Tag Archives: crochet pattern

Spring Shawl – It’s Huge!

Finished.  After a month of picking it up and putting it down, it’s finally done.  And much more beautiful, and bigger, than I could have anticipated.

Spring Shawl made with Malabrigo Silky Merino on missneriss.com #crochet #yarn

It took a good day to block and dry, and was too big for my blocking board, so I had to break out the yoga mat so it would fit!

I’m just in love with it.  The colour, the texture, how soft it is, it’s a complete package.

Spring Shawl in Malabrigo Silky Merino on missneriss.com #crochet #yarn

Spring Shawl in Malabrigo Silky Merino on missneriss.com #crochet #yarn

And here’s the cutest little photo bomber ever:

Photo bombing

I used Malabrigo Silky Merino in Madre Perla (four skeins) that I picked up from houseofyarn.nl.  This shade is sold out, but there are lots of other beautiful ones to choose from.

I used the Spring Shawl pattern that I posted here and added a row of double crochets and picots for the edging because I found the original pattern finally!!!!

Yarn Love

Look what arrived for me this week!  The postman is already one of my good friends, but this may well have elevated him to BFF status.

Scheepjeswol Cotton 8 #cotton8 #scheepjes #ombre

It went straight into my project bag, and to the top of the project queue.

Scheepjeswol Cotton 8 in my favourite project bag #cotton8 #scheepjes

This last Saturday was King’s Day here in the Netherlands.  The first King’s Day ever I think.  We haven’t had a king here since the end of the 1800s, but for the longest time we’ve always celebrated Queen’s Day with fabulous national holiday and one of the biggest parties on the entire planet.

King's Day in Amsterdam, photo by Caitlyn from olympicwanderings.com

King’s Day in Amsterdam, photo by Caitlyn from olympicwanderings.com

My favourite part of King’s Day is the free market.  Everybody pours out onto the streets and sets up their own little stall, selling all their old stuff.  It usually starts the night before, with the really serious sellers and buyers camping out over night to get the best bargains and make the biggest profits.  Most of it is junk though.  We come across the same woman selling the same Disney videos (that’s right, videos) every year, so she’s obviously not in it for the money!

Speaking of junk, one man’s trash is another woman’s treasure, as they say.  We bought loads of cool things, including a brand new rain coat for our daughter, lots of picture books and I even found a loom!  However, this was my number one score for the weekend:

Originally this case housed massage machine from an era long past, but was only interested in the packaging.  A quick spray with some paint and gingham lining and I have myself the cutest little project case in the world!

Scheepjeswol Cotton 8 in my new pimped project case#cotton8 #scheepjes

Scheepjeswol Cotton 8 is a yarn that I haven’t had the chance to work with yet, but I know for sure that it will be a perfect fit for me.  Its vibrant colours are perfect for summer and it’s so, so soft.  It will be brilliant for amigurumi.

But that’s not the destiny of this batch.  Instead I have another project in mind.  Something beautiful for warm summer days.

Stay tuned and there’ll be a pattern in it for you….

Wink’s Summer Hearts Mandala

If you only follow one new blog this year, you must make sure it is A Creative Being.  Everything about Wink’s blog is beautiful.  The projects, the colours, the photography, everything.  It’s just one amazing package of crochet goodness. I have a few of her patterns, including the Design Wars shortlisted entry Dancing Hearts Wrap and most recently, the Summer Hearts Mandala which is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I wanted to create the mandala in line with the Crochet Collective’s Mandala Crochet Along, but I’m just useless at sticking with timelines, my life is just too busy, plus I really wanted to make this mandala as my first, and it wasn’t on their schedule (but there are some extraordinary ones, so check it out). So, I decided to sit down one night and smash it out.  And smash it out I did.  It’s a seriously fast pattern to work up, and it looks amazing.  I had the yarn and colours that Wink used (or close enough to) on hand and I couldn’t imagine using anything else. The finished mandala with the tension being too tight But I had a problem.  It’s difficult to see above, but instead of lying flat, the mandala has curled edges.  See what I mean? Mandala, tension too tight on missneriss.comSo I decided to leave it for the night as it was late and I was tired, and I wanted to fix it in the morning when I was feeling fresh again. The problem I have is that although I was using the exact same yarn, and the exact same hook as the pattern, my tension is far tighter than Winks, so the edges curled up on me.  This is a result of all the amigurumi projects I’ve been focusing on – you have to crochet tight so as to keep the stitches close together (I usually use at least one hook size down than what the yarn calls for). Here’s how I hold my yarn, how do you hold yours?  See how tightly wrapped around my little finger it is? Here's how I hold my yarn, super tight tension after so many amigurumi projects.But instead of frogging the entire project, I decided to just rip out the last couple of rows, to where it started to curl. The offending rowThis is the row that was causing the problem, before that I was progressing beautifully. I decided that because it’s difficult for me to loosen my tension (old habits die hard, right?), I would go up half a hook size and try my best. Changing from a 4mm to a 4.5mm hook to complete the projectI love my Clover hooks, they are the single best crochet related purchase I’ve made so far. And here we go!  The finished mandala! Summer Hearts Mandala by A Creative Being on missneriss.comSee how beautifully flat it lies now? It has a slight curve, a bit like a saucer, but I think that’s the intention, and I love it. See how it lies flat?  Perfect Summer Hearts Mandala on missneriss.comThe Summer Hearts Mandala was a beautiful project to make, I’m definitely going to be making more, and will experiment with different colours. Would you like me to make you one? By all means feel free to get in contact, I’d be honoured. Have you made any mandalas?  Which pattern is your favourite? There are so many to choose from and they’re all beautiful.

Candace Scarf Pattern

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I shared the Candace Scarf that I made for my mum?  Well, in that post I promised a pattern, but of course I completely forgot to follow up until I was reminded at the weekend.  Thanks for that Anke!

You can find the pattern in the description of this pin:

I also promised to tell you how I hacked the pattern as it just didn’t seem to be correct, and I also made it more fluid, so you don’t have to cut and join, which I hate doing!

Below is how the beginning rows of the scarf look:

The beginning rows of the Candace ScarfWhen it comes to joining, the pattern asks you to complete the trim, fasten off, and join at the other side.  I decided to leave the trim out entirely, but you can keep it in if you like.  I just found it unnecessary for my tastes. (I think initially I had run out of yarn, so that was the decider for me.)

So, in the pattern, row four instructs you to make the bows, but instead I completely skipped that row and went on to the next set, because I planned to make the bows using my joining row at the end.  Here’s the last row, waiting to be joined:

The last rows before joiningInstead of sewing the ends together as the pattern instructed me, holding both ends of the scarf together and working through four loops at once (both stitches), I single crocheted in the first three stitches (of both ends), chained 5, single crocheted around the three chains, from the beginning end of the scarf to make a bow, then chained 5 again, single crocheting in the next three stitches (all loops, joining both ends of the scarf).  I repeated this to the end, fastened off and was done.

Candace Scarf on missneriss.com #malabrigo

For me, it just made for a tidier join and also means less ends to weave in!  We all hate weaving in ends, right?

If you want to retain the trim, you can use this method still, by doing the trim down one side, joining across, then going down the other side. Still no need to fasten off and join to continue, so you should be able to make the scarf in one long piece (except when you run out of yarn and have to rejoin).

I made my latest Candace Scarf using Malabrigo Silky Merino, which I picked up from houseofyarn.nl here in the Netherlands.  It is such a gorgeous yarn, I promptly bought half a dozen more skeins.  I have an order to make a black version, and am now on a mission to find the “perfect black”.

Any tips for a simply gorgeous yarn that is hand dyed to show variation and is merino based? (I’m dedicated to merino, having grown up on a merino sheep farm.)

Learning Curves

I’m a great subscriber to the idea that you learn something new every day.  Especially in the art of crochet.  There are so many amazing techniques and resources that you are hard pressed not to learn new stuff all the time.

But I learned something I didn’t want to have to learn.  The hard way.  And I’m not happy about it.  Gauge.  In all the projects I’ve ever made, I’ve just happily skipped over the gauge section as being quite irrelevant and firmly in the “who cares” category until it came time to make a beautiful top.

My friend Tammy showed me this pattern that she planned to make, and I was immediately on the bandwagon:

Convergence top, pattern from Interweave Crochet, found on Ravelry via missneriss.com

So, I picked out the yarn, an amazing bamboo veriagated yarn from Alize and started crocheting.

The pattern calls for a 3.75mm hook and the pesky gauge tells me I should have 18 stitches and 11 rows per 10cm.  Yeah, whatevs.  I managed to crochet more than half the back of the top before I realised that it wasn’t going to come even close to fitting me!  This top had taken a day and a half of my precious crochet time and it was completely wasted because I didn’t bother to pay attention to the gauge.

So I decided to take a step back for a couple of days and finish off the backlog of orders in my queue (which was a great thing to do, because they’re all super cute projects) and then re-evaluate.

So how have I resolved this?  Well, luckily for me I didn’t buy the Noro Taiyo Sock yarn at 20 euros a piece, and the Alize was significantly cheaper, so I’ve created a swatch, have blocked it, and am (im)patiently waiting for it to dry so I can start again.  It’s looking like I’ll be up to a 4.5mm hook to get the right gauge.

New swatch blocked and waiting to dry

The colourway of this yarn is just amazing, with the pinks (that don’t appear here), purples, blues and white and is so lovely to the touch and to work with.  You can pick it up (in Europe) at yarnstreet.com and check out the Ravelry projects that people have completed using my colourway (you may need to be a Ravelry member to see that link).

What’s a crucial element that you’ve learned the hard way?  I’d love to hear that I’m not the only one having silly moments.

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Wednesday WIP

One of this week’s works in progress:

I still love minions, can’t ever get enough of them.

Meanwhile, I’m also working on another Spring Shawl, plus a kangaroo and red panda from the third Zoomigurumi book and have received the amazing Alize bamboo yarn from yarnstreet.com to make my Convergence top.  Busy busy.

Oh, and I’m about to start a Mandala Crochet-along with the Creative Crochet Collective on Facebook and I’m going to make this mandala:

What are you doing on this lovely Wednesday?

Spring Scarf – Pattern

I’ve been working on this scarf for months. I found the yarn in my local store ‘t Spoeltje, here in Almere Haven (it’s Parrot, by Hjertegarn) and I love it because I’m such a magpie in that I LOVE bright colours and love variegated yarns. But it sat there for ages, not becoming anything. I do that. I buy yarn because it’s pretty, but have no project in mind. Eventually I decided to try making a triangle shawl. I stumbled across a pattern somewhere on the internet, but couldn’t follow it properly, so kind of just tried my best and made it up a bit as I went along. Then the pattern disappeared, and I have no idea where to find it again. Luckily it was very simple to figure out from what I’d already done.

It went on for a while. I’d work on a few rows, then put it back in the cupboard. For about six months. But this week I decided to finish it off. I was coming to the end of the ball of yarn, so decided to create a trim for it. Man. What a task. Because I had no pattern, I had no idea how it should be finished off. I had no stitch count, and I honestly couldn’t be bothered trying to figure out some fancy trim. And googling “crochet trim” is a disaster. There are way too many options, my head just exploded.

So in the end, I decided to just leave it. I quite liked the plain effect as the shawl is so colourful anyway I didn’t think it would be missed.
Spring Scarf - free pattern on missneriss.com

But then, I decided I didn’t like it that much. My husband didn’t like it either. So what was I going to do with it? Well, first I had to block it. I had never blocked anything before, because I tend to make amigurumis and normal scarves, nothing that needs the extra effort to block. But, I had some Eucalan Wrapture wool wash as a sample from a previous yarn order, so I washed it and pinned it out to dry.

Then I had to wait. And wait. For a day! I decided when I looked down at the blocked piece that I really liked it after all. The colours worked out beautifully, and it is perfect for Spring. Plus the yarn was going to be deliciously soft with the Angora blend.
Spring Scarf blocking - free pattern available on missneriss.com

This morning it was dry, so I unpinned it and promptly started wearing it. I may never take it off, actually.
Spring Scarf - free pattern on missneriss.com

Now I’m being asked for the pattern. It’s far too complicated to write out, so I’ve smashed out a chart.
Spring Scarf chart pattern on missneriss.com

Just keep crocheting until you either 1. get to the size you want, or 2. run out of yarn like I did!

For other projects I’ve also used Malabrigo yarn, which can be picked up at Wool Warehouse* (with global shipping).

Enjoy.

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St Patrick’s Day Baby Leprechaun Hat Pattern now Available

It has taken months and months and MONTHS to get there, but I finally have my St Patrick’s Day Leprechaun hat pattern ready to go.

Well, I have it in the newborn size for now.  I’m still working on the toddler size and will post the adult size as soon as I can.

The pattern is available in all of my stores, Etsy, Craftsy, and of course, Ravelry!

Here’s how it looks:

Baby Leprechaun - St Patrick's Day, pattern now available!

To celebrate, I’m giving away two copies of the pattern for free!  All you have to do to win is comment on this original post (on missneriss.com), and I will draw a random winner on Wednesday 12 March!  I will announce the lucky winners here and they will also be contacted by email.

Good luck, and thanks so much for your ongoing support!

Updated 13 March 2014

And the winners are:

Suzy and Patricia!  Congratulations, the pattern is on its way to you!

Crochet Mood Blanket February Progress Report

For the entire month of February it was zero.  That’s right, zilch.  Niets.  Nada.

I don’t know what happened, truly.  On January 31 I was busy and happy and enjoying making my mood blanket, then on February 1 it was like the lights went out.  I put the progress in the cupboard and was busy with other things that interested me more.

But, the guilt became too much.  Be damned if I’m going to give up on this project!  It may not have a years worth of squares at the end, or it may become a cushion (god I hope not), but it will become something!

I spent the last few evenings on the couch trying to catch up as best as I could, so as of today (March 4), I’m only about 12 days behind.  I’ve completely given up on the mood concept, and am just adding random colours and letting it grow.

Here it is:

I still love the colours, and I love the feel of the blanket and it makes me very happy, I just need to be more motivated to finish the bloody thing!

How’s your progress?

Just for your info, I bought the pattern for the blanket from babylovebrand.net and the yarn is Cotton Light by Drops.

#crochetmoodblanket2014 update on missneriss.com

 

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Cabbage Patch Kids are the new Black

I’m calling it. Minions are over and Cabbage Patch Kids are back! Well, I don’t really believe that myself, but it seems everywhere I look I see cute babies wearing Cabbage Patch Kids hats.

Did you have one as a child? I think I was the only girl at school not to have one (I didn’t have any My Little Ponies either, poor me) and now all of a sudden I’m in an age group where it’s time to be nostalgic for all things 80s!

This last week I had two orders to make these Cabbage Patch Kids hats, and I found a great free pattern from the Dearest Debi site. The pattern is for a newborn, but it is extremely easy to up-size it to whatever you need.

Here are the results of my endeavours:

Cabbage Patch Kid hat on missneriss.com.  Based on a FREE pattern by Dearest Debi.

What do you think about this new craze to be rocking the crochet world? I’ve never been a fan of Cabbage Patch Kids. I prefer the Garbage Gang/pail Kids instead. But everything comes back into fashion, so best to just embrace it!