Author: Vera

How I grew to love crochet

For years now, crochet has been my main daily occupation. It started as a regular hobby, but has grown to be a very special skill to me. Five years ago, I was a med student, with a part-time job, barely having time to crochet. My life felt great and very rewarding, and I had nothing else to ask for. And then it all fell apart. I was hospitalized with depression after a particularly hard year, in which my family moved to another country. Not long after that I was diagnosed with autism. Med school proved too demanding for the time…

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What’s going on: new pattern and more!

Hi! I want to share some exciting news as I’m working towards a new pattern! These past months I’ve been working towards the winter with help of two Scheepjes Whirls and a Whirlette 🙂 And this is the result:

As soon as I have this pattern tested it will be available in my Ravelry store.
The other news is I am currently staying in the US for a 5 week vacation. And what would a vacation be without yarn shopping? Oh the selections available, it’s so different from Holland. In the Netherlands, I mostly work with either whirls or 100% cotton, and in the US, there is much more acrylic yarn. I thought acrylic yarn was all pretty much the same, guess what: I couln’t be more wrong! I fell in love with Woolike yarn by Loops and Threads, not surprising since I almost exclusive work with fingering weight yarn. But it’s so soft, I love it’s feel! So I’m working on a couple of projects just for myself and trying my hand at crochet video’s. You’ll probably hear more about this as I’m liking it so far!

What’s on your hook today?

New pattern: DNA Shawl

It has been a while since I last posted, but my crochet hooks haven’t been collecting dust! I’ve been working on multiple patterns, and today I will present the first one to you 🙂 When I first learned about filet crochet, my mind took off thinking about all the different possible projects. Endless repeats of a pattern, images or words and sentences, this sort of inverse to popcorn patterns is perfect for the more subtle project, let’s say, a shawl for example 😉 My geeky self didn’t wait long to combine art and science, and here it is: the DNA…

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Pattern review: South Bay Shawlette

Hi there! Today I will show you my most recent finished project (so many works in progress! do you have the discipline to finish one piece before starting on another? I most certainly don’t!). The pattern of this South bay shawlette can be found here. To show the intricate design I chose to make this one in cream/white. The pattern is written clearly and is a two row repeat, which makes it easy to memorize the pattern and watch TV while crocheting away. It also means it is the perfect pattern to make it any size you want, which broadens…

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Pattern review: Minerva tunic

Hi, good to see you back on my blog! For others, welcome 🙂 Today’s pattern review is about the Minerva tunic pattern, which can be bought through ravelry. Which brings me to my first observation; the pattern itself is quite expensive. However, one of my friends fell in love with it, and I’ve never made any garment from a pattern, so I had lots to learn! There was one problem though, which brings me to my first tip: read the materials list carefully. Here I was, with a lot of fingering weight yarn, while the pattern calls for DK or bigger…

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Forest hideout scarf

This scarf reminds me of the forest, with the subtle greens and blues. It is a relatively airy scarf, making it the perfect project for the upcoming months. The yarn is a yarn cake by Sostrene Grene, a Danish company which slowly takes over Europe 🙂 I love their yarns, this is a 100% soft cotton cake. The pattern is suitable for a-little-more-than-beginners, especially those familiar with the stitches featured in the pattern (including dc2tog, but the pattern provides a video for this) Please refer to the Abbreviations and Stitches post for more information. Repeats are indicated using e.g. *pattern*…

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Vintage Mandala Potholder

This pattern I want to share with you, has been passed down in a family for over three generations, and I was asked to replicate this potholder. Although the pattern is not my creation, I think it is so special to appreciate work that would otherwise be forgotten with time. So although the pattern isn’t mine, I would still like to share it with you 🙂 So here it is: the pattern. Please refer to the Abbreviations and Stitches post for more information. Repeats are indicated using e.g. *pattern* twice or ^pattern^ four times: meaning repeat everything between the marks…

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Perfect gifts: crochet painting

Hi everyone, I want to show you how to make a crochet ‘painting’ within a couple hours of work. Use it to show the world your love of crochet, to commemorate a special occasion, or to create a very personal gift! What you’ll need: -some scrap yarn in different colors – an IKEA Ribba frame – double-sided adhesive tape – a 9’/19.75′ paper square in the color of your choice How to create your own painting:Here comes the fun part: this is all up to you? What do you want to create? Try to stick to simple shapes. In this…

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Pattern review: butterfly-stitch prayer shawl

Hi again! Today I will discuss my other finished project from last week. It’s another shawl I’ve been working on, namely the wonderful butterfly stitch prayer shawl. I’ve never worked this type of shawl before, but the instructions were very clear on how to set up your first stitches, and after that it is ‘just’ a four row back-and-forth repetition, ideal for combining with your favorite TV show 😉 I was stunned by the intricate pattern created in four rows! It really does look like a butterfly. This shawl was a little more difficult than the XY scarf, because it…

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Pattern review: XY scarf by mijocrochet

Hi 🙂 For those who don’t know me, this is me! The summer in Holland has been exceptionally hot up until now, so I thought it wise to crochet a couple of scarves! 😉 This pattern is one of my favorites so far because of its simplicity and drape (it definitely feels knit!). The pattern was designed by Johanna Lindahl from Mijocrochet, and can be found for free on her website. The recommended yarn, which i did indeed use, is the Scheepjes Skies light collection, which accounts for the gradual color changes. Johanna used both 117 Circumcumulus and 116 Cumulonimbus,…

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