Posts mit dem Label colours werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Posts mit dem Label colours werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen

Dienstag, 14. Juli 2015

Flower Power Blanket - Free Pattern

 I always adored this crochet blanket
made by my mother Ottilie around 30 years ago...


A lot of people admired it as well
when I've posted a pic on my Facebook page.
I could only lead interested crocheters
 republished by the popular magazine "Brigitte"...
I thought I could just ask for the permission
to make an English translation
for my crocheting friends
who have less german skills than me...
And yes!!!
The magazine "Brigitte" was so lovely
& gave me their friendly permission! :-)

I have to add a photo & a little story:
A few hours after I've published this blogpost
Ute Rehner - a friend of my page -
commented on facebook.

She was sitting in a train
while she has seen my post
& she knew straight away in which year
this pattern was originally published:
1974

This flower blanket
is actually on her to-crochet-list
since 41 years,
she was so lovely to send me a photo
of her precious original pattern:


Thank you so much, Ute!
And of course I will send your regards
to the editorial department of "Brigitte" on this way!
♥♥♥

You need for a blanket measuring 160 x 190 cm:

1500 g of colourful yarn rests
250 g yarn in olive green for the border
(or different colours as my mother did)
a 2,5 mm hook
(of course you can also use a bigger hook size
for a blanket with less but bigger flowers
- I guess my mom has used a 3,5 or a 4mm hook)

You work the first rosette this way:

Start with 6 ch, form a ring with a slip stitch


1. round: 
work 12 single stitches in the ring
(crochet away the yarn end from the beginning)
end with a slip stitch


2. round: 
chain 3 (counts as first dc)
dc in the same stitch
2 dc in every stitch around
close row with a slip stitch in 3rd chain from beginning
(you should have 24 dc now!)


3. round:
Change your colour!
Now we will work
TWO stitches of the following stitch combination
in every SECOND stitch:
*3 treble, 1 dc, 1 single stitch, 1 dc*
(repeat 5 times
& close this round with a slip stitch
in 4th chain of beginning)

[note: The first treble = 4 ch;
It may be confusing to work
2 stitches in every second stitch
- basically you work:
*1 treble / 2 treble in the next stitch /
1 dc / a single stitch & a dc in the next stitch* x5]


What a pretty flower!
But how to attach the next flower?

Work the second flower
until the last round
as the first one...


Then we work the first 3 trebles of round 3
& work a slip stitch between
the 3rd treble & dc
as shown in the picture


Now work 1dc / a stitch & a dc
in your second flower
...and again:
a slip stitch between dc & treble
of your first flower
- then go on with the 3rd round as usual!


The 3rd flower will be attached this way
on the first flowers - two times...


...and so on...


...when you have 29 rows
containing 27 flowers each you are almost done!

This is how you work for the border
in the original pattern:
(In the german pattern is only a rough description)

1. One row with single stitches all around.
(In the pattern with olive green
- my mom made a multicoloured border
but just use your own style!)

2. This is challenging!
Work dcs & trebles in the triangles
of your border to fill the gaps!
The pattern recommends
to regulary skip some stitches
otherwise it will get wavy!
- Trust your feeling & your skills!

[My mother Otti did the border another way:
She just added colourful rows
of single stitches
which gives a nice wavy border]


3. As many rows of dc stitches
as you like!

Yay! Congrats!!!
You have a wonderful Flower Power Blanket now!



My friend MariaElena has already started
her own Flower Power Blanket
(or Otti-Blanket as we use to call it!)
& has shared progress pictures with me:


So clever to create all the circles
in the beginning! ;-)

And another friend of my page has already started
a Flower Power Blanket!
Here you can see a progress photo
of Lee Schlomm's growing prettiness! :-)


I have only translated the pattern
but I love it badly
so PLEASE show me pictures
on my Facebook page!
(...and if you have questions
be free to contact me there as well!)

And of course a huge THANK YOU
to the german magazine "Brigitte"
for the permission
to translate it!

Hugs & love:
Dada

Dienstag, 3. März 2015

YOUR Personal Freeform CAL! - Week 24

You want a freeformed visual diary blanket, too?
It's 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!

♥♥♥

Haha, finally the next CAL blogpost!
I'm working on many projects again...
Yes, this will be my biggest Nana so far!
I'm using my 20 mm hook
& I can't wait to go on with my huge Lady!
Plastic yarn is great for such big projects
& Dedri (Lookatwhatimade) has also
told me the right word for plastic yarn:
Plarn! So cool!


Donna wants to crochet a tiny Nana,
I bet they would look awesome together!
I just love it how hook sizes can make a difference!

I also have to go on with my coat,
growing the sleeves & adding some hearts & stuff like that! ;-)
It's a wonderful thing to do,
german speakers can get the current "Häkeln 4 You" magazine,
the pattern is in there! ;-)
I guess Wollfactory is thinking about an english translation,
would be great!


We have some more beautiful works for Prudence Mapstone's

Monique & Marijke have worked together for this
fabulous creation!


And sooo wonderful:
Kerry has crocheted a pretty Nana!
Such a brilliant idea to crochet a Nana
for the wallhanging,
can't wait to see the first picture
when Prudence has attached it! :-)


Marina has also sent some beautiful pieces
to Prudence, you can see them & read about it

♥♥♥

Soooo, now the hello to all my lovely members!
Much love 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,
   Princess Saskia ("MalleSas"),
 Cilly, 
Michi (Knittenfee),
Brenda,
Enna (Mishook aka Strikkeliese & Mishook), Nancy (Needleful Things),
 Judy,
 Nora,
 Jacqui (Hooky Delights.),
Denise (Wickedcrochet),
Alex,
 Lindy,Anne,
Marijke,
Katherine,
Cathy,
Kerry,
Shelly (or Shell!)
& Anoinette (Moonbrush Wood Studios)!

...and: I can introduce a new CAL member!!! :-)

Kathy has just joined our adventure!
And here ist her very first puzzle piece:


I bet Kathy's CAL will be bright & colourful, great!
Happy to have you in our team now! ;-)

And we have some awesome new progress pics...

I'm starting with Antoinette's works -
she is progressing sooo fast
& her works are all adorable!
Her "Starry Night" project:


Antoinette's beloved "grumpy" cat:


...looks wonderful together!


And yesterday she has posted this awesome tree! Wow!


 Our CAL friend Monique (Yemanja)
has crocheted two wonderful new works!
Her friendship puzzle piece is such a beauty!


...and I can totally imagine why THIS
is her favourite place to stay!
Have to go to Greece!


Here you can see Gwenda's Sunny Days puzzle piece!
What a wonderful work,
the sunflower, all the sweet little flowers
next to the water...
Love it!


Our CAL friend Cilly has yarnpainted such a gorgeous sea world picture!
Looks awesome with this wooden frame!


 And MariaElena has crocheted this brilliant sea painting!
Her fish is inspired by Laurel Burch,
so wonderful!
Lools like the seahorse wants to kiss the fish! ;-)


And here is Saskia's ("MalleSas") fabulous sunny days project!
What a wonderful butterfly,
can't wait for warmer days when I look at it! 


 ♥♥♥

So: but here is our topic for "week" 24!
 MariaElena has suggested it could be great
to crochet our favourite fairy tales,
legends or myths!
As we all come from different countries
it must be really interesting!
A great idea!

I was thinking about it...
Children love to listen to the same stories
again & again...
What was my favourite fairy tale?!
Rapunzel? Cinderella?
Hansel & Gretel?

I'm living in the area where
the Brothers Grimm grew up
but it's not only because of this reason
that I'm choosing one of their fairy tales.
I guess everyone who has spent
a childhood in Germany knows all these Grimm fairy tales!

I can remember that my brother Claus & me
always wanted my mother to sing us the same song
again & again:
Hansel & Gretel.
This song is telling the story
& actually it's quite creepy,
here is a link to an english translation of this song. ;-)

I'm studying educational sciences
& many educationalists think that the creepy stories
in fairy tales & myths are too rough for children.
I disagree.
I don't know if anyone has ever heard of Bruno Bettelheim.
He has survived two concentration camps
during the second world war
& emigrated to the US afterwards.
He was a great scientist
& wrote books about nazi Germany,
autism, psychoanalysis & education.
In his opinion children need fairy tales.
In our early childhood we are learning
to develop our moral sense & empathy.
The good & evil patterns help us to learn what's good or bad.
And so it's totally fine I guess
that my favourite fairy tale contains cannibalism, haha!
Bruno Bettelheim thought Hansel & Gretel
shows common fears of children:
Losing parents & the shelter of a home,
being without food,
meeting evil persons.

I didn't want to yarnpaint a grim witch
but I thought the witch house could represent this fairy tale best!

I've started a first version this way:
Crocheting little squares...
I wasn't very happy because it costs lots of time!


Then I remembered a tutorial of Atty's
I always wanted to try this Stool cover tutorial!
I had a look at the photos & crocheted stripes
suitable for the size of my witch house:


Then I've crocheted more stripes to weave them in:


And here is my Hansel & Gretel witch house!


I really like it & could totally imagine living in it! ;-)
THANK YOU so much for your gorgeous idea, MariaElena!

Sooo, what is your favourite fairy tale, legend or myth?
Can't wait to see your works!

I will attach the last puzzle pieces in the following days -
I guess my blanket will be completed soon!
But as long as you give me your ideas
I will just go on creating new puzzle pieces.
I can just produce jackets, bags or stuff like that with them! ;-)

♥♥♥

Stay awesome my princesses & princes,
 your friend Dada (or Julia)!!!

♥♥♥

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

Dienstag, 17. Februar 2015

YOUR Personal Freeform CAL! - "Week" 23

You want a freeformed visual diary blanket, too?
It's 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!

♥♥♥

Welcome to our next adventure!
It's a busy time at the moment
so I'm late again!
There are so many other things to do
that my crochet time has heavily decreased!
- And so my online time...

I can't work with patterns anymore!
Actually I'm in a few projects
but it's so much better without
pattern reading!
I guess I will only freeform for a while!
And create Nanas!
(But they don't count as pattern work!
I don't spend more than a minute
looking at my handwritten notes
for a Nana!)
Ohhh, Nanas & instruments
& so many ideas for new crocheted pictures!


Haha, the Nanas have forced me 
to post THIS pic, too!

 
Nanas!
Some of you have already crocheted at least one, too!
Lisbeth's Nanas had lots of fun outside!


...and Kerry's first beauty is waiting
for some sisters!


...and I know there are some other Nanas in progress!
It's gonna be spectacular! ;-)

Something more serious now:
Some of you have joined in the discussion
on my facebook page yesterday
- there are creepy pages.
Some of them make money with clicks on webpages...
They claim they have tutorials for some of my makings
& some of you are also victims.
We all need to make our names on photos.
And really: It doesn't matter if you have a page or not!
For me you are all artists
& we are creating such unique puzzle pieces!
Please start to add your page names
your real names
or at least an artist name of your choice on pics!
It's much easier for other persons
to inform you about the abuse of your work
& without a name on it everyone can just claim:
I've crocheted it.
Some people haven't realized
that this crochet world is small
- especially the freeform world.

Marina wrote about such a case
on her page Snovej
& she has also presented the best way
to find your own pics posted by someone else...
I'm always using this way
if pages post works without an artist name
& it's good for all of us to get familiar 
with the google image search...

I've presented an easy way to add your name on a pic
today in this Picmonkey Tutorial.
Just to show you how I do it.
(Love this page!)
There are other softwares,
apps & editors as well,
if you have already found YOUR way
- go for it!
But please start adding your page or name!

♥♥♥

Soooo, now the hello to all my lovely members!
I've just made the decision that it's just
not possible anymore to make real personal greetings!
Actually I love doing this part
but it costs so much time
- something I don't have at the moment -
so it will be much shorter from now on...
I already wrote a lot of greetings but
I just gave up! Sorry!
A short hello to all of you & the presentation
of our new members, of course! ;-)

I'll have to count again, haha!

Much love to:
 Roberta,
Jodie,
Ulrike,
Gwenda,
Sandy (Sandy's Sundries),
 Alicia (Marcalic's Creations)
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,
   Princess Saskia ("MalleSas"),
 Cilly, 
Michi (Knittenfee),
Brenda,
Enna (Mishook aka Strikkeliese & Mishook), Nancy (Needleful Things),
 Judy,
 Nora,
 Jacqui (Hooky Delights.),
Denise (Wickedcrochet),
Alex,
 Lindy,Anne,
Marijke,
Katherine,
Cathy,
Kerry!!!

Ohhh, it hurts badly not to write something personal,
but we are really too many now!
And I LOVE you all!
Because I've never expected
to find such wonderful playfellows & friends
with this project!

And: We have new CAL friends!!!
I will still introduce new members, of course!
Get to know each other,
support your pages,
like your works!

It's wonderful to see that there
have grown friendships
between you! ;-)

We have our new member Shelley, yay!!!
(Good friends call her Shell,
so her hand project is framed with a shell!)
Shelley is from Australia,
a longtime friend
of my young page
& she has finally found her way to crochet:
FREEFORM!
She has always liked our CAL pics on my page
but when I've posted a link to Prudence Mapstone's
Flower-Power-Project
she HAD to try leaving the patterns herself!
Happy you have started this adventure, Shell!
I'm sure we will have lots of fun!!! ;-)




And we have Antoinette
in our team now
with her AWESOME page
Moonbrush Wood Studios!!!
Seriously:
When you wanna see cuteness overload
like her page!
I LOVE her felted animals so much!
And her drawings...
And hey: Actually she should have
another page for her crochet works, too!
(YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE ONE!)
It's a pleasure to see it grow,
Antoinette,
thank you for being part of the CAL team now! :-)





And we have awesome progress pics
(No collages anymore,
I will present pictures now!)

Saskia's ("MalleSas") wonderful CAL in progress
& her fantastic fish! ART!



Kerry's beautiful growing CAL
& her pretty neon Starry Night!


MariaElena's Nana Dada Friendship work!!!
(Your Nana is in progress!)


Gwenda's fantastic mud crab
(her sea world puzzle piece)!
I love it even more because you
are sharing your fabulous stories with us, Gwenda!


And the wonderful chain friendship puzzle piece
of our CAL friend Denise (Wickedcrochet)!
Just in case some of you have missed one
of the best freeform works ever
on my timeline made by Denise:
Here you go!


YOU ARE AWESOME!
ALL TOGETHER!
 

So: but here is our topic for "week" 23!
Nancy (Needleful Things) had a great idea,
she is longing for warmer seasons
& I'm sure we all enjoy "sunny days",
our topic for this "weeks" puzzle piece!

As you know I've published a little tutorial before
how you can add your name to a photo
with picmonkey!
 MariaElena gave me her permission
to use the wonderful Nana she has crocheted
for the friendship puzzle piece
so I can show her work here
WITH her name now! Important!
I've combined my own puzzle piece
with Nancy's topic 
& MariaElena's Nana Dada!
Here MariaElena's work - my inspiration:


 And here you can see
my Nana-on-a-sunny-day puzzle piece!


It's much easier for me to grow 3D Nanas!
I started with the background
& a pretty colour-changing yarn!
It was a fresh ball of yarn
but the 50 g have disappeared sooo fast!
Actually I wanted to
try a recreation
of Niki de Saint Phalle's painting
but the background has become to small!
(Maybe better, if my Nanas would see
this painting they would force
me to crochet them some guys, too!)

Maybe it's not my prettiest Nana
(MariaElena's Nana is much more beautiful)
but she is jumping around on a hot summer's day
so joyful that I love to have her in my CAL! :-)
Her boobs are 3D by the way - stuffed like a real Nana!

Be creative,
crochet a wonderful sun,
your favourite summer activity,
whatever!
Can't wait to see your works! :-)

The next CAL puzzle piece arrives in 2 weeks! ;-)
 Ohhhh, and PLEASE:

I need brave CAL friends
who are willing to present themselves
on a pic with their CALs!
I still want a book
& I would love to present our works
in magazines, too...
It's personal & you can be proud, hey! ;-)


♥♥♥
 
Stay awesome my princesses & princes,
 your friend Dada (or Julia)!!!

♥♥♥

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