My Wade's Blanket CAL

I'm really happy about my new blanket & so it deserves a little blog post of course!

This CAL was hosted by Zelna (Zooty Owl) & Andrea (Kokopelli Design)

& it was great fun to crochet it!

I LOVE CALs!

It's just such a difference to work on a project

while other crocheters are growing the same patterns.

You have the opportunity to see

photos of other CAL members

& I guess everyone else was unpatiently waiting

for the next part being published! ;-)

It was a special pleasure that my friend Lisbeth
has joined this CAL as well!
With her friendly permission
I can also show you a photo here:

Isn't it beautiful?!

Of course you can still find all patterns online

so you can still grow your own "Wade's Blanket CAL".

 Here you find Zelna's post with links to all parts 

& this link will guide you to Andrea's tutorials!

So this was my journey:

(I have added an additional row to every square
so my blanket is a little bit bigger!)

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Don't ask me for the heart pattern!

I'm a freeform crocheter & so I've just grown it!

I've basically just sewed the heart on a huge neon yellow granny square!

Part 6:

Part 7:

...and part 8, the border:

Taking good photographs of bright neon colours

is an impossible thing without a proper camera

but I can't change my favourite "colour", haha!

If someone is interested in the yarn I've used:

Only Schachenmayr Bravo,

the Lady in the yarn store always

says: "The Bravo girl is coming!" :-)

I'm really busy these days -

I have to write an essay for my philosophy studies

& the book has 729 pages, haha!

I hope you have more crochet time,

sending hugs:

Dada (or Julia)

My Mandala for Wink

Many of us are shocked about the loss of Wink (A creative being).

It's a huge tragedy for her family, friends & the whole crochet world.

We know her wonderful patterns

but she was sharing much more with her followers.

Wink also wrote about her life,

her Asperger syndrome

& her depression.

She also shared her personal story

in Kathryn Vercillo's book

"Crochet saved my life".

In her last post Wink wrote:

"I am in a very dark place right now, and I am looking 

for the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel.

(...) As long as I’m crafting, I’m alive, and as long as I’m alive, 

I might be able to find my way out of the darkness."

It's heartbreaking she couldn't

find her way to the light.

Crochet was so important to her

& she was definitely

one of the fastest crocheters

on this planet:

 Because of Wink we can still learn to pronounce 

"Scheepjes" the right way:

Her death has touched me deeply.

I've been in the same place last year

& I can totally relate to the words

Wink has left us in her last post.

I know many crocheters suffering from depression.

And I've also worked in a mental hospital

- teaching patients how to crochet.

It can be such a great benefit to have this skill

& there are some things we all can do:

1. Show your skills to persons who suffer because of depression

2. Take care of each other

3. Be positive & kind to everyone, every smile improves this world

4. Raise awareness about depression

This is my Mandala for Wink.

It's made with Winks beautiful pattern Spoke Mandala

I will send it to Kathryn Vercillo

for her artwork for Wink.

You will find all inormation here.

If you want you can also light a virtual candle for Wink

on a Page her family has created for her.

R.I.P Wink.

You will be missed.

Granny Square Bowl

Last year a pretty awesome tutorial went viral -

of course I've added it to my virtual to-crochet-list

- my Dada Neon Crochet timeline on Facebook!

I absolutely fell in love with this stunning

Yarn Ends Bowl by Marianne of Marrose - Colorful Crochet & Crafts!

With her kind permission I can show you a photo of her work here: 

As you know I'm always working on too many projects

& so it took quite a while

until this wonderful piece of scrap yarn art

came into my mind again!

While making the paste for the project
(Just with water, flour & sugar!)
I was thinking:
Why not trying it with granny squares...
That's the result & I'm pretty pleased!

Sooo...and this is what I did:

First of all:
Making the paste!
Marianne of Marrose - Colorful Crochet & Crafts
has used this recipe of Carolyn's Homework (Click!)
& so I followed the instructions...

Then I've covered a salad bowl with plastic wrap...

I've soaked the pieces with the paste
& and then I covered the bowl with Granny Squares...
(The 3 Squares are made with the pattern
Circle In a Square Granny by Zooty Owl
the middle square was a leftover of a project,
I can't remember the pattern name
but every circle pattern should perfectly work)

Sooo much paste left!

So I soaked another single Granny Square with the paste...

...and arranged it on another

plastic wrapped bowl...

It took 4-5 days to dry
so you have to be patient!
(We didn't have much sunshine,
if you have some sunny days
let them dry in the sun!)

...so pretty!!!

...also nice as a helmet, haha!

If you make YOUR version

please post it to Dada Neon Crochet!

And if you are inspired to make

Marianne's awesome Yarn Ends Bowl

show her your work on Marrose - Colorful Crochet & Crafts!

I will definitely need one, too! ;-)

Stay awesome! (And creative!)

Dada

YOUR Personal Freeform CAL - "Week" 26

You need such a visual diary blanket as well?
It's really never to late to start it!
I will always post your pictures
on my page Dada Neon Crochet & add it to our CAL photo album!
No time pressure at all!
If you wanna join this freeform adventure you can find the first project here!

♥♥♥

I'm so blocked when I think about crocheting

the very last puzzle piece!

I have a fabulous idea (given by Sandy)

but I just CAN'T realize it!

So I'm really happy that Saskia

has given me another idea

for a puzzle piece...

Great to have some more time before

going on with the last one! ;-)

Can't say goodbye to this project yet!

It means so much to me

& I'm so happy about

the friendships it has made!

Isn't this amazing:

Lisbeth has crocheted this gorgeous monkey

& has sent it from Denmark to the USA!

A present for her CAL friend MariaElena!

(MariaElena/Malena has also sent lovely gifts

to Lisbeth & me!) 

I bet MariaElena & Greg

have lots of fun with their growing kindergarten!

I received a dreamcatcher &

a crocheted granny heart from MariaElena! ;-)

AND a wonderful scrumble for my CAL

with a beautiful handmade card from Saskia (MalleSas)!

It's so special to have something in your hands

crocheted by lovely friends.

The world is becoming smaller

& it's just amazing to have found

such great playfellows!

And I have to show you some newborn Nanas! :-)

Both are created by our CAL friend Nora

& really special!

On the left a flaming heart Nana

(I might have to borrow your idea, Nora!)

& on the right side

a Nana wearing the colour of Nora's motorcycle!

Nana-Power, yay!

(The free pattern is to find here!)

I'm also in progress with a new Nana!

My Facebook page will have it's

first anniversary on 7 May 2015

& there will be another giveaway Nana! :-)

♥♥♥

My greetings go to:

 Roberta,
Jodie,
Ulrike,
Gwenda,
Sandy (Sandy's Sundries),
 Alicia (Marcalic Eve)
Marina (Freeform Crochet World, Freeform Crochet World Group,
Snovej, The Snovej Circle, Snovej Crafts & Kal's of Maine),

 Anouk (Een steekje verder), the highness MariaElena,
 Lin (Crochet in Colour)

Shawn (Dragonbird Creations) Lisbeth,
Jane,

Tracy (Eden Reborn),Jenny (Craft Cove),
 Donna (Walker's Whimsies & Freeform Crochet World Group)
 Anne,
Zelna (Zooty Owl)
 Monique (Yemanja)

   Princess Saskia ("MalleSas"),

 Cilly, 

Michi (Knittenfee),
Brenda,

Enna (Mishook aka Strikkeliese & Mishook), Nancy (Needleful Things),
 Judy,
 Nora,
 Jacqui (Hooky Delights.),
Denise (Wickedcrochet),
Alex,

Lisa (Knotty Girl Yarn Art),

 Lindy,Anne,

Marijke,

Katherine,
Cathy,
Kerry (Silver Owl Promidi),
Shelly (or Shell!)
& Anoinette (Moonbrush Wood Studios)
Kathy,
Ilene,
Bj

 ...and: A new member of the CAL Club!
Christine Leconte has found her way to us!
She is a really inspiring freeform artist from France
& I'm so happy & proud she has joined us!

 Here is her puzzle piece number 1,
unique & colourful as all her makings:

And her beautiful hand project:

Welcome to our CAL, Christine!
I wish you a wonderful adventure!

But there are more progress pictures to present!

Bj has crocheted this amazing yarnpainting,
what a wonderful place to stay!

Some gorgeous puzzle pieces of Monique (Yemanja)

have arrived me, first her gorgeous childhood memory project:

Here is Monique's sunny days puzzle piece,

makes happy just to look at it!

...and: Her sensational CAL in progress! Just wow!

And our Antoinette (Moonbrush Wood Studios)!

It's such a pleasure to see your works!

Here you can see her wonderful heart project:

...her homage for Terry Pratchett,

what a piece of art!

And her favourite childhood toy:

Pencils, of course!

And what a tiny detail work for Antoinette's favourite movie:

Groundhog Day! Awesome!

...and just in time this beautiful foot has arrived me!

Thank you so much for presenting me your works,

means so much to me to see it grow!

 ♥♥♥

Our topic this week (haha!) is crocheting

our favourite symbol!

What a great idea of Saskia ("MalleSas")!

I'm attending a real interesting lecture about symbolism

in university at the moment

& actually I wasn't sure what my favourite symbol is

when Saskia gave me her inspiration!

I wanna start with her project

& her own words about it!

Saskia's favourite symbol in yarn:

And her words about this gorgeous crocheted symbol:

"My symbol is the pentagram, it is used by Pagans/witches. I own a lot of pagan books because I am interested in what pagans do. It is a nature religion, you can do what you want but don't harm anyone. I love this, everybody should live by that one rule, there would be peace on the world. :-) "

A beautiful work by a wonderful Lady!

Hugs to my good witch! ;-)

And now my symbol...

First I thought about the "ankh" symbol:

 It's an egyptian hieroglyphic character

& it has different meanings.

It can symbolize life, sun

& it has also inspired the sign for the goddess Venus.

But then I remembered another symbol

which is just perfect for a person like me...

And actually the "ankh" is integrated in it!

An anchor!

An anchor has also several meanings,

it stands for hope & home.

And it's one of the most

popular tattoo symbols ever...

Hope & home are wonderful meanings

but I love this symbol for another reason.

Because of a real special Lady!

She was born as a bavarian princess.

(Of course I'm also a bavarian princess

but she was officially royal!)

Some of you might have seen the Sissi trilogy movies

with Romy Schneider...

I honestly love this movies -

but I read lots of biographical books about the

Empress Elisabeth of Austria 

& her own poem book...

The movies don't show

all the fascinating shades of her personality.

She grew up as a wild nature child 

in the countryside

& married when she was 16.

To become a caged bird.

As a free mind she was suffering

because of the formal & structured life.

One of her daughters died early,

her other children were raised

very strict by her mother-in-law.

She escaped her golden cage

& has travelled the world -

she had problems with her lungs,

the best excuse for her journeys.

She was open-minded,

loved to learn languages

& meet other cultures.

And Sisi (she hated it when people called her "Sissi")

got a tattoo!!!

Her husband Franz Joseph I of Austria was shocked!

About the anchor on her shoulder!

Sisi didn't care.

For her the anchor represented

desire of freedom

& her love for the ocean 

& being on a ship.

The end of her life was so tragical.

An italian anarchist stabbed Sisi

 with a sharpened needle file.

He only knew she was royal.

I wonder if he would have done this to her

if he would have known what

a libertine, rebel & free soul she was. 

♥

What a pretty, strong lady!

There would be many more stories to tell

but...here is my anchor!

For my soulsister Sisi

in loving memory:

Haha, I love it!

For the background I tried something funny:

Granny freeforming,

I just played around with granny stitches,

so much fun!

Who says they should be squared?

  PLEASE give me some more ideas!

I don't want to complete this CAL 

but I'm running out of ideas! :-(

And MalleSas,

THANK YOU for your support again, my princess!

♥♥♥

Stay awesome my princesses & princes,

 your friend Dada (or Julia)!!!

♥♥♥

Let me see your art in Marina's & Donna's Freeform Crochet World Group, on Dada Neon Crochet or Ravelry!

Granny Square Mosaic Photo Tutorial - With Mosaically!

Since many years I often make mosaic collages as last minute presents -

you can find many free mosaic photo editors online.

The artist WorkByKnight (WBK)

makes stunning granny square mosaic pictures

&  Crochet Granny Square Art for Charity

is also recreating his pictures in yarn!

I can't show you a pic here because of the copyright

but have a look yourself! ;-)

I wanted to try it myself...

It's actually great because you can just

design your own patterns for blankets.

Haha, I could totally recreate myself in granny squares now!

I've used Mosaically.com for my test

& I thought I show you a short step-by-step tutorial...

1. You need LOTS of granny square pictures,

I've cutted out my granny squares with 

the free photo editor Picmonkey...

I just used the "square option" which is offered 

in the "Crop" section on the left side.

(On this screenshot you see part 2 of my 

Zooty Owl-Kokopelli Design CAL!)

2. Go to Mosaically.com!

3. Upload the photo you want to transform to a mosaic!

Click on "Step 2"!

4. Upload your granny square pics in "Step 2"!

(I've used 47 granny photos,

the more the better!)

Click on "Step 3"!

5. Play around with the

colour & the size

until you are satisfied!

6. Download it!

I've also added my signature

& increased the shadows in the pic for a better contrast...

Picmonkey.com is a real good free online editor! ;-)

7. Crochet your own mosaic blanket

or do whatever you want with this photo!

If you also make such a photo mosaic

or really crochet such a blanket

be free to show it to me on Dada Neon Crochet!