a creative being - Page 2 of 39 - all things crochet by winkieflash!

June 5, 2013
by wink
28 lovely comments

made: rainbow festival shawl

I have been teasing you all with sneak peeks of my Festival Shawl on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; well, no more! Because it’s finished! :D (and please do click on the images to see the larger sized ones!)

Stats
Pattern: Festival Shawl by Lyn Robinson, on Ravelry here, free
Hook size: 5mm
Yarn: Aade Long 8/2 Artistic in Rainbow, purchased from a LYS, about 600 meters
Time: Two days
Happiness level: Over the moon!

This shawl has been amazing to make from beginning to end. The pattern is lovely, and after a while the pattern repeats are easy to memorize, making this a speedy project. The yarn is wonderful; even though it’s a bit scratchy it’s just awesome watching the colours change all on their own! The pattern calls for a border, but I omitted it because I didn’t want the rainbow to continue around the shawl. And it already looks like there is a border on there, so I just left it as is.

I blocked the shawl after it was done by soaking it in lukewarm water with a bit of conditioner thrown in (to remedy the scratchiness), and I used pins and towels to pin it into shape. I pinned it on my living room rug, because my usual pinning mat (D’s exercise mat) was too small. For an excellent guide on why and how to block your crochet/knit work, check out this article by PlanetJune.

And this is how it looks when wearing it:

I’m in love.

xo,
wink

June 3, 2013
by wink
12 lovely comments

the weekend

sewing-machine

sewing-thread

interesting-letterbox

crochet-a-plant

sewing-desk

vitrage

record-player

My weekend was spent with my brother’s girlfriend, who is the queen of the sewing machine. She was helping me out with the lining for my Noro bag, and it gave me a chance to check out her new craft room. How awesome is that wall colour? I totally envy her space, it’s amazing.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to finish the bag because we ran out of time (I had to catch the bus back home!) but I’m confident that I’ll finish it in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, while I was there I worked on my Festival Shawl, and I finished it! It’s blocking in the living room as we speak, and I cannot wait to show you all :) Here’s an Instagram of last night, just before I put on the final row:

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Have a great week!

xo,
wink

May 31, 2013
by wink
4 lovely comments

book review: crochet at play

My friend Kat Goldin, whom you all know from her blog Slugs On The Refrigerator, recently published a book and was kind enough to send me a copy for review!

crochet-at-play_cover

Crochet at Play is aimed towards parents and proud family members (and people who go ‘aaahw’ when they see infants in crochet wear – raise of hands?).

Besides the introduction, instructions and a list of suppliers, this book has four chapters: Head and Shoulders, Fingers Knees and Toes, Whole Self and The Play Room. Besides the cute names these chapters feature 30 projects ranging from hats to mittens, and from clothing to blankets.

crochet-at-play_cap

crochet-at-play_cardi

crochet-at-play_skirt

The book used UK terms and abbreviations, and comes with different skill levels. The projects features sizing charts and yarn amounts, making each project customizable to suit your needs. The patterns are for kids up to age six, with a few exceptions for bigger kids and babies.

crochet-at-play_horses

crochet-at-play_mitts

crochet-at-play_star-rug

The photography, done by Kat Goldin herself, is down to earth and simple, making it highly relatable to it’s readers. The adorable illustrations found throughout the book give it a little something extra and make it even cuter.

Kat Goldin stated in the introduction that she wanted the projects to be ‘fun to make, fun to wear and fun to see‘, and I believe she has succeeded in doing so. This book is a must-have for anyone who crochets clothing for their toddlers, who is the proud aunt of an adorable child, or basically anyone who coos at babies.

crochet-at-play_cover-and-back

Crochet at Play currently retails for £14.99 and is published by Kyle Books. I believe it will be released later this year in the US. Oh and Dutchies: there’s a Dutch translation in the works! :)

xo,
wink

ps This book was sent to me for review by the author. I didn’t receive any financial compensation for this review. Opinions stated are my own.

Photos of Crochet At Play published by Kyle Books. Book photography by Kat Goldin copyright © 2013 by Kyle Books. Book illustration by Sarah Leuzzi copyright © 2013 by Kyle Books. All rights reserved.

May 23, 2013
by wink
20 lovely comments

happy wips

Sometimes, your WIPs make you sad, and other times, WIPs make you happy. I currently have a couple of WIPs that are making me very happy indeed!

As some of you who follow me on Facebook/Instagram have already seen, my Noro bag is nearing completion.

noro-bag-front

noro-bag-back

I LOVE how it looks! I love all the bright colours, combined with the muted, softer tones. I used a navy green colour to join the squares and I think it really helps bring out all the vibrance. I’m planning on embellishing my bag with a combination of the following items:

noro-bag-embellishments

nicollie-labels

Some feathers, some raw gemstones, hemp rope, and that gorgeous Kaffe Fasset fabric as lining. The bag will have one of these cute labels on the inside, made by my friend Nicollie.

While I was out gathering the feathers and the other embellishments, I couldn’t help myself and purchased a fabulous skein of gradient rainbow yarn. I got this at a local yarn shop (LYS) in Zwolle, The Netherlands but the yarn is actually from Estonia. It’s 100% wool, and it was a 263 gs skein, which I wound up in a center-pull cake, making it the biggest yarn cake I have EVER made!

rainbow-yarn-project

The project I’m making with it is called the Festival Shawl, and is on Ravelry here, for free. It’s crochet and calls for fingering weight yarn and a 5mm hook, so I’m hoping this will be a nice and quick project! Already the colour change has begun, and the pattern is interesting enough to keep me happy making it (so no boring repeats of the same row over and over).

Oh, and one more thing making me reaaally happy this week: my Zatchel finally made it’s way to my doorstep yesterday! This fab UK based company had a massive sale about a month ago and I couldn’t resist. I mean, who wouldn’t want to own a gorgeous handmade daffodil yellow satchel?

zatchel_daffodil-yellow

xo,
wink

May 20, 2013
by wink
7 lovely comments

sleeves, decals and yarn

Cool sleeve, right? It’s 100% handmade and comes from this Etsy shop. What’s in the sleeve you ask? Well…

… a yarn-a-licious iPad mini of course! :) The decal (sticker) on it comes from DecalGirl. The cool thing about that website is that for some devices, you get to upload your own photos to use as a background for the decal. For my iPad cover I went crazy with some photos I took for a magazine, since they were already the right resolution/size. I really like how my iPad now feels less ‘generic’ and a little more special. Added bonus: no more scratches on the back when it’s on the table!

I’ve used DecalGirl skins for almost all of my past phones and devices, and I highly recommend them. They come in both glossy and matte finishes, and if you don’t have your own photos to use, be sure to check out the vast collection of artist’s work they have in store! They make skins for phones, tablets, laptops, game consoles – you name it.

One more thing that has made me really happy last week: my Noro yarn finally got here ♥ I’m making a bag with it, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Have a wonderful yarn-a-licious week everyone :)

xo,
wink