December Projects, November Projects + October Projects 2023, Part 2: the Crazypatterns Craft Group

Here is the new thread for your January projects:
January Projects 2024: the Crazypatterns Craft Group

Dear users, dear authors,
here is part 2 of the October projects. Have fun with it. 
You can read the earlier posts at the link.
October Projects, September Projects + August Projects 2023. Part 2: the Crazypatterns Craft Group

How quickly can you whip up such beautiful things? The pumpkins are pretty.
Tonight I only managed to knit a few rounds on the sleeve. “Grandma Cat” decided she was veeeery important today and needed a cuddle… so the knitting just has to wait… 

The pumpkins turned out great. A very lovely trio. 

I’ve stayed strong so far, and no new pumpkins have been added yet. 

I’m still working on dishcloths. I’ve found a new pattern in the meantime. Now I just need the right colors to match the tea towels I’ve already bought, and then I can get started on Christmas gifts. 

👍So autumnal! Best regards

You hard workers. 

You’re quick! You’ve made some great decorations. The pumpkins look really pretty with that yarn. Why knit or crochet just socks out of it? No—they turned into pumpkins. Awesome.

I really like the little baskets, too. My favorites would be the light blue ones. They always remind me of summer, sun, and the beach. Wonderful.

My fall decorations are pretty minimal. I crocheted two little pumpkins (one with a light green stem and one with a dark green stem). I’ll give them to my mom when I go over for coffee later.

I’m still on vacation, so I can crochet and do crafts.
I still have to finish my table decorations for my 60th birthday next week. Each guest will get a handmade box with a beaded angel on it, and inside, a piece of chocolate or something similar.
I’ll upload a picture later.

Here are the mini pumpkins

I’ve gone ahead and decorated for fall, with a little Halloween twist. Somehow I’m not really in the fall spirit yet… maybe this will get me in the mood.







Thank you all for the kind words.
And no, I don’t crochet around the clock. The baskets came together bit by bit, and I spent quite a while on the jacket, constantly unraveling and adjusting it, even though I was using size 7 needles.
When my mind has a lot to process, my hands need to keep moving—it’s just the creativity that’s missing then. If I can use up my leftover yarn in the process, that’s a double bonus.

Steffi, cuddling with Grandma’s cat must be really relaxing, too.

Oh, Petra, the Christmas gifts… did you really have to bring that up? It doesn’t even feel like fall is fully here yet…

Andrea, you’re really going all out for your guests—they’ll definitely be thrilled.
And seeing your gorgeous, bright orange pumpkins is making me itch to start again…

No, I really have enough!!! Although every now and then, one of them takes off…

I collected a few natural treasures on my outing.



As soon as I got home, I gathered up some leftover yarn...



And I started crocheting



And a little more fall in the living room

I think these are funny.... 
Fall is slowly setting in here too—it’s ⛅ today. It was absolutely beautiful; we went for a walk in the woods. I actually just wanted to take the dog for a quick walk.... but when we got back home, I looked at the time, pretty taken aback.... We’d been out for two hours 🙈😊—it felt sooo good. 

Thank you, Claudia. You have some really pretty decorations, too. They look great. Are the patterns for your ghosts from here?

Petra, combining your acorns with real natural materials is a great recycling idea.

It’s slowly starting to feel like fall, but that darn wind is so cold—otherwise, it’s wonderful.

I came up with these little boots myself and crocheted a sample. I tried several times until the shape was right.
Here’s the result.


What do you think?
They’re also the perfect size as bag charms.

Your little boots turned out cute. I once gave a boot as a St. Nicholas Day gift and put money inside it. And afterward, you can use it as a bag charm throughout the winter. 

These turned out so cute...
I can totally see them as bag charms; with a little “Christmas decoration,” they’d be perfect for my bag.... 

Great idea, Petra, and thank you, Steffi, for your feedback.

Hi, just a quick note.

We spent a few days visiting my in-laws.
Since the weather was cold but wonderfully sunny, we took a trip together to Stolberg in the Harz Mountains.
What a great town.
Why hadn’t we been there before?








Petra, your decorations are great.

Andrea, your colorful boots really brighten my day.
Regarding your question about the ghosts: I have a similar ghost pattern in the shop, but since I gave a few away and crocheted them using leftover yarn of varying thicknesses, they don’t follow the pattern exactly.

Thank you, Claudia.

Your photos are great shots, with a blue sky. I really like those half-timbered houses, too.
You were lucky with the weather and had a wonderful outing.

What beautiful pictures...
that looks really inviting. 

Yes, “inviting” is the right word.

That last picture with the steps leading up to the front door… really piques my curiosity.

Sounds like you had a great outing in wonderful fall weather. 

A few weeks ago, I showed you a ball of colorful glitter yarn. My “in-between project” is now finished. It turned out to be a thin scarf.

    

The promised photo of my short curtain is finally here, too.



I’ve used four patterns by Sonja here.

Some really beautiful pieces have come off the needles here. I think the scarf pattern is pretty.

I’m currently working on fingerless gloves. The yarn is from the latest swap package. The pattern is a real doozy... On the top side, I have two patterns (at the same time) with different repeat lengths—one over three rows and the other over eight... I made myself a chart to keep track of it all... 

Thanks, Steffi. This pattern is something you can knit on the side. I really like pearl and box stitch patterns.

Nice green. The pattern already looks tricky. I’d probably get frustrated with it 😱

Marlies, I like your scarf. I think a thin scarf is often enough, and with those colors, it’s sure to go with lots of things. A little warmth around the neck, and I feel much more comfortable right away. 

Thank you so much, Petra. I’d bought the yarn on a hunch because I liked the colors. It was just a 100-gram skein for two euros. (LL 390m/100g)
Since the scarf is just under 15 cm wide and 130 cm long, I can easily tuck the ends into the neckline of V-neck sweaters without it bulging out too much. Despite the glittery thread, it’s nice and soft and not itchy.

Oh Marlies, that curtain reminds me of my very first apartment. I had a turquoise rug and purple curtains back then; the sofa was black, and the wallpaper had a pattern featuring all your colors. I really love it.

I crocheted another pumpkin—I just can’t get enough of them this year. 

I’ve finished a few things lately:



  


  

One picture is still missing: 

That sheep is absolutely adorable.

A great gift. 

Andrea, is there a pattern for those cute little boots?

Thank you, Claudia. The pumpkin would go well with mine. Will there be a pattern for it?

Christina, your sheep are so cute. Unfortunately, I’m too clumsy to knit them.

My “Wonder World” blanket by Sonja is finally finished. I made it a little bigger.


It’s so soft and cozy.

My Christmas diamond painting arrived today, but it needs to be flattened first.
My Halloween ghosts still need to be put together.

And the swap package is coming in the next few days. So, I’m definitely not bored right now.

Wishing you all a wonderful day and lots of fun with your crafts.
Best regards
Marlies

Unfortunately, no, Marlies. I just jotted that down for myself. I’m not an author, after all.

Saw this on a blogger’s site and tried it right away.

It won’t be my last one.....

I was once a Tetra Pak.... 

And here’s another picture in daylight

You picked up on a lovely idea and executed it wonderfully, Petra. 👍

Here are the projects I’ve worked on over the last two days:

a little elf by a-mano


and the autumn-themed coasters from a-mano

—though I’m going to “repurpose” them a bit…😉

Best wishes, and have a wonderful Sunday.
Marlies

The elf is absolutely adorable. A great design

I agree, Petra. I’ve already knitted the “Wonderland” blanket with the elves. When you’re knitting it, you can hardly wait to finish the little elves.
Sonja always has great ideas.

Christina, your sheep are sooo cute.

Your motifs are great, Marlies. It’s always fascinating to see how these motifs turn out.
There isn’t a pattern for the pumpkin—I’m just enjoying crafting away at my own pace right now… pure relaxation.

Petra, that lantern looks amazing—I’m actually on the hunt for a simple lighting decoration idea for the balcony, since I picked up a few outdoor tea lights recently.
I’m definitely stealing that idea.


I crocheted another pumpkin; this time I used my overlock thread cones as carry-along yarn—I like the effect, but keeping the threads under control wasn’t always easy.



But I really like the result.



I also finally finished my scarf made with planned-pooling yarn. This technique wasn’t my thing at all, which is why I tossed the project into the corner quite a few times… doing more than a couple of rows in one evening would have driven me crazy. Now it’s finally done.

Great idea with the leftover yarn, Claudia. The pumpkin looks really good.

Your scarf looks great too, but working that pattern would drive me crazy as well. That’s why I’m not even going to try it.

The carry-along yarn is the finishing touch for the pumpkin. That’s what really makes it look great.

I really like the scarf. Too bad you didn’t enjoy knitting it.

Today I sewed a new fabric bag for a well-aged UFO.

Goal 1—to have a storage bag for every UFO.
Goal 2—to work through one bag after another.

But I’m still a long way from reaching the first goal… I still need a lot more bags.

And then today I crocheted the second pennant for the pennant chain for little Felino. 

The Planned Pooling technique is just sooo boring in terms of the pattern, but it always requires full concentration to use the perfect amount of yarn for each stitch… that’s the only way to create this pattern from the color gradient.
I received the yarn as a gift, and I think the result is very beautiful.
But I didn’t enjoy it.
Having to adjust the tension every few stitches to keep the pattern lined up… that’s just not my thing.

Petra, you’ve really taken on a challenge there. 

I always thought “planned pooling” was kind of “funny,” but the way you describe it, it doesn’t sound like much fun to knit. Still, it’s “fascinating” how the yarn is intentionally dyed so that the pattern matches.

Last night, the wrist warmers made from the yarn in the swap package were finally ready to wear. 

And yeah, of course I made a mistake somewhere again. Starting with the thumb increase, the pattern didn’t line up anymore. Probably only I’ll notice it again 🙈
  On the pattern page, there are two sets of knitting charts—one over three rows (the small cables on the outside) and one over eight (the center)—so you really have to pay attention, and somewhere in the middle of the pattern, I “messed up” by knitting one row out of place....
Since I only wear them when I take the dog for a walk, I’ll leave them as is. Otherwise, I would have unraveled them. 

Well, Steffi, that’s how it goes when you’ve made a mistake. You always spot it right away, but others don’t notice a thing. Just like me. All I see is that they turned out really nice, and I really like that shade of green, too.👍

Thank you.... 
Since yesterday I’ve had a cowl on my needles... but I think I’m going to frog it again; it seems so “small” to me—or am I knitting a neck sock? 🤔 Maybe it just needs a few more rows to see how it all develops. 

My new diamond painting is now smoothed out and should be finished by Advent.

Oh.... that’s pretty.... Where do you always find such beautiful designs? 

Mostly at 1-2-3-meins, Steffi 😉

Then I “have” to check it out again… 😉
I’m currently browsing for “dye” to dye some cotton yarn. I do have dyes at home, but they’re only for animal fibers.... I didn’t realize it would be so hard to find something suitable.
Although I’m really wondering if you can’t just use “natural” dyes. ... After all, if you spill cherry juice in the summer, it leaves stains that you can’t really get out of a white T-shirt 😉😁

Steffi, your wrist warmers turned out beautifully. Yes, we’re usually way too critical of our own work. Others don’t even notice the mistakes. Maybe we’re looking too closely for imperfections. 

Marlies, I’m totally jealous of your picture. Sooooo beautiful. Have fun with it! 

I have 4 Christmas puzzles sitting in the basement. I’ll use them to get into the Christmas spirit starting in mid-November 

Steffi, the wrist warmers are still very pretty even with the mistakes. You’re probably the only one who’ll notice them when you wear them.

Marlies, I like the motif—it’s so beautifully classic. Have fun.

The mouse had been lying around here for a while; now I’ve crocheted a few mushrooms to go with it. It fits so nicely into the fall decor.



I used up my first big nutmeg squash—first I roasted it in the oven until tender. The two halves each filled one baking sheet, so I ended up with quite a lot of purée.
I used it to make pumpkin soup and bake some bread, then I portioned out the rest of the purée and froze it.
I think pumpkin is sooo delicious.

Thanks, Petra and Claudia. This is exactly how you imagine Christmas to be. It was hard to choose between all the designs.

Have fun putting the puzzle together, Petra.

Claudia, your mouse is cute, and the mushrooms go great with it.

Have a lovely evening, everyone.
Marlies

That mouse is so cute with the mushrooms. It’s perfect for this time of year.

Pumpkin bread—looks delicious. That’s still on my list for this fall, too.

Yes, Marlies, it really is hard to decide. I’ve been browsing the internet, too—there are so many beautiful motifs. 

I finally spruced up my street find. A little wooden board was sitting in the giveaway box



Of course, I couldn’t just leave it there—I already had an idea. Then I found the perfect napkin to go with it



Yesterday, I finished my new painting. 



Napkin technique with acrylic paints 

Claudia, I’m not familiar with baking a pumpkin in the oven. How long? And then can you just take it all out like that?

Petra, that goes really well with the saying on the little board.

Anja, I wash it, then cut it right down the middle so both sides lie nice and straight on the baking sheet. Then I scoop out the seeds and bake it as is at 120°C (not any hotter—I don’t want it to brown!) until it’s reasonably soft but not yet mushy.
That always takes a different amount of time, depending on the variety… the really big one from last time took about 70 minutes. After it cools, I scoop it out, let the puree drain well, and freeze it in portions.
This is much easier than cutting up the raw pumpkin, and the flavor is nice and intense—not watered down. I usually use the drained juice and a portion of the puree to make soup right away.
I use the puree for soup, bread, pasta sauce, or cake.
For me, this is the easiest way; I only cut it up raw when pickling it sweet and sour in a jar.
We love pumpkin—we have it here quite often. And now you can also get varieties like the nutmeg pumpkin or the Crown Prince, our two favorites.

Claudia, that’s such a cute little mouse! And she can use that mushroom as an umbrella—we really need one here today, and the weather isn’t supposed to get much better over the next few days! Well, after all, it’s fall, and we really can’t complain after all those sunny weeks. Plus, there’s plenty of yarn lying around, and we’re not short on ideas for using it—after all, Christmas is coming soon!
I’ll keep that pumpkin tip in mind; it sounds much easier than the usual method and seems to turn out even tastier.

Hi everyone,

I’m popping in again. I haven’t been feeling very well for a long time, and I just didn’t have the mental energy, strength, or resources for the forum. I hope things are slowly getting better.
You’ve all made such amazing things.

@Monika:
Your Karlos turned out absolutely amazing!!

@Marlies:
I really like the pooling scarf.
I haven’t tried that yet… WHAT kind of yarn do you use for it???

I’m back to knitting with yarn now. And so my Karl with the big patches has grown quite a bit:



Now I’m trying to figure out HOW I can knit the long sleeves in the round in garter stitch???
Just like the KARL that inspired me to start my own Karl:


Here’s what I’m thinking right now:
When I look at the sleeve-shoulder area, it tapers to a point through Patch 7:



I don’t want to knit patches like on Karl—the asymmetrical one.
a) short rows in the light gray area, or decrease along the existing center line until only 3 stitches remain (i.e., a compensating patch until the edge is straight???)
or
b) bind off enough stitches on both sides to reach the dark gray area (i.e., a straight edge at the light gray shoulder triangle) ??? Will that work???
Does anyone have a good idea???

Best regards
Katrin

@Katrin That was Einhornwolle knitting yarn, 100 g skein, 390 m, purchased at Tedi.
Your Karl is turning out beautifully. Those are exactly my colors.

Best regards
Marlies

It’s finally finished:



it even comes with a short story:
Fall is here. The golden sun still shines warmly on the colorful leaves, and some birds are cheerfully singing their songs. The cheeky little mouse looks hungrily at the big Halloween pumpkin. Soon it will get colder. But a little fawn is already thinking about the snow and Christmas. Then there will be decorated Christmas trees and burning candles in people’s homes. The forester will surely bring good food to the forest again. He cares deeply for his animals.
This is the quiet time when the stars shine brighter, little angels fly, and everyone wishes for peace on earth.

I used 850 g of cotton. The design consists entirely of patterns by Sonja (a-mano).

It was a lot of fun, but I’m also glad it’s finally finished.

The only bummer was that when I was crocheting the top row together, I’d turned the pumpkin upside down. Of course, I didn’t notice until I went to crochet the top edge.😢 So I had to rip some of it out and redo it.

Now I just need to get the right mount and then hang it up.

Best regards
Marlies

Claudia, thanks for the explanation about the pumpkin puree. I saved it right away.

Marlies, your curtain turned out great. Your story about it 😍—I could definitely see this working for little kids, too. A solid-color quilt with lots of little animals and objects, and then you tell the story while the child snuggles into the blanket. 

Wow.... There was a lot going on here.... Somehow it all flew right past me. 

You’ve made some amazing things. 😍

I had some quiet time this morning and finished a UFO... all that was left was to wash it and “block” it... 

I also have a matching hat/bonnet and booties....
Now the christening gown is looking for a new home 🙈

What a beautiful piece of work 

Thank you.... 

All the letters are finished. Now I have to decide what color I want the binding ribbon to be. 



And right now, I’m practicing sewing a pot holder using a dish towel. This is my third attempt, and it’s getting better and better. It used to be an old towel, and I made the bias tape myself, too. But I’m not satisfied yet—it’s all still too crooked for my liking. I’ll keep practicing. 

Pretty colors, Petra.
Is that a pattern you made?

Yes, Anja, it is. I like giving this pennant garland as a gift for a new baby, and right now babies are popping up all over the place among my children’s friends. 

I searched for the colors for a long time and then found them in Stuttgart. Right now I’m crocheting dishcloths from it as Christmas gifts. 

Hey everyone,

I’m not really keeping up right now either… sorry.
You’re all making such beautiful things.
I’m totally uninspired…
I’m still racking my brain over KARL—HOW am I supposed to do the sleeve…???
Does anyone have any ideas?

@Claudia:
I don’t have a Tedi here…
But I need to finish knitting the things I’ve already started first, otherwise nothing will get done (anymore)…

@Marllies:
The idea for the blanket/curtain is really creative. :-)
I still have so many little scraps that would definitely be enough for smaller squares... If I ever get the urge, I could “use them up” in a similar way *grin*

Warm regards to everyone
Katrin

Katrin, were you referring to me with the pooling yarn? I used “Plan” by Wolly Hugs. It has a high merino content, and I needed 2 skeins. There are also videos on their website about the technique.

By the way, your contrasting colors create a great effect.
Sometimes taking a break is good.

Marlies, that’s a sweet story about the crocheted pictures.

Steffi, just WOW!!!

Petra, even the name is beautiful, and the colors have a lovely, calming effect.

I’m still crocheting little baskets out of yarn scraps—my concentration doesn’t stretch to anything more.

My sister is currently decluttering, starting with her fabrics. I offered to help her get rid of them—and now I have mountains of fabric lying around here that she didn’t want to keep.
But most of these are very high-quality fabrics, ranging from chiffon to linen, wool fabrics, 1970s lurex, boiled wool, heavy velvet, and lots of other things.
There are always several meters of each, so it’s a huge amount of material.

I took home a total of at least six large travel bags plus a few shopping bags, and to be honest, I’m not quite sure what to do with it all. I definitely didn’t expect this… there are real treasures in there; I can’t just throw them away.
On the other hand, I’ll never sew a suit out of wool fabric… and at least 6 meters of heavy, dark green velvet is just overwhelming me.
Does anyone have any ideas where something like this might still find a good home?
For now, I’ll probably check for moths and then pick out the pieces I have an idea for. But what about all the rest?

Has the Handicraft Group gone dormant?

Just a little bit... 
I’m currently knitting a second hat with yarn from the swap parcel... I’ve already finished a cowl.
We’ve had quite a bit of snow here, so I’ve had to clear our driveway often, and it’s pretty long... 
Then there’s my “dementia cat”—she’s almost 15, which is really impressive for an outdoor cat—and a pregnant dog who also has no idea what’s going on with her right now.... We’re going back to the vet on Tuesday for a checkup. 
My husband thought, “That can’t be possible,” but slowly even he can’t deny that something is changing “visibly.”
Just keep your fingers crossed that there won’t be too many and that everything goes smoothly. 

Oh my, you weren’t planning on having babies? Then things are going to get very exciting for you soon. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there won’t be too many and that the mother gets through it well.

I knit or crochet a little something every now and then. I don’t really get around to serious crocheting or knitting. I was happy that I finished my collar and that the pattern finally went online after many long weeks.

So I still have a lot of unfinished projects lying around. I’ve already unraveled some of them, and a few dishcloths are finished.

Yes, it’s really very quiet in this thread. 

....no, we weren’t trying for a baby... I’ll know more tomorrow afternoon; then we’re off to the vet again to “check her belly”.... At least it was apparently a “suitable” male dog—there’s only one here she wouldn’t bark at...
  Hopefully I’ll get some knitting done today—I actually wanted to knit a reindeer too, but I need to finish the hat first 🤔 or maybe both? And then there are a couple of really beautiful socks with a sooo great pattern....
Best to do it all at once—who knows how “lively” the living room will get once the little ones are here.... 

I’ve been sick for quite some time and haven’t been doing anything at all. 

Wishing you a speedy recovery 😘

Anja, get well soon!

Get well soon, Anja. Take it easy.

Get well soon, Anja.

I finished a dishcloth today. This time with lots of nubs—let’s see if it’s especially good at removing dirt. I can cross one Christmas gift off the list. 



Steffi, how are the puppy babies doing? 

Thank you for your kind get-well wishes ♡

I was at the vet today… She’s experiencing a false pregnancy… Nothing showed up on the ultrasound. Now it’s time to really “work” with her so she loses weight—she’s actually gained weight despite being on a “diet,” and quite a bit at that 😕🙈😕 She weighs 51.9 kg; her normal weight is 43 kg 😕
Although by “diet,” I meant we switched her “treats” from “fast food” to chicken....
  So, just two more weeks to go—then her hormones should be back to normal, and she can keep losing weight until her next heat cycle. Hopefully, she’ll get through it without a false pregnancy or an actual pregnancy....
In any case, I can sit on the couch in my living room in the evenings and knit in peace 😁

Anja, I hope you feel better soon, too.

Steffi, that sounds like quite the adventure 🤣




I just sewed myself a sweater out of some velour that’s probably 30 years old—it seems to be coming back into style. I had to buy new cuffs and couldn’t decide on a color… what do you think? Bright and eye-catching or heathered and understated? I’m so torn about it.

Claudia, I’d go with the left side. But I’m more of a reserved person—I like to keep a low profile.

The stars look great with it. How do you sew them on? Is it fabric sold by the meter? Or were they already on the fabric?

You’re definitely going to love that sweater in the winter. Velour is very comfortable—I have a pair of sweatpants made from it. 

I, on the other hand, prefer the light version. It goes great with the light-colored stars. 

I’m knitting some really thick leg warmers, and it was 12.9 degrees outside today. The sun was lovely, but the wind was a bit unpleasant.

How was the weather where you are today?

The pattern is chic...
I’m totally into cables right now—I just knitted a pair of cable-patterned socks... Only my second pair ever 😉
The weather here has been pretty 🥴 windy, rainy, and gray.... But not really cold... more like typical fall weather... 

Petra, I traced the stars from the inside and stitched them with contrasting yarn, then sewed buttons onto them by hand. That took a while, but my stash has gotten a little smaller.
By the way, I used the left, more neutral cuff—after posting it, I realized I’d been hoping you’d choose that one. So I’d already made up my mind internally.
By the way, I really like the wrist warmers.


I recently sewed this goose as a Christmas gift for a good friend—it has a pocket on its belly for a hot water bottle.
I placed it in a crocheted basket and added a few treats. It was a big hit.

Here’s the new thread for your January projects:
January Projects 2024: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group