Tag Archives: ldotb

Move over Kim Kardashian, I’m in Simply Crochet!

Posted on October 3, 2016 | 3 comments

Actually, I’m quite surprised I didn’t have to google how to spell Kardashian. But then, some things are so ingrained in pop culture we learn by osmosis.

Anyway, Simply Crochet!

In the current issue of Simply Crochet magazine, there is an entire feature on the amazing Last Dance on the Beach CAL that I contributed to earlier this year.

If you’re not familiar with the CAL, my friend Marinke was in the process of designing a CAL for Scheepjes when she passed away in 2015, and so twelve designers (and friends) banded together to finish what she started. The result was the Last Dance on the Beach CAL, with each week’s square created by a different designer, based on their own individual experience and inspiration.

Simply Crochet contributor Judy Darley has written a beautiful feature about the journey that the designers have been on during this CAL, and how Wink had impacted our lives through friendship and design.

I designed the square for week 5 of the CAL, taking my inspiration from the footprints that birds leave in the wet sand while they’re foraging for worms or snails left behind as the tide goes out.

For the project, I came up with my own stitch, calling it the Seagull Stitch. It’s a variation of the spike stitch, creating the shape of footprints. I created a little video tutorial (for lefties) here:

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

It has been such a privilege to be involved in this project. Marinke affected so many of us, in her crochet and even more so as herself. It’s not too late to join the CAL either. You can download all of the instructions here.

Issue 49 of Simply Crochet is available now, and image credits for the snapshot of Wink and the title, plus the extract of a quote from me are from Simply Crochet.

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Posted in ScheepjesCAL2016

Tagged last dance on the beach, ldotb, simply crochet

Last Dance on the Beach CAL – Week 11

Posted on June 29, 2016 | Leave a comment

It’s almost over! This week brings us the penultimate square of the Scheepjes CAL 2016. The weeks have flown by, have you managed to keep up? I know that I haven’t!

Let me introduce you to Annelies. Not that she needs any introduction, mind you. Annelies was the designer behind the Flight of Fancy CAL last year and is world famous for her designs. You cannot pick up a crochet magazine without falling in love with one of her designs. One of my favourites is the Flower Mosaic Shawl with about a billion tiny flower motifs. There’s no way I would ever have the patience to make one, but I wish I did!

Please do pop over and read Annelies’ post about her inspiration. She also touches on the deep effects of social media on designers – something I can absolutely relate to; the idea that if you wouldn’t say it to someone directly, please think twice before hitting Send.

Click here to download the pattern from the Scheepjes website. As usual, Esther has created a fantastic series of videos in English, Dutch and for us lefties.To help you with your gauge and tension, visit the Tips and Tricks document at the CAL home page, plus a great video, again by Esther here.

Do make sure you share your squares on social media so we can all see and comment on them. Use hashtag #scheepjesCAL2016 or #lastdanceonthebeach all over the internet and I’ll be sure to find them on Insta or Twitter or Facebook.

Last Dance on the Beach CAL – Week 10

Posted on June 22, 2016 | 1 comment

You’re going to love this week!

Sarah identifies as a knitter, rather than a crocheter, but for the last wee while she’s been moonlighting; indulging in her secondary craft: crochet.

Sarah was also very close friends with Wink; do read her post sharing her love for Wink. Her post this week will inspire you, in ways only Sarah can do.

Sarah has created a beautiful crochet that looks knitted! Isn’t that just the coolest idea?

Click here to download the pattern from the Scheepjes website. As usual, Estherhas created a fantastic series of videos in English, Dutch and for us lefties.To help you with your gauge and tension, visit the Tips and Tricks document at the CAL home page, plus a great video, again by Esther here.

Do make sure you share your squares on social media so we can all see and comment on them. Use hashtag #scheepjesCAL2016or#lastdanceonthebeach all over the internet and I’ll be sure to find them on Insta or Twitter or Facebook.

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Tagged crochet, haken, last dance on the beach, ldotb, scheepjes, ScheepjesCAL2016, yarn

Last Dance on the Beach CAL – Week 9

Posted on June 15, 2016 | 1 comment

How did you go with the waffle stitch? I have to be honest, I haven’t picked up a ball of CAL yarn in more than a week – I’ve had a million other things to think about. So I’d love to know what you thought of it!

Now we meet Dedri. Well, I’m sure you already know Dedri, and have quite likely spent the last year or so making Sophie’s Universe, right? Do pop over and say hi on her site Look at What I Made; Dedri is the undisputed queen of the giant motif!

Dedri has designed a beautiful square for this week, I think you’re going to love it. Be sure to read about her square and the inspiration behind it.

Click here to download the pattern from the Scheepjes website. As usual, Estherhas created a fantastic series of videos in English, Dutch and for us lefties.To help you with your gauge and tension, visit the Tips and Tricks document at the CAL home page, plus a great video, again by Esther here.

Do make sure you share your squares on social media so we can all see and comment on them. Use hashtag #scheepjesCAL2016or#lastdanceonthebeach all over the internet and I’ll be sure to find them on Insta or Twitter or Facebook.

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Tagged crochet, haken, last dance on the beach, ldotb, look at what I made, ScheepjesCAL2016

Last Dance on the Beach CAL – Week 8

Posted on June 8, 2016 | 3 comments

Isn’t this CAL just flying by?

How did you go last week? Did you just love the heart square? I certainly did. Although, I’ve only made one so far – I need a lot more hours in the day. Having to work isn’t awesome, I could use those hours to crochet!

This week we meet Jellina from Jellina’s Creations. I’m sure you’ve already seen (or made) Jellina’s work. I especially love her Escher style projects; they are mind-bendingly good. Jellina blogs mostly in Dutch, so google translate is your friend if you don’t know the language.

Jellina has designed a waffle stitch square for you. It’s another technique that I have never tried, so I’m eager to get started! Make sure you visit her post this week about her inspiration (which is seriously cool, btw) and what this project means to her.

Click here to download the pattern from the Scheepjes website. As usual,Estherhas created a fantastic series of videos in English, Dutch and for us lefties.To help you with your gauge and tension, visit the Tips and Tricks document at the CAL home page, plus a great video, again by Esther here.

Do make sure you share your squares on social media so we can all see and comment on them. Use hashtag #scheepjesCAL2016or#lastdanceonthebeach all over the internet and I’ll be sure to find them on Insta or Twitter or Facebook.

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Tagged CAL, crochet, haken, last dance on the beach, ldotb, scheepjes, ScheepjesCAL2016, scheepjeswol

Last Dance on the Beach CAL – Week 7

Posted on June 1, 2016 | 4 comments

We’ve cracked the halfway point of the squares for the Scheepjes CAL 2016. I could see from all the wonderful Instagram posts from last week how much you all enjoyed Carmen’s C2C. I had never done it before and I LOVED it!

This week we meet Maria, the creative and wonderfully cheeky soul behind 50 Shades of 4ply. Maria has an incredible eye for colour, I love her palette choices every single time she makes something. Maria is a featured designer in the brand new Scheepjes bookazine, Yarn, which is just another reason for you to get a copy*.

Maria has designed the square that if I am perfectly honest, I’ve been the most excited about. It’s the heart square!

Click here to download the pattern from the Scheepjes website. As usual, Estherhas created a fantastic series of videos in English, Dutch and for us lefties.To help you with your gauge and tension, visit the Tips and Tricks document at the CAL home page, plus a great video, again by Esther here.

Do make sure you share your squares on social media so we can all see and comment on them. Use hashtag #scheepjesCAL2016or#lastdanceonthebeach all over the internet and I’ll be sure to find them on Insta or Twitter or Facebook.

*Affiliate link

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Tagged crochet, haken, last dance on the beach, ldotb, MissNeriss, scheepjes, ScheepjesCAL2016, yarn

It’s my Week! Last Dance on The Beach CAL – Week 5

Posted on May 18, 2016 | 15 comments

That’s right, it’s my week!

I basically grew up at the beach in country South Australia and I’ve always loved following footprints in the wet ripples at low tide.

When I look at this image I’m transported back there – the smell of the ocean, the birds calling, the waves crashing, the children splashing. Then I think of the fish and chips, the sunscreen, the joy.

When someone says to me, what is your happy place I’m there. Sitting on the sand, the sun on my face, the warm sand between my toes, free.

And so, my inspiration led to this square, which you can download the instructions for here.

I call it Footprints in the Sand; I hope you enjoy it.

I’ve kept it pretty light hearted throughout this CAL so far, and I haven’t really touched on how much this project has impacted my life.

Last year, after months of pain and the overwhelming feeling that I was going to die, I was diagnosed with burnout. I was exhausted, sick and miserable, but hadn’t realised until my GP told me that all my intense physical symptoms were caused by stress.

Needless to say, I collapsed. Just fell in a heap and couldn’t deal with anything. It was all I could do to carry out basic functions, and the only solace I could find was in crochet. I spent days, weeks really, hiding from the world crocheting.

And then Wink died.

Her death hit me harder than I ever could have imagined. She was one of my crochet heroes and my friend. The weeks and months that followed were very difficult for me; trying to recover, terrified of the slippery slope. It took a long time, but as we emerged from winter, I could feel the light warming my face and my heart again. Being given the opportunity to contribute to this tribute is truly an honour and I’m so proud to be able to participate.

To help you make this square this week I have a few tips that will ensure you enjoy the design.

Below is a short photo tutorial of the Seagull Stitch itself, and Esther from It’s All in a Nutshell has created a fantastic video in English, Dutch and for left-handers like me.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When creating the Seagull Stitch, do make sure you pull your loops all the way up to be level with the working row, otherwise your square will shrink in height.

If you do find that your gauge is off height-wise, no problem, just add or remove two rows to add or take away a footprint.

I used a 4mm hook for this square, and if I compare this to the other squares that I’ve made so far (still on week three), I’ve used either a 4 or a 5mm hook. So, you can probably use the same hook you used on Esther’s square in week one.

This is also a bit of a “rest week.” After the challenging designs of the last few weeks, this one will give you a bit of a break so you can just sit, count and crochet.

I hope you have fun, I’ll be popping in and out of the Facebook groups over the next week to see how you are all going and to answer questions. For the Dutch language group, click here and for the global, English speaking group go here.

To help you with your gauge and tension, visit the Tips and Tricks document at the CAL home page, plus a great video, again by Esther here.

As always, do make sure you share your squares on social media so we can all see and comment on them. Use hashtag #scheepjesCAL2016 or#lastdanceonthebeach all over the internet and I’ll be sure to find them on Insta or Twitter or Facebook. Don’t forget to tag me – @miss__neriss.

Good luck, and enjoy!

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Tagged crochet, haken, last dance on the beach, ldotb, ScheepjesCAL2016

Last Dance on the Beach CAL – Week 4

Posted on May 11, 2016 | 1 comment

Surely it’s not week four already? Didn’t week three just start yesterday?!

This week it’s Atty’s turn, with her waves square.

Atty’s designs are fabulous. I love watching her create, it’s like her hands have minds of their own – the motifs grow and change and suddenly they’re there, and beautiful.

Click here to download the pattern from the Scheepjes website. As usual, Esther has created a fantastic series of videos in English, Dutch and for us lefties.

To help you with your gauge and tension, visit the Tips and Tricks document at the CAL home page, plus a great video, again by Esther here.

Happy Hooking!

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Tagged CAL, crochet, haken, ldotb, MissNeriss, scheepjes, ScheepjesCAL2016

Last Dance on the Beach CAL – Week 3

Posted on May 9, 2016 | 1 comment

We’re already into week three, the CAL is flying by!

This week it’s Tatsiana’s turn with her beautiful sunsets in the waves square.

Tatsiana is the seriously talented designer of Lilla Bjorn’s Crochet World, of which I’m sure you’re very familiar. Her intricate overlay mandalas are beautiful, and so are the light knitted garments she creates.

You can download this week’s instructions here.

Again, Amazing Esther of It’s all in a Nutshell has produced English, Dutch and lefthanded videos for this square:

Now, this square has been scaring people a bit. It looks and sounds complicated, but I promise, the effort is worth it for the result. Tatsiana has added some very important and useful tips to her blog post this week, so you should definitely visit that before you start.

Don’t forget to work with your gauge swatch again, you may have to go up a hook size for this one if your cabling is tight. Do try to keep your hands relaxed and you’ll be fine! And remember, there are thousands of crocheters in the FB groups to help you out if you need it.

To help you with your gauge and tension, visit the Tips and Tricks document at the CAL home page, plus a great video, again by Esther here.

I’ll be back in a couple of days with info on next week’s square, by Atty!

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Tagged CAL, crochet, haken, last dance on the beach, ldotb, lillabjorn, ScheepjesCAL2016

Reuniting The Blogger Tribe

Posted on April 12, 2016 | 12 comments

I’m deep in the Come Down from the weekend. Properly miserable.

I have just experienced the most inspirational and energy-filled weekend with the most wonderful group of bloggers; my Blogger Tribe. And now it’s over, I’m devastated.

I exaggerate, obviously. But, there is a very definite come down effect. I went to dinner with friends last night, and while they were all chatting and laughing, I wasn’t really feeling myself. I just wanted to be transported back to the weekend and to hang out with my blogger girls.

Each year Scheepjes hosts a Blogger Weekend and I’m lucky enough for this to be my third year. We started with a small handful of ladies; and now look at us!

This year we descended upon the beautiful city of Groningen in the north east of the Netherlands. If you haven’t been, you must. It hosts one of the best Saturday markets in the country, along with some of the most lovely architecture and it has the coolest vibe. Plus the shopping is amazing!

We spent the first day being let loose in the warehouse to feel all the buttons, squish the yarn, and gasp over the gorgeous fabrics. The girls were all laughing at me because I needed two people to help me carry everything! So be warned, there are a LOT of projects coming from me in the coming months!

We had a great session in the afternoon with tech editor Cara Medus, learning some of the fundamentals of garment design. I’m pleased that although I’m not a fan of maths, I can understand formulas, so what I learned is going to be VERY useful and I can’t wait to put it into practice!

We were also extremely lucky to learn some of the inside gossip, and see some of what’s coming up in the next 6-12 months from Scheepjes, and let me tell you, it’s revolutionary! For a small family business, they’re visionaries and are only going to grow and become industry leaders – mark my words! I’m so excited to be along for the ride.

I wonder what this could be all about…..?

I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you…

Suddenly we were all at dinner, and then all the young’uns retired while the Usual Suspects headed for the bar until stupid o’clock with a few bottles of wine and a lot of laughter and a few tears.

Feeling a little rough after a short nap overnight, it was time for round two! One of the biggest highlights was finally being able to see the finished Last Dance on the Beach CAL blankets that we all designed together in memory of our Beloved Wink. Seriously, these blankets are beautiful. Spectacular. Absolute heirloom pieces. I had no idea, and I mean, absolutely none, that the blankets would be as beautiful as they are. It’s difficult to tell the difference between the Merino Soft and Colour Crafter. The biggest tell is the weight – the Merino Soft is quite a bit heavier than the Colour Crafter, and a bit silkier to touch. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d be impressed by an acrylic yarn blanket!

Here’s the Stars (lovely picture by Dedri)

I also spent a bit of time with Esther filming a quick left handed segment for her instructional video for my square. You’ll be able to see my shaking hands in person when it’s my week!

I even took the plunge and have started learning to knit socks! Tammy has been at me for ages to do it, but I just thought it would be too hard. Then I saw her busy with two at a time using the Magic Loop method and they look so easy! So, Sarah gave me a quick course on how to do Judy’s Magic Cast-on and how to increase using her finger and thumb method and I was away! Well, kind of. My knitting skills are not very advanced, so there was a random yarnover creating a hole, then somehow I managed to mess up my stitch count, so I had to rip it all out and start over. by second attempt is much, much better and I just wanna knit all the socks!

I didn’t take any decent photos as usual, but you can see some great shots taken by the other girls on their blogs and Instagram.

Here we are all together with the amazing Dance Under the Stars blanket

From left to right we have Kirsten from Haak maar Raak, Jellina from Jellina Creations, Esther from It’s all in a Nutshell, Dedri (at the back) from Look at What I Made, Carmen (front) from Crafty Queens, Esther (back) from Happy in Red, Christa (front) from the Curio Crafts Room, Mr Scheepjes (Job), Atty (in front of Mr Scheepjes) from Atty’s, Tatiana from Lilla Bjorn Crochet, Bernadette (back) from Berniolie, Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch, Me, Tammy from Canadutch, and Maria from 50 Shades of 4ply. Missing was Annelies from Vicarno, and Susan from Felted Button (we missed you girls!!!!!).

All too soon it was over. It was time to get in the car, leave these lovely women, and make the sad journey home. Now I have a with a head absolutely chock full of inspiration and a heart wishing I could go back in time and hit pause so I could stay there forever. There’s still more I have to tell you about the goodies we received, but that’s for another day!

Thank you so much to Job and our Tribe Builder and the rest of the team at Scheepjes. It’s such an honour to be part of this cool group of women, these girls have changed my world.

Now excuse me, I have socks to knit.