I have recently rediscovered my love for origami both through research for my other blog Folding Trees and just because I love anything to do with paper.

Inspired by the story about Sadako Sasaki (you can read more about it here) I started folding 1000 paper cranes as a peace project. Here is the first one I made: 

In the meantime I have been asking people to help me and send me their pictures of their own cranes in peaceful places. If you are interested you can have a look here and join me, that would be great!!

An other thing I am completely addicted to is making these modular origami balls. This one is made by Planetjune. Using origami paper that is printed off from the internet, more about that here. (look at the end of that post for some links)

Now what is the next thing I will be making….? I have had my eye on some quilling projects so hopefully I will report back soon on that.

Happy crafting, Eve

I am still deeply in love with crochet I just love the simplicity of it; 1 hook 1 skein of yarn and off you go. Anyway a little while ago I crocheted this seamless bag with chunky wool and a huge hook but never wrote a pattern down. The size is 37cm wide by 31cm high)

See, I love crocheting but I am not really into sewing the sides up for bags. So please find below the pattern for a seamless purse. I guess it’s probably totally the wrong way to make a bag/purse but it is soo easy! Here is a view of the bottom and I think it looks fine.

The end result looks like this and the only thing you have to do at the end is sew the buttons on and weave the ends in.

I used:

• 6mm hook
• 2 skeins of very yummy merino wool
• 3 buttons

After it’s finished you might want to line the purse. I am not very good at sewing so if somebody has a good tutorial for lining a crocheted purse please let me know. I think this would also look very nice without the flap and a zip in it but again I struggle with zips a lot so this was the easier option.

Alrighty here we go; the pattern:

ch 40

row 1: 1 hdc into every top loop of chain then without turning go around the other side and 1 hdc in every bottom loop of chain

no chains at the end of a row just keep going around and around untill your work has the desired height, mine is about 10cm high.

No you are going to make the flap: 

sc in first 40ch of front of work to make a nicer edge and hdc in back of work turn work over

ch 2, 40 hdc turn over keep going untill you have 6 rows like this.

ch 2, 9 hdc, 2 ch (for button hole), 8 hdc, 2 ch (for buttonhole), 8 hdc, 2 ch(for buttonhole), 9 hdc

ch 2, 40 hdc

ch 1, then sc in every hdc around for nicer edge

Now sew your buttons on.

Taadaaa! The finished result. (Size is 26cm wide and 11.5cm high.)

Since I am not the greatest pattern writer please let me know if you see any mistakes or ways to discribe it better. I think I will sew some lining in mine and maybe make some pretty embroidery on the front put the plain one is rather nice too I think. And if you are going to have a go at this please leave a link in the comments section of this post so I can have a look at your purse/bag

Last Sunday I went for a bike ride with my twin boys, which means that they went on their bikes and I ran behind them but well. I spotted these little fluffy things and thought what can I do with those? So we picked some and took them home.

So they look pretty in a vase but let’s add some colour with food dye abit of an old trick but heaps of fun right!? I got 2 tall tumblers with 1/4cup of cold water and a teaspoon of blue and a teaspoon of red in the other glass.

Then we started dipping about a 1/3 in red, 1/3 in blue and after that mixing blue and red together to make purple but unfortunately turned out to be a browny color for the last 1/3. After dipping they are completely soaked and you sort of roll them between your thumb and finger to get all the excess off. See here the 3 colors when wet.

After this I made them into a little bouquet, as you can see the colors go quite pale after they dry.

Here is a tutorial for a little bee I have written myself the other day. Please find a photo below of what the end result should look like. I used some scrap yarn I picked up from the thrift store and 4mm hook. I am very curious to see what you think or maybe I forgot to mention something in the tutorial that would make it clearer. Please let me know but be kind, it’s my first one….

Stitches explained:

Sl stitch= slip stitch, SC= Single Crochet, Ch= Chain

Body:

Chain 4 close to make ring with slip stitch

• row 1: 6sc in ring (6)
• row 2: 2 sc in every sc (12)
• row 3: 2sc in every 2nd sc (18)
• row 4: 1sc in every sc (18)
• row 5: 1sc in every sc (18)
• row 6: 1sc in every sc (18)
• row 7: 2nd + 3rd sc together (12)
• row 8: 1sc in every sc (12)
• row 9: 2 sc in every 3sc (16)
• row 10: 1 sc in every sc (16)
• row 11: 2sc in every 4th sc (20)
• row 12 1 sc in every sc (20)
• Start filling body
• row 13: 4th of 5th sc together (16)
• row 14: 3rd + 4th together (12)
• Fill body again
• row 15: 2nd + 3rd together (6)
• row 16: 3 x 2sc together
• Finish off

Wings

Chain 4 close to make ring with slip stitch

• row 1: 6 sc in ring
• row 2: 2sc in every sc (12)
• row 3: 2x *1sc, 2sc in next sc* next sc 1x slip stitch
• row 4: ch4 close ring with 1sc into 1st of chain
• turn work over, 9 sc in ring cut yarn off keep appr 20cm length.
• Attach small circle to larger circel.

Attach body and wings together, and make a smiley face and TAaaadaaa you are done!