Book Preview and Magazines

weeks are flying by, Summer is in full swing with beautiful flowers, long calm nights, bottles of sunscreen and little trips. husband and I visited Dublin, partly for pleasure and partly for work. soon after that came a trip to Rome, celebrating our anniversary (3 years of marriage and 15 years of kisses). both beautiful trips, we feel so lucky to be able to go places and see and experience a different culture, food and language, and to be part of it for a short while.

it is hard to believe it was a coincidence one of my pictures got published in Simply Crochet magazine when we visited Dublin, and a full article about me and my work was published in Country Chic in Italy when we were in Rome. honoured and happy I surely am with all this attention on paper. when we came home, Mollie Makes selected one of my Instagram images for their 'your month in pictures June 2014' feature. 

on top of that, today my publisher released the preview for my book PUUR haken. in less than a month, by August 5, it will be available in book stores all over The Netherlands. as of now you can pre-order here. so exciting!
I'd love to hear what you think of the preview:

last but not least, the new creJJtion website will launch this Thursday. this blog will stay in tact and the last post will refer you to the new blog. if you were following me through your blogspot account, nothing should change, if it all works. if you follow me through Facebook for sure nothing will change. if you follow me through bloglovin I am no too sure if my posts will still show up in your feed, but we'll figure that out.

a lot is going on here in creJJtion land and I'll sure keep you posted! meanwhile, enjoy your Summer.

xo

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

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

Last Week

a happy haircut, Easter themed crochet, sunny weather and a lovely weekend in beautiful Bruges, Belgium about which I will tell you more this week. after I download a gazillion pictures from the camera; that's what you get in such a pretty city!

I hope it's sunny and Spring where you are too

xo

Last Week

another week has gone by and unintentionally I didn't blog. days seem to pass by like hours… 

I am enjoying them greatly though, in good company and with lovely weather. a little bit of Spring cleaning and de-cluttering here and there feels good. fixing the sleeve Floyd chewed a bit was easier and quicker done than I thought. fun times exploring new places and spaces in Den Bosch, taking the blossoms all in, and crocheting up some Easter themed pastel doilies. the pattern is from the lovely book Crochet Living by Nicki Trench, one of my favourite designers. it's a book made with Debbie Bliss yarn and the doilies are named Dashing Doilies. the colour possibilities are endless, I love them.

I will try to arrange a blog post about the doilies and Den Bosch this week. 

But first I'll enjoy a latte in the sunny backyard. Life is good!

xo

Update: Flowers and Crochet

 a little midweek update. Spring flowers for you and a scrap-project in the making, I'm thinking a cover of some sort. let's see where the scraps take me.

happy day to you!

xo

Spring Magazine

what can I say, over the last few days Spring has kicked in here in The Netherlands. or is it Summer? with temperatures close to 20c we can do nothing else but go outside and enjoy it while it lasts. we enjoyed it so much with friends, I sort of forgot to take pictures haha. that's when you know you're really taking it all in, right.

together with this amazing Spring weather the new issue of Gatherings Magazine was launched, perfect timing! read all about craft, decor and shopping tips for this Spring in the new issue, a preview is to be found here. and because you are my lovely blogfriends, I am even allowed to offer you a fabulous 10% off on all orders, both digital and print. just enter BLOGFRIEND at checkout. isn't that the perfect start of Spring?

aside from the weather, last week the new Ontario blanket pattern went online, I am working on new pattern designs and crocheting a flower square here and there for the cushion cover. 

enjoy your new week!

xo

Paris For a Day

last week was good, lots of pattern writing, fresh flowers, a little bit of crochet which I'll show you later this week. BUT. it seems last week basically consisted of one day, the day Maartje and I went to Paris!

I love it when a day seems to last so long, that yesterday feels like a week ago. you know what I mean? living that one day to the fullest, so much that your memory makes it into multiple days. perfection. the drive was easy, the weather was sunny, and without a plan we easily moved around Paris and happened to find the perfect-to-us places to shop, eat and drink. this trip just worked out really really well.

before I forget and linger on again in my Parisian daydreams, there was actually a real reason why we drove to Paris. I have told you here on the blog before how much I love the designs by Anna, the wonderful lady behind Rifle Paper Co. well, she launched a new stationery line with Garance Doré in Paris. the notebooks and fashion card you see in the picture are from the new collection, soon to hit stores worldwide. it is beautiful, and meeting Anna in person and actually talking to her about her lovely designs, work and company was just fabulous!

charged with loads of inspiration and macaron goodness I wish you a fabulous new week of Spring.

xo

Last Week

while I am working on a new design for my PDF crochet patterns and try to picture as well as describe every crochet step as accurate as possible, I am a little absent here. sorry about that. I hope it will all be worth it in the end. 

how are you? is Spring peeking around the Winter corner where you are? here in The Netherlands she sure is and I am enjoying it. more light, a little warmer, singing birds everywhere… lovely.

on the crochet level, I have once again way too many projects on the go. sometimes I don't know what to crochet or I am not in the mood for it for weeks. other times I just can't seem to stop and my mind is racing to work on new ideas and patterns. oh well, never a dull moment haha. In the pictures, I am teasing you with the back of the pincushion I made, the yarn for a blanket crochet kit shipment, some squares I made a couple of months ago and yesterday they turned into coasters I will show you later. and there are still a few of my birthday flowers left, they have lasted over two weeks!

last but not least, on Saturday I was lucky to be able to join a sewing class organized by Textielstad and the Dutch publisher Tirion Creatief. the new book Naaien en Stikken came out, which is the translation of the English book The Great British Sewing Bee. it is packed with beautiful sewing patterns and on Saturday 15 excited ladies got to try out one of the patterns. more about that soon…

have a lovely week!

xo

Last Week

last week was the week of my birthday. we celebrated over the weekend with family, very nice to be able to do that again after 2 years in Canada. we served homemade soups, different cakes and pies and other treats. the weather was great, which resulted in Floyd being walked a lot, Spring is definitely in the air. a little early, but we enjoy it nonetheless. I blocked a doily I made months ago, later this week I'll show it to you in more detail. I started a new flower cushion project with my birthday yarn, and accidentally came up with a cute little pincushion for the heart pins. probably a pattern will follow later. 

and, this is the first time I am proudly showing you the new creJJtion logo. slowly but surely you'll see this logo appear on Instagram, here on the blog and in my pictures. for me it marks the beginning of a new phase for creJJtion. moving forward this year you'll see more changes and exciting happenings but I'll try to introduce them to you slowly, one at a time. 

have you had a good week of Valentine? celebrated with your love(s)? working on fun crochet projects? I'd love to read all about them.

have a lovely new week