A little piece of happiness...

has come to live with me! Have you seen all the Nordic Shawls (pattern by Anette) that are displayed on so many crochet blogs? As soon as I had seen all these beauties I knew one day I would try this beautiful pattern. 

Well, I am a true shawl person. Considered by many an old ladies garment or something you only set eyes on in some old Jane Austen films, I just see cosiness, warmth and femininity. And it is a very functional garment, as well. I often take a shawl with me when leaving the house. You can use it as a pillow in the car, you can sit on it on the beach, you can put it around your head when a strong wind is suddenly blowing. And it is a good cover for children when they start freezing (after having an ice cream, for example). 

I was reaaally excited when I bought the yarn for this shawl. I have a soft spot for the Drops Cotton Merino yarn and it was no question for me that this yarn would be the right one for the pattern. The colour choice was quickly made, I love the beige shade of that yarn, especially combined with different shades of blue and green.

 It was not all easy going though. The time I spent ripping the colour block all back, I could have made two Nordic Shawls. But it was all my own fault I have to admit, for I couldn't make up my mind on the colour block. In my first try I used too much green, my second try was much too dark (too much marine).

 But I am glad I unpicked it two times because now I am really happy with the colours and how it turned out. 

Earnestly...

 I do LOVE it!!!!

 

  I do wear this shawl as often as I can. It really looks good with jeans and a white tunic. It is too warm to wear it these days but in the evenings I am very happy to get it on my shoulders again.

I am really in love with this piece of crochet happiness and I can only say thanks a lot to Anette for such a nice pattern! 

Last but not least I want to say a warm welcome to all new followers. I am so happy that you like my little blog and the things I create. I really love to read your comments and as soon as the weather is getting worse again, I will have a look at all your blogs, as well. 

I hope you have a nice weekend with lots of sun and fun!

Viola

 

Hurray! My first and wonderful rainbow ripple blanket is finished!

This is a post I thought I would never write. If someone had asked me one year ago if I would ever start to crochet a blanket I would have answered " Are you crazy? I will never buy such a great amount of yarn to start a project I am sure I 'll never finish!" And then after marvelling at so many beautiful blankets in the net I started a ripple blanket just a couple of months later. 

I decided upon this pattern because it looks just lovely and there are not so many loose ends you have to weave in as with a granny blanket for example. I used the pattern written by the wonderful Lucy of attic24. When I started the first stitches I always told myself that it could become a baby blanket, my brother is 33 years old and I am sure he will have a child sooner or later. But then the pattern really got me. It was so soothing and almost meditative to crochet these ripples that I never wanted to stop once I started. I don't know how many times I told my children "Oh I just have to finish this row before... 

                            

                  a) we have lunch, 

                  b) I'll help you with your homework, 

                  c) I'll come and have a look at what you've done

                  d) I'll make dinner... 

                       ... and so on and on and on. 

But my children loved this blanket very much as well and they were quite proud that I didn't forget it in some of the baskets or on some shelves where it would lie forever and ever. Instead they encouraged me to go on and to finish it. Lovely them! 
So here it is and please forgive the huge amount of pictures!

I used these 22 colours of Stylecraft Special DK. Don't they look gorgeous?

I used Stylecraft Special DK in the following 22 colours:

Sherbet, Turquoise, Petrol, Aspen, Cloud Blue, Denim, Clematis, Candy Floss, Lavender, Fondant, Raspberry, Pomegranate, Magenta, Shrimp, Lipstick, Claret, Citron, Saffron, Sunshine, Spring Green, Meadow and Bottle.

And when I finally finished the ripples, I pondered long about the edging. I knew that I wanted to make one but I wasn't sure about pattern. Just a couple of single crochet rows? Or some kind of shell stitch? But then again I found a pattern on Lucy's blog I liked a lot. You can find it here. I like this neat yet simple pattern very much, it puts the finishing touches to my blanket. What do you think?

My happy, happy blanket full of sunshine and felicity! It feels so good that I managed to finish it.

I just read a quotation by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that he must have written with crocheters in his mind: 

'Glücklich diejenigen, die im Praktischen gegründet sind und sich zu gründen wissen!'

I haven't found a good translation in the net but I can give it a try (if someone has got a better translation, please let me know!):  

'Happy those who are established in the practical and who know how to establish themselves.'

 

And this was the first time I took my lovely blanket outside. It was a fine and sunshiny day but as we are living in the Northern part of Germany, there is always a wind, and most of the times a quite strong wind. But I was quite find, wrapped in my new blanket, sipping a cup of hot tea and feeling happy, oh so happy!

I am so very, very happy with my blanket, though I am of two minds about the Stylecraft Special DK yarn. It is a pure acrylic yarn and I think that you can feel it. Lately I crocheted quite a few projects with a cotton/merino yarn and the difference between these two yarns is enormous. The feel of the cotton/ merino mix is much softer, warmer and more comfortable. 

But nevertheless I like my rainbow blanket incredibly and wouldn't want to change it. But the next blanket will be a cotton one, that's for sure! Yes, I will start a second blanket and I have already chosen a pattern, but more about this in my next post. 

Last but not least I just wanted to answer a question concerning the mandala that I have shown you in my last post, remember? 

 You asked about the pattern and you can find it here. It is a free pattern and really easy to follow. Enjoy!

My next post will be about my next blanket and about our trip to - guess where! - LONDON! I really can't believe it myself but we planned this trip months ago, all the four of us saving money to get there. The children desperately want to visit the Harry Potter Exhibition and they are very curious about this large and famous city. We will enjoy it so much.

Bless you,

Viola

Hooray! Something cosy, snuggly and warm is finally finished!

Hello everyone! 
In one of my last posts I showed you a picture of a small project I started some time ago. A small project relating to autumn and winter, something I am in very need when it is getting cold. Something that is almost essential for me to be able to get a good sleep. Something for my cold feet...

An old-fashioned hot water bottle cover! 

When I was blog surfing a while ago I came across the really lovely blog of Kate called 'Foxs Lane'. A few weeks ago she started a crochet along with this hottie pattern and I just couldn't resist trying it immediately. I love hooties because I just can't fall asleep when my feet are frozen.

So I took my everyday cotton yarn Lang Quattro and chose all the blue colours I could find in my stash.

Then I started making some simple granny squares choosing the colours randomly.

 I do love this colour combination very much. It reminds me of summer holidays, blue ocean, warm weather, endless beaches and a cool breathe that strokes your heated skin. When I cuddled on my sofa slowly crocheting these simple grannies, memories of golden summer holidays evoked in my mind. Crocheting is such a soothing occupation...

This afternoon I weaved in a few ends, enjoying a fine cup of tea and my finished hottie. I love, love, love it!

When I finished all ends I immediately felt the urge to fill the bottle with hot water though I didn't have the time to cuddle on the sofa. I had to fetch my son from school and bring my daughter to her gym lessons. Nevertheless I put the hottie on the sofa, it is now lying there in the arms of 'Frieda', my favourite cushion on the sofa (originally it's been a breastfeeding pillow). The hottie is patiently waiting for me, I will enjoy its warmth and cosiness this evening when sitting on the sofa, trying to finish the next project patiently waiting in my crocheting basket.  

I wonder if the cotton yarn was the right choice for it or if I should have chosen some snugly wool, merino wool for example. Has anyone any experience with crocheted hotties? Anyway, I will give my cotton hottie a try and if it is not as cosy as I had thought, maybe I'll just make another one from wool. This really is a nice little project, something you can just start while doing other things. Perfect! I am very, very happy! 

I hope that you will also have a comfortable, cosy and heartwarming evening. See you soon. I haven't forgotten my post about our trip to Yorkshire. I will write it soon!
Hugs, Viola

Yarndale and Yorkshire Dales

Good morning to you all!

I haven't written a post for such a long time but the last week was so busy, busy, busy that I just couldn't work round to write a line. My mother came to visit (she is living more than 400 km away from us) because my husband and I wanted to take a break from everyday life. It's been our 16th wedding day and we decided to go to Yorkshire for a couple of days. So my mother agreed to take care of the children, the dog and the house and off we went! We have never been to Yorkshire before but I have always wanted to go there and I was keen to visit Yarndale as well, of course!

On Sunday then we went to Skipton, parked our car near the train station and had a lovely morning walk through the Aireville Park to Yarndale. What a feast for the eyes! There's been so much gorgeous yarnbombing in the park.

 

And then, tickets and brochure bought, it was into the entrance hall where there was so much more colourful crochet bunting than I have ever seen before.

 

 And then there were all the gorgeous mandalas that have been sent to Lucy from attic24.

 

I neglected to take more photos of the vendors - too busy looking round. My husband soon left me for some other distraction...

 That's me visiting Yarndale, maybe not the best foto in the world but it reveals a lucky me! 

There were, of course, absolutely loads of fantastic vendors and lots of amazing yarns. I just couldn't stop touching all this soft and precious yarn. And I did some shopping, of course. Not too much because I have so many, many projects in my basket that want to be finished first. But there is no point in visiting a yarn market without buying any yarn, isn't there? 

 This is Drops Alpaca yarn in a beautiful green that will match with my winter coat just perfectly. It is a very light and soft yarn, I could have bought all the different colours!

 This is also a Drops yarn, a baby merino in a wonderful raspberry shade together with one ball of soft pink. I don't know what I will make out of it, but I just had to buy it.

And the last one... A silk and alpaca mix for a wonderful lace shawl. Something luxurios, I will take my time to find the perfect pattern for such beautiful yarn. 

This is quite a long post now and I haven't written a word about our wonderful trip to the Yorkshire dales. I will soon come back and write about it. These four days were absolutely lovely and I'll tell you more about it next time.
Sorry that I haven't had the time to read your blog posts and write some comments. As soon as there is a little time slot again, I will catch up with all that has happened the last two weeks. 
Have a beautiful day! Viola