Within a month, say six weeks I hope to have my puppy here. It’s a big dream of me to have a dog but I wasn’t ready for one in the last years. Now I’m ready and up for it!
But as you know I’m a big collector but I can’t have a mega full house with a dog (he needs space too), so for weeks now I’ve been clearing out my home. In a few weeks I have help to do a really big cleaning in my home, including a lot of odd jobs I can’t do by myself. Like fixing some feeding points for hanging lightning, make a new floor in my hallway, etc. And especially for the new pup I need a stair gate and some carpet on my stairs. If all that is ready, my new buddy is so, so, so welcome…

picture source here

It’s cold here in the Netherlands. It’s freezing and we have lots of snow. Yeah! And that means; hat time! Last week I made a flappy hat for a little boy I know. His brother wanted one too but I made that one to small. So in the weekend I conjured with the size, where the flaps should be, etc. I think it’s okay now.

These ochre with pink, here on the pictures, are for the store. Size baby, size toddler and a kids size. For the boys I made blue ones.. (forgot to take a picture)

Not a good start of the new (blog) year. I was really sick in the beginning of December. A fever, an enormous headache and so much snot… I thought it was over but apparently it wasn’t. I saw the doctor last Friday and it seems I have had a sinus cavity which I didn’t take good care of, so now it was here again. On Monday I got more and more headache, feeling so shitty, I returned to the doctor and now I’m on antibiotics. It’s helping!!! Now I’m hoping and praying it will stay away.. So much weeks of headaches, snot and not feeling 100% isn’t very pleasant and I really, really, really, really hope it’s over now.

Anyhow! How about these fabulous boots!!!?? I bought a crochet book a few weeks ago, mostly because of these boots. I love them and definitely going to make a pair, someday. I made pictures of the instructions (although in Dutch, you can read the diagram and assembly chart) so please feel free to make a pair!!

(you can click on the picture too enlarge)

So that was the longest blog break I ever had, since blogging. Guess I needed it very badly as I noticed in November to blog with some dislike, without any inspiration or love. Besides that, I just needed some time to get some things straight in my life. All that is done, my inspiration is back and I have an overkill of new blog posts ready! Yeah!

For now, for you.. all the best for the New Year. I hope ’13 becomes a fortune number for all of us. I hope all of your New Years resolutions will work, of come true. Hope you have a lot of time to be creative in a way you like it. That you’ll give and receive a lot of love and friendship, and you and your family will be in good health.. Happy New Year, you all!!!

To be honest it’s time, here in my home, to do some big cleaning, rearranging, refurbishing and restoring. You know, lots and lots of plain cleaning and then paint the walls again, replace some carpet, paint the table in a new colour etc.

Don’t see any time at the moment but when I get to this point, I’ll definitely will make a wall with drawers/crates. The two pictures above inspire me the most. Love the different wallpapers that are used and the way the crates are arranged.
The two pictures below are more like an inspiration. An inspiration to use drawers, and to work from the floor up. Don’t you just love this ideas? Simple, cheap and all about recycling and restyling. Love, love, love..

picture sources here

Putting things away so good, that you can’t find it any more.. Recognize that? I did this with my white cotton for this baby blanket. I didn’t want to use white in a block but use the white for the last round of the block, so I put the white cotton away but so good, I couldn’t find it any more! Gladly, after two weeks of spitting and searching and more searching I found it.

Now the baby blanket is almost done. I just need to add a last round but I’m doubting in making just a simple square round (as it is now) or add a lacy/picot edge. What do you think? But hurry up because I will decide today and will finish it today/tomorrow!

I love fingerless mittens. Only when it’s freezing, I’ll wear gloves but otherwise fingerless mittens. And because I’m very skinny and I always have cold hand and feet, I’ll wear them in my house too. But I lost my pair, I made last year. Grrr… Searched the whole house but I can’t find them anymore, so it’s time to make a new pair and maybe an extra pair.

Don’t know yet if I’m going to knit or crochet. But time enough to think about! I can’t start this week. Way to busy! This afternoon I’m going to attend a friends promotion on the University. Never have been at a promotion, so I’m very excited. My dress is already chosen! Then I need to finish a custom order and in the weekend I’m doing a interior project at a customers home. I’ll have to paint a wall tree. Nice job!

So nice things to look forward too, nice work and in the meantime I can think about how to make some new fingerless mittens. Love the knitted ones above. Simple but nice (and a gorgeous picture!!). The one with the rainbow fingers is lovely!!! This ravelry pattern will be provided with a pattern..
The one below is smashing because of the stripes. I love the stripes here! And the green crocheted ones are funky! Not for in the house.. way too thick. But a good colour inspiration and how great is the ‘love’ word on them…
Hmmmm…. time to have a good thought about it!

(all pictures and links to the original resources can be found on my pinterest)

I’m following Krochet Kids for a few years now. These fabulous young guys from the US did a volunteer program in an orphanage home in Northern Uganda, a few years ago. They noticed that all the people are depending on aid, on help from others. As surf dudes they always crocheted their own hats and so they thought; give the ladies a hook, train them, give them a job and mentor them to independence.
In 2007 they started in Northern Uganda with ten ladies. Now they give jobs to over 120 woman! In 2008 there were 2000 hats made, in 2011 over a hundred thousand. 92% of their profits goes into Krochet Kids. Over 431 children can go to school because of the crochet jobs Krochet Kids provides.
A year ago, with a KickStarter project, they managed to set up a new project in Peru and new hats are knitted and hand loomed by twenty four women.

Krochet Kids works with a very simple plan. Quoted: “We provide a job so that women can meet the present needs of their families. We educate them so that they develop beyond the need for outside aid. We provide mentorship to help each lady plan a unique and sustainable career path for the future.”

I’m so much in love with the way they work. I so believe in the way they work. It’s a kind of development aid but a constructive one. Something that works in the long run, not the short one. It’s like with that saying: either give the man a fish, or learn him how to fish? Give people/woman a job, educate them, pay them fair, give them a voice, the feeling of being independent instead of  reliant on aid and mentor them to get their lives back.
Hope, hope, hope to set up a project alike, ones. Not so big!! But just a small project to give something back, make a change for a few woman…

Please check out these, one of a kind videos, Krochet Kids made.
Meet the guys, the women, hear her story and see the change.
Pure, transparent, touching, sweet and happy.

who is krochet kids
I’m made better by it
the story of Akello Welsy Olara
the power of thank you

all pictures belong to Krochet Kids; Buy a hat, Change a life

source/link

I just got the message that everything is okay with mom and her newborn son.
I’m so happy for my friends, who got a healthy son, last night.
I truly believe that a handmade present for a newborn is the best gift to give. It’s from the heart, so personal and (as the baby) made with love. I love these sweet little yellow moccasins, or this little knitted jacket with hood, make a name with fabric letters or a sweet knitted toadstool rattle.

source/link

source/link

source/link

I didn’t made any of these but crocheted a bunting. That was the pre-work, now I need to finish the bunting with the little guy’s name by making a felt letter on each flag. But in order to do that, it’s handy to know the little guy’s name.. Have to have some patience..

(clicking on source/link will get you to my pinterest,
click on the picture there to go to the original source!)