Tag Archives: pinterest

2016 – Another Inspired Year of Crochet?

Posted on January 4, 2016 | 2 comments

Happy New Year!

Last week I took a look back at the inspiring year of crochet that was 2015, and this week I’m going to take a look forward.

Firstly though, thanks for all your lovely comments on social media about my health – it’s my number one goal this year to sort it out. I’m sure it’s totally fine, but I’m an anxious person. So having something hanging over my head – imagined or not – is stressful.

Anyway, crochet!

This year I want MissNeriss to be all about community and sharing. Actually, this is what I’ve wanted it to be all along, and I made a few attempts in the past, but 2016 is the year it happens!

Late last year I created a Pinterest community, where we can all share our crochet inspirations. Have you seen it? I’d love you to join, by the way.

Just click through to the board and follow the instructions. Or comment below, but make sure you use the same email ID that is linked to your Pinterest account, otherwise I can’t find you.

I’m also considering starting a Facebook group for others who are just as obsessed with crochet. I know, there are seemingly a million groups out there for crochet lovers, but some fit better than others, know what I mean? What do you think? Would you join me?

And while we’re on social, you know by now that I’m completely bananas about Instagram. It’s another goal this year to post more photos, and to interact even more with amazing people there. I’m also planning on starting a blog/insta series, where I’ll share my favourite Instagram photos from the last week. I’m working on a hashtag to use to keep track of all the pics, but if you want to make sure you don’t miss out, please follow me so we can connect!

The pics I loved this year. I'm in love with all the overviews, so had to share my own. #2015bestnine #crochet #2015bestninecrochet

A photo posted by Nerissa | Crochet | Haken (@miss__neriss) on Dec 29, 2015 at 5:31am PST

And finally (well, not finally, but enough for now!), I’m hoping to post more tech tips. I loved putting those together, so if there’s something mysterious about blogging, social media, automation, or whatever, leave a comment here or on FB and I’ll see if I can work on it for you.

Oh! I can’t leave without talking a bit about designs that are in the works. I’m busy with a few project together with Scheepjes – going back to Stone Washed, my great love. Plus at least two projects using their beautiful Mohair and Alpaca Rhythm yarns. There are also a couple of top secret projects that I’m dying to tell you about, but then I’d have to kill you….

I’ve just finished reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and it has inspired me truly. So, expect some Big Magic from me this year!

What Big Magic can I expect from you? Happy 2016!

2 Comments

Posted in Happy new year, Uncategorized

Tagged big magic, community board, crochet, facebook group, grow your blog, pinterest, tech tips

Join my Pinterest Crochet Community?

Posted on August 20, 2015 | 25 comments

We all love Pinterest. You KNOW how much I love Pinterest. I’ve been happily pinning away for a few years now and I love how I can always find inspiration. When I first started crocheting it was my main source of patterns (I had never heard of Ravelry) and now I mostly love it for the pure visual pleasure that it brings me. Bright, colourful images, incredible projects; it just makes me happy.

This is my favourite pin right now (for obvious reasons):

So I decided I want to share the joy, and build a Pinterest community. Just this week I created a new board, called “Obsessed with Crochet – Community” and I’ve opened it up to everyone who loves crochet.

The concept is that you join the board, either by commenting below with your Pinterest ID or sending an email to missnerisscrochet@gmail.com and then I’ll add you and together we go crazy pinning all the pins! (Clicking the image below will also take you straight to the board so you can follow it too.)

I’d love you to pin your projects, your inspiration, your designs. The only real rules are that you try to pin from the original source, and not pin too many pins in a row. Oh, and keep it crochet related. Over time I’ll see about adding more boards, for knitting and general yarn porn. But we need to learn to walk before we can run, right?

So what do you think? Will you join me?

25 Comments

Posted in Pinterest

Tagged community pinterest, crochet, haken, pinterest

Crochet Induced Insomnia

Posted on October 13, 2014 | Leave a comment

Last night I couldn’t sleep. I’ve never been a great sleeper, but since my daughter was born two and a half years ago, my old friend insomnia hasn’t been around much. Physical exhaustion has won the day mostly. But last night I couldn’t switch off. All I could think about were the mounting crochet projects that I have on the go, plus a mass of life business.

I’m in the process of applying for permanent residency here in the Netherlands, and I have to find the time to fit in a trip to Amsterdam to have my photo taken and to be fingerprinted (that’s new). Plus a host of my actual career projects that have to be done all at once and some semblance of a social life that I need to keep going – If I don’t, I’ll be out of friends! There’s only so long you can say “I’m so sorry, I’m just too busy!” before people stop believing you.

So needless to say, last night I was awake with my brain racing and trying to process everything that’s going on in my life while I was frantically adding items to my Must Do list. In and in an attempt to distract myself, I did what any social media freak would do, I checked Facebook, Instagram and then Pinterest. I had quite a few Pinterest alerts to check and was gobsmacked when I saw that one of my pins had been repinned 999 times!

View this post on Instagram

999 repins?! This pin just can't stop giving. I made this snuggle ages and ages ago from a Free(!) pattern by @dendennis and #Pinterest clearly loves it. So does my website stats, I have to tell you! Go pin it yourself, and follow me while you're at it. I have great taste 😉 http://pinterest.com/missneriss #croche #crochet #craftymama #haken #snuggle #pinterestaddict #igcrochet #amigurumi

A post shared by Nerissa | Crochet | Haken 🇦🇺🇳🇱 (@miss__neriss) on Oct 12, 2014 at 1:31pm PDT

I’ve talked about this pin before, back when it had around 200 repins and I was amazed at that number, but now this morning it has cracked 1000 repins, and just won’t stop!

I have a few pins that I see getting a lot of (P)interest daily, including

and

Incidentally, I’ve never made this monkey. I just pinned it because I thought it was so cute.

The Dickie Birds are also doing well:

Ok, now I’ll shut up about Pinterest, sign off and go start work for the day. That To Do list won’t do itself!

Oh, and PS. If you want to pin the Elephant Snuggle yourself, you can:

Colour Challenges

Posted on October 9, 2014 | 1 comment

I love colour. My wardrobe is full of pinks, blues, greens and oranges (obviously I have to have orange – I live in the Netherlands). The trouble is, I don’t know how to put it together. I tend to find one colour combo that works and stick to it because I just don’t have a clue if this colour will go with that colour. I also have a tendency to buy what I like, forgetting to consider what I already have in my wardrobe that will match.

The problem has really spilled over to crochet. I have hundreds of different shades of yarns, but struggle to put them together and make a colour palette. It’s something that I’ve really been working on recently, trying to make easier, sensible choices. And by sensible, I mean complementary!

Enter Kirsten. We met at a blogger day in Tynaarlo of all places when we both went to visit the Scheepjeswol HQ in the summer (although it was the wettest summer day, ever). Kirsten writes a beautiful blog: Haak Maar Raak and has just recently hit Publish on a post that I must share with you right now!

In the post there are four fantastic tips which will help even the most colour-challenged among us (myself, mainly), including – you gotta read it to get it – squinting!

Can’t wait to put all of the tips into practice!

Colours to base a project palette, via haakmaarraak.nl and http://www.towneandreese.com/

Image courtesy of Kirsten’s Pinterest Board, Pure Awesomeness. Originally from http://www.towneandreese.com/

Read the tips for yourself Here.

What are your favourite rules to live by when it comes to creating a colour palette?

1 Comment

Posted in Curation

Tagged colour, haak maar raak, pinterest

Big Reveal – Miniman’s Nursing Necklace

Posted on October 7, 2014 | 4 comments

I just had to share this photo first. Isn’t that the cutest face you’ve ever seen, and can you even imagine that this baby has an identical twin?! It’s almost too much to bear!

Introducing Miniman’s Nursing Necklace. Unfortinately Miniman himself doesn’t live in the neighbourhood to pose for pictures himself, so I borrowed one of my friend Stephanie’s adorable babies for the morning so you could see for yourself how this wonderful necklace works.

The idea is that mama wears this while baby is nursing, or playing, or snuggling, or generally making mischief and it keeps those fingers occupied and out of mama’s hair, earrings, necklaces and from scratching sensitive skin. It also helps baby focus on the task at hand (essentially: feeding) and minimises distractions from the surrounding environment. When I took these pics, there were two toddlers running wild, another twin and also a dog around the place, but the necklace firmly captured this little one’s attention. Even when there was a real distraction, she wasn’t letting those beads go!

And…straight back again.

Next week, I’ll show you step-by-step how you can make one of these for yourself. You don’t have to be a nursing mama to wear one of these either – they are a lovely stylish accessory even if you don’t have one of these adorable twins to share!

The tutorial is now live, you can get it here!

P.S. I’ve also added this to the really cool Hookin on Hump Day link sharing party. Go check out all the great projects!

4 Comments

Posted in Projects, Scheepjes, Scheepjeswol

Tagged amigurumi, baby, baby necklace, cotton 8, craft, crochet, crochet pattern, free pattern, haken, hand made, handcrafted, handmade, jewellery, MissNeriss, nursing, nursing necklace, Obsessed with Crochet, pattern, pinterest, projects, scheepjes, scheepjeswol, teething necklace, yarn

Candace Scarf Pattern

Posted on April 15, 2014 | 5 comments

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:

When 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:

Instead 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.

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.)

5 Comments

Posted in Pattern, Patterns, Projects, Tutorials

Tagged chunky yarn, craft, crochet, crochet pattern, DIY, free pattern, haken, hand crafted, hand made, handcrafted, handmade, malabrigo, MissNeriss, Obsessed with Crochet, pattern, pinspiration, pinterest, projects, yarn

New Design: King’s Day Bunting Necklace

Posted on April 3, 2014 | 2 comments

Holland’s biggest party for the last 100 or so years – Queen’s Day – has been given a revamp. You see, last year Beloved Queen Beatrix decided to retire, and her son, Prince Willem Alexander became the first King of the Netherlands in more than 100 years.

Not only do we have a new word to learn – Koningsdag instead of Koniniginnendag (try saying that three times fast), we have a new day to celebrate – 26 April instead of 30 April. Well, I don’t know if this is the permanent date, or just the first date. You see, King Willem Alexander’s birthday falls on 27 April, which this year is a Sunday and he’s decided we can all celebrate on the Saturday instead.

Still with me?

So, to celebrate the first King’s Day, I’ve created a new design!

Want to get your hands on one? Well, you can! I’m making these for the lead up to King’s Day and they’re available to buy from my Etsy Store!

The necklace is €15 euros (plus shipping if you need it) and is made from a nickel-free silver plated chain and delicate cotton yarn.

2 Comments

Posted in Etsy, Projects

Tagged amigurumi, Art, chunky yarn, craft, crochet, etsy, haken, hand crafted, hand made, handcrafted, handmade, jewellery, King's Day, Koninginnendag, Koningsdag, MissNeriss, Obsessed with Crochet, pinspiration, pinterest, projects, Queen's Day, yarn

Spring Scarf – Pattern

Posted on March 20, 2014 | 19 comments

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.

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.

This morning it was dry, so I unpinned it and promptly started wearing it. I may never take it off, actually.

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

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.

Want to see more? Come join me on Facebook and on Instagram, where I spend the vast majority of my time…

*Affiliate Link

19 Comments

Posted in Pattern, Patterns, Tutorials, Yarn

Tagged chunky yarn, crochet, crochet pattern, DIY, free pattern, haken, hand crafted, hand made, handcrafted, handmade, hjertegarn, MissNeriss, Obsessed with Crochet, pattern, pinterest, projects, spring, yarn

Pinspiration #5

Posted on June 5, 2013 | 5 comments

The last few weeks have been flat out. Ridiculous. I lost a weekend making Roary 1.0, running out of yarn and having to start from scratch on Roary 2.0 in time for Monday (the yarn to finish Roary 1.0 is coming home today!), I’ve been busy making multiple Yoda and Rupsje hats (info and patterns to come on those soon) to send to Australia, plus the neon bug has bitten hard. I’ve been churning out owls and whales like nobody’s business!

Here are the whales that I posted on Pinterest yesterday:

Aren’t they adorable?

So what have I been doing on Pinterest this week? Well, to be honest, not a whole lot. You see, about a month ago my daughter somehow managed to crack my iPad screen (also known as my extra limb). It was still usable, until my lovely husband stepped on it early one morning after my daughter had been playing with it on the floor beside our bed. In his defence, early one morning actually equals the middle of the night (that’s how early she gets us up) and it was still quite dark. He couldn’t possibly have seen it.

So, off to the insurance it has gone to have the screen replaced. My iPad is my main connection to the world outside my home, so I’m feeling a bit lost without it. What a shock to my system to actually browse the Internet using a PC!

However. The yarn that I have grown to love over time and have found a use for almost every variety is from Drops. I use Paris and Cotton Light religiously for amigurumi projects, and the Big Merino is fast becoming my favourite for lovely warm hats. I’ve also found a fabulous supplier here in the Netherlands: Hobbydoos.nl. Well, to be honest, there are loads of great suppliers here (remind me to write about on my faves soon), but this one is fabulously reliable and most importantly: fast.

Here are some of the Drops patterns I’ve been inspired to make lately.

This one is actually for a project I’m starting very soon, I can’t wait to get started.

I’ve been looking at this bag for quite a long time actually. I love the colours.

Blankets are historically not my most favourite project, but this one looks great to have in the car or over my lap on cold evenings…

How cute are these piggy slippers. I love all things piggy. In fact Peppa Pig is our family favourite.

Pot-holders don’t usually light my fire, but these could convert me…

What I also love about Drops is that the site is international and multilingual and has about a gazillion free patterns for knitters and crocheters. They’re all well written and easy to follow.

What’s your favourite yarn? I’m becoming a yarn hoarder, so the more tips the better!

5 Comments

Posted in Drops, Pinterest, Projects

Tagged amigurumi, crochet, crochet pattern, drops, haken, pinterest

Pinspiration #3

Posted on May 3, 2013 | 15 comments

I have an obsession with mug cozies at the moment. Odd, as we are finally heading towards some warmer weather. But, as my husband reminds me, this is a great idea as I never finish a cup of tea in one sitting. It’s nothing for me to microwave my forgotten tea three times before finally abandoning it.

What I would to do be able to sit and savour a cup of hot, milky sweet English breakfast tea….

This one rocks my world. I just love the sailor tattoo style. I’m part-way through making something similar, completely coincidentally!