COVID Christmas

Sadly it's not going to be a Christmas like other years. 

The pandemic is not getting better yet (but vaccination has started!) so it's just a very small amount of people allowed to get together right now. 

I finished my Christmas crafts and decorating, 

I hope it's enough to make me feel festive despite everything. 

We're looking forward to better times to come again in 2021

Gnomes

I feel the Christmas season approaching so here are some early production items, the ever popular Gnomes. I did them in different sizes and techniques to hopefully try and please as many customers as possible.  They are kinda cute, especially together in a group!

The patterns are from Imagined Landscapes

Mandalas

Came across a completely new idea (through my favourite Dutch blog) and remembered I had a ball of Scheepjes Whirl yarn (553 Indigo Plane) laying around that would be great for this project. I would have rather used Unicat yarn but I can't find that in stores here at all. 

You basically crochet a doily or table cloth and stretch it inside a hoop. (we used to make them in the 1970ties, but with white cotton and a very small hook size, so they ended up much smaller, to hang in the window).

My biggest problem was to find a VERY LARGE ring to fit this. Needed to be at least 100cm (40") in diameter. I only found 1 place online and it was close to $100. Little too pricey for my taste.

Many people gave me suggestions and eventually I went with connecting 2 hula hoops and spray paint. I used up practically all the yarn and it made the mandala diameter 110cm (43").

I'm not completely satisfied with the spray paint. Suppose to be for plastic but here and there it didn't stick very well so there are specks of bright pink hula hoop showing through. I'll have to touch that up. But you can't see it from a distance so overall I'm very pleased with the result.

As a lucky coincidence the blue mandala matches my Persian tile blanket hanging on the railing. I had not planned it like that, only noticed it when it was on the wall.

This is the Meu Mundo Mandala and you can find the pattern graph for free on the internet.

I have since made more mandalas, some in different designs.

I've discovered some better options to wrap the hula hoops, sticky burlap tape or hockey tape. Last one is a little stretchy and available in many colours!

Left 

Peacock Mandala in Scheepjes Whirl 776 Rosewater Cocktail

Right

Celestial Mandala in Scheepjes Whirl 788 Night Time Bubbles

And 2 more Meu Mundo Mandalas

Left

Unbleached cotton

Hangs in my daughters massage therapy clinic.

Right

Scheepjes Whirl 778 Turkish Delight. 

I worked on that one in the car on our trip to the Maritime provinces. It's going to be a wedding gift for my nephew and his wife!

Hand Sanitizer

Beside masks, I guess there will be a need for these items too, next month when the kids go back to school.

I had a request to make some for my neighbour, a nice change from the extreme sewing lately.

To make your own, you can download my free Hand Sanitizer Holder pattern

Face masks

We're 6 months into the pandemic now and still living this “new normal” life. 

Things have improved somewhat because we can go out and socialize more, but only with people we choose to be in our “bubble”. Social distancing is still the norm and I'm afraid for quite some time yet.

To try and contain a new upswing in the infection spread there is now a mandatory face mask use for indoor public places. School are going to be open again next month and kids will also have to wear masks, starting in grade 4.

Needless to say I have been extremely busy sewing. I'm at the point where I have to borrow Malinda's sewing machine for a while so I can bring mine in to have oiled and serviced (it's starting to squeak quite badly, from overuse I'm sure).

I've now provided most of the family with masks but I'm getting a little overwhelmed lately with orders from friends of friends, Michelle's clinic clients and just through word of mouth.

People seem to like the design a lot because it fits well over the nose and under the chin but doesn't touch your mouth. The pattern is from Add Crafts with a YouTube tutorial. There are sizes for Adult M or L, Teenager and Child. I've altered it a little and I didn't add the nose wire or filter pocket.

My new motto is 

you can't have too many masks and they better be comfortable and look great!

Here is a small sample of ones I've made

click here for even more 

Pillow

This was a super fun project to do. 

It's the Copenhagen Building Blocks pattern, but it reminds me a lot of Dutch canal houses. 

Very versatile because you can combine any type of house or section of house in whatever colour you prefer (or happen to have available) and put it together to your own liking.

I used a lot of the yarn I use for the bunnies (Sport or DK weight) on needle 2.75mm

I made 12 houses (6 for each side) and it fit perfectly around an Ikea pillow 50x50cm.

Pretty pleased with the end result.

Cardigan

I finished the cardigan I was working on and I'm very pleased with the result! I had to make sure I didn't run out of yarn because there was no way I could buy more (I purchased this YEARS ago) but at the end I even had some left over! I'm using it on my next project of knitting some roofs for these Danish houses or probably another little fox.

I decided to not add buttons because I would never close it while wearing anyway.

The pattern is free on Ravelry

Pandemic

I’ve always done a lot of craftwork but with this continued “stay home” order even I am starting to get a little bored with the usual stuff.
These little nurse dolls are a fitting project right now. They’re easy and fast to make, use up leftover yarns! Free Ravelry pattern.
A little more work making the Florence Nightingale bear. I’ve made her before, for my daughter and sister (both nurses), but I figured it was the right time to make another one. Ravelry Pattern

I’ve made a lot of different face-masks already and I still keep trying new designs (Pinterest has an endless supply of free patterns) to see which one I like best (and it keeps changing as I go). I’m also sewing masks for Michelle’s clinic, so she’s ready to welcome her clients back when/if the government allows her to open again (not till after June 1st is the latest news).

Right now I’m working on a cardigan for myself (free pattern), in an orangy coloured tweed yarn I’ve had laying around for a long time, just never knew what I wanted to make with it. At least this continued “stores are closed” situation is forcing me to dig into my stash and use whatever I have laying around, that’s a good thing! Have to keep positive 😀🧶

Some different stuff

We're living in a very strange world right now, dealing with the Corona pandemic and no end in sight for the near future yet. At least another month or more with lockdowns and social distancing.

I decided to try my hand at some different stuff for a change. So with a lot of people feeling the need to wear face-masks I fired up my sewing machine and here are the results.
I went on YouTube for visual information and then tried different styles to see which one used the least amount of fabric, which one was the easiest to make, which one was the fastest to make and which one was the most comfortable to wear (top priority!)

The winner is the pleated mask on the bottom right.

June 2020 update

During several more months of the COVID-19 pandemic I have tried a lot of different designs since that first attempt in April. 
And my favourite is now this style.
It's easy and fast to make, fits well over the nose and under the chin. And it doesn't touch your mouth so it feels less restrictive!

Couldn't buy elastic anywhere (not even online) so I started to crochet the cords and that actually turned out to be a great solution!
It's soft, stretches a little and doesn't hurt your ears.

I also made a lot of these masks for the clients at Michelle's clinic (personalized with her business name) when they were allowed to open again on June 15.

Easter Bunnies Plus

After the great succes last year with my Easter Bunny campaign I decided to go with it again.
So here is a collage of different combinations in bunnies and clothes.
I've sold quite a few already and filling more orders.

But now the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has virtually put the whole world on hold. It's quite scary actually to see all these measures and rules being put into action.
It makes me think about the war my parents use to talk about all the time.
Let's hope things get better soon and we'll be able to go back to our regular lives.
Stay safe out there!

Canada Bear

When the Canadian team won the Junior World Hockey tournament on January 5, 2020 I was inspired to make this jacket for one of my Mary Jane's Tearoom bears. 

That turned out pretty nice if I say so myself 😁

New Year, new project

It's been a long time since I knitted a sweater (for myself) but when I saw this pattern (Peaks Pullover from PurlSoho) I decided to go for it.
Pretty pleased with the end result.
Maybe I'll knit another one soon.