My most favourite WiP!

Hi everyone,

I know, I know, it's been a long time... But I'm back and full of plans and inspiration for new blog posts! Later this week I have a lovely announcement to make (not a career move, not getting married, not getting divorced either, not relocating to a tropical island), but if you follow me on instagram, you probably know already what I'm talking about. ;-)

Meanwhile I really would like to share my favourite work in progress of this moment. And quite possibly my favourite work in progress EVER.

In short the story behind it. I love sourcing new yarn, yes I do! And a while back I had the luck of revisiting my favourite yarn store: The Craft Company in Cascais, Portugal. (Here's their facebook and here the website.) If you're ever near, it's well worth a detour. Actually, I have a picture of (a small part of) the shop! Isn't this just pure eye candy...

So I came back with  lovely new yarns, among which BioBamboo of the Portuguese brand Rosários4. Incredibly soft, and the colours... Oh my word, they seemed to be made just for me. ;-)

But as I had no idea what to make yet, I just purchased one ball of each desired colour. I thought this would be a brilliant yarn for a pattern of one my Japanese crochet books. (We all LOVE those, don't we?) After some pondering the subject and browsing through the books I choose a lovely pattern from a book of which the English subtitle reads Crochet motif of 27 items. I thought it would make a wonderful scarf.

So I started crocheting. Soon however I fell head over heels in love EVEN MORE with both yarn and pattern, and most of all the wonderful combination of the two. Really, they work magic together.

It seemed pity to stick to the scarf idea. I mean, a scarf is okay and nice enough, but a BLANKET, well a blanket, that's just all comfort and snuggliness caught in yarn.

Luckily enough  for me I could order more of this lovely yarn at the Craft Company (thank you!) and soon I can continue crocheting the blanket. I can't wait to finish this one.

Anyway! I guess that's it for now. Hopefully we'll catch up later this week. :-)

Have a good day & thank you so much for your lovely visit.

The Tale of the Dainty Dots Blanket #3 - Pattern and a Mini-Tutorial

First of all, THANK you for the kind words about my Dainty Dots Blanket. It’s lovely to read them all! Secondly, yes, I know, it took me a while to finally post the pattern for the squares… But hey, here it is: written and as a - sliiiightly wonky ;-) - chart! And with good news too, because I found a free online pattern that is very similar to the pattern for this border.

When I started to work on this blanket I took a fair amount of time to work out a pattern for circle-turned-into-a-solid-square. I wanted the circle stay round, but in most patterns the circles becomes square-ish when turned into a solid square. That’s because you’ll most often have to work three corner stitches in one stitch of the circle, giving the circle a bit of a corner. The problem is less visible when you’re making a square with chain stitches in the corner. Okay, I hope I didn’t loose you at this point? ;-)

Anyway! I'm quite pleased with my solution. And that is: you will work only ONE stitch in the circle to make the corner of the square, the other two corner stitches are worked in the base of that first corner stitch. (Hopefully the pictures and the chart will explain.) Eureka! Here's a mini-tutorial...

So that’s my little trick. I was actually quite excited about it. :-) As I mentioned in my previous post, this particular blanket is so darn heavy the effect is a bit lessened. This has also to do with the fact that the white yarn is thicker and heavier than the blue and grey yarns used for the circles.

And now for the disclaimer... I am sure other crocheters might have come up with the same solution before me. Because once I thought of it, it seemed a pretty obvious thing to do, but I haven’t seen it before.

Pattern Dainty Dots Square

Remarks beforehand

♦ You can either start a new round by chaining 2 (as one substitute dc) or – my favourite – by making a standing double crochet. With the latter you really can’t tell afterwards where you started the round. If you google it, you’ll find that there are several great tutorials online for this technique.
♦ The pattern calls for a join at the end of each round. My preferred method is to make a seamless join using a darning needle. (Again, you’ll find great tutorials for this online.) Alternatively you can make a slipstitch in the first st of the round.
♦ BLdc is a BackLoop double crochet: a regular dc, but worked in the backloop only.
♦ I used a brandless Thai cotton for the circles and Rico Creative Cotton for the square part and border. If I would have to recommend a yarn though: I think this pattern would work wonderful in the organic cotton yarn Vinnis Nikkim. If I would make another one, it would probably be my choice because I expect it to give the blanket a wonderful drape. (I used it for the mini-tutorial.)
♦ I used a 4 mm crochet hook, but you can basically use any hooksize that matches your choice of yarn. My motifs measure appr. 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6 inch) each,

Chart
Please don't copy or share or pin the chart elsewhere, but link to this page instead - thank you for linking with love! 

Written pattern
To start
Magic circle, or, chain 4 and close with a slipstitch

Round 1
12 dc in ring, join

Round 2
2 BLdc in each dc (24 BLdc in total), join

Round 3
*1 BLdc, 2 BLdc*, repeat between * * along round (36 BLdc in total), join

Round 4
*1 BLdc, 1 BLdc, 2 BLdc*, repeat between * * along round (48 BLdc in total), join

Round 5
This is the round where the circle is worked into a square.
Change to second colour here.
You can start this round in any stitch.
*1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 dc. Then make a corner: 1 dc, 1 dc made in the dc you’ve just made in the same round (so do not work this stitch in the previous round), 1 dc in first corner dc (so the 2nd and 3rd dc are both made in the 1st corner stitch). Then continue: 1 dc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 hdc*, repeat between * * 3 times, join

Round 6
In this round the corners is made as follows: 1 dc, 1 tr, 1 dc. The treble ensures a sharp corner. If you like a more rounded corner, work a dc instead of a tr.
*1 dc in 13 consecutive stitches, in nxt st: 1 dc, 1 tr, 1 dc (corner made)*, repeat between * * 3 times, join

Round 7
* 1 dc in 15 consecutive stitches, in nxt st: 1 dc, 1 tr, 1 dc (corner made)*, repeat between * * 3 times, join.
Weave in ends.

Joining
Of course you can choose your preferred method. I joined  the motifs by single crocheting them together, right sides facing eachother, through both (front and back) loops of both squares.

Border
Okay, as I explained in my previous post I based the lacy part of the border loosely on a Japanese pattern. BUT, I’m happy to say that since then I discovered a VERY similar, free pattern on MyPicot.com. (A great source for all kinds of lovely patterns by the way.) Click here for the link. Although it’s actually for a blanket, you could fairly easily adapt the pattern as a border by just crocheting two lacy segments.

Before I crocheted the lacy segments of the border I made the solid part: five simple rounds of double crochet, with 3 dc in de corner stitch. Of course you could omit the solid part, but personally I always think it gives a clean look.

And then... Your blanket is ready!

So dear people, that’s it. I hope you like it. If you’re making a #daintydotsblanket yourself I’d LOVE to see it! Also, do comment below if something is not clear. I really try to respond asap, but life is rather hectic so I apologize in advance if it takes a while...

Many thanks for your lovely visit. Wishing you a happy day!

The Tale of the Dainty Dots Blanket #2 - The Big Reveal

Dear readers of this blog, dear accidental passersby, I hereby proudly present to you…
The Dainty Dots Blanket!

Did you know…

- It took me one and a half year to complete? (Although to be fair I didn’t touch it for most part of last year.)
- It weighs almost four kilograms/8.8 lbs?
- Its measurements are appr. 2 x 2.1 m (appr. 6.6 x 6.9 feet)
- I’m really happy with my trick for turning a circle into a solid square?
- That I’m going to share this trick with you in my next post?
- The blues and greys are from a brandless cotton I bought at a Thai market?
- I sticked to only two rules while arranging the colours? (Namely: don’t join two squares which have the same colour and don’t join two dark colours.)
- I love big borders?

Regarding the latter: As you can see I decided on a big border for this blanket. It consist of three parts: the solid one and then two parts lacy fans. It was a last minute choice, but I couldn't be happier with it. Though the border does somewhat outshine the rest of the blanket. ;-) I based the lacy part loosely on a pattern from a Japanese crochet book. Sorry I do not have more information about it. But basically you could adapt any pattern for a multiple row of fans, and use it as a border.

The basis for this blanket were the big blue and grey cotton yarn cakes. This yarn wasn't available in white at the time, so for that I used Rico Creative Cotton. Which is quite a bit heavier than the Thai cotton, but it worked.



At the start I took a fair amount of time to work out a pattern for circle-turned-into-a-solid-square. I wanted the circle stay round, but in most patterns the circle becomes fairly square-ish when turned into a solid square. I'm quite pleased with my solution. Although the effect is a bit lessened here because the white is heavier than the coloured yarn. Ah well, can't have it all.

The funny (or stupid) thing is, when I unearthed it from its huge basket I was surpised how near-to-finishing it was. I was already halfway joining the motifs. With a big project like this I like to work for some hours in a row. I can't just steal thirty minutes here or there, like with a less substantial project. So, in the end it did all boil down to lack of time. But I enjoyed the finishing process thoroughly.



Anyway, I hope you like it! Don't forget, next up on this blog is the pattern for the Dainty Dots Squares. (The squares, not the border, sorry!)

Thank you so much for visiting & have a lovely day.

The Tale of the Dainty Dots Blanket #1 - The Making Of

Number one? Yes, that’s right, this is going to be a mini-series about my recently finished blanket. Starting here and now with the making of…

At the basis for this blanket were these big blue and grey cotton yarn cakes I got in Thailand last year. I knew right away I wanted to use them for a blanket. (At first I also used the powder pink - pictured above, but I decided to throw it out.)

Funnily enough, in the end I’ve only used a small part of it (the white yarn is cotton I bought here at home), so I've still got a HUGE basket filled to the brim with this lovely yarn (in other colours as well).

Next up: the Dainty Dots Blanket Reveal (#2) and the Dainty Dots Pattern (#3), where I will also give suggestions for an alternative yarn. I’m rather pleased with something I’ve worked out for the pattern, my personal Eureka-moment crochet-wise, so stay tuned. :-)

For now I'd like to thank you for your lovely visit. Wishing you a happy day.

Granny Flower Square - The Pattern!

If you read this blog since the first year (thanks for putting up with me all that time!) you might remember this blanket, It's one of my first crocheted blankets. I finished it almost three years ago. As you can see my palette has changed a bit since then, nevertheless I still like the blanket. It has exactly that seventies vibe I was after.

Recently my eyes fell upon it and I thought it might be a good idea to write the pattern down. Mind you, only for the squares. The border is not my pattern so not mine to share and unfortunately I can't find the source anymore, I believe it was a Portuguese magazine.

The pattern

Remarks beforehand
- You can either start a new round by chaining 2 (as a substitute dc) or – and that’s definitely my recommendation! – by making a standing double crochet. With the latter you can't tell afterwards where you started the round.
- The pattern calls for a join at the end of each round. My preferred method is to make a seamless join using a blunt needle. Alternatively you can slipstitch in the first stitch of the round.
- I used a 4 mm hook and I made 285 squares in total. Each square measures 10x10 cm (appr. 4x4 inch).

To start
Magic circle or chain 5 and join with a slipstitch to create a ring

Round 1
*1 dc in ring, ch 1*, repeat between * * 11 x, join

Round 2
*2 dc in ch1-sp, ch 1*, repeat between * * 11 x, join

Round 3
*3 dc in ch1-sp, ch 1*, repeat between * * 11 x, join

Round 4
Please note: The corners are worked in trebles.
*3 dc in ch1-sp, ch 1, 3 dc in ch1-sp, 3 tr in ch1-sp, ch 2, 3 tr in same space, ch 1*, repeat between * * 11 x, join. Weave in ends.

Joining the motifs
I used the join-as-you-go method for joining the motifs.

Please don't copy or share the chart elsewhere, but link to this page instead - thank you for linking with love! 

That's it!

I hope you've had a lovely week so far. Wishing you a great weekend!

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...


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Smitten. The pattern.

Wow, I was blown away by your kind comments on the Smitten Blanket. Many thanks!

As promised I'd come back here soon with the pattern. Well, tadaah, it's here now - written and as a chart! Regarding the latter: *phew* it was quite a challenge to draw one that's not veeery wonky. ;-) (BTW if you have a suggestion for good software to create crochet charts, I'd love to hear about it!)

Please note that to the best of my knowledge this is a very old, vintage pattern. I re-created it from a blanket I fell in love with. However, if a original pattern is somewhere to be found, please let me know and I will of course give credit where it's due! Kudo's to the original designer of this lovely pattern.

Before you start crocheting...
♦ I made every popcorn stitch (abbreviated: pc) in this blanket with 6dc's. More common is a popcorn with 5 dc's. Using 6 dc really makes your popcorn pop, however if you're not a experienced crocheter of tend to make loose stitches I would advice to make a 5-dc pc, because otherwise the center of your square could get too heavy and could cause the last rounds to ruffle. And a 5-dc-popcorn is just as lovely. (And eats less yarn!)
♦ If you have not worked a popcorn stitch before I can recommend Youtube for some excellent tutorials.
♦ I used a 5.5 mm crochet hook. This resulted in a blocked square of 34 x 34 cm.
♦ One square eats (very) roughly about 120 mtr yarn.
♦ Please note that in round 8 you do not want to make a dc on top of the popcorn from round 7. You'll need a little gap there - it is like the top of a little gap-staircase started in round 5, if you know what I mean ;-).
♦ Instructions between * * are repeated as many times as the patterns calls for.
♦ If you're using the chart as reference: I did not mark the first stitch of a round specifically as such.

PLEASE do NOT share this pattern or chart elsewhere (like blog, facebook or instagram, snapchat, youtube, ravelry... et cetera!) but link to this page instead. And -  obviously - it's not allowed to sell it on etsy etc. Thanks for your understanding. 
























To start

chain 6, close in first chain to form a ring. Alternatively, make a magic circle.

Round 1
16 dc in ring.
(Your first dc is either made from 2 chains, or, preferably, by using a standing dc)

Round 2
*1dc, ch2*
repeat 15x (16 in total)

Round 3
*make 1pc in a ch2-space, ch3, 1 pc in next space, ch3*
repeat all the way round (16 pc's in total)
sl st in first pc of this round

Round 4
sl st in next ch3-space,
*1pc, ch3, 1pc, ch3, 1 pc, ch3, 1 pc, ch10*
repeat 3x (4 in total)
sl st in first pc of this round

Round 5
sl st in next ch3-space,
*1pc, ch3, 1pc, ch3, 1pc, ch2, [6dc + ch3 + 6dc + ch2 in ch10-space to make a corner]*

repeat 3x (4 in total)
sl st in first pc of this round

Round 6
sl st in next ch3-space,
*1pc, ch3, 1pc, ch2, 2dc in ch2-space, 1 dc in each of the next 6 dc's,[ 2dc in ch3-space + ch3 + 2 dc in same space], 1dc in each of the next 6dc's, 2dc in ch2-space, ch2*
repeat 3x (4 in total)
sl st in first pc of this round

Round 7
sl st in next ch3-space
*1pc, ch2, 2dc in ch2-space, 1 dc in each of the next 10dc's, [2dc in ch3-space + ch3 + 2 dc in same space], 1dc in each of the next 10dc's, 2dc in ch2-space, ch2*
repeat 3x (4 in total)
sl st in first pc of this round

Round 8
sl st in next ch2-space
*2 dc in this ch2-space, 1 dc in each of the next 14 dc's, [2 dc's in ch3-space + ch3 + 2dc in same space], 1 dc in each of the next 14 dc's, 2dc in ch2-space*
repeat 3x (4 in total)
Close this round with a slip stitch of by using a blunt needle.
Please note: don't make a dc in the pc of the previous round: you want a little gap there for the consistency of the pattern. (See remarks under Before you start crocheting...)

Round 9
Make a standing dc (alternatively: chain 2) in any dc of the previous round, 1 dc in each dc of the previous round. In the corners: 2dc in ch3-space, ch3, 2 dc in same space. Continue with 1 dc in each dc of the previous round. All the way round. Close the round.

Round 10
Repeat round 9.
Weave in ends!

Joining the squares
Have you made enough squares for your blanket? Congratulations! Now you can start joining them and watch the pattern fully emerge...
For my sample blanket I slipstitched the squares together. Hold the squares together (front sides facing eachother) and slipstitch through the outer loops. Easy peasy! After that, I gave my sample blanket a simple edging of two rounds of dc.

Wow - that was it, I guess. Your blanket is ready!

Please leave a comment if you detect a mistake or if something is not clear and I will do my best to help. I do hope you have as much fun with this pattern as I had. Oh, and if you are making this blanket, I'd loooove to see the result!

Thanks for your kind visit. Much appreciated!
Happy crocheting and have a lovely weekend.
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Liked this? My book Mandalas to Crochet is now available on Amazon! :-)

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



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

Smitten

Two weeks ago I showed you a picture of a gorgeous vintage crocheted blanket in Lisbon. (The pink blanket with the popcorn stitches; this link will bring you to that post...)








I also promised that I would figure the pattern out. So that's what I did! I hereby proudly present my lapsized sample blanket. I call it my Smitten Blanket. Because that's what I am with this lovely vintage pattern. (I'm planning to make a fullsized blanket with this pattern!)

It was such a lovely project. At the moment I'm finalizing the pattern (both as a chart and in words) and I will publish it here within a couple of days.

Before I conclude this post I'd like to say a big Thank You to Vanessa from Coco Rose Diaries for the blog love. Her distinctive crochet and styling skills are simply amazing and she is a huge inspiration to me. Her post also made me realise I've got some work to do: Update my blogroll... It's been added to my todo-list. ;-)

Well... That's all for today. Do check back here if you are interested in the pattern for the Smitten Blanket. By the way, I've also got a pattern lined up that should bring a bit of spring in our houses. Because I definitely need that during these grey days...

Many thanks for your kind visit.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I wish you a happy week!
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