Crochet Connections

Good evening girls, it's great to see you tonight here in k-town!

I'm back today with a little bit of this and that. Let's start with the Universal Craft Blog Directory by CraftyRie. 

I've got her button in my right side bar for a while now, and maybe you've seen it on other blogs, too. Rie's goal is to create the biggest list of crafty blogs out there, and you can join this directory by just adding your link - don't forget to grab the button and spread the word on your blog, so that Rie's project's gonna be a huge success!

Second, I'd like to mention Crochet Concupiscence once again, for Kathryn's always got great ideas to connect the crochet community out there. Crochet Link Love is a weekly review of great crochet blog posts, and Hooked Together is a project where Kathryn explores and reviews the blogroll of the crochet blogs she's regurlarly reading. December on Crochet Concupiscence will be 31 Days of Crochet Giveaways. Yes, there'll be a giveaway every day, isn't that amazing? Make sure you don't miss that!

Last but not least, I'd like to invite you to my big Christmas Crochet link-party, starting tomorrow: All through the month of December you can link up your crocheted Christmas ornaments, gifts and more, and check out the great ideas of your blogging friends. Hope to see you tomorrow, I can't wait! :)

Giveaway Winners and More

Hi there, I'm back from vacation and it's been great! :) We've seen and learned so much about the Egyptian culture, we've met great people, and had a few relaxing days at the sea. Unfortunately John and I've both caught a bad cold in the second week and brought it back to Germany. The weather at home is nasty, and it's hard to imagine that only two days ago we were lying at the beach and enjoying the sun - but on the other hand it feels good to be back home, too (mainly because we were sick of the food in the hotel *gg*).

But now back to business, do you remember my little giveaway challenge?

Thank you for taking part in this game and for spreading the word about it on your blogs! And welcome to those of you who have become new followers, I hope you keep coming back once in a while :)

And now... (drum roll)... here's the solution:

 

As you can see, the correct number is 448 buttons, and I've decided to be strict and - since it was a condition to enter the giveaway - to consider only the guesses of followers (old or new). Those are the three girls who were closest to the right number:

1. winkieflash (467)

2. Hazel (423)

and

3. Saritha (400)

Congratulations!! Everyone of you will win the little goodie bag with some of my favorite buttons and beads plus a handmade bookmark plus a little souvenir from Egypt: a bracelet with a little stone shaped as a scarab: the scarab is a little bug and the Egyptians think it brings you luck - just as the Europeans believe in the ladybug as a lucky charm, I guess. Winkie who was closest to the correct number will also win my latest stone:

I've already sent e-mails to you or left comments on your blogs, please answer me soon - I need your addresses so I can send the prizes as soon as possible :)

Last but not least, a word about my theme-parties - wow, the last one was great, don't you think? Thanks for linking up so many lovely blankets! I've checked out a few of them before I went on vacation but didn't find the time to check out more while I was away, I hope I can catch up a little now!

The next theme-party will start on Thursday already! Yes, you'll have the whole month of December to link up your Christmas crochet! Old stuff, new stuff, everything is great - inspire and get inspired! :) See you all on Thursday with your fab creations! :)

Postcards from Egypt

Hi there, I hope you're all doing fine! We're still in Egypt, and after a busy week of sightseeing along the Nile, we've finally arrived at our hotel at the Red Sea. Here are some impressions of the last days...

John and me in front of the Temple of Nefertari in Abu Simbel

Entrance to the Temple of Ramses II. in Abu Simbel

On Kitchener Island, somewhere near Assuan

at Karnak Temple, Luxor

an evening visit at the Temple of Kom Ombo

a sunrise in the nubian desert

on board the "MS Grand Suntimes"

Our hotel, the Makadi Palace in Hurghada

See you soon when I'm back home,

from Egypt with love,

Barbara

Theme Party # 4: Blankets

It's party time again! Show the world your favorite crochet blankets, the more the better!

And before you hop away, please enter my giveaway if you haven't already! :)

Some things you should keep in mind:

What you see is what you get: please link to the specific post where your chosen project can be found (not just your main blog address), and make sure that your post is about crochet and matches the given theme! No shops! Please understand that I might remove links that ignore these points.

Feel free to post as many links as you like - you should really search in the depths of your archives to retrieve your forgotten treasures, this is your chance to bring them back to the surface! :) more info

This collection can be found at The Crochet Boulevard now!

A Give (while I'm) Away

 

Here's something to keep you busy while I'm away: what do a Johnny Walker glass, a can of vegetable juice and a bunch of colorful buttons have in common? Exactly, they're part of the giveaway I've mentioned in my previous post! But don't worry, these things are not the prizes you can win, I just needed this stuff for the question you have to answer! Ready? Okay, here's the question:

How many buttons are in the glass?

I like these kinds of competitions, because I think it's a fair way to decide about the winner and it's more fun than just using a random generator, isn't it? The can of juice is there to help you judge the size of the glass.

Here's how you can take part in the competition:

1) be or become a follower/member of this blog

2) enter a comment to this post and guess the number of buttons in the glass (only one guess per participant, please!)

3) you can increase your chances of winning by mentioning this giveaway on your blog: if you let your readers know about this competition, please tell me about it and you'll get a tolerance of +/- 10 buttons (e.g. if your guess is 520, you're also in with every number between 510 and 530)!

4) this giveaway ends when I'm back from vacation on Sunday, November 27th and I'll announce the winners one day later

5) yes, there's gonna be more than one lucky winner this time: The three people who are closest to the real number of buttons in the glass (or enter the correct number first) will win the following prizes:

Each winner will get a little gift bag, including one of my handmade bookmarks in a color of your choice, plus a few surprise items from my buttons/beads collection to embellish your own work, plus a little souvenir from Egypt (if I'll find something nice) or a souvenir from Germany.

The one who's guess is closest to the real number (the main winner you could say) will also get my latest stone, made especially for this giveaway. It's a small one again, because I'd like to ship it even to the other end of the world if necessary ;)

 

Meanwhile I started signing my stones, so here's the backside with a little signature:

 

I hope to see you again tomorrow for the monthly theme-party! And now I wish you all good luck and happy guessing :)

(not yet) Thursday Thoughts

Source: fillno.tumblr.com via Barbara on Pinterest

Looking Back and Forward

Hi there, how are you all doing on this sunny Sunday? Here in Bavaria it feels more like a lovely spring day than a typical November day, and it's quite warm, too!

There hasn't been much crochet on this crochet blog lately, don't you think? Here are some excuses:

1) I'm still busy taking step-by-step pictures for the baskets I've made recently, but it's almost impossible to get good close-up pictures with the bad light I've got in our appartment. It's frustrating. 2) I'm still working on the super secret project (see glimpses of it in my Thursday Thoughts). 3) I've had (and still have) several long (and not completely painless) sessions at the dentist, because I'll be getting a crown - it won't make me a princess, but it'll cost me a fortune! (and there goes the money I've worked hard for all summer long with the extra hours) 4) I've got to prepare things for our coming vacation - Saturday is Take-Off-day! :)

That's why I thought I'd show you some more of my "old stuff" and asked my sister to bring a blanket I've made back in 2002, when my niece Hanna was born:

Now you might think that these are not quite typical colors for a baby blanket (especially not for a baby girl), and I certainly wouldn't pick these colors today. I don't know why I've choosen these colors back then, but somehow it seemed right, and my sister loved the colors and told me she still loves them today. Oh, and Hanna does, too - she's nine years old now, but it still seems like yesterday, when she was born, funny how time flies, isn't it?

Here you can see that I've sewed some fabric to the back of the blanket - it was meant to be laid on the floor for the baby to roll around and play on it. The blanket is quite big for a baby blankie, too - it measures 120x120 cm (47x47 inches) and it's made with the basic granny squares (the only pattern I knew back then, just like in my huge granny blanket I've showed you some time ago).

It's really quite big compared to the United Colors Baby Blanket I've made earlier this year and which measures only 75x75 cm (30x30 inches). Oh, talking about the United Colors Blanket: The baby's there!! It's a boy named Yannick, he was expected for mid-November but he already arrived on October 22nd, so he's quite small but he and his Mom are fine!

And now let's look forward: Don't forget that there's another link-party here on Friday! You've still got a few days left to vote, but it really looks like the Blankets will bring it home this time. On Saturday night, John and I will be up in the air, heading to Egypt, yippie! We'll both turn on year older wiser while we're away, and it will be wonderful to celebrate our birthdays in the sun.

For December, I thought a Christmas-themed link-party would be nice. So there won't be a new poll this time, instead you'll have the whole month of December to link up your Christmas crochet ideas - time enough to get inspired and show off your creations!

Last but not least, I thought another giveaway is more than overdue! Meanwhile, there are more than 200 people reading this blog, stopping by and leaving wonderful comments. Thank you sooo much! Please check back later this week to read more about this giveaway! :)

Thursday Thoughts

Source: toptumbles.com via Barbara on Pinterest