workshop crochet jewels

I have been to a very good workshop.  I have learned how to crochet with tiny stiches, and make the most wonderful objects.  For those of you who know the website  'Ne vous installez pas' : Veerle Maes is the teacher, and what we learn is the basics of her designs.  If you don't know that website, you can visit it here.  It's just amazing what she can produce with a crochet hook and a few silk threads. 

She's a wonderful and very patient teacher, and we're a bunch of eager pupils, fiddling away with the most shiny and silky (and thin) threads. 
Here you can have a look at what we make :

 it took me 30 minutes and a lot of patience to make this

all very busy and concentrating

you need a steady hand and good eyes

and a cup of coffee

and a piece of wood to hold the bead firm (verrrry difficult !)

to finally achieve this result.  Not too bad - isn't it ?

looking for Elisabeth Zimmerman books

You knitting fans will probably know Elisabeth Zimmerman, or at least have heard of her.  I love the way she writes her books : it's like she's sitting right next to you, enjoying a cup of tea and talking about knitting and giving you a load of useful tips and tricks in the meantime.  I am proud to be the owner of 'Knitting without tears' and 'Knitter's Almanac'.  I have read them from cover to cover.  I had to order these books in America, and payed more for the postage costs to Belgium then for the book itself.  But it was worth it !

Now I am desperately seeking a collection of EZ's newsletters from the fifties and sixties, published under the name 'The opinionated knitter'.

this is how the book looks

 It is no longer available in print, so here is my question : is there anybody out there who has this book ?  And could I lend it to read it, or even buy it from you ?    Perhaps it belonged to your (grand)mother and you don't want it ?  Please let me know.  Anybody ?

in the newspaper !

Last weekend, there was a review in one of the national papers about knitting clubs in Oostende, and I got a mention !   If you want to read the article, you can log on to the website of 'de standaard online', but here is a picture.  I'm really proud now.  It's the 1st time I am in an article in a newspaper... 

knitting contest in Kortrijk

When my sister and I visited the Hobby event in Kortrijk, we participated in a knitting contest. It was organised by the shop where we frequently buy wool in Brugge, called 'Ajour'.   Here are the pictures of it.  Don't we look slightly obsessed... ?

Ready, set, go !

I want to win this !

It was fun, and she did win....

Beaten by my sister, and by only 2 stiches  !

the Ajour  of Brugge stand

knitted easter bunny

Just a quick knit, a lovely easter bunny pattern I couldn't resist...

A little bit of wool

changed into this litttle fellow

I have no feet....

I'm stuck on this glass

Under my purple belly there is an egg

I keep it warm for breakfast

handmade necklace

Last Thursday there was a jewelery workshop at Zynnad. 
I made this new necklace, using very colourful beads.  To me they shout : sun, summer,sleeveless tops...
They are a natural stone, with a little bit of chalk in them.  (that's the little white freckels).  By wearing the necklace, the warmth and grease of my skin will make the beads shiny and the chalk will dissapeare more or less. 

It was a lot of work : every bead is kettled (linked, joining the beads on little metal sticks, making a loop and joining the next stick on that - are you still with me ???)  and this gives the zigzag look.
Thanks to the good explanation of Lindsey I managed it quite right and I'm very glad with the result. 

Winnie joined me for the first time and found it rather difficult.  It is a very intensive methode, and you have to have a steady hand and good eyes to make all the little loops.

Lindsey's mum is helping to choose -  there's a huge amount of beads

Winnie chose black and red and silver accents

all my beads are ready to be joined

that's the result of somebody else, all black and grey

busy busy busy

Winnie needing help

this is the result !

the yellow and green I like very much

Winnie's chain looked great, but the black turned out to be dark aubergine...

If you want more information about Zynnad, look here :

http://www.zynnad.be/

bloghopping around...

I had some free time today (well, the floor is cleaned and still wet, so I started up the computer while it is drying)  and that 's a good excuse to go bloghopping....   I always love to see what other people are crafting, and their projects inspire me.  (I keep thinking 'oooh  I love that.  Can I make it ?' until my head spins)

Now, I was lucky to find the blog of  Jacey, a British mum who creates lovely things.  She has a give away and I can't resist to participate.  So here is the link to her blog

http://coffeencrochet.blogspot.com/

and this is the picture of the give away...

Now keep my fingers crossed.....

Surfin' along I found another blog that kind of pushed me into thinking about being creative.  I hesitated, but than boldly enrolled in the 'being creative' project Julia proposes.  It goes like this :
every month she has a theme.  March is 'Garden'.  You have the whole month to be creative around this theme.  At the end of the month you upload a picture of your work, and share it with the world.
It might be a good excuse for me to sit down and actually make a drawing or a painting.  It's been ages since I did that.  Or I could knit something 'gardeninsh'...  i'll give it a try.  If you'd like to participate, just visit her blog on

http://juliacrossland.blogspot.com/

Well, my floor has been dry for a while now.  I suppose I better put everything back in place now, before the hungry young ones come home and want their lunch...