free form crochet

Μου έχει κολήσει, εδώ και καιρό, το λεγόμενο free form crochet, που πλέκεις όπως θέλεις, χωρίς πατρόν. Τις προάλλες λοιπόν, (αφού, μεταξύ μας, είχα πιεί ένα-δυό ποτηράκια) σκέφτηκα: "ααα να μια ωραία ιδέα, θα πλέξω, να χαλαρώσω." και, εκεί που έχω κάνει 3-4 σειρές, λέω (από μέσα μου): "ααα μα έλεος, γιατί να μην δοκιμάσω επιτέλους το free form crochet;".  Χωρίς πολύ σκέψη γύρισα το γαντάκι, που είχα ξεκινήσει, ανάποδα, και ξεκίνησα να πλέκω όπου ήθελα.

Δεν σκεφτόμουν τι θα το κάνω σαν τελειώσει, απλά έπλεκα με ότι χρώμα μου άρεσε! Στο τέλος αφού το περιεργάστηκα, για να δω τι μπορώ να το κάνω, "ω ναι!" μπορούσε άνετα ο μωβ/κόκκινος κυκλάκος να χρησιμεύσει σαν άνοιγμα για τον αντίχειρα! Και να γίνει το τέλειο γάντι χωρίς δάχτυλα λοιπόν!






I've been thinking of free form crochet a lot, and the other day after a few drinks and while I was starting a fingerless glove (a well known pattern that I've made about a million times) I said to myself "hey why don't try something new?" and so it happened! Without much thinking I turned my glove and started crocheting spontaneously on every possible way.
I wasn't thinking about what it will be , I was just crocheting whatever I liked, however it was fun. In the end, I decided that it would actually make an excellent fingerless glove! yay! 

Την επόμενη προσπάθησα να πλέξω άλλο ένα, για να τα κάνω ζευγάρι, και προσπάθησα βλακωδώς να αντιγράψω τα αυθόρμητα πράγματα που έκανα την προηγούμενη. Μιεχ φυσικα και δεν βγήκε τόσο καλό όσο το πρώτο! Μα τι περίμενα;
Θα το ξαναδοκιμάσω πάντως, κάποια άλλη όμορφη, χαλαρή στιγμή!

The next day, I tried to make one more, to pair it with my quirky fingerless glove, and in a way I tried to follow the same spontaneous paths... there is a reason why they are called spontaneous! Guess what, it didn't work... I'll try it again, in a day like that, that my mind will feel free and awesome! ;)

i'll keep you posted.
marietta

a girl, a plaid thermos and a pair of fingerless gloves

     Buy those fingerless gloves here!                                                      Αγοράστε τα γαντάκια εδώ!

  To λοιπόν, αυτή η κοπέλα είναι η Τόνια! Ήρθε στην Χαλκίδα τις προάλλες, και παρόλο που θέλαμε να οργανώσουμε μια φωτογράφιση, καταφέραμε να τραβήξουμε μόνο αυτές τις γρήγορες φωτογραφίες. Βέβαια τις λάτρεψα και γι'αυτό τις βλέπετε εδώ στο blog.

 Φοράει αυτά τα γαντάκια χωρίς δάχτυλα που έπλεξα και της τα έκανε δώρο το αγόρι της. ( <3) Εσείς φοράτε τέτοιου είδους γάντια;! θα τα κάνατε δώρο σε κάποιον;
Πατήστε εδώ για να διαλέξετε και να αγοράσετε μερικά από τα σχέδια που ανέβασα στο Esty shop! και πείτε μου τη γνώμη σας.

So this is Tonia! She came visiting Chalkida the other day, and though we wanted to do a photo shoot, we only managed to shoot some really quick snapshots with her wearing her new Double Crochets' fingerless gloves, her boyfriend gifted her! I love them, so that's why I'm sharing them with you...!
Do you wear this kind of gloves?!  Would you gave them as a gift? You can find and buy some of designs on my Etsy shop! I would love to hear your opinion.

#Marietta

pop up origami- seminar

Όπως σας είχα πει και εδώ παρακολούθησα ένα ακόμη σεμινάριο που είχε σχέση με το χαρτί! Αυτή τη φορά αφορούσε τις pop up τεχνικές.

As I've already mentioned here, I've relatively recently attended on more paper art/paper folding seminar, that was focused on pop up card techniques!

Φυσικά και ήταν φανταστικό,
και παρακάτω είναι και ένα βίντεο από το σεμινάριο. που μπορείτε να με δείτε να ξεπροβάλω κάπου...
It was pretty awesome, again!
 and here's a video,
you will be seeing me there picking somewhere!



Καλά δεν θα σας πω ποια είναι η τελική μου κάρτα, νομίζω είναι αυτονόητο... :P
can you guess which is my pop up card?  hehehe
Marietta

New Year's resolution: 2014

Happy New Year to everyone that reads Double Crochets' blog, and well... everybody else around the blog-o-sphere! Today I'll be sharing my New Year's Resolution for the 2014 and I'll be reviewing the last year's one.

1. Blog more frequently, well this is over and over on my New Year's resolutions, but I truly love blogging, and I wish I could let myself free and just blog as I've dreamt of.
2. Find my Voice, on both writing and sharing my creative content (with my own original way).
3. Engage more in other social media. I've been in Facebook and in Pinterest a lot, but not that much in Twitter, and this year I've dumped Tumblr which I used to love. I am a visual type, and I spend a copious amount of time in media like Pinterest and Tumblr and I've gathered some really awesome images, I totally think I should get back to this hobby and share my finds here weekly! 
4. To set up some weekly features at last! I love this feature in oh-so-may blogs, and I've tried in the past (1,2), but now I think I shall do it weekly. (maybe with some internet finds from #3 goal?)
5. Keep up with the Etsy shop, and update it with products that really reflect my aesthetic and my style, regularly!
6. Take more photos.
7. Read more books.
8. Watch even more videos of inspirational talks and try to also help people in everyday life. 
9. Crochet more things for me and my home!
10. Stop procrastinating!!!

^_^ I am really happy with this year's resolution! I think it's a realistic plan that I can follow through.

And here is my review from last year's resolution:  

1. CHECK Be a better blogger (will need: planning ahead, read more blogs, document more,shoot more photos, writing down, or sketching (why not), a journal for keeping track of the blog posts)  I'm far from being a good blogger, but I am definitely a better blogger than last year, I've planned, wrote, posted more posts than ever and I've been reading a lot of old and new blogs I follow. 
2. CHECK Keep collaborating and connecting with people who share the same passions!  I've connected with oh so much more bloggers and crocheters/crafters than last year, I'm also proud of myself for collaborated in 6 giveaways, and got a liebster award!
3. CHECK Set up an online shop (yes I'm putting this again!)  did it!!
4. CHECK Never stop crafting and learning new things!  Definitely crossing this over! I've got my diploma in Fashion design and pattern making in 2013 and attended two paper folding seminars, while I've started taking classes at Eric Robbert-Chalkis jewellery School! Oh, I believe the countless webminars and inspirational talk videos I've watched online count also, right?
5. CHECK Be thankful to people who support us (thank you people who support us!!!) There is not enough "thank you"s I could say to everybody that supports me and Double Crochets!! THANK YOU♡!
6. CHECK Stay united, no matter how far we may be next year!  Panagiota+Marietta=DCs for ever!
7. Manage to develop both and each of us, her own unique style on Double Crochets' products. Needs work!
8. Organise our studio, our craft supplies and our stash.Will never happen! hahaha our stash and stuff are all over 3 different cities..
9. CHECK Do a blog makeover, develop new packaging and bring new, fresh air on Double Crochets online. Yeap did a blog makeover, but would love one more!
10. CHECK Stay happy ,free and creative!!! Oh-ho yes!!! but need more, bring it on! ❤｡◕‿ ◕｡✎

One thing I've learnt and embedded this year is to take nothing for granted! Every situation can change, and all we can do, apart from just watching is documenting and building solid memories and being thankful to God for them. Life's moving fast, that's why keeping a diary and taking more photos is on my personal resolution list!

so what's on your Resolution list this year?! Please share!
Happy New Year!
Marietta

These days and my first bazaar in Chalkida

The day after Christmas finds me listening to this album, a little melancholic and blue. Instead of cleaning up the house as I have planned for today, I'm browsing some favorite blogs and drinking hot coffee all day...guilty! And as I was thinking that I haven't posted all the stuff that I intended to (a post on curly hair, on knitting, and movies were only some already planned posts), I decided to share some photos from the past weekend.

These are some shots I got while I was preparing for my first bazaar in Chalkida. It was a fundraising Christmas bazaar for stray animal, where I had my booth, along with my mother's-in-law booth of sweets ^_^





It was a really good extended weekend, I spend almost 5 days there and met a whole bunch of new people, and connected with really interesting crafters that live in Chalkida. It was a success! But my home now looks really bad...concluding that I am terrible at planning!

Christmas day was good and so I am expecting the next weekend to be, but for today blue is all I have.
How are you feeling these days?
so long
<Marietta

   

p.s. here is Lolita, Paris, and Tickis the cat, my friend's Nasia, pets! Nasia, Paris and Lolita accompanied and helped me for most of the days! Aren't they the cutest?

Yay for Yarn!

Hi everyone! I'm back with a History Review, on this one you'll been shown some more yarn (ahem).

These special skeins are from New Zealand and are of great quality New Zealand merino wool (two of them have some cashmere) and possum. Yes that's right, possum...! One of our brothers (since we have two of them) travelled in 2011, to New Zeland and while I can't reveal more about him -he is a secret agent- he brought to us (me and Panagiota) four skeins of this fine yarn combination along with 2 wooden crochet hooks from Canada and a amigurumi tutorial book. Here you are with some photos of these wonderful skeins of Zealana yarn.

Do you see these small hairs on that yarn? well this is opossum~!
As I was browsing Zealana's new site, I've read a little about this possum fiber. I was amazed and a little socked with its story, since it's a killing fiber. Well maybe it's not it's fault but since this little guy does a serious damage on native bird and plant life of New Zealand, they found a way to limit its growth and save another super cute little fellow, kiwi, that's about to extinct. You see, possum was imported to New Zealand by people, and with no natural enemies he predominate over anything else (along with cats and rats and other imported animals)... Well, save a kiwi, knit with possum! Read more here, here and here!

oh and yes, if you ask, we've split the hooks and took on of Rimu and one of Tui skein each but we haven't made anything with this yarn yet! It's too good to waste! Probably it's for a collection...  (which reminds me of this)

What do you think? Have you heard anything like that type of fiber before? If not, do you collect yarn?
^Marietta

Christmas bazaar for the stray animals

Hi! Next weekend you could combine holiday shopping with helping the stray animals of Dilesi...if you are in Greece ^_^ A friend of mine, Nasia whom I recently learnt how to crochet, and myself we will be contributing the bazaar with some crocheted goods. All the money that will be gathered will go for the stray animals and particularly our contribution will go for the examination of Lolita, a dog with Kala Azar.

source/source/upper right corner : Lolita!

my contribution

 Και στα ελληνικά! Το επόμενο Σαββατοκύριακο, 14 και 15 Δεκεμβριου, μπορείτε να επισκεφθείτε το καφε Due Viste, στην Νέα Κηφισία (Ιλισίων και Χαράς 2, πλατεία Θανόπουλου) και  να αγοράσετε δώρα για τις γιορτές, βοηθώντας παράλληλα και τα αδέσποτα του Δήλεσι. Οι δραστήριοι φιλοζωοι της περιοχής οργανώνουν αυτό το Χριστουγεννιάτικο παζάρι, και όλα τα έσοδα θα πάνε για τα αδέσποτάκια!
Με την Νάσια, που πρόσφατα έμαθε (με επιτυχία) να πλέκει, στείλαμε κάποια πραγματάκια, με τα έσοδα των οποίων θα μπορέσει μια σκυλίτσα με καλαζάρ, η Λολίτα, να κάνει τις εξετάσεις της.

source/source/source

Does it happen anything similar near you?
kiss
 Marietta

New about page and an interview

Updated:
You can read my new about page here , have you noticed it yet?!
 and here is an interview I gave to Dimitris Gioulos for Postin.gr (sorry it's only in Greek!)

Big Kiss!
Oh and I forgot to mention that I am not in a Christmas mood, at all (...again)

What about you!?

And the Winners are...

ta-Da!!! We have the winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway Congratulations girls!!!
Thank you everyone who took part on this awesome giveaway!

Kisses
Marietta

Free Live Online Workshop

Is it even possible that these words exist? together in the same sentence?
Well I've got good news for you.YES!

on Creative Live...
I've already attended some courses before, and this time there is a special workshop that you may be interested in. It's "Scrapbooking with Project Life" with -as I've recently learnt from Natasa- the creator of Project Life Becky Higgins. ^_^ It's a 3 day workshop on her scrapbooking memory-keeping system, and you can attend it from your home and register for free. Just check what time it will be at your timezone. For Greece it's at 19:00 p.m.

Well it's free for as long it is live, and after that you can purchase the workshop and have unlimited access to it. I am definitely going to attend it (although it's soooo long) and Natasa, too. If you are also planning to enrol, leave me a comment here and let's meet at the Creative Live's chat room or at twitter! (there is a specific hashtag for each course)

I've been seeing bloggers scrapbook for oh-so long, but never gave it a try, I hope this course will help me decide! Scrapbooking "is a method for preserving personal and family history in the form of a scrapbook.Typical memorabilia include photographs, printed media, and artwork." If you need more information on this ask Natasa of Creative Tsouf, or Cristina of Scrapbooking, manolias and music, either attend the workshop!

It's tomorrow!! I'm soooo excited!!! What do you say?

Marietta

p.s. the photos of this post belong to Creative Live and Becky Higgins