Terrific Tuesday

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in Other people's crochet, Pattern, Terrific Tuesdays

Tags

amigurumi, crochet, crochet pattern, Terrific Tuesday

On a Monday I can still remember the fun I had over the weekend, Wednesday is the middle of the work week, on Thursday I start getting hopeful and on a Friday I can taste the weekend. But what about a Tuesday? It’s so…. just there. Weekend memories are too far away and the upcoming weekend might as well be a year away.

What we need is a bit of colourful inspiration to get us going on a Tuesday, don’t you think? A pretty picture, beautiful scenery or colourful imagery. Yup, that’ll liven up Tuesdays and turn it into a terrific day!

From now on I will go through my photos and Pinterest likes every Tuesday and find us a pretty picture to add colour and joy to the day.

xxxxxx

You can buy the pattern for these very cute amigurumi owls for $5 / £3.30 in Lybo’s Etsy shop here.

I hope your day is hoot! Owl be seeing you later. (I just couldn’t resist.)

Natasja

It’s a chain reaction

25 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in Etsy, Other people's crochet

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

crochet, jewellery

Last week I did a bit of Etsy shopping… yes, I know. Again! But seriously, what I bought is just so perfect I couldn’t resist.

It all started with crocheted bows shoe clips that I saw in a treasury on Etsy’s front page, which led me to visit the Greek Etsy seller, sidirom’s shop.

I think it’s genius to make bows, especially in visa versa colours, to jazz up your pumps.

The colour scheme of grey and aqua appears a few times in sidirom’s shop. Like this reading glasses case

or this nautical inspired knot necklace

What I fell in love was, was this chain reaction necklace made up of crocheted chain links. It’s such a simple design, but the effect is so striking.

As I don’t wear any pink, I asked Mairi to custom make me one in charcoal, light grey and aqua. (I really like that about buying handmade on Etsy: you can’t go to Accessorize and say “Ooh I want that, but please replace the pink with aqua, and while you’re at it, add two shades of grey as well.”)

Two days later, this “reserved for Natasja” listing appeared in Mairi’s shop. My necklace. Absolutely perfect!!!

On Friday my package arrived, with a hand written note from Mairi.

And today, I’m wearing my chain reaction necklace with pride. The dress I’m wearing it with is the exact same colours as my necklace. I promise you, I didn’t have this dress in mind when I placed my order. Really. I just wanted something in shades of grey with a pop of colour – I must have had the same idea when I bought the dress 3 years ago.

Custom made crochet necklace + old dress = match made in hooky heaven.

Do yourself a favour and check out the 57 items in sidirom’s shop here. You can also follow her on Facebook here.

Thank you Mairi for making me the perfect necklace. I love it!

It’s all about The Hook

22 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in Etsy

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

crochet, crochet hook, Etsy

Pick your favourite crochet hook, or crochet inspired stationery, as found on Etsy.

XXXL Crochet Hook XXLHooks $20.00	Ball of Yarn with Crochet Ho… hoffeeandanuff… $10.00
Crochet Letterpress Notecard… greengrasspres… $8.00	Antique Bone Fid Crochet Hoo… AllVintageSewi… $12.50
Crochet Hook – Ergonomic – … emsyjane $16.00	XL Hand-Carved Wooden Croche… ArtYarnYummies $10.00
Crochet Hook- Black and whit… DotDotSmile $10.00	Custom Rubber Stamp – Person… modernartstamp… $10.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

The hot cross bun stitch – a video

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, Video

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

crochet, video

I’m still busy with Fleur, aka the Summer Vest Take Two.

I’m not going to lie to you: I’ve been less enthusiastic about this piece of wearable crochet. I know it’s because I’ve lost momentum after having to frog the orignal Summer Vest, but I’m ~~pushing~~ hooking through. I won’t allow myself to start another piece of wearable crochet until this one is finished (wish I had this kind of self control when it comes to a tube of Pringles!)

I’m not saying Fleur isn’t pretty or that the yarn isn’t pretty or that I don’t like the pattern, not at all! It just feels a bit “this has been done before”. Well, technically it has. Thankfully Fleur is going to be so much more flattering than the first Summer Vest. I have to start with the armhole shaping of the back panel this evening, and already I can tell that Summer Vest Take Two is going to be a hit and worn a lot (British Summer permitting).

As you can see I’m hard at work.

If you want to see a bigger picture of what I have so far, and how to make the Hot Cross Bun stitch….. watch this video.

Thank you for rEAding. Watch the video. You’ll ~~see~~ hear what I mean 😉

Anne’s clock

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in Etsy, Other people's crochet, Pattern

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

clock pattern, crochet, crochet clock, wall clock

Last week I got an email from Anne, who had purchased the pattern for my crocheted clocks on Etsy.

Anne said:

Really cute, easy and so much fun. My husband builds grandfather clocks, and I loved the fact I could incorporate our two crafts together; his love of timepieces and my love of crochet.

…your patterns are extremely easy to read and a pleasure to create from!!!

I just love that the clock could combine her and her husband’s hobby into one crafty item. Isn’t it sweet?

Anne also sent me this picture of her clock. Lovely and colourful isn’t it? Great job Anne!

Crochet on TV (Mad Men)

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in As seen on TV, My ramblings

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

crochet, granny square, granny square afghan, Mad Men

Last night I was lying sprawled out on the couch under the Identity Crisis blanket getting my final fix of Mr. Don Draper in Mad Men.

Geez, I love Mad Men! The smoking in the office, the drinking in the office, the unashamedly sexist comments, the fashion, LSD trips, everything! I love it so much I didn’t even crochet in front of the TV, just so that I could give the season finale my undivided attention.

As a reward, the Gods of Crochet rewarded me with a granny square blanket right there on Beth’s hospital bed!

The blanket is a basic granny in the typical late 1960’s colours of brown, olive and orange. It’s done in big squares of orange or brown, the last round of each being olive green. I think the squares are about 10 rounds each with the olive as the last round. When you join up all the squares, the olive round of one will lie next to the olive of the square next to it, forming a grid of olive which sort of frames the orange and brown squares.

If I remember correctly, the edging was done as a row of brown with a scalloped edge in olive. Something like this.

If the Season 5 Finale was a let down for you, you can always count on your granny square afghan to bring you comfort. It may not be Don Draper, but it’s just as easy on the eye.

Crochet a crochet hook!

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in My ramblings, Other people's crochet, Pattern

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

amigurumi, crochet

I was looking for something (totally different) in Google images when I came across this amigurumi crochet hook. Is this not THE cutest thing you’ve ever seen?! Oh what joy that Google image searches are so very random.

Best of all? You can make one of your own! Nerdigurumi, who is the creator of this mind blowingly cute amigurumi, gives the free pattern here. Check it out and go forth and hook a hook!

Summer Vest take two

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

crochet

Remember the summer vest I crocheted with the vintage circa 1960 Sirdar pattern? Remember how I said the waist shaping went out in stead of in and that I hoped the yarn would soften and drape better so that it would be more flattering around the tummy area? Well. It didn’t happen.

I know myself and I know I won’t wear the vest again. There’s no point in letting good Rowan Siena go to waste so I frogged it.

I went from this –

to this –

and finally to this, in one afternoon.

In hindsight I probably should have made four or five smaller balls of yarn in stead of this huge ball. Got a bit carried away with the unravelling and winding…. Now I’m stuck with a massive ball of yarn that I have to carry around for crocheting in the train. Oops.

My replacement summer vest looks very similar to the vintage pattern summer vest. The biggest change is the waist shaping which goes in (yeah!) and the crochet stitch for the main body. The pattern I chose is Fleur, from the Rowan Holiday Crochet pattern book. (The same book that Belle is from.)

For Fleur I had to learn a new crochet stitch, which I love. It’s called the Hot Cross Bun stitch. I couldn’t find a reference to it anywhere in Google, so I think it may be a stitch thought up by the desigher, Marie Wallin, specifically for this pattern.

In the photo below, the hot cross bun stitch is the one in the unfinished row. Just below is a row of dtr3tog. I’d like to think of the dtr3tog as the buns and the X stitches as the cross on top of the bun.

(The stitches are not very defined in this photo, but I was so excited I just had to take a photo to show you. As the crochet grows I will take photos again.)

The stitch is based on (UK) double trebles so it works up very quickly. It’s also much easier than it looks. Basically it’s two half a double trebles seperated by a chain that cross each other in the middle. It really is so much fun doing. Only drawback is that I’m constantly craving hot cross buns! Hahahaha

Before I end off this post, I just wanted to say thanks for all the lovely comments and more Versatile Blogger Awards nominations on the Dusky Ta-daaah post. You guys are the best and I treasure every comment and nomination.

Terrific Tuesday

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in Terrific Tuesdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

holiday, Terrific Tuesday

From now on I will go through my photos and Pinterest likes every Tuesday and find us a pretty picture to add colour and joy to the day.

xxxxxx

It’s supposed to be Summer here in the UK but it feels like Winter. Again! The sun sets lovely and late but we can’t enjoy the longer days because those longer days and grey and cold and windy and rainy.

I’m resorting to holiday snaps like the one above to remind me that the sun really does shine and the sky doesn’t have to be grey every day.

If you also have a grey and miserable Tuesday, hopefully I’ve brought you some colour and hope.

Have a terrific Tuesday all!

Natasja

Dusky in Corfu

06 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, Ta-daah!

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

crochet, holiday

Ta-daaaaah! My Dusky top is finished! As I promised myself, I started working on it on the first day of my holiday in Corfu, and I managed to finish it, and wear it, on the last day. So happy!!!!

Here are some photos showing how Dusky grew into the lovely top that it is.

The pattern for the body is really easy to do, but it looks very fancy and intricate.

Close-up of me and my Obey Crochet temporary tattoo on the beach. I love it! Felt like such a rebel with my tat 🙂

And here it is. The finished top. I’m wearing it with a flesh coloured camisole, but it can be worn over any coloured t-shirt (long and short sleeved) or camisole. It’s a very wearable, versatile top.

Case and point of versatility: the same Dusky over a black camisole with black trousers for work. See what I mean?!

So now you probably want the nitty gritty:

The pattern is available for free here. To access it you’ll have to join Row@n Members area and download the pattern from the May 2012 newsletter.
I made a modification to the pattern in that I didn’t do it as a tunic, but rather my standard length of just above the hips. It was a joy modifying the length, as the top is crocheted top down so I just had to stop when it reached the length I wanted. I love top down construction!
The yarn is Drops Paris in shade no. 60. I used 8 balls.
The pattern suggests a 5mm hook. I had to use a 6mm to get the gauge for the yoke right, and then used 5mm for the lacey body.

All in all, I can highly recommend this pattern and the Drops Paris to hook it with.

I’m definitely taking a crochet project with me on holiday again. Now that I’m sitting at my desk, wearing Dusky, I’m reminded of my fabulous week in Corfu and I will be every time I wear it.

No more postcards or fridge magnets for me as momentos of holidays – I hook on holiday!