Obsessed #1 (and a give-away)

Over the last months I've been obsessing - juuuust a bit - over classic, lacy patterns. I love to give them a - hopefully ;-) - contemporary twist. If you are on Instagram you might have seen some of them already. 

Oh! Before I forget... Personally I'm really in love with my Jord Wood Watch. If you like this timepiece too, I've got some good news: I've teamed up with the people from Jord to bring you a give-away, yay! Just leave your first name and email address here (click!) for a chance to win a $100 coupon, and ALL other entries will receive a $20 coupon. That what I call a win-win!

(If you scroll all the way down this page you'll also find a button that brings you to the Jord website to see all their models.)



And here's the same crochet pattern, worked in different colours.




















I love it by the way when the Airbnb apartment where I'm staying is photogenic. :-)


















































The original pattern is from a Spanish crochet magazine titled Creaciones de Ganchillo (#12), however, as per usual, I made some modifications along the way. I just like to personalise a pattern. ;-)

For both pieces I've just the eco-friendly cotton DMC Natura. It's an ideal match with this type of work, I think.

That's all I have for now... Thanks so much for your kind visit and I hope to back here soon. Wishing you a lovely and colourful day!

 

Shiny Happy Cotton Bag

This bag. Oh dear...

I'm not sure if you can say this about your own designs, but I  l o v e  it. And the combination of mint and hot pink doesn't hurt either. ;-)

Let me first elaborate a bit about this yarn... A while back I was gifted  g o r g e o u s  Shiny Happy Cotton by Wool and the Gang. I've been wanting to try this yarn for ages and oh man, I did NOT disappoint.

Firstly: I simply adore these colours. And the other colours for this range look every bit as yummy. Secondly, the yarn worked up like a dream, it really did, very soft yet very strong (ideal for this bag!). Really loved it. I will definitely be using it more often as there are not many 100% cotton yarns out there suitable for 5 mm hook or up, don't you think? Have you worked with this particular yarn before?

Back to the bag! In case you like it: I'm working on a pattern for it (and pondering about a name for it). So stay tuned. :-)

I'd looove to hear what's currently on your hook! 

Thanks for your lovely visit - much appreciated. Have a good day.

xHaafner

You can find the UK edition of my book below:

My most favourite WiP!

Hi everyone,

I know, I know, it's been a long time... But I'm back and full of plans and inspiration for new blog posts! Later this week I have a lovely announcement to make (not a career move, not getting married, not getting divorced either, not relocating to a tropical island), but if you follow me on instagram, you probably know already what I'm talking about. ;-)

Meanwhile I really would like to share my favourite work in progress of this moment. And quite possibly my favourite work in progress EVER.

In short the story behind it. I love sourcing new yarn, yes I do! And a while back I had the luck of revisiting my favourite yarn store: The Craft Company in Cascais, Portugal. (Here's their facebook and here the website.) If you're ever near, it's well worth a detour. Actually, I have a picture of (a small part of) the shop! Isn't this just pure eye candy...

So I came back with  lovely new yarns, among which BioBamboo of the Portuguese brand Rosários4. Incredibly soft, and the colours... Oh my word, they seemed to be made just for me. ;-)

But as I had no idea what to make yet, I just purchased one ball of each desired colour. I thought this would be a brilliant yarn for a pattern of one my Japanese crochet books. (We all LOVE those, don't we?) After some pondering the subject and browsing through the books I choose a lovely pattern from a book of which the English subtitle reads Crochet motif of 27 items. I thought it would make a wonderful scarf.

So I started crocheting. Soon however I fell head over heels in love EVEN MORE with both yarn and pattern, and most of all the wonderful combination of the two. Really, they work magic together.

It seemed pity to stick to the scarf idea. I mean, a scarf is okay and nice enough, but a BLANKET, well a blanket, that's just all comfort and snuggliness caught in yarn.

Luckily enough  for me I could order more of this lovely yarn at the Craft Company (thank you!) and soon I can continue crocheting the blanket. I can't wait to finish this one.

Anyway! I guess that's it for now. Hopefully we'll catch up later this week. :-)

Have a good day & thank you so much for your lovely visit.

A Darling Doily...

... Or a Mega Mandala... Not sure which name is more apt.

I used a pattern from a Portuguese crochet magazine called Croché de Filé, nr. 32. I'm sorry, that's all the information I can find in it. I can't remember when I bought it exactly, but the year of publication is either 2013 or 2014.

I made this piece recently as my contribution to Kathryn Vercillo's project Mandalas for Marinke: Kathryn's important and touching depression awareness project in memory of crochet blogger Wink from A Creative Being. It's great to see how many crocheters from around the world contributed to it.

Thanks for your visit! So lovely to meet you here!
I wish you a happy day.

The Tale of the Dainty Dots Blanket #1 - The Making Of

Number one? Yes, that’s right, this is going to be a mini-series about my recently finished blanket. Starting here and now with the making of…

At the basis for this blanket were these big blue and grey cotton yarn cakes I got in Thailand last year. I knew right away I wanted to use them for a blanket. (At first I also used the powder pink - pictured above, but I decided to throw it out.)

Funnily enough, in the end I’ve only used a small part of it (the white yarn is cotton I bought here at home), so I've still got a HUGE basket filled to the brim with this lovely yarn (in other colours as well).

Next up: the Dainty Dots Blanket Reveal (#2) and the Dainty Dots Pattern (#3), where I will also give suggestions for an alternative yarn. I’m rather pleased with something I’ve worked out for the pattern, my personal Eureka-moment crochet-wise, so stay tuned. :-)

For now I'd like to thank you for your lovely visit. Wishing you a happy day.

Happy with Blog MakeOver!

Welcome to my brandnew blog! I'm very excited about the new design and I hope you like it as much as I do.

After a few years of blogging (time flies!) I felt it was time for a makeover. I wanted something light and crispy and the talented Madeline Cline designed just that for me (and on top of that she is a delight to work with). Click here for her Blog Design Studio on Etsy (or find the link below on this blog). If you are considering a new blog design I highly recommend her services.

 

As you will probably notice some parts of this new blog are still work in progress as I added some new features. Eventually this will lead to a site where it is easier for you to navigate, to find patterns and - hopefully! - inspiration. But I just couldn't wait to share it with you. ;-)

To mark the festive occasion of my blog makeover I thought I'd share some happy yarn pics...

There is a practical reason for that choice too, as I'm still working on some bigger projects which I can't share here yet. ;-) So for now it's mainly wip's and yarn... Like the Vinnis Nikkim (above) and the byClaire (below).

Well, I hope you like the new blogdesign!

Many thanks for your visit. Wishing you a lovely weekend ahead.

Projects in the making

Recently I have been working on new designs - which I love doing. It also leaves me with tons of trial & error pieces. I never throw them out, as they sometimes spark an idea for something completely different.

Or, I just like a colour combo and want to use the same colours in another design. Some can come to good use as embellishment. Especially the small flowery ones!

Many thanks for your visit & a lovely day to you.
♦♦♦

It's a Pastel Day

Love these happy stacks of crochet... There are quite a few of these stacks, most of them neatly tucked away in boxes in my little studio... Sometimes I open a box at random and am surprised by what I find... Pieces I had forgotten about... I take a picture and stow them away again... Maybe I should open an Etsy shop after all. ;-)

I'm curious to know what you do with the work you make.

The weather is getting sunny here again and I'm hoping to do a spot of outside crocheting this weekend. Looking forward to that.

Thanks for your visit. Wishing you a lovely day!
♦♦♦

This & That

Thanks for your kind comments on my previous post! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. The sight of my crochet hooks is tempting me to start new projects, but I'm still working on a couple of big projects I need to finish first.
(Q: Is that your entire collection of crochet hooks? A: Nope, not by far...)

'Cause I can't you show you my works in progress yet, I'll make do with other, recent pictures that I didn't share here before.

I really like the fabric below. I'd l o v e to make a skirt out of it. Pity I don't know how to sew - yet. It's still on my to learn list. (Like proper knitting. The advantage of knitting over sewing being that knitting needle don't make as much sound as a sewing maching. Or are modern sewing machines less noisy than the old ones? (#dta!)

If you follow me on Instagram you've seen these beads already. I'm so very much in love with the colour. I think they'll make a gorgeous necklace. Come to think of it, I should really make one soon. It would be perfect for the summer. Do you use beads in your work?

I'm a bit restless at the moment and would love to travel somewhere soon but alas, obligations of daily life make me stay put for at least a while. Although I have to say I can miss my little studio when away. Because more often than not I suddenly crave to work with that hook, or that yarn, which obviously is still at home and I'm not. ;-) 

Do you have any travel plans in the near future? Or maybe you're currently exploring new horizons? Which ever it is: I thank you for your visit and wish you a lovely week ahead!
♦♦♦

Candy Scarf

Hello! Without further ado I hereby present to you the Candy Scarf. Plus the making details and pattern. Hope you like it!

Details
♦  I used three balls of MoYa yarn, one of each of the following colours: Bubblegum, Rose Quartz and Misty Rose.
♦  For the squares I used a 4.5 mm crochet hook (because it creates a nice, soft drape). But for the lacy joins I used a 3.5 mm hook to create slightly smaller chain stitches for an elegant touch. ;-)
♦  My scarf consists of 28 squares and measures 1.65 x 0.20 mtr.
♦  I blocked the individual squares pre-joining them and afterwards I blocked the entire scarf to stretch the lacy join.

And here is the chart! Please don't copy or share the chart elsewhere, but link to this page instead - thank you for linking with love! By the way: this pattern would work very well for a blanket. (Actually, I'd love to make a blanket like this some day.)

I loved working on this cute little project. And I'd love to see your pics if you make a #candyscarf yourself!

If you'd like to read more about the making of this scarf please click through to my previous post.

As always many thanks for your kind visit. Wishing you a most lovely week.
♦♦♦

Candy Scarf in the Making!

Recently Scaapi gifted me with three balls of the South African organic MoYa cotton. I had not worked with it before, but had seen pictures of it on the internet. Like this beautiful doily blanket in the making by the talented Maaike from Crejjtion.

I wanted to make something that would do justice to the look and feel of the yarn. MoYa has a sturdy rope-like look, but feels - surprisingly - soft. I wanted to create a fairly solid texture which would highlight both these qualities. I was in doubt whether to make placemats or a scarf, and in the end - after trying several patterns - decided on the latter.

Love the texture and colours! 

Blocking...

Tomorrow I'll publish the pictures of the finished scarf plus the pattern and other details. But - because it's such beautiful yarn - I thought I'd share some pictures of the work in progress here with you today.

Many thanks for your visit. I hope you are having a lovely week!

♦♦♦

Crocheted Necklaces

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my necklaces as work in progress and now it is time for the reveal!

This long flowery white one is perfect for spring! I didn't follow a specific pattern, but did dive into my pile of Japanese crochet books for inspiration. These were all made with a 1 mm hook.

 *plays nonchalantly with her new necklaces*  ;-)

I'm working on a couple of bigger projects which I can't show you yet and therefore I like these smaller in-between projects so I can still have a little tada-post every now and then. ;-)

In the next blog post I'll show how the work in progress below turned out. ;-)

Almost weekend in this part of the world... Hooray!
Wishing you a most lovely day.
♦♦♦

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!

♦♦♦

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