, so the color change doesn’t work out right. 

Oh dear, Steffi, hope you feel better soon. We’re thinking of you. A forced break is always a bummer. I know how that feels.

Marion, your blanket looks great. So colorful and neatly sewn (knitted) together. How do I picture the knitting technique for these squares? Do you knit them like a triangular shawl, then decrease from the middle of the square until the end, or how?
I’m more of a casual knitter. But I’m definitely tempted to try knitting a blanket sometime. Someday, once my crochet projects are finished.

Monika, you’ve really taken on a lot there. But with how fast you knit, you’ll need a quick restock *hihi* I’m curious.
What kind of yarn works best with a 2.5–3.0 mm needle?

Best regards
Andrea

Anja, I knit the edges exactly the same way as Marion.

Andrea, with that needle size, you can easily knit with sock yarn or yarn that runs about 150 to 210 m per 50 g. My Rellana bobbles are 200 m per 50 g.

Oh dear, Steffi, that doesn’t sound good at all—a forced break from
our hobby isn’t exactly fun. I wish you a good and, above all, speedy recovery. 

I’m on Patch 2; it’s knitted twice. The result will come at the beginning of the week—you know how it is: my husband recently retired, taking care of the grandkids, and so on and so forth.....Let’s see what he comes up with next week for things we could do. There are a few fairs coming up—home, garden, leisure.....Well, I’ve warned him, because “leisure” also means there’ll be tons of yarn vendors there, so there won’t be any room left in the trunk for his hobby, hehe. I’m curious to see what happens...

I’d love to knit a “Karl” too, but the thin sock yarn puts me off—I’ve already started a jacket once that I never finished. Right now, I’m knitting a slipover with leftover yarn in size 5.5. 

Thanks, everyone 💖
That’s what happens when you’re not paying attention during dog sports. Luckily, I had my dog harnessed to the “scooter” and not to the bike, so the way “down” wasn’t quite as far 🙈 

@ Mel, I knit exclusively with sock-weight yarn. With knitting needles size 5 or larger, it gets tricky for me, and I’d actually have to search to see where/if I even have any lying around anywhere.... 
Don’t let that put you off Karl—the patches are super quick to knit. There usually aren’t sooo many stitches on the needle, and they get fewer from row to row... 

Thanks for the encouragement, Steffi.
For now, I’m working my way through my “wallpaper roll.” There are still quite a few projects on there. But I’ll keep it in mind. I certainly have enough sock yarn.

Andrea, the patches are really easy to knit. You have the stitches from two sides on the needle and decrease in the middle on every wrong side row. That way, the rows get shorter and shorter. Then you keep knitting onto a specific side, so you don’t have to sew anything together.

Blankets and shawls are usually started differently. I think you could also make squares like these when crocheting. They’d be almost like the old pot holders from back in the day.

Mel, I also knitted the blanket and my pillows with thicker yarn (4 mm needles)—that way, you simply need fewer stitches and rows, and it turns out thicker. 

Mel, I’m also on Team Needle Size 5–7; those thin needles drive me crazy too. The pattern I’m knitting can be worked with any needle size; you calculate the required number of stitches using a gauge swatch. If you’re interested, send me a DM, and I’ll send you the link to the pattern. 

Hi there, I’ve caught the bug too ;) I’m making a Karl 4.
I found some Turkish blended yarn—160 m/50 g—with a color gradient, like terracotta/green/turquoise/etc., using 3.5 mm needles (so a bit thicker than sock yarn…I’ll knit this without any black accents. I’ll probably knit one size smaller than I actually need to—that should even things out in the end. If not, someone else will be happy.
Steffi, get well soon.
Have a great weekend, everyone!

Best wishes from Anja

Now that I still have to take a break 🙈 I ordered yarn 🙈 
In 10 days an MKal starts that I absolutely want to knit along with. And as is always the case, I was actually missing two colors out of 4.... 
€9 for 100g of hand-dyed yarn is more than fair. So I ended up with three different colors 😁 I couldn’t decide.

I took another look at the sleeve of my jacket. According to the pattern, I’m supposed to pick up stitches along the side and then work decreases to create the slant. (on both sides) ... and then bind off. Wouldn’t it be easier if I worked short rows and then didn’t bind off, but did a three-needle bind-off???? Instead of having to sew it together afterward??? 

This is what it looks like now....  
I don’t really like it 🤔 frog it, right??? 

Monika and Marion, thank you for the tips.
With crocheting it's easy, but with knitting I sometimes have a mental block.
I still remember these potholders.

Man, I’m not in the mood for crafts today. I’ve been sautéing goulash and chopping vegetables for 45 minutes now.
But it’s just boring without it...

....I was so bored without it that I’ve been “rummaging through yarn” since yesterday evening. ...
At least I can unravel... and writing works too—somehow—I hope I’ll still be able to decipher this later 😁

The first sleeve is off the needle 🙈
It’s pretty crazy to knit when I can’t move my index finger properly...😝 but I managed it—only purl stitches are a bit of a problem. 


It’s a good thing Anja asked if I’d finish knitting these—otherwise, they would’ve sat in the closet forever... Thanks for that 💖

Wow, Steffi, that jacket looks amazing! You did a great job. I couldn’t keep my hands still either—I love knitting way too much for that.

Steffi, I really like your jacket—it turned out great.

Steffi, your jacket turned out really great. I hope your finger is feeling better?

I had to rip out my jacket yesterday, grr....since I’m using slightly thicker yarn, I realized I could have wrapped myself up in it at the end—despite the MP, I totally messed up and am now knitting one size smaller. Annoying, but it should fit properly and not end up looking like a bathrobe.
So yesterday I practically pulled an all-nighter to at least get the first patch “almost” finished. I’ll keep at it today so I’ll have something to show you again soon.

Unraveling is always a pain… but good thing you caught it in time.

Yeah, things are slowly getting better 🙈 even though my index finger is still swollen and won’t cooperate—I think the joint took a bit of a beating; it’s still swollen, too. I’d actually put some arnica on it, but since it’s an open wound… it’ll just take a little longer to heal. As long as I can knit, everything’s fine 😂
I’m sure I’ll get another patch or two done today. With 27 stitches on the needle, it goes pretty quickly 👍😁

Oh, Ines, unfortunately, that happens to me every now and then, too... it’s really annoying. But it should fit later on.

Steffi, I’d feel exactly the same way as you... I wouldn’t be able to hold back. I hope you get well soon.

So—I have something to show you again. The front and back of Patch 5 are now finished, and one Patch 6 is already finished too. Here’s what my Karl looks like from the front:



And here’s what he looks like from the back:




The gradient yarn was enough for the two Patch 5 sections. There’s still a little left over for the border later on. My yarn package should arrive any day now. There’s still time—for now, I’ll keep knitting with the pink-white-blue mottled yarn.

Ines, Oh, I’d be annoyed too. But luckily, you noticed it right away.

Monika, it looks like you’ve totally caught “Karl fever.” You’re unstoppable, and your tunic is coming along
at a rapid pace.

I’ve had to rip out my work too, but it was my own fault. I knitted for too long at a stretch and then, unfortunately, lost my focus. Then the stitch count wasn’t right anymore, so I had to rip it out. 😡

We’ll see—I’ll post another picture tomorrow. I’m on Patch 5 now.

Yesterday I started working on the other patch project and used some yarn that made me sneeze like crazy, so I had to rip it out again—didn’t really get very far with that.

Then I downloaded a book and started crocheting a lantern in between—and it wasn’t until the evening that I managed to work on another 1.5 patches.
I always need to switch things up every now and then.
Here’s how far I’ve gotten so far:

aRGH! The curse of unraveling has struck me again... I wanted to crochet something, and the individual pattern was about half the price of downloading the whole book. So I bought the book and downloaded it to my Kindle. I started yesterday, and today as I was finishing up, I thought, “This looks weird”—well, maybe it’ll stretch out once I hang it up. Nope, it looks like crap—not like in the pictures. Then I realized that while “swiping” from page to page, I’d been swiping too enthusiastically and started with Pattern A but then apparently continued with Pattern B. Orrrr! And I’d already sewn it all together and added a tassel—ugh! *sob* 

Oh Anja, that’s really frustrating. I know that kind of thing too, and I’m more careful now.
Your patch project already looks great in any case.

I’ve now reached Patch 7 on one Karl side, and then the other side follows with Patches 6 + 7. On the side, I’m also knitting for the color challenge. My hands and needles have a lot to do right now... happy.

There are really a lot of people here caught up in patchwork fever. Beautiful colors—I really like them.
Steffi, you’re so brave. Crafting with a disability, and then making something this beautiful. Hats off to you, and get well soon.

I’ve finished the Holy Family over the last few days, and my hands need a break every now and then—you really need good tension to get a nice stitch definition. So I’ve started working on a top in between, which is much more relaxing. 





Oh, Ruth, to answer your question: each figure is about 15 cm tall. I don’t want the nativity scene to take up the whole room later on.


Do you guys have that problem too, where the hooks keep bending when you’re crocheting? Anything smaller than a size 3 hook gives me trouble… at least when I’m crocheting figures.

Today, my patchwork sweater has grown quite a bit and now looks like this:



Here are the projects I’ve been working on lately:



@Claudia..... I have needles like that, too 😂🙈😂
The really old, thin needles didn’t have that—maybe it’s just because they’re cutting back on metal these days... In any case, you usually can’t straighten them out again; they tend to snap instead....

Claudia, I’m so excited to see the whole nativity crew. It’s so lovingly crafted! 

I haven’t had any bent crochet hooks yet. But then again, I don’t crochet with such thin ones. Right now I’m using a 3.5; I don’t like anything smaller than that. 

Christina, your sweater looks interesting, too. Does it stay straight like that? Is it a poncho-style sweater—boxy, or as they say these days, “hygge”? 
I tried my hand at those Japanese gloves once, too—that was fun. I love the black-and-white ones! 

I haven’t knitted anything today because of that crochet mishap. And now it’s late again. If I start this late, I won’t be able to stop and will end up working on it until 1 a.m. 

Christina, you’ve been really busy, so quietly and without fuss. You’ve made some really pretty things. I think the gloves are interesting—I’ve never seen anything like them before. The socks are pretty, too. I’m sure you’ll show us the sweater once it’s finished. I’m curious to see how it turns out.

Claudia, your top is sure to turn out pretty with those colors. I might like them, too. And your figures are really a hit. I’ve bent a knitting needle before, but never a crochet hook.

Tomorrow I’ll show you my Karl. I’ve now finished patches 6 and 7 on both sides. Tomorrow or the day after, I’ll continue with patch 8. First, though, I’ll have my first fitting tomorrow.

Christina, your gloves turned out great. Do you start with the thumb here?

Claudia, your nativity scene is turning out great. At 15 cm, it’s a good size for playing with. 

I know these gloves as “Chicken Sweater”.... they’re actually started at the thumb and then increased like in RVO. I haven’t knitted them myself yet. I think they’re also called Japanese gloves.... 

Tomorrow I can show you the current progress on Karl. It doesn't need too much more...

My bobbel yarn from Rellana arrived today. What a happy feeling, opening a box like that! You all know what I mean. I went for it this time, since there was a 20% discount.

This is what my new treasures look like:





My friend is getting Karl No. 4 made from the turquoise yarn. The others will also be put to use for a Karl, some of them for the current one.

The yarn is great to work with; it’s made from recycled yarn with 80% cotton.

Such beautiful colors 😍 and what I really love is that it’s finally a gradient-colored bobble yarn that isn’t split 👍

Oh, Monika, what colors—you really went all out there! I would have done the same at 20%, though.
I hope I’ll be able to show you my jacket—or at least what I’ve made so far—in the coming days. I’ve had other things to do the last few days. Today I took a day trip to the trade show—unfortunately, my hopes for finding some wool weren’t met, but otherwise it was a great day. And soon we can start renovating the living room, since we were able to pick up the textured plaster right away.
I wish you all a lovely evening; my needles are still clacking away a bit here.

I’m really, really excited about the new yarn. It’s a dream to work with. Tonight I finished knitting the top section of the first Karl. Now I’ll tackle the bottom sections, and then I’ll start on Karl 4.

I have a question for everyone who’s started Karl 4: How’s the sizing working out for you? Is it fitting well, or did you have to adjust it?

In my case, because of the different yarn (even though the yardage is almost the same), my gauge is smaller—so instead of 26 stitches, I only have 22. Now I’m wondering if I should go up a size. I don’t want to end up with a huge piece. But I don’t want it to be too small either. Hmm...

Even though I don’t have the Karl on my needles.... Is there a measurement in cm anywhere in the pattern? If so, I’d try to convert that and then adjust it to the “appropriate” size.... A 4-stitch difference from the gauge is already a lot... 

It’ll take a bit of math.  But you do have the gauge of 26 sts = 10 cm.
From that, you can calculate how long each side of a patch needs to be for your size, and then use your gauge to figure out the corresponding number of stitches for that side length (rule of three). Since the patches always use the same number of stitches, you don’t need to calculate anything else. 

Good morning, everyone! I had quite a lot to catch up on today.
You’ve really gotten me into frogging this week. I haven’t unraveled, knitted, and unraveled this much in ages. But that’s just how it goes when you venture into uncharted territory 🤷🏻‍♀️. It’ll take a little while yet for the dragon patches and me to become friends, but they already look great.

Steffi, I’m sending my best wishes for your thumb to get better, too. Your jacket looks amazing.

I think the nativity figures are just too cute. I’m really looking forward to seeing the group photo.

Monika, your pink Barbie Karl is turning out absolutely adorable 😍. Have you tried it on yet?
Your new yarn cakes are great. I’d still add a contrasting yarn, though—it looks better. Or, if you don’t want a second color, knit one yarn cake from the outside and the contrasting row from the inside. And definitely don’t knit the larger size—your gauge is already larger than specified.
Have a great day, everyone 👋

Of course, it should say “unraveled” and not “ringed.” Oh man, always this autocorrect.
Here’s a little picture for you of the dragon patches

A feast for the eyes: the dragon patches ♡ 

Andrea, the dragon patches are truly a feast for the eyes. I’m looking forward to seeing the final result.

My gauge is smaller than yours—only 22 stitches (instead of 26). That’s why I was wondering if I should go up a size.

Since there are no measurements given for the shirt, I can’t convert it. Andrea, the side measurements of the first patch in size 40/42 would be enough for me to do the conversion. Maybe you could measure that for me. The tip to knit the yarn cakes from the outside first and then from the inside as a contrasting color is great. I’m going to do it that way. Because it’s very dark on the inside. That works well.

Today I’ll take a photo of Karl to show how he looks now. The top is finished; now I just have to work on the lower triangles.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Andrea, yes, I’ve already had my first fitting. My husband was totally thrilled, too. It looks great!

Hey Monika, you’ve got a mistake in your reasoning. Your gauge is larger because you’re using fewer stitches to cover 10x10 cm. So if you knit the larger size (with more stitches) now, your Karl will end up even bigger.
I measured it: Patch1 is 11 cm on the short side and 22 cm on the long side for me, with 28/56/56/28 stitches

It measures 47 cm wide at the waist

The dragon patches are great—I like the ones in the orange tones best... (Yeah, I know, it’s gradient yarn 🙈😇)

I got some new yarn yesterday and already have plans for it 😁 An MKal starts on the 24th, and I ordered this specifically for it....

The two in gray were a “deliberate” choice—the green one was hidden in a surprise bag....
I would never have thought of buying or ordering green yarn myself. This colorway is amazing 😍
The sleeve of my jacket is growing every day; I’m on patch 8 of 26...
26 sounds like a lot, but it’s only a max of 35 stitches....

Do you guys have this “gross weather” here, too? It’s pretty windy, with really nasty rain. Not even the dog wants to go outside 🙈
I’m going to make myself some semolina pudding with cinnamon and sugar. It’s so good for the soul 💖

Oh Steffi, now you’ve inspired me—I’m going to make that later too. Yum! 
The green is really awesome! 

I like the shades of blue in the dragon patches best.

I had to rip out some stitches yesterday; I’d picked up one stitch too few on one of the patches. I’m not sure if I could have fudged it there? Would you have? 

I’m on patch 16 of 40. But I “strayed” in between and fiddled around with something else again. When you show your progress, it always inspires me to get back to my patch jacket. I’m planning to do 2 patches today (even if they’re only small ones with 40 sts each). 


 

Hi Anja, if I’m only missing one stitch, I’ll definitely just squeeze it in somewhere or do one decrease instead of two—for me, unraveling is always the last resort when I’m feeling lazy 😇

Thanks, Andrea, for the measurements! That helps me out a lot right now. And the knot in my brain has untangled itself, too. I’m going to measure now to see if I can make it work with the smaller measurements. Otherwise, I’d have to convert them.

Steffi, I really love your green yarn, even though it’s not usually my kind of color. I could definitely see it working well paired with the dark yarn.

I’m going to focus on my Karl now and start knitting the bottom. As soon as I’m at my big computer, I’ll post the pictures. I’m really happy with it.

Andrea, I really like the “Dragon Jacket”—or at least what we can see of it so far—and of course, the colors are what catch my eye first and foremost.

Wow, Monika is caught up in “Karl fever,” but it’s really fun, and even though I had to start over because I totally messed up the measurements, everything’s working out great now that I’ve double-checked the measurements myself.....

Steffi, the green is really beautiful—somewhere between a cool and a warmer green—it’s sure to look lovely.

I’m giving in to “Karl fever” too and keeping on knitting; it’s such a gloomy day here today that I don’t feel like doing anything else.

So, now I can show you the current progress on Karl No. 1. I already have the stitches for a side patch at the bottom on the needle. For No. 4, based on my calculations, the smallest size should work out well. The measurements really helped me there.

This is the front:



And this is the back:



And now I’m going to keep working on the color challenge for a bit. I’ll get back to Karl later.

Phew, Monika, that’s almost done! It would be too much pink for me—it really doesn’t suit me at all. But those are your colors, after all.
I’ve also made progress on my Karl 4, though I’ve been working on the color project in between as well.
Here’s what it looks like now:

one side

other side
(I haven’t decided yet which will be the front and which the back).


Yeah, and finally, I had to make something for the Barbies again. Of course, that immediately turned into a pattern—this time a knitting pattern:

Wow, Ruth, your Karl really does look just like the original. You’ve already come a long way. Your Barbie clothes look great—just like something out of a catalog. Sooo tiny—I wouldn’t have the patience for that, especially not when knitting. I’ve already had my fill of dressing up the little doll from the dollhouse recently. ;-)

Well, Monika, the Barbies are actually a bit bigger than that. It’s more like knitting little kids’ socks. And you can finish them quickly that way 😉

Wow, you’ve all been so busy with your patches. It’s really amazing: all the same sweater, and yet with the colors each one is wonderful and interesting in its own way. 

Steffi, the green of your yarn is absolutely amazing. I’d love to work with that too. 

Ruth, your Barbie clothes turned out pretty. I’m surrounded only by boys, so I just made something for the doll kitchen. A little chili, which was quick to crochet. 



Then I made a hat for myself from leftover sock yarn that I was given as a gift.



It’s meant for summer, when it’s still quite cool in the mornings and I’m enjoying my coffee on the terrace. Since fall, I’ve become an enthusiastic hat wearer. I also wear them in the office and at home. I like it when my head and neck are nice and warm. I’ve been wearing scarves in every season for a long time. 

And so, last but not least, I’ll show you my cowl, which is finally finished. It was a UFO and had been lying a bit forgotten in a box.....



Have a lovely weekend, everyone 

What exactly is the Color Project???

Wow, you guys are knitting some amazing things. I can’t keep up with that.
But I can show you a little something I made from leftover yarn.


Have a great weekend😉

These are really cute pieces👍. I especially like the little pouch. Are you making more of those orange hearts? You could even make a blanket out of them🎉
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Best regards from Anja

A heart-patterned blanket—that would be great!

My goodness, Monika and Ruth, you’re already so far along.
Ruth, the almost-original Karl is really great, as is the Barbie clothing—every now and then, you just have to create a little something.

  Petra and Andrea, your finished pieces are pretty too. Hmm, Andrea, a blanket with the little heart squares will definitely look good—but I’d incorporate a stockinette-stitched square in a staggered pattern.

I also made some progress on the Karlos jacket yesterday and will continue today. 


Of course, my finger was faster at hitting “send” than at uploading the photo. This is made from yarn I had on hand; Karl will be made from a yarn cake.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! 

Good morning, everyone,

Thank you so much to the two Anjas and Ines for the idea.
It’ll just be a small doily, though—I still have enough scraps for that. Or maybe a small pillowcase; we’ll see.

I actually just wanted to try out this heart-bobble pattern, and it worked—and the 🧡 is recognizable.

I hope you all get some good rest; I have to head to my late shift soon 🙁

I really like Karlos’s colors 😍

I’m going to try to motivate myself.... Wind my new yarns, knit a few patches...
Somehow, the weather is really getting me down this year. Everything’s gray again, with rain... at least the storm has stopped. 🙈
And yarn brings fresh colors into the house... 

@.Andrea.... Is that heart made of cotton???? How much would you need? 🙈

I still don’t know what the color campaign is??????

I realized that my yarn is supposed to be knitted with size 5.5 needles. But I used size 4 needles, and now I’ve started a fourth (yay!) cardigan with size 5 needles, and it actually works better. Darn it. But I’m already pretty far along with the first cardigan. I think it’s okay, since the fabric is still flexible despite the smaller needle size and isn’t as stiff as felt. 

Katzi likes the new piece, too: 
t

@steffi, yes, the heart is made of cotton.
I have to use up my leftover dark yarn first so I can buy some nice, lighter-colored yarn again. I’m already looking forward to that.
Maybe I’ll make a heart-shaped granny bag out of it.

The weather here is lousy today, too—rain and gusty winds are in the forecast, and I still have to go out.

The needle sizes given for the yarn don’t always work, so make a gauge swatch🤣 Sometimes American needle sizes are also listed (without mm)
Best regards

Anja, the color project is still a secret. I’ll just surprise you with it in March... ;-)
I really like the color combination on the piece your cat is sitting on. And the yarn looks nice and fluffy, too. It was with Karl that I first learned to appreciate garter stitch. It turns out nice and cozy, even with cotton. 

Petra, after a long quiet spell, you’ve really been busy. Hats and little crocheted pieces are quick to whip up in between other things. Is it so cold where you are that you need a hat indoors? Your loop scarf looks great with that pattern, too.

Andrea, your colorful little projects are a joy just because of the colors—and they’re even crocheted with a heart. Simply lovely. Yes, I can definitely picture a blanket there, as well as a pillow.

Ines, your Karlos is definitely going to turn out super cute. It’s already looking very promising. 

My Karl 1 will be finished soon. One side at the bottom is done; now the other side is on the needle. I’m not quite sure yet what the edge should look like, but most likely it’ll have points. I’m slowly starting to understand the technique for the Karls better. At the beginning, I was always a bit confused. I’m really itching to finally cast on Karl 4 in turquoise. But another project? Hmm… First, I need to keep knitting the color project so that it gets finished. March is already just around the corner.

Have a great weekend, everyone. The sun is finally shining here today, but it’s very windy. That’s just part of the sudden warm weather. I’ll be working on the garden over the next few days too… trimming trees and bushes, etc. I’ve already planted the first seeds on the windowsill: tomatoes, dill, and bell peppers. 

Hey everyone, I just saw a Karl 1 in shades of yellow in the gallery. I really like the color combination. I’m going to knit one for myself out of yarn that looks similar. But not until fall... most likely.

Monika, I’m making good progress now, too. Patch 1 was the biggest part; now I can get something done quickly in the evenings. The weather is still playing along today; it’s wet and stormy, so I’m knitting.
I saw Karl, too; my yarn cakes have similar colors and are already waiting. 

Today’s crochet projects: the one on the left is from today

Wow, Anja, that looks great—kind of oriental. You’ve really been working hard on that.

Ines, I just finished knitting the second side corner at the bottom. Now I’m going to try it on first and then decide how to proceed.

.....the sun is shining here today.... so I took advantage of it to wash my shawl and give it a light stretch... In a few hours, it’ll be “ready” to wear.... oops, still need to sew on the decorative buttons 😁

And now you can see the “waves” in the pattern more clearly.... 

Steffi, that shawl is really something—it turned out beautifully. May I ask how big it is?

Steffi, you make really great things!

Yes, Steffi is an artist. 

Steffi, your shawl is an absolute work of art! I’m thrilled! I love the colors, too. You’ve put a ton of hard work into it.

I’m almost finished with my Karl 1 and have totally fallen in love with it. This is what it looked like this morning.



And here’s a photo of me trying it on.



I just wanted to see how it fits and what to do with it next. I’d like to have some points at the bottom, but not too many. On the other hand, I also considered closing it at the bottom. So I tried this solution, and I like it best. The point in between is slightly flattened, so it’s not quite as sharp. Now I’m going to do the same all the way around.

And here’s another request I’ve fulfilled with this washcloth. It’s extra long and narrow.

That’s a great solution for the hem, Monika! I really like it. 

....I just quickly dashed back to the craft room and measured it 😁 

Around the outside, I’m at about 2.74 m.... 
I used roughly 500 g of hand-dyed sock yarn.... But there’s still some left over from the three skeins. 

....actually, I just wanted to quickly add a few snaps to the pillowcase.... 

"Grandma Cat thinks it’s great—as a sleeping bag, though 🙈" 

Yeah, Steffi, I can totally relate to your kitty. Something this cozy is just what you need as a sleeping bag. Such a cute photo. :-)
Your shawl is huge—wow! All that work was really worth it.

Anja, I think this solution is great, too. Just one more point at the bottom, and it’ll be completely finished. Photos will come later. I’m also going to knit a triangle onto the sleeves. Then I’ll add the border all around. I’m already looking forward to spring, when I’ll be able to wear it. I’m so excited to cast on Karl 4 for my friend.

Monika, your Karl looks great. That went pretty quickly, though. A sweater like that has a lot of stitches, after all.

I haven’t caught the “Karl” bug yet, but I think “Vegetables and Co.” can be addictive, too.

My basket is slowly filling up. But now I really need some new yarn in different colors. 

Is your finger feeling a little better now, Steffi?

My project for the color challenge is finished.
I’m still working on the photos.

Right now, I’m knitting something very simple with my blue-purple gradient yarn.
Stockinette stitch in the round with increases.
I want to turn it into a gift box.
So it’s a project for when I’m on the go or watching TV.

....so knitting is fine 😁🙈😁 but otherwise, my wrist isn’t quite back to normal yet. My handwriting looks more like that of the little ones in kindergarten 🙈 Pretty clumsy. 🤷
I guess it’ll take a little more time.... 

Monika, your Karl fits really well, and the finishing option sounds great, too.

Steffi, thanks for the measurements—it looks like a cozy thing to snuggle up in.

Petra, the vegetables make a great decoration—I really like them.

In the meantime, I’ve also made some progress on my Karlos jacket; now I’m working on smaller patches, and one is coming to an end quickly.
Here’s what I’ve done so far.

Petra, your vegetables look really delicious—just like the real thing. They’d be a big hit in the kids’ kitchen, too. I have to warn you about Karl, though (grin). Once you start, you won’t be able to stop.

Ines, your Karlos looks great—at least the part you’ve finished so far. I’m really excited to see how it grows and looks once it’s ready to wear.

I’m currently crocheting the edges on my Karl. Then he’ll be done—yay! I’ll really get started on the second one tonight; so far I’ve only knitted two rows of it.

Here are the latest photos—still without the edges—of my Karl. Tomorrow I’ll post photos with the edges, showing him lying down.

From the front:



From the back:



I really like it now with the jagged edges at the bottom.

I’ve also knitted a triangle onto the arms.

But we want to see it being worn, Monika! 

Some true works of art by real masters have been created here! Hats off to them.

And everyone’s caught up in “Karl fever.” The ones shown all look great! But I don’t dare try them myself.
Well, there’s not much I can do right now anyway. My left shoulder and arm are giving me major trouble. Two falls on black ice, and then these old bones...
I’m supposed to see the shoulder specialist who’s new in town; my “urgent appointment” is on June 2…
Until then, I’m on painkillers and an anti-inflammatory… my stomach is thrilled.

But I can’t go without crafting at all, so I always try to make something. That’s how my “Schaly” came about.

    180 x 41 cm


And a pillow made from a smaller yarn cake (the back is gray/white)





I gave the lucky pigs away as gifts for New Year’s.




Since I had a doctor’s appointment in Stade today, I “happened” to pass by the Euro-Laden. That’s when the green yarn caught my eye. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look quite as vibrant in the photo.




We’ll see what that turns into…

The gray cotton yarn is for my nautical dishwashing pad, which is a work in progress.

Best regards
Marlies

Marlies, it’s so nice to have you back here again. And you have so many beautiful things to show us. Wow—I really like all of this. The pillow has such great colors. If you can knit that, then you can knit the Karl, too. It’s really easy. But I’d start with the first Karl. I’ll definitely knit that one again.

I hope your shoulder gets better soon. It’s really annoying to fall like that—and then twice in a row. Arnica always helps me a lot with things like that.

Now I can show you the first Karl all finished. The border is on now, too. I’m totally in love with it. It looks even better in person than in the picture. I’m already looking forward to wearing it as soon as it gets really warm outside. By the way, Karl 4 is now on the needles too, and the first patch will be finished tonight.

Karl from the front:



Karl from the back:

Dress Karl, Monika!!!!!! 
He’s great—I think I’ll make him too. After my zillion jackets. 

Continue writing here:
February Projects 2023, Part 3: the Crazypatterns Craft Group