While fewer creative updates have appeared on the blog over the past few months, that certainly didn’t mean I haven’t made anything or started making anything at all. On the contrary!

The Alley Jumper (@Fabelknitwear)

I have a number of Fabel Knitwear’s knitting patterns on my wishlist, and although many look relatively simple, I often see comments that her instructions are a bit vague or difficult to follow. This The Alley Jumper, however, looks quite straightforward.

I casted on earlier this year, using a stash of Zeeman Dream yarn (80% acrylic, 20% wool) in a beautiful rusty colour.

The construction is different from what I am used to, as it actually starts at the bottom hem. The rib stitch in twisted rib was also new to me, but quite easy to knit, and I really like the extra definition of this ribbing.

In the beginning, this knitted very quickly, and I must say that I haven’t had any problems with the instructions yet. It is mainly the construction method – starting from bottom to top and knitting the sleeves entirely separately – that requires a bit of thought, but otherwise, there is nothing to report. Still, knitting this sweater regularly comes to a standstill because it has to make room for other projects and ideas. But slow and steady works too!

KPop Demon Hunter Mystery Saja

A first creation for which I put the sweater on hold for a while was a return to the KPop Demon Hunters characters.
At the height of the hype, I came across these cute but simple crocheted Saja dolls by @onceuponacheerio. And when a birthday was coming up, I wanted to make their favourite Saja.

This was this Mystery Saja, whose eyes we never get to see. In my own interpretation, I gave him yellow demon eyes 😉

The pattern is really very simple to make, and only the hair needs to be sewn (or glued). I do always have trouble with such crocheted wigs, though, because they always turn out much bigger than necessary. I know by now that I always need to go down a few hook sizes compared to the hook used for the doll.

I eventually finished the end result as a keychain, with matching letter beads.

KPop Demon Hunter Baby Saja

Baby Saja saw the light of day for the next birthday.

For this one, I found additional inspiration at @lamagurumi for extra details.

This little doll turned out about twice as big as Mystery, so I didn’t make a keychain out of it, but just a cute plushie.

Farewell birds

When a colleague announced her departure, the planning of a worthy farewell gift began. Because she is a big bird enthusiast, each of us made a drawing of a bird. Personally, my drawing talent isn’t that great. That’s why I chose a design with mainly straight lines. Thanks to a YouTube video, I conjured up this origami crane!

And yes, I couldn’t resist some crochet either.
I knew she was a fan of the magpie from KPop Demon Hunters, so I had to make this one again. This time, also through a YouTube video by @cteeart.

And then I made a small chicken keychain, because that just suited her too. This one also came from a YouTube video by @DIY Fluffies

College-style jacket (@Anna Wilkinson)

For another birthday, I started the College-Style Cardigan from Learn to Knit, Love to Knit by Anna Wilkinson, but it ended up being quite the adventure.

I don’t know if it’s the original pattern or a translator who has never held a knitting needle, but the instructions sometimes seem like a mystery, causing me to often have to undo things or simply lose heart and put the entire project aside for a while.

After nearly four months, the work is finally finished and the result looks really good! For now, here are just a few teaser photos until the recipient receives it. Then I will write a separate post about it!

Frankenstein jeanjacket + hoodie

Perhaps the most exciting creative project of the moment is a request that has since grown into a serious process of thought and doubt. The inspiration comes from these KPop band denim jacket and hoodie combinations, with the wish for one featuring the logo of one’s own favourite band on the back.

I immediately had ideas on how this could be made, and for that, I initially needed a hoodie and a denim jacket, which I could then combine like Dr. Frankenstein. I had to scour several thrift stores for this. Hoodies were plentiful and I bought several, but a denim jacket was much harder to find. I even “feared” for a moment that I would have to get to work with an old pair of jeans, but luckily I found a perfect jacket after all!

Now it is really just a matter of gathering the courage to actually put the scissors to these garments, which are actually still in perfect condition on their own…

Cricut + practice project: candy jar

That project also led me to a new purchase, by the way: a second-hand Cricut Joy Xtra.

I had spent a long time thinking that the band logo on the denim jacket needed to be embroidered, and had gone looking for companies that could do this for me. But then the idea of ​​an “iron-on” logo came to me. Initially, I looked to see if I could buy such a patch anywhere, but if I found anything at all, the price was ridiculously high. And so it occurred to me to try making it myself. And when this Cricut appeared on my Vinted page, well, it just seemed like it was meant to be!

As a first practice project, to get to know both the software and the device, I made a personalized candy jar for – yes, you guessed it – yet another birthday. I had the plotter cut out both the logo of a favourite band and the signature of a favourite artist from permanent vinyl, after which I carefully applied it to this glass jar, which was then filled with appropriate pink candies. Cool, if I do say so myself!

Well, I’m afraid this will be just the beginning of all kinds of creative experiments, because the possibilities of Cricut are truly endless. First stop will undoubtedly be iron-on designs!

So, to be continued for sure…

Cheers,
Charlotte