Big News: I wrote a Crochet Book!

Well well, dear blog readers of creJJtion. 

Last week I told you I would make an announcement, and today is the day. I have been blogging for over 3 year now, and the biggest news I released so far mostly included my private life; getting married and moving to Canada. But todays' news is different. It involves crochet, lots of crochet, and you. I kept a secret from you for the past 10 months or so, and I am happy, excited, relieved and nervous, to tell you:

I wrote my first crochet book

A book! This Summer PUUR haken will be printed, and as of early August it will be available to you in Dutch stores and online. I proudly present the cover:

From the first rough ideas I exchanged with the publisher shortly after we moved back from Canada, to the project ideas, yarn selection, hours and miles of crochet, styling of the items, till when it came all together on the day of the photo shoot recently… I had to hold myself back very tightly not to share every exciting and boring detail with you. But as of now I can, and will share bits and pieces with you, as the publisher and I are in the final stages of putting PUUR haken together. 

In no less than three months it will be printed and available to you. I am beyond excited!

What will it look like? What patterns are included? Will it be printed in English? I hear you thinking. Well, I can share a few things. The book is called PUUR haken, which literally translates to PURE crochet. It will be printed in Dutch and includes diagrams, charts and some close up images of stitches, for non-Dutch readers. The book contains over 20 crochet designs, covering different techniques and styles. The pure aspect of the book relates to the use of mostly 100% natural materials such as cotton and wool, it relates to suggestions for upcycling and yarn scrap projects, the pure aspect relates to every project being a crochet project with one exception for a fun crochet-paper combination, and it relates to the colour schemes with lots of naturals. There are patterns for beginner, intermediate and advanced crocheters. To finish it off there will be lots of pictures, and some illustrations done by me as you can already see on the cover.

beautiful cupcakes made by my friend Taertske, they will be featured in the book…!

In the coming weeks I am still very busy working on the final details. I will give you little sneak peeks into the process to keep you updated. PUUR haken will be available for pre-order in my web shop in a few weeks, and I will let you know when and where there will be a little book-launch event. You are all invited!

I feel very thankful and honoured to be given the chance to write this book. It is a big relief to share this news with you today, and have it 'out there'. Now, I'd better get back to work…

xo

New Book: Haken en Kleur

yesterday I wrote about it a little, the new Dutch crochet book Haken en Kleur, by darling Claire and Saskia from the pretty and colourful blogs Haken en Meer and Saar en Mien.

what I love about the book is how it shows pure love for crochet, love for colour and brightness, the joy of good friendship and what may come from that, the love for high quality crochet and for sharing beauty. even if you don't read Dutch you will be able to enjoy this book, not only because of the beautiful photography and projects, but also because of the crochet diagrams that explain every project in detail.

I took a few shots of the book to give you an idea. the photography is beautifully done and looks just like their blogs. I love the flower squares for the cushion cover, the blanket made out of stars is hard to resist. and when I looked at my stash and found this pink, green and grey (not black, as it may seem in the pictures) merino wool I had to start with the two-tone shawl. well actually it is becoming a four tone shawl, but the same size as the original shawl was meant. because of the extra colours I might let go off the flowers at the waves, but let's see when I get to the end how I fee like it. for now I  am just so happy to have found a project that matches yarn from my stash. not needing to go out and buy more yarn is just perfect. I mean, I've just moved my yarns across the ocean and I can tell you, there's a big need for a lot of projects to suit that yarn, ahum…

so far I love this project. it is quick and has a nice rhythm to it with alternating rows of stitches. do you know what I mean when I am talking about a rhythm when it comes to crochet? it is about getting to know your stitches, repeat them for a complete row, getting to know the next row, and slowly getting to see what you are doing and how this combination of stitches is making up a lovely pattern. it makes you want to move on and on, row after row. never stop, change colour here and there and see what that does to the pattern. and crochet a few more rows, since by this time you can crochet the combination of stitches with your eyes closed. well, almost. but at least while sitting in front of the fire place and having a good conversation, while sipping a glass of good wine. or tea, depending on the time of day.

well, I am getting a little carried away, but do you recognize a good crochet rhythm? well, this is your project. the merino wool makes this shawl super soft, warm too and light weight, together this makes it perfect for a Fall and Winter wrap, don't you think?

I have some pink yarn left over and I am already dreaming of crocheting a rose brooch to keep the wrap around me when I am sitting by the fire place… hmmmm

congratulations sweet Saskia and Claire on this wonderful, inspirational, beautiful and lovely book! thank you for sharing your pretty projects with us. get your copy in your local Dutch bookstore, or here. and did you notice those cute little cross stitch stamps? the alphabet is available through Petra's cute shop, you can find it here. enjoy!

Fall

well hello there, how was your week? I had a little bit of an off week, not feeling totally well and definitely not feeling a lot of energy. probably the rain didn't help to fix that. although the weekend was mostly bright and sunny, and therefore quite cheerful. great timing by the chimney sweeper too, who made our fireplace ready and oh what joy the fire and the warmth give. in front of it, I worked on the pattern for the fingerless gloves, and hope to upload a second pattern this Wednesday. 

I enjoyed playing with some patterns from the HEMA Breiboek and over the weekend I happily started a pattern from the colourful new Dutch crochet book Haken en Kleur, by my crochet friends Claire and Saskia, from the blogs Haken en Meer and Saar en Mien. more about that tomorrow!

wishing you a great week of Fall xo

Give Away Winners

thank you all for signing up for the give away of Koralee's pretty yummy book

Everything Goes With Ice Cream

this time I was lucky to be able to announce not one, but two winners!

the random number generator picked 21 and 58

which means Christine from the Beanniequilts blog and Duni from the blog Duni's Studio are the lucky ladies

please Christine and Duni send me an e-mail with your mail address and the book will be sent to you

see bottom of this page for my e-mail address

if you don't happen to be Christine or Duni, but would like to get this pretty and inspiring book

you can find it on Amazon if you're in Canada, the USA or Europe

happy first weekend of Spring to you

Give Away : Everything Goes With Ice Cream

Everything Goes With Ice Cream

the new book by Koralee, from the pretty blog Bluebird Notes, my dear friend who lives on the other side of Canada. we met through blogging about 2 years ago, and have met real life once in 2011 just after I moved to Canada. she is the sweetest lady, such a darling, with great taste and style. and now all of that has come together in her beautiful book. yes, an actual book. isn't that great? fabulous? fantastic? it is a lovely colorful book, packed with delicious ice cream recipes that make you want an extra deep freezer, and craft ideas that make you want to have a party everyday.

you can probably imagine my excitement back in the Summer of 2011, when she approached me to be part of this book. of course I said yes, and of course I wrote up our family recipe for the chocolate cherry cream parfait that my mom usually makes when we are in Sweden. together with it I wrote up a little idea for a cupcake pompom garland as a cute and easy party addition.

and now the good news for you.

you can order this beautiful book online here and... I am allowed to give away 2 copies of the book!

your chance to win a copy: leave a comment to this post

of course you are very welcome to follow me here and like me there

please make sure you comment before March 21st

on March 22nd the random number generator will pick two winners

thank you very much Koralee for brightening our days and kitchens with your beautiful book! it's pure joy

Tulips and a Book

tulip galore last week in our home, such joy! on Sunday we visited the local maple syrup festival, it was a beautiful warm and sunny day. it was really nice to learn more about the history of how maple syrup and maple sugar is made, and walk around with friends in the beautiful Provincial Park we have so close to our home. Floyd enjoyed it too, he got lots of attention from the other visitors.

last week the book "everything goes with ice cream" by the lovely Koralee from the pretty blog bluebird notes arrived in the mail, talking about joy... this was and still is pure joy! it makes me so proud to see my humble little page spread in there too. a recipe and a little party themed craft to go with it. thank you so so much Koralee for having me partake in this beautiful book. I will take more pictures with the dslr and tell you more about this beautiful book later this week, and... watch out for a generous give away too!

happy new week to you

Gatherings : The White Issue

the exciting white news I was telling you about last week

Gatherings Magazine: The White Issue by the lovely and talented Heather Spriggs was released yesterday!

among others, it features my talented and creative friends Claire from Heart Handmade UK, Annetta from Inspired By, Iris from irideeën, Ingrid from Of Spring and Summer and their beautiful projects and pictures. you can find them on Instagram too, for your daily dose of inspiration. I am proud to tell you that I got the opportunity to contribute with Valentine themed how-to instructions for the love pillows and crochet hearts, starting on page 102. thank you Heather for putting together such a beautiful and inspiring magazine.

get yourself a cup of your favorite coffee or tea, sit back, relax, and enjoy this inspiring Gatherings White Issue!

Ending 2012 with a Book

2012

for creJJtion 2012 was a very exciting year, to say the least. an Instagram account, Facebook page, Etsy shop and twitter account were added to the social media family. Lieke, Miami Beach and Beach Girl, Miami City, Cato, Olympics, Juliet and Delft Blue all came to live as a baby blanket. 4 pillows, 18 Santa dolls, 3 scarfs, 3 sets of coasters, 5 baskets, numerous sets of wrist cozy's and cowls, moodboards, collages, contribution to Gatherings magazine, thousands of pictures and 3 baby rattles were made.

with the cooperation with the production facility in Bolivia and a partnership with Baby Watoto in Africa, two of my dreams were fulfilled. the support I got from you in real life, through e-mail, through this blog, on Facebook and Instagram was never ending, and there are no words to express how much I appreciate them and feel the love. it was a good year for creJJtion.

to answer my urge to document and organize and to tell you the story of creJJtion in 2012 in pictures, I am proud to present you my portfolio book. I am very happy and lucky to be given the chance to be intensely inspired and creative this past year.

THANK YOU

~

on a personal level 2012 was a good year as well. we got to travel in Canada, the USA and Europe, spent lovely time with friends and family both here and there. the husband and I were able to inspire, challenge and encourage each other, sharing both laughter and tears. it was our first full year in Canada and we enjoyed it so much we like to stay a little longer. in our family healthy babies were born and we can't wait to meet them in 2013. health and luck wise some of our family members were much less fortunate and without going into details, I wish I could hug them more often and wish for them nothing but a healthy and quiet, peaceful 2013.

~ 

for now, I am wishing you all a perfect new years eve!

let's talk 2013, intentions and resolutions tomorrow

Embroidery

one more book I took with me from the library

about freestyle embroidery ~ for beginners, which is me

recently I found this massive bundle of color joy in a thrift store for a few dollars

all DMC and J.&P. Coats embroidery floss

and besides enjoying the color feast

I like to make something of it one day

may be decorate shoes with it

but I will probably have to start with simple exercises first

to get the techniques

the lazy-daisy stitch for example

sounds perfect to me ~ smile

are you into embroidery at all?

Yummy Books

hello there

you book, yarn, fabric and inspiration loving ladies

are you ready for a little library trip with me?

grab a cup of your favorite coffee or tea and sit back

I have a lot of pictures for you ~ smile

it has been I don't know how many years since I had a library membership

until last week when I found myself in the local library and thought: why not search for craft books?

I am sharing the first set I took home with me for a few weeks

Joelle from Purl Soho is the author of last minute patchwork + quilted gifts

a beautiful book full of indeed patchwork and quilt projects

great ideas like the picture in the right, quilting a blanket by following the lines of the fabric print

perfect how the flowers pop out after doing this!

a beautiful book full of effective sweet designs and some I recognized from the blog Purl Bee

when you are in to sewing with reclaimed materials

this book might be the one for you simply sublime bags ~ low sew projects

this place mat tote for example, perfect to my eyes

and then, for the yarn loving, Home from Debbie Bliss

the magazine, their yarns and books, I somehow was not familiar with it until I moved to Canada

I am amazed by the beauty of this book and the designs it contains

calm and relaxing pictures

inventive designs like these gloves with cute colored fingertips

and a woven cushion pattern

and all season too

whether you are looking for something cozy in the winter

or fresh at the beach in summer

it is all there

what about you?

do you visit the library to get inspiration for your next project?

does any of these books look inspirational to you too?

it makes me want to get out my stash and lock myself up for weeks

to create my versions of these pretty designs and patterns!

I would love to know how craft books make you feel, are you more a magazine kind of girl, or both...?

sending you extra love this Valentine's day