Spiral Granny Square Blanket Progress.

So I've made all my little granny squares and I am now in the process of crocheting them together into a spiral. They are super cute!

What I've learnt so far:

• I weaved in the ends for about an inch and then trimmed off the excess. Then they were blocked individually before I started to join them together.  Next time I think I will weave in the ends and not cut off the extra until after blocking the squares as some of them are already working their way loose and I'm a little bit worried about the integrity of one or two once the blanket is in use... oh uh! 

• I like the joining up method suggested by the queen of colourful granny squares, Lucy at Attic24. It's very rhythmic and the joining up stitches don't show on the front. 

• I took a picture of the squares laid out on the floor in the right pattern and referred to this when joining them up row by row. This helped with the confusion of working a spiral in straight lines (not easy for the brain I discovered!) 

• The little squares didn't all turn out the same size after blocking which is a bit strange and creates bumps, but I'm sure once I've blocked the complete blanket things will sit nice and smooth. 

 

Blocking makes little baby curly squares all grown up and smooth! More on the ins and outs of blocking knitting and crochet here, where I blocked Marmee's waistcoat.

More on this project in Ravelry.

PS. Are you into buying handmade? Yes? Then you should check out the amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Etsy Stock Take - Week Forty-three

Most clicked on last week: Reversible Enamel Earrings at GestOfCreation

Etsy Stock Take - Week Forty-three - Sunday Linky Party

Hi guys,

What have you been up to this week? I've been joining up granny squares and enjoying that immensely.

Nothing to report in my Etsy shop. There are going to be some big changes around here soon (more on that to come) and I think I might relaunch the shop after all that is over in the New Year.

I hope you have had a lot of crafty sales this week. Please show us what you have in your shops!

Shoppers of handmade stuff:

Scroll down for some more beautiful products made by some of my readers. Please visit their shops on Etsy and consider buying something! You'll be glad you did :)

Etsy Sellers:
Please, no holiday items, let's keep this a Halloween and Christmas free zone!

Link up your items to get more exposure for your shop. You might be featured in the Best of the Week or Best of the Month features (and then you'll be tweeted and pinned!). Vintage is welcome too!

You have 2 options:

1. Bloggers:

Write a new post on your blog (telling us about your new items), mention the Etsy Stock Take and link back here so your readers get a chance to find the link up list (or add the button above).

Then link up using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post so we can find your blog.

2. Link up directly to your Etsy shop:  
Post a link that goes directly to your new items in Etsy using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. You can put up as many as you want and we will see your images nice and big.

If you have problems with linking up, please let me know and I will give you a hand (my email).

Everyone:
It'd be lovely if you took a moment to go and check out some stuff that others post below - go shopping!

Ciao!

Katz :)

PS: If you enjoyed this, please share it with your twitter followers:         Tweet #etsystocktake


If the list at the bottom of this post is closed, link up with a live list anytime, click here and choose the latest Etsy Stock Take...

Classic Cars in Hamburg: BMV Isetta

My favourite classic car of the moment: The BMW Isetta

I saw this going down the road ahead of me not so long ago near Klein Flottbeck and I was thinking 'oh please stop, please stop'. I had never seen anything like it ever before and was eager for a picture!

It is the BMW Isetta. It was mass-produced in the 50's in Germany and made the car accessible to those who had not even imagined they could afford one, let alone a BMW. Based on the designs of an Italian car company, Iso, with a few modifications this car became really popular.

The front opening BMW Isetta (next to a 'small' modern Fiat 500 for scale!).

After mentioning this to a friend, he wanted to see my pictures. It turned out that he had owned this car! He told me that it opened at the front. I couldn't believe it, but when I looked again more closely, I could see how it worked. Wow!

Hurrah to micro bubble cars. It reminds me of when we had a Smart car. But that's another story...

Check out the video for more info on this fabulous little car! I think it's eclipsing my love for the original Fiat 500. Oh uh!





This is part of my photography project: Classic Cars. I now carry my camera wherever I go and I will collect pictures of vintage cars that I see while out and about. They just make me happy.

1. Mini Cooper in Hamburg
2. V.W. Beetle in Hamburg
3. V.W. Beetle with vintage skis in Hamburg
4. Mini Cooper in Hamburg
5. Vintage cars in the UK Winter 2012  
6. Renault 5 in Hamburg
7. Classic cars in Sylt in Germany Spring 2012 
8. Classic American in Hamburg
9. Fiat 500 in Liguria in Italy Summer 2012
10. VW Beetle Convertible in Lausanne in Switzerland Summer 2012 
11. Mini Cooper in the Hafen City in Hamburg 
12. Mystery Blue in Hamburg

LOVE classic cars!

PS. Like to buy handmade? Check out amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Etsy Stock Take - Week Forty-two

Ceramic Buttons at DoubleHalo

Etsy Stock Take - Week Forty-one - Sunday Linky Party

Hi guys,

Well, the wheels are turning and life goes on... This week I've cast off a knitting project and I'm swatching for another, this time a waistcoat for me! Yay! I finished cutting silk for a sewing project and I'll be sewing that up slowly (I learnt the hard way you need to tack (baste) silk before running it through the machine! Ooops...)

I've not been very interested in taking care of my Etsy shop which is a bit sad. I hope you are more motivated than me...

So, what have you been up to this week?

Shoppers of handmade stuff:

Scroll down for some more beautiful products made by some of my readers. Please visit their shops on Etsy and consider buying something! You'll be glad you did :)

Etsy Sellers:
Please, no holiday items, let's keep this a Halloween and Christmas free zone!

Link up your items to get more exposure for your shop. You might be featured in the Best of the Week or Best of the Month features (and then you'll be tweeted and pinned!). Vintage is welcome too!

You have 2 options:

1. Bloggers:

Write a new post on your blog (telling us about your new items), mention the Etsy Stock Take and link back here so your readers get a chance to find the link up list (or add the button above).

Then link up using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post so we can find your blog.

2. Link up directly to your Etsy shop:  
Post a link that goes directly to your new items in Etsy using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. You can put up as many as you want and we will see your images nice and big.

If you have problems with linking up, please let me know and I will give you a hand (my email).

Everyone:
It'd be lovely if you took a moment to go and check out some stuff that others post below - go shopping!

Ciao!

Katz :)

PS: If you enjoyed this, please share it with your twitter followers:         Tweet #etsystocktake


If the list at the bottom of this post is closed, link up with a live list anytime, click here and choose the latest Etsy Stock Take...

Marmee's Waistcoat - Tah dah!

Marmee's Wasitcoat, front detail.

I think the back view is my favourite.

 Finalmente, I get around to posting this! I have photo processing issues, it seems to take me ages to get round to dealing with them... Anyway, that's another post...

Marmee's waistcoat in all its glory, modelled by the recipient herself on her recent visit to us in Hamburg. We were hanging out on the beach and I was sewing on the buttons. We couldn't wait to get pretty pictures :)

All the gory details on Ravelry!

This post will be linked up with lots of lovely creative parties, to see where exactly check out the 'What I'm...' tab.


PS. Are you into buying handmade? Yes? Then you should check out the amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Etsy Stock Take - Week Forty-one

My personal favourite from September: Personalised Anniversary Pillows from Intriguedknits

Etsy Stock Take - Week Forty-one - Sunday Linky Party

Hi guys,

So, I missed an Etsy Stock Take last week... Oops... Life just got in the way (along with a healthy dose of laziness!).

As Lennon said "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." Our lives are full of plans, half-plans, maybes and what ifs at the moment. It's an exciting, if somewhat disruptive time...

So after my mini blogging break, I found that I quite missed the routine of posting stuff here. So let's see if I can keep it up for a bit longer (I just made the one year mark!!!).

So, what have you been up to this week?

Shoppers of handmade stuff:

Scroll down for some more beautiful products made by some of my readers. Please visit their shops on Etsy and consider buying something! You'll be glad you did :)

Etsy Sellers:
Please, no holiday items, let's keep this a Halloween and Christmas free zone!

Link up your items to get more exposure for your shop. You might be featured in the Best of the Week or Best of the Month features (and then you'll be tweeted and pinned!). Vintage is welcome too!

You have 2 options:

1. Bloggers:

Write a new post on your blog (telling us about your new items), mention the Etsy Stock Take and link back here so your readers get a chance to find the link up list (or add the button above).

Then link up using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post so we can find your blog.

2. Link up directly to your Etsy shop:  
Post a link that goes directly to your new items in Etsy using the Linky widget (where it says 'click here to enter') at the bottom of this post. You can put up as many as you want and we will see your images nice and big.

If you have problems with linking up, please let me know and I will give you a hand (my email).

Everyone:
It'd be lovely if you took a moment to go and check out some stuff that others post below - go shopping!

Ciao!

Katz :)

PS: If you enjoyed this, please share it with your twitter followers:         Tweet #etsystocktake


If the list at the bottom of this post is closed, link up with a live list anytime, click here and choose the latest Etsy Stock Take...

"Times are gonna change...

Through the window, a stolen detail in Delft, Holland

This week my blog turned one year old!

Wow, a whole year. I didn't expect that time to go so fast and for me to accomplish so much with my new hobby. I have loved scrap-booking my crafts and ideas and watching what you Etsy Stock Takers have been working on.

Last Sunday I didn't post an Etsy Stock Take. It just didn't happen on Sunday as usual and before I knew it a whole week had passed. But that's ok. It's the first time this year... life happens!

Change, changing all the time..."
Zucchero - I tempi cambieranno



PS. Like to buy handmade? Check out amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Last of the Summer Ironing.

I don't really know why, but I found something so evocative in this accidental completely out of focus photo. The light and the colours... it's the last of the summer ironing. And for some reason I'm quite sentimental about it!

I've got to get my head around autumn being here. I'm going to research some nice seasonal crafting I think...



PS. Like to buy handmade? Check out amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Late Summer Hedgerows in Hamburg.

It's so nice to walk along the road where we live and see pretty hedgerows outside people's little gardens.

I sometimes like to imagine our corner of Hamburg is the countryside (it's rather suburban, but a short drive does get us to fields and forests...) I suppose it depends on what you focus on. I've been looking up at the sky and down at the flowers and acorns a lot recently...


PS. Do you sell your creations on Etsy? Then you must check out the Etsy Stock Take. You can share your items and I tweet and pin my favourites. If you like to buy handmade please go and have a look at what my readers are up to!