Baby steps

What a fun week I've had!! It was filled with cycling trips, shopping sprees and little celebrations (which included the most delicious pie EVER!! :)

And because I even went to the gym this week - and not just once, but TWICE!!! - I decided I deserved a little treat this weekend. 

Yes, dear friends: I was allowed to crochet :)

If you visited this blog before you might remember me mentioning the problems I've had with my neck/shoulders for about 1,5 years now. It has prevented me from crafting, and every time I try to make something I take it too far and end up having pain for weeks... 

But today I took baby steps, and made this :) 

It was soooo hard to stop!! I actually caved and made a second one... but I resisted the urge to make 15 more, so I guess that's progress :)

Plus: no pain!! Which means I can probably make some more this week! YAY!!!! :D

(...)

But not too much of course :S Baby steps. BABY STEPS...

The Art Swap Part 1: A Happy Little Rainbow

When I first read Micki from The Secret Hermit was organizing an art swap I immediately wanted to join... and then I realized I'm not an artist :) Fortunately Micki didn't mind me joining the swap with my crafty stuff, so off I went making two things I thought she might appreciate: a plushie and a hand carved stamp :)

The plushie I designed myself - it's the first pattern I created with a result worth sharing here ;)

I already showed you the eyes...



... which turned into the little happy face...



... of a sweet little rainbow!! :)



Isn't it cute?? :) I really, really love this plushie - I had so much fun creating it and the very colorful end result makes me really happy! :)



The best part? Now that I have the pattern I can make as many as I want!! :) I also made a matching sun and a cloud which I might share soon. Something for the shop-to-be maybe?? ;)



Coming soon: The Art Swap Part 2: The hand carved stamp!!

A Little Monday Morning Rant

Okay, people. I've completely had it with this stupid neck/shoulder-problem of mine!!!!!!

As if having constant pain for almost a year now isn't bad enough, my neck is now officially standing between me and crafting.... Yes! You heard that right!!! I can't craft anymore without days and days of pain afterwards!!! :(

Seriously, neck.

HOW DARE YOU?!?!?!



Because of you and all the stupid pain you bring me, I'll probably be working on this little baby blanket for years and years, because I can only crochet 15 minutes a week, and the baby it's made for won't even be a baby anymore by the time I'm finished!!!

Darn you, neck!!

DARN YOU!!!!!!!!

(...)

Ah. Well. Okay... Guess I had to get that out of my system... ;)

Now let's continue the week without complaining, and focussing on the good stuff shall we? :) Have a good Monday everyone!!

Crochet Mania!!

Hey Blogland! See those pencils? I bought them for 60 cents at a local store, but it wasn't the pencils I was particularly interested in...



... it were the grips I really wanted!! :)



Put those grips on a crochet hook...



... and you suddenly become a lean mean crocheting machine!!! ;)



I finished three plushies these past few days, and my new ripple blanket is coming along great! No wonder my desk looks like a yarn bomb went off there... ;)

And what to do with all that yarny goodness, you ask? Well, let's just say I have a plan... which I will keep to myself just a little bit longer :) To be continued!!

Work In Progress: Another Blanket :)

Tadaaah: a very colourful harddisk cover :)

About a year ago my computer 'died' - twice. I did not have any backups, so I was VERY happy when it was revived by the computer-doctors on both occasions!! Flash forward to the present, and I have made backups of my files and photographs... on a four year old iPod I drag with me EVERYWHERE.........

Not good, you say? I completely agree...

So - finally! - I got myself some proper backup-equipment: a Western Digital portable harddrive!



Amazing to think this little device can store almost 500GB, isn't it?!!

Of course, considering this is now containing some Very Important Stuff, it needs to be properly protected.

So... TADAAAAAAAAH!!!



A very colourful, very cute, crocheted harddisk cover :)



I absolutely LOVE all the bright colours! 'Cause hey, when you almost need to wear sunglasses to look at it...



... you KNOW it's good, don't you? ;)

The Sunburst Granny Blanket @ WhipUp!

I always think it's so cool when other blogs or websites link to one of my photos or post something about my blog!!!



So being included in a Flickr pool-mosaic over at the ever so wonderful craftsite WhipUp.net makes my day for sure!!! :)

Go check out all the lovely colourful pics they've selected! (Which includes an apple-shaped pin cusion and a button covered chicken!! :)

Finished: The Sunburst Granny Blanket!

~~~ UPDATE JANUARY 2013 ~~~

I have started a new blog called Nittybits where you can find a tutorial of the Sunburst Granny Square Blanket! It contains information about the pattern, how to join the squares and the yarn I used. Feel free to check it out here:

http://nittybits.blogspot.nl/2013/01/sunburst-granny-square-blanket-tutorial.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~

First of all: happy new year everyone! :) I hope you enjoyed the holidays and have a colourful and happy 2011!

Second of all: I am happy to say I can start this new year with a brand new finished project!!! :D

Remember those Sunburst Granny Squares I was working on back in August? (You can find the pattern HERE.)

I started with one...



... which grew into a pile...



... which grew into a whole bunch of them!



And a few months after I started, I had finished 36 squares!



Aren't they the sunniest, happiest grannies ever?! :D I absolutely adore them!



After lining them up in a pretty formation it was time to join them together...



... and there you have it: a brand new Sunburst Granny Square Blanket!!! :D



Am I pleased with the result? Sure! The lining was a bit wobbly, so I'll have to mind that next time. But on the whole this little, happy blanket makes me very happy!

All it needed was a pretty ribbon...



... and the Sunburst Blanket was ready to go to its new owner: our brand new baby niece!



Let's just hope she'll enjoy it as much as I would :)

A Year and a Day of Crafting :)

No, I’ve not been busy celebrating new found fortune I’m afraid. The Universe pointed me in the direction of option number 2: working my ass off! :)

I was in fact so busy, I almost forgot this week is my One Year Of Crafting-anniversary!

One year ago this week, I decided I wanted to learn something new. I wanted to learn how to knit!! Me & knitting was not the best combination however, but it did lead me to discovering crochet.

And twelve months later...



... I'm still crafting! :)

9 x Granny Squares!

1. krukjes aritza, 2. Commission for Sarah, 3. miss Muriel..., 4. miss Evelyn..., 5. Finished granny square blanket, 6. Finished Granny Square Skirt, 7. Granny Square Design, 8. jar full of goodness, 9. SuMMeR STaRbURsT BaG ~EXPLORED #153~

5 things on Friday

1. Making the best of rainy days with my very own Jip and Janneke-umbrella :)




2. Opening a box of sunshine...



3. ... and a box of bunnies!




4. Reliving my childhood :)




5. And making the very last square of the Sunburst Granny Square Blanket!!!



That's it for today... I've got 36 granny squares to join!! :)

The Granny Dance!

I always wondered what Granny Squares do when I'm not at home, and now I know...



They DANCE! :)

WIP: Sunburst Granny Blanket

~~~ UPDATE JANUARY 2013 ~~~

I have started a new blog called Nittybits where you can find a tutorial of the Sunburst Granny Square Blanket! It contains information about the pattern, how to join the squares and the yarn I used. Feel free to check it out here:

http://nittybits.blogspot.nl/2013/01/sunburst-granny-square-blanket-tutorial.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yep, I'm still piling :)



My latest work in progress was inspired by this picture on Flickr, and this pattern of the Sunburst Granny Square.



I LOVE this pattern! I'm so addicted to making these squares, my arm was actually hurting from making too many in one day!!

Who said crocheting was without danger? ;)

~ EDIT ~

Check out other posts about my Sunburst Granny Square project & the end result here!! :)

Super happy crochet flowers!

It was my mom's birthday last week, and I really felt she deserved some flowers! Buying them however, seemed a bit too easy :)

So I took this pattern, some wooden sticks & a few cute buttons...



... and made some flowers myself!!! :)



They are so much fun to make!



And such a happy gift to give :)



And the most important thing: my mom seemed to love them, and put them in a little vase on her desk!



They looked so cute, I might just have to make some for myself :)

Crochet Flag @ Whipup.net!

Woohoo! :)



My crochet flag is featured in another great Flickr-mosaic from Whipup.net! Check out their site for links to the other pictures!

World Cup Fever!

Netherlands - Brazil this afternoon at 4! :)

Beyond the Square

A much anticipated package got delivered today...



Beyond the Square – Crochet Motifs by Edie Eckman!!

I’ve never been a huge fan of granny squares before, but since it’s something every ‘hooker’ out there seems to love, I figured I should give it a try.

And I have to say: if you’re looking for a book filled with useful information on crochet, happy colours and 144 inspiring patterns of granny squares, circles, hexagons and more, this is the book for you!!



Not only are there many, MANY great patterns in this book, Edie Eckman also filled the pages with detailed descriptions of numerous stitches, useful information on reading crochet charts, invisible ways to join rounds, crocheting motifs together and the basic principles of making motifs (in case you want to design some yourself)!!!



It didn't take long before these motifs were growing on me. In fact: I might actually LIKE making them :)



I will need to practice though... A LOT ;)



How I would love to make a Granny Square-blanket one day! Hell, I might even make a fancy edging while I’m at it ;)