Projects in the making

Recently I have been working on new designs - which I love doing. It also leaves me with tons of trial & error pieces. I never throw them out, as they sometimes spark an idea for something completely different.

Or, I just like a colour combo and want to use the same colours in another design. Some can come to good use as embellishment. Especially the small flowery ones!

Many thanks for your visit & a lovely day to you.
♦♦♦

A Field of Tulips Hangers * The Pattern and a (Little) Tutorial

Are you ready for spring? I know I am! You can now invite spring to your home with the tulip hangers. Here's the pattern and a little tutorial for you.

You'll need
♦ Cotton yarn suitable for a 3 mm hook (I used Rio Cotton from Lammy Yarns, except for the white, there I used something else from my stash, but Rio would do nicely there. And having seen the lovely colours from the brand new byClaire range, I think they would be perfect for these hangers too!)
♦ Crochet hook 3 mm
♦ Hanger with a minimum width of 2 cm (0.8 inches). The length doesn't matter, you can easily adapt the pattern accordingly.
♦ Blunt needle.

Remarks beforehand
♦ American crochet terminology – sorry UK-friends!
♦This pattern calls for a v-stitch: 1 dc, ch1, 1 dc in same stitch
♦ And for a 4dc-cluster:
Yarn over (yo) and insert your hook into the ch1-space.
Yo and draw up a loop – 3 loops on hook. Yo and pull through 2 loops – 2 loops on hook
Yo and insert your hook into the same space, yo over and draw up a loop – 4 loops on hook.
Yo over and pull through 2 loops – 3 loops on hook.
yo and insert your hook into the same space. Yo and draw up a loop – 5 loops on hook.
Yo and pull through 2 loops – 4 loops on hook.
Yo and pull through all 4 loops on your hook.
♦ You'll be making an identical front and back which are sewed together.
♦ For a 3d effect you could substitute the 4dc-cluster with a popcorn stitch.

Mmm, I realise that my symbol for a 4dc-cluster resembles that of a popcorn. Meant here is cluster stitch, although a popcorn would be a nice alternative. See above under Remarks beforehand...

Step 1, in white

♦ When making a slip stitch to start your work, leave an extra long tail. (This ensures that you are flexible in adjusting the length of your work if it turns out too short later on. More about this under Step 2.)

♦ Crochet a chain that's at least 5 cm (1.5 inches) longer than your hanger. 

♦ Sc in 2nd sc from your hook, single across the chain. Measure every now and then against the lenght of your hanger. If you think it's long enough, do not cut yarn yet.

Step 2, in green

♦ Do not turn your work.

♦ Attach green yarn in the first sc. 

♦ Chain 2, skip 1 sc

♦ * v-stitch, skip 2 sc* repeat until you nearly reach the end of the row.
♦ Measure if your work is long enough to cover the length of the hanger. If necessary you can pick up the white yarn again and make a few extra single crochets in your begin chain. You could even add a few chains to your begin chain (if necessary) because you left an extra long tail right in the beginning. How nifty. ;-)
♦ If your begin chain and/or your round 1 (the single crochets) are too long, you can easily unravel the redundant stitches from both. This is the reason you did not turn your work at the beginning of step 2.
♦ Okay, is your work the right length? Then, after the last v-stitch: skip 1 st, 1 dc, cut green and white yarn.

Step 3, in colour of your choice

♦ Don't turn work 

♦ Chain 3 in first dc of previous round

♦ *4dc-cluster in the ch1-sp of previous round, chain 2* 

♦ repeat across this round

♦ Than ch1, 1 dc in last dc of previous round
♦ Cut yarn.

Step 4, in white
♦ Don't turn work
♦ 1sc in 2ch of 3chains of previous round, 1 sc in ch1-space
♦ * 1sc in top of cluster, 2 sc in ch2-space*

♦ repeat 

♦ 1 sc in the last ch1-space, 1 sc in dc

Step 5 (in white)
♦ 1 turning chain

♦ Turn your work.
♦ Sc in every st, till end of round
♦ Now measure if your work is wide enough. If not, add an extra round of single crochet. You can decide whether you'd like this extra row here, or at the bottom of your work. (My hangers are 2 cm (about 0.8 inches) wide, and I didn't need an extra row of sc.)
♦ Weave in ends.

Step 6
Make an identical back side, repeating step 1 to 5.

Step 7
Hold the two pieces together, wrong sides facing eachother. Use your blunt needle and the white yarn to whipstitch front and back together (only stitching though the outer loops). Start on the side, then whipstitch about half of the lenght, slip the hanger in, stitch past the hook of the hanger, continue until done! Weave in the very last ends and let your Tulips Fields hanger invite spring in!

One more thing...
All this information might make this seem like a really complicated pattern – which of course it is not. I just wanted to give some tips on how to easily adjust the pattern to any lenght hanger. Of course, if you're making more hangers you can just count the stitches of your first hanger and duplicate that number for your other hangers – assuming they have the same size. ;-)

I hope you will enjoy this little project.
As always I'm delighted with your visit. Thanks!
♦♦♦

A Field of Tulips * Hangers

Oops, and suddenly is over a week since I last posted here. A lot has happened since then. Last week I decided it would be a good idea to relocate temporarily to Thailand. And so I did. Booked a ticket, got the visa and here I am. Never a dull moment, ha! The next sixs week I will be reporting from here. :-)

However, before I packed my bags I made something I'd like to share with you. May I present to you... My Field of Tulips Hangers! (The only thing I lacked was time to make decent pictures of them.)

I made these because I was so looking forward to spring. I hope you like them. The tutorial and pattern will follow soon. If you can't wait that long and you want to give your hangers a crochet coat like right away, may I suggest you buy a copy of the Big Comic Relief Crafternoon Magazine, to which I contributed other patterns to spruce up your hangers. ;-)

#smittenblanket
Before I end this post, I would like to ask your attention once again for the Smitten Blanket. I know some of you are already making it - which truly fills me with happiness! For everyone is making one and sharing photos of it: I would really appreciate it if you tag it #smittenblanket on social media, because in a while I'd love to make a compilation on this blog of all the Smitten Blankets around the globe. And also because I just love to see all your blankets. ;-) Thanks so much, I really appreciate your help!

These two lovely ladies are making the blanket:
♦ The amazing Smilena, who had already made four squares the day after I posted the pattern: *click*. Wow! And since then she has made even many more squares *click*.
♦ The talented Ellebel, you can find her progress on the Smitten Blanket here on Instagram *click*.

♦♦♦ Thanks for your kind visit. Happy weekend to you! ♦♦♦

Instacrochet

Although I have been using Instagram for quite a while now, I don't have a public account. Or rather, I didn't - because earlier this week I switched the button from private to public. I feel this comes with an obligation to go out for an arty cappuccino more often and to spot all kinds of quirky details in the wild... Anything to feed my account, right?! *Ahem*

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that it might take me a while to get used to the fact that it's now a public account. But without joking: I'm tremendously excited about the prospect of having another creative outlet. I'm also tremendously anxious that - with one unfortunate swipe on my tablet (they happen) - I will publish an uncensored picture. ;-) In general I will - from now on - post about works in progress on Instagram where as on my blog I will focus on finished works. You'll find yarn on both!

Anyway! Here's a taste of the older pictures you will find on my Instagram. There are quite a few older pictures that you might have seen popping up on this blog before, but there are a whole bunch of new ones too. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Feel welcome to visit me  over at my Instagram account! (With a huge sense for originality called byHaafner.) I now officially declare it open for the public. *champagne*

Thanks for being here - I hope you have a most lovely day! And don't forget to...


♦♦♦

Daisies in the Field Scarf *with pattern*

I have a confession to make. About a new love. Yes. I'm in love with my flower loom. It yields such lovely retro-esque results. And what's more, it combines very smoothly with my other love: The crochet hook. Match made in heaven.

I hope you feel the same way, because I have quite a few flower loom patterns lined up to share with you over the next months. ;-) I thought I'd start with this simple scarf. My Daisies in the Field Scarf! (Initially I wanted to call it Daisies in the Snow, but I figured that wouldn't make sense if I'd made a second one in another colour... ;-) Anyway!)

If you'd like to give it a try, here's what you'll need:
- flower loom with two diametres: of 9 cm and 5 cm / appr. 3.3 inch and 1.3 inch). I used Clover's Hana Ami flower loom
- 3 mm crochet hook
- fingering weight yarn,
- blunt needle.



Making the flowers
Of course you can make as many as you would like for your scarf. I made 45 flowers (three rows of 15 flowers)

- Make your first flower by wrapping the white (or any colour) yarn three times around twelve pins of the biggest loom. Cut the yarn, leave the flower on the loom.
- Make a smaller flower on top of the first one with the blue (or any colour) yarn, using the smallest loom. Wrap this yarn only once round every pin. Cut the yarn.
- Now use the blunt needle and the white yarn (about 15 cm / 5.3 inch) to secure the petals. Put the needle through the centre of the flower (from the back to the front) and then down between two petals, put it up again through the centre and put down between two other petals, continue like this until you've secured every petal. This will create a little white star in the middle of your flower. If you like, you can repeat this process to have a more prominent star shape in the middle.

- Leave the flower on the loom. Secure the ends of the blue and white yarn by pulling them through the centre of your flower to the backside with the needle.
- Now gently pull the flower off the loom.
- Personally I think this the best moment to crochet the square around the flower (rather then waiting till you've made all the flowers), because the petals will still be in shape and not tangled.

Creating a square
- Attach white yarn to any big (white) petal by making a slip stitch. (Remember, you've wrapped the white yarn thrice around every pin, which means that one big petal consists of three loops.)
- chain 4, slip stitch in the next petal, chain 4, sl st in the next petal. Continue around, then slip stitch in the first slip stitch.
- slip stitch in the ch4-space,
- make a standing dc or ch2 (this will count a as your first dc), 3dc in the same space, 1 dc in the sl st of the previous round, 4dc in next ch4-space, 1dc in sl st, 4dc in next ch4-space, ch2, 4dc in the same space (you've now made your first corner).
- continue like this until you've completed your square.
- close the round by a sl st in the first dc of the round of by using your darning needle for a seamless join.

Finish
- Weave in all ends.
- Block the squares. (I'd definitely recommend blocking because it will enhance the contrast between the square and the more fluffy flower.)

Joining the squares
Naturally you can use your preferred way of joining. I sewed the squared together by whipstitching through the front and back loops of the squares (front sides held together). I know some detest the idea of sewing squares together but I find it a quite meditative occupation ;-) plus I think it gives a rather neat finish. But any joining method will do just fine!

If I would have had more of the white yarn (which I had not - planning is my middle name) I would have crocheted a small edge using the crab stitch (reverse single crochet).

I will definitely make a second Daisies in the Field Scarf, using other (read: nicer + more) yarn. I think this pattern would work very well using a gold or silver coloured yarn for the inner (small) petals for a more festive look. And I'd love to make a retro style blanket with this pattern one day...

Okay! Please don't hesitate to leave a comment if you have a question about this pattern.

Also, I'd love to hear if you have worked with a flower loom, what your experiences are or if you are planning to use it some day. Thanks!

Last but not least: Thanks for participating in the little giveaway from my previous post. Frances is the lucky one to receive the crochet magazine. Could you please send your address to haafner at hotmail dot com? Thanks! There is another giveway coming up within a couple of weeks, so stay tuned. ;-) Meanwhile I'll be working on the pattern for the pink popcorn blanket from that same post...

As always it was really lovely to have you here. I wish you a most pleasant week!

-------------------------------

Now available on Amazon: My book Mandalas to Crochet!

American edition (with US crochet terminology and published by St. Martin's Griffin):

English edition (with UK crochet terminology and published by Search Press):

Colour me Bright & Happy

As much as I love naturals, I do enjoy a good pop of colour. Today feels like it could do with a little colour injection. So here it is!

Nothing can sheer a dull day up like a colourful pile of crocheted blankets. Agree?

Although confetti is a good second best...

And here's more confetti... ;-)

By the way, patterns for a similar potholder can be found on Ravelry. Search for a daisy potholder. Oh, and in case you're wondering: sure, I always carry a bunch of crochet hooks in my hair. ;-) 

Have a good week!

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Summertime colours & crochet

This sunny morning calls for some colourful pictures.

I hope you have a lovely week ahead of you ~ take care!
♦♦♦

Colours, Culture and Whatnot ~ Snapshots for Inspiration #1

Thanks for the kind comments on my travel blanket! I haven't had the opportunity to give a reaction to the comment, but I will soon.

I use my phone and camera often to make a snapshot of what strikes or inspires me. Whether at home or while travelling. It can be anything really: a colour - or a combination of colours, forms, texture, an (often not intended) styling, light - or shadows, a book or even the pavement. The pictures in itself don't have any artistic pretention. ;-) Sometimes I wonder if can 'translate' something I like into a crochet pattern. Ha!

Today, and later this week, I will share just a few of these shots here.

Colours...

Shadows...

The print of my dress corresponded with the shadows in the gorgeous CM University Art Center. I tried to blend in. ;-)

Thanks for dropping by ~ see you soon!

♦♦♦
PS. Does anybody know what the name of that pink flowered tree is in the first collage? I'm quite smitten with it...)

Summer

Finally summer has arrived in The Netherlands,
and what a difference it makes.
(We simply skipped spring this year. Why bother?)






















Some snapshots from the terrace...

The elderflower is blossoming and I simply love it.






















Mint tea and crochet to make a sunny day off complete.
(Another potholder in the making.)






















♦♦♦ Take care! ♦♦♦
PS. A big thank you to Madelief for the sweet mention on her amazing blog. She has a stunning garden I can only dream of... And I do!

Curl up!

Hopefully you've enjoyed your weekend.
Did you have time for reading or crocheting at all?
I did... I actually started another crochet project
(unplanned and it's rather big too...)
of which I'll show you a sneak peek in a few days time.

Right now, when I look outside, it's autumn,
but still I'm happy because there are flowers everywhere... Finally.
(The picture above was taken on a much sunnier day than today.)

Inside - it is definitely spring!

These pictures are from a smaller project,
with tunesian crochet.
Tunesian crochet work tends to curl - a lot.
Hence the pins in the picture below.

I like the texture though, it's a bit squishy.
And the technique is easy to learn when you're used to crocheting.
Have you ever made something with tunesian crochet?

Take care!
♦♦♦

Spring is in the air

... At least, it was in the air, yesterday,
when I crocheted these tulips.

But now, with today's grey weather,
it would be more suitable for me
to be crocheting cats & dogs.

But I'm not moaning. :-)
Whatever the weather might be:
Have a wonderful, loving weekend.
♥

♥♥♥
PS. The pattern is from Redheart, click here for the link.
Happy crocheting!

The Good Life & Some Escapism Too

What a lucky coincidence: having a couple of days off,
while the weather is actually quite nice.

I just had to spend some time in our very petit urban garden...
And since I had time on my hands, I decided it could do with some
pompomifying.

So there I was, a grown up woman,
spending several hours of her life making pompons like crazy.
- Oh oh. Is that escapism or what? -

Of course there was tea to be enjoyed...

These pelargoniums are such a bright shade of pink, it's hard to get a decent picture them. Love them though.

The plaid on the bench is actually a mattress I bought in South East Asia
(without the stuffing).

One more picture of the pompon bunting doesn't do any harm, does it...?