Dublin Post 1: Yarn Shopping

part one of a two-phase travel report of Dublin. two phase because I was so pleasantly surprised by it's beauty, friendliness and beautiful selection of shops, coffee shops and restaurants. and also because I thought I was smarter than my laptop and accidentally deleted all pictures we took in Rome. all of them. at least it makes for a good reason to go and visit Rome again one day, right?

in this first part of the Dublin report I am showing a few images around city centre. for a more extended overview I'd like to refer you to the lovely Emily who blogs beautifully about her life in and around Dublin here. helpful lists of things to see and do are to be found on her blog too, as well as the option to book her as a guide to experience 'Dublin like a local'.

a request on Instagram for tips and yarn shops in Dublin lead me to This is Knit in the impressive Powerscourt Town Centre. I looked them up on the www and got super excited to visit the beautiful shop and it's owners Jacqui and her daughter Lisa. after a truly delicious lunch at The Pepperpot Cafe which is in fact located right in front of This is Knit, I got to meet Jacqui and her 'delicious' shop. they carry a wonderful range of yarns, from Malabrigo and Debbi Bliss, to Irish tweed and hand dyed yarns. we chatted away about yarns, books, Ravelry and inspiring designers. of course I couldn't leave without pretty tweed skeins and a couple more yarns for future projects. they will reveal themselves over the next couple of months as I start working with them. thank you very much Jacqui and colleagues for the warm welcome in your pretty shop! too bad we don't all live close to Dublin so we can shop This is Knit in a weekly basis, right? well, there's a solution to that problem: the webshop! go have a look yourself and indulge in the beautiful range of irresistible yarns.

a couple more things I'd like to share with you, just in case you're visiting Dublin:

just one street away of the Powerscout Town Centre is Drury Street with Kaph for delicious coffee in a beautifully styled coffee shop. across the street of Kaph are the Irish Design Shop and the home and lifestyle store Industry with a beautifully designed website too, their play with typography is fantastic. we had delicious dinner later that night at Drury Buildings in the same street. Definitely our favourite street in Dublin so far, haha. 

a little more outside of the shopping streets but worth the walk are 3FE for coffee and Hänsel and Gretel for -what else would you expect- delicious pastry, cookies and pies.

my Dublin report part two is about crochet in the wild, coming soon.

Happy Weekend

I realize it is getting silent on the blog again, these are the weeks where the publisher and I round up the final details before my book PUUR haken goes to print. it makes me happy we're almost there, but it scares me too. did I write the patterns out well? is it clear for you to understand? too much text or too little, are the diagrams clear enough, for this project shall we add this picture or may be that one… details are rushing through my mind night and day. one more week and the 2 month wait for the actual book will begin. honestly, I can not wait.

in the mean time we're enjoying beautiful warm and sunny days in The Netherlands, it almost feels like Toronto Summer. which equals perfect to me, haha. flower season is in full bloom and currently peonies and hydrangeas are everywhere to my eyes liking. a little knitting, a granny square a week with the Simply Crochet app. and a latte here and there, is how I roll these weeks. 

I am getting excited for a weekend in Dublin with my love, and paying a visit to the very promising yarn shop This is Knit. I hope to get my hands on some local tweeds, I'll keep you posted!

in the mean time, have you clicked through to Sandra's new Crochet Corner? I can tell you, it is all sorts of fabulous. very detailed stitch explanations for beginners, links to patterns, beautiful photography as usual at her blog. definitely worth a visit!

have a lovely weekend

xo

Last Week

a few shots of last week, enjoying the good life in Sweden. a new square from the Simply Crochet magazine app; granny Ardith. if you are in the UK you may have had a peek at the new Simply Crochet issue 19 already? there is a picture on page 9 that may look familiar to you…

with Vinnis Bambi I am working on a new large flower pattern. this yarn is so soft and pretty, due to it's combination of cotton and bamboo half shiny. if the pattern works as I imagine it to do, I'll share it soon.

pure happiness when I found my friend Annette from the beautiful Rose Valley in the Swedish magazine Handarbete & Pyssel, it's an extra edition that comes with the newspaper Expressen, but is also available separately. congratulations on the beautiful feature with your pretty squares darling! the pattern for the squares can be found in English here, it links to the flower too.

and another teaser: the new creJJtion website is actually coming together as I type and it will only be a couple of weeks before it goes live. I have been working on it with a graphic designer and technical team for months and months, and in my imagination it has been live for a long time already. I really can't wait to share it with you. a couple more weeks of your patience as we are testing the links and pages, finishing touches…

have a lovely new week

xo

These Weeks

hello from warm and sunny Sweden where I am typing this blog post in the shade. I am enjoying a couple of weeks mixing holidays and book-work-days in good company. in the silence of the woods, we hear more birds than people. it's just perfect here. I have even started a little adventurous knitting project with some exciting fibers: copper embroidery thread, organic cotton and a variegated cotton. more images to come. but of course, there's some crochet too. the third square from the Simply Crochet Magazine app; Mabel. a little larger than the other too. I am curious to see where this app is taking me and if I'll be able to join the squares in the end.

is it Spring going on Summer where you are?

xo

Crochet WIP

progress on my flower cushion cover. yay! I've finished the squares, decided to add a few uni coloured blocks and a little touch of yellow. it just needed that. 

I crocheted the individual squares together, light grey was planned for it but it became all too much of a grid, so I went with dark grey instead. light grey ended up as the outer border, nice and simple two rounds of single crochet. it is all blocked and ready to be sewn to a fabric cover. 

with the left over yarn bits I whipped up this rather simple and large stripe cover for a matching cushion on the couch. the last row of each colour block is done with a bobble stitch. not as fancy as the flower cushion, but I like how they go together and each get their own attention. 

the fabric cover for the stripes is done already, so I know what I'm doing this week!

have a lovely week yourself

xo

Last Week

thank you all so very much for your lovely, sweet and encouraging comments about my crochet book PUUR haken. I have to admit, it was quite scary to bring the news after months and months of keeping it quiet, and I am very happy and relieved you are so excited. Thank you!

last week I managed to work a little on the cushion cover, enjoy Spring and this little bird that just flew out of the nest, pretty flowers, an afternoon at the beach and crocheting the second square of the Simply Crochet granny square app. this week I plan to blog with more pictures about the flower cushion and it's stripy big brother.

have a lovely week!

xo

Last Week

thank you for your enthusiastic comments on my previous post. you are such a lovely bunch, never fail to cheer me up and make my day! highly motivated to get back in the blogging swing, I am starting this week with my regular Monday 'last week' update.

the first squares relate to a photo shoot I did for a friend, who hosts beautiful parties with delicious and pretty cupcakes. she is also the one who organizes the monthly local knit and crochet cafe. if you're in Noord Brabant, please have a look to see if she's hosting a craft or baking party to your taste here.

the beautiful display is to be found in the pretty Tussen Koe & Kroonlunchter brocante shop, just like the image directly above this text.

I am working on a spontaneous upcycle idea to make a chunky doily out of Zpaghetti yarn, to match the cute little lilies of the valley that I have dozens of in my backyard, fashionably styled in a peanut butter jar. really, our whole house smells like lilies now, I just can't get enough! I took some images with my camera, so a blogpost about the lilies and the doily is on the way.

I also made some good progress with the flower cushion to match our new chair, even the cushion is already sewn and pressed, ready to be finished off with some buttons. now to finish the cover and block it, so I can hand sew it to the cover. I even managed to finish a matching stripe cover with the left over yarns… can't wait to see it all finished and share some images with you!

last but not least, have you heard of the new free app from the Simply crochet magazine? they partnered with RedHeart yarn for a granny square app, and will upload a free granny pattern every week. week 1 has just started, so you're not too late to join in. this could be fun! I have selected some yarn for my squares and will try to crochet along with the app. have a look here to read more about it. will you join me?

have a lovely week

xo

Update of Everything

well hello there :). life and other things were happening while I was absent here on the blog. it happens every now and then, that I stay away from blogging for a couple of days or weeks. always unintentionally, always because real life takes over and there is simply no time left in the days to take pictures, crochet or even sit down. 

do you bloggers recognize this?

the past weeks have been like that, and at the end of next week I will explain to you the reason why. if you like crochet you would like to tune in next week, to read all about it. quite exciting news is coming up, I think…

from now on things will slowly get back to normal and I plan to pick up my blogging routine as of next week. until then, let me show you some snap shots and highlights from the past weeks.

above you see some lovely tiny flowers, they all come from our garden. definitely part the joy of moving, is seeing what comes up in Spring!

below you see Floyd checking out on my styling with some pretty yarn colours. they are beautiful cotton bamboo yarn called Vinnis Bambi, which I got through Scaapi. it is my plan to show and tell you more about it next week.

I did make a tiny bit of progress with my flower squares that aim to become a cushion cover for our new upholstered chair. I am almost there, a blog post about these squares is in the making!

below you see the most pretty eggs from a lovely farm we found close by our home recently. if you're planning a little outing to Noord-Brabant you definitely want to stop by this place for a warm welcome, to visit their beautiful shop, to stay at their cottage or have a personal meeting with the cows. you can find this lovely family and all about their activities here.

have a lovely weekend and I'd love to see you next week, with some regular posts and non-phone pictures.

xo

Beautiful Bruges

pictures. lots and lots of pictures of Bruges today. and a new yarn adventure at the bottom…

classic, beautiful and delicious with a lovely outdoor terrace in the morning sun Servaas van Mullem

beautiful house number signs everywhere, I just couldn't stop taking pictures of them

the best and fresh made Belgian waffles from Jantje Vanille ~ ice-cream and waffles

what touristic Bruges is all about: lace, chocolate, beer, chocolate, lace, beer and middle aged architecture, 

oh and did I say beer, lace and chocolate?

the weather was gorgeous so we walked around the city all weekend. the canals, the popping greens of Spring, the mild sun, good coffee and chocolate…. hmmmm, just perfect. beautiful old buildings everywhere you look, most of them maintained very well or under construction. I realized I was very much looking at the old houses with my 'Canadian eyes', who aren't used to seeing much of 1617 and 1485 painted on beautiful gables.

Madam Mim, where I shopped my yarn souvenirs

100% natural flax yarn, the cream one quite rough, the brown one very fine and very old. google images is my friend, when I type 'flax crochet' a gazillion lovely ideas pop up of what to make with it. I am excited to work with it, another lovely natural fibre is here to explore :). have you worked with it before? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

below: the vintage lace pieces I found at Madam Mim are a lace edging for a handkerchief, a lace corner and diamond, probably both for inserts in handkerchiefs or little table cloths too.

and top right, a tiny little crochet piece. it is so delicate, unbelievable how fine it is. I put the business card next to it so you'll have an idea of sizing. I took the crochet piece with me for inspiration who knows I will come up one day with a square pattern derived from it.

Bruges, a city I can highly recommend for a day or two. also, it is very close to the beach. we didn't get to go this time, but all in all it makes for a beautiful weekend road trip for you Europeans :).

xo