a gift for a little baby boy

One of the ladies in my sewing club (chic et pas cher) has given birth to a lovely baby boy.   His name is Camiel, and he weighs 4kg300gr ,  which is quite heavy !

A newborn baby : to me that is an excellent reason to leaf through my baby knitting patterns, and find something nice to make her a gift. 
This is what I made :

made of 100 % cotton

It's from this book :

So, Liesbet, if you are reading this, I'm sorry to spoil the surprise.  But I will have it ready for you next time we meet at Chic et pas cher !

a very straightforward pattern

the pattern is very easy, perfect for beginners.
I knitted it on circular needles though, to avoid a seam at the back of the baby's head.
That may be uncomfortable when the little gentleman is lying down in his pram.

I like the colours for a boy.

een handige tabel voor haaksters

De afkortingen van haaksteken in het Engels komen niet altijd overeen. Een stokje is in Amerikaans Engels een double crochet, terwijl dat in Groot-Brittannië een vaste is. Heel verwarrend !
Hieronder een tabel met de meest gebruikte steken, en hoe die in beide talen klinken...

Ik hoop u hiermee een plezier te doen.  bookmark deze pagina, zodat je 'm snel terug vindt !

wereldbreidag in Oostende

Beste lezers, bloggers en breifans !

De Oostendse breiclubs willen graag meedoen met wereldbreidag.

We willen samen breien in een leuke omgeving : aan de kiosk in het Leopoldpark.*
Het is een gratis evenement, iedereen die kan breien en/of haken is welkom !
deze breinamiddag gaat door op zondag 17 juni, van 14u - 17u.
Hebben jullie zin om mee te komen breien ?  al was het maar een uurtje, kom dan af, breng je wol en naalden mee, en we zullen ons in het zonnetje zetten en gezellig samen kletsen, breien, en ideetjes uitwisselen.

Voor wie van ver komt :

* het Leopoldpark is heel centraal gelegen, vlakbij de tramhalte 'Marie-Joséplaats'.  Ook de meeste bussen stoppen hier.  De winkelstraten zijn op 5 minuutjes, de zeedijk is op 10 minuutjes wandelen.
Het park is ook bekend om zijn mooie bloemenuurwerk. Er staan verschillende banken om op te zitten, er is ook een grasveld.  Er is een cafetaria met mini-golf en kinderspeelpleintje in het park, en er zijn openbare toiletten vlakbij.

twitter en facebook dit door aan al je vrienden en vriendinnen !

breien in Oostende

Enkele sfeerbeelden

een boeketje gehaakte bloemen

geconcentreerd bezig !

nieuwe ideetjes opdoen

granny square addicts

the leader of the gang : Helen S.

household knitting

I am fond of little projects that are original, useful and have a rustic or vintage feel to it.
That is why I immediately fell in love with this little scrubbie.  Check it out on this blog.

.

my old crazy cloth and new scrubbie

Don't you just love this idea ?
One of its many appeals is also the use of something totally unlogic to knit with : a ball of twine cord.

You can use any fine cord, rope or string.  You knit a rectangle, fold it over, sew it together and fill it up with some leftover wool.  It is just abrasive enough to help you clean your pots and pans, without hurting your fingernails, like those metal sponges.  (I know, I could wear plastic gloves, but I thoroughly hate them)

I don't really like the cheap sponges, no flashy colours in my kitchen.

don't like those colours

And those little iron sponges ruin my nails.

very bad effect on my nails

So now it is really nice to be able to use my new scrubbie.  I'm going to make plenty. Happy dishwashing indeed !

I think they might even be a nice gift...

even teddy likes them.

tea pot warmer - free pattern

I love a good cup of tea, but I hate it when tea gets cold.
So I knitted a new jacket for my teapot.  (the old one was a granny square on you can see here)
I chose old colours  (brown and green)  to create a warm, rustic, country feeling.

there is a teacup embroidered so you can't mistake it for the milk

I added 3 crochet flowers on top

it's very easy to take off

or put on

If you want to knit one too here is the basic pattern.

You need 1 skein of each colour (50 gr), I used 4 mm circular needles. But you ca n knit it on 2 needles too.

Cast on 84 stiches, and purl a few rows.
continue in stockinette for 2 rows.  Then divide the piece in 2.  Put 42 stiches on a stich holder.
knit for about 20 rows.  (Check on your teapot if this height is enough)  Now knit the other part until it measures the same.  Join all stiches together and knit 2 rows in stockinette.

Now start the decreases : knit 11 stiches, knit 2 together, knit 12 st , knit 2 together, repeat 5 times, end with 1 knitted stich.
knit one row
decrease one row (11 stiches between decreases)
knit one row
decrease one row (10 stiches between decreases)
etc..

until you have 48 stiches left.
knit 1 row
knit 1 stich, knit 2 together across the work, end with 1 stich
there should remain 27 stiches now.
Put the thread through the remaining stiches and secure them.  Make sure the lid of the teapot fits through the hole.

You can add decorations like flowers, pompoms, embroidery.... to your liking.
have fun making this !

crochet sophie digard style

I have made a new necklace, with an abundance of colours.  (If the sun refuses to shine, I use bright colours to brighten up my day.)  The round balls are made of pure silk,  I made them at  Mieke Recour's during a lovely workshop.  But I didn't have enough for a whole necklace. 
So I added 6 'puffy daisies' crochet flowers, a pattern I found here : gipsybazar.blogspot.com.
It's in French and English, and has very good pictures ! 
They remind me of a necklace I once saw - made by brilliant Sophie Digard.  I don't have enough pocket money to buy one of her necklaces, so perhaps, one day, I must make my own....  for now, this is ok for me. 

the little dasies are so easy to make

so many colours : I can wear this with everything

I added a few small colourful glas beads and the necklace is finished.  I love the many colours, it goes with so many different clothes, and it has a nice vintage touch too I find.  A bit 70-ies, don't you think ?

buttons workshop

The button bracelet I made last week is quite an eyecatcher.  Some of my friends have asked me to give a workshop about being creative with buttons. I was very flattered, and lightheadedly agreed to do this.

But now I'm getting into a state of panic...  why did I agree to do this ?
How many people will come ?  What will I tell them ? Will just this 1 bracelet be enough ?  Why do I always manoeuver myself into a situation I prefer to avoid...    

So I spent some time surfing around the internet, and I must say I have found the most gorgeous ideas ! Button creativity is amazing.

this is a creation by  Denise Vogt

a great idea by button soup jewelry

These are made by Lorimarsha

and plenty of colourful inspiration !

I have tried a necklace, with a piece of felt and lots of buttons.  This is my niece showing it.

Hermine as a model !

I'm sure I will think of some more button-jewelry.  During those hours when I can't sleep, I come up with lots of ideas.  But when I wake up in the morning, they're mostly all gone....

baby booties and a little purple dress

Sometimes I just want a little project that is finished quickly.  Something to knit inbetween bigger projects.  Something you can knit whilst looking at the adventures of Will & Grace, or handsome Rick Castle... With you mind turned to zero, and just enjoy. 

I had picked up this knitting magazine in the newspaper shop the other day, and found the design on the front page supercool.  So I decided to knit it.

 and this is the finished item :

I had to make matching booties of course

the dress closes on the back with 2 buttons.

Now I think I'm going to do something else entirely.  Perhaps crochet ?  or another button bracelet ?
hmmm.  Or maybe embroidery.  That's been a while !  Lets have a look in the cupboard where I keep all my stash...   I'm sure there is something there that I bought last year....