A quick look through her blog upon my return later, and I found the pattern she used. I thought it was a little out of my league, since I can technically knit but nothing too fancy, so I kept browsing. And then I found this lovely pattern, written by Tanya herself! It involved knitting cables. I had never done that before, but since the pattern only had 6 rows to repeat and it didn’t really look all that difficult, I decided to teach myself how to knit cables! (because, really, that is the only thing to do when you’re home feeling a bit bleh and just don’t know what else to do; you knit!)

The surprising thing? It’s really easy! :)

To knit this I used two 5mm wooden dpns (double pointed needles), a cable needle (you can use an extra dpn for this too if you don’t have one) and a small amount of yarn. I used Sarah’s hand spun she gifted me, and still have about half of the yarn left.

Once you get the hang of knitting the cable row, it really goes quite fast. There are only 20 stitches on your needles, so even the most slow knitters can finish this project in a day (like me!). It took me two afternoons to knit this up, and I simply cannot stop touching it! I’m still amazed at how knit cables work; they look so intricate, yet are so so simple to make. They create a very interesting fabric and when I look closely, I STILL can’t figure out how it works ;)

I think I made my headband with 18 or 20 pattern repeats, before I cast off and sewed the sides together. I don’t know if I have a big or a small head, but it fits me :)

Perfect headband for a hippie like me.

xo,
wink

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How awesome is this: today you get to win a free Craftsy crochet class of your choice! :) Happy Monday indeed!

Upon entering this giveaway, you’ll have a chance to win one of the 10 crochet classes currently available on Craftsy. One of the classes is Amigurumi: Design Your Own Monster, by the ever-famous Stacey Trock from Fresh Stitches! Or, if amigurumi’s aren’t really your cup of tea, you could try the Tunesian Crochet class (I took it, and it’s amazing!).

All you have to do to win is go HERE or click the link below, and sign up for a free Craftsy account, or sign in to your account if you already have one. It’s that easy!

Enter to win a Craftsy class!

Good luck! This giveaway runs till next week, and I’ll announce the winner right here on the blog :)

xo,
wink

ps If you don’t really like crochet (GASP!), you can also choose from any of their other classes! They offer classes in knitting, quilting, spinning, weaving, but also fine art, photography, cake decorating, paper crafts… Take your pick! ;)

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links which help me run my blog. Thank you for your support!

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No seriously, I could just leave it at that and you’ve get a pretty good indication of what my weekend was like. I spent it with Sarah, Gilly, Jacqui, Tanya, Tink and many many many other wonderful people, and I honestly still get a smile on my face every time I think about what fun we had!

It was a gorgeous day when we reached Farnham; I like to think I brought the sun with me from The Netherlands ;)

When we got there on Saturday it was already pretty busy; lots and lots of people were exploring the grounds, searching for that perfect button/yarn/fibre…

And I totally got why. Just. Look. At. All. The. Gorgeous. Things!

Those last two pics are from The Natural Dye Studio; gorgeous right? I actually scored some yarn there, which I’ll show you in part II of this post.

And speaking of yarn…

Seriously, it was a good thing I didn’t bring too many pounds with me (as in money); I would’ve gotten every lovely skein I saw if I could!

I’ll talk more about my yarn haul and all the lovely people I met in next week’s post about Unravel. Yes, it merits two posts. It was THAT good ;)

For now, I’ll just leave you with this: proof of what happens when there are cute yarn bombs outside, and you’re amongst bloggers who take photos of everything ;)

xo,
wink

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(Cool picture huh? This is my dad’s Christmas wreath, shot with a long exposure and a zoom lens, zooming in while taking the shot. It’s easy and great to experiment with, and it almost always yields awesome results!)

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas this year! I was ill the entire week before Christmas, and I’m still not 100% well. I took a much needed break from everything, hence the lack of posting here. My autistic brain always has a hard time around the holidays, so I decided to take it easy for a while. My energy levels are almost back to normal now, and I’m ready to start 2014 with a bang! :)

Back to business! Do you remember this post from January this year? In it I listed all the things I wanted to do this year. Some I made, some beyond expectation, and some never happened! ;)

1. Continue the weekly mandalas
I continued making weekly mandalas until April. The mandalas really put me on the radar so to speak, so after April I hardly had time to make my own mandalas, since I was super busy designing them for Simply Crochet magazine! :) The mandalas are still what I’m known for best, and I intend to keep releasing new mandala patterns next year (more on that soon!).

2. Create more (free) patterns
Check, check and check! I started writing for Tuts+ on a regular basis, and I’ve released 24 patterns for them this year! That’s two a month, and pretty darn impressive if you ask me :) I also released my own free patterns on the blog, around 6 I believe. I also created two paid patterns: one mandala pattern and the shrug I designed for Design Wars! Pattern-design-wise, I think this has been a great year for me!

3. Make printables
Did that too! I made these cute project bag printables, which I still use every time I start a new project or design.

4. Finish ALL the WIPS!
Well, I did complete this one, sort of. I finished the things that I had been working on for aaages, and frogged the ones that I was never going to finish anyway. My WIP baskets are already filled up again though, mostly with assignments for magazines and Tuts+! The good thing about working for them is the deadlines; they force me to actually finish a project ;)

5. Learn continental knitting
Not only did I not complete this goal, I hardly knit at all this year. I struggled a lot trying to finish my Colour Affection Shawl, which took way longer than I had intended. I still love to knit, I love the fabric it creates, and I love oogling all the great knitting patterns on Ravelry. But right now I knit with the speed of a slug, hence my goal of learning continental knitting! I guess I got too busy to complete this goal.

6. Make a quilt
Yeah, this one didn’t happen either. I’m still pinning away on my Quilt Quilt Quilt Pinterest board, so I’ve got lots of inspiration! The real problem here is time. I think I’ll put this goal on the back burner, for a rainy day!

All in all, I think I did really well this year! I set out some goals, and met most of them. I got to write for Simply Crochet magazine! My work was featured in Chrochet! Magazine, Homespun Australia, Mollie Makes, and Dutch magazine Simply Haken. I wrote tutorials for Tuts+ for an entire year, with more cool tutorials to come! My blog stats broke all previous records, and my Facebook page hit 12,000 likes. When I look back, 2013 has definitely been an awesome year for me. I feel very grateful that so many of you have found my little blog this year, and have been so supportive of my work. Thank you!!!

I’ll be back later this week with an update on the vintage fan ripple blanket, and with my new goals for 2014! :)

Have a great New Year’s eve everybody!

xo,
wink

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What is Cambodia Knits?
Cambodia Knits is a social enterprise working with poor communities in and near the capital city of Phnom Penh. Their goal is to produce beautiful, high quality and unique hand-made products while providing fair and flexible employment opportunities. Cambodia Knits believes that employment is a sure way out of poverty for marginalized communities, especially when that employment is fairly paid and works with the constraints communities face. As a social enterprise, they put their profits into communities because they believe that putting people ahead of profit results in a great product.

Cambodia Knits produces a cute and lovable range of hand-knitted woolen toys; they’ve been knitting animals and monsters for 4 years, adding finger puppets and magnets along the way. Their focus is on creating quality products with quality materials — making sure each individual piece receives the same care and attention that they hope the customer gives it once it arrives.

Okay, but what does this have to do with crochet?
Cambodia Knits recently sourced some gorgeous 100% cotton yarn. Because it’s too thin to use for knitting, they are now branching out into crochet, giving them more opportunities such as new designs and employing more community members!

Monika, founder of Cambodia Knits, explains everything in this video.

Sounds cool! What can I do?
Cambodia Knits have recently started a Kickstarter campaign! Contributing to their campaign will allow them to purchase this wonderful new yarn in bulk so they can get the best price possible. They also aim to build up our inventory so that in the future they can provide a whole range of great crochet creatures to customers everywhere right away.

You can back their Kickstarter campaign here for as little as $1 CAD, and opt-in to receive goodies like these crocheted goodies:

If you pledge $5 CAD or more, you receive two PDF patterns, so you can crochet the softies yourself!

Not pledging? Support them anyway!
You can support this campaign by sharing their Facebook page, Twitter feed, website, and ofcourse the campaign!

I love initiatives like these: I like seeing that crochet can be used to help people around the globe :)

Thanks for reading all the way through; keep an eye out this week for more exciting things like a new free pattern!

xo,
wink

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To make this shawl you need:

- 1 skein of Scheepjeswol Roma Big Rainbow (or similar chunky yarn that works up with a 10mm hook)
- 1 skein of Scheepjeswol Roma Big in purple (or similar chunky yarn that works up with a 10mm hook)
- 1/2 skein of Scheepjeswol Roma big in red (or similar chunky yarn that works up with a 10mm hook)
- 10mm knitting needles or circulars
- 10mm crochet hook
- a big darning needle
- a pair of scissors

1. First up, the knitting part of this hybrid scarf. Cast on 20 stitches, and knit back and forth in stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row) until you run out of yarn, or until your scarf is about 150cm/60″ long. Bind off.

2. Grab your crochet hook and the purple yarn. We’re now going around the entire knit piece in single crochet stitches. Join your yarn, and work one sc in each of the ‘v’s on the edge of the knit piece. Join with a slip stitch to the first stitch.

3. Chain 3, then work 1 double crochet into each single crochet stitch from the previous round. Join with a slip stitch to the top chain of your beginning chain 3.

4. Chain 4, then work *1dc, ch1* into each stitch around. Your edge will now definitely begin to ruffle! Join with a slip stitch to the third chain of your beginning chain 4.

5. Join your red yarn, and work *1sc, ch2* into each chain 1 space from the previous round. Finish off and sew in the ends with your darning needle.

And that’s it! :) This scarf works up in one weekend, because of the chunky yarn and big needles/hook you use. It’s very warm and cozy, and you can use it casual or when you want to dress up!

xo,
wink

The post free pattern: posh ruffle scarf appeared first on a creative being.

This is a hybrid scarf, meaning that it has a part that is knitted, and a part that is crocheted. I used Scheepjes Roma Big Rainbow and Roma Big for this scarf, with a 10mm hook. I kept increasing on the border, giving it that posh ruffle!

And once again my baby sis modeled for me :)

I still love love love the colours of this yarn; it’s rich and warm and perfect for a scarf of this size. This scarf is definitely the warmest and snuggliest thing I have ever made, and it will get a lot of wear this winter when temperatures drop below zero ;) At first I was afraid that it would be too big, but in the end that ended up being the best feature!

The good news is that I wrote a pattern for this scarf; I’ll share it with you next week, free! :)

xo,
wink

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I started this in June 2012 (according to my Ravelry entry), as part of a KAL my good friend Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch was hosting. I worked on it during our vacation last year (when we went to the tree house) and again during this year’s vacation in Germany. I had already started the border, and yesterday I decided that enough was enough, it was time to finish this thing!

It came out a little smaller than I thought it would, but it still has a good size so I can use it. I made it using 3mm circular needles with a 100m cable, and with Lana Grossa Cool Wool Baby in cream, mint green, and lavender. (I blogged about the yarn and when I just started this shawl, here)
You can find this project on Ravelry; it’s from the talented Veera Valimaki. I knit the laceweight version of this shawl.

My baby sister was kind enough to model the shawl for me:

I’m so jealous of her hair :)

This project definitely had it’s ups and downs; mostly because I’m a fairly slow knitter (and I’m a thrower, not a picker), the rows and rows of garter stitch seemed endless, and they were only getting longer! Having said that, this is the most gorgeous piece of knitting I have ever produced, and I am very proud of myself for finally finishing it.

Because it’s a small shawl and because the fabric is very light weight, this shawl will have to wait until Spring or Summer to get some serious attention; it’s just not big and warm enough for Autumn!

xo,
wink

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The event was held in an old church in downtown Groningen. It was really a spectacular location, albeit a bit small for all the vendors, about 60 of them. Which did mean the rooms were packed with yarn, as far as the eye could see! :)

There was more to see than just yarn; there were quite a few vendors showcasing their felt enthusiasm as well. One stall sold felt balls in all colours and sizes, used to make coasters or even rugs!

When you entered the church you were greeted by a knitting statue:

And Vincent van Gogh himself was walking around the workshop area!

I got some quick weaving instructions on this teeny weaving loom; I had no idea how much work goes into weaving something as ‘simple’ as a cloth or a towel!

We ended up doing a workshop on freeform crochet, and it was actually pretty cool! It was only for 45 minutes but I did manage to learn new things.
My friend got away with a bag full of yarn; she bought 4 or 5 skeins I believe. I ended up not getting much for myself. I didn’t even buy any yarn; I did get some really awesome buttons, for future bag projects.

It was a lot of fun, but that was also because I really love Groningen. For what you had to pay just to enter the venue, and what you got in return, I don’t think it was the best value for money I have ever had. Having said that, it was nice to see all the vendors and their gorgeous yarns, although I really hope next year they get a bigger venue and more vendors.

xo,
wink

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Whether you knit, crochet, craft or just adore fiber, October 11th, 2013 is the day to affirm your passion for yarn. – Craft Yarn Council

Are you doing anything special for this year’s I Love Yarn Day? Me and my friend are going to the Dutch Knit & Crochet Days in Groningen :) We are actually there right now!

While we’re there, we’re checking out the latest & greatest in yarns and knitting & crochet trends for you. I’ll be sure to share everything with you all next week! :)

In the meantime, I’m working on my next Scheepjes project: a scarf & hat set. The scarf is up first, and it will be a hybrid: a knit centre with a crochet trim! :) Don’t worry, non-knitters will be able to knit this, too. It’s super easy, I promise :)

This is Roma Big Rainbow yarn from Scheepjeswol, and it’s safe to say that I am head over heels in love with it! Best. Colours. Ever. The pattern for this scarf will be available somewhere next week, and it will be free :)

Okay, I’m off enjoying I Love Yarn Day some more!

xo,
wink

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