Tag Archives: crochet

Cherry Blossom Shawl – The Big Reveal.

Posted on February 6, 2017 | 187 comments

So, what do you think?

I finished it a few days ago, and I haven’t taken it off since!

The shawl is an asymmetrical construction, and the colours really shine.

I added some tassles with the tiny bit of left-over yarn I had, it was just serendipitous that they happened to match the endpoints perfectly.

And do you know what the best thing is? The Scheepjes Wanderlust is 100% acrylic, so aside from being crazy soft, it doesn’t need blocking!

Next week I’ll have the pattern ready for you, so in preparation, pop over to either your favourite Scheepjes Retailer, or Wool Warehouse* and grab yourself 3 balls in your favourite colourway so you’ll be ready to crack on!

Which brings me to the giveaway. Together with Scheepjes, I’m giving you the chance to win three balls of Wanderlust in your favourite colourway so you can make this shawl!

All you have to do is comment below with the one place in the world that your wanderlust is dying to take you, along with your favourite colourway.

Thanks everyone for your entries, this giveaway is now closed.

The fine print: This giveaway is open worldwide. Please comment using an email address that I can reach you on easily and to make sure you find out that you’ve won, subscribe up on the top right corner. I’ll announce the winner when I launch the pattern on Monday 13th of feb.

*Affiliate link

187 Comments

Posted in free pattern, Pattern, Scheepjes

Tagged cherry blossom shawl, crochet, free pattern, haken, hirosaki, wanderlust

It’s That Time Again: A New Crochet Project

Posted on January 23, 2017 | 5 comments

I think you’re going to love this one, it’s using another brand new yarn from Scheepjes.

The yarn is called Wanderlust and it comes in 19 shades, all named for some of the coolest places on earth. However, there are no Australian places mentioned, so…..

I’m using Hirosaki for this project, and it absolutely evokes the cherry blossoms of early spring, what do you think?

The yarn is 100% acrylic and is single spun, so it has a lovely silky shiny softness about it. I’m using a 5mm hook and it’s crocheting up very quickly, with minimal snagging and splitting. It’s a 100g ball, with 232 metres of yarn. And at around 4.75 euro a ball, it’s very budget friendly!

This is most definitely my favourite colourway, with Bangkok being a close second. I love the colour changes, let’s have a peek inside the ball

Next week I’ll have more pictures of my work in progress, and you can start stalking your favourite retailers as of the 26th, when it will be available to buy from places like Wool Warehouse* globally and Scheepjes retailers in the Benelux.

*Affiliate link

5 Comments

Posted in Scheepjes

Tagged crochet, hirosaki, new project, scheepjes, wanderlust, yarn, yarn arrival

Chunky Camel Stitch Hat – Reveal!

Posted on December 14, 2016 | 1 comment

I have wanted to share photos of this hat for ages and ages, but I finally have it for you!

This is Raina with her Opa having the best time ever! Seriously, don’t you miss being small enough to ride on shoulders?

I managed to bribe her to sit still long enough to take one photo on her own, but she was way too busy searching for chestnuts, acorns and toadstools to pay much attention to me.

In the end I decided: If you can’t beat them, join them and went foraging too.

Now, the pattern is ready for this, and I’m going to post it in a few days. I’ll also have more pictures, this time in the adult size!

To get prepared and have the yarn ready, here’s where you can get hold of the yarn:

Globally: Wool Warehouse*
UK: Deramores*
US: Deramores*
Benelux retailers
South Africa: Be Inspired

You’ll need a ball of Hilversum and either Eelde or Zwolle (or both if you want to make two hats like I have).

*affiliate link

1 Comment

Posted in free pattern, Pattern, Scheepjes, Uncategorized

Tagged camel stitch, chunky hat, colour crafter, crochet, hat

A New Crochet Hat Design

Posted on November 15, 2016 | 9 comments

This is a new project that came about basically by accident. I was pulling out all the winter gear a few weeks ago and realised that all the winter hats I made my daughter last year are all too small! So it means with the colder weather, she really needs a new hat (or two).

I decided to make it using the Scheepjes Colour Crafter, because being a premium acrylic it’s perfect for hats for kids. Plus, the colours are fabulous! I’ve chosen Eelde (left), Zwolle and Hilversum – all colours which are perfect matches for my daughter’s personality.

I’m using a technique which you’ll discover over the coming months is one of my favourite methods of turning a light weight yarn into something more bulky, and it’s seriously one you need in your crochet toolbox. I’ve even created a little video to illustrate it for you:

So for this hat project, you’ll need two balls of yarn. Well, one and a half really. I’ve used three of these balls to make two hats – one in a child’s size, and another for an adult. This means I’m all sorted for winter too!

I’m going to release the pattern in a few weeks, so in the meantime you can get yourself organised in advance by picking up the yarn from either Wool Warehouse* or Deramores* (globally), or from any of the wonderful Benelux retailers. Oh, and you’re also going to need a pompom maker*

*Affiliate links

9 Comments

Posted in Scheepjes

Tagged colour crafter, crochet, hat, scheepjes

Piha Shawl in Spirit Yarn

Posted on November 4, 2016 | 3 comments

Finally!

I’ve been waiting to share this one with you for months!

It’s the Piha Shawl by Alia Bland (The Little Bee).

I used the brand new beautiful Spirit yarn by Scheepjes. Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch summed up all the details perfectly, so if you’re after an in depth review head over there – Sarah is your girl!

Some of the basics: Spirit is a 4ply yarn that looks and feels a lot like Stone Washed, plus it’s a centre-pull yarn, which we all know is the best idea ever. Each yarn is named after a spirit animal, and I’ve used Blue Jay and Flamingo.

But back to the shawl. I absolutely loved making this. The yarn is lovely to work with (although it’s not fun to frog, so do take care) and the pattern is so easy and just beautiful

And now the colder weather is upon us it’s a staple in my wardrobe. Although, I just bought a new – red – coat so I’ll have to make another!

The only change I would make to this is to make it a bit bigger. I think my gauge must have been a bit off, so although it’s wonderful to wear around my neck, it’s not big enough for a shawl for me. But, you can see that the happiness factor is high!

The Scheepjes Spirit yarn is available in all the regular locations, including Wool Warehouse*, Deramores*, and all the great stores in the Benelux.

*Affiliate link

3 Comments

Posted in Scheepjes

Tagged crochet, misneriss, piha shawl, scheepjes, spirit, the little bee

Too Cute Spooky Crochet Wreath for Halloween

Posted on October 22, 2016 | Leave a comment

My daughter is mad about Halloween. She’s been talking about this year’s costume since last Halloween. She’s been planning this longer than her birthday party!

We’re away on holidays in the lead up to this year, so I won’t have the time to replicate last year’s epic La Muerte costume so instead this year I’ve channelled my energies into making a Halloween wreath.

I used a foam circle which I picked up at my local craft store, and a ball of the new Scheepjes Panda Sparkle and went for it!

I first wrapped the foam in the sparkle yarn (using about half of it) and then I made some cute little amigurumi Halloween critters for decoration.

I’m especially happy with the spider web and little redback spider in the middle.

Raina insisted on there being a vampire and a witch, and would have been happy if it had been completely covered in pumpkins, but one has to draw the line somewhere!

To make the amigurumis I picked up some Scheepjes Catona 25g balls in Halloween colours and rifled through my Catona stash for anything that I had missed (It’s quite the stash!). I only used small amounts, so this is where the 25g balls are just the best.

The Panda Sparkle is a great decoration or amigurumi yarn. It’s loads of fun and the wee one is already making more plans for the leftovers. A spooky spider garland, perhaps….

The Panda and Catona yarns are available from Wool Warehouse* globally, and great Scheepjes retailers in the Benelux I’ve seen it at Ria’s Style here in Almere actually!

Yarn Day: Secret Garden

Posted on September 28, 2016 | 2 comments

This week Scheepjes launched another brand new yarn. Seriously, I can’t keep up with them all, there are so many! This one is the silk blend Secret Garden.

Among the Blogger Tribe, this one has been much anticipated. We were lucky enough to be given a sneak peek and there was lots of oohing and aahing and rubbing yarn on our faces.

So I’m excited to give you a little show and tell!

I have these three colours – Rambling Blooms, Herb Garden and Falling Blossom for a top secret project that I’m working on, but I also wanted to show you how it crochets. I whipped up this granny:

It shows off the colours in Rambling Blooms beautifully, don’t you think?

About the yarn; it’s a silk (20%), cotton (20%) and polyester (60%) blend, and the recommended hook/needles sizes is 4mm. I’ve gone up to a 5mm though, as I think that suits my style much better. The fabric of my granny is quite dense, so it would be forgiving using a 6mm even. It’s available in 10 shades, I’m looking forward to trying them all.

I see that this yarn is going to be a knitter’s dream. I’m already thinking of the beautiful shawls and tops I’m going to be seeing in the very near future!

The yarn goes on sale today, so do keep an eye on your favourite stockists in the Benelux, and Wool Warehouse and Deramores will also have you covered no matter where you live in the world. If you can’t find it straight away, pop back again for another look.

To find more inspiration, do join the #scheepjes hashtag on Instagram, there are thousands of beautiful gorgeous pics!

2 Comments

Posted in Scheepjes, Yarn

Tagged crochet, deramores, scheepjes, secret garden, wool warehouse, yarn

Progress Report – Aquarel Blanket

Posted on September 16, 2016 | Leave a comment

This one is taking me ages! Not because I don’t love it, but because I’m also working on a few other designs concurrently – projects I can’t share yet.

I love working on it though. It’s a great project that you can half concentrate on. Not completely mindless, but enough so I can watch some trash tv at the same time, or listen to my favourite podcasts.

I think I have about seven blocks of rows to go, so I’m more than half way. It’ll be ready some time in the next month or so I hope. It already reaches from my toes to my chest and it is soooooo stretchy! It’s going to be the perfect curl up on the couch and tuck all the edges in so you don’t get cold toes blanket ever!

When I asked on Instagram what the fastest anyone had finished a blanket, there were some crazy responses! Like, four days, less than a week, crazy stuff! Check out some of the responses below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nerissa 👩🏼🇦🇺🇳🇱 (@miss__neriss)

What are you working on this week?

Don’t forget: You can get hold of the Scheepjes Aquarel at Wool Warehouse (they ship everywhere)* and Scheepjes retailers throughout the Benelux.

*Affiliate link

Progress Update – Aquarel Crochet Project

Posted on August 30, 2016 | 3 comments

I’ve been a busy little bee over the last couple of weeks since I last posted. I’ve made great progress on my latest Scheepjes project, made with Softfun Aquarel. It’s going to be a blanket, and so far it’s looking amazing!

That is a shot I took before I went on holiday two weeks ago, and the blanket has since travelled around Scandinavia and increased dramatically in size!

It’s actually grown even more since I took these pics!

The chevron is so fun to do, it’s lovely and soothing creating the zig zags and feeling the yarn come to life in all it’s squishy glory.

It won’t be finished in the next week, but I’ll be sure to post more progress shots as I go – make sure you check out my Instagram feed to keep updated. As soon as I’m finished I’ll let you know exactly how much of each colour you’ll need to make this (so far it’s looking like about 6 balls of each colour except the purple, which will likely be 8).

You can get hold of the Scheepjes Aquarel at Wool Warehouse (they ship everywhere)* and Scheepjes retailers throughout the Benelux. I can recommend my local yarn store Caro’s Atelier – look local first!

*This post contains affiliate links

3 Comments

Posted in Projects, Scheepjes

Tagged blanket, crochet, crochet blanket, haken, scheepjes, softfun, softfun aquarel, WIP

New Scheepjes Yarn, New Crochet Plan

Posted on August 9, 2016 | 3 comments

Today I’m kicking off a new Scheepjes crochet project, and I can’t wait to share it!

It’s another Scheepjes Softfun Aquarel* project, do you recognise the colours?

That’s right – they’re the same as the colours I used for my Textured Chevron Cushion earlier this year.

That can only mean one thing: companion project!

I’m still just as in love with the colours of this yarn as I was when it was first released. I also just love working with the yarn. It’s lovely and soft and has amazing stitch definition. Plus it’s squishy and bouncy; perfect for what I’m making.

So, what am I making? Well, I’ll leave you to speculate for a while….

Stay tuned for next week when I start posting teaser pics. I’m sure it won’t take you long to guess what it will be.

You can pick up the gorgeous Scheepjes Aquarel at Wool Warehouse (they ship everywhere)* and Scheepjes retailers throughout the Benelux. In fact, my local yarn store Caro’s Atelier stocks Aquarel, and I love to support a great local business!

*Note: affiliate links.