May Projects 2023: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group

Continue writing here:
May Projects 2023: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group, Part 2.

Dear users, dear authors,
here is the new thread for the May Projects 2023.
Have fun with it.
You can find the earlier posts via this link:
April Projects 2023, Part 2: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group 

👍Thanks, and have a wonderful May Day🐑

Today was a good day....
The sun is glorious and it’s such a nice day.
And I’m just so thrilled about a flea market bargain 💖
I just have to share it with you.... 

Sooo many things for making jewelry.... I just couldn’t resist—and let’s be honest, for 5€....
I’m sooo happy about it.... 

I don’t make jewelry myself, but I couldn’t have resisted this either. The beads and stones look very tempting. 

That’s a real bargain, Steffi. I’m sure you’ll make some really great pieces of jewelry out of it. I can’t wait to see them.

What a great deal, Steffi. I would have bought that for 5 euros, too.
Beads are always a good choice—they look great. I still have so many lying around here because I just don’t have the time to work with them.

Have fun crafting with them!

There are also a whole lot of “clasp closures” for bracelets in there, and those “hooks” for earrings, too....
...and I discovered this even though I was at the flea market with the dog. 😁
Okay, actually, I think dogs don’t really belong at the flea market. What are they doing there... They just see legs when it’s too crowded, there are so many smells and noises, etc., and they can’t buy anything there anyway... Today, however, was an “exception for training purposes,” and we got there really early. ... 7:15 a.m.... Otherwise, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to “snag” those beautiful beads and other items.... 

Oh, I envy you for that, Steffi! I’m sure you can conjure up some really wonderful things from it.

Just in time for May 1, here’s my Flower Child Lilac:

😍 That’s so cute.... 

Ruth, so cute ♡

Hey there, everyone,
I’m always a little busy trying to keep up here...
Hope you’ve all had a good start to May. ;-)
And that the sun is finally making a bit more of an effort ... it’s still soooo cold in the mornings.

@Steffi:
Your pillowcase turned out beautifully. :-)
And you definitely scored a great bargain (?) with the “Schnödeldö-Box.”
I do make my own little pieces of jewelry too, but ... somehow you can always use everything ... *gggg*

Best wishes
Katrin

Schnödeldö. Never heard of it, but it sounds funny. Is that supposed to be something like “odds and ends”? In our dialect, we call that “Kruhsch.” 

....“Schnödeldö” sounds way funnier....

I harvested a little of my woodruff yesterday morning and am currently turning it into woodruff syrup.... 
It’s actually supposed to steep until at least tomorrow evening, but I already gave it a taste today... It’s going to be delicious—I can’t wait to try it in desserts and cake recipes... 
Right now, I’m working on the back of the dragon pillow... I’m knitting the border in “small” (just the corners), then I’ll fill it in with knit stitches and knit a little more around the outside until it’s the right size.... 

Your flower child is really cute, Ruth.

That’s going to be a real eye-catcher on the sofa, Steffi. “Schnödeldö” sounds interesting.

I wanted to pick up a pack of my craft beads today, and lo and behold: I shopped there just a week ago, but today the whole store is empty. Same goes for the beverage store three shops down.
Just last week, I spoke with a saleswoman at T..i about a certain type of yarn. She said that when it came in, she’d set some aside for me. Now I’m stuck, because that’s where I bought almost all my supplies.
Don’t the employees know that they won’t be working there a week later?

I’ve cast on something for myself.

Let’s see if I can stick with it. The last top I made for myself was probably 15 years ago. 



And when I’m not knitting, it’s stored in my bowl. 

I think the idea is great..... 
I would never have thought of that 😍 
Putting my yarn in the bowl—but of course, it kind of makes sense: the yarn and what I’ve knitted so far fit inside, and there’s also an opening for the yarn as I keep knitting.... 

Steffi, I would have given in too.

I don’t have anything new to show, because we’ve been on vacation in Ireland for the past two weeks and saw so much.

Of course, I brought back some woolly goodies from there… with so many sheep grazing in the meadows, I just had to.



Now we just need to get back into the swing of everyday life.

Made a bit more progress. Here’s how it looks now.


Have a great weekend!

So cool. How big should it be this time? 

Oh Andrea.... I recognize that pattern 😊 
Are you crocheting all the rounds? The colors are beautiful.... I really like them.

In the meantime, I’m knitting the back of the cushion.... 
I’ve already got a quarter of the adjusted border done...

For now, I’m knitting the frame, and then I’ll fill in the inside with stockinette stitch. Seed stitch on the outside??? What do you think? 

@Petra and Steffi,

According to the pattern, I want to crochet all the rounds listed there. I still have a lot of rows ahead of me. Pattern-wise, I’m not quite halfway there yet, but it’s so much fun.
I always have to force myself to take little breaks. You want to get something done when you have some time off, after all.

Let’s see how far I get (in terms of yarn). The contrast doesn’t really come across in the photo.
Steffi, your frame looks really pretty, though.

@everyone: The idea of using a bowl as a yarn ball holder is brilliant.
The little flower dolls are so cute.

Hi everyone...my projects for May include two finished dolls by other designers and a third one in progress; since they’re not from here, I won’t go into them further :-). I bought a project today and actually wanted to quickly order everything I needed...and that’s when my trouble started...the yarn is named and the manufacturer is listed, but without a color code, it’s hard to find in search engines. So I decided to search by color instead, but… every picture in the pattern looks different (they probably played around with the color scales in a drawing program). I checked the text carefully… two shades of green… huh… only one appears in the pattern, and somehow a blue one is missing. OK… back to shopping—I need a hoop since it’s a dreamcatcher… I didn’t pay attention when I bought the pattern; the hoop is 60 cm in diameter (a small hula hoop). Oh my gosh… where am I supposed to hang this thing here? :-), never mind—the yarn is ordered… Instead of plastic, I’d rather use a wooden ring, so I’m checking to see how the crocheted piece is supposed to be stretched over the frame—it just says “a second hand is helpful when stretching,” but not a word about how to actually secure the whole thing :-/ . Pffff, I’m deflated—this is going to be fun. CP wants a review… okay… I’m still thinking—I’ll check first to see if this is a beginner’s mistake and the author doesn’t have that much experience yet; after all, you don’t want to scare anyone off with a review, because, as I said, the idea was AWESOME.
Hmm… well, what can I say—with over 90,800 total sales, 6,800 reviews, and an Elite Author badge…I’m more than disappointed, even though the pattern wasn’t very expensive. 5,860 sales for this item alone, and not a single one of them had anything to say? I mean, everyone messes up sometimes—I’m no exception—but why is it always such a big deal to speak plainly when something could be done better... I’m still looking forward to making it, though… and yes, I wrote my “complaints” in the review, and if that wasn’t noticed, I’ll send a direct message on the listing as well. Beginners are left in the lurch and have to figure it out on their own.

Then I started my own new project—I wanted to try something new with macramé, and I wanted it to be multicolored…It’ll NEVER see the light of day as a pattern… because it turned out so completely different from what I had in mind. My “bulging-eyed” German Shepherd was born in May :-) I did get a tip to skip the eye beads and white wool border—just knot it in plain white and then paint it with a marker—so I’ll try that for the border. Unfortunately, because of all the color changes, it’s ended up wider at the bottom than at the top—oh well, let’s see what I can do to fix that… and here’s my picture to make you smile :-) Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone.
 

I like your German Shepherd. I’ve never tried macramé before, but I think these knotted designs are really beautiful.

@Steffi—do you pick up the stitches for the inside, or do you sew both pieces together at the end? I imagine both would be tricky to get the stitch count right afterward.

  I’m unraveling everything. No matter how I adjust it, it’s too wide. So, back to the drawing board with fewer stitches and a needle size half a size smaller.

That’s what happens when you don’t do a gauge swatch and just start knitting 😱 🤣

What, no MaPro... I thought that only “happened” to me 😂🙈😂

 I’m knitting that into the inside... At the end of the right-side row I have slipped edge stitches, and at the end of the wrong side row too; it looks similar to an I-cord, and then I’ll pick up the stitches from there—that’s the plan 😁 According to the pattern, it should work out... 

Hello, you busy crafting bees, my yarn actually arrived today, and so did the 60 cm ring, and then I quickly finished my doll so I could get started here. It worked up to round 2 of a peacock eye, then I improvised round 3 myself, and from row 4 on nothing fits anymore... I finally read the pattern carefully... with missing stitch counts for the rounds and pictures that are nice and large, but what I can make out in them is not what the text says. I can save myself the trouble of writing to the designer, because there are quite a few people in the reviews who complain about the same thing, and it hasn't been changed... hm... then I'll have to invent it myself (I had actually wanted to give my designer brain a rest for once) and just work something up in a relaxed way. When I read that someone writes "double," I have a fit. Yes, of course I know what that is... but what exactly is being doubled there? Stones, coins, strawberries, my mother would have asked back in the day. Some people just slap down some text; why can't you write inc dc or inc sc, no. Double every 4th stitch, but insert deeper in the last 6 -.- and "double" those too? Do you also know crisis patterns like that? I don't mean a typo... that can happen (yes, to me too :-) ).
I'm going to try taking new photos for my existing patterns, and I've now bought a rotating disk so I can record them on video. So Bubi and Betty got a sandbox in the photo box... it makes you look forward to a summer vacation...


I know the feeling... Gauge swatches, ugh...

I see it much the same way as Anja.... 
I don’t quite understand the problem either.... if it says to double every 4th stitch and you’re crocheting in the pattern, then you double every 4th stitch no matter what kind it is... Doubling the stitches is more or less predetermined for a circle. Purely mathematically/schematically.... 
...and whether I would have ordered yarn plus “accessories” after I’d already seen that the pattern was “difficult for me” 🤷 Either I see it as a challenge, or I put it off if I just want to mindlessly work through a pattern row by row.... 
Sure, it’s annoying, but for “cases like this” there’s always the option to contact the author, and if that doesn’t help, then contact support? 
As an author, you should know that, though 😉

I was just out walking the dog, now I’m going to have a leisurely breakfast and then head to the sofa.... The cat goes under the wool blanket, and the knitting has to come along too 😁

Hi, something on the topic of “things the world doesn’t need”:

Now it’s happened to me… the computer is broken.
It had already been acting up a bit before our vacation, and afterward it wouldn’t start up at all.
OK, at least it did what it was supposed to do for a good 10 years…
So we went out yesterday and got a “new” one.
I had the feeling my husband was in his own little paradise… 
Now we’ll have to see whether the backup is as good as we hoped. At least it’s up to date.
Please keep your fingers crossed for me, because I do have a bit of an uneasy feeling.

Oh no.... a new computer 😲 I’d be completely lost with that.... I’m just glad mine does more or less what I want it to. But hey, I’m still running Windows 7 on it 🙈 that thing’s totally ancient. I only need it for printing, though, so I don’t go online with it anymore. 

Steffi, I feel exactly the same way. That’s why I’m so glad my husband takes care of this kind of thing.
He updated the operating system to the latest version this morning, and right now he’s restoring the data from the backup.
It’s really nice to have someone who knows their way around this stuff…

@SabsesSweetieDesign,
I think it would be good if you contacted the author in question so she can help you. 
If she doesn’t respond, I can contact the author for you. 
Direct dialogue is always better than disparaging remarks in the craft group. 

Patterns may only be promoted in the recommendations subforum. Self-promotion is not allowed in the craft group. Please do not open your own promotional threads in the recommendations subforum; use only the threads I’ve created. Please be sure to pay attention to the information in the title (visible only to authors) and in the first post of the thread. 

I’ve also vented here about failed projects or patterns with errors. I hate it, too, when photos don’t match the text. As Sabse writes, you just want to relax and make something, but then you end up getting frustrated. I think the Crazypatterns craft group is exactly the right place for that. If not here, then where else?
  I love it when people here offer comfort or encouragement, or when you find others going through the same thing (especially when unraveling).

    I didn’t see any promotion of her own patterns either. People were explicitly excited about a turntable and a video project. I didn’t perceive it as “surreptitious advertising” that there was a photo of her dolls included—which, by the way, are very cute.
  She’s just showing the dolls in the sand, which I find a more appealing way to present them than the previous photos (yes, I did end up looking at those).

I’m neither acquainted with her nor related to her, but I felt compelled to say something about this BECAUSE she wrote here as a private individual and not as an author.

And secondly, I also hate it when authors don’t respond. 95% of the time, I’ve had consistently good experiences here with lovely designers, but I’ve also had someone once (who also sells books) who didn’t respond at all. In that respect, I definitely understand the frustration.

  And when it comes to phrasing things like “double” or “inc.,” etc., I suppose everyone has their own preferences. What makes sense to one person might not be quite clear to the next. I’m glad that most patterns here are well-written and that you can ask the authors questions (I remember some magazine patterns that had me sweating blood and water). By the way,
I always wonder—when someone has soooo many patterns here—how they manage to respond to inquiries. You can’t possibly memorize 100 of your own patterns, can you? Do they then work through that section again when questions come in???

Hi everyone,

I hope you had a good start to the week?
The sun is finally shining, and the temperatures are definitely spring-like. :-)))

I usually don’t get around to replying here very quickly. Please excuse me.
Here’s my “roundup”:

@Steffi:
“Schnöddeldööö” is, I think, from Loriot.
And it describes exactly that—odds and ends, etc. ... ;-)
Ah, woodruff syrup—that brings back childhood memories. Homemade like that, it’s definitely veeeery delicious.

@Petra:
That storage idea is really cool.
Too bad you had to rip it out. :-(
MaPr (it’s just for wimps, after all)… I know that all too well. I’m not a fan of it either, but if you want a garment or sweater to fit right, it’s usually unavoidable.
I’ve knitted the “world’s biggest MaPro” myself quite a few times…
That’s why I love RVO, especially patterns where yarn weight and needle size DON’T MATTER, and you can still get the fit just right. :-)))
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for your next attempt, and hoping your motivation for it isn’t exactly at rock bottom… :-/
The pattern looks really nice, anyway. :-)

@Bastelfan:
Wow—the pattern looks amazing.
Crocheting isn’t really my thing—but when I see such beautiful things sometimes, I just want to get started right away. ;-)

@Andrea:
Fingers crossed for the back of the pillow. It looks promising. :-)
I’m excited to see the result. ;-)

@Claudia:
Uhhhh—well, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything works out. And most importantly, that the backup works. ;-)
(I’m also soooo grateful to my “in-house admin” for taking good care of these “trivial” little things!)

Best regards
Katrin

Soooo—here’s an update on my Karl (short-sleeved tunic):
I’ve now finished the first Patch 5. Phew, with so many stitches, that took quite a while:



Now on to the second Patch 5...
It’s a bit of a slog at first, but you’re really rewarded by the result.
I’m also thrilled with the color choice so far. I usually prefer gradient yarn. ;-)
But gray (in various shades) with red—I like that (so far).

Best regards
KAtrin

Dear Katrin, I really like the Karl in gray and red👍 Each one will be one-of-a-kind.
I’m excited to see how it looks when it’s finished—keep up the great work.
Best regards from Anja

If there is a problem with a pattern, please contact the relevant author first. If that doesn’t help or if the author doesn’t respond, please contact Support or send me a PM.
I kindly ask you not to use the craft group to vent about authors. 

If you need comfort because your projects aren’t working out, the craft group is, of course, the right place for that. It just shouldn’t turn into derogatory comments about authors or patterns. 

Thanks, Josefa....
I also think that if you can't make progress with a pattern, something seems off, or you simply need a bit of comfort... you're in very good hands here.... 
It's all about the tone... 

Hey Katrin... Your Karl is turning out really elegant 😍 I really like it.

I was sitting outside in the garden knitting just a moment ago 😊
finally some sun... 

It’s finally here.... 🎇 My yarn from Lithuania—yes, it took a long time. It was a long journey, after all....

I’m sooooo happy about the new yarn. It’s pure New Zealand wool… and the colors are even more beautiful in person than in the photo.
I think this yarn is practically begging to be made into a Fair Isle sweater. But I’d have to order some more, since I’d like to have matching yarn for the main color…
Which one would you choose to go with it—light gray, dark gray, or maybe natural????
I’ll probably end up ordering three skeins of each, right? 🙈

Wow, it was definitely worth the wait. I’m getting even more excited now. You’ve picked out some great colors. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Too bad I can’t touch it. I’d really love to right now. 

Oh Steffi, what colors—that would be right up my alley. Have fun with it. I’m excited to see what wonderful creation you’ll whip up with it.
Katrin, I’m also looking forward to seeing the finished Karl—I’m sure it’ll look very elegant.

Steffi, you ordered some gorgeous colors there.
For the contrast color/main color, I’d probably use natural; it goes with all your colors.
Wishing you success with your project.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Steffi, what beautiful yarn! It was really worth the wait, and I’m already excited to see WHAT beautiful thing you’ll whip up with it!??? And thank you for your praise for KARL. I really like it this way, too. At first I thought the light gray might be too light, but now that I see it all together, it actually fits perfectly. ;-)
It also looks a little darker depending on the light.

Best wishes
Katrin

Dear all, after a break, I’m finally back here. Right now, I have a lot of personal matters to take care of, including many things that have come up following a death in the family nearly 1,000 km away. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave me much time to participate here as I used to—and I only have time to knit in the evenings. But better times are coming, and I’m already looking forward to them. I’ve seen all of your beautiful creations, though, and can only say that I’ve marveled at every single one.

Ruth, you always come up with fantastic ideas—I’m in awe. A flower child—that fits perfectly with this time of year.

Steffi, your pillowcase is gorgeous and the yarn is a dream! I can practically feel it… I’d choose the orange on the far right as the main color.

Petra, your top is sure to turn out amazing once it’s finished. The idea of keeping the yarn in the bowl—brilliant! It’s got such a nice spot there.

Andrea, the pattern you’re knitting right now is super pretty. What will it be when it’s done—a pillow or a blanket?

Claudia, I hope you have lots of fun with your “new one.” My Win7—also about 10 years old—runs like a charm, and I always make sure to back up my data. It’s great that your husband knows his way around computers so well. That’s really awesome.

Katrin, your new Karl looks very promising; I can’t wait to see the final result. They’re not really my colors, but I love the combination—it looks very elegant. Will it be the Karl 1?

What I haven’t shown you here yet is the little skirt and the hat for Juna’s doll. She’ll get these in addition to her own skirt for her birthday. She asked for the hat, and the skirt matches hers. The hat looks really good on my little star, too. I’m going to knit one like that for her as well.



And then I’ve also started knitting a pair of baby pants—for my Julian. Here’s what they look like so far:

And here’s the little skirt—I’d forgotten about it:

Moni, that little skirt turned out so cute—just like all your doll clothes.
I’d be so happy if I could knit as fast as you do, and difficult patterns too.

My deepest condolences

Best regards, Andrea/Bastelfan

Thanks, Andrea! :) You could do that too—it’s not difficult at all.

My sister-in-law passed away at the end of January. However, settling her estate is proving to be quite difficult, so we’ll probably have to make the long trip there soon.

Wishing you lots of strength, dear Monika....

I’m still working on the back of the pillow.... 

Now I’m picking up stitches for the center—for the second time. At first, I only picked up stitches at the bottom and wanted to knit straight up, incorporating the sides as I went. But it didn’t look “quite right.” Now I’m trying to pick up stitches all the way around and then decrease every other round—two in each corner.... 

Thanks, Steffi—I could really use this right now.

You want to keep knitting the pillow from the center out? That’s going to be pretty fiddly, isn’t it? Couldn’t you just knit a single square and then sew it on?

I could do that too 🙈 but this time I actually picked up stitches all the way around the inside—27 plus one in the corner (4 times). Now the two stitches before the corner are worked as a passed-over decrease, the corner stitch is knit, and the next two are knit together... Every other round.... should be quick to knit 🙈
That should look better with a color change to the blackberries, at least I hope so.... 

Steffi looks amazing. But how do you manage when there are only a teeny-tiny number of stitches left inside? That’s going to be a bit fiddly... 🤔

....I could switch to a set of double-pointed needles....
Or knit using the magic loop until there are only about 8 stitches left on it, then thread the yarn through all the stitches and pull tight.... 
I still have a few rows to go, so for now I’ll add a second circular needle....

The center is “done” 😊

Now just a few more rounds around the outside, wash and block it, and then sew the “finale” together 🎇

That turned out really beautiful!

You’re truly a genius. It turned out absolutely amazing. 

Thank you..... 🌺🏵🌺🏵🌺🏵🌺🏵

You’ve ordered some really beautiful colors there, Steffi. I’m curious to see what you’ll conjure up with them.
When I saw the open center, I also thought, “Oh dear,” how is that supposed to work? And now it looks so great. I’m always amazed at how you manage to do this. Hats off to you, dear Steffi.

Katrin, your Karl is turning out beautifully. Those would be exactly my colors.

The doll clothes turned out great again, Monika.
My deepest condolences. I wish you all strength and patience. Something like this can really be very stressful.

I still have a finished pillow lying around that needs to be photographed. Then I’ll show it to you.

Thanks, Marlies. Well, as the saying goes, we grow through our challenges. ;-)
I’m just a bit less active here because I simply don’t have the time or energy. Things will probably get better again in June.

Steffi, you did a great job with the center of your pillow. I’m amazed!

It was actually supposed to be a summer top for me.

But then it turned out too wide—I already told you, I didn’t do a gauge swatch or anything.

Since I didn’t want to rip it all out, I decided on the spot to turn it into a loop scarf. 



I kept knitting and was thrilled with how it was turning out. But then, during the next color change, I realized that I hadn’t cut the pink yarn on the back to weave in—I’d just kept bringing it up with the work.



Oh no…… I just couldn’t live with that. So I did unravel everything after all and cast on again. 



It’s still going to be a loop, and I’m already on the 4th color. 

Oh my goodness, Petra! I’ve been there with experiments like that. It’s better to just rip it out and start over. Then it’ll turn out perfect. That yarn would also work well for a summer top, though.

Steffi, your yarn looks great. I’m curious to see what you’ll make with it.
I like the pillow, too—it’s going to turn out great.

Petra, those colors… I’d like them, too.

Monika, all that running around to government offices, banks, and so on is a pain, but it has to be done. And emotions are always part of it… it’s not an easy time. I wish you lots of strength and patience.

Your grandchildren will surely be very happy with the wonderful gifts.

My sister-in-law is turning 60 soon, and I wanted to crochet her a blanket as a gift—but somehow I’d lost track of that. Until the invitation arrived… Darn!
So a few days ago I headed out to grab some yarn, but I couldn’t find anything suitable in any of the stores. The yarn I liked wasn’t available in the quantity I needed. So I had to order it online.
That’s when I stumbled upon a deal—I just had to snap it up.

The colors—pure retro!
It’s all made from recycled merino yarn, a clearance item at a really great price. I started right away and I’m actually thrilled with it.

It’s turning out completely different than I thought at first—but I think she’ll like it. She likes things colorful and unusual.

Here’s where I’m at now:




In the center is this classic wave pattern; I’ll add another round of granny squares around it, followed by a nice finishing border.
The bigger the blanket gets, the more I like it.

Yeah, it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but she should like it.

Oh, and the backup was complete—everything’s still there. Phew…

Dear Monika

I wish you all the strength you need during this difficult time. I’m right in the middle of it myself, and the fact that my son lives in America doesn’t exactly make things any easier. On top of that, I have to find a new place to live because my second daughter wants to take over the house. It’s all a bit much right now and very emotionally draining…

Thank you, dear Claudia. Yes, exactly—all that running around with government offices and banks is much easier to handle in person. However, there’s sooo much more involved when a “collector” leaves her worldly goods behind for posterity.
I’d really like your blanket too, especially since it has orange in it. I love that kind of thing as well.

Dear Christina, thank you too. Yes, we’ll manage it—you and I too. Every challenge helps us grow a little, and then we know what we’re capable of mastering. Now that we’re living in our 10th apartment, I know very well what that means. So I wish you lots of strength too, and hope the best solution presents itself.

I wish all of you here a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Hi everyone,

Have a lovely Sunday evening, all of you!

@Steffi:
The back turned out really beautifully!

@Monika:
Oh nooo—I’m keeping my fingers firmly crossed for you and wishing you lots of strength. You always need plenty of that in situations like this. Fingers crossed!

@Petra:
The cowl looks beautiful. And that would definitely be a lovely stitch pattern for a summer sweater, too. ;-)
Unraveling everything is always a pain—but you want to be happy with the result, too.
So good luck!

@Claudia:
Ohhhh, totally retro—but it looks cool!

All the best to everyone else, too!
Have a great start to the week tomorrow!

Best wishes
Katrin

Thanks, dear Katrin. :)
It really does feel good to pop in here with you all every now and then. We can lift each other’s spirits here. I’m sure we’d do the same in a real craft group.

I haven’t had much time for it lately, but I’ve cast on a matching shawl for Karl for my friend using some leftover yarn. I can keep knitting on it while I’m traveling. I just can’t go anywhere without my needles and yarn—it’s impossible for me.

Look, I managed to snag some gorgeous sock yarn—hand-dyed—in my swap group. I don’t know exactly what I’ll make with it yet, but I already have an idea. The yarn is incredibly soft.

Oh Monika, that’s absolutely gorgeous 😍😍😍 That sock yarn you managed to get your hands on—I often think hand-dyed yarns are way too beautiful for socks... 

Steffi, I knew you’d jump at this. You love this kind of yarn, too. I definitely won’t be using it for socks—that much is certain. It’s just too beautiful for that. Maybe it’ll become part of a Winter-Karl… or something else entirely.

Monika, that yarn is great. Turquoise-blue? With a gradient into beige?

I’m curious to see what you’ll whip up with it. 

Good morning.....
Quick question.... I finished knitting the back of the pillow late last night. Now I’m not really sure how to “join” the two pieces together. I could bind off, wash, block, and then sew them, or I could pick up stitches from the slipped edge stitches on the front piece and knit them together “right sides together.” But then I’d have washed and blocked the front piece, but not the back.... 
I don’t dare wash and block it with “open” stitches—what if I lose one???? 

Is a pillow supposed to be “sewn in” there? Meaning without a closure? Then bind off and block it first. I usually crochet pieces like that together with slip stitches—it creates a nice edge.
Best regards, Anja

Thanks.... I’d already set the pieces aside.... 
Yeah, I’m going to sew a cushion insert in there.... otherwise I’d have to figure out some kind of “closure.” I knitted two squares; if I’d had more leftover yarn, I could have knitted something onto the bottom/back of the front piece to tuck under the back piece for buttons or something similar. 
Then I’ll cast off for now; with today’s weather, it’ll definitely dry super fast. 

Steffi, I would have suggested that solution too.

Petra, the yarn is completely turquoise, just in different shades. And it feels sooooo great—I’m totally in love with it. I’ve swapped yarn with this swap partner before, and it’s been a dream every single time.

I’ve just “blocked” it.... 

This is the back of the pillow 😊
There’s just about enough yarn left to sew it together... Then I’ll have used up 200g of sock yarn... 
And for the Fair Isle sweater I want to knit from that beautiful New Zealand sheep’s wool, I reordered some undyed yarn in a warm gray. 
That will give the yarn a bit of natural color variation.

Steffi, your pillow looks like a work of art. Sock yarn is perfect for this. Your sweater is sure to turn out beautiful, too. You must have a closet full of things you’ve knitted yourself. I imagine it’s like a yarn paradise. I also love wearing my own knits the most.

Just a quick note about the new turquoise yarn. Now I know what I’ll make with it. I’ve fallen in love with the new Karlos pattern and already started knitting it today—with this very yarn. Patch 1 is almost done. I’ve paired it with beige for now as a contrasting color. More sock yarn is on its way and will arrive on Saturday. It’s a mix of orange and pink. I’ll show it to you when I get it. I managed to snag one more skein of the hand-dyed yarn—this time, light turquoise. I’m already excited to see how the Karlos jacket will turn out. What I enjoy most is the color combination, which I always decide on the spot for each patch.

Happy holiday to all of you!

Steffi, your pillow turned out great.

I’m done with my loop. Just need to weave in the ends. 

@Libelle 11: Thanks—one kind soul actually got it. Have a great weekend.

I’m going to try to bring on summer a little early.......

First up, with the colors of sunrise and sunset—a cell phone case for my cousin




And something for myself—crocheting letters—a little project to work on in between. 



The second “M” is already finished and is currently hanging on the door for MAY

.....It’s nice to get a taste of summer 🏵🌺🏵🌺
Right now, I’m switching between “pulling ground elder out of the garden beds” and sitting in the shade to knit.... 

....so far, this is how it’s looking 🙈😁🙈
I still have a few rows of “tail” left to do, and I still need to knit the ears....
Then I’ll sew the whole thing together “somehow,” add the eyes, and stuff it.
Ta-da.... the puppy is done 😁

I’m curious to see what your puppy will look like in the end.

I don’t need to look for any shade. The sun is hiding here.

I’m going to get back to my boxwood now. It needs to be shaped.

Hi everyone,

I’m taking my time working on a quilt. I’m sewing it by hand.
The pattern isn’t mine, but by a well-known designer from the Netherlands, Willyne Hammerstein.

Maybe there are other patchwork enthusiasts here?

Best regards,
Chris

....that looks like pure relaxation....😍

Just dreaming—for me personally, I’d be more likely to have knitting needles out here or the little loom for weaving on a board.... 

Wow, by hand!

Tablet weaving??? 

Tablet weaving, a very old craft... I discovered it at a Viking market and just had to try it out right away.... 

This is what it looks like... well, depending on how you thread the individual strands and colors through the “cards with holes.” ... 

@Woll-zauberei-Steffi
Yes, it really does relax me a lot. That was also the reason I started doing it back then. ;-)

You can buy beautiful tablet-woven bands in Tuscany. Maybe I should try that sometime too...

So far, though, I’ve really been dreaming more of sitting at a very large loom someday and weaving, for example, a Jacquard pattern or a tartan pattern...
:-)

@Libelle11
Thank you! Yes, it’s easier to sew the tiniest pieces together precisely and to the millimeter by hand than with a machine. In my private projects, I love extremely small-scale and time-consuming patterns. I worked on my last private quilt for 2.5 years...

But I, too, once started with large checks, and with my very first quilt I was very relieved that they matched up reasonably well. ;-)

Best regards
Chris

Do they have specific patterns in Tuscany? 
There are quite a few different ways to weave with tablets... 
In certain regions, you find certain patterns in their “own” colors....
I also prefer more intricate, detailed work... It really helps me tune out my surroundings and clear my head.... 

@Steffi:
Yes, it really clears your head—that’s true!
Unfortunately, I didn’t spot any typical patterns on the woven ribbons. I thought some of the diamond patterns with “frames” were very pretty…

Only the table linens featured typical Tuscan fabric.  To my mind, it was woven with very thick yarn, so it wasn’t right for my patchwork. I wasn’t all that impressed with the pattern either, but as we all know, that’s a matter of taste...

Best wishes,
Chris

Well, everyone, I’m checking in here again. You’ve all been very busy once more and have created some amazing things.

Petra, your loop pattern looks great—it’s perfect for this. I especially love your letter idea. It’s so versatile and quick to make. The phone case is sure to be a hit, too.

Steffi, your puppy—knitted (wow!)—already looks really cute. Did you knit it following a pattern? I’m excited to see the final result. Maybe your dog will even adopt it.

A warm welcome to Chris. You make some interesting crafts—they go wonderfully with what Steffi’s been working on… Your quilt looks great. I’m also a patchwork enthusiast, though more so when it comes to knitting. It’s totally hooked me.

So I can already show you the start of my new Karlos. These are all patches from the back, though—colors that are quite uncharacteristic for me. I’m still waiting for the yarn for the front patches; those will be turquoise and red.

Here’s what it looks like so far:

This looks really interesting—I’m excited to see the next colors. I can imagine turquoise—as for red, I’ll let myself be surprised. Have a wonderful evening,

everyone

Hey everyone...
I’ve almost finished the little puppy; I just need to run out and get some stuffing... Then I’ll attach the ears and do a little finishing work.... 

Neither my dog (who’s experiencing a false pregnancy and is acting pretty “crazy”) nor my son (his Beagle crossed the Rainbow Bridge last Sunday at age 14) are allowed to see the little one.... I’d rather hide him for now....
I cast on my next project the day before yesterday—it’s going to be a sweater. I knitted a cable pattern... now here’s my problem...
The gauge (yes, I actually knitted one) was right, but the cable is too long... the problem is that I can “stretch/shift” the cable so that it would fit... basically compress it a bit lengthwise and stretch it widthwise... 
I just don’t know what to do now 🤷—should I keep knitting or pay very close attention to the cm measurements???? 

Hello @mowi19
Thank you for the kind words!
Your patched knitted piece looks very chic and interesting, a real eye-catcher!

@Woll-zauberei-Steffi
Oh dear, losing an animal is always hard, and the poor dog having a false pregnancy! It seems female dogs sometimes experience a similar kind of suffering as in the human world...

My knitting phase was a while ago, but I would guess a physical reason, meaning gravity...

Ask yourself whether you’ll be annoyed every time you see the finished piece later; then you’ll know whether you should “creatively fix it.” ;-)

All the best!
Chris

OMG Steffi, that little guy is already so cute! I can already picture him all finished. Any female dog would definitely adopt him right away. So take good care of him.

Well, as for the braid, think carefully about whether you’ll be happy with it if it doesn’t end up working out. 

Hello lovelies,

you’re all soooo busy. And I can’t really keep up anymore…

@Monika:
Your CARLOS that you’ve started looks sooo beautiful. That turquoise is just AWESOME.
I’m really curious to see HOW it develops for you? ;-)

@Steffi:
Even if it’s a bit late… but I recently read a tip on another forum:
Instead of washing and blocking, try steam ironing. I tried it myself for a MAPro. It works really well.
It also works for sweaters/jackets. If needed, divide the work among several needles/cables/auxiliary strands so nothing slips off the needle(s) and you can iron it easily.
And your pillowcase turned out sooo beautiful, *thumbs up*
And the dog is turning out adorable, too. :-)
Regarding the MAPro & cable:
I see it the same way as the other girls. You have to decide for yourself whether you’ll like it if you somehow “stretch it out.” In cases like that, “Count Ribbel” always comes to visit me. :-/
But I’ve usually invested a lot of money in the materials, and I’d really like to wear the piece. So I’d rather rip it out than end up totally dissatisfied...

@Petra:
The loop turned out nice, too. The lace pattern makes it look nice and airy & fluffy.
Just right for cool summer evenings or the transition season. ;-)

@Chris:
WoooooooooooooW, quilting—that already looks sooooo fantastic.
And I admire even more that you’re doing it by hand!!! I’d never be able to pull that off...
For in-between times and when I’m on the go, at most socks and/or wrist warmers would work for me...
But most of the time, I just don’t have the right thing on hand.

@all:
Tablet weaving is also a lovely technique.
I’m already excited to see other things, too.

Soooo, that was my “big roundup” of replies.
I wish you all a sunny Pentecost!
Warm regards
Katrin

Soooooooooooooo, and here’s a “follow-up” on my progress so far with the gray KARL:





I’m now working on the first shoulder patch (7).
And the way it’s turning out so far, I really like it.
Let’s see HOW LONG I can keep knitting with wool in warmer temperatures???

Best wishes
Katrin

That’s going to turn out so pretty 😍
Totally my colors....
I think knitting is always a good idea 😁 A nice shady spot, a light breeze—and that’s all it takes. Okay, I wouldn’t want to knit or crochet a big wool blanket right now. Too much on my legs while crafting 🙈

I just finished mowing the lawn, and now I’m heading out to the patio, into the shade, with my knitting. The cat has already made herself comfortable there, and the dog is still looking for “her” spot... 

Word recognition.... 🙄
Of course I mowed the lawn.... 😂

I thought I’d sewn up the thread 😄

What a cute little furball, Steffi. 😊 Losing a pet is always hard. Most of the time, they’re like a member of the family.
We had a dwarf rabbit that was experiencing a false pregnancy. It was a Lionhead, but acted like a big lion.

Monika, I’m so excited to see your turquoise and red. It’s sure to look chic.

Katrin, your Karl looks great. Those are my colors.

I bought some Trio needles and am trying my hand at making wash mitts with them. For the second one, I used longer needles (23 instead of 21.5 cm). That way, I don’t lose as many stitches.😉

mowi, I also managed to get my hands on some nice yarn—it looks similar to yours and goes well with some yarn I have here. I’m hoping to turn it all into a new soul warmer; my first one is starting to show its age.

Oops, forgot

to mention I snagged it at tt

I’m curious to see the little dog.

The colors of the “Karl” are great. I can never quite picture how it’s supposed to turn into a sweater.

I managed to get a little bit done today without having to rip anything out. 

The colors are beautiful. What kind of yarn are you knitting with right now?

I’ve decided to knit the second cable for the sweater too, then join the two pieces together, pick up stitches for the side/sleeves, and then see how I like it.... I can always rip it out later 🙈 
I have pure new wool on my needles, and I measured my gauge after washing and drying it. 

The journey is the destination.... Maybe your plan will work out.

I still have 2 skeins of “Tahiti” by Schachenmayr left. It’ll be a summer loop—that should be enough

I had the Tahiti yarn once, too… In a turquoise/blue shade—actually a pretty color… until I wound it up and realized there was this really weird “sand/brown” shade mixed in… You couldn’t tell that in the store 🤷 I wanted to knit a summer skirt out of it, but with that brown, it would’ve looked a little weird on my butt 😂
I’m also going to cast on a summer cowl again. I can’t exactly walk around in the summer with my merino shawl just because there’s a draft on my neck.... There’s gotta be a Lace-Zauberball bouncing around here somewhere 🤔😁

Continue writing here:
May 2023 Projects: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group, Part 2.