Bohemian Rhapsody

Hello Darlings!

I really, really, really need to share something. Not sure if everybody is as much a fangirl as I am, but who saw Bohemian Rhapsody? Right? Right!?

I’ve seen the movie twice now (in the cinema) and I can also tell you that if I need to see it a third, fourth or fifth time I wouldn’t mind it at all. As a child, Queen was always playing on the radio. Radio gaga to the We are the Champions, some Queen songs have some powerful memories. For example, the We are the Champions was always the ending song of Domino Day (in the 90’s this was thé tv show in winter I had to watch).

I want to ride my bicycle and I want to break free, well my little sister and I sang that song a lot, and still do. At the moment Bohemian Rhapsody is a favorite sing-a-long song. Trying to do all the voices and all the Galileo’s and all the Figaro’s, because nothing really matters…. Let me tell you a secret: we both can’t sing, but we can do crazy!

You are probably wondering what does this have to do with crochet? Well nothing really but I will add some crazy fanart (made with yarn, of course). Absolutely no credits to me but to the amazing artists and designers making these unique pieces of art.

But before we go there, what queen song gives you the strongest memory or has a powerful meaning? And what did you think of the movie? It’s going on my ‘every-year-at-least-ones-to-watch-movie-list’. This list includes all kinds of Disney movies, Bridget Jones diary 1 and 2, the Lord of the rings and Harry Potter, of course.

Katika ART!

Copyright Katika Art, Freddie Mercury portrait

This is what I call ART! She makes amazing stuff and this Freddie Mercury portrait is no exception. Check her and her art out.

Album Cover Art by Isabella

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  Copyright: Isabella, Queen album made with yarn

I experienced this technique of yarnpainting myself during the Knit and Knot in November 2018. She is such a kind person and the pieces she makes are so detailed! She is coming back to the Knit and Knot and I can’t wait to meet her again and maybe even yarnpaint again! You can find more of her work if you click here.

Freddie Mercury portrait by Julie sarloutte

A portrait of Freddie Mercury, made by Julie Sarloutte using embroidery stitches. Copyright Julie Sarloutte

The last one I found mesmerizing is this portrait of Freddie Mercury which is entirly made of embroidery stitches, made by the talented Julie Sarloutte. I especially love the glasses.

The band and Freddie Mercury, changed the world and made it a better place to live in. Their music still inspires new generations and I really hope they will continue to inspire. *Boom, boom, clap*.

If you want to make your own mini Freddie Mercury, you can find a free pattern here.

See you around!

Diana

A goodbye and a new hello

Hi there,

First of all, thank you for everyone that ever read a blog post here, checked out a project or even bought it. You are awesome!

It was quiet for a while, but I have been busy behind the scenes. As I grow in my creative talent, I get more ideas and inspiration. Therefor, I decided to change in order to grow a little more and make this website a next level website where I will be sharing all kinds of fluffy inspiration.

Not only crochet but anything yarn related. To do that, I had to go through some changes and I am not done yet, but this site with all it’s content will slowly move to my new website vaemkes.nl. A new style and a lot of new content, ideas and inspiration will be shared in a more structured way. I will also continue to blog for Aan de Haak, a Dutch crochet magazine for anyone that doesn’t know it.

So, this is not a goodbye, but a start to something new and better. I hope you will join me on the new website and give me a little more time to add many more projects and inspiration. It’s getting there, but I need to ask a bit more patience. However, I don’t want you to miss any change of having more yarn related inspiration.

Think of (free) crochet patterns, knitting, weaving, embroidery and anything that has something to do with yarn. Designers that inspire me, the best accessoires and the most incredible books for your book collection. Some twists and surprises and most importantly, your ideas, creativity and shares. Lets make Vaemkes a world of fluffiness and put even more creativity in your life.

The more the new website grows, lesser projects will be available here. Don’t worry, everything will be transferred and until than, this website is still working accordingly.

Cheers,

Diana

Let 2019 be the most fun adventure yet!

A lot of people like to start a new year with some fresh goals. I have been absent at the end of 2018 + January 2019 and I know that for the rest of the year I must be stricter and plan better. Especially if I want to entertain, surprise and mostly inspire you folks!

Why have I been absent? Well I was moving all my stuff (that includes a lot of yarn) to my new home. It’s still not 100% finished but during Christmas I could officially move to the new place. It was almost impossible to combine blogging and moving, because half of the time I didn’t have a laptop, or I didn’t have internet. But with the house *drum rolls* there is also a complete yarn room to create all sorts of yarn related things! You will see the room later, when it’s a bit less messy.

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  A glimp of my new yarn room/ stash

So, what are my new goals for 2019? Well first I will be making a special blog calendar and an Instagram posting schedule. In here I will put some ideas and when they should be going online. Of course, I can always post more, but for this year the goal will be to make at least 12 unique and fun blog posts to read. Some will be pattern related, others life related or maybe I will be talking about a really cool crochet gadget that I found somewhere. Let’s see what 2019 is going to bring me.

For the dutch folks here I have an extra surprise in 2019. I will be blogging for Aan de Haak magazine (my first blog is online, right now!!! You can read it here). So, if you like my writing or this blog, check it out. The blogs are free on the website of Aan de Haak and if you want to get inspired even more, you can buy the magazine in several shops.

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  The latest aan de haak (dutch) magazine, I am currently blogging for!

So, will I still be designing? Of course! I got plenty of ideas, but some are going to take quite some time to finish. I will try to bend and break all rules that are related to crochet, yarn and designing. Let’s hope some of the ideas will work. That’s why I am trying to make a list with quick and easy things to make, but I will be putting quality over quantity, so if I don’t like the idea or outcome, I will have to come up with a new idea, before I will post it here.

Let’s see if I can make the following goals for this year:

• 12 blog posts here @ vaemkes
• 12 blog posts for Aan de Haak
• At least 3 new designs to inspire you (and I mean big projects).
• Post more regularly on Instagram and plan
• One (city)trip to an inspiring shop/ country? Let’s see if my budget can handle this!

Anything else that will happen this year is just a little extra and I am going to enjoy every minute of it.

Do you have any goals or things you want to achieve or do this year? I would love to hear them!

See you soon,

Diana

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  All the oldies wish you an amazing eleven months of 2019!

Some pre-historical fun. Meet Louie, Trixie and Eggsy

Hello everyone,

First of all I would like to apologize for the sudden radio silence. November was even busier than I thought. I still need to finish my blog about the KreaDoe, which was lots of fun (it’s coming soon) and I would let you know when my designs would be ready for the anual design contest of amigurumipatterns.com. Well today I finished the last one and entered them all. Btw, this is also the last day you can enter the competition…

They are a bit shy but let me introduce them to you:

Bonjour! Louie is one of the most ancient creatures ever known… This little trilobite loves to hang out with his little cockroach friends. When finding food with his little friends, Louie prefers a nice croissant and some baguette crumbles! Can it get more French than that?

Louie, the Trilobite

Trilobites are ancient creatures and lived even before the dinosaurs. I always love how their shells look like when archeologists find one. But this little Trilobite is alive and kicking!

Than to the next one:

Trixie, the fossil

What is more pre-historical than an actual fossil? Well Trixie here, never imagined seeing daylight again after the big bang. But when those archeologists found her, she couldn’t believe her eyes! After all these years (millions of years to be more precise) she discovered you can order fish food online now. Woow!!!

And last but not least, here is Eggsy:

Eggsy, the Neanderthal

Ever wondered why the Dodo went extinct? Well little Eggsy here, ate all their eggs!! This little Neanderthal loves a good scrambled egg. Glad his father invented this thing called fire…

I would also like to thank Woll of Fame for the support they are giving me!

I hope you like them. Patterns will follow in the upcoming months. For now, I hope that you will vote for one of my designs or maybe even all three! Voting starts from the 25th of November until the 2nd of December. When voting you will have to pick 10 of your favourite designs and fill in you mail address. After that you will get an email and have to click the link. This is done to prevent people voting with email adresses which aren’t theirs.

See you soon x

 

From crochet beginner to designer

*Nederlands beneden*

How to start crocheting

When other people start crocheting I often get questions like: why does it look so easy or how can I make sure my work looks like the original. Because their project curls or have uneven stiches. Well today I will tell you my story, because every designer starts as a beginner somehow and I will share some tips.

My very first disaster

Well every success story starts with failure, right? A while back I found my very first crocheted object a sad little owl… No magic loop, did I know something magical existed? No single crochet (US) but everything crocheted in the back loops. Well it looked like something, right? Not the right filling used, I actually didn’t even know where to buy such filling. All and all, it was a disaster and it looked like a weird owl. But I learned a lot from this little owl, especially how NOT to crochet, hihihi.

Do you see the mistakes?

I crochet and design for three years now and I know I still have plenty to learn. After a second try with a Lalylala doll and a lot of practice with the magic loop I enjoyed crocheting and a new addiction, uh hobby, was born.

Tips to crochet better:

• Start with an easy pattern and work your way up to the advanced and difficult patterns. You will have fun in your work and are less likely to give up. A little doll or a doily is perfect to start.
• Buy a good crochet hook. I don’t mean the most expensive one, but the one that you like to hold. I use Knitpro and Clover amour hooks.
• Inform yourself by visiting a craft store or a yarn store. Those people know exactly what you need to start your new hobby.
• Now it’s time to start crocheting. Wrestle with the yarn. Start over and again, and again.
• Learn to read a pattern. The difference between DC and SC? Yes, it’s confusing. It also depends in which country you live, and which pattern you choose. DC means SC in the UK and SC means DC in the US… makes sense, right? Learn the ‘language’ and you already feel like a pro!

Keep on trying… 

Repetition is the key. Repeat it and repeat it again and soon enough you know exactly know what you have to do. Your work is curling? probably your tension is too tight or maybe you use the wrong crochet hook for your project. Maybe you increase too much or maybe too little. Try to change it and if it still doesn’t work ask for help in your yarn store or on the internet.

I usually start with a drawing or with an idea which is in my head.

Choose your favorite colors and start crocheting. Make sure you finish your project with a nice border or put it all together. Made a visible mistake? Start from that point again. It takes time and some effort and lot’s of patients but in the end you will be glad you started over. You don’t want your hard work to disappear in a box to never be used or seen again?

My personal tip

Keep on practicing and learn to keep your tension. Not too tight not too lose. When you have that, and you know the language of crochet patterns you can make anything you want. The most fun thing? With every project you will see your progress and they will all become more beautiful than the one before.

And secretly this little owl means more to me than I would like to admit. However, this project was the first one from a future crochet designer.

What was your first crochet project?

see you soon, x

Diana

My first design, Woodie the pirate! After the first disaster and a Lalylala doll, I made this.

 

Hoe begin je nu met haken?

Wanneer andere mensen om mij heen beginnen met haken, krijg ik vaak de vraag, hoe ik ben begonnen met haken en waarom het er bij mij zo mooi en gemakkelijk uitziet. Want bij hen krult het of bolt het of het aantal steken is er altijd eentje te veel of te weinig. Ik vertel je graag vandaag mijn beginnersverhaal en geef een aantal tips die je kunnen helpen bij het haken van je eerste haakproject.

Mijn eerste fiasco

Een tijdje geleden heb ik mijn eerste project weer gevonden. In een doos, vol met allerlei andere projecten lag een heel zielig uiltje… Geen magicloop gebruikt, ik wist niet wat een vaste was dus alles in de achterste lussen gehaakt, het zat toch vast? Geen goede vulling gekocht want tja, wist ik veel wat en waar. Een losse? Mijn eerste project was bij nader inzien dan ook een groot fiasco. Gelukkig wel eentje waarvan ik heb geleerd hoe het niet moet.

Ik haak en ontwerp nu drie jaar.  Want na een tweede poging had ik de smaak te pakken en dacht ik dat ik ook zelf wel wat kon ontwerpen. Het vormen van de figuurtjes bleek nog een hele uitdaging. Een perfecte cirkel? Ik wist toen nog niet dat dat bestond.

Tips om beter te leren haken

Maar al doende leert men, hoe meer ik haakte en hoe meer filmpjes, foto’s en andere patronen ik bekeek hoe beter ik in de gaten kreeg hoe ik wel moest haken. Mijn eigen ontwerpen kwamen tot leven. Geen achterste lussen meer maar een normale vaste.

Niet alleen een goed idee of duidelijk patroon zorgt ervoor dat je super haakt. Investeer ook in je gereedschap en kies een haaknaald die voor jou lekker in de hand ligt.

Ik vertel altijd dat het in het begin moeilijk is. Maar met deze trucjes wordt het een stuk leuker en gemakkelijker om te beginnen met haken:

• Neem een gemakkelijk patroontje en begin niet te groot. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan een klein knuffeltje met weinig details of een pannenlap.
• Koop een fijne haaknaald en wat garen.
• Laat je eventueel informeren bij een wolwinkel of een hobby speciaalzaak.
• Worstel en stoei met het garen en met elke steek leer je beter je spanning te regelen. Want met een gelijke spanning wordt elk haakproject een succes.
• Je leert een patroon lezen en wat al die afkortingen betekenen. hst, 3v, haak SAM? Wie is SAM? Het blijkt dat wij handwerkers nog best pittig vakjargon gebruiken! Leer de ‘taal’ dus kennen en je kunt elk patroon lezen.

Blijf vooral proberen

Want een mooi gehaakte deken, amigurumi of wat anders begint bij een vaste spanning van de draad en het kennen van de steken. Krult je werk? Je haakt met te veel spanning of misschien meerder je verkeerd. Het kan ook zijn dat je een te kleine haaknaald gebruikt voor te dik garen. Probeer het dan gewoon opnieuw of vraag hulp.

Vervolgens heb je natuurlijk je favoriete kleurtjes uitgekozen. Op het eind zorg je voor een mooie afwerking en klaar is het project. Wanneer je toch door blijft haken na het maken van een foutje, blijf je dit zien en krijg je vaak spijt van het project. Je wilt toch niet dat het hele project in een doos verdwijnt? Zonde, want je bent niet voor niets begonnen met haken.

Mijn persoonlijke tip

Blijf oefenen en je draadspanning wordt vanzelf gelijk. Leer de verschillende steken op je eigen tempo en je maakt de mooiste dingen en het leuke? Ze worden met elk nieuw project alleen maar mooier. Want stiekem betekent dit zielige uiltje toch best veel voor mij! Het was namelijk het begin van een ontwerper in spe.

Deze piraat was mijn eerste eigen ontwerp en mijn derde haakproject!

Wat was jullie eerste haakproject en was dit een groot succes of heb je er vooral veel van geleerd?

Creatieve groetjes,

Diana

KreaDoe 2018 + giveaway! Utrecht (NL)

*Nederlands beneden*

Hey hey,

Here’s a new update about my crochet life. New projects are being finished and pictures will follow in the next month(s). Most of them (yes, more than one) are going to be participating in the amigurumi contest. But I promise you the designs will be the best ones yet and hopefully inspire you to make something new!

KreaDoe is here in 10 days

But talking about inspiration. In less than 10 days the biggest event for crafters, knitters, crochet addicts and many more hobbies is going to start. KreaDoe is just around the corner and I will be there. Not as a visitor but as an official blogger (ieeeee). It’s the first time that I am doing something like this, but I am excited. I will try to take some new designs with me to give all visitors a sneak peek of my new designs that are coming up. I don’t know yet how late and where you can find me, but I will tell you when I know it too.

But what is KreaDoe exactly? Well, last year I was there to and I took some photos. So, if you want to know more about it you can read it here and experience the look and feel of the craft fair a bit more.

Give away

To celebrate that I will be an official blogger for the very first time and because KreaDoe is something you must do once in your life. I will be giving away 2 tickets for one lucky winner. The tickets are sponsored by the KreaDoe and if you want a chance to win two tickets, leave a message on Facebook, Instagram or here on the blog. Tag or tell all your crafters to have a bigger chance of winning. The giveaway ends on the 28th of October and I will be picking winner on the 29th.

From 31 of October until the 4th of November, you can visit the KreaDoe. Tickets will give you access to one of those days and you can pick your own day. I would like to ask you to only enter this give away if you are living near to the Netherlands or in the Netherlands, where the fair is located.

See you soon,

Diana x

Hey!

Hier is een nieuwe update over mijn haakleven. Inmiddels ben ik druk bezig nieuwe projecten af te ronden en ik hoop jullie volgende maand nieuwe inspiratie te laten zien. De meeste projecten (ja, meer dan één) zijn voor de amigurumi wedstrijd die jaarlijks wordt georganiseerd door amigurumipatterns.nl. Ik hoop dat jullie ze net zo leuk vinden als ik.

Maar er is meer nieuws. De KreaDoe staat voor de deur en ik heb heel leuk nieuws.

KreaDoe 2018

Voor wie de KreaDoe nog niet kent. Dit is het grootste evenement met betrekking tot creatief bezig zijn. Je vindt er garen om mee te breien en te haken, allerlei handlettering benodigdheden, een waar cup cake paleis om de mooiste taarten te leren maken en nog veel meer. Vorig jaar was ik er als bezoeker en een kleine impressie kun je hier vinden.

Maar dit jaar mag ik er officieel als blogger staan en zal een van de dagen aanwezig zijn op de bloggerspot. Dus als je me wilt ontmoeten. Dit is je kans.

Giveaway

En dat is nog niet alles. Naast dat ik aanwezig ben op de beurs mag ik ook nog 2 kaartjes weggeven aan een gelukkig winnaar. Meedoen is heel simpel. Reageer hier op mijn blog, op Facebook of op Instagram onder de KreaDoe berichten en tag eventueel al je creatieve vrienden, vriendinnen of familie.  De beurs is te bezoeken van 31 oktober tot 4 november. Ik laat nog weten wanneer ik op de beurs aanwezig bent, zou je me willen ontmoeten en ik neem nieuwe ontwerpen mee die nog niet op de website zullen staan.

Ik hoop je daar te zien. Groetjes,

Diana

 

Yarnpainting @ Knit & Knot, Tilburg (NL)

*NL beneden*

Hey everyone,

Yesterday I visited the Knit & Knot again. The 4th time already and I have to be honest I was convinced that it would be the same as the last three times and that they wouldn’t surprise me. But boy, did they surprise me!

All winter yarns, new books and a lot of standard workshops where there. Plenty of inspiration to find your new or unfinished project and many more…

Yarn painting

Like I already said, this year’s Knit & Knot is probably the most surprising one and one of my favorites! All the known vendors were there to sell their stuff but at the workshop tables (in the middle of the fair) I had to stop and stare at something I’ve never seen before.

Not only am I a big fan of old music (Beatles, Rolling Stones, ELO and many more). But I didn’t expect to see them at a crafts fair! Isabella Molenaar uses an old technique to paint with yarn and uses it to re-make famous album covers. The technique comes from a Mexican tribe called Huichol and art is very important for them. They worship their god through their paintings. It is a very simple technique but makes the most amazing paintings. You need some wood, special wax, yarn and some inspiration. The yarn is pressed into the wax and that’s how you form your painting.

Van Morrison, yarn painting. Made by Isabella Molenaar

To make the day even better I could follow a workshop at their table!!! See here my very first yarn painting. Inspired on the famous Andy Warhol and Pop Art. Just wow!

My own try at yarnpainting

 

Look & Feel 

After finishing the workshop I continued to walk over the fair and here are some pictures to show you what you can see or buy there:

Amilishly amigurumi dolls

Christmas! Siets aan de haak

Punchneedle artwork

The dolls are made by Amilishly. The Christmas blanket is made by Siets aan de haak. The punchneedle art is from Wolcafé.

Embroidery

Every Knit & Knot has a theme and this time it was embroidery. Wilhelmien van Aarle is specialized in a very different way of embroidery and she made the most beautiful paintings, using only two different stitches. Anton Pieck was a very famous painter in the Netherlands. He is mostly known, because of his fairytails, designed for the Efteling. A thempark in the Netherlands (if you ever visit the Netherlands, this should be on you definitley to do list!). The embroidery paintings looked amazing and from a distance you couldn’t tell if they were painted or not.

Embroidery work, Anton Pieck. Made by Wilhelmien van Aarle

If you want to visit the Knit & Knot, you can still go on the 13th and 14th of October 2018, 10:00 till 17:00. I still find it one of the best craftfairs, specialized in knitting, crochet and all other hobbies related to yarn.

See you soon,

Diana x

Look at all these colors!!

Hoi allemaal,

Gisteren ben ik naar de Knit & Knot in Tilburg geweest. Dit was alweer de 4e keer dat ik ernaartoe reed en ik was een beetje bang dat het veel van hetzelfde zou zijn. Maar wat had ik het mis, en wat heeft deze editie van de Knit & Knot mij verrast!

Natuurlijk waren er alle wintergarens, nieuwe boeken en de bekende workshops. Maar er waren ook wat verrassingen…

Schilderen met garen

Zoals ik al zei heeft deze editie mij enorm verrast en wel  om het volgende. Halverwege de beurs ligt het workshop plein waar bekende en minder bekende mensen hun hobby en vooral hun passie delen met andere creatievelingen.

Mijn mond viel open van verbazing toen ik langs de tafel van Isabella Molenaar liep. Oude bands zijn een grote passie van mij maar ik had niet verwacht The Beatles of The Doors tegen te komen op deze handwerkbeurs… Isabella maakt bekende LP hoezen na en gebruikt hiervoor garens.

The Doors, gemaakt door Isabella Molenaar

De techniek die ze gebruikt komt van de Huichol indianen. Deze indianen leven in Mexico en hun kunst, gemaakt met garen, is heel belangrijk voor hun godsdienst. Ze gebruiken hout, speciale was en garen om hun schilderijen te maken. Het garen wordt voorzichtig in de wax geduwd en zo vormt zich een kleurrijk schilderij.

Ik mocht zelfs een workshop volgen en het zelf proberen! Wat ongelooflijk leuk was. Ik koos ervoor om een Andy Warhol geïnspireerde Pop Art tekst te maken en het woord Wow vond ik het meest toepasselijk. Het is erg verslavend en super simpel, zeker een aanrader.

Sfeer proeven

Na de workshop liep ik verder over de beurs en zag genoeg inspiratie en leuke ideeën om te onthouden. Hieronder volgen wat foto’s om je een idee te geven:

Prachtige dekens

Prachtige garens

Yarnpainting , Isabella Molenaar

Borduren

Deze editie stond vooral in het teken van borduren en dat zag je ook terug in de kramen en wat ze verkochten. Wilhelmien van Aarle borduurt niet met kruissteekjes maar schildert met draad. Ze gebruikt twee steken om een levensecht, geborduurd schilderij te maken en ik heb ervan genoten. Een aantal werken waren geïnspireerd op Anton Pieck, vooral bekend van het sprookjesbos van de Efteling. Ik hou ook ontzettend van zijn tekeningen. Zeker de moeite waard om even langs te lopen.

Borduurwerk Anton Pieck, gemaakt door Wilhelmien van Aarle

Wil je nog naar de Knit & Knot? Dat kan, de beurs is er nog de 13e en de 14e oktober van 10:00 tot 17:00.

Tot snel,

Diana

A perfect Autumn day @ Woll of Fame, Maasbracht (NL)

Hey everyone!

Not sure if you noticed it yet, but the annual amigurumi contest is back! At amigurumipatterns.com you can find all the information to participate or how to vote. Next month, I will tell more!

Preparation 

Before I could start crocheting for the contest, I actually had to design some new things, pre-historical things. I am not going to tell you what my designs are, it’s a bit of a secret but I love them! The best part this week was buying all the yarn for the new designs in my favorite yarnstore Woll of Fame.

Woll of Fame

Woll of Fame in Maasbracht and although it is one of the yarn shops closest to my hometown, it is also one of the most fun ones. The owners are so helpful and I love them almost as much as I love all the yarn in this store (I have a yarn issue, I know).

I adore the counter. It looks very modern with its wooden frame.

Last year they helped me a lot with Fiona the fairy dragon and choosing the right colors. Although, I did not win I still get a lot of oooh’s and aaah’s on the design. Which they helped me achieve.

So, there I went with my pen and papers, drove to Maasbracht, went straight to the cotton section and started thinking about the colors of this year’s designs. After an hour or so I made the final decisions and bought all the yarn… I can probably make a lot more than just my designs… Well better safe than sorry, right?

My precious little yarn balls

The shop

But, I really want to show you more about Woll of Fame. You’re probably thinking why is it one of your favorite shops? Well, that’s a very good question.

Mostly because I feel welcome and they have the most amazing shop windows, see the picture below!!! I really want to knit some socks now. Definitely worth a visit when you’re around and a lot of choices in different yarn types. In addition to all the different yarn you can buy they have plenty of examples to not only give you a lot of advice but to show you how it will look in the end. What more do you need?

Socktober! Gorgeous knitted socks by a lot of different people. I love this kind of creativity.

The shop itself is very light, which helps a lot when choosing colors and feels modern. Usually yarn shops are fully packed with yarn and it can feel a bit chaotic. But not here. You have a great overview when walking in the shop. There is a large workshop area and they organize a lot of fun things like:

• Knit/ crochet café (knitting and crocheting with likeminded people)
• Show and tell (my favorite, every last Friday of the month you can come over to the shop and show everyone what you made!).
• Special crochet and knit cruises which combines our hobby with a fun day out.

In November they are organizing the biggest Knitting and Crocheting cruiseKnitting and Crocheting cruise through the south of the Netherlands. I think nobody else has done something quite like this before and I still feel sad that I won’t join. But I will be busy moving to my new house, more about that in the next blog. If they organize it again next year I will be there!

The cutest car I’ve ever seen.

Maasbracht by the water

It was a gorgeous autumn day, yesterday and I went to the water side (2 minute walk from the store). You can buy a ticket for a boat tour and see the surroundings, but this time I chose a pub to drink something and went back home. It is an amazing place and if you need inspiration the nature surrounding you, the boats and the city itself have plenty to give. Especially on a perfect autumn day like this one.

See you soon,

Diana x

The famous port of Maasbracht

The re-opening of Wolcafé, Schoonhoven (NL)

When a store re-opens… you must buy new yarn, right?

Yesterday I visited Schoonhoven, a small town in the Netherlands, to visit a re-opening of a yarn store that I know for a while now: Wolcafé. In the beginning of August, I saw that they were planning to move to a bigger place and that they would celebrate the move with a grand opening of the new building. So, I went to Schoonhoven, to see the shop myself…

The big reveal: Wolcafé

When it was finally the 1^st of September, I took the car and drove all the way to Schoonhoven to see the shop with my own eyes. I saw so many beautiful skeins of yarn, calling my name… I really had to stick to my shopping list or I would have bought the whole store.

Like a kid in a candy store!! Yarn, yarn and even more yarn.

What I love about Wolcafé is that they have lots of different yarn types, but they also have a lot of accessories. You need eyes? They got them. Labels? Check. Personalized? No problem. Buttons? Punch needles? Other needles? Embroidery rings? You name it they have it.

The shop itself feels very cozy and they really put a lot of effort in the look and feel of the shop. They used crates, sturdy wooden shelfs, old cabinets and a lot of examples to make the store unique. I loved to walk there, although I won’t visit that often because I live too far away.

Even more yarn…

buttons and labels.

Inspiration!!!

Flamingo’s are cool

Mirror, mirror on the wall…

I bought lot’s of stuff for some new projects and they are going to be amaaaazing!

Immediately when entering the shop it felt cozy and although busy because it was the re-opening, the service was excellent. I had some tricky things on my shopping list but everyone helped me and in the end I got what I wanted! Thank you, Wolcafé.

 

The silver museum

Because Schoonhoven isn’t nearby I made a daytrip out of it. Schoonhoven is known for their gold and silversmiths and they have a lot of them. But they also have a unique museum which is filled with silver in all shapes and sizes.

There are 3 floors. On the ground floor you can see how a silversmith works. Yesterday there were 2 smiths working. The older man was making a gorgeous necklace. The younger guy was making a ship by embossing the silver. It’s a technique which creates depth by denting the silver.

An old baracks, the silver museum is located on the right side.

The first floor shows the collection silver which shows the history of the Netherlands and which silver was used in different times. The silver started with all kinds of ornaments attached to the teapots or chandeliers and lots of utensils used to be made out of silver. The more I moved to the 1900’s and 2000’s the more modern the silver became. What I even loved more was the way the silver was showcased. Using colors and different ways of placing the silver and using mannequins in the showcases, it all looked even more beautiful than it already was.

A tiny but gorgeous sewing box

I really liked the showcase which was filled with all types of luxury items. A lot of handcrafting (sewing, knitting and embroidery) was done in the time were silver was very important for people to show how rich they were. In the middle of the showcase there was a white box with sewing accessories. I fell in love with that box.

The box was placed in the middle of the showcase and it immediately got my attention. A small scissor, a thimble, some yarn and some other sewing supplies were in it. The box had a small mirror in the cover.

I warned you…. it’s gorgeous, isn’t it?

Christofle silver

On the second floor there was a special display to celebrate the 40 years that the silver museum exists. Silver of the very expensive and exclusive Christofle brand was displayed as a grand diner.

It felt like I was in a teeny tiny version of the princess diaries, you know which movie I am referring to right?  I walked in the most amazing hall with my white sneakers and cactus totebag, passing a table of 13 meters and saw the most gorgeous silver objects that I’ve ever seen.

Christofle is a French silver brand, located in Paris and specialized in luxurious silver utensils, decorative pieces and jewels for over 130 years. It was gorgeous to see all kind of silverpieces on the table.

The view, while eating some fish. A very Dutch canal.

After visiting the silver museum, I ate some fish, without the fries. (I really love some good crispy fish) and had an amazing view while eating the fish.

Schoonhoven is a town with a big history and I loved how ‘old’ the place felt and Wolcafé? Certainly worth a visit if you are close! Or you can always order online using their Webshop, Yeey!

Do you have a must see place or shop? Let me know! I’m always searching for some new inspiration and love to discover new places.

See you around,

Diana x

C(rochet)ITY TRIP: Vlissingen (NL)

Two weeks ago, I visited my aunt in Zeeland (NL). I always love going to her and visiting the sea (is a great bonus). Normally I enjoy the little things but this time I wanted to do something different, so I planned a mini city trip through Vlissingen.

Middelburg

On Saturday I went to visit Middelburg. The capital city of Zeeland. It’s a city with a vibrant and old look. Lot’s of bars and restaurants to eat (lots of fish).  There was a garage sale, which I always love, and I visited the old abbey. I wanted to do some more but the day went quicker than I thought.  I had also a very nice ice-cream. When in Zeeland you must eat a Bolus. It’s a pastry with sugar and cinnamon. But I had the flavor in an ice-cream, which tasted amazing.

Spotted a knitted blanket, when least expected.

An interesting little shop

Vlissingen

On Sunday morning I woke up early, had some breakfast and went for an adventure. Well an adventure was the understatement of the day.

First, I visited the beach. It is also known as the Boulevard. The beach is next to all kinds of hotels and restaurants and the view of each place is like nothing else. Because Zeeland has a weird shape you can see the sea and on a bright day you can also see the other side of Zeeland. Makes sense, right? That’s why I added a picture below!

I took some amazing photo’s, another hobby I really love doing. But, after a walk on the beach, which was amazing, I got sick… yep. Very sick. I wanted to visit the MuZEEUM which is near the beach, but I didn’t have enough energy to continue. Next time I am visiting my aunt I will definitely go there. It looked very interesting.

The boulevard. On the right you can see the prisonner tower. It’s now a restaurant.

Although very sick there was one last stop on my mini-city-trip-to-do list. A new shop opened there in the beginning of this year and I really wanted to visit this shop… and off course it was a yarn shop. More specific it’s an awesome yarn shop!! *Happy dance*

Knitwit Vlissingen, the yarn shop by the sea

KnitWit Vlissingen is a new yarn store in Vlissingen and from the start I was fascinated by the shop. I knew I had to visit this store. So, although sick, I went to the shop and had a lovely talk with the owner. She selects her yarn to add something to the store and the store itself feels like a lovely warm cozy blanket. All the yarns can be seen and touched, and it looks like a candy shop but then filled with yarn. The store looks very modern, open and cozy.

Knitwit Vlissingen, worth a visit when your near!

There is enough space to let your creativity go and if you look for something specific, you can always ask for help. I, myself, was very curious to feel the hand dyed yarn that is designed in collaboration with the owner and a hand dyer. The yarn is specifically designed for Zeeland and Vlissingen. You have, until now, 5 different color ways.

• Day on the beach
• Boulevard, nightfall
• Vlissingen by morning
• A color inspired on the sea
• A color inspired on the beach

I bought myself one day on the beach skin. Not sure what to make from it yet, but I have some ideas which needs some time…

The different types of yarn, inspired by Vlissingen and Zeeland. (lower left corner: a day at the beach skein)

So, my Sunday was not what I planned it was and I went back to my aunt after visiting the shop. But I had still one day left… Monday!

Koudekerke and some good crispy fish in Westkapelle

Another *need to see this* on my list was ‘Het Zeeuws miniwinkeltje’. If you have a car, I think it is worth a visit, as it isn’t in Vlissingen but in Koudekerke. The shop itself is part of an actual workspace and sells all kinds of unique things (T-shirts, keychains, chocolate!) that have something to do with Zeeland. It is a cute store and not always open, so check it first! But I got a lot of inspiration after visiting this little shop.

Than… what we always do when visiting my aunt in Zeeland is eating fish and fries. But not any… no no no. We usually drive to Westkappele and visit Melis seafood. The have the best crispy fish that you will ever eat in your life! So… definitely go there too. I usually skip the fries and only eat the fish. It’s an obsession I think.

When visiting the sea I always love to take pictures

Funfact, next to Melis there is a war museum, and they have an English tank standing outside. It’s very impressive to see and in Zeeland you can see a lot of history. For example, driving to Westkappele will show a lot of bunkers, build by the Germans in the second world war.

You can see the other side of Zeeland.. or Belgium across the sea.

Although it is very quiet here (I know, and I am sorry) a couple of new projects are done and I really have to make the time to finish the patterns and take some pictures. Together with these fun projects I am also working on some other things, for which I need to prepare a lot.

I am also feeling better again (took me a bit longer than a week), so I have enough fresh energy to make sure some blogs are going to be written and some new projects will be introduced.

Do you have a ‘really have to go there’ place? And if you do, which place is it? Or maybe a yarn shop which is like a mini heaven for yarn lovers like me?

See you soon x