Let's hope this one doesn't take a year...

Of all things one can crochet,
I think I like throws the best.
But oh..., they can take so very long to finish.
(Well, at least it costs me ages, but I'm often amazed
by the speed of some crocheters... Respect!)

I learned to crochet just over one year ago.
And finished three throws in that period.
& a fourth one is still work in progress, since last spring,
and I really want to finish it.

Nevertheless, I started to work on a fifth one very recently,

and hopefully I will be able to finish this one within a couple of weeks.
Should be possible, since I make it with a 5 mm hook,
and the pattern has a lot of gaps. ;-)

So, here is a sneak peek.

Hope to show you the end result soon.

Almost weekend...
♦ Enjoy! ♦

And now for something completely different

Except that it's not...

It's just another doily.

Although I did use a thinner yarn then I usually do.
(This one is crocheted with a 2 mm hook.)

Okay, I'm off to brew myself some hot ricemilk chocolate
with cinnamon & soy cream...
Enjoy your weekend!

♥

For a friend

Last week I crocheted this buttonless waistcoat for a friend of mine.
(She is always cold & this vest is quite warm...)

Actually, I don't often crochet cloths.
I prefer to make other stuff. (Doilies, throws!)
However, I'm not completely unsatisfied the way this vest came out.
It was really quick to make, I used
a chunky acrylic yarn and a 7 mm crochet hook.

I didn't have a pattern, but tried it on myself as I went along.

A simple double crochet, but I pulled the yarn

only through the first loop of the previous row, hence the ridges.

I started with the front and then crocheted along to the back.

So the whole thing is made out of one piece.

Still, I had to join the back & front under the arm holes.
So I made a row of single crochet on both the back and front where they should be joined, under the arm holes.
For the actual joining I turned the vest turned inside out and simply slipstitched along both rows of single crochet (outside loops only).
(Erh, not sure if I'm being helpful here at all...)

Do you have a favourite type of crochet project? ♥ Love to hear!

PS.
Yay! It fits my friend and she likes it - or so she claims. ;-)

Weekend ♦ Dabbling with yarn and hangers ♦

Thanks for the sweet comments on my last post.
I appreciate the feedback!

Meanwhile I have been sprucing up more old cloth hangers.

Quick and easy result.

♥ 

Enjoy your weekend!

About a throw that's finally finished...

About a year ago,
I decided I wanted to make a plaid with a certain seventies vibe.
And now, 285 squares further, it's ready. Ready!
I think it does have a vintage feel about it....

So here it is!

Ready for a cosy afternoon with hot almond milk chocolate & a book...






















And this is what it looks like as a bed cover...

[Edit September 5th 2015] 
Please click here for the pattern and chart for the Granny Flower Squares.

I used the join-as-you-go method for joining the squares. Normally I only use this method if motifs have the same outer colour (same colour in the last round). Otherwise the colours of the different motifs seem to bleed into eachother where you make the join, which makes the result sometimes a bit messy. However, with the muted colours I used for this throw it doesn't bother me.

I  decided to go for a somewhat lacy edging. Which meant spending quite some time flipping through my crochet books and looking on the internet. 

However, I was worried the border might ruffle. So I crocheted the border with a smaller hook than the squares. The squares were crocheted with a 4 mm hook, the middle border rows with a 3,5 mm hook. It turned out fine. No ruffles!

Hope you like it!
(And I'd love to hear what your favourite joining method is...)

About a throw that's not finished yet...

Yay! After working on it for over a year (with intervals!)
I'm about to finish my third throw -
15x19 squares finished and joined, completed with a lacy border.
I was hoping to present it to you now, but alas...
Still working on the last ends to weave in.
So here are some smaller crochet projects instead.

Granny squares...

Obviously, the previous picture is taken in the summer,

the terrace is now covered in snow...

And another granny square...

And the same colours in a granny circle.

It's a cover for this thrifted stool.

And some pompons - because they're always fun,
and because I like the vintage wallpaper...

While I'm weaving in ends: enjoy your weekend!
♥

Vegan Treat of the Month ***Chocolate Hazelnut Flapjacks***

Oops, incidentally I skipped the vegan treat of the month in October.
Time to make up for that with this very easy, but very rewarding treat.
Flapjacks!

They don't look much on these pictures, I know...
However, they truly have a great texture and are delicious.
This week I made them for a friend who loves them.

Another plus: it doesn't take much time to make them,
and you can make a bunch of them in one go.
They keep good for at least a week in airtight tin,
but honestly: they probably won't last that long.
Oh, and they're not expensive!

So, what do you need? 
(makes about 30-35 flapjacks)

450 grams (16 oz) rolled (porridge) oats
300 gram (10oz) margarine
150 gram (6 oz) black molasses (or treacle)
150 gram (6 oz) brown sugar
100 gram (or to taste) fairtrade pure chocolate chunks 
100 gram (or to taste) roasted, unsalted hazelnuts, crushed/cut into half
pinch of salt

You can replace the hazelnuts and chocolate with dried dates, abricots, cashew nuts, almonds, raisins... Anything you like really!

How to make the flapjacks?
Preheat the oven at 190 degrees Celsius.
Melt the margarine, sugar and treacle in a pan, stir & be careful not to burn it.
Mix in the oats, the hazelnuts and the salt. Stir thoroughly.
Press half of the mixture into a square or rectangular tin (mine is about 30x15 cm).
Put the chocolate chunks on top, press gently into the mixture.
Then press the other half of the mixture into the tin and completely cover the chocolate. (This way the chocolate won't burn.)
Smooth over the surface with a spoon.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
With a sharp knife: mark into portions while still warm, then leave to cool.






















♥ Best enjoyed in the company of a dear friend,
with a good fairtrade tea served in mismatched vintage cups...

This weekend...

... I've been collecting autumn leaves.
(Those colours!)

... I've been practising a new crochet stitch.
(New to me, that is.)

... I've been making giant pompons.
(Don't know what to do with them yet.)

Have a wonderful day!

♥

It's snowing... Crochet snowflakes (and other stuff)

Inspired by the cold weather
I crocheted some snowflakes.
Still looking for a more convincing pattern though...
Suggestions are welcome!

In this picture there are actually three different snowflakes.
Obviously - well, I hope it's obvious anyway ;-) - the small white ones
(which are my favourites so far).
But the white/blue & white/purple ones (on the left and right)
and the white/coral one (on the top right) are also supposed to be snowflakes, however I don't find them very convincing as such...
(And yes, I do realise the colours probably don't help either... haha.)
Anyways, they are big enough to pass for a small doily.
(One can never have too much of them, right?)

Okay, enough babbling about crochet snowflakes...
I really like the hexagon in the middle of this picture
(with the flower).
I'm considering to make a throw with this pattern.
Even more so after seeing this gorgeous one on Saartjes blog
(made with the same hexagon pattern).

♦ Have a wonderful (crafty?) day! ♦

Trying something new

Working on some pincushions...
They're not exactly what I have in mind yet...






















When they are, I'll post the pattern here
within a couple of days.

♦ Have a nice day! ♦

A Cloud of Doilies

Memo to self: do consider crocheting less doilies.

But if it's going to work...?
Because a while ago I thrifted this crochet book
(for only one euro!).

Never judge a book by its (rather dull) cover, right?
Since it's great, it has many lovely patterns.

Some of these doilies are either patterns from this book,
or inspired by them.

Hope you like them. Have a nice day!

Snapshots from a workspace

This little thrifted bird is always very nosey and wants to know what's going on on my desk.
He has a special interest in tape and crocheted work,
and is very picky about colours.

I look forward to using this paper yarn from Paperphine.
Not only the yarn itself is gorgeous,
the wooden bobbin is beautiful too.























I got this second hand sari - I love that embroidery! -
from a lovely lady in Jodhpur (the amazing blue town in Rajasthan, India).
And it's perfect for hiding a lot of, well, stuff.

Looking at it, it makes me want to pack my bag and go back, like,
right now!

Super Easy DIY Garland

Okay, since this is my first DIY,
I thought I'd start with an easy one.
And trust me: this one is really easy.
And - being a blogger now - it involves washitape. *Oh, irony*

So, what you need to make this garland (or bunting? What word would you use for this?):

♦ Acrylic felt (Yes - I don't use wool felt, why? Click here, here or here. In short: It doesn't seem right to harm animals, certainly not for such a frivolous thing like a garland.)

♦ Thread

♦ Washitape

♦ Scissors, needle and pencil.

Mark the triangles on the acrylic felt and cut them,
pull the thread through the triangles, apply the tape
et voilà!

I like it because there's no sewing involved.
(Which is a craft I have to master yet -
I did buy a sewing machine, so the intention is there allright.)

Enjoy your day!

Cheerful Vintage Embroidery

Aaah, all those lovely colours!
I thought that it would be appropriate to share them with you on this grey day.

These are just a few of the embroidered pieces we brought from South East Asia.
Made by the Hmong in Laos,

known for their colourful fabrics.

I hope you like them too!

It's such a perfect day... For a sneak peek

While autumn winds are blowing,
it's nice to snuggle up inside
bake & enjoy a cupcake
or two...

Vegan of course.
The crocheted doily is a thrifted treasure.























So, I figured this might be the right setting for a little sneak peak,
of a crochet project...
Since the colours coordinate quite nicely with the cupcake
- if I may say so.






















Still searching for a nice lacy crochet border pattern for this throw.
But first: finish making all the granny squares.
Still a lot to go...

Time to crochet

Couldn't resist to make another crocheted potholder. 

I'll work out the pattern soon.
(If I can remember it...)