Peacock tails

 Whew, I'm on fire. A second pattern only after a week? Unseen in the history of Thimblewubble crochet! Write it in the history books!
But then again, hats work up fast and are fairly easy to make and write patterns for. Fairly easy. The patternwriting part still is quite tricky for me.

And Octobre is the perfect time for hat-making! Right in time to store up on all kinds of warm hats before winter is coming. Because, of course, we need to brace ourselves for the pending winter. Keep our tiny, cute little ears warm. We don't want an infection, now do we?
So, for today a (slouchy) beanie! I put slouchy between brackets because you can choose how you wear this hat. Slouchy or not. Or something in between. It's called the peacock tails hat, because... to be honest, this variation on the shell stitch really just looks like the behinds of a horde of peacocks. Don't believe me? Take a look yourself! Have a peacock's behind for comparison right here.
Similarly to the previous hat I posted, this one is also for free in my Ravelry Library. I'm so generous lately. Hehe.

This time, a bit making up for what I did last time, I once again used my old love Wibra Saskia. I had a lot of scraps in these purple and greens, so it was a perfect way of using up these scraps I still had.
There's both a written pattern and a chart in the pdf you can download from my ravelry.
I hope you enjoy the pattern, and if you find any mistakes or difficulties, never hesitate to contact me!

Thimblewubble

Boyfriend in a basket

After a series of complaints by my significant other about me not making him cool, manly or fitting hats, I was finally able to produce a hat that satisfied his need. Big enough, cool enough and manly enough. So I proudly present to you: the boyfriend in a basket hat! *proud stance*

Made with Hema Medium (I know, I'm cheating on my long love wibra, but I now temporarily reside in Antwerp and they don't have a wibra up here, which I find rather disturbing.) yarn and a 4mm hook, this hat works up pretty fast, only counting about 30 rows.
It has been a while since I wrote a pattern for anything, so it took me a while (circular reasoning, that one). Though the instructions are pretty clear, or so I hope, if they're not, never hesitate to adress me either on this blog, ravelry or on thimblewuddlecrochet@gmail.com. (wuddle, not wubble, I know).
The pattern is as usually found in my ravelry library. 
Today I also saw that some of my patterns on Ravelry are still downloaded quite regularly, ravelry only notifies me whenever a pattern is downloaded that required payment. Of course I also have multiple free ones. (Like this hat), and from those I never got any e-mails, so I was pleasantly surprised that my peacock collar, published June 2014, had its last download October 19th 2015, and October 16th before that...

I talked about a possible La Maison Victor internship last time, sadly, my solicitation was declined. My entries didn't fit in with their usual topics, or so they said. But no worries, no sadness, nor no grudge, new opportunities are coming along!
All y'all just keep on downloading my patterns regularly and I'm a very happy woman.
And then I have a happy boyfriend, of course :p

Thimblewubbe

La maison Victor

Trying to get attention. Something this society seems to be based upon. So not even I escape from it. Of course not. In this that desire of ever more attention and ever more praise of what you make this blog came to be. And I sent in a photo to be on the coverphoto of La Maison Victor's facebookpage. Which, by surprise, was selected. As it is a design I have not yet featured here on the blog, this gives me the opportunity to talk about it a bit.


I never published any pattern for this little cardigan, because, let's face it: I just make up things on the go. And writing a pattern afterwards is rather difficult. Especially with such an intricate pattern.
Yet again I was inspired by art nouveau (see My post about the peacock collar for more information about my infatuation with the art nouveau movement) which is clearly visible in this picture I made for whenever I would write the pattern. The ornaments are slightly stolen from Alphonse Mucha's Répos de la nuit, of which I've got a print in my room. Ok, back to the cardi. It's made with Wibra Mona yarn, which is quite a thin yarn in Wibra's range, and also incredulously soft. The front features a 6-strand simple cable, and the back features exactly the same but with 12 strands.It sports 3/4 sleeves for I intended it to be a summer-jacket/cardi. Can't wear long sleeves in summer, of course.




The feature on La Maison Victor's facebookpage gives me somehow the incentive to write a pattern for it. So maybe one day I will, I'll keep you updated on that matter. A second incentive the feature gave me was to pursue my ambition to be do my internship with them. That would signify a major boost to my carreer, not only as craftswoman but as a journalist as well.

That was it for today. Just a bunch of overwhelming excitement about being featured on La Maison Victor's facebookpage. Under my personal name, of course, not as Thimblewubble.

cheers!

Cosplay level: crochet

My dearest blogreaders and (hopefully) fellow geeks,

Last weekend signified a milestone in my existence as a self-proclaimed "geek". As the FACTS convention was approaching, and my friends decided we'd give cosplaying a chance, I went looking for an opportunity to make myself a costume. My boyfriend reminded me I once made him a failed Chickenchaser costume. Failed? I hear you ask. It was not failed as much as it was too small.

 

This was eventually what it looked like on him. Very tight. That's what you get when you try and make a sweater as a surprise and don't have the right measurements.... (On the right: what it was supposed to look like)
Anyway, since I myself am also quite a fan of the game, my boyfriend suggested I would alter the sweater into my own size. A task that seemed more possible than to readjust it to his.
The sweater also was never meant to be a cosplay or anything, it was meant to be an everyday sweater. Thus it was designed to beat the cold rather than to beat imaginary bandits, hobbs and balverines.

Photo by Alexander Atlesque

The final product looked like this. Smaller, a lot, and more detailed, also a lot. I crocheter myself some simple fingerless mits to complete the Fable Guild Apprentice look. The blue stripes on both the capelet and the hood got some light blue embroidering to give it a more magic-y feeling. A polymerclay Guild Seal to dangle around my neck, and last but not least: a crocheted chicken to make clear I was not but any Apprentice. I cosplayed Chickenchaser, the Hero of Oakvale. Not a lot of people that were present at FACTS recognized me as such, yet the chicken got a lot of attention. Therefore I want to give special attention to the pattern I used for it: Hildegard, the Live-sized Crochet Chicken by Cogaroo crafts which can be found here. At some point at the convention The Flash came running behind me imitating chickennoises. An anecdote that might show the "popularity" of my chicken despite no one knowing whom I was cosplaying. I also got a lot of positive remarks about the way the chicken was made, of course that made me quite happy. Doesn't everybody likes to be complimented on their craftskills? I bet they do.
Maybe a little story about why my friend is holding the chicken: the chicken fits in the background stories of both the characters we were cosplaying. Lots of people even thought the chicken belonged to her rather than to me. (I guess that's mostly because people didn't recognize my character as such)

Photo by Chelsea Ruelens

I also just wanted to show the group-picture with my friends. Maybe also a little bit to show that crochet cosplay really doesn't look shabbier or less awesome than "normal" cosplay. Note: this was for all of us the first time we cosplayed, so of course it is not as spectacular as some cosplays you see around the internet. Also not as slutty sexy. (For the non-geeky readers: from left to right: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Chickenchaser the hero of Oakvale, Link from the Legend of Zelda, Hermione from Harry Potter and Castiel from Supernatural.)

If anyone had previous encounters with crochet cosplay (or was present at FACTS 
2015 and has photos of us), don't hesitate sending me an e-mail at: thimblewuddlecrochet@gmail.com. (I know I messed up the mailadress.)

Live long and prosper, may the force be with you, be strong, Harry, be safe (or any other geeky salutations you may think off)

Thimblewubble

#AlongCameSophie

#Alongcamesophie

This hashtag was used by Dedri Uys to signal any stories behind her CAL Sophie's Universe. As I (rather late) participated in this Crochet Along I want to share the story behind my blanket.

As of July this year (so in a week) I shall be graduated from my masters in medieval history, yet as I am not ready to work already I planned on going on a second course. A mastership in Journalism. But in our little country Belgium, and more specific in the little Flemish part of it, there are only two places where you can follow this course. Brussels and Antwerp, namely. And since my boyfriend was planning on taking up a course in the vicinity of Antwerp as well, my choice was easily made. Although Belgium is a small country, Antwerp is still a long trip away from my hometown. Louvain was easy enough to reach via public transport, Antwerp is not. That's my boyfriend and I are going to move in together in a students'-studio in Antwerp. He has been ready for living with ever we started dating it seems; I on the other hand, was not ready for such a step in a long long time. I might not even be ready right now. And there is where Sophie comes in. My boyfriend said it would be nice to have a two-person blanket for on our bed. He likes the one I have for myself at home, so he asked me to make one for the both of us. And as I had been luring around on the project gallery for Sophie on Ravelry for already quite a while, being stunned by all the colourful goodness that was to be found there; I chose Sophie for our blanket. For me, this project, has been somewhat of a portal into maturity. I've never wanted to grow up and leave the house, but now I'm somewhat exited to see Sophie lying on the bed somewhere in Antwerp.

Well, after all this boring nonsense I shall no longer deprive you from the photos of my pretty Sophie.
I shall already apologise for the most provisorical, most weird and probably also worst way of blocking this blankey. She's just too big for any other option thus far.

greetings

Thimblewubble

The Blue Aztec hat pattern - Blauwe Azteken muts patroon

Hello reader(s)!

Finally a fourth pattern came to being today. A hat, for a change. A rather more advanced and intricate hat pattern, I say so myself. Last week I mastered the art of tapestry crochet or intarsia, with which you make colourfull figures in your crochetwork. Which is just delightfull, makes me able to work with colours on a more varieted way than before. (And you all know how much I love colours)

 The hat, seen on the photo on the left hand side of this text, is inspired by the geometrical aztec patterns and consists mostly out of triangular shapes. Or mostly, better to say entirely next to three little straight lines. The basecolour of the hat is grey, chosen for its power to enhance the vibrancy of the colours that it surrounds. I chose for a blue colourscheme because I am very in to the colour blue lately.
The yarns used are, as usual, wibra saskia, I used a slightly smaller needle than usual (saskia asks for a 4-4.5 and I used a 3) because I wanted it to be a thicker fabric. Great for in winter.

 Hallo lezer(s)!

Eindelijk zag vandaag een vierde patroon het levenslicht. Een muts, voor de verandering. Een eerder meer ingewikkeld patroon, al zeg ik het zelf. Vorige week heb ik mezelf meester gemaakt van de techniek genaamd tapestry crochet of intarsia, waarbij dat je figuurtjes van kleur in je haakwerk maakt. Wat helemaal fantastisch is omdat het me toelaat kleur te gebruiken op een meer gevarieerde wijze dan voordien. (En julllie weten hoeveel ik van kleur houd.)

De muts, te zien op de foto rechts van deze tekst, is geïnspireerd door de geometrische Azteken patronen en bestaat vooral (-laten we zeggen volledig, op een paar rechte lijnen na-) uit driehoekige vormpjes. De basis kleur voor deze muts is grijs, gekozen voor zijn kracht om de omliggende kleuren extra in de verf te zetten. Het kleurschema van de muts is blauw omdat ik de laatste tijd wel veel houd van blauwtinten. De gebruikte wol is, zoals gewoonlijk, wibra saskia. Maar ik heb een dunnere naald gebruikt dan wat er op het etiket vermeld staat (3mm in plaats van 4), opdat het een dikkere stof werd. Lekker warm in de winter.

Just a little close up of the patterns in the pattern.
Een kleine close up van de patronen in het patroon.

The pattern for this hat is now for sale in my Ravelry store for the small price of €1.50. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tapestry-crochet-blue-aztec-hat

Het patroon is nu te koop in mijn Ravelry store voor de kleine prijs van €1.50.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tapestry-crochet-blue-aztec-hat

creative greetings!
creatieve groetjes!

Rainbow loom!

helloes everybody,

After another longer period of silence (exams! But no worries, I passed them all) here's a new blogpost to delight you all. This time though, not directly about crochet, because I'm still waiting for pictures and a testingreview for some of my patterns. As the title may already have suggested this one is about the new hype everyone is crazy about: Rainbow loom. Originally it was thought for young girls but I've already seen dozens of boys and older girls craft with the colourfull bands. My sister had some and last Friday we went to buy new ones for her, so I bought some colours for myself as well. Since I love anything craftsy, I also like fidgeting around with the loom.

Halloes iedereen,

Na een weer wat langere periode van stilte (examens! Maar geen zorgen, ik heb ze allemaal gehaald) is hier een nieuwe blogpost om jullie te verblijden. Dit keer gaat het echter niet direct over haken omdat ik nog altijd wacht op foto's een een testverslag van enkele van mijn patronen. Zoals de titel al suggereert gaat dit schrijfsel over: Rainbow loom. Origineel was dit uitgedacht voor jonge meisjes maar ik heb al veel jongens en oudere meisjes zien knutselen met de gekleurde rekkertjes. Mijn zusje had er wat en vorige vrijdag zijn we haar voorraad gaan bijvullen, en dus heb ik ook wat kleurtjes voor mezelf aangeschaft. Gezien ik van veel crafty bezighouden houd, vind ik ook het prullen met de loom erg leuk.





To combine the fun with the handy I loomed myself a couple of hookhandles. They're super comfy and my vingers don't slip so easily of the metal hooks when they're sweaty or greasy or something or just in general. The loomtechniques used are hexafish and quadrofish, because you part the band in four or six so you get an open centre in which the crochethook fits. Tutorials for this kind of loom bracelet, because that's technically what it is, are found all over youtube and they're quite simple to make.
Om het fijne met het handige te combineren heb ik voor mezelf een paar haaknaalden omloomd. Ze haken nu super comfortabel en mijn vingers slippen niet van het glibberige metaal als ze zweterig of vettig zijn. De loomtechnieken die ik heb gebruikt zijn hexa- en quadrofish, je deelt een bandje in 4 of 6 waarbij je een open midden creeërt waarin de haaknaald past. Tutorials voor deze loom armbandjes, want dat is technisch gezien wat ze zijn, vind je overal op youtube en ze zijn vrij gemakkelijk te maken.

 I hope I inspired some of you loomers!

Ik hoop dat ik sommige loombandverslaafden heb kunnen inspireren

Thimblewubble