Merry Christmas!

I know it's been quite around here for a couple of weeks now. I honestly can't tell when I will get back to blogging on a regular basis, I'm sorry. Today, I'm just poppin' for some warm holiday greetings :)

Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy the hopefully quite time with your loved ones and eat lots and lots of yummy cookies!!!

Here are pictures of my tree this year. It's Harry Potter themed and decorated with ornaments I created myself during the last couple of months. There are for example Ministry of Magic memos and howlers and marauder's maps and Bertie Botts beans of every flavour and quills and remembralls...

Until next year...

Yours
Uta

Making use of my IKEA finds

Hey all,

first things first: I didn't make that much progress working on my Crochet Backpack lately. Mostly because I was busy doing other things like cleaning my condo, spending the weekend at my parents' house and reading a nice book. So no update on this one today.

So today is more about my IKEA finds from last week. I finally made use of a few of them, let me show you...

IKEA currently offers those cute and simple metal tins called HEMSMAK. They are part of a limited edition and their are available either in silver or gold. I bought three of the silver 1l version and used them to declutter my tea rack. I sort of love tea (addiction?!) so I've got quite a lot of tea. And I prefer loose leafs over tea bags.

The label is self-made - printed on brown paper, glued on a simple white sheet of paper and a piece of clear wrapping tape on top. I choose to put it onto the tin using photo corners. This way, the labels can be change pretty easily.

And that's it already for today.

See you all again next week!!

Yours
Uta

Look what I bought & Update on the Crochet Backpack

Hey ladies and gentlemen,

let me start with a quick update on my Crochet Backpack.

You can find some basic information about this project right HERE.
And the first update where I showed you the bottom part can be found HERE.

It was quite hot here in Kassel the past few days so I didn't really feel like crocheting a lot. But I managed to add a couple of rounds to the side of the backpack-to-be so I'm now at row 15. Weight is now 73g, height is 14cm. I originally planned the side of the backpack to be 30 rows but with 14cm at 15 rows I think I will add a few more, let's see.

So here's how it looks at the moment:

And as the title of my blog post already implies, I did a bit of shopping lately. So here are a few crafty thingies I bought:

two books bought at tkmaxx

washi tape bought at my favorite drugstore DM
I'm extremely in love with the two thin ones :)

These IKEA finds might not look that crafty at first glance
but let me assure you, I had some crafty projects in mind
when buying these :)

Have a great week everyone!

Yours
Uta

First update on the Crochet Backpack project

Hello everyone,

here's my first update on the crochet backpack project I started a couple of days ago.

I finally started with the bottom part and as you can see I decided for DCs.

Once again, let's have a quick look at my notes. They may be written in German, nevertheless, the chart can be used language-independently.

So all in all I worked 12 rounds in DCs, increasing each by 12 DCs - see chart above, imagine this to be one of 12 pie wedges. At 12 rounds the circle was 24 cm in diameter.

6 rounds, 12cm  -  9 rounds, 18cm
12 rounds, 24 cm  -  13th round in back post DCs

I then added another round (counts as first round for the side part btw) hooking 144 back post DCs. This will lead to that tiny edge between bottom and side.

Please note the following: I begin each round with CH 3 which stand for the first DC basically.

Well, that's it so far. Up next is the side including the necessary modifications for the drawstring, maybe also the drawstring itself, we will see.

Oh and just in case anyone is wondering why I also added the weight to my notes. That helps me keeping track of how much yarn I used and how much I might still need to finish the project.

Happy Hump Day, guys!!


Yours
Uta

Starting a new project...

Hey all!

I am about to start a new project and I thought about sharing the different stages of it here on my blog. Today is just analysis....

So basically I (or maybe we?!) want to make a crochet backpack that looks similar to this bag right here:

If you follow the link of that pin you will see there's a pattern you can buy. Well, guess what, I'm not exactly willing to do that. Luckily the pictures are pretty well taken and there are even larger versions of them accessible. That makes it easier to figure out how the bag was hooked eventually.

So here are the notes I took while looking closer at the photos (German!).

Let me quickly summarize my assumptions in English for you:

• The bottom looks like SC.
• The side is definitely DC with one front post DC every 15 stitches. I would say there are 150 stitches per round (10 x 15 DC) and about 30 rounds in total.

I'm not 100% sure about the bottom. SCs will definitely lead to a totally different texture then DCs and I normally prefer the texture of DCs. I'll leave that decision for later but will look at possible stitch counts for both options:

• Bottom in SC => 18 rounds, increasing each one by 8 SC, 144 stitches in last row
• Bottom in DC => 12 rounds, increasing each one by 12 DC, 144 stitches in last row

So however I'm going to crochet the bottom, I will later have 144 stitches to work with for the side part. My idea is to divide these 144 stitches into 12 equal parts, which will lead to 12 x (11 DC + 1 front post DC).

Now concerning the materials... I've got this huge skein of blue acrylic yarn (400g) lying around. It's size 4 yarn I think and I didn't buy it for any special purpose so I'm going to use that one. I'm not sure whether I've got some brown yarn in my stash at the moment so I might need to buy some. If so, I'll probably go for Schachenmayr Bravo, that's almost the same size as the blue one and it's also acrylic.

And I still need to have a closer look at the following:

• Hooked or braided drawstring?
• Which round needs which kind of modification for the drawstring?
• How to hook straps and where to attach them to the backpack?
• How to go from bottom to side to achieve this small edge down there?
• That Jeans pocket on the front....

Alright, that's it so far. I'll post an update on this one soon, next Wednesday at the latest!

Yours
Uta

July Findings

Hello beloved blog readers!

how are you doing these days? Did everyone have a great Blue Moon yesterday (Blue Moon as in second Full Moon in one month)?

Someone brought to my attention that I used to address only female readers for a little while beginning my blog posts and videos with something like "Hi Ladies". Well, as a matter of fact, a male friend of mine, a true gentleman if I might add, pointed that out. So as I now can be assured that men and women alike are reading my written texts, I'll try to keep it neutral in the future :)

Well anyway, I'm just quickly poppin' in to share with you some of my July findings, so let's get started...

1) Okay, this one isn't exactly crafting-related but I have to share it with you - McVitie's Digestive biscuits are now available at my local grocery store, isn't that awesome! This might not be such a biggie for my beloved UK people out there but for me that's almost like Christmas ;)

2) I bought these two seaweed baskets at Xenos last week. Yes, they are made of seaweed, I also had to look twice at the tag. Their diameter is about 21 cm. So I thought I could maybe sew a nice fabric inlay for both and then use them as bread baskets, what do you think?

3) These chalkboard labels are from Xenos as well. They come with a piece of chalk but instead of using this one I will probably buy a chalk pen.

4) Well, with an IKEA not far away, maybe 5 minutes by car, it probably won't surprise anyone that I bought these lovely postcards at IKEA a couple of days ago. Aren't they cute? I'm actually thinking about framing these and hanging them somewhere in my kitchen.

Alright, that's it for today. Have a great weekend everyone!!!


Yours
Uta

Mystery CAL - Part 3

Hey everyone,

welcome to the third and final part of our Mystery CAL!

Today we are putting the crochet pieces together. Let's start with the half moon shapes. Lay them over one another left sides facing and crochet SCs along the round side using the beige yarn that is still attached to the beige half moon shape.

Afterwards, cut the yarn and sew in the end. You should now have something that looks like a little pouch.

Up next, stitch two arcs onto the larger reddish brown triangle as seen in the following picture. They are supposed to look like closed eyes by the way.

Afterwards, slip stitch all the pieces together using the reddish brown yarn that is still attached to the bigger triangle like shown here (without the beige piece!). Make sure you sandwich the two small reddish brown triangles between the large triangle and the reddish brown half moon shape so to say.

And I think most of you might know by now that we are actually hooking a little fox pouch :)

Last but not least, attached the black button to the beige half moon shape and you're done!

I hope you all enjoyed our small Mystery CAL! Please be so kind and give me some feedback leaving a comment below. Should I host another CAL in the future? Was the pattern too simple/complicated?...

And who wants to share his/her fox pouch? In case you're interested, please send me an email (address in the menu bar on the right =>...) with a picture attached to it. I'll post it here on my blog then :)

Thanks to all for participating and have great weekend!


Yours
Uta

Mystery CAL - Part 2

Welcome back, everyone!

So here's part 2 of our Mystery CAL...

Today we are hooking three triangles using the reddish brown yarn. Start each triangle off with three SC into a magical ring or into one CH, whatever you feel more comfy with. 

From the second row on, always start with CH 1 and 2 SC into the same stitch. In the middle of the row, you have to hook 3 SC into one stitch and at the end of the row you have to hook 2 SC into the last stitch. That makes a total of four SC more each row.

For the first two pieces crochet two small triangles following this pattern:

At the and of the sixth and last row, don't (!) cut of the yarn. Instead, sew in just the beginning. Then get back to the end and hook CH 1.

Then fold the triangle in half and hook SCs along the bottom. The mini triangle you just made should now be connected on two sides basically. Now you can cut the yarn and sew in the end.

The third part is made pretty similar. There are just a couple more rounds and in the last round instead of those 3 SC in the middle you have to hook 1 SC, CH 6, 1 SC. You may have to adjust the number of CHs here so that it fits the button you chose.

All in all, the longest side of the third triangle should somehow match the diameter of the reddish brown half moon shape we hooked yesterday. So just add a few more rounds or skip some to adjust the length. I'm known for hooking quite tight, 11 rows worked for me here. 

When you're done with this piece as well, once again don't (!) cut the yarn. Instead just sew in the beginning.

So that's it for today, check back in on Friday for the third and final part of our Mystery CAL :)

Yours
Uta

Mystery CAL - Part 1

Alright fellow crochet people,

let's begin our Mystery CAL :)

As I already told you in the announcement, you will need the following materials:
- Beige yarn, e.g. Schachenmayr Bravo
- Reddish brown yarn, e.g. Schachenmayr Bravo
- Black stitching embroidery thread
- One medium sized black button

Plus these tools:
- Crochet hook (4mm when using Schachenmayr Bravo)
- Scissors
- Needle

And here's the pattern for the first two pieces.
Start with CH 7. All in all, you have to hook six rounds consisting only of DCs. The beginning of each round is CH 3 which stand for one DC. You will constantly increase the stitches per round by six.

Hook one half moon shaped piece with the reddish brown yarn. Cut yarn and sew in beginning as well as end.

Hook another half moon shaped piece using the beige yarn. This time don't (!) cut the yarn, only sew in the beginning.

And that's it for today! Stay tuned for Part 2...


Yours
Uta

How To CrissCross Crochet

Hey all,

I really enjoyed this (new?!) crochet technique called crisscross crochet but unfortunately couldn't find any proper instructions online that I could share with you. So I thought I should come up with some of my own. Voilà :)

Let's start with the basic crisscross stitch which is nothing more than two single crochet combined. Please note that crisscross crochet only works if you work in rounds. It's a bit like amigurumi I would say.

Click on image to enlarge

And here's how to change from one round to another. First you pull the yarn through the last stitch of the current round, then you pull the yarn through the very first stitch of the current round, add one ch and then go on in the new round you just started with the basic stitch I showed you above.

Click on image to enlarge

Happy Hookin' everyone :)

Yours
Uta

REMINDER: Our Mystery CAL begins next Monday :)

Teeny-Tiny Mystery CAL coming up!

Hey Crafters,

just quickly popping in this Sunday because I've go a little announcement to make:
Paper, Wool & Yarn will be hosting its first CAL - woohoo!!!

Oh, I can tell you, this is exciting for me! I've been thinking about doing a CAL for quite a while already but now seems to be the perfect time.

So here are the details...

Our Mystery CAL will start on Monday, the 27th of July 2015. The first instructions will be posted on that day, part 2 and 3 will follow on Wednesday and Friday the same week.

You need:
- Beige yarn, e.g. from Schachenmayr Bravo (a quarter of a skein or less)
- Reddish brown yarn, e.g. from Schachenmayr Bravo (about half a skein; choose a not too dark shade as you need to stitch on it with the embroidery thread)
- Black stitching embroidery thread (about 50-60 cm should do)
- One medium sized black button

Plus these tools:
- Crochet hook (4mm when using Schachenmayr Bravo)
- Scissors
- Needle

So who else is excited :)


Yours
Uta

Travel Journal

Hello all!

So how has everyone been doing lately?

Today I'd like to share with you all my travel journal. So just in case you're wondering why the instagram pictures are already 4 and 2 weeks old: I wanted to blog about this one for quite a while now but sort of forgot all the time ;)

Well, my travel journal is as a matter of fact a Moleskine Cahier. These neutral looking notebooks come in packages of three. I bought mine in size large, ruled and in a brown paper style. I must say, I sort of became a Moleskine girl lately :)

Okay, so I took one of these cahiers and drew a travel-styled design on the front cover.
Do you guys keep travel journals as well? If so, how does yours look like?

Thanks for stopping by!

Yours
Uta

Crochet Bottle Holder

Hey everybody,

again, I used one of my pins as inspiration for a new crochet project. Every  now and then I like to hook things that are quick to make and this one definitely falls into that category. So today I've got a Bottle Holder for you!

Pin can be found right here:

Plus here's the DIRECT LINK...

And this is how my version turned out:

 

I'm actually thinking about making another one using a different yarn. This time I went for Schachenmayr Bravo (a little stash-busting...), which I think looks too bulky. Maybe a thinner cotton yarn with a slightly thicker hook than recommended would have been better.

I'm curios, what kind of quick to hook projects have you been working on lately?


Yours
Uta

PS: For more pinspired projects, please have a look right here => Uta's Pinspired Projects

PSS: And for more stash-busting projects this way please => Uta's Stash-Busting Projects

CrissCross Crochet Smartphone Cozy & Other Things

Hey all,

how are you doing this Wednesday afternoon/evening/night/morning?

A couple of weeks ago I came across a book at Amazon about something called CrissCross Crochet. That's a crochet stitch that later allows you to cross stitch on it pretty comfortably. The thing is I'm not really willing to purchase a book for 10 € when all I'm interested in is the technique and not the patterns. Luckily, there's this awesome function at amazon called "Look inside" and in this case it showed a preview of the exact pages that contain the instructions on how to crisscross crochet. Lucky me :)

So far, the book only seems to be available in German. So here's the link to Amazon DE ...

Of course I had to try out this funky crochet technique right away. And I picked something easy to begin with, namely a simple smartphone cozy:

The yarn I used is Schachenmayr Egypto Cotton btw. I figured the thinner the yarn, the softer everything turns out and the nicer it is to cross stitch on it.

Apart from that I've got something else to show you. About one and a half weeks ago I spent some time in Erfurt visiting Kristin and André. In one of the many cute stores in Erfurt I found this - and bought it of course:

My very first stork scissors, yay :) Aren't they beautiful!!!

Oh and I got some new washi tapes at the local crafts store a couple of days ago:

I instantly fell in love with the pattern the moment I saw them and couldn't resist buying them :)

What crafting suppliers did you buy lately? Yarn, washi tape as well, maybe some nice paper?


Yours
Uta

Crochet Bath Poof

Hey all,

guess what, here's another pinspired crochet project :)

I thought it would be a great start to work on some of the quicker to realize projects from my Crochet Pinterest Board. And this one did not only look like it would be pretty quick to hook, it also looked cool and it's kind of an eco-friendly thingy. So decision made!

For you pinners out there, here's the pin:

Furthermore, the pattern can be found right HERE

And here's how my Bath Poofs turned out:

The yarn: Schachenmayr Cotton Bamboo Batik, 50% Cotton & 50% Viscose, recommended hook size 3-4mm (I used a 4mm hook), color codes are 90 (the greyish one) and 92 (the blueish one)

And the only tweak I made was starting with a magic ring instead of ch 5 joined with a slip stitch.

Oh and they definitely were quite quick to make. One took just a little longer than one Charmed episode to hook ;)

What kind of eco-friendly projects have you been working on lately? Maybe some makup pads? A bath poof as well?

Yours
Uta

PS: More of my eco posts can be found here => Uta's eco Posts

Simple Pencil Pouch

Hello everyone!

Last week I spent quite some time over at Pinterest. And while going through some of my boards looking at all those gorgeous pins I made the decision to finally give some of the crafting stuff I pinned over there a try. So I'm safe to say, this crochet project is pinspired :)

This is the pin for all you pinners out there:

And for those of you that are not on pinterest, please click on the direct link right HERE

And here's my version of Alexis' Simple Pencil Pouch:

Yarn I used: Schachenmayr Catania, 100% Cotton, recommended hook size 2.5-3.5mm (I used a 4mm hook), color code is 0173

Tweaks I made:

• I started with ch 40 instead of ch 30
• I hooked a total of 38 rows using sc
• My row 38 was crocheted as follows... ch 1, 18 sc, ch 25, skip one sc from row 37, start with another 18 sc in the next sc of row 37
• In row 39 where you have to crochet multiple dc into one sc of the previous row I then hocked one hdc into that one sc of row 37 I skipped in row 38

Are you guy currently working on any pinspired projects?

Thanks for stopping by!

Yours
Uta


PS: If you want to follow me on Pinterest, right this way please => Uta at Pinterest

PSS: If you are interested in more of my pinspired projects, please have a look right here (includes crafting as well as cooking projects) => Uta's Pinspired Projects

Vintage Leaf Hot Plate Mat

Hey all,

A couple of days ago I came across the website Free Vintage Crochet, a truly amazing collection of free vintage crochet patterns. I already clicked through almost all of them and I am quite sure they will be the source for quite a lot of my future crochet projects.
For now I stuck with something quick and relatively easy to make, a leaf-shaped hot plate mat.

The original pattern can be found HERE.

And this is how mine turned out:

The yarn I used is Schachenmayr Egypto Cotton, 100 % cotton, recommended hook size 2-3 (I went for a size 3 hook).

Have you tried out any vintage patterns lately?

Yours
Uta