Colorful iphone case

Some time ago, I got a request for a colorful iphone case. So, I started my search through the yarn stash untill I found something satisfying.
The result: 'Mille Colori' from Lang yarns. Colourful enough, don't you think?

I don't have an iphone or anything that resembles it, so I looked up the dimensions online and based my case on that. When it was high enough for the phone to comfortably fit in, I made 12 holes so I could lace a small ribbon through. I started on one side and laced the ribbon through all of the holes, cut it and tied the ends together. Then I started on the other side and did the same thing. Now, if you pull both ends, the case closes.

If you want to use this method to close a case or something, always make sure you have an even number of holes, otherwise it won't come out right.

The Japanese magazines have arrived!

Yay! The Japanese magazines I ordered on Ebay have arrived! And they are gorgeous, I simply love them. 

Here in Belgium, it's so hard to find a decent crochet magazine. Often there's not one thing in there that I would consider making, so I never buy them here. But these Japanese crochet magazines are always so beautiful, I'd buy them all if I could. 

We ordered 2 magazines: a sewing magazine, called 'Stylish Dress Book' and a crochet magazine, called 'Motif Book'.

 

Here are some things I like and might try:

A new addiction

I confess, I have another addiction. Number one was making jewellery, number two is crochet and number three: sewing. Yes, it's true, Im learning to sew.

Here in Ghent, there's something new, it's called Boho. Downstairs it's a café, where you can also get some snacks; upstairs there's a sewing studio. They have everything you need and they give great advice. I had never sewn anything in my life, but I went there with a piece of liberty fabric I bought last September at Shaukat in London. I chose a simple pattern for an A-line skirt and the lady there helped me from the start untill the end. The result: a beautiful skirt that fits me perfectly!

 

 

 

I'm so proud, I never thought I could do this. Thank you BoHo!

Crochet daily wear - Spring/summer

It took me quite some time, but my beautiful shell motif scarf is finished!

This pattern comes from a Japanese crochet magazine: Crochet daily wear - Spring/summer

I used a 3.5 mm hook and Annell Coton 8 yarn.

I bought this one at Julija's Shop in Antwerp, but I noticed you can also buy this one and tons of others on ebay. Me and my mum ordered two more magazines on ebay and when they arrive, I'll show you!

Anyway, when I saw this scarf in the magazine, I immediately fell in love with it. There's a tunic in there that I love as well. I've started, but I think it's going to take a long time, with my exams coming up and it being the biggest project I've started.

I'll keep you informed!

Flowery fabrics

A few weeks ago, my mum and I went to stoffenspektakel (again!; if you don't know what I'm talking about, read my older blog posts).
And here are the results of our shopping!

Beautiful roses, my mum made me a skirt with this piece.

A wallet from Cath Kidston! I didn't even know
there was a shop selling Cath Kidston in Belgium!

My mum chose this piece of tricot with gorgeous roses.

This is also a piece of tricot,
to me it looks like a Liberty pattern.

This is also a piece of tricot,
my mum is going to make herself a night dress out of it.

Another piece of tricot! We simply love it.
These flowers made me think of summer,
so this will become a dress!

This time, stoffenspektakel took place in Leuven, so my mum and I made it a weekend. On saturday we went shopping in the city and on sunday we went to the fabric fair. While we were walking from our hotel to the centre of Leuven, we came across a cute little shop called Tante Jojo. They sell all kinds of cute, flowery things, so we decided to have a look. And we discovered they sold stuff from Cath Kidston!

When we go to London (about once a year), my mum and I always visit the Cath Kidston shop in Covent Garden and we drool all over the gorgeous bags and wallets and all of the other nice stuff they sell. I've been wanting to buy a wallet there for over six months now, but to buy one, we had to go all the way to London. And to order it online would only be more costly, so I had already accepted that I'd have to wait a long time before I could finally buy one.

But then all of a sudden, accidentally walking through that little street because we were a bit lost, we discovered the only shop in Belgium that sells Cath Kidston. So I immediately bought the wallet I've been craving for. My weekend couldn't have started any better!

So all of you who live in Belgium and have been looking for a shop that sells Cath Kidston, Leuven is the place to be!

A gorgeous dress and some work in progress

About three weeks ago, there was an event called 'Stoffenspektakel' in Ghent. It's like a market with lots of stands that sell all kinds of fabrics. Since it's only an hour drive from our home and because I study in Ghent, my mom and I decided to go and have a look. And it was unlike anything I've ever seen! The fabrics are really cheap, my mom got some in a gorgeous nude pink colour for €2 per meter. I never thought that was possible!
Also, they had tricot with lovely colours and designs. We've been looking for that to make a summer dress, but it's so hard to find, especially when you're as picky as me. But I chose two different designs, one is light blue with small flowers and the other .. well you can see below, it's too hard to describe.
My mom sewed a dress for me, we got the pattern from the magazine Knipmode, and we found the pattern I have always dreamed of. And this is the result.

It fits perfectly!

I even got a matching top to wear underneath.

 

And I can show you some work in progress:

I was browsing on ravelry and I stumbled along this Cozy Pet Bed. Immediately, I knew I had to make this for my two cats! They both love to sleep on anything that's knitted or crochetted, and one of my cats always needs some thing to lean on. For example, he loves to sleep in cartboard shoe boxes, that way, he is supported from all sides.

The tube that goes around is filled up, for extra support ;)

Mine is made with two yarns held together,
one is purple, the other changes colour: black-grey-purple

And something else I have been working on is a scarf, called 'Clarity' by Kim Hargreaves.

The yarn is a bit shiny and it's golden beige.

Next weekend, 'Stoffenspektakel' comes to Leuven, and me and my mom are going to make it a mini citytrip. Saturday, we'll discover Leuven and sunday, we go buy some fabric! So next time I'll be able to show you all of the lovely fabrics we bought!
See ya!

Feather and fan hat crochet

Here I am again!

This time I crochetted something useful.  I don't like wearing rain jackets so when it's raining, I never have a hood to cover my head. And since I'm on my bike a lot, I can't use an umbrella. Only solution: a hat.

A few days ago, I started looking for a pattern I liked, found that quite hard (I'm soo picky) so I made one up. I made a really simple one, in half treble crochet, but it wasn't special enough so I wanted to add earflaps. So I did, but they didn't work out the way I wanted them to, I tried another way of adding the earflaps, but then the edging around was too tight, then I started over and then the edge was too loose and I got so sick and tired of that stupid had that I ripped it all out! Now there I was, with lots of yarn but still nothing to cover my head with. 

So, I went back on ravelry, looked through all the headwear I could find and I finally found something I really liked: The Hat-Tastic Fan Stitch.

But when I started, I soon realised it must have been a pattern for a baby hat, because I could already see it was way too small and way too short for me. So I added some changes to the pattern, below you can see my version of The Hat-Tastic Fan Stitch.

The yarn I used: Lana Grossa Bingo Mélange (100% Merino).

The hook I used: 5 mm

CROWN

Round 1: Start with a magic circle, make 12 trc, join with a slst in first st. (12)

If you don't know how to do a magic circle, just watch the youtube video. They explain it slowly and clearly and once you know this method, you'll never want anything else. You no longer have a hole where you start the hat, you can pull the it tight.

Round 2: Ch 2, 2 trc in same st, 2 trc in each trc. Join with a slst in first st. (24)

Round 3: Ch 2, trc in same st, * 2trc in next st, 1 trc in next st *, repeat from *, 2 trc in last st. Join with a slst in first st. (36)

Round 4: Ch 2, trc in first st, trc in next st, * 2trc in next st,  trc in next 2 st *, repeat from *, 2 trc in last st. Join with a slst in first st. (48)

Round 5: Ch 2, trc in first st, trc in next 2 st, *2trc in next st,  trc in next 3 st*, repeat from *, 2 trc in last st. Join with a slst in first st. (60)

At this moment my circle was about 39.5 cm (15.5 inches) in circumference, which is way too small. So I decided to make some more increases in the next round.

Round 6: Ch 1, *dc in next 9 st, 2 dc in next st*, repeat from *, join with a slst. (66)

FEATHER AND FAN PATTERN

Round 7: Ch 2, *trc in next 3 st, 3 trc in next st, skip 2 st*, repeat from *.  Join with a slst in first st.

Round 8: Ch 2 *skip 2 st, 3 trc in next st, trc in next 3 st*, repeat from *. Join with a slst in first st.

Round 9 – 16 : Repeat rounds 7 and 8.

At this point my hat was long enough, so I stopped ad 16 rows. If you want a longer hat, you just add some more rows of pattern.

EDGE

Round 17 – 18: Ch 1, dc in each st around. Join with a slst in first st.

Weave in the ends and you now have a gorgeous and elegant feather and fan hat!

Circumference: 51.5 cm / 20.3 inches. (It does stretch quite a bit, my head circumference is about 54 cm / 21.3 inches)

Length from top to bottom: 21 cm / 8.3 inches

(UK) Abbreviations:

trc = treble crochet

ch = chain

slst = slip stitch

dc = double crochet

It's just so my colour!

I finished the hat in one afternoon, it works up really fast and the feather and fan pattern is very easy.

Hope you like it!

Amigurumi penguin

I discovered what kind of crochetter I am.
I am the crochetter that makes cute but useless things. And what is cute and useless at the same time? An amigurumi penguin!
Actually, it's a birthday gift for a friend of mine. When it was my birthday, he and another friend bought me something, and it was so sweet! So I decided I had to give them something sweet back. One of them is crazy about penguins, so I knew what to do.

This is the pattern I used: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amigurumi-penguin, it's free!

Look at all of my earrings in the background!

Aww, isn't he cute?

I had some leftover black and white yarn from my panda hat, and I just bought the yarn to make a fox hat, so I had all the colours I needed. The yarn I used calls for 6 to 7 mm crochet hook, but I used 5mm. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea, because when I finished the body, the eyes and the beak, my thumb and my whole hand ached. I was a little too enthousiastic, I guess :)
The only thing I didn't have, were black safety eyes. But I went through my bead stash and thought these blue ones would do great as a replacement. A blue-eyed pinguïn, why not?

Now I'm just waiting untill I see my friend again, I really hope he likes it!

Panda earflap hat

My boyfriend was complaining that he wanted a hat but he couldn't find one he liked. So I decided to crochet one for him! I showed him some hats on ravelry and what did he pick? A Fox Earflap Hat, but it's for small children! He definitely wanted a hat with some kind of ears attached to it, and it had to have earflaps and pompons. I went looking for yarn in the right colour, but fox-coloured yarn is hard to find so I started off with black and white. It was going to be a panda! I could always make a fox later on.

Then I had to find a pattern I liked, and I chose the 'Quick Easy Winter Beanie'. It was a bit too small for a 19 year old boy, so I added another row of increases. I added earflaps, made two cute little ears and sewed them on and finished it with white edges. Then I made the two braids and attached the black and white pompons.
And look how cute!

For a first hat, I think it's really cute and my boyfriend likes it as well. Next up: a fox hat and after that, an elephant hat (all his idea).
Today I got a compliment from an old lady on the bus, she asked me whether there was an iron wire in the ears, because they stood up straight so nicely. She thought the hat was really cute. Yay for me! (By the way, there is no iron wire in the ears, they are just crochetted nice and tightly)

Knitted snoods and scarfs

My mom knits a lot, but she only recently started knitting things for me, mostly because I'm allergic to regular sheep wool. But then we started searching for knitting yarn with no or very little wool in it. At first, we didn't find a lot, it was mostly 100% acrylic, but not very soft. We also found a mix of cotton and acrylic, which was softer but it didn't really look like the way I wanted it to look. And then we discovered 'Soyeuse', it's 50% silk and 50% alpaca, it doesn't give me a rash, it's soft, the colours are totally me and it's just plain gorgeous! And a few days ago, we discovered another yarn which was suitable for me: Malabrigo Lace (100% merino) and Silky Merino (51% silk, 49% merino).

These are a few pictures of the things my mom knitted for me

This is a grey triangular shawl, it's a 100% acrylic yarn from 'La lainière de Wazemmes'.

I think this is one of the first things my mom knited for me.

This pink scarf is 60% cotton, 40% acrylic, it's called 'Miami haute gamme' and its from 'La lainière de Wazemmes'. It has leaves on the edges.

This snood was knitted with three yarns togehter, in different shades of brown. One is darker brown, the other two are more light brown or beige. All three of them are 'Charly' from Phildar. 

 This white feather and fan snood was knitted with Soyeuse from La Droguerie. It's really soft and it's one of my favourites, it just goes with anything and any colour.

This is possibly my favourite snood of all times. Its knitted in Soyeuse from La Droguerie and I just love the colour. Sometimes it looks pink, sometimes it looks more purple, sometimes it looks grey-ish, it's just a nude colour and I simply love it. You can wear it as a long snood or you can wrap it twice around your neck if you want it warm and cozy.

My pre-blog creations

I just realised that there's a lot of stuff I made before I had this blog.
And since I'm so busy studying right now, and I don't really have the time to create new jewellery, I thought I'd collect all of my creations to show you!

 First: a pair of earrings with a big blue pearl with a golden shine to it.

Second: a ring with lots of 'bottines' in different colours, varying from light blue to light green and 'old gold'.

I bought these at Julija's shop.

 Third: a brooch with lots of little things, almost all of them are from 'La Droguerie'. There's a little bird in a cage, another two 'bottines', a small leaf, a button made out of fabric and a shiny stone.

  Fourth: a pair of purple earrings, really simple but that's wat makes them beautiful.

Fifth: another brooch, this time in pink and copper colors. It's more of a romantic one: there's a solid heart,a little cupid and another heart. You can't see it really well on this picture but I'll add new ones. I took these pictures in the evening but the light isn't that great so the colors changed a little bit.

 Sixth: a pair of old golden earrings with a nude pink bead. The hoop and the chain came from 'La Droguerie' and the beads came from 'Veritas'.

 Seventh: another pair of earrings, the same concept as the previous ones, this time a little bit more chique. They are gold with a real sweet water pearl.

And last but not least: a pair of earrings in pink and purple. The bottom half is an amethyst I bought at Zahia, then there's a flat gold-plated disk, which came from La Droguerie and the pink bead came from a shop in Ostend, called 'Pixiedust'. 

That's it for now, but don't fear, I got lots of other stuff you haven't seen!