Merry Mini Christmas

Happy December!  You know what that means right?  You’ll be bombarded with all things Christmas for the next 25 days until you just can’t possibly wait another minute to rip open all your presents on Christmas morning and will be devastated to have to put all your beautifully crafted decorations away in the new year.  I know I will be anyway!

So, to get us started, I’ve updated a pattern that I created last year, and am re-releasing it for the Christmas season.  I give you the new and improved Merry Mini Christmas hat!

Merry Mini Christmas - Mini Santa Hat pattern from @missnerissThe pattern has been updated and a few corrections made, and is ready to go for you to download and create the cutest little Santa Hat.  It’s just the best Christmas accessory, everyone comments and they’re just so much fun when you see them bobbing through the busy Christmas Market crowds.  I guarantee that you’ll be stopped multiple times to be asked where you found your hat, and you’ll have so much satisfaction from being able to say, “I made it myself!”

Grab it on Ravelry right now right her:  

Or on Etsy if you prefer shopping there instead!

Enjoy!

Merry Mini Christmas - Mini Santa Hat pattern from @missneriss Merry Mini Christmas - Mini Santa Hat pattern from @missneriss

How beautiful are all the Christmas ideas on Esty?  A couple of days ago I finished making the amigurumi elf by Buttonbeautiful and I went back to her shop to browse more patterns (they’re THAT good).  While I was there, I thought that I should make a Christmas Treasury to showcase other amigurumi patterns.  I was reading maRRose regular Treasury Tuesday post the other day where she shared her own Christmas inspiration and something sort of clicked in my head – I should share my treasury on the blog for all of you who don’t necessarily spend as much time on Etsy as you should!

So, here it is, what do you think?  I’m not sure I could pick a favourite if I have to be honest.  Maybe the Christmas Deer Doll, or the slightly wonky Christmas Tree?  I do know that I seem to have a thing for Reindeer though!


Amigurumi Crochet PDF Patter…

$3.8

Rudy The Reindeer Amigurumi …

$4.5

Rudolph reindeer plush – cro…

$24

Amigurumi Pattern – Frosty t…

$5

Christmas lights amigurumi /…

$15.95

Knit your own amigurumi Chri…

$4

Amigurumi Crochet PDF Patter…

$4.5

Christmas Deer Doll. – pdf …

$5

Crochet Pattern – Christmas …

$3.99

Christmas Friends Pattern

$8

Pattern, Christmas tree, Cro…

$3.5

3 Gnomes – pdf knitting patt…

$6

Waldorf Christmas Babies – p…

$4

Santa’s Reindeer Crochet…

$5

PDF Tree Pattern, Ornament P…

$3.9

If you want to, you can import your own Etsy treasury to your blog too.  This little piece of magig is powered by Handmadeology and took about 20 seconds to make, including the copying and pasting here.  It’s so simple, I’m going to make the treasury sharing a regular thing!

Sinterklaas Crochet Cake Pops

This time last year my friend Anel asked me to make some Christmas themed cake pops for her display at the Amsterdam Small Business Network Pop-Up, and when she asked me again this year I jumped at the chance.  Although, instead of Christmas, this year she was going to make Sinterklaas themed cake pops, and could I make something in that vein for her.

But of course!  Cake pops are about the most fun way to eat cake ever, and I just love making the crochet version.

Here’s what I came up with, what do you think?

I especially love the little horse Amerigo, and how cool is it that the crochet cake pops look so much like the real deal?  Not sure I’d like to mix them up the dark if I was sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night for a sneaky cake pop though…

Anel and Little Cakes will be at the ASBN Pop-Up again this weekend, with a sack full of delicious Sinterklaas and Christmas cake pops.  If you’re in Amsterdam, you absolutely must stop by and grab one.  And do your Christmas shopping while you’re there – you’ll have loads of fabulous local business showcasing their wares!

What do you think of last year’s offering?

Should I write patterns for the pops?  Some of them could also double as Christmas tree ornaments, couldn’t they.

Love the photos?  You should follow Anel on Instagram for more cake poppy goodness.  And while you’re at it, follow me too.

http://instagram.com/miss__neriss

Crocheting for a Cause

Sometimes a cause appears and you can’t not participate.  For most of the Facebook world this year it was the ALS ice bucket challenge.  For me it was Breast Cancer Awareness.

You see, a friend of mine was diagnosed earlier this year.  Seemingly out of nowhere, she was flat out one day building a new business and community, and then wham! Lumpectomy, radiotherapy, and now chemotherapy, followed by five years of medication.

Lana started a campaign to encourage women to stay on top of checking their breasts, which is something I thought I did regularly, until I stumbled across this video:

I had no idea of some of these symptoms, and holy shit, I had one of them.  Panic ensued, and I was off to the doc faster than you can spell mammogram.  I was referred quickly to have a scan and ultrasound, and after a week of extreme stress I was given the all-clear.  Thankfully I was not one of the 1 in almost 230 women my age who develop breast cancer.  But, I have to monitor my breasts very closely to make sure there are no changes.  Quite the near-miss to say the least.

But what does this have to do with crochet?  Well.  A while back, via via on Instagram, I came across a fabulous post requesting submissions for a Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness blanket, all the way home in Australia.  You see, October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so the timing was perfect.

http://instagram.com/p/tpSBX6vbfj/?modal=true

How could I not participate?  I immediately got to crocheting my square, digging around in my stash until I found the right colours, and whipped this up, based on a pattern by local designer Pukado:

I popped it in the post, and this week I saw the latest blanket ready to be stitched together – what a beautiful, love-filled blanket!

Instagram project by @insta_yarn_folk, bringing together pink squares from all over the world, all to raise awareness for Breast Cancer.  So many wonderful people have come together to contribute, it's a beautiful cause.  #breastcancer #pinkribbon

It feels great that I could help contribute towards such a wonderful, important cause, and that somewhere in Australia, a woman in great need of comfort is going to receive this blanket and know that there are thousands of women out there supporting her.

Isn’t it amazing?

I’ve Written a Book!

That’s right, a real, life book!  Well, not an entire book, but a couple of chapters in a real, life book!

I don’t often talk about my life beyond what I crochet here (maybe I should, what do you think?), but what’s going on in my “other” life is just too exciting not to share with you!

Ages and ages ago now, more than a year, my friend Lynn from The Nomad Mom Diary approached me about the possibility of contributing to a book about expat life in the Netherlands.  Can you imagine how excited I was at the prospect of contributing to a book?  That somebody out there actually read what I was writing, and perhaps even enjoyed it enough to consider me for a book?!

Back in the old days, not long after I arrived in Holland, I started writing a blog to help people and answer questions about the integration course and exams that so many of us have to take to stay here, and it grew into a wonderful community where I met some amazing people, and even better, was able to connect immigrants with one another.  Some of my favourite people on this earth were found via that blog, but never in a million years did it ever occur to me that I might actually contribute to a real life book!

Dutched Up! is a compilation of stories from Expat Women Bloggers living in the Netherlands. The book covers a wide range of topics about everyday life as seen through the eyes of a foreigner. Some are funny. Others have a wealth of professional information. Yet other stories are sad, shocking or surprising.

But here it is.  Dutched Up! Rocking the Clogs, Expat Style.  A book about life as an expat woman in the Netherlands.  What it’s like when you land, the drama, the fun, the trauma!  So many of my fellow contributors have such beautiful, funny pieces, I feel so honoured to be in such great company.

So, do me a favour, and grab a copy.  It’s a wonderful read, especially for any woman who has ever been outside her comfort zone.  And let’s face it, that’s all of us, right?  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.  You’ll stamp your foot in indignation, you’ll be incredulous.  You’ll love it.  It’s a wonderful book, and I’d say that even if I hadn’t had a hand in it!

Right now it’s available on Amazon, with an iBooks and real, book-smelling book coming soon, and you can pick it up here:

Dutched Up!: Rocking the Clogs Expat Style

It’s also on iTunes, Here!

This is an affiliate link, so if you’re thinking of doing your Christmas shopping on Amazon this  year, use this link for the lot all right?

And here is a list of all the contributing writers, these women are all very impressive, let me tell you!

The European Mama – Olga Mecking
The Nomad Mom Diary – Lynn Morrison
Stuff Dutch People Like – Colleen Geske
Finding Dutchland – Rina Mae Acosta
The Three Under – Farrah Ritter
Neamhspleachas – Molly Quell
Currystrumpet – Deepa Paul
George With Ears – Zoe Lewis
Dutch Australian – Reneé Veldman-Tentori
Expat Life With A Double Buggy – Amanda van Mulligen
2 Little Monkeys in Breda – Rosalind Van Aalen
Olympic Wanderings – Caitlyn O’Dowd
Smart Tinker – Lana Kristine Jelenjev
Expat Since Birth – Ute Limacher-Riebold
Life In Dutch – Aislinn Callahan- Brand
The Non-Hip Hippies – Alexia Martha Symvoulidou
Naturally Global – Katherine Strous
Amayzmom – Shivangi Tiwari
Naija Expat In Holland – Tamkara Adun
Amber Rahim – Amber Rahim
Amsterdam Mama – Catina Tanner
Like A Sponge – Marianne Orchard
The Tini Times – Damini Purkayastha
Bardsleyland – Donna Stovall Bardsley
Foodlovas – Kerry Dankers
Social Fusion Amsterdam – Iulia Modi Agterhuis

Faux-Taxidermy Fun

Seriously, how cool is the word “faux-taxidermy”?   I just love how something that I personally find so creepy can be turned into something, well, awesome!

Over this last week I’ve been busy working on the coolest faux-taxidermy project – Rhinka the Rhino by Pepika Designs and it has been seriously so much fun to watch it come together.

Rhinka the Rhino, faux-taxidermy amigurumi pattern by Pepika.  Spotted by @missnerissI was chuckling as I mounted him on the wall, thinking that any little kid will find this to be the most funky decoration ever!

Rhinka the Rhino, faux-taxidermy amigurumi pattern by Pepika.  Spotted by @missneriss Rhinka the Rhino, faux-taxidermy amigurumi pattern by Pepika.  Spotted by @missneriss

I’ve boxed this one up and he’s ready to charge off (see what I did there) to his new home in Amsterdam.

If you want to make one for yourself, you absolutely can.  Just head over to the Pepika website and you can pick up any of her fabulous designs in her store.

Meanwhile, this isn’t the first Pepika design I’ve made.  Remember Johnny the Monkey from this time last year?

Johnny the Monkey from #Zoomigurumi on missneriss.com

My Week, and Paris!

It has been a quiet week for me on the crochet front.  I finished a major secret project last week after weeks of work, so this week I’ve been taking it easy.  I am working on a very cool project – a faux taxidermy rhino head for a custom order and I do love the way it’s all coming together.  Hopefully I’ll finish that over the weekend and be able to show you the result next week!

Otherwise, my family and I spent the weekend in Paris!  I’ve been to Paris a few times now, and it really is one of the more beautiful cities in the world.  Not the most beautiful; it’s tough to beat Edinburgh or Rome in my opinion, but it is spectacular, there’s no denying it.

We visited the Eiffel Tower (of course) and did a bit of crowd watching.  Those queues are incredible.  There’s no attraction on earth that you need to book in advance for more than The Eiffel Tower.  At just after 10am the queues were already hours long, so we decided not to climb.  Well, there was no decision really.  If we wanted to see anything else aside from the person in the queue in front’s backpack for the day, then waiting and waiting to climb wasn’t an option!

We also visited Versaille.  And man.  Every tourist on earth was there at the same time.  The interior of the palace was probably the most stressful and unpleasant tourist experiences of my entire life.  Now, I’ve been to quite a few of the big touristy places on this planet, and this was just g0d-awful.  Apparently there was a bedroom or two, and somehow I managed to miss the room where they signed the Treaty of Versaille.  The gardens were an entirely different matter altogether.   Massive, sprawling and not crowded at all.  There were obviously thousands upon thousands of people there, but it was easy to find a quiet nook and pretend you were alone on earth.  And the tourist/audioguide/tourgroup bubble.  Seriously people!  You can visit places without being an arsehole while you’re there.

So that evening we had well and truly earned our fabulous cheese and wine.  I couldn’t tell you what they were any more, but there was a cheddar that I could have sworn was an aged gouda from North Holland!  My friend Emma is the expert, so I left the choosing to her and I just gobbled it all up as quick as I could!

Then further on the food front, I put in an order with my friend Lori from Southern Charm Cupcakes for some of her amazing caramels and chocolates.

Lori’s specialty has fast become Fleur de Sel caramels and she makes the best fleur de sel caramel chocolate you have ever seen in your entire life.  If you put a block of Godiva and a block of Lori’s chocolate in front of me, I’d go for Lori’s every.single.time.  So if you live in the Netherlands, Lori ships!!!!!  I’ve had to freeze the caramels to make sure I don’t gobble them all up at once.

And then there’s crochet.  I posted a tutorial for the granny square I designed on holidays, which is really simple and works up within ten minutes.

This weekend I’m hoping to finish a pattern I’ve been working on, and also the rhino.  Other than that, I’m going to take time for myself to work on strategies I’m going to implement for the Unstoppable program that kicked off this week!

How’s your week?

Seriously Simple Granny Square

And now for the tutorial I promised of the granny I created while on holiday recently.

CH 4, SLS to join.  CH 2, DC x 11, SLS to join.  CH 2, DC into same stitch, Increase around, SLS to join.  CH 3, *DC into next stitch, CH 2, 2 x DC into the same stitch, DC into next, HDC in next 3 stitches, DC into next.*  Repeat what's between *_* three times.  SC around, CH 1 in each corner.  Be sure to click to see the original, and the extended photo tutorial!
It’s really so simple, you will be whipping these up in no time!

First of all, I’ll share a quick step by step photo to show you how it grows, then below I’ll give you the row by row.

CH 4, SLS to join.  CH 2, DC x 11, SLS to join.  CH 2, DC into same stitch, Increase around, SLS to join.  CH 3, *DC into next stitch, CH 2, 2 x DC into the same stitch, DC into next, HDC in next 3 stitches, DC into next.*  Repeat what's between *_* three times.  SC around, CH 1 in each corner.  Be sure to click to see the original, and the extended photo tutorial!
Simple, right? Now, let’s go.

For this project I used Scheepjeswol Cotton 8*. It’s a sport weight yarn and I used a 3mm hook. You can use whatever yarn you like, and the hook to match. Gauge isn’t important in this one. If you use my recommended yarn and hook, your finished square should measure 5.5 x 5.5 cm.

First of all, chain 4 and join with a slip stitch. Usually I prefer a magic ring because I like the centre to be as tight as possible, but in this case it doesn’t matter. There are a lot of stitches into the ring, so the chain 4 foundation will have a nice tight circle anyway.

Now, for row 2 (I’m counting the ring as the first row), chain 2 and double crochet 11 times into the ring, joining with a slip stitch to finish with 12 stitches into your ring. This is because we want to make a square eventually, so need a total that is divisible by 4. Finally, almost 20 years after I left school I’m using maths!

IMG_1926.JPG

If you’re changing colours after each row, you’ll want to cut and tie off your yarn, leaving a tail to weave in. I like to work the ends in as I go, to minimise the amount of weaving in at the end – I hate weaving in ends, have I mentioned that?

Row 3 – chain 2, double crochet into the same stitch so you have two double crochets in one stitch and stitch two double crochets into each stitch around, leaving you with 24 stitches once you slip stitch to join. If you’re not changing colours, chain 2, stitch two double crochets into the next stitch and each stitch around, with one into the last stitch, which is the same stitch that your starting chain came from.

IMG_1925.JPG

Row 4 – here we create the square. Chain 3, two double crochet stitches into the next stitch, chain 2, and two more double crochets into the same stitch. This creates the corner. Double crochet into the next, half double crochet into the next three stitches and then double crochet into the next. Now comes the time to repeat the corner stitch (two double crochets, chain 2, two double crochets into the same stitch), then repeat the row (DC, 3xHDC, DC) until you come back round to the start. Slip stitch into the top of the chain of the first stitch.

IMG_1924.JPG

Row 5 – Single crochet in each stitch around, with two stitches, a chain 1 and two more stitches into each corner, and you’re done!

IMG_1923-0.JPG

I joined the top side of my camera strap using single crochets, and the back side with a whip stitch so that it would sit flat and not annoy my husband’s neck, but you can use your favourite joining method. Once I had made enough squares to cover the entire length of the camera strap (13 in my case) I joined the two sides together with a single crochet into each corresponding stitch up each side, leaving the ends open so you can feed the strap through once you’re finished. This size granny is a perfect size for a camera strap, and it looks fantastic!

Ombre Camera Strap in action

Ombre Camera Strap

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Ombre Addict – Camera Strap

This ombre look is just the best. It started with me wanting that ombre hair effect, and it’s been slowly infiltrating my crochet designs more and more. The Bucketful of Sunshine hat is a great example. And so is Miniman’s Nursing Necklace.

Once I had finished The Miniman I noticed that I had a lot of yarn left over. Usually this wouldn’t bother me as there is always another project, but it seems that my yarn cupboard is completely full of left over yarn that will hopefully come in handy one day, so I just wanted to use it straight away, instead of effectively wasting it. And as I was on holiday I thought I would make a great holiday accessory – a camera strap!

As my photographer friend Rudi says, why give Canon free advertising? I’d been wanting to make one for ages, but hadn’t had the yarnspiration, but now with this leftover Cotton 8 from Scheepjes in ombre shades, I could really go to town!

Firstly though, I had to start with a square. But I had no internet on holiday, and hadn’t taken any pattern books with me to the south of France, so necessity being the mother of invention, I designed one!

Ombre Mini Granny square by @missneriss. Check the free photo tutorial at missneriss.com

I started with a circle, then turned it into a square and changed colour on each round. I thought that it would be a great colour combo for my husband (as it’s his camera and I’m not sure if he would really enjoy a hot pink or rainbow strap) so I made a bunch of them. Thirteen, infact. The finished square is 5.5×5.5cm (unblocked) and I single crocheted them all together in a row. On the back I made solid squares and joined those together, starting with the lightest blue at the outer ends and the darkest blue in the middle (so if it’s a really hot day the manly sweat won’t discolour the strap).

Mini Granny square by @missneriss. Check the free photo tutorial at missneriss.com

It was a great project to work on in the car on the way back – it distracted me from the mad French freeways!  And when I arrived home, my daughter was for once, very happy to model it for me!

Ombre Mini Granny square camera strap by @missneriss. Check the free photo tutorial at missneriss.com

Ombre Mini Granny square camera strap by @missneriss. Check the free photo tutorial at missneriss.com

Ombre Mini Granny square camera strap by @missneriss. Check the free photo tutorial at missneriss.com

Ombre Mini Granny square camera strap by @missneriss. Check the free photo tutorial at missneriss.com

Come back in a few days, I’ll have a tutorial of the square for you.

Ombre Mini Granny square camera strap by @missneriss. Check the free photo tutorial at missneriss.com

Miniman’s Nursing Necklace – The Tutorial

As promised, I’ve put together a tutorial on how to make your very own nursing necklace, which is designed to keep small ones occupied while nursing, saving mama’s sensitive skin from sharp fingernails, hair from being yanked, and general mischief making while baby is nursing.  Of course this is not only for nursing mamas; it’s such a lovely necklace that it looks stylish on everybody!

Minimans Nursing Necklace isnt just for nursing mamas! Its a beautiful accessory in its own right! Free crochet tutorial

What you’ll need

Scheepjeswol Cotton 8* in four shades.  I used 527, 711, 652 and 700.  In the Netherlands you can pick Cotton 8 up at just about any great yarn seller, and internationally you can buy via deramores.com*.

A 3mm crochet hook, scissors, and you’ll also need wooden beads in varying sizes.  I used five 35mm balls and two 25mm balls.  For added interest, you can also add a wooden ring or two – babies love the different elements and textures.

IMG_1826Abbreviations

(American terms)

CH – chain stitch
SC – single crochet (UK double crochet)
INC – increase; two single crochet stitches into the same stitch
DEC – decrease; two single crochet stitches together
STS – stitch count

Notes

This project is worked in the round.  You will also need to crochet your stitches very tightly to ensure that they keep the form of the beads.  If you crochet loosely, use a smaller hook.

Don’t forget, I’m a leftie so you might have to flip the images in your mind.  I like to keep the images for us lefties because there just aren’t that many left handed tutorials out there.  If you need help, ping me using the contact page or on Facebook.

Make one ball in the darkest colour, two in the second darkest, two in the third darkest, and two in the lightest (the 25mm balls).

Babies can't resist Miniman's Nursing Necklace from missneriss.com

35mm Bead

Round 1

CH 5, close with a slip stitch, CH 1.

Round 2

SC x 6 into the ring (6 STS)SC x 6 into the ring (6 STS)

Round 3

INC in each stitch around (12 STS)INC in each stitch around (12 STS)

Round 4

(INC, 1 SC) x 6 (18 STS)(INC, 1 SC) x 6 (18 STS)

Round 5

(INC, 2 SC) x 6 (24 STS)(INC, 2 SC) x 6 (24 STS)

Round 6-10

SC x 24 (24 STS).  Insert the bead to measure how progress is going at each round.SC x 24 (24 STS)SC x 24 (24 STS)SC x 24 (24 STS)

Round 11

(DEC, 2 SC) x 6 (18 STS).  Make sure the bead is inserted here and continue working around it.(DEC, 2 SC) x 6 (18 STS).  Make sure the bead is inserted here and continue working around it.

Round 12

(DEC, 1 SC) x 6 (12 STS).

2014-09-04 19.47.03-1

Round 13

DEC in each stitch around (6 STS)DEC in each stitch around (6 STS)

Finish off and hide the tail.

For the 25mm bead, follow the same instructions, skipping round 5 (and round 11 as a consequence).

Once you’ve finished all five balls in the colour combination of your choice, it’s time to thread them onto a chain.  First you need to make yourself one.  I used the lightest shade and chained stitched until I had about 90 cm.  This way the necklace would have plenty of room to become longer or shorter as necessary.

Thread the beads and tie the ends into a little knot and then together using a slip stitch so that one end can slip easily (but not too easily) to adjust the length of the necklace.

Tie the ends, then join together using a slipknot.

And you’re all done!  Looks beautiful, doesn’t it? Miniman necklace - photo tutorial on missneriss.comI love seeing projects by others, so don’t forget to brag about what you’ve made on my Facebook page or upload to Pinterest, tagging me @missneriss.  Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram while you’re at it!

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