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Showing posts from 2018

El Capuchon

Hello lovely people! Here is my very last release of the year and my first release, especially designed for men. Well... to be completely honest with you... especially designed for The Man in my life 💗! Isn't he looking stunning?! 😍 I am going to keep it short today because so far, the holidays have been tough on us. We are both floored with a heavey flu since over a week and there are so many things piling up which I'd like to do before this year ends... I feel a little rushed, need to keep going! A ‘capuchon’ is the French, Spanish and Dutch name for a hood. As I said, this particular one was designed for ‘him’, but don’t let that keep you from making one for her as well 😉. The hooded cowl pattern is worked in one piece, from the bottom of the neck upwards, up until the chin and then downwards again on the inside of the cowl, to finally create the hood upwards. Slightly rounded shaping is added, making sure the hood is not ‘just’ an enormous rectangle falli

Skylining Poncho

Last winter, my design adventure started with a poncho pattern . This year, I decided to make another. While this poncho is completely different in design and construction from my Secret Paths and Hidden Daisies poncho, it has that same warm and snug feeling when wearing it. I really think ponchos are my most preferred winter wear. Easy to throw on when there is a chill in the air, and just as easy to take off again when the chimney starts working overtime! With every design I made this year, I tried new techniques. I have learned a lot because of that, and I love to keep on working in different ways to be able to offer something new and interesting with every pattern. This poncho pattern is worked sideways, which makes it incredibly easy to adjust in length as well as circumference. You can make this poncho in such a way to fit your body precisely.The pattern gives you options for sizes XS to 5X. But don’t let that keep you from working out your own size. See pattern note

Hiedra Triangle Wrap

It is October, my most preferred month of the year. Here where I live, October means, chestnuts, walnuts, edible mushrooms, the smell of leaves decaying in the forest and colours. Many many colours! I had to make something inspired by what we see all around us and so here it is: the Hiedra Triangle Wrap. Hiedra is Spanish for Ivy, the last flowering plant to nourish our bees. Although Ivy is not always changing colours, it does belong to autumn. In our forest, Ivy is now happily covering up the ground, making our search for mushrooms rather a challenge! ;-) The wrap is worked as a mesh with added surface crocheting to obtain the woven colour effects. It is a very simple technique to obtain interesting colour results and is explained in the special stitches section as well as with a photo tutorial at the end of the pattern. How long you make this wrap is up to you. I used this pattern as a stash buster of leftover yarns, starting off with gradients of yellows, via bei

Is it a collar? Is it a cowl? Or maybe a capelet?

Gosh! summer is over... They say time goes faster with age... they might be right about that! But the good news is, we'll start spending more time inside again, which means for me: more time to crochet. So I have come up with this new design which combines both, the lush colours and flowers of summer as well as the warmth we need when days turn colder again. This is a really versatile design. You can make it short and tight in which case it serves as a collar or cowl. You could also decide to give it a bit more length and width to turn it into a capelet. And if you feel really adventurous, adding even more rows to the pattern could turn it into a full blown poncho as well!It is entirely up to you and can be any of the above. The pattern helps you make it to your own liking in terms of neck circumference, width and length. I used 3ply/light fingering variegated yarn of Made by ME in double strands, a 3.5/E hook for the flowers and a 5.5/I hook for the cowl. You will ne

Ladies Ruffles Necklace

Remember I told you last time that I gave my lovely mum a necklace for her birthday? Well... tadaaaaa... I know, I know... I should have posted a picture of her wearing it here... but I forgot to ask her and she lives in another country than I do. But mum, I know you are reading this. If you feel like showing us you wearing your necklace, I'm happy to add the picture later on! ;-) This is me, wearing my own version of the necklace. I love how colourful it is. As you might see, the flower is a little higher placed than in the necklace above. I explain exactly how to do this in the pattern itself. And as far as the pattern is concerned: my testers found it all super simple and well explained. Every slightly adventurous beginner will be able to make this necklace without any problem. I did include some front post stitches for the flower, but if you are not familiar with them, don't be scared. YouTube is full of videos showing how to do front post stitches. The rest is all

Lacy Days of Elegance Shawl

It's been so long... spring has kept me busy! I try to grow all our veggies myself so this season is the season of sowing, planting, nurturing and eating those lovely first fresh greens out of the ground. I love it! I also spent the past two weeks travelling to the Netherlands to spend two fantastic weekends with all my family, celebrating the birthdays of both my parents. Of course, I couldn't help myself and had to give mum some crochet love. I crocheted her the Lacy Days of Elegance Shawl in bright colours as well as a flower choker necklace (pattern coming soon! :-)). But first this pretty little beauty. Nothing ever stops once you've got the crochet virus, and so while I was travelling around,a lovely group of testers helped me to perfect the pattern and showed off their beautiful creations. My... they made some lovely shawls!  I'd say that this shawl deserves a special occasion. Think a wedding a prom, a ball or a chic evening out. It makes for a l

Mists in Spring Kimono Tunic

We had such a lovely sunny spring day today... it must have been a sign! ;-) I have been waiting very patiently (uhm....nope ;-)) during the last few weeks for my testers to complete their tunics and give me all corrections on my pattern. Now that the work is done I can finally write this blog. I can't tell you how happy I am to share it with you. This tunic has been such a pleasure. To design and make first of all, but also to wear and to share with my testers. They have made some different yarn choices using silk blends which make this tunic even lighter and I just love to see what others do with a pattern and how beautiful the results turn out. Mists in spring is a classic lacy kimono tunic featuring the shyness of new life in spring. It is an easy to customize garment, very flattering for all shapes. The tunic is meant to be worn over a simple tank during warmer days but can also be worn over a long-sleeve top when the air becomes chilly. Skill level required is advanced

Flower Power Bookmark, Headband or Bracelet

Spring is well on its way now and I have been working on a lovely kimono tunic to share with you all. My testers are currently working hard to make sure that the pattern will be faultless and understandable and I have to say... I can't wait to share this new design with you ;-)! In the meantime, I feel some flower power bubbling up... These lovely little bookmarks lighten up any book. The pattern also explains how to easily adjust them into a flower power headband or bracelet. The flower itself is not my own design. I contacted the designer, Athina Oikonomi, and share her video tutorial with her permission. More about Athina’s free flower designs on her blog: Tinashandicraft . What you will need: • About 10 grms / 28 mtrs / 31 yds of light fingering yarn per bookmark (a bit more for a headband) • Little ornamental button as the eye of the flower • Needle to sew lace, button and flower together • 2.5mm hook/C hook • 3.5mm/E hook • Optional in case of headban

Wisdom & Compassion Meditation Cushion

In Buddhism, compassion always goes with wisdom. Compassion without wisdom is not understood to be true compassion and wisdom without compassion is not true wisdom. Likewise, in Christianity, love is accompanied by justice. Love without justice is not regarded as true love and justice without love is not true justice.   Masao Abe - Buddhism and interfaith dialogue No matter what your beliefs are, is this not a life lesson to keep close to our hearts and minds? I believe it is and I believe we need more of it in our world. So it inspired me in my design for this meditation cushion.   Designing this cushion took me a long time. Not because of the complexity of the crochet stitches or the difficulty of keeping the circles flat. No, I think that everyone, including beginners, can follow this pattern and make this cushion. The difficulty I experienced was in finding a way to have the wisdom side of the cushion merge with the compassion side. I wanted to use a new technique,

Snugly Poncho Arm Warmers

I love ponchos. They give me that comfortably warm 'I don't mind the winter'-feeling. You can wear them inside, over a simple shirt, as well as outside when the days are fresh but not freezing cold. After designing the Secret Paths and Hidden Daisies-Poncho this winter, I practically wear it all the time.  But there is one thing that bothers me when I wear the poncho, and especially when I sit still, typing away on my laptop all day... my arms get cold... I figured I needed to do something about it. Of course, I could just add sleeves to the two sides of the poncho and have it over with. But the problem with sleeves on a poncho is that it limits me when moving my arms around. I prefer the freedom of having a separate pair of arm warmers. A pair that I can take off when I don't need them. And even more, arm warmers that I can wear with other garments as well. Did you happen to crochet the poncho and have some yarn left? Well, I advise you to t