Life lately...

Sophie with daddy! I can't believe she is already so big! Next month she will be one year and a half. Time flies... 

We had wonderful weekend here. It was warm and sunny. I could smell the Spring. I love it and can't wait when it arrives!

We spent quite a lot of time outside... Children were having fun...

A few days ago we celebrated my birthday and I got the best present ever! :-) More about it later! :-)

Finally having some rest too... :-)

And I love, love that evenings here are getting warmer and warmer...

I hope you had a wonderful weekend too! :-)

Ladies' Shrug - Cardigan

So, here it is! Finally! Remember this post? And now here is my version! :-) Of course I made it in my way. i wanted to make it with sleeves (though you can make it without sleeves or with short sleeves as well). It works up pretty quickly. And I love it! I used this alpaca yarn . It is so soft and comfy that I don't want to get out of it at all. I am planing to make another one with cotton yarn for summer as well.
Well, I hope you like it! :-)
The pattern is available here!
Have a great weekend!

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! :-)
I am still very behind my "to do" list... after the terrible flu we had here needed some time of rest and peace, and more family time. It is exactly what we did this weekend. :-)
But the most urgent things to do now are:
* finish the pattern for ladies shrug or vest (it is almost finished so hopefully this week I will release it);
* make photos for next "crochet tips" post;
* list many new items in my crochetvalley.etsy.com shop where I sell finished items;
Oh, I can go on for quite long with urgent and not so urgent things to do...
Well, hopefully this week I will manage to shorten my "to do" list :-)
Have a great week!

A lovely day...

I don't consider myself as a big fan of Valentine's day. Some years ago I was much more enthusiastic about it, but now... probably it means I am getting old, or I am married for too long... :-) I don't know. But I know that I don't need a special day to show my love for my husband and my children. I love them more than anything else and my heart is always filled with love, no matter which day it is.
Of course I still like the flowers my husband is bringing me on this day, and I pay back with some extra homemade sweets, but it could happen any other day as well...  :-)
In any case I hope you had (or still having) a lovely day! :-)

Tough week...

We had the worst flu ever here! Oh, I even don't rememmber when I was soooo sick, and of course all seemed even worse with two sick kids. Good thing that they were quite happy to stay with me on the big bed and watch cartoons... a lot of cartoons... :-) But finally we are (almost) fine. Weather also slowely gets better here and we are starting this week with big hopes - to get back to normal life. :-)
While I was sick something nice happened to this blog. It was nominated to the Top 25 Fashion and Beauty Moms. You can vote for me here if you like: Top 25 Fashion and Beauty Moms
Voting will go on till the end of February and you can vote daily. :-) Thank you everyone! :-)

Crochet tips: work in front or back loop only

I think this is the most common question I receive: what does it mean to work only in back loop (or front loop)? 

On the top of each stitch there are two loops and normally we work in both of them.

If the pattern calls for working only in one loop it means:

the loop which is closer to you when you look at your work is the front loop, and you must insert hook only in it, leaving the back loop (the one which is far from you) unworked. 

You do the same if you have to work only in back loop - you insert hook not through both loops, but only through the back loop, leaving the front loop unworked.

You should never ignore notes about back or front loop, because it can totally change the pattern!

Hope this helps! :-)

The next question I am going to answer is:

What is the best way to join when crocheting in the round to minimize an ugly seam?

Happy moments...

Lately life slowed down quite a lot here. We have really bad weather. Trieste is very famous for a very strong wind - Bora. It goes on now for days and days (yesterday even with some snow) and I am blocked at home with Sophie, as I am afraid to get out. The wind is so strong, people are falling on the streets, something can also very easily fall on your head from the broken roofs... well, it is not exactly how I imagine nice morning walk with a child. So, we are staying cozy at home... but it makes me really lazy... I need back my everyday routine! It organizes me! I know how much time I have for this and that and I feel fresh and full of energy when I come back from a walk. Now I just feel lazy and would like to stay on my sofa with a book for a whole day... that's no good. :-) And Sophie is not happy about this as well. I guess she is just waiting when big brother comes home from his "school" so they can play together and she can leave in peace her lazy mother...  :-)
Well, I miss the beautiful sunny days we had some time ago, when I snapped all these photos. They make me happy. I am a weather person. :-)

Tomorrow will come first "Crochet Tips" post. Stay tuned! :-)