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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!

This pile of loveliness needs to be crocheted together into a blanket (with white cotton). Off course, not all of my crochet is 100% made by me. That’s with some of my sewings too. I hire independent seamstress to help me out.

With crochet it’s always my mom (oh and with knits too, my mom is so good with knitting!!). I have a design, or something in my head, an order or something else and she takes over some of the work. Like with this pile of granny squares. This is the last stash of cotton that needs to be worked away and I though it was a good rest stash for a blanket. Randomly coloured squares with all a white border. So mom made all the squares and now I’ll be crocheting them together with white cotton.

But taking a picture is probably the only thing that’s happening today… For over a week I don’t feel good. And it’s ‘fine’ to have a flew, be sick, in bed and get better but that’s not the thing. I’m so incredibly dizzy, I have those moments I only see little lights and my head is bursting of my body. And then I think, ahh it’s going away but noooo, a few hours later it’s back. It’s there and it goes away. Really annoying and tiring. And really taking away my time and messing up my schedule.

No, don’t worry. This isn’t serious. A bit of a high blood pressure that will get down. After my burnout in 2008 I’ve learned more about my body and how to listen to it. But I still need a lot of practice. Sometimes I listen a bit to late..
For the last months I worked freelance for a Dutch craft magazine. That was a really nice job to do. I wrote diy articles for the magazine, wrote for the website, did the facebook and twitter, and more and more and more and more.. It became more and more and after a while I only worked for the magazine. I did SOIL work too but not as I planned. Made a lot of new products for the shop.. Did you see them? No, me neither.  Yes, here in my workspace but not on a picture, not in the shop. But the thing was, if I worked hours and hours for another website, I didn’t feel the urge to do my SOIL site. I wanted to work with my hands! Do some crochet, figure out something new, make a present for a friend.. But then there wasn’t time to do pictures, uploading, twittering etc. Blogging was a thing too..

So I stopped working for HZG. I turned in my last writing for the October issue, two weeks ago. After my last conversation with the publisher (and I will be continuing writing for the magazine but not on a long term contract anymore) I got in the car and felt like crying. So much work got of my chest but I also realized how much (SOIL) work I left lying around, for the last months..

Working for myself as in making handmade designs and doing different freelance textile/art related jobs is the best choice I ever made. The best one. But I’m still learning to keep balance between all the different jobs and work, set boundaries and listen to myself. Guess it’s a long-life-time learning process.. So my body is just responding. I know. I’m listening right now. (and getting back to bed..)

I’m working on a (light) yellow and camel coloured crochet project. It’s a bag project for Handwerken zonder Grenzen, the magazine I’m writing for and off course I can’t show anything. This will be in the October issue, so be patient. Meanwhile working on a lot of (crocheted) cupcakes and in my free-five-minutes a day I work on a mustard coloured vest, for myself.

I need some colour!! Okey, the cupcakes are very colourful but working on the base, is also just working with brown or yellow. So I need a ‘splash moment’ and made a inspiration  board with colourful crafts. Just some random inspirations from my pinterest. Just making the inspiration board gives me a happy, bright feeling again. Ohh how I love colours.. Enjoy your weekend!

non of these images are credited as mine, check here to find the original artist or tutorial

On facebook I saw my childhood best friend again. So nice to read/see her again after 20 years. She, and her husband, are moving back to the place we grew up and last week they opened a new lunchbar/cooking school/wine school/ delicatessen shop.
I find it so cool for them and I so hope (but know) everything is going to work out fine. But whatever happens, they got my respect. Opening a business in these crisis times mostly result in a lot of comments.. I know from experience when I started SOIL a year ago. So my deepest respect. But then again I know they will make it..

Made a pop-up card for them to congratulate them on their business. It’s a Martha Stewart idea (can’t find it back anymore but check the martha site for great tips to make the pop-ups). I made mine with a thick a4 (folded) paper, paper scraps and I did some stamping to complete the card. Loved to make this card and I love the result. Very happy and bright. Want to make a card like this? My tip: have time! It seems easy done, and it is but it requires a lot of time. Mine was done in about 2 to 3 hours. Worth it.

vintage plastic beads, still dirty

vintage plastic beads after 18 washes, almost clean

glass beads, almost clean after 12 washes

As you know SOIL is al about recycling, restyling and reusing. So I always try to buy my materials thrifted, from someone second hand, from a leftover stock .. anything that crosses my path and I see potential in. What you never see in my work is how much time and work recycling can be. Washing all the fabrics, ironing them, cleaning all materials and lots of washing by hand. Here’s a little idea of what comes with recycling beads.

I felt very lucky to be able to buy a sport bag full of different beads. These come from a day care centre for the (mentally) disabled. These are old, used a lot and very dirty. Very very dirty. And besides dirty, not sorted. So first it took me two, to three days to sort all the beads. There were large wooden beads and lots of small ones, glass beads and vintage plastic beads. After sorting I started washing. The plastic ones were the dirtiest ones. These took me over 20 washes to get them all clean!!! The glass beads weren’t too dirty, so they were clean after 12 washes (but here I used hot boiled water too, which I couldn’t with the plastic ones).

glass beads, clean and dry

So the plastic and glass beads are done. But now the big work is starting. The wooden beads! One jar of large beads and a box full of little ones.. I guess this will take the whole week. Recycling is good, I do it with love and care but it’s a lot of work.

But where ever the journey is going.. it’s moving forwards! Haha (see last post)! My new circle wrap is almost done. I need to crochet one more row with circles and then I can continue working away all the (420!!) loose threads. It’s going to be a beautiful wrap! I made these earlier but they sell very quick. I have a reasonable price.. but a price that doesn’t compare the work. Maybe I have to make a DIY package sometime? There’s a lot of questioning about the pattern.. Mmmhh, maybe for the future. It’s a journey, isn’t it?!

I think that we have the most beautiful wallpapers off all time, at the moment. You can choose it all. Colourful, motifs, graphics, flowered, retro, structured, bright or pastel.. if you think of it, have an idea for your wall, it’s for sale somewhere.
I really like one or two walls with bright, colourful wallpaper. These here are some of my favourites. Including the beautiful colourful floor!! Love that too..

all picture sources  and more interior inspiration can be found here

I’m working on a custom order now. It’s for one of my best friends and I have the time to make it. Meanwhile I’m working on a fabulous new design for the shop. Finished that one but need to design a good packaging, also because this product will go the (brick) shops too. If I’m not working on the custom order, not on the new design and if I’m not working on a large macramé project for my freelance job for HZG I’m crocheting circles. Such a therapeutic project, so nice to work on, such a good crochet rhythm.. although the stress  splashes in the face if I see all those threads to work away.. hahaha..

OMG!! I love this crochet clock. That little rainbow, all the flowers, it’s so bright and cheerful! And it’s a tutorial!!!!! A very inspirational and good tutorial by ‘according to matt‘, which by the way, is a amazing blog! Please check it out yourself and make this smashing clock.

picture credit: according to matt

My fruit and vegetables are flying out and every time I want to photograph them for the shop, I miss a piece. Yesterday I made new pears and a eggplant. Hope to make some new carrots, some limes and a banana today, so I can finally take a complete shot and put it all in the shop.

Have you seen the shop by the way? I don’t sell vintage fashion any more! Vintage fashion is a very nice ‘extra’ in the shop. It’s in my style, completes the ‘green and sustainable’ concept but after a year (soil is open for a year now) I also learned that it’s way to much work.. So I had to choose and that wasn’t difficult! All vintage is out!

For the Dutch.. In June/July I’m attending the fleamarket in the IJhallen, in Amsterdam to sell all the last pieces of vintage fashion. For way too low prices..