February Projects and January Projects 2025: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group

Here is the new thread for the March projects:
March Projects 2025: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group

Dear community,
here is the new thread for the January 2025 crafting projects.
You can read the earlier posts at the link.
December Projects and November Projects 2024, Part 2: the Crazypatterns Crafting Group 
Have fun. 

First one! ☆☆☆☆☆ ;-)

Best wishes for the new year 🍀

Happy New Year 🥳 🥳 🥳
I hope things were relatively “quiet” for you, too. It was so stormy here that it was almost impossible to set off fireworks.... Aside from that, my New Year’s Eve fireworks budget was under 10€. That’s enough to ring in the new year.
Right now I’m knitting the sleeve of a sweater 🤔—or am I actually knitting a dress? It’s a sweater with a round yoke… It’s currently just above my hips in length. First I’ll add the sleeves, and then I’ll see how long I want it to be; for a dress, I’d have to work in increases. I have a pattern for a knitted dress somewhere, though that one starts from the bottom.
Can you actually “mirror” a pattern? So that a decrease becomes an increase?
Or should I knit the dress from the bottom up according to the pattern until the number of stitches matches the sweater, and then join them together using Kitchener stitch?
First, the sleeves 😁 

Will there even be enough yarn for a dress?

Yessss..... It does 😁 I bought it at auction; the listing specified a weight of 400g/4-ply. But there was less in the package than listed, so I set the yarn aside for the time being, and a few days later I got a “notification” that the item had been relisted. Spoiler: the second package actually contained more yarn, and now I have 800g. 🥳😁 

Claudia, handwork is allowed to be a little imperfect. Your little mushroom man is cute.

I started in the kitchen in 2025. Dyeing fabric



Once again, a happy and healthy New Year 2025 to everyone.
You’re already hard at work again. Claudia, your little mushroom man looks so cute. Not everything in nature is straight, either.
Dyeing fabric sounds interesting. By hand or in the washing machine?

Andrea in a cooking pot with acrylic paint for painting the wall.

Since my embroidery isn’t washed, nothing will happen to the paint. 

Hey there,
wow, nothing’s been posted here in a while.

  I wanted to show you my second finished cat pillow.
It was a great way to practice cutting, appliquéing, and sewing curves.
I didn’t like the whiskers on the original (the small cat)—they stuck out so far from the nose, like sideburns. I’m not entirely satisfied with how they turned out on the larger pillow either; I still need to experiment some more. 

They turned out so pretty
And you can never have too many pillows

I’m kind of obsessed with pillows anyway. And with wool. And with shoes. And with cardigans. And with nail polish. 😇😄😱

I’ve started embroidering my dyed fabric.

[Image removed]

I’m planning to make 9 small winter-themed embroidery designs. I actually thought it would go faster—they’re just little pictures, after all. But good things take time..... 

I love little things like this. This book bag was sewn up in no time. 



Hey there.... 
Just a little sign of life from me 😇 
Such beautiful embroidered and sewn things 💖  I’m knitting, but it feels like I’m not making any progress at all. I was about to unravel everything again, but then last night I decided to tackle the sleeve once more. I’ve probably unraveled the cuff for the 7th time already 😤. It was actually supposed to have an i-cord finish, but it ended up so wavy, like a ruffle. Now I’ve knitted a few rows of ribbed cuff.... 

I’m curious to see how it looks after washing. The gauge swatch looked very different afterward... Now I just have one more sleeve and the bottom cuff left...

Wow, another great sweater. Looks like it could become a favorite

Steffi, your sweater looks great.

I just managed to finish mine in January.

A great sweater. Nice pattern, looks light and airy.

Right now I prefer making small things that are quick to finish



I tried making a little basket

Small projects and quick????
I’d probably get stuck at the basting stage, or at the very latest, at the sewing machine....
I’ve been trying out Tunisian crochet over the last few days 😁 I discovered a YouTube channel where she crochets using really old patterns—some dating back to 1860—and the clothing was almost exclusively made using Tunisian crochet. I like the look of it, and after trying it out, I like the feel of it too 🙂
But first, I’ll knit the second sleeve because a package of yarn is coming in the next few days... Merino wool—I’m soooo excited to see what it looks like in person.... 

Petra, your little project turned out great again. I’m not good at sewing either, but I can shorten pants too. 😂

Steffi, I really like Tunisian crochet too. It’s addictive—I should make something again sometime.

Hugs, Marion

@Marion: Whoaaaaah, that’s SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! I want one ♡
@Petra: I’m watching a lot of videos right now and looking for little projects too; I printed out a few things today for when my next sewing urge hits. 

While watching videos today, I was really blown away by how people cut up old clothes and either sew new clothes out of them (like one made from 3 sweaters—a new loose-fitting sweater with patchwork) or something completely different (baskets, bags, blankets, rugs). I’m totally blown away by so much creativity.
Above all, I’m amazed at how painlessly they cut up wool sweaters—it makes my stomach clench just watching it. Why doesn’t it unravel instantly???

Most recently, I sewed a cover for my vaccination card and a cat pillow. And I wanted to sew another pillow. I’ve finally figured out the difference between crown and star pillows, so now I’m making a star pillow. Unfortunately, that stupid sewing machine didn’t want to do what I wanted again—it always acts up with thin fabrics and eats the fabric. *grrrrrr* Is there anything else I can adjust? I’ve sewn with paper underneath sometimes, but I thought I could do it without.

  I’d love to try my hand at jersey soon, but if the machine acts up even with thin cotton, how will it handle T-shirt fabric? I’d really love to sew a dress using a pattern from here. 

How are your February projects coming along?

Josefa, February has only just begun...

I’m still working on my embroidery and am currently stitching the top border

I picked up the stitches for the sleeve today and am continuing to knit more or less diligently.... 
Right now, “Granny Cat” needs a lot of attention; she’s 16 years old, and we notice it more every day. She sleeps a lot, and when she’s awake, she can be a handful; she hardly goes outside anymore, and I have to carry her to her food bowl because otherwise she can’t find it. I pamper her as much as I can, my “Miss Senile” 😊 
Tomorrow, Mr. Postman is bringing new yarn 😁 so I need to make sure I free up my knitting needles again. I really only need one more sleeve anyway; the bottom cuff is already attached and all the ends are woven in.... 
So I’ll knit up to the first decrease,
that’s 19 rounds/72 stitches in stockinette stitch. Granny is sleeping right now 😊 

I’ve started knitting the raglan jacket I’ve been planning for a long time. So far, it’s coming along quickly. I hope it stays that way.

I wanted to show you my embroidery—I finished it yesterday

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How lovely, Petra ♡
It won’t be long before I feel like doing some embroidery, too...

Oh Petra, how pretty 🥰 

Today I’m actually knitting the last few rounds of the sweater: 6 pattern rounds and five cuff rounds. Last night I finally managed to unwind a bit, Grandma Cat slept next to me, a documentary podcast about Mount Everest, and knitting... 
Then this morning, a nice chat with the search-and-rescue dog team in the woods 😊 They have their test this weekend... 

11 rounds are done in no time.

Will you show us your finished sweater?

I haven’t been outside yet today—the weather here is awful. That’s where dogs come in handy and provide some motivation.

Anja, what are you working on right now? 

It’s cold here too, but also sunny 😊

There’s snow here, no sun. 

@Petra: 
I’m currently trying my hand at a self-designed mitered square jacket. No idea if it’ll work out, but it’s fun right now. 
Yesterday I continued crocheting my summer dress; it doesn’t require much thinking, and it’s supposed to be floor-length — diligence! 
I’m not sewing at the moment. I’ve started a cushion, and yesterday I downloaded a pattern for panty liners here; you can always use them, and they’re sustainable.
With the cushion, the sewing machine acted up again and pulled in the fabric, so I lost interest.  
I ordered yarn yesterday; I’d like to crochet another sweater, one I’ve already made twice, and that’s also so much fun. I’m curious about the yarn, a cotton/acrylic blend. 

I’m excited to see your dress. I’ve also been eyeing a long skirt for a while now. Let’s see if I ever manage to get started on it.

I’m eager to see pictures of the dress and the mitered square jacket (I can’t quite picture what it looks like).

I’m thinking about something new to start now....... There’s enough yarn here in the box, or should I sew instead? Or embroider? 

Mittered square/Schulz corners/modular knitting—what littlecherry is doing here with the “Karls.” 

Ah, I haven’t tried anything like this yet. Sounds exciting

Steffi, I’m really looking forward to seeing your finished sweater. It already looked great in the work-in-progress photos.

My husband was at his friend’s place last week, snowboarding. I used the time to sit down at the sewing machine and sew him a shirt—he picked out the design himself.




I couldn’t help but smile while sewing it… I think it’s cool. I’m already curious to see what he’ll say when he gets home in a little while.


I also made this bag—an upcycling project using old upholstery fabric. It was probably once the armrest covers from my sister’s sofa; it was among all the fabrics she’d given me. The lining was an old curtain she’d also gotten rid of.



The appliqués are made from fabric scraps.

I also sewed a handful of hearts out of fabric scraps and ribbons—here I’ve turned one of them into a collage in a cardboard box. 




I also made a little pocket angel. I wanted to test how such small pieces could be turned inside out. It worked surprisingly well.
The details are painted; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off with this little doll. I don’t think the face turned out all that well, though—there’s still room for improvement.



I’m really enjoying doing things like this right now.

Phew.... Sewing machine 😲 my number one nemesis 😂 
I really admire your sewing machine skills. 
I’m currently trying to decide what I want to knit next. I saw a really beautiful sweater made using the entrelac technique. I have the pattern right here (in a book), but it’s written so chaotically that I honestly couldn’t figure out what they wanted from me 😂 
Now I’m torn between two cardigans and a sweater 

It wears really well... although next time I’d knit the sleeve, or rather the lower pattern, with a needle one size larger. 
I really like the yarn. Four-ply, three strands of black wool and one of green silk, which gives it such a subtle play of colors.... 

It turned out really beautiful ☆☆☆☆☆

Steffi, that sweater is just amazing.
And a touch of green as a contrasting color will definitely look great in person, even if it’s not that clearly visible here. I’m in love.

I sewed myself a “Lou” jacket from SewSimple using very thin corduroy—I love the pattern; this is my second one.

I wonder if I can use it to bring on spring? I’d be so ready…

@Claudia - I really like the bag. The T-shirt is great, too. Someday I’ll try my hand at making clothes; until then, I’ll keep practicing.

Hopefully, you can bring on spring with that jacket and wear it out soon. It looks great with the light-colored stitching.

@Steffi - your sweater is a dream. A wonderful pattern, and it’s great that the pattern repeats at the bottom of the sleeve.

I finished a WIP. Bring on Easter...

I embroidered it back in November and just finished sewing it now.

It’s always such a treat to admire these wonderful creations.

You’ve all been so hard at work. I’ve been crocheting little mosaics again.


Have a great weekend, everyone!

Those are great, Andrea♡ 
Are you making a blanket? 

Thank you, Anja. That would be a good idea. I already have a few squares put together—maybe a small blanket. We’ll see.

Please continue here:
March projects 2025: the Crazypatterns craft group