Plans, summer and… crafting

It’s all new: activities, projects, mood, targets, plans…
It seems this summer is bringing along a lot of changes… and I’m always thrilled when it comes to changes!!!

First of all, as some of you may already know, I made a video tutorial for my shawl Maestrale. I have a Youtube channel now, and… well, it makes me laugh every time I think about that. It wasn’t planned at all, but it happened. Some people asked me to make a video tutorial and I plunged in the filming sea. I couldn’t imagine it was so hard to make a 30 minutes video. The camera, the zoom, the lights, the editing (oh dear, the editing!), the voice and my poor laptop screaming the whole night in pain!
Yes, I didn’t (and I don’t) have the right equipment a vlogger should have. The camera I used for filming was almost 10 years ago. A nice camera (Canon Eos 500 D), but still old. I had to buy a microphone and some lights, but the best thing was filming during the night, when my kids were finally fast asleep. Recording the whole thing, getting to the last 20 seconds when I just had to end the tutorial and then… getting thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain popping in. Oh thank you my beloved Dutch summer!

Anyway, I survived, and now I’m even thinking about making other video tutorials. I’d really like to make something to help Italian knitters and crocheters out there who don’t speak English or just cannot read an English pattern. It’d be something very new and I really like the idea of introducing the international World of knitting and crochet to my own country.

In the meanwhile, I’m making an Italian version of my Maestrale pattern and see what happen. And, for those of you who already saw my video: did you notice that shawl on the dummy at my back? That’s my latest project. The pattern is ready, only the pictures are missing but I’m going to have a nice shooting next week. My test knitters are working very hard to finish everything in time, and I really hope I can publish the pattern for the end of this month, so you can all carry along with you a sweet memory of this summer (“Summer? Anybody said summer?”, asked Mr. Dutch Weather).

Beside the pattern launch, I also have some plans for my holidays. Well, first of all, I’m going on holiday with my family, and that’s already a good point scored. When? Somewhere between the second and the forth week of the month. Where? Now, that’s a difficult question. I’d love to go back to Norway, this time around Bergen, Alesund and Molde. I’m in love with Norway, and I’d truly want to see it better than the last time (a cruise? Never again!). Unfortunately I think we have to give up for this year, but I’m determined to go sooner than later! So we’re focusing on the Italian Dolomites, that paradise around Bolzano and Trento where you can enjoy that mountain experience nowhere else to be found. It’ll be lovely and (I hope) very relaxing.

And then, last but not least, I’ll be joining Andrea Mowry’s MKAL What the Fade. So I finally can get my hands on some gorgeous Hedgehog Fibers. Ah! Yarn bliss! I can’t wait! And… oh yes, of course, I have another project going on with Scheepjes Whirl, but I can’t say much, it’ll be a surprise!

What are your plans for this summer? Let me know in your comments!
Happy crafting!!!

Giorni di Sole – Sunny Days

Rain is pouring down in my beautiful city today, so I feel like talking about sunny days (to come soon, I hope!).
A couple of days ago I released another pattern called Giorni di Sole, which in Italian means, guess what, sunny days.

It’s a square blanket, originally designed to be a baby blanket. Being a granny square blanket, though, it’s very customizable. I’ve only made 49 squares and arranged them in a 7 x 7 square, but it can be made in any number of squares arranged in every kind of way. It features a central motif, a yellow sun, surrounded by a contrasting color (the sky) and bordered in white.

The yarn I’ve used is Scheepjes Colour Crafter which is a nice acrylic yarn that comes in lots and lots of different shades. Again, the blanket can be realized in any kind of yarn, of any weight, color and brand. The great great merit about Giorni di Sole, is that it can be used as a stash burner. The only thing to consider is to make all the square in the same size, otherwise the blanket will pull and curve in strange and funny ways when the squares are joined together.

This could be the perfect gift for Christmas as well: try to imagine it done in 2 colors only: yellow and dark blue, or white and black. The central motif would look gorgeous in yellow or white on a dark blue or black background. It’ll become a magical starry sky!!! This kind of color combination would also be perfect for picky teenagers.

The pattern is available here or on Ravelry as a free download. There is also a handy photo tutorial here on how to join the squares of the blanket, so that it can be done very quickly.

So, are you ready to hook your first square? Let me know what you think about it and keep me posted also on Instagram. In the meanwhile, I’m working on a video tutorial for my Maestrale shawl and on another shawl pattern, this time knitted! You can see some sneak peaks on my Insta account!
Happy crafting, have fun and… well, wish me sunny days!!!

Stitch Anatomy – Crochet: joining squares as you go

This method was a true revolution for me. I first tested it some years ago for a baby blanket I was doing and it worked so perfectly that I haven’t used any other method since then!

It’s pretty easy. I’m demonstrating here using my new Giorni di Sole blanket that you can find here or on Ravelry. You can try a couple of these squares to practice!

You need to crochet one full square, which means completing round 5. Then you can crochet all the other squares up to round 4.
Here is how they look.

Now take the square with round 5 completed and name it square 1 (my N. 1 is blue). Take another square (green for me) which you’d like to put beside N.1 and start round 5 completing only one side of the square. Once you reach the second corner, make only the first half but don’t chain 2. Here is how your square N. 2 looks now.

And now the fun part! Place your square back to back (wrong side against wrong side). Insert the hook in the chain 2 space of N. 1, grab the working yarn and pull through.

And make a slip stitch! You’re not going to chain now, Your slip stitch will replace the chain!

Complete your corner as normal, with the next 3 double crochet, and carry on till you get to the next chain 1. Once again, you won’t chain. Insert your hook in the chain 1 space of the square N. 1, pull a loop and make a slip stitch.

Just as you did before.

Continue on like this…

…till you get to the next corner. And guess what? You’ll do exactly the same!

And now your two squares are joined! You can continue on with the border until you reach the other side and close with a slip stitch.

When you have to join 3 corners together, just make 1 long slip stitch inside them, and that’s it!

I told you it was easy! This will save you a huge amount of time since you don’t have to make all those boring slip stitches all together at the end.

What about you, what’s your favorite joining method? Please let me know if you have questions and feel free to comment below. Happy crafting!!!

 

 

Yarn review: Scheepjes Whirl

One of the most popular yarn at the moment, Scheepjes Whirl never stops to amaze, coming up with brand new colors and beautiful patterns from Scheepjes bloggers.

Like many others out there, I couldn’t resist these gorgeous cakes, so I treated myself to a couple of them. And I don’t regret it at all! They are sitting gracefully on my shelf in my craft room like candies in a jar for my eyes. But why all this uproar? Let’s take a closer look at this yarn.

Description

Whirl is a fingering weight yarn (4 ply) made of 60% cotton and 40% acrylic.
It comes in a cake of 225 gr and it has a yardage of 1094 yds (about 1000 mt). Scheepjes recommend to use a 3,5 – 4 mm hook (size E – G). It’s machine washable on gentle cycle.
It’s a gradient yarn, made of different threads joined together for a smooth transition.
At the moment, Whirl is available in 17 colors with more to be launched in the near future. Each cake has a Easy Start center pull. The average price for each cake is about 25€ (20£).

Details

The first thing you’ll notice of this yarn is, of course, the colors. It goes from the subtle violet-white of Lavanderlicious to the bright rainbow of Jumpin Jelly. It’s easy to decide to buy one cake but picking up a shade could be one of the most difficult choice of your creative life. There’s really a shade for everyone, even the black-grey of Liquorice Yumyum for those who don’t fancy screaming colors. Be careful, though. This is a dangerous yarn. Several people even reported they have experienced a sweet voice in their heads whispering “I should buy them all”. Yes, it could be addicting. I know it well as I’m experiencing it at the moment, but I must confess I like it!

Once you are lucky enough to actually touch the cake, you’ll get a nice surprise: it’s soft, but of that softness you wouldn’t expect from a cotton blend yarn. Try not to squeeze the cake too much, if you can.

The thread is nicely twisted, promising a good stitch definition. Scheepjes says the ends between color changes are knotted together, but it’ll be hard to see these knots; you’ll probably notice a little fuzziness where the threads are joined together, but it’ll completely disappear in your stitches. These are not abrupt color changes: the different threads are twisted together, creating new shades, blending into each other and guiding the eyes through a smooth gradient transition.

And then Whirl will give you another nice surprise: it’s not splitty. Cotton and cotton blends yarns tend to be splitty as the organic or manufactured fiber don’t stick to each other well as natural fibers do. But here Scheepjes has done a great job by twisting them, so it’s truly a pleasure to knit or crochet with this yarn.

Another great feature of Whirl is the yardage: there’s 1 km of yarn, enough to complete a big shawl, a cardigan, a dress or a blanket. The only thing you need to do is find a pattern, take your hook or needles, and start your project, without worrying about color changes or yardage. Whirl will think about everything and let you enjoy your crafting times.

Tips

Think about the construction of your pattern before starting your cake. Remember that Whirl has a center pull but you can also start from the outside. You may want to choose which color in the cake will be predominant, the outer one or the inner one. For example, in a bottom up shawl, the starting color will be predominant.

Check out my free crochet pattern for Whirl ==> Maestrale

Please let me know if this review was useful for you and tell me about your experience with Whirl and your favorite colors. Are you following my Instagram account? If not, please hurry! I have a very very nice surprise coming up this week!
Have fun with your Whirl!

— This review is NOT sponsored by Scheepjes —

 

 

 

Maestrale

And here we are, finally ready to click that missile button called “Publish this pattern to Ravelry”

Yes, writing pattern is hard work at the moment, but I really like it. Sharing the knitting and crochet experience is fantastic. I find fascinating the whole idea that someone could use my instruction to make what I made, it’s like crafting together!

You can find the pattern here or on Ravelry.

The video tutorial is here!

This shawl is crocheted. It’s called Maestrale, and it’s inspired by the strong wind that blows in the Mediterranean Sea, especially in Sardinia. This shawl is a gift, like everything I knit or crochet. It’s a gift for my mother in law and she lives, of course, in Sardinia.

I love the shawl, the color, the construction and the overall effect. I can be casual, wrapped around the neck on a plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Or very elegant left open on the shoulders and closed in the front with a nice pin!

I used Scheepjes Whirl in color Green Tea Tipple; it’s a teal blue-green which gradually fades in light grey and then darkens a little bit.

The nice bit of this shawl is the shoulder line. I blocked it following the natural curve of the pattern and adding little spikes on top of each wave. This gives the shawl a very unique look. I like to fold the last bit outward so the spikes can be seen.

This is one of my first pattern. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to write it as clear as possible but I know I could have skipped something or messed up somewhere. Please, feel free to contact me and point me my mistakes so I can fix them. This is a free pattern and I’d like it to be easy for everyone to follow. And, beside, if you know a nice software to make crochet chart, please, let me know! I’ve used Crochet Chart but I’d like to try something more flexible.

Happy crafting, I hope you enjoy as I did!

Blueberry Pie

While I was on holiday in Italy, I saw the new Millamia Naturally Soft Cotton on the Internet and I immediately decided that I wanted to make something with it. I loved the colour range; as usual, Millamia yarn shades are super rich and very unusual. They make me think of children, and I tend to imagine them combined in very simple yet stylish patterns. That’s why I thought about doing something for my young daughter.

Ero in vacanza in Italia quando ho visto per la prima volta il nuovo filato di Millamia. Questa volta è uno sport in 100% cotone dai colori sgargianti, come ogni filato Millamia del resto. Così ho deciso che lo avrei provato subito. Questi colori mi fanno sempre pensare ai bambini e a modelli semplici ma allo stesso tempo di grande effetto. Ero certa che la mia bimba avrebbe apprezzato. 

I had a mini shawl in mind, as she loves to pose for me and to wrap herself like a little lady. Her favorite colour is yellow, so that was a must. I also loved the Indigo Purple shade, and I thought it would have been the perfect contrasting colour for my yellow. So I started measuring, drawing, swatching and doing all the pattern designing related stuff!

Avevo in mente un mini scialle in due colori, visto che la mia piccola adora posare con i miei capi e avvolgersi nei miei scialli. Il suo colore è il giallo, quindi uno dei due colori era fissato. Indigo Purple mi è subito venuto incontro come ottimo colore di contrasto. Così mi sono messa subito all’opera, disegnando, facendo campioni di prova, prendendo le misure… insomma, tutte quelle cose che accompagnano la creazione di un modello.

The mini shawl is really simple; it’s a long scarf that grows wider till the middle and then get narrow again. Half of it is knitted in yellow, the other half is knitted in purple, with a little fair isle in the middle to merge the two shades together. I also added the tassels in contrasting colours at the ends to give the scarf more weight and to add a playful touch to it. I wanted something very practical, as kids have a tendency to run, roll and get messy in no time. That’s what the ring in the back is for. One tail goes into the other so it won’t open and it stays thigh enough around little necks. Cotton is perfect for children as it’s not too hot, it’s light to wear and it can easily be washed. MillaMia cotton was the perfect match. I love the richness of the colours, and the texture when knitted.

La costruzione del mini scialle è molto semplice; si tratta di una lunga sciarpa che si allarga fino al centro e poi si restringe di nuovo. Metà è lavorata in giallo, l’altra metà in viola. Al centro c’è un semplicissimo motivo in fair isle per permettere la transizione tra i due colori. Le due nappe ai due capi dello scialle danno peso alle code e aggiungono un tocco giocoso alla sciarpa. Il mio obiettivo era realizzare qualcosa di molto pratico visto che i bimbi non stanno un attimo fermi (giustamente!). Così ho pensato all’anello in cui far passare una delle due code per tenere la sciarpa sempre annodata dietro il collo. Il cotone è perfetto per questo progetto visto che è l’ideale sulla pelle dei bambini, lascia traspirare, non è troppo caldo e, soprattutto, si lava senza pensieri in lavatrice. Il nuovo filato di Millamia è perfetto. Adoro la definizione del lavoro e la brillantezza dei colori!

I don’t usually knit fair isle with cotton as I’m aware of tension issues and such but MillaMia surprised me as it went really smooth and enjoyable, even in a flat piece! I tried to design a modern and practical accessory with a fresh look. The style is very simple and the fair isle is almost a hint, a funny way to blend the two colours together. My daughter loves it. I hope you’ll love it too. If you have question about the pattern, please, send me a message!

Di solito non mi avventuro nel fair isle con il cotone per i noti problemi di tensione, ma questo filato mi ha davvero sorpresa. E’ stato divertente e semplice, nonostante il lavoro fosse piatto e non circolare come normalmente si lavora il fair isle. Ho cercato di disegnare un modello dal design moderno e pratico. La mia bambina ha apprezzato molto. Mi auguro che possa piacere anche a voi. Se avete domande, come al solito, scrivetemi!

You can find the pattern HERE
Modello scaricabile QUI