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.

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

Just Some Happy

 just another Thursday morning, dreaming of too many projects, sipping latte and enjoying a Swedish magazine. happy heart pins that take my mind back to North America where I got them from darling Molly, 2 years ago on a cold Winter day in Chicago. and a finally blocked and finished doily, thanks to the pins.

enjoy your day

xo

Cozy Crochet with New Yarn

how I love this time of year. warm by the fireplace, candle light most times of the day, fifties Christmas music through the speakers… hmmm can't get cozy enough if you ask me! of course a little bit of crochet goes perfectly well with this. 

so here I go, starting a new project just in time before Christmas with Scheepjeswol Softfun yarn. it's a mix of 60% cotton and 40% acrylic yarn. usually I don't work with a mix yarn, but this would be the perfect yarn for washable potholders to keep their bright colours. 

for the pattern I send an email out to my dad's sisters, to see if they had any potholders left that were made by their mother, my grandma. and look! I am stepping in my grandmothers' footsteps and making the same potholders. I think a lot of her while I try to come up with a pattern through trial and error. where did she find the pattern? how many has she crocheted of these? did she enjoy it?

these beautiful cool blue tones remind me of peacock feathers… ooooh the possibilities

if you're looking for me, I am crocheting by candle light, working up a pattern for the both of us

xx

Crochet Stitch Update

thank you so much for your helpful ideas on my last post, regarding the stitch selection for the fingerless gloves I am working on. last night I couldn't resist and made two more swatches to try and see how this invicta colour yarn from Scheepjeswol would work out.

after checking my Pinterest Crochet Goodness board I tried the blanket stitch, pattern here, and the scallop stitch, pattern here. to me the blanket stitch would probably be better done with a merino or cotton, the stitch would be a little more defining. on a side note, it would be perfect for a blanket given the super straight sides, don't you think? 

but the scallop stitch, my goodness, I think it looks perfect. I love both the look of the bobble stitch and the scallop stitch, I might try both of them... 

if you are interested, a little background information about the stitches and why they suit this project:

also, these two happen to both need a 'going back' row when working in a flat piece, to make sure the actual stitch appears at the front. this is perfect for the fingerless gloves. I will try to explain why. when you start crocheting the gloves, you work in the round to make the piece for your wrist/ arm. however, when you come across your wrist and reach your thumb, you have to leave a gap. in order to do so, you stop going around and instead you will go back and forth for a few rows. until you've passed your thumb and you can pick up going around again. 

now for this thumb-gap-part, you have to go back and forth and your pattern has to allow you to do so. I mean, it would be great if the finished piece does not show a different pattern just for that part, right? that's why the bobble stitch and scallop stitch patterns both are very suitable for this project, since they have a 'going back' row in between each row of bobbles and scallops.

today I started with the bobble stitch, alternated with sections of half double crochet to give the pattern a break and make it a little more exciting to crochet. next up is a gap for my thumb. what do you think? looking at this picture I am thinking a warm Winter bracelet or wrist warmer could work too, haha

a big tadaa of the crochet blanket I finished recently is planned for tomorrow...