Last One

I did not think I would make it this month...

I thought I would be working still on it during May, fitting all the hexagons into one blanket.

I was wrong, and I am so happy about it!

This is the last hexagon.

And it is attached to the blanket.

It is done!

Onto the border! (And all the ends ofcourse...)

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week Day 6: A Tool to Covet

Write about your favourite knitting or crochet (or spinning, etc) tool. It can either be a tool directly involved in your craft (knitting needles or crochet hook) or something that makes your craft more pleasurable – be it a special lamp, or stitch markers.

Is it an item that you would recommend to others, and if so for which applications/tasks do you think it is most suited. Conversely, do you have a tool/accessory that you regret buying? Why does it not work for you?

 Source: Eskimimi Makes

I think every knitter or crocheter has one.

This tool is a must for those of you, like me, need to put down a project very often to tend kids/pets/household etc and not get your project lost in the vast space of your house!

It also reflects the qualities of a Bee. Lots of projects going on that you need to keep track of, but also as you are buzzing your way through the day you need to keep things organized.

Meet the basket:

I think most of you knitters or crocheters do the same as me:

A basket in the neighbourhood of your favorite sitting place and in arm's reach to plop either your project in when you are done or pick it up if you have a few spare moments!

Here it is in its full glory! Just an ordinary shopping basket I bought once for a few euros. Stands up on its own, has nice depth and can be folded if not in use. I absolutely love it. I can pick it up easily, but it is a basket I really need to sort out every once in a while becuase loose things end up on the bottom and odds and ends all go into the basket (from projects I already finished).

 

This is how my basket looks normally. Lots of hook holders and zip locks with yarn!

Do you have one?

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week Day 5: Something a bit different

It’s the annual challenge to blog in a way different to how you normally blog. You may choose to create a podcast, or vlog, create a wordless post or write in verse. You've already stretched your wings with an infographic, now it's time to freestyle. You can post on any topic you like, but be sure to post in a style different from your usual blog presentation.

Source: Eskimimi Makes

I think this is actually the hardest day for me! What to do? A videolog sounded good, but I did not have any time for it. A wordless post sounded nice, but a bit "meh". I am not good in poetry....

Then I thought: Something with Queensday!

Every year on the 30th of April we celebrate the "birthday" (it is not her actual birthday) of our Queen Beatrix. There are lots of activities on this day. In every city there is music, flea markets, plays, dancing, outdoor sports, you name it. Every city or village in the Netherlands will be coloured orange, white, blue and red (Orange for the colour of the Queen, red, white and blue for the Dutch national flag).
Lots of people dress up with these colours in their clothes. They don on orange hats, wrap themselves in orange boa's, wave with Dutch flags or make them with make up on their cheeks, you name it!

Just to give you an example, this is how Amsterdam looks during Queensday:

And ofcourse there are a lot of Queensday inspired crochet patterns! This year Queensday is extra special since our Queen Beatrix abdicates from the throne on Queensday, to make place for her son Willem-Alexander. The last few days, she is making visits (opening art exhibitions) and doing her final ceremonial functions during her last few days as a Queen. It is also even more special since we are going to have a king after three queens, four if you count Queen Regent Emma. After King Willem III (1849-1890), we had Queen Regent Emma (queen regent from 1890-1898 until her daughter Wilhelmina came of age), Queen Wilhelmina (1890-1948), Queen Juliana (1948-1980) and Queen Beatrix (1980-2013). And now we are going to have king Willem-Alexander.

There are a lot of cutie pie crochet patterns that can be used to give some Queensday feeling to anyone!

Here we go (most of it is in Dutch, but I think you will like the pictures!):

Dutch Flag from Madebymriek

Orange Crown by Annemarieshaakblog

Flower by Haakmaaraan

Crown and bow by Hobbydoos

Queen Beatrix, future king Willem Alexander and princess Maxima

from a book called Ik houd van Holland en Haken

Dutch inspired brooch by Echtstudio

Frivolite Crown by Handwerktuin

Orange Crown by Klein Zoet Geluk

And last but not least, one in English! I still drool on this shawl, but haven't gotten around making it:

Juliana Wrap (called after Queen Beatrix' mother, Juliana) from Quinkish Crafts on Ravelry

Dutchies: have fun whipping up a quickie these last few days before Queensday, and all other readers: have a lovely day and hopefully you will find us Dutchies not too quirky with our Orange addiction :)

Oranje Boven, Lang Leve de Koningin!

P.S.: Want to read more Knitting and Crochet Blog posts from other bloggers? Put the tag "4KCBWDAY5" in Google or another search engine and see what they are writing about! (this is only for day 5, I will update the tag everyday)

Knitting and Crochet Blog week Day 4: Colour Review

What are your favourite colours for knitted or crocheted projects. Have a think about what colours you seem to favour when yarn shopping and crafting.

Only after writing this part of your post should you then actually look to see what colours you have used in your projects. Make a quick tally of what colours you have used in your projects over the past year and compare it to the colours you have written about. Compare this, in turn, to the colours that are most dominant in your yarn stash – do they correlate?

Now think back to your house animal - do the colours you have chosen relate to your animal in anyway - if you are in the house of peacock, for example, are your projects often multicoloured and bright?

 Source: Eskimimi Makes

On Tuesday, I shared my stash with you. And noticed two things: a) lots of different colours b) lots of purple!

Over the past year I made several very colourful projects, and not with a particular theme as it seems:

Here are the patterns I worked on for the last year, minus a few projects from other designers. I think this really represents what kind of colours I like.

Funny thing is, I made a kind of colourwheel with all of the shawls I made from the moment I started crocheting (the last 4 years), and I think it has the same colour distribution as the picture above and it reflects the colours in my stash.......

Here it is:

Lots of green, blue, purple and a smidge of yellow/orange! And my circle scarf as a pretty center.

I am such a sucker for muted colours as it seems. But again, lots of purple!! Totally true to the House of Bee :)

But definately a colour addict. And the best thing is, they all are a great combination with black/dark blue tops and shirts!

P.S.: Want to read more Knitting and Crochet Blog posts from other bloggers? Put the tag "4KCBWDAY4" in Google or another search engine and see what they are writing about! (this is only for day 4, I will update the tag everyday)

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week Day 3: Stash Statistics

There are many ways of conveying information on a blog; text and images being the two most widely used. Many infographics combine both these elements to provide a visual way of presenting text information.

Make your own infogaphic (no fancy imaging software needed, you can draw it on paper and photograph it if you want) to convey any element of your craft(s). It can be just for fun or a thoroughly researched presentation of an idea/finding.

Source: Eskimimi Makes

About two years ago, infographics were quite a rage. Do you remember icanhazcheezburger? With the kitty pictures? They also had a daily infographic post, some were graphs, others were pie charts. They were amazingly funny.

So when I saw the topic for today I really wanted to do something funny. It was a bit hard to come up with a good one though! And even harder to decide on just one theme!

One was a graph in which the age of a woman was set out against the amount of baby items she makes. That would be graph quickly rising after 30.

Another thing I thought would be fun to put the amount of crochet hooks owned by a crocheter against the amount of hooks she/he really owns. I think we all know how that would look ;)

But I decided to stay with the Stash. Just like yesterday!

In my years on Ravelry I have seen so many yarns, in all sorts, thicknesses, yummyness, you name it.

Also there has always been some rivalry between two groups. I would call them the yarn "snobs" and the yarn "dreamers".

Both groups have one thing in common: they all drool on the luxury yarns. But one group will not be caught alive with a huge ball of Red Heart Yarn, and the other group sighs, and goes to Target for that same ball of Red Heart Super Saver, just because the luxury yarn is out of reach (either because of the cost or having kids, etc.). So, when the "Flash your Stash" topics were opened, I could clearly see both groups. Amazingly luxury stash neatly put into giant cupboards, but also huge under bed baskets with acrylics.

But this really wasn't an issue for the "snobs" and the "dreamers". When there were getting more and more "What kind of yarn do you knit your socks with?" topics, that was when the bickering started... I think you know what I mean!

Why the strive? Why be jealous? I don't know, but I am a practical kind of crocheter, but I also have a hint of a yarn snob in me. I think we all have, don't we? I drool when I touch a ball of silk/alpaca/merino yarn. Delicious! But I will pick up any ball of cotton or acrylic with just as much love. I think the "dreamers" dislike the "snobs" because they have a bit of a stiff upperlip in them, but I also think the "snobs" dislike the "dreamers" because they are maybe envious of their practicality.

This is ofcourse all written with a bit of tongue in cheek :) you do understand right?

Here are my infograhpics for today: Snobbery versus Practicality.

 

The Wollmeise is actually a yarn I would not care for, but I think you know what I mean. Look at all the yummyness! I would roll in my stash!

But in reality?

Quite a difference! But after making these infographs, I would not trade my stash for the world. It is a great stash. I just "dream" on..... :) 

P.S.: Want to read more Knitting and Crochet Blog posts from other bloggers? Put the tag "4KCBWDAY3" in Google or another search engine and see what they are writing about! (this is only for day 3, I will update the tag everyday)

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week Day 2: A Mascot Project

Your task today is to either think of or research a project that embodies that house/animal. It could be a knitting or crochet pattern – either of the animal itself or something that makes you think of the qualities of that house. Alternatively it could be a type or colour of yarn, or a single button. Whatever you choose, decide upon a project and blog about how and why it relates to your house/creature.

Eskimimi Makes

I did choose the Bee house didn't I? I really needed to think about today's post, pondering how my crochet characteristics are Bee-like....

Flying from project to project....

The last sentence really describes me to a T, but I also think the House of Bee maybe is one of the most colourful, orderly houses this Blog Week. Yes, I know, it sounds a bit strange having a short attention span yet being an orderly person.

You have to! It is a natural thing!

And here is my proof.

Exhibit A

Look at what colours Bees are receptive too:

Their colour spectrum has the same range as humans, but it is more shifted to purple and ultraviolet. This actually attracts bees to the flowers that "want" to be pollinated by them. It lures them more into the flower so the pollen from their paws and body sticks to the stigma, the part where the ovules are.

I really like purple, so this is a thing to remind for a mascot project/House of Bee characteristic!

Exhibit B

 

We Bees tend to hop from project to project, leave quite a few things in a state of "halfway done".

What are Bees to do with them?

In order to find anything back when we are rummaging through stashes/crochet baskets/closets we need to organize.

Bees are very very good at that. Look at the neatness of a beehive. And all the workers who are extremely busy tending the larvae and tidying everything up.

I do see myself more of a Worker Bee than a Queen Bee because of that.

I still can pull out a bag from my stash and exactly tell you what the content is going to be. Someday.

So, Purple and Organization/Order.

Let's see what we have in my stash:

My Ripple to be, in a cupboard

Purple: Check.
Order: Check

A motif I once made, but I have put the yarn into another project

Purple: Check
Order: Yes, in it's original ziplock bag!

Someday this will be an amigurumi

Purple: Nope.
Order: Check.

Bits 'n pieces box

Purple: Yes! Underneath thepink!
Order: Check.

Scarf to be!

Purple: Absolutely :)
Order: It rest together on a shelf, does that count?

My Hidden Triangles Hexagon Blanket in hibernation

Purple: Two different shades
Order: Is in the same bag, so Check!

 

For my Mascot Project (Idea, we'll see how it comes along) I would love to use different colours. Make something small but colourful, with a purple heart, to make it really Bee-like!

P.S.: Want to read more Knitting and Crochet Blog posts from other bloggers? Put the tag "4KCBWDAY2" in Google or another search engine and see what they are writing about! (this is only for day 2, I will update the tag everyday)