homemade@myplace

During the last  #ldjcrochethookup  on Instagram, hosted by Ashley of  lazydaisyjones  (you can find her blog  HERE ), on DAY 23 we had to submit : MITTENS !!! I never crocheted a pair before !!! Luckily I found this Japanese crochet book with this picture on the cover ... .... and inside (on pages 6 and 7) I find the pictures of these lovely mittens ... So, I collected my 4mm hook and the following yarns : Patons FAB DK shade 02342 petrol Katia MERINO MIX  shade 4 red I had to modify the original pattern, adding a couple of rows both for the mittens and thumbs, and it came out nicely, with a floral design on the back of the glove .... They are very easy and quick to crochet and the crocheted cord (in a contrasting colour) gives a nice touch to this pair of mittens !!! A lot of you ask where I buy my Japanese crochet books .... Well, my collection is made of books I bought while living in Jakarta (Indonesia) and when t...

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...

Even if you are not hearing from me very often (internet service is quite a nightmare here!), this doesn't mean I stay with my hands on my belly all day long !!!! I craft every day !!!!! Some days like a crazy, some days more quietly !!!!! In the last two weeks I started a couple of projects with my straight knitting needles ….. I'm following a pattern from one of Fiona Goble's knitting books  SCARVES and COWLS 36 quick and stylish knits  : it's on page 14, the Long striped scarf and I love it !!! I'm using different yarns (  Sirdar Sublime cashmere merino silk dk  ….. discontinued !!!! sorry!) that I bought when still in Indonesia, while the pattern requires other yarns, but still from Sirdar !!! ;oD Another different thing from the original pattern is the size of my needles : I'm working with a 3,5 mm pair, while the pattern suggests 4mm needles! My scarf will be thinner and shorter than the original, but I'm already in love with it … ...

October is just gone .... November is here .... .... and December will join us in a flash !!!! All that just to inform you that I'm mentally ready for Christmas time ... little by little my mood is adapting to the idea of Christmas ( my boys have already written their letters to Santa Claus, aka mamma elf and papa' elf!!!)... so I started to think about a new tree decoration ... Nothing extraordinary, but I think you can find my personal touch in it, right ? I remember myself eating my first gingerbread man as a small kid in Calgary (Canada), during a Christmas party organised by the Oil Company my father was working for ... sweet memories !!!! What I like about gingerbread man cookies is not their taste, but how much colourful they can be depending on the icing, candies or gum drops you use to decorate them !!! Obviously, my gingerbread men are not baked, but crocheted !!! So the icing on my ornaments will be replaced by colourful yarns! ;oD WHAT YOU NEED : ...