Sophie’s Universe #4

And so I reach the end of the 4th part of this CAL. In this part we make the first flowers of Sofia’s garden!

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So many color changes and so many details make this blanket so addictive to make! I just want to get to the next round to see how it looks, and once there i just want to get to the next one and so on!

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I still have a lot of work ahead until I get to crochet the last stitch but I’m guessing I’ll be making another one after this one is made!

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And it’s turning out way better than I have imagined:

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And it’s time to start the 5th part!

Holland Designs Pattern Review

Summer has arrived and it’s time for my usual blog summer break. I’m not a big fan of blogging on the summer months.

Mostley because I’m not at home so much time and I do craft a lot less. Summer is all about going out and having fun and I know you’re not arround as much as you use to, too.

Anyway I might came here if I do have something worth sharing. So, if you’re a subscriber you’ll know right away the
minute I post a new thing.

I don’t want to take this break with unfinished things and I do have a blogpost that has been waiting to long. I made
this projects in the end of 2014.

Having a sort of a photo blog makes me search for perfection when it comes to my photos but It’s not always easy to take photos. It takes time and beeing mother of 3 kids and having a full time job doesn’t help a thing. And even when I do have the time my models not always cooperate!

So today I want to show you my crochet sweaters made from Holland Designs patterns. They are written in american terms do if you’re not american you’ll have to convert the stitchs, but other then this the patterns are so easy and they make such a good looking sweaters!

I only have two photos to show but I made 3 sweater. 2 of them were made with the CROCHETED PEASANT TOP pattern and my goal was to use only yarns I had on my stash.

I made Teresa sweater in vertical stripes using two shades of pink because I didn’t had enought of each color to make a sweater. I’m also a little bit insecure when it comes to sleeves because I love 3/4 sleeves but in this case they ended up looking like the sweater is one size down her size! The pattern doens’t come with sleeves but it’s easy to add the stitches for the sleeves.

crochet girl sweater

I don’t like long sleeves on kids because they end up getting to dirty. But I made Mafalda sweater (no photo) with long sleeves. I used a black yarn because I had plenty of black yarn on my stash and I really wanted to spend it. I also
finished the neck cord with two big crochet flowers to add some fun!

Then I made Sofia a cardigan using the SHAWL COLLARED CARDIGAN pattern. This pattern also calls for short sleeves and I made hers a little longer to finish my purple yarn.

girl crochet sweater

Making cloths for babies is quite tricky because they grow faster than my crochet speed! I started this cardigan after her 1st birthday and decided to go for size 18 months. She did wear it in October but after it was too cold and in the spring the cardigan was to short! I should have made size 2, it would have been big in October but she could have wear it in spring and maybe in cold summer nights. Live and learn!

Both are great patterns and I want to make them again. Maybe this time I will allow myself to buy a special yarn!

And Holland Designs also has patterns for boys! No excuses this time! Come on, grab your crochet hook and have fun!

If you need any help I’ll be arround!

Crochet skirt

In Greek mythology, Penelope was the wife of Ulysses who went to the Trojan War and was absent for 20 years. As the absence of Ulysses was growing, Penelope’s father thought that his was dead and wanted his daughter to marry again, but Penelope believed that Ulysses was still alive and wanted to wait for his return,so she found a way to simultaneously satisfy her interests and her fathers. Penelope said to her father that she would marry again when finished weaving a shroud to offer to Ulysses father, and so she bagan weaving during day time for all to see, and at night, when she was alone she unweaved most of the woek she had made during the day, so that the shroud would never be done!

Sometimes I have projects that remind me of Penelope and her shroud! They just seems never to be right nor well made and so I’m always stichings or crocheting and them I just have to undo most os the work to try to make it right! And this projects just seem to take all the eternity to get done!

As this skirt that I fell in love as soon as I saw it in an Italian magazine that cost me a fortune! Although woolsare not the same the needle size is the same, which should make it somehow similar. Well, that didn’t happen!

I followed the instructions until I get enough of undoing my work and then decided to do it by eye, just my way of doing it!

Há aqueles projetos que dão gozo acabar e depois há aqueles projetos que quando estão acabados nos fazem sentir mais leves e levemente aliviadas.

Sobre esta saia já aqui tinha escrito. Foi desde o inicio um desafio e só a certeza de que ia valer a pena ver o resultado final me fez continuar. Desmachei e recomecei tantas vezes que lhe perdi a conta e várias vezes foi dada como pronta, mas depois houve sempre qualquer coisa que me fez voltar atrás e refazer. Acabou por não correr muito mal, afinal de contas foi feita em pouco mais de 6 meses!

Para agora ainda está um bocadinho grande mas é uma saia de verão e até lá estou mais do que certa que a Mafalda cresce o suficiente para a saia lhe servir na perfeição.

Não me sobrou vontade de fazer outra para a Teresa até porque adaptar novamente as medidas para uma saia mais pequena ia ser outro desafio, e de qualquer forma será inevitável que a Teresa quando chegar à idade da Mafalda acabe por a vestir também! Em vez disso resolvi aproveitar o algodão que sobrou para outro projeto de verão que tenho a certeza que vai fazer as delicias das pequenotas da familia. Mas isso é para outro dia!

Some projects makes us happy when they finally get done, and then there are projects that bring a huge relieve when they are finally done!

This project was a challenge from 1st stitch and only the certainty that it would be worth seeing the result made ​​me continue. I restarted it so many times that I lost count and several times it was pronouncedready, but then there was always something that made me go back and redo.

For now it’s still a little big for Mafalda to wear but it is a summer skirt and until then I am more than certain that she will grow enough to fit the skirt perfectly.

I do not feel like doing another one for Teresa. I would have to adapt the measures again for a shorter skirt and that would be another challenge, and anyway is inevitable that Teresa will weare this skirt when she reach the age ofMafalda! Instead I decided to use the cotton leftovers for another summer project that I’m sure will make the delightsof the little girls of my family. But that’s for another day!