My Rose Valley Crochet 2013

What a fantastic crochet year I've had!!! I've made thousands if not million crochet stitches through the 365 days of 2013. It has been kind of a crochet revolution year for me. I designed and created patterns for the first time and enjoyed the journey and work so much. This is the great thing with a passion - the constant growing and learning process. I learn new thing every day, dip my toes in deep unknown water, figuring things out the hard way with many mistakes, bumps and struggles. Just to feel even more proud when things in the end work out the way I want them to do.

The Nordic Shawl became a bigger success than I could ever have imagined and the pattern has sold worldwide. Now people are making The Nordic Shawl in an endless variation of color combinations and don't be shy, please share your interpretation of the pattern with me. In 2014 I will run a Nordic Shawl potpurri to share all the different color combinations.

The Maybelle Square turned into a crochet epidemic in Cyber world, everyone was making the flowers and squares and then there was my big pride and joy - the Gypsy Blanket. A good 360+ small granny squares that grew together to a wonderful color bomb blanket that now is treasured and loved every day in our home.

I made the Sweet Heart Pattern, and the Darling Crochet Flower pattern and turned them into garlands and decorations. I was invited to share my crochet as a Guest blogger at A Creative Being and Cover & Violet. I was interviewed and published in Flow Magazine and Expressen's Leva & Bo. I met with lovely crochet ladies and bloggers in Amsterdam during Crejjtion's Create & Date event this summer. A memory for life time. My passion for crochet has brought me further then I could ever imagine... It has connected me with so many lovely crochet friends all over the world. You rock my world girls!!!

I have had so much fun and I think my designer brain has gotten a blooded tooth. Many more design ideas and patterns are simmering in my brain and I am hoping to share some of them in the next year with you.

Thank you for all your support and lovely messages. You really do make every single day a blessing to wake up to. Without your feed back on what I make and do I wouldn't be where I am today. I am still following my dream towards a life supported by my design, crochet and writing skills. I truly believe that 2014 will be even more exciting with much more yarny goodness, designs, color therapy and many many hours of lovely relaxing crochet.

May 2014 be a creative adventure full of color and laughter. Happy crocheting and cheers for every loop, every slip stitch, every thread fastened off. Oh my Gosh. I think I will drop down stupid drunk after that!!! :D

Happy New Year!

Kärlek
Annette

My Rose Valley Home 2013

What did we talk about the most in 2013? I would say - The Weather!!! The weather was unpredictable, weird and completely out of place at times. It was the coldest and most rainy year in 200 years here in Switzerland. We had a terrible hale storm in June which made the harvest of fruit and berries very poor. I have never seen so many misty mornings both in spring and fall. Those mornings are magical and almost a bit freaky as you never know what is hiding around the corner...

The summer came. Late. And then summer was over before we realized it just had started. I did my best to collect memories through picture taking and picking wild flowers, one of my favorite things in summer time. I wish for a great warm spring and summer for next year. And a great summer for our vegetable patch. Like it used to be before this funny weather started. Did you have weather out of the normal too I wonder...

Summer passed and fall came with storms and rain. And suddenly the much longed for December was right there and I could start the Christmas preparation. Snow came. And disappeared. And December was way to short for all my Christmas prep plans. Like always. Maybe next year I will start in August and get ready in time.

Well, 2013 was weird and different but still very special with family vacation and fun times in Sweden. Lets hope for a more stable weather in 2014 shall we.

Kärlek
Annette

My Rose Valley Sewing 2013

First of all. Christmas was great!!! Now we are heading to the mountains for some skiing and I have prepared some collages of My Rose Valley in 2013.

First out is My Rose Valley's Sewing in 2013. I am sad to say the sewing machine has collected an awful lot of dust this year. The hook and yarn somehow took over. Maybe because of lack of time or maybe just because my studio always seemed overfilled with stuff and I never found time to really organize myself.

But some things were stitched and made, given as gifts or kept for my home. There was Nelly's chair make over which was lots of fun to do.  BAby blankets are also fun and quick projects, like Charlie's baby blanket i retro blue or the Pretty Pink Baby Blanket.  And the quilt for my colleague who was let go from work and a pile of pillows inspired by my love for folk art. And an endless number of pin cushions... So easy to make, so pretty and satisfying for a creative soul. :D

My fabric collection has grown bigger than my shelves can handle and it is truly time for some quilt making for next year. Scrappy quilts, floral quilts, classy quilts and kiddy quilts. I am really looking forward to it and I hope you will enjoy following me on my quilting journey in 2014. I would love to make a Granny Square Block quilt...

Happy New Year and stay tuned for more posts before the New Year.

Kärlek
Annette

Last minute Christmas mandala - free pattern

I am sneaking in some blog time to say Hi to you all. It is  a busy house hold over here with 10 people in the house.

Thought I would share my last minute Christmas Mandala with you the day before Christmas Eve. It is so simple that you can probably whip it up in a good hour without problem, and choose your own size to match whatever will be placed on it. It is perfect for Christmas flowers, breakfast bowls, fruit bowls, decorations...

I started making these with my crochet class when we practised working in rounds, and they were so satisfying and fun that I just couldn't stop making them. I had forgotten how much fun it is to work in the round. I now have awakened the need of making "real" mandalas with mixed stitches... Who knows where that desire may end... :D

I used a local department store cotton/poly blend yarn, DK weight on a 3,5 mm hook for this project. Feel free to use any cotton or cotton blend you have available. Working with a DK weight yarn makes for a mandala with good stability and perfect thickness in my opinion, a Sport weight will make it smaller and more doily-mandala like. So here we go... This is the pattern for the small mandala in the last picture.
Christmas Mandala

Material
DK weight cotton or cotton/blend yarn, 1 ball of red and 1 ball of white.
Hook 3,5 mm/E4
Scissors a
Darning needle

Abbreviations
Stitch - st
Stitches - sts
Slip stitch - sl st
Chain - ch
UK treble - UK tr
US double crochet - US dc

Foundation
Red yarn: Ch 6, close with a sl st in your first st to make a round.

Row 1
Red yarn: Ch 3 (counts as first UK tr/US dc), 11 UK tr/US dc in the ring (total 12 sts), sl st in the third st of your first 3 ch to close the row.

Row 2
Red yarn: Ch 3 (counts as first UK tr/US dc), 2 UK tr/US dc in the every st until end of row (total 24 sts) , sl st in third st of your first 3 ch to close the row. Fasten off.

Row 3
White yarn: Join your white yarn and ch 3 (counts as first UK tr/US dc), 1 UK tr/US dc in the same st. [1 UK tr/ US dc in the next st, 2 UK tr/ US dc, 1 UK tr/ US dc] - repeat until end of row. You finish with 1 UK tr/ US dc (total of 36 sts), sl st in third st of your first 3 ch to close the row.

Row 4
White yarn: Ch 3 (counts as first UK tr/US dc), 1 UK tr/US dc in the same st. [1 UK tr/ US dc in the next 2 sts, 2 UK tr/ US dc, 1 UK tr/ US dc in next 2 sts] - repeat until end of row. You finish with 1 UK tr/ US dc in the last 2 sts (total of 48 sts), sl st in third st of your first 3 ch to close the row. Fasten off.

Row 5
Red yarn: Join your red yarn. Ch 3 (counts as first UK tr/US dc), 1 UK tr/US dc in the same st. [1 UK tr/ US dc in the next 3 sts, 2 UK tr/ US dc, 1 UK tr/ US dc in next 3 sts] - repeat until end of row. You finish with 1 UK tr/ US dc in the last 3 sts (total of 60 sts), sl st in third st of your first 3 ch to close the row.

Row 6
Red yarn: Ch 3 (counts as first UK tr/US dc), 1 UK tr/US dc in the same st. [1 UK tr/ US dc in the next 4 sts, 2 UK tr/ US dc, 1 UK tr/ US dc in next 4 sts] - repeat until end of row. You finish with 1 UK tr/ US dc in the last 4 sts (total of 72 sts), sl st in third st of your first 3 ch to close the row. Fasten off.

Row 7
White yarn: Join your white yarn. Ch 3 (counts as first UK tr/US dc), 1 UK tr/US dc in the same st. [1 UK tr/ US dc in the next 5 sts, 2 UK tr/ US dc, 1 UK tr/ US dc in next 5 sts] - repeat until end of row. You finish with 1 UK tr/ US dc in the last 5 sts (total of 84 sts), sl st in third st of your first 3 ch to close the row.

Row 8
White yarn: Ch 3 (counts as first UK tr/US dc), 1 UK tr/US dc in the same st. [1 UK tr/ US dc in the next 6 sts, 2 UK tr/ US dc, 1 UK tr/ US dc in next 6 sts] - repeat until end of row. You finish with 1 UK tr/ US dc in the last 6 sts (total of 96 sts), sl st in third st of your first 3 ch to close the row. Fasten off.

Row 9
Red yarn: Join your red yarn. Ch 3 (counts as first UK tr/US dc), 1 UK tr/US dc in the same st. [1 UK tr/ US dc in the next 7 sts, 2 UK tr/ US dc, 1 UK tr/ US dc in next 7 sts] - repeat until end of row. You finish with 1 UK tr/ US dc in the last 7 sts (total of 108 sts), sl st in third st of your first 3 ch to close the row.

Row 10
Red yarn: Skip the first 2 sts, 3 UK tr/ US dc in third st, ch 2,  3 UK tr/ US dc in same st, skip 2 sts, sl st in next st, [skip 2 sts, 3 UK tr/ US dc in third st, ch 2,  3 UK tr/ US dc in same st, skip 2 sts, sl st in next st] repeat until end of row and finish with your sl st to close the row. Fasten off.

Voila! Your Christmas Mandala is finished. Easy, right!

Happy Christmas for now and we'll see if I get to share some Christmas pics with you before the big day as well.

Kärlek
Annette

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Views from a window

The views from my window are amazing this time of the year. I do miss the snow, which disappeared quickly, but I am hoping it will soon come back. The Alps and Mont Blanc are at times so clear and sharp and other times tucked in to a layer of puffy clouds. Some mornings it looks like the mountains are on fire, others I can't even see them because of the thick thick fog.

The sun dresses my views in the most beautiful shades of pink, orange and yellow which makes me stand for minutes watching it go down over the fields... Moments of treasures taken in a very hectic time of this season.

Kärlek
Annette

What's up?

YARN: Ideal by Bergere de France.
COLORS: Cendre (grey), Everest (white), Brouilly (burgundy red), Cyklamen (berry pink),
Danseuse (light pink), Fougere (dark green), Olivine (light green).
HOOK SIZE: 3,5mm/E4 US.
PATTERN: By Annette Ciccarelli, buy it here.

I am finishing the last row on my second Nordic Shawl. I have to admit I love the color combos on this one. Now it is only to fasten off ends left before I decide if I should give it away, sell it or keep it for myself... Decisions, decisions.
So, what's up? I haven't been around much have I? Well, I am here. And not here. I am actually very much present in Real Life more than in Cyber Life for the moment. And I like it that way. My list of things I need to do is so dreadfully looooong. But the list of what I WANT to do is what gets priority this time of the year:

- Finish some small crochet projects I have lying around
- Start on a new stripy blanket that I have in mind
- Lay puzzles and listen to Christmas music
- Bake ginger cookies and saffron buns with my kids
- Wrap Christmas gifts without stress
- Christmas decorate my home
- Walk around in Christmas PJ and warm slippers looking lazy
- Drink Swedish Glögg (spiced hot red wine) and eat chocolates
- Light candles
- Watch the Swedish Advents Calendar
- Watch Christmas movies
- Let someone else take care of all the cleaning and laundry
- Eat delicious dinners
- Do crafts with the kids
- Go for chilly walks and have a hot chocolate after - because I deserve it
- Just chill out with my loved ones and go slow, absorbing every minute of the Christmas countdown.
- Sit still and just be

So that is what I am trying my best to do. It is not easy, I have to admit, to just chill out and enjoy but I think I have done very well so far this year compared with previous hectic and totally stressful Christmas countdowns. So how are you doing? Are you chilling out or are your heart skipping at high speed and you find yourself rushing from one thing to another not getting anything done?

Breathe! Sit down. Grab a cookie and a coffee. Listen to Michael Buble's Christmas CD and get carried away by his smooth voice. You don't have his CD? Get out there and buy it.

Dear cyber friends. I love having you here. Welcome to all my new followers. You are truly amazing and wonderful and I am so flattered to have you come to visit my world. Happy Christmas countdown everyone. See you around.

Kärlek
Annette

Buy the Nordic Shawl Pattern here!