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crochetime

~ So many patterns, so much yarn, so little time: story of my hooky life.

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Tag Archives: Vinnis

Serina crochet top ta-daaah

07 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, Ta-daah!

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Bamboo yarn, crochet, Garnstudio, Vinnis, wearable crochet

Long time no bloggy! Sorry I’ve been so quiet dear readers, but I was on holiday with my family in Cape Town. I met up with dear friends, met Instagram friends in person (that’s you @redheadmom23 and @Liezelvs) and made amazingly creative and lovely new friends (that’s you Ella and Ananda). Huge shout-out to the girls of the Hekel Innie Kaap Facebook group. (“Hekel Innie Kaap” means “Crochet In Cape Town”). Have a peek at their January meet-up photo album to see what I experienced – 50 crocheting Afrikaans-speaking ladies all in one restaurant! Cape Town is filled with extremely creative crocheters who love sharing their inspiration and knowledge, and enjoying coming together to crochet. People after my own heart. (I say “come together to crochet” but I only managed to crochet one row of DC in the four hours I was at the meet-up. Talking about crochet is just as good as crocheting right?)

While I was in Cape Town I of course did a bit of crochet. I worked on the Convergence top (it’s half way done!) and finished one sleeve of this crochet top. I ran out of Vinnis Serina Bamboo yarn just before I left for Cape Town. I left the front piece, back piece and one sleeve in the UK, bought the extra yarn and finished the second sleeve while I was there. Yesterday I sewed all the pieces together and today I wore my top. I was positively glowing with pride. I just love it!

Drops Design crochet top

I am over the moon with this pattern and the Vinnis Serina yarn!

Drops Design crochet top

As I mentioned in this blog post, Drops Design Collection 136 contains the most beautiful collection of crochet pieces for me. I already made Whispers and Country Dreams, and now pattern 136-23 “Blues” Jumper is my third and I have to say, it’s my favourite. The pattern was easy to follow and it works up really quickly. The square motifs are done quickly “join as you go” and they make up almost half of the top. For me it went even quicker because I didn’t have any colour changes. Not that I needed colour changes to make my top interesting – look at the subtle marbling from the hand dyed yarn. Isn’t it amazing?!

Drops Design crochet top

As for the Vinnis Serina bamboo yarn – oh my word. So super soft! I am aware though that the yarn has a tendency to sag a bit after a few hours of wear. There is no cotton in this yarn that will help it keep its shape; it’s just 100% bamboo. That makes for a super lustre and lovely drape, but it can become “floppy”. To compensate for this, I made my top in Size M, even though my measurements are for a size L. It worked like a charm. The top fits beautifully and even if it does stretch a bit during the day, I’m not going to look like a bag lady by the end of the day.

Drops Design crochet top

Drops Design crochet top

The nitty gritty of my Serina Top:

  • Pattern: Drops Design pattern 136-23 “Blues” Jumper
  • Yarn: Vinnis Serina 4-ply bamboo in shade 631 Turquoise Green
  • Amount of yarn used: 12 x 50g balls
  • Size made: M
  • Crochet hook: 3.5 mm for the sleeves & squares and 3 mm for the body
  • Modifications: An extra row of SC around the neck before doing the edging. Also using a larger size crochet hook for the sleeves as I know from previous experience that Drops Design sleeves tend to be a bit tight for me.

Drops Design crochet top

I have a few crochet wearables that I don’t really want to wear outside the house, but this one is definitely not one of those. If you’ve never tried crocheting a wearable piece, give this pattern a try. It’s a winner!

Sheep says

02 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by Natasja in Etsy

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

colour palette, colour scheme, cotton yarn, obey the sheep, Vinnis

…you should hook or knit something with Peach and Avocado Vinnis yarn.

Sheep says peach and avocado

The Sheep is very clever and stylish. He won’t give you bad advice, or make you buy expensive yarn. #obeythesheep

Sheep says

25 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by Natasja in Etsy

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

colour palette, colour scheme, cotton yarn, obey the sheep, Vinnis

…you should hook or knit something with Red Violet and Deep Blue Vinnis yarn.

Sheep says red violet and deep blue

The Sheep is very clever and stylish. He won’t give you bad advice, or make you buy expensive yarn. #obeythesheep

Terrific Tuesday

22 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, Terrific Tuesdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Anthropologie, crochet, crochet bunting, Vinnis

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

pink yarn crochet bunting

A friend of the work colleague who I made granny bunting for (I blogged about it here), loved the bunting so much that she also placed an order. I was more than happy to oblige. This is what it looked like last week Friday when I was sitting outside crocheting granny bunting. There is no way that I can crochet without tea in my favourite somewhere-between-a-mug-and-a-teacup Anthropologie drinking vessel and mini doilie coaster.  So many colours, patterns and crochet together in one square photo!

You know I don’t do pink, but I really love that strawberry ice cream shade of pink Vinnis Nikkim. It’s in my Etsy shop for £3 a ball. The grey and white mini doilie is also for sale in my Etsy shop. (No-one is buying it so I may as well use it. Right?)

Wishing you all a Terrific Tuesday.

Natasja

Sheep says

18 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by Natasja in Etsy

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

colour palette, colour scheme, cotton yarn, obey the sheep, Vinnis

…you should hook or knit something with Sunshine Yellow and Antique Vinnis yarn.

Sheep Says yellow and antique

The Sheep is very clever and stylish. He won’t give you bad advice, or make you buy expensive yarn. #obeythesheep

Sheep says

11 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by Natasja in Etsy

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

colour palette, colour scheme, cotton yarn, obey the sheep, Vinnis

…you should hook or knit something with Deep Blue and Denim Vinnis yarn.

sheep says deep blue and denim

The Sheep is very clever and stylish. He won’t give you bad advice, or make you buy expensive yarn. #obeythesheep

Terrific Tuesday

08 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by Natasja in Terrific Tuesdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

colour palette, crochet, hand painted tiles, V&A museum, Vinnis

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

Vinnis colour palette blue and red tiles

Yesterday I showed you a collection of all the beautiful things I saw at the V&A Museum but today’s Terrific Tuesday focuses on only one of the inspiring pieces: Turkish tiles made at the Iznik potteries near Istanbul in 1580.  They might be more than 400 years old but they can still inspire us with their beautiful colour. The Vinnis Nikkim yarn in this colour palette is available here.

Wishing you all a Terrific Tuesday.

Natasja

I’m selling yarn and I’m giving it away

22 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by Natasja in Crochet For Kidneys, Etsy

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

cotton yarn, Nikkim, Vinnis, Vinnis Colours

Yes, that’s right, I sell yarn! I’m so excited! My Etsy shop is stocked with Vinni’s Colours Nikkim 100 % cotton DK yarn in white, and four shades of purple. Go on, go have a look. Here is the link that will take you straight to the yarn section of my Etsy shop.

Lilac Vinni's Colours Nikkim
Lilac Vinni’s Colours Nikkim
Plum Vinni's Colours Nikkim
Plum Vinni’s Colours Nikkim
Dark Purple Vinni's Colours Nikkim
Dark Purple Vinni’s Colours Nikkim
White Vinni's Colours Nikkim
White Vinni’s Colours Nikkim
Violet Vinni's Colours Nikkim
Violet Vinni’s Colours Nikkim

As you’ve probably guessed, my decision to stock white and purple shades is not by accident – these are the colours of the squares for the Crochet for Kidney Research UK blankets we’re making. Now you don’t have to wonder what yarn weight, fibre or shade of purple is best for the squares because I’m supplying you with the perfect yarn. Better still, 25p from each ball of purple and white yarn that I sell, will go straight to Kidney Research UK!

Now you’re probably wondering about the yarn.

  • Blend: 100% cotton
  • Ball Weight: 50 g
  • Ball Length: 119 m
  • Tension: 20 stitches; 28 rows to 10 cm on 4 mm needles
  • Needle size: 3.25 mm – 4.00 mm
  • Crochet hook size: 3.5 mm
  • Wash: Machine washable, warm iron, no bleach, dry flat, do not hang

If you don’t live in South Africa there’s a fair chance Vinni’s Colours will be unknown to you. In South Africa however, I dare say it’s the best known and most commonly used yarn around. “Vinni’s” is derived from the owner, Vinni Nielsen’s name. “Nikkim” is made up of the names of Vinni’s children Nikolai and Kim. You’ve already seen Nikkim in action on this blog – it’s the yarn I’ve been using for my Sunset Shades chevron scarf. I’ve had so many questions about the yarn and comments about the amazing shades, that I just knew I had to start selling it to my wonderful blog readers.

There are two things that made me fall in love with this yarn.

Firstly, the colour. All Vinni’s Colours yarn are hand dyed. Yes, dyed by hand. This means that you get an almost marbled, tonal variation in the colour.  I’m going try to explain it to you in hair dye terms. Back in the 80’s all home hair dyes gave you flat, solid coloured hair. Nowadays you can’t even tell who had their hair dyed in a fancy shmanshy salon and who bought a home hair dye because the new stuff “works with your natural tones and highlights.” Vinni’s Colours is like the new stuff – interesting, varied and without a mass-produced look to it. Any other cotton yarn looks like a 80’s home hair dye job.  Not only is the yarn hand dyed, it’s also skeined and balled by hand and sun dried in the African sunshine on the factory forecourt. I’m positive that it’s that loving human touch and African sunshine that adds a little something extra to the colours.  Nikkim is available in 64 solid colour shades and eight variegated, but I’m only stocking five (for now).

Secondly, the feel and drape. It’s soft. Really soft. The yarn gives a beautiful drape. I won’t use it to make crocheted baskets that needs to be sturdy and hold it’s shape, but for baby wear, cardigans, scarfs and blankets it’s perfect. My Sunset Shades chevron scarf is done in SC and HDC stitches which would normally make for a very dense fabric, yet the scarf still drapes and feels soft – I would not have achieved this if I used, for instance, Rowan Handknit Cotton despite both being DK weights. You really have to feel this cotton yarn to believe how soft it is.

Even if you don’t want to use Vinni’s Colours Nikkim to make squares for the Crochet for Kidney Research UK blankets, 25p of each ball of purple and white sold will still go to Kidney Research UK, so you’re supporting a very worthwhile charity just by buying this cotton yarn.   Vinni’s Colours also provide a much needed income to the South Africans who are employed to hand dye, skein and ball the yarn. It’s win-win!

Feeding your yarn addiction has never felt this good.

Vinnis giveaway

Speaking of win-win…… I’m giving away one ball of each of  white, dark purple, lilac, violet and plum to one lucky reader! All you have to do is have a look at the photos below and select four shades that you would want to use for your next project and tell me what that project would be. I had to break up the huge selection of Nikkim (64 shades!) into four colour groups because they wouldn’t all fit into one photo, so don’t think you have to choose a colour from each photo.

The winner will be chosen randomly on Sunday 29 September at 16:00 GMT.

Vinnis neutralsVinnis warm coloursVinnis purple and bluesVinnis Nikkim greens

I absolutely love all these amazing shades. Good luck choosing only four! Lime, Avocado and Deep Blue are my favourites. And Peacock and Pale Sage. And Mint and Kingfisher. Geez,  I can’t choose! If you have the same problem, feel free to choose more than four shades for the giveaway.

I’m really looking forward to sending out packets of purple and white yarn to my lovely readers, and giving 25p for each ball sold to Kidney Research UK. It really is win-win for me, you and Kidney Research UK.

Terrific Tuesday

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, Terrific Tuesdays

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

chevron, crochet, crochet scarf, Vinnis

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

20130917-072153.jpg

My Sunset Shades chevron scarf in the making. Perfect for a burst of colour on a Tuesday isn’t it?  There are four more colours in the scarf which I haven’t photographed yet. I’m using Vinnis Nikkim 100 % cotton DK yarn. The colours that you see here (from right to left) are Stone, Baby Yellow, Ballet Pink, Peach and Red Violet and Natural. All credit should go to my Mom who gave me a bag of Vinnis Nikkim when I went to visit her in Cape Town earlier this year. She chose the colours – I just had to put them together.  You’ve got a great eye for colour Mom!

I’m writing up the pattern and colour sequence for this scarf so you’ll be able to make one for yourself too! Would you want to make your scarf in exactly these colours? I’d love to hear from you.

Wishing you all a Terrific Tuesday

Natasja

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