52 craft projects // patchwork pillow

Remember this quilt top I shared in September? I had some leftovers from the jelly roll so I decided to use some of the scraps to make a pillow case.
I used the same plus patchwork pattern to make it match the lap quilt (which I hope to finish and post this month). Of course it's impossible to take pictures of anything handmade without Lina photobombing at least one of the pictures.

The pattern super simple and great for beginners: simply cut one 6.5 x 2.5" and two 2.5 x 2.5" pieces of fabric for each cross. Using jelly rolls is really great if you don't like cutting or you only have a limited time and don't want to spend hours cutting and measuring. They're expensive but they make it super easy to finish a small project like this in one evening.

For the back I used an old sheet that my mom dyed a light blue. I decided to add a simple envelope closure because it was getting late (my ability to think at 1am is slightly limited) and after a crappy day I wanted to feel like I did something productive and finished a project, instead of adding just another wip to my to-do list.
I'm really happy with the way this pillow case turned out. I used a cheap ikea pillow but I underestimated the size of it. It looked really small when I bought it…

I still haven't used up the whole jelly roll so I've been thinking of making a grocery shopping bag from the very last leftovers. Who would've thought that I'd get three projects out of one $30 jelly roll?? It's not super expensive if you think about the value you get out of one jelly roll :)
This is project #31 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013. You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.

52 craft projects // empire snood

I love fall - it's usually the season of creating for me. Pretty much all through November and December I'm busy planning and making Christmas gifts. I'm currently knitting a cardigan for my dad (he knows already because I had him choose the pattern so I'm not revealing a secret here…) but as much as I love knitting big projects, I really appreciate a quick and easy knitting project that gives you instant gratification.

So when I was contacted by We Are Knitters a couple weeks ago and asked whether I'd like to receive one of their knitting kits in exchange for a review I couldn't refuse. I received the empire snood kit in a beautiful packaging only days later. Although they ship from Spain it was super fast and only took three days!

Knitting kits are great for beginner knitters, because they include everything you need for the project. Yarn, needles, pattern, a link to their homepage with lots of how-to videos and tutorials and even a tapestry needle!

But to be quite honest, I was glad it was a kit because even though I've been knitting for years, I didn't own 15mm needles. Knitting with big needles was definitely outside my comfort zone but after only a couple of rows you get used to it. But be aware - huge knitting needles are not suited for knitting in class because they take up a lot of space ;)
The needles are made of beechwood and are super smooth and really light considering their size...

I was able to finish the cowl in two evenings with lots of interruptions; if I had been more focused I could've easily finished it in one evening. So if you're looking for last minute gift ideas… this cowl is a quick knit (or just give away the kit and convert a friend to knithism!).

My beautiful friend Hyunji offered to model the cowl - isn't she beautiful?! I think the cowl suits her really well and we've had a lot of fun shooting these photos on campus. There might have been a couple of guys whistling and staring at us...

The yarn is made of 100% Peruvian wool and it's super soft and warm. You can also purchase the yarn separately so if you'd like to knit another pattern or make up your own. I'm secretly dreaming of a big snowy owl using this yarn because it would be sooo soft. Sigh…

Detailed yarn information etc. can be found on the ravelry project page.

Please note: I received the knitting kit for this project from We Are Knitters for free in exchange for this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This is project #30 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013. You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.

baking days // feeling blue

I was asked to make blue muffins for our model united nations society info meeting tonight. First I wanted to make blueberry muffins and dye the dough blue but then I decided to make rocher-chocolate muffins topped with dyed coconut flakes.

A friend came over to help me bake them and we've had a great time. Whenever I use food dyes it reminds me of a kid's birthday party. Dying the coconut flakes was super easy; first we tried to put them in a ziplock bag and shake it well but that didn't work at all. Thankfully my rookie Julia is a paramedic so we always have a big box of disposable gloves. We ended up mixing the coconut flakes and the food dye in a small mixing bowl. It worked great and thanks to the gloves out hands don't look like we're auditioning for the Blue Man Group ;)

We added tiny flags with our club's name (MUNSG = model united nations society Göttingen) to add a fun little detail. Beside the blue coconut flakes, of course…

This was a fun little project (it took us about an hour, including cleaning up our colorful mess) and hopefully our new(& current!) members will like them. Next challenge will be transporting them to campus… on my bike. We'll see how many coconut flakes will be left by the time I get there ;)

busy but good

The first week of the new semester is over and I feel like I could use a vacation already. There's so much going on: catching up with friends I haven't seen all summer, making lots of new friends, founding a knitting club at uni, preparing for a craft fair and trying to manage to fit double the course load any sane person would consider taking into a timetable. Life is busy but good. I'm really thankful to have this cute lady to come home to every day. Coming home to a cat makes all the stress and worries from a long day go away.
Have a great week!

52 craft projects // Bedford sweater

I'm happy to share my latest 'big project' with you - the Bedford sweater by Michele Wang for Brooklyn Tweed. It was a joy to knit once I got past row 20; I frogged the beginning 6 (!!!) times because either my gauge was off, I knitted the wrong size, I managed to twist the whole thing... It was pretty frustrating at first but once I figured out which size to make and which needles to use it was a fun knit.
I love the stitch pattern - isn't it pretty?

When I first saw the pattern in the BT fall '11 collection I knew that I'd knit it... one day. I found the perfect wool for this project in Denmark during our summer vacation and I got started right away before I could change my mind and bury the yarn in my stash. So after just six weeks (three of which were completely knit-free) I've got a new favorite sweater.

The fit couldn't be better - a relaxed body and tight sleeves; just the way I love it!
Yarn information, mods, etc. can be found here.

I've already cast on my next sweater - also a BT design, but this time it's a man's cardigan for my dad for Christmas. Let's hope that I'll finish it before Christmas... along with the 15 or so other Christmas presents I still have to knit.
This is project #29 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013. You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.

52 craft projects // camera strap cover

So my camera strap has been 'naked' for the past months because my old one shrunk quite a bit in the washing machine. Don't worry, my mom's camera strap is smaller than mine so it still fits hers and it didn't go to waste. But I was left with a bare camera strap for months and although I love my Nikon, I have to admit that the color combo black/yellow is not my favorite.

So today I decided to finally make a new camera strap cover. I got out some of my current favorite fabrics and started following this tutorial. I don't need the lens cap pocket because I use this pouch but I wanted a quick project and it looked rather easy and quick to make.

The fabrics I chose are all linen or linen/cotton blends. I LOVE the texture of linen.The two fabrics I used for the ends are kokka fabrics that I bought in Munich last summer. I only bought 20cm of each fabric because it was ridiculously expensive (24€ for one meter of fabric - crazy!?!) but I love them so so much I couldn't walk away from them. They are from Ellen Luckett Baker's 'Stamped' Collection - I love the entire collection. Thankfully they only had three fabrics from the collection, otherwise I would've spent much more...

The inside is just a coordinating, plain, thick cotton fabric. The cover is rather large so I hope it will still fit after the first washing - if not I don't mind making a couple more covers to have an excuse to use some of my favorite fabrics!

ps: sorry I was too lazy to take the camera strap off the camera to take a picture of the entire strap. But you've seen the most exciting parts ;)
This is project #28 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013. You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.

52 craft projects // hedera socks

I started these socks a while ago (sometime this summer...) but I didn't work on them for a couple of weeks and then I was too lazy to look up the lace pattern again so they ended up being a wip for way too long. I finally finished them yesterday when I had 8 hours of undisturbed knitting time on my way to Hamburg and back. Yay for awfully long train rides!

I'm not sure whether the socks just need blocking or whether the yarn wasn't the perfect choice for the pattern yet; they look kind of 'blah'?

The next socks I'm gonna knit will be with cables rather than a lace pattern - I think that's more my style. Also winter is coming so a pair of cabled socks can't hurt :)

Any pattern recommendations?

As always, check the ravelry project page for yarn information etc.

This is project #27 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013.

You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.