homemade@myplace

Yesterday our big boy Matteo was celebrating his birthday .... 17 .... !!!! Leaving aside all the emotions and memories of your (once!) little boy, I was concerned for the right gift to give Matteo on his big day .... not easy, as in Maputo we cannot find what he really likes (have you ever heard of Gunpla ????), so I had to think hard for a simple, but effective idea, until we go back to Italy in June and send a order through Amazon..... ;oD Luckily, I remembered that Matteo loves foxes and he would love to have one as a pet .... Why not to crochet one for his B-Day??? On Pinterest I found what I needed .... First , a fox gift card holder ! Free pattern found HERE !!! .... I liked it most with a pair of green eyes !!!! My husband put inside a couple of vouchers with the pictures of the Gunplas asked from Matteo as gifts for his birthday! Second, a fox jar cosy !!!  Free pattern found HERE !!! Matteo loves to draw and he is always around with his sk...

For Christmas I asked for a couple of books about knitted socks .... and Santa was so kind to gift me what I was asking for : Knit Your Socks on Straight by Alice Curtis and Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd !!! Honestly, I was NEVER interested in learning how to knit socks (especially on DPNS), even because in the last 11 years I've been living in hot countries like Egypt, Indonesia and Mozambique, where I never used to/ or wear socks !!!! I just use some soft comfy pairs in the evening, while relaxing on the couch or because my men want the AC on .... I hate ACs and my remedies against the enemy are my cosy blankets and those socks ! But one day, my youngest sister asked me to try, because she would love to sell my handmade socks in her shop in Milano (vintage clothing) .... I was not able to say "NO WAY!" to her and I thought that the challenge was really welcome to get myself out my comfort zone, you know ... The only thing I was aware was that I was no...

It has been a while since my last postcard ( here) , so thankfully to Valentine's Day, I have a good excuse to send you a new one ... ... and this sweet girl is really eager to spread the love, even her own hair has the shape (top part) of mini hearts ... .... and the bunting or even the pink heart on her dress are really good to underline her love wish ... I think that Albert Camus was right when saying " I know of one duty, and that is to love", but to love others you have first to love yourself .... Love yourself and the rest will follow !! Happy Valentine's Day to you all !!! xxxx Alessandra Please, show me your makes on IG using the following hashtag : #homemadeatmyplaceoriginals or  tagging me @alessandrapoggiagliolmi . Text, Design and Photography : Alessandra Poggiagliolmi All Rights Reserved. No part of this pattern may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright ho...

Two weeks ago (more or less) my nonna Miranda ( my grandma) went to the hospital because of ischemia .... Luckily, after a week there, she came back home with no consequences (she is allergic to a lot of drugs and sometimes she finds the one that really hurts her ....).... I was in contact with my mum everyday just to check how nonna was (Maputo is not really close to Milano...) and to avoid panic or guilt feelings as I couldn't be there, I started to crochet a long scarf, full of hearts (and in the colours my nonna likes most), to express my love for her .... I hope to find a colleague of my husband going to Italy now for work reasons, so I will give him the scarf for my nonna (office headquarters are in Milano, so ...) .... The pattern is not mine : you can have a look HERE , where you'll find a photo tutorial and a precious graphic scheme. Thank you Charlotte !!! I've been working with different hook sizes (4mm for fringes, 4,25mm for base and 3,75m...

I made a first try crocheting this funny heart one year ago, but I was not happy with my attempts, so I left it in a corner of a drawer, where I collect all my crochet ideas and patterns ... they are so many, that I could write more than one book with all them!!! ;oD Last week, I told myself to try again and crochet a better heart and during the weekend I DID IT !!! So now I'm going to share with you my new Valentine's Day pattern : ... named the "CHEEKY MONKEY HEART" as you can point out a monkey face in it (or not?)!!! Before starting to crochet this decorative heart, you need to gather : some yarn (minimum 2 different colours), any kind or weight crochet hook, size according to the type of chosen yarn a pair of scissors yarn needle stitch markers (optional) Please remember that I follow the US crochet terminology, thank you !!! To start this project, you have to choose first the colour for the inner part of the heart, as we will start crochetin...