26.2.09 Scallop-Edge Automn Leaves Coasters

"Scallop-Edge Leaf", "Crochet Bouquet" p.116-117.

25.2.09 Ciao Raffaella!

The "Scallop-Edge Leaf" from "Crochet Bouquet" p.116-117.

I offered the following three brooches to Raffaella which is going back to Italy (Milano).
No more Italian lessons for the moment :-[

Should I start Japanese instead?
Anyway, I hope we'll keep in touch and that our trio will maintain some Italian activities, because that course was much more than just learning a new language.

Irish Lace Motifs, "Crocheting School" p.61 and a Delicate Pom-Pom Center from "Crochet Bouquet" p.36.

Narcisse, "Crocheted Flowers" book by Nicky Epstein p.48-49 with a Delicate Pom-Pom Center.

Fancy Veined Leaf, "Crochet Bouquet" p.123-125.

18-21.2.09 Pastoral and Snowy Passau via Munich Metropolis

A view from the garden in the Mathematics and Informatics Department of Passau University, Germany.
Passau at sunset.
It's snowing! Passau University.
Hep, an impossible tetrahedron? One day I should try it again, making it truly infinite...

Beautiful 3D Geometrical shapes. Mathematics and Informatics Department, Passau University. Gwen, you would like it!
A look from the Mathematics and Informatics Department's garden. Passau University.

The important street where you will find the BEADs STORE! Rindermarkt 10, Passau.
Beads, beads and of course, more beads.
I entered this warm Perlenwelt beads shop from the beautiful and cold snowy weather outside. To my surprise, I found in this beautiful shop a various choice of Ayala Bar Magnific Jewelry. I felt quiet proud for her. It's ashame I couldn't communicate properly with the beads seller, but luckily enough, a kind Austrian visitor came to my help with her useful German/English translation. There were plenty of special beads in that store, very nicely exposed. I especially liked all the special Nature organic seeds. There were also some special crocheted gloves with inserted swarovsky crystals, beads from all over the world and very aesthetic vitrines.

Nice vitrine with beaded Jewelry. Harald Eggenberger, Grabengasse 29, Passau.
Beautiful Shop vitrine with the famous Brezel or Pretzel or בייגלך, Passau. They really know how to decorate the window displays. Look at these wonderful colours!
You can also visit the Think! website, if you like these shoes.

A food recommendation in Passau. Go to the Bräustüberl Hacklberg‎ (Bräuhausplatz 7, Passau) and take the duck or goulash soup. Prices are very reasonable and the bier is excellent, tasting like a light juice.

A goodbye picture from the neighborhood of the Atrium Hotel.
Pastel colours all around.
This last picture is from Munich, which is the BIG city. I found there a small heaven. A shop called "Kunst und Spiel GmbH" (Leopoldstr. 48 - D-80802 München) where you can find original industry or handmade designs and plenty of craft supplies and amazing German books on Crochet, Knitting, Beadwork, Felting, Origami and much more. The thing is I almost forgot myself there, when I noticed the light was off suddenly. Almost locked in a German store - which might not be such a nightmare in such a place, I had to rush and decide what to buy in 3 mn. Finally, they wouldn't accept any credit card, only cash or cheques. I gave up for the silky felt and took 2 amazing books on felting.

Tschüss my friends!

17.2.09 "Earflap Hat" designed by Nicky Epstein

You will find the instructions of this beautiful "Earflap Hat" in the "Crocheted Flowers" book by Nicky Epstein p.36-39.
The project was very fun, except the 3 hrs I spent weaving in the yarn ends... It's my first hat and it was amazing how in 2 1/2 hrs there was already a hat done. All the rest took longer of course, taking into account I made 12 flowers I didn't use, till I reached the flower prototype that was similar enough to the book picture. The acrylic yarn that I used may have behaved differently from what they recommend and I couldn't get a nice fluffy flower. I ended up with a wheely flower which didn't look like I wanted. Finally, I just understood I had to make 2 ch to start the flowers instead of 6 and for some of the flowers, I just made a double layered flower, to give it some volume.

I also got excited today for receiving my first Japanese book which has very cute crocheted food projects. The thing is that now I have to start learning Japanese...
Japanese Crochet Pattern Book- 10 digit ISBN 4861912016 13 digit ISBN 9784861912016 Desserts and Food theme- keito no tei taimu fujita tomoko no nitsuto ru mu- 毛糸のティータイム

13.2.09 Poppydil Flower

It started as a changing color Poppy flower ("Crochet Bouquet" p.65-66), only that I missed one word in the instructions who made it a bit different. Lazy to cut thread in the middle of the work, I made a long loop (15 cm length) that I used as padding for the whole flower (and not a separate cut yarn for each independent petal). That way I avoided the weaving in of 12 yarn ends :=) (quiet by mistake, since I didn't pay attention to the word "six" next to the number 6" and thought I had to cut only one thread). The result is a bit different, with no independent petals, but interesting.

The center is a Daffodil Trumpet ("Crochet Bouquet" p.52) and that is why I chose to call it a Poppydil.

n.b.
Thank you אמאלה5 for the proximidade prize ;-)

10.2.09 Roman LadyBug

This ladybug appears in the "Fiori All'uncinetto" book by Gina Cristanini and Wilma Strabello (coccinella p.43). I decided to buy the book only or mainly for this ladybug project.
Resting on the Shamrock, I think she likes it...

9.2.09 Corsage Poinsettia Rose Flower and Roses Crochet along for February

I made the Corsage Flower based on the instructions in "The Crochet Bible" book by Sue Whiting, p.118 (n.b. excellent book for crochet basics). Too lazy to recount the 87 first chain stitches, I ended up with extra chains I had to carry on with, all the way along. I also altered while working around the strip to make it spiral and chose the Delicate Pom-Pom Center ( Crochet Bouquet p.36) and a drop bead to fill the center.

The Rose leaves (Crochet Bouquet p.113-114) came up too small compared to the rose. Missed the leaflet stems, so it came up quiet bushy.

26.2.09 Aposteriori, I discovered we are crocheting roses in the crochet along project for February. You still have 2 days to join us ;-)

2.2.09 Crochet Bouquet "Sunflower" - January Crochet Along

A bit late - but here is my Sunflower Crochet Along for January. The instructions can be found in the "Crochet Bouquet" book p.71-72 (Sunflower), p.57-58 (Loopy), p.36 (Delicate Pom-Pom Center).
It's the first time I am using a laundry starch spray to uncurl the leaves. However, I prefer it curly.

1.2.09 Inciteful news - Judith's single crochet is not single crochet

I've just discovered that all what I thought in the past two months to be "single crochet, double crochet, treble crochet and so on" is in fact a mistaken perception of mine.
I am working on a hat for Omer and I was doing some "Judith single crochet" rows. I showed the texture to Omer and put it next to the corresponding picture in the bible crochet book. He didn't notice similarity. So did I, only that I insisted that this is single crochet and that should be the same as in the picture. He still didn't find any similarity. I then decided to double check myself and went to see a youtube video on single crochet. First row is OK, that what I am doing as far as today. Second row:

What??????? You enter with the hook under both threads of a chain and not only the back one????
but in all the pictures they demonstrate the technique by entering a chain and only in one of the loops! They don't show the second row...

Yep, funny, but you can't imagine what a great feeling it is to do mistakes :-)
I lived 2 months doing something which was not what I thought it was! This is a discovery :-D