Crochet Extravagance

Last week I have been rummaging through my boxes with crochet. The smaller pieces, that is. And - since I had something of a doily-and-potholder-phase - there are quite a few of those smaller pieces... Anyway... I thought I'd share some my finds here with you too. Introducing... 'Haafner - The Early Works'. ;-)

Now, this potholder has an - for me - unusual colour combination... ;-) 

Have a lovely week - craft on!

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PS. Still working on the pattern for the bag of my last post. Will post it later this week.

A Crochet Project Revisited

Chiang Mai has a thriving craft scene. There is a lot of really interesting crafting going on. Bookshops stock lots of gorgeous books on crafts. Last year I showed you some pictures from Bantaktor: a crochet (and a bit of knitting) project in Northern Thailand with a shop in Chiang Mai. They employ about fifty women who crochet and knit good quality products in return for which they receive a fair payment.

Recently I revisited them and they had lots of cute, new things. I think you don't mind having another peak inside. ;-) So here we go!

Would you like to see more? You can find Bantaktor on Facebook - here. And of course do pay them a visit if you are in or near Chiang Mai. It's well worth it! Click here for my post from last year.

That's all for now! I hope you've enjoyed this little crafty tour.

Many thanks for your kind visit and have a lovely weekend.
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Instacrochet

Although I have been using Instagram for quite a while now, I don't have a public account. Or rather, I didn't - because earlier this week I switched the button from private to public. I feel this comes with an obligation to go out for an arty cappuccino more often and to spot all kinds of quirky details in the wild... Anything to feed my account, right?! *Ahem*

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that it might take me a while to get used to the fact that it's now a public account. But without joking: I'm tremendously excited about the prospect of having another creative outlet. I'm also tremendously anxious that - with one unfortunate swipe on my tablet (they happen) - I will publish an uncensored picture. ;-) In general I will - from now on - post about works in progress on Instagram where as on my blog I will focus on finished works. You'll find yarn on both!

Anyway! Here's a taste of the older pictures you will find on my Instagram. There are quite a few older pictures that you might have seen popping up on this blog before, but there are a whole bunch of new ones too. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Feel welcome to visit me  over at my Instagram account! (With a huge sense for originality called byHaafner.) I now officially declare it open for the public. *champagne*

Thanks for being here - I hope you have a most lovely day! And don't forget to...


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Smitten

Two weeks ago I showed you a picture of a gorgeous vintage crocheted blanket in Lisbon. (The pink blanket with the popcorn stitches; this link will bring you to that post...)








I also promised that I would figure the pattern out. So that's what I did! I hereby proudly present my lapsized sample blanket. I call it my Smitten Blanket. Because that's what I am with this lovely vintage pattern. (I'm planning to make a fullsized blanket with this pattern!)

It was such a lovely project. At the moment I'm finalizing the pattern (both as a chart and in words) and I will publish it here within a couple of days.

Before I conclude this post I'd like to say a big Thank You to Vanessa from Coco Rose Diaries for the blog love. Her distinctive crochet and styling skills are simply amazing and she is a huge inspiration to me. Her post also made me realise I've got some work to do: Update my blogroll... It's been added to my todo-list. ;-)

Well... That's all for today. Do check back here if you are interested in the pattern for the Smitten Blanket. By the way, I've also got a pattern lined up that should bring a bit of spring in our houses. Because I definitely need that during these grey days...

Many thanks for your kind visit.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I wish you a happy week!
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Tea Break on a Stormy Saturday

In this part of the world it's rough weather right now. Strong winds and torrential rains make our little old house groan. (And leak.) It's dark, but cosy and warm inside. Barely enough light to take a few photos. Nevertheless, I did & I thought I'd pop around to share them with you.

It's the perfect weather to cuddle up inside and thoroughly enjoy your teatime. And so we just did!

Also, I'm happy to announce that I'm a contributor to Mollie Makes' Red Nose Crafternoon magazine, with lots of other crafty bloggers like Dottie Angel and Attic24. For more details please click here and I will update you about it in another post as well. Yay!

Many thanks for your kind visit. Happy weekend!
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(A Lot) More Crochet in Lisbon and A Little Giveaway

Happy New Year To You and Your Loved Ones! To live up to my resolution of blogging more often, it seemed a positive start to be posting on the very first day of the year.

Let me now first explain this Granny Galore to you... I didn't make this vibrant blanket myself. (I wished!) However, when I was in Lisbon I stayed part of my time there in a lovely apartment. One where I had stayed before. It's an old, very spacious and airy apartment, flooded in light, lovingly restored by owner Joana, who is an architect and who also acts as a host together with her mother Martha. Both are the most welcoming people you can imagine. If you're planning a visit to Lisbon I can really recommend this place, you can book here via Airbnb. But I haven't told you the reason I chose this apartment. Well, in one of the pictures I saw a beautiful vintage granny square blanket, so that was that, choice made! ;-) It was this blanket...

And a great choice it was! When Martha heard I was into crochet she gifted me two lovely doilies. I still treasure them on the board above my desk. She also showed me this vintage pink popcorn blanket. It's just a quick snapshot with my phone, but isn't it a beauty...?

When I returned recently, a good 1.5 year later, she not only remembered my love for crochet, but she had a huge stack of doilies waiting for me to admire and two other beautiful blankets. What's more, she insisted I took some doilies and a blanket of my choice home with me. The kindness! I was seriously tempted to accept this generous offer, but travelling light as always, I had not enough room in my suitcase for a blanket. ;-) These are those blankets... (Pictures, again, taken with my phone.)

Aren't they amazing? Imagine the many, many hours that it must have taken to make these...

Below a compilation of the doilies, photographed against a concrete background.

You'd think that's enough crochet to make my heart sing. And it was. But even so, my crochet luck didn't end there... In one of the retrosaria's (haberdashery and yarn shops) I discovered a wobbly pile of old crochet mags, tucked away in a dark, dusty corner. I bought two. (Which I will show another time here - still have to make some decent pictures of them.) I might go back next time to buy the rest of the pile. ;-)

Which reminds me that, from a previous visit to Lisbon, I still have another magazine waiting for a little giveaway that somehow never happened. It's the one below, with classic patterns for filet crochet. You could of course tweak the patterns a bit, and give them a modern twist by using a sturdier yarn and other colours. It contains 62 patterns, mainly doilies, but also other items, like curtains. Since every pattern has a chart, you don't have to know any Portuguese.

Interested? Leave behind a comment before January 6th and I will pick a winner.

I'd like to end this post with my favourite sunset - ever. Lisbon. In pastels. Of course.

Many thanks for your kind visit and I hope we'll have many more online encounters in this new year.
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Floating on a Cloud of Colour

Hello dear crafty friends,

How are you? I thought I'd pop round just to say hello...  Not really a project to show. I'm abroad right now, but I prepared a little post before I left. I'd like to share this little colour pop with you.

It never seizes to amaze me how colours can invigorate me. They really brighten up my spirit. I'm sure many of you feel the same about colour. Or am I mistaken?

Maybe you'd like to float with me for a while on this cloud of colours...

Do you recognise my little Travel Blanket? I made it during my travels in Thailand earlier this year. Somehow it looks quite different here!

I sneaked in a copy of Molla Mills' Modern Crochet in this last pic. Such a wonderful crocheter and I was very pleased that her first book is translated into English! Are you familiar with her work & website? *click!*

♦♦♦ Many thanks for your visit! ♦♦♦ Have a lovely day. ♦♦♦

Giant Granny Square *update*

It's been a while since I last posted pictures of my Giant Granny Square.
Well, here it is! Almost ready. Last row added! Only *some* ends to sew in.
As I said before, it's a rather unusual colour palette for me. But I do like it as these colours seem to represent the Quintessential Granny Square. ;-) Oh yeah!

I used a 6 mm hook and a huge variety of yarns. (Variety in brands, thickness, structure, colours, sheen.)

What a pleasure it is, this pattern, just keep going - adding row after row...
The plan was to make a 2 x 2 meters square. But when arriving there, I thought: 'Why stop here?' ;-) So now it measures 2.5 x 2.5 meters. Love that size, truly giant!
Do you currently have any granny squares on you hooks?

Thanks for paying a visit. It's lovely to have you here.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
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