hello hello! :)

just so you'd know: this blogpost you're about to read is longgggg overdue. i cannot understand why i haven't blogged about this finished project sooner, because it was one of my bigger WIP's and i was super thrilled to finally have it finished.

last year in march, Sandra from the Cherry Heart blog organised a crochet-a-long, a blanket-a-long to be precise. i joined in with my hexagon blanket, a project i started 5 years ago.

 

so here it finally is! i'm super proud of this blanket, i still love the colour combination so much. when i purchased the yarn i had no idea yet of what kind of blanket i wanted to make, i just randomly put some colours together that i liked and started crocheting some different hexagons when i got home. 

 

i ended up with a hexagon shape from a book, i modified the pattern just a little bit to get a more "solid" hexagon and i just started crocheting! it was my to-go project for four years, i took it everywhere: on the train, in the car, in the garden, in front of tv,...

 

when i was finishing the blanket, i realised i also needed half-hexagon shapes to fill up the edges, because i didn't like a zig-zag border. so i made up a pattern for a half hexagon. (by this time i had already run out of coloured yarn so all the half-hexagons are white). i found a pattern for a subtle border online and slightly modified it. i wanted a bigger border but unfortunately i ran out of white yarn...

now that this blanket has been in use for over a year, i can say that i'm still really happy with it!

my boyfriend loves it too and doesn't want any other blanket in our sofa. :) looking back, i only wish i would've made it a bit bigger!

  the yarn i used is Annell Rapido. i'm quite pleased with this yarn, it's softer than most acrylic yarns anyway and it comes in lots of lovely colours. but over the years i became more and more of a yarn snob and i think, if i were to make another blanket, i would choose wool or at least a wool blend.

so, that's all about my hexagon blanket! i wish i could share more details about the pattern, my modifications, the exact colourways and so on, but i was bad at keeping notes... better luck next time. :)

♥

sooo, here's the first blogpost in a series called "things i've made last year but haven't posted yet" ;) 

 

 

i really needed a new pair of mittens as my kochoran mittens were completely worn out after 5 years of good use. i mended the thumb several times, which is fine, but they were starting to get thinner and thinner, and too cold for winter. i ordered some Drops Nepal online (to get free shipping on the yarn winder i wanted to buy, we all know how that goes), in a gorgeous grey-blue-ish colour.

for the mittens i used the staff mittens pattern, because i loved the cable/seed-stitch combinaton. i really liked this pattern, although i would use a different thumb inset if i were to knit them again. i knit them a bit too big so there was room for a fleece lining.

 next up was a hat. i wanted something that matched the cable/seed-stitch from the mittens. i considered several patterns but decided on the Peasleeville hat, which had an interesting construnction (you knit the cabled headband first, then pick up stitches for the hat), and a more complex cable pattern... 

 

 to make sure i wouldn't have to frog or start over, i worked with life lines after each cable repeat. the cable part was the hardest part, obviously, and after that i finished it in a couple of evenings. 

   i made the hat a bit longer to get a slouchy effect, which hides my bun a bit. and, for extra warmth, i also hand-sewed a fleece lining in the hat. the color of the fleece is not exact, but who cares? :)

 

 i must say, i'm not 100% convinced of how the hat looks on me. it's just not entirely "my style"... i think i have yet to find the perfect hat pattern for me and my ever-lasting bun. i'm tempted to give headbands a try but i'm afraid my head will be cold. has anyone got any experience with that?

but, all in all, i'm still very pleased with how this set turned out. :)

as usual, i want to start the new year by looking back on the previous year. :) i was quite productive in 2015 if i may say so myself. i wasn't the most active blogger the last year, so there are some things you haven't seen yet..

in 2015 i made lots of baby things, because i became an aunt and good friends of ours had their first baby and i wanted to give handmade presents. because of those, i rediscovered how much i like sewing which resulted in 2 other projects: the beginning of a hexagon english paper piecing quilt with fabric scraps (pictured in the upper right corner) and my first handmade dress *ever* (pictured in the last corner). i also finally finished my crochet hexagon blanket, by participating the Cherry Heart blanket-a-long on instagram! that's one big WIP tackled!!  i also made mittens and a matching hat, and 2 pairs of socks. and some other small things like baby hats, scarves, a teenie tiny cardigan and a baby bib.

as for my creative goals for 2016, i'm not going to set big or hard goals. all i really want to do is finally finish my stashbusting picnic blanket. 2016 is looking like a promising, but busy year, so i just want to go with the flow and see what happens. although it would be good if i work up some of my fabric stash with some smaller projects (not to mention i already bought fabric for a new dress and 2 t-shirts, woops). :)

what are your crafty plans for 2016? i'd love to hear!
i also want to wish you all the best for 2016, and say thank you for your support.

may your year be happy & crafty!

♥

also check out

my creative year 2014

my creative year 2013

my creative year 2012

my creative year 2011

first of all thank you for all your reactions on my last blogpost about destashing. :) 

before i decided on letting go of my stash, i was destashing in another form: knitting (and crocheting) for charity!

somewhere in spring i discovered a knitting group on ravelry, "de breimadammen".

they knit for several charities (blankets for senegal, romania or homeless people,..), but one specific charity caught my attention: babynest. this small organisation collects all kinds of baby stuff (second hand but also handmade) for mothers and young families in need. a perfect charity to knit for, since i love making baby things!

 when i told my mom about this she was really excited as well, the picture above shows what the two of us made last year. most of it is her work to be honest: she made 4 sweaters, 2 scarves and 4 baby hats. i made a granny square blanket, a scarf and a baby bib.

the granny square blanket was so much fun to make, i made big blocks which i joined with white and finished with a light blue border.

i also really liked this baby scarf.

i remember my grandma made similar scarves for my grandpa. :)

and then i also made a baby bib with 100% cotton yarn. although this was fun to knit, to be honest i wouldn't make it again, sewing a baby bib is so much quicker and i think also more practical. 

a couple of weeks ago i met up with Annie (one of the nice ladies who is part of the organisation "de breimadammen") to hand over our bag with handmades (and also part of my yarn stash ;)). we didn't have much time to talk to her but we definitely talked long enough to convince me that these kind of charities are GOLD. i admire her enthousiasm and all the efforts she put into this... so so so inspiring. :)

wishing you happy holidays by the way!

♥

more info:
ravelry group "de breimadammen"
baby nest facebook page
my project page on ravelry (with more photos of everything we made)

woohoo, i finished my gladys socks! i was so thrilled to finally have them off the needles and on my feet, because i think they might be my prettiest pair yet. :) 

 aahh! happy feet! and picture overload!

let me tell you, this pattern is pure genious! i love how the main stitch pattern goes all the way down the heelflap and i also liked how the sock decreases were divided to give a nice, rounded toe. something to remember!

  i couldn't be happier with my choice of yarn, using a neutral, light-coloured yarn really shows off the stitches. (i used Regia 4-ply Uni in light grey)

 the on-my-feet pictures actually don't show how lovely the stitch patterns are, so here are some of my instagram snaps! 

next thing i'm up to... cables! :) 

wishing you all a lovely sunday night!

♥

i already blogged about a good deal of handmade baby stuff this year and i'm afraid it's not over just yet. :) good friends of ours had a beautiful baby girl called toni, which was the perfect reason to get behind my sewing machine and make some handmade presents!

 

  this was so much fun from beginning to end! i had the best time picking out fabric with my boyfriend and thinking about what to make... i decided to make bunting and a blanket. it all started with the soft hot pink fleece blanket i found in the store (because those are usually a bit cheaper than buying fleece it in the fabric store - and this one was sooo soft!) and we just picked out fabrics that matched. which ended up in a girly but happy and bright colour palette, with polka dots and flamingo's. :)

 

 the letters on the bunting are a fun detail: toni's father is a graphic designer and was my closest colleague at my previous job, so i knew he'd appreciate it if i used the exact type as used on the birth card he designed. ;)

we also found a cute baby summer top, which was a perfect match with the blanket & bunting, et voila, baby gift done! :) it does look a bit excessively colour-coordinated now i see it together like this, woops! guess i'm obsessive like that. ;)

♥

the last pair of socks i finished were these Simple Trekking socks knit with (hah, surprise) Trekking XXL yarn. this yarn was lying in my stash for quite a while, and i thought it was about time i used it!

i chose the Simple Trekking socks pattern because i wanted something that was simple enough to show off the yarn, easy enough for some mindless knitting and interesting enough to not get really, really bored. ;)

 the pattern is quite straight-forward but features a broken rib detail on the toes and on the cuff. it also has a reinforced heel, which definitely feels quite durable and sturdy and is fun to knit also!

 i must say, i was happy and relieved to finish these, because i'm not too crazy about them! for a while i was thinking about starting again with a different pattern, but then i realised my biggest problem with these is mainly because of the yarn. the colours are quite masculine and not very cheerful.. i'm glad i pushed trough, because they fit great, they  really are super comfy! (hurray for ribbed socks)

so nevertheless, another warm and comfy pair was added to my sock drawer! 

♥

(my apologies for the not-so-great photos, but the weather wasn't that great when i took them... )

we just returned from lovely holidays in Normandy, France! although we didn't have the best weather, we did have a great time and came home well rested and very impressed by the nature and WOII history of the places we visited. 

 but vacation just wouldn't be vacation if it didn't involve a good amount of knitting. ;) i started a new pair of socks again couple of months ago, and took the second sock with me to finish. so now i have again a finished pair to add to my sock drawer!

 

  the colours went surprisingly well with my new green t-shirt...

 ... but also with the fishing nets in the harbour...

 ... or the nature at Omaha Beach!

  i also took a new project with me, because this pair was almost finished and i printed out a gorgeous pattern weeks ago... :)  so in the last couple of days of our holidays i started knitting on a pair of Gladys socks! something a bit more challenging and with a solid yarn for a change! don't you just love the chevrons?

there's a post about my finished pair of socks coming up real soon.. but first there is some post-holidays washing and ironing to do... :) how did you spend your vacation? was it good? do you also take your crafty projects along? do tell me in the comment section! :) 

♥

those who follow me on instagram might have noticed: there are loads of crafty things going on but rarely something shows up on the blog. some of you know i started combining my full-time job with working as a freelance designer a year ago, and i must say, the past year i really struggled to find the right balance between my job and my free time, which is why it's been so quiet here. all the free time i had was going to relaxing and actually making stuff, and blogging about the process just became too much.

that's when i thought about giving up my blog, but blogging gave me so much opportunities, like giving workshops at the Maakdag, winning great stuff, and designing a book (which you can WIN! click here!) i also learned so much stuff reading blogs and met so many inspiring people (both in real life as online)! i realized i didn't want to stop and blog along, even if it's just once a month.

so anyways, here's what i've been up to lately.. because that's what blogging is about, no? ;)

i made a cute little hat for friends who are expecting their first baby in august. it was a fun change from my usual go-to hat (the aviatrix pattern). this pattern is called "alladin" (excellent name!) and you can find it here on ravelry.

i changed the i-cord straps to a garter stitch strap because i didn't like how my i-cord looked. i also did another kind of increase which is why my hat looks slightly different from the pictures. i used Apilou yarn from Veritas, by the way.


and then i also made this baby blanket! this time i used fleece, piping and a cute Soft Cactus fabric. it was finished in a couple of hours (cutting the fabric was the hardest part, honestly) and it now keeps my niece warm when she is staying with my parents! 

and then i also finished my hexagon blanket by  participating in the Cherry Heart blanket-a-long, but i still didn't take a decent picture of it. it's already been put to good use in the chilly winter/pre-spring days though!

hi everyone!

today i want to share a baby gift i made for a little boy named Gus. 

i made a stuffed toy for his big brother more than two years ago, so it made sense that i made a toy for Gus also. i wanted to make a different toy, boy-ish not only in colours but also in design. but it also had to be cute!

after thinking and planning for  some time, i bought some cotton yarn in colours i liked and gave this monster pattern a go. i drew some colour schemes (planning is half the fun!) and went for it!

somewhere between christmas and new years eve, i finished the toy. 

turns out the baby was born right when i was sewing in the ends! :) 

 

 

 i love this little monster. i like how he's like a little brother for the other one. :)