Hi everyone!

Gosh, when I looked at the Ravelry group this weekend my jaw literally dropped to my desk in awe of all the amazing bags! You guys really did an amazing job! :)

Here’s a few of my favourites:

Beach bag by Cornishpixie78 on Ravelry

Beach bag by Bec Hancer via email

Beach bag by Lorali on Ravelry

Beach bag by Mikki522 on Ravelry

Beach bag by Prtshirhart on Ravelry

Beach bag by Spincushions on Ravelry

Beach bag by Versierseltjes on Ravelry

Beach bag by Wickedcrochetlady on Ravelry

I mean… Wow! Seriously awesome bags! :) But there was one that was my favourite. I just love this bag because it’s so creative! I love the coloured stripes that alternate in a playful way, the gorgeous moss stitch handles, and the icord draw string.

It’s this amazing bag by sianie555!

Congratulations, you won an amazing pile of yarn from Scheepjeswol, sponsored by Deramores! To be exact, you’ve won 2 balls of Invicta Colour, 5 balls of Softfun, 5 balls of Softfun Batik and 5 balls of Cotton 8, all in an assortment of shades!

I had a lot of fun with this CAL; thank you to everyone who joined in! :)

xo,
wink

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Hi everyone!

I finished my own beach bag this week! Wait, you mean to say that your bag wasn’t finished yet? Nope dear reader, I hadn’t lined my bag yet and the handles were attached with pins! But don’t tell anyone ;)

I had already picked out my lining and my bag handles. The lining was something I picked up at a LYS a while ago, and the bag handles are of course made by my friend Nicollie, who does amazing things with leather and stamps :) I also added some tassels to my drawstring rope, to give it a more finished look.

And here’s the end result!

I really love how all the elements look together; the fabric of the crochet part, the rope and tassels, the handles, the lining – it’s perfect :)

Here’s a closer look at the leather handles. I had Nicollie stamp them with these words; the first person who can tell me what lyrics there words belong to, can grab any pattern from my shop for free! :)

I lined my bag by placing it on my folded lining fabric and cutting around it with an inch of seam allowance. I then sewed the two pieces of fabric together leaving the top open. I inserted the fabric into the bag, and folded the top down by about half an inch, and pinned it to the bag. I added the handles by inserting them between the folded top and the bag, and pinned them in place. Then I sewed along the top using a jeans needle on my sewing machine, to make sure I could sew through the leather from the handles. Once I sewed the lining to the bag, I topstitched along the top one more time, to give extra security and for a pretty finish.

You can get some leather bag handles with your own words stamped on them in Nicollie’s Etsy shop here; she also makes those cute leather tags I have in my bag :) As a blog reader you can get 10% off your order by using coupon code ‘WINKIE’!

If you’ve finished your bag, upload it to the Ravelry group here to enter for the prize! :) (if you don’t want to use Ravelry, you can also email me your photo: acreativebeing [at] gmail [dot] com)

You have until July 12th to upload your photos; after that I will pick a winner! Good luck everyone :)

xo,
wink

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Last weekend me and D went to Woodstock. Well, not the ‘actual’ Woodstock, but a Woodstock-like festival in The Netherlands, called Woodstock! :) (is that enough Woodstock’s in one sentence?)

Anyhoo, on the way there we made a quick stop at my mom’s, and she gifted me two big balls of yarn. She got them from my aunt because she didn’t like the colours that much, and the same was the case for my mom; not her colours! Lucky for me, they were totally MY colours :) I raided my mom’s crochet hook stash for a suitable hook, and off we went for Woodstock!

The yarn is called Choc, and it’s from Phildar. It works up with a 9mm hook; perfect yarn for a speedy car project!

I started working on something on the way to Woodstock, and finished it when we drove home. The drive took maybe 3 hours in total, during which I only crocheted for about one hour because I get car sick really easy and had to keep putting my work away to keep from getting sick.

Despite all that, I now have a new chunky hat :)

There’s no pattern, but I’ll tell you what I did: I started with a 8hdc circle, and kept increasing for about 5 rows. Then I stopped increasing and added 7 rows of hdc stitches through the 3rd loop. I finished it with a brim of 4 rows of sc stitches, the last row through the back loop only. I used 1 and a half skein of this yarn.

And that’s it! I love speedy projects like this, just as much as I love big chunky hats! It’s really very warm because the yarn is an acrylic/wool/polyester blend, so I doubt I’ll be wearing it much this summer ;)

But who cares! New hat! :D

xo,
wink

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How are you all getting along with your beach bags?

The Ravelry CAL group is buzzing with lovely people helping each other out; there are even some people who have already finished their bags! Wowzers, I don’t even think I was that fast! ;)

Today I thought I’d show you how to do the rings in a little more detail. You can also choose to omit the rings; I merely added them for sturdiness and security, but you can leave them out! If you don’t want any holes in your bag just skip the whole ch4 part of the pattern; if you do want holes but no rings, crochet the pattern as is and just leave out the rings :) (which means you’ll be creating ch4 holes)

I added the rings to my bag because I wanted to braid this gorgeous rope through it :) A more close up look at the rings:

It might look a little complicated, but it’s really very easy: attach a ring with 4sc stitches using white; then on the next row, crochet over it, again with 4sc stitches, using the black (or any colour you prefer really). This attaches the ring to the fabric on two sides. The edge of the bag will even out to a mostly straight line after you finish the last rows of sc stitches. And voila! :)

Next week I’ll show you how I lined my bag and attached the handles. I’m using this cute fabric I got at the fabric store the other day, and these awesome groovy leather handles made of course by my leather-wizard friend, Nicollie! :) I love the lyrics she stamped on my bag handles; do you recognize the song?

xo,
wink

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Happy Monday everyone! :)

I’m about to make this Monday even happier for one lucky lady, by giving away a free 1-year subscription to Happily Hooked magazine!

So, without further ado, drum rolls please…

The winner is: Lisa White! :) Congratulations! Alison from Happily Hooked magazine will be in touch with you soon via the email address you provided.

For everyone who didn’t win, you can get Happily Hooked Magazine for your iPad by downloading it from the Apple Newsstand or get the Android and web version by checking out the Joomag version. The first issue is free! :)

xo,
wink

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I’m sorry? You wanted to know how my yarn babies are doing? What? Yoddlers you say?

Well, they are yoddlers no more… They’ve grown into yarnagers! ;)

All 100 of them have added new colours to themselves. I guess it’s that whole yarnager-exploration-phase they’re all going through…

Meanwhile they have taken over my entire house! It’s a good thing they’re so adorable, or they would have ended up in a box a long time ago ;)

Of course these cuties are being turned into the biggest and fluffiest picnic blanket when they are done growing. I’m using Scheepjeswol Cotton 8 (now available through Deramores.com!) to feed them (and they are hungry! oh my!). For sentimental feels, check out the blog post of their birth, and when they were yoddlers.

Was this blog post the most informative blog post you’ve ever read? Not likely. Is it a crime to watch photos of 100 yarn circles while laughing over terms like yarn babies, yoddlers and yarnagers? Nope! ;)

xo,
wink

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Alright, let’s talk CAL; a lot of you have some questions, and I want to answer them all today :)

Question: What is this CAL business anyway?
Answer: A CAL means a crochet-a-long, and it’s when a group of people make the same pattern at the same time, so they can help each other out. Bonus of this CAL is that whoever makes the most awesome bag, wins a prize! :)

Question: The bag in the photo is knitted; that’s not crochet!
Answer: Ha! Fooled you :) It is 100% crochet, I promise you. The knitted-effect comes from the stitch I’m using, which is a simple half double crochet stitch (hdc) worked into the ’3rd’ loop. For more info on using the 3rd loop, take a look at this video here or this blog post here.

Question: Do I have to use the yarn you use to be able to enter this competition?
Answer: No! You can use whatever yarn you like, as long as it’s a DK/4ply weight and it works up with a suitable hook. I used a 4mm hook even though the label recommends a 3.5mm hook; I moved up a size because of the ‘fluffyness’ of the yarn.

Question: Do I have to line my bag to be able to enter this competition?
Answer: No! If you have time to do it, then by all means go for it, but it is not a requirement.

Question: I’m afraid I won’t meet the deadline!
Answer: No pressure! Just see how far you can get, it might be enough to win! :)

Question: When is the deadline anyway?
Answer: July 8th. You have until July 13th to upload your photos; I’ll announce a winner on July 15th!

Question: But how will I show you my finished bag? Is there a Ravelry group I can join?
Answer: Yes! :) The Ravelry group is right here, and you can use it to upload your pictures to. It’s also a great place to ask more questions, or help if you’re stuck on the pattern. If you’re unable to join the Ravelry group, feel free to email your photos: acreativebeing [at] gmail [dot] com.

Update: new questions and answers! :)
Question: What yarn are you using and where can I get some?
Answer: I’m using Scheepjeswol Stone Washed yarn, and it’s available from Deramores.com for international shoppers. Dutch shoppers can get it from most online Dutch yarn shops.

Question: Is the pattern available in any other language than English?
Answer: Yes! The pattern is available in Dutch as well as English.

Question: Where can I get the pattern?
Answer: Right here! :)

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them in the Ravelry group, or post them here in the comments.

Let the CAL begin! :)

xo,
wink

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I’m very excited to share this giveaway with you all today! :)

By now I’m sure most of you have heard about the recently launched Happily Hooked agazine; a dedicated crochet magazine created by crocheters, for crocheters. It features lots of cute and creative patterns in each and every issue (including a couple from yours truly!), talented designers, personal stories of the benefits of crocheting, tips and tricks, patterns, exclusive interviews and much much more!

This magazine is run by a husband & wife team: Alison and Matthew Lütz, who decided to combine their passions and skills together by creating a fun magazine for crocheters. What’s not to love about that :) You can get Happily Hooked Magazine for your iPad by downloading it from the Apple Newsstand or get the Android and web version by checking out the Joomag version.

Alison is kindly offering one of you lucky ladies a free 1-year subscription to Happily Hooked magazine! All you have to do to win is use the Rafflecopter widget below. The contest is open to international readers (since it’s a digital magazine). Contest runs till Sunday June 29th; I’ll announce a winner next week! :)

xo,
wink

ps If you can’t see the Rafflecopter widget because you’re using an app to feed you this blog post, please click here to visit the online version and to enter the competition!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I loved seeing your interest in this groovy pattern! :) Today one of you lucky ladies will win a copy, to make her own textured slouch beanie!

Without further ado, drum rolls please…

The winner is: Shirley Durham! :) Congratulations! Stephanie from A Bag Full of Crochet will be in touch with you soon via the email address you provided.

xo,
wink

ps For everyone who didn’t win; there will be a new giveaway next week, and it is awesome!

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Remember this bag I made, and this blanket, and the one I’m making now? They’re all made with Scheepjeswol yarn, a Dutch yarn brand. I really like this yarn brand, but until recently it wasn’t available outside of The Netherlands.

Well, guess what? Deramores.com is now stocking it! YES! :D

Deramores.com is now stocking Soft Fun, Soft Fun Batik, Invicta, Cotton 8, and the newly released Stone Washed yarn, which is already a big hit here in The Netherlands.

I got some Stone Washed skeins a few weeks ago, and turned them into this bag!

I’ve written up the pattern for this bag, and it’s available for free on Deramores.com! :) If you’d like to make this bag as well, stick around for the next 4 weeks, and join me and Deramores in the Beach Bag CAL!

What do you need to make this bag:
- 9 skeins of Scheepjes Stone Washed yarn, one of each colour (or 8 skeins of 1 colour)
- a 4mm hook
- 12 metal rings 2cm/.8″ in diameter
- 1 meter of rope
- bag handles
Optional:
- bag lining

If you want to join in, just head on over to Deramores.com to download the free pattern for this bag. There’s a coupon in there for 10% off your next order as well, so you can get those yummy squishy skeins of Stone Washed with an incredible discount! :)

UPDATE: het patroon is nu ook in het Nederlands verkrijgbaar op de site van Deramores! :)

The winner of the CAL will receive an assortment of Scheepjeswol yarn, so invite all your friends and let’s start making beach bags!

I am very excited about this new CAL and I cannot WAIT to see all your gorgeous beach bags! I will of course be joining in on the fun, and showing you how I lined my bag, how I attached my handles, and give you tips & tricks along the way. This CAL will finish around July 7th; I’ll announce the winner the week after that, on July 14th. Good luck everyone! :)

xo,
wink

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