s a l e harlequin baby blanket

S A L E

Harlequin baby blanket.

The handmade baby blanket is made with 100% wool.

Size 85 x 85 cm

It's now on S A L E in my Etsy shop.

weekend getaway antwerp

Antwerp. One of our favorite cities close by, for a weekend getaway.

For drinks; Café Korsakov & Café Hopper

For lunch and dinner; Pilar & Fish a'gogo

To sleep; Hotel O Kathedral

For art and culture; Ecce Homo & FOMU Foto Museum

weekend vibes

This week I've been working on a new cool crochet project.

After working on the huge harlequin blanket, it was so much fun to start something completely new!

A herringbone pillow (another personal favorite pattern besides the harlequin) in the same color as our new tiled kitchen wall (which is a coincidence).
The crochet work I finished yesterday evening and this morning I've been busy sewing the crochet onto white linen fabric.

I love how it worked out and I am really happy to prepare the new pattern for the upcoming cool crochet workshop in Marrakech in April.

The herringbone pillow is rocking the vintage garden chair, that we once found in Spain and the palm tree wallhanging in the background, is making the weekend feeling complete...

Have a nice weekend you all!

why wait? how about 'summer' in 11 weeks...

COOL CROCHET WORKSHOP APRIL 2018 (there are only a few spots left)

(the blanket at the top, is not one of our projects by the way; Cool Crochet goes beyond the granny square!)

How about six days in Marrakech in April?

Crochet while discovering Marrakech and surroundings in an authentic, very special and unique way.
Price € 725,00 per person.
The price is based on a shared twin bedroom and excluding flight ticket.
It's always possible to book extra nights, before or after the workshop

INCLUDED:
- transfer from airport Marrakech to Riad Chambres d'Amis (v.v.)
- shared twin bedroom (5 nights) including breakfast in Chambres d'amis. (no single rooms available)
- 3 dinners & 4 lunches (drinks are not included)
- a small daily crochet project, with a new technique, including yarns, hooks and patterns
(and don't worry, we definitely do not crochet all day, it's a above all a laid-back holiday...)
- all excursions in and around Marrakech

PROGRAMME:
Buying wool, cotton and yarns in the souk. Urban jungle crochet at Jardin Majorelle. Crochet in the desert. Moroccan crochet in the open on the colourful Place des Epices. A daytrip to the Atlas mountains. Crochet on the roof of Maison de Photographie with it's wonderful view of the town... Every day delicious moroccan food and amazing adventures in and around Marrakech, will make this travel-workshop never-to-be-forgotten!

The cool crochet workshop is a real treat for yarn lovers. An adventurous journey, you can make on your own, while you will be 'pampered' and only have to enjoy and relax.

SPRING COOL CROCHET WORKSHOP arrival: Wednesday 11th of April 2018 - leaving: Monday 16th of April 2018

AUTUMN COOL CROCHET WORKSHOP arrival: Wednesday 3rd of October 2018 - leaving: Monday 8th of October 2018 FULLY BOOKED!

We start with a welcome dinner on the rooftop of Chambres d'Amis on the first night of the workshop.

If you would like to join one of the workshops, please send an e-mail to info@woodwoolstool.com and I will send you an application form. This is the time to make new travel plans for 2018!

Besides the Cool Crochet Marrakech workshops, we will also organize two GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOPS in 2018!

For those who don't like to crochet, but would love to discover Marrakech in a very special non-touristic way.
We have some spots available for both Green Gardens workshops, in April and October.
SPRING GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 19th of April 2018 - leaving: Tuesday 24th of April 2018
AUTUMN GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 11th of October 2018 - leaving: Tuesday 16th of October 2018

Both workshops are a collaboration with my friend Ank van der Pluijm, owner of hotel CHAMBRES D'AMIS, oasis in the Medina of Marrakech and our wonderful green 'basecamp' during the workshops.

poppy anemones

Poppy Anemones are my favorite 'winter flowers' and preferably this pinkish-rose color called Sylphide.

To enjoy anemones a little longer, you need to put them in a small amount of water, because otherwise the flower stems might rot. Make sure you check the vase daily, because they take up large amounts of water. A transparent vase is therefore the best choice for the poppy anemones.

Took this 'I feel like spring' picture with my iPhone this morning, while I was working at the kitchen table. I posted it on Instagram and wanted to share it overhere anyway.

a bunch of flowers, like in a child's drawing...

thank you & think about it

A huge thanks to you all for the nice comments on the harlequin blanket and respect for this huge crochet project!

When I've been working on a project for a long time, I sometimes forget how cool it actually is...

I would like to share one more photo of the huge harlequin blanket, from my side of the bed.

Since the beginning of the Cool Crochet workshops in Marrakech, the harlequin technique is a popular and recurring project. During the Cool Crochet workshop, we 'work' every day on a new small project/technique. The harlequin is a fun way to learn, how to increase and decrease.

If you feel like joining us in the beautiful surroundings of Marrakech, you can sign up for the workshop in April 2018 (October is already fully booked). The program is truly amazingly versatile. The Cool Crochet workshop is a great way to discover Marrakech, in an authentic and alternative way!

And don't get the impression you have to crochet all day, above all it's an adventure, an experience and a relaxing treat to yourself!

It would be great to meet you in Marrakech this spring! Think about it...

More information about the workshops, you can find in the sidebar >>

The harlequin pattern you can download in my Etsy shop.

local saturday market

Saturday morning.

An early visit to the local market for fresh vegetables and flowers.

We chose anemones for the kitchen table.
Ingredients for tonight's tajine; carrots, fennel, sweet colored peppers, potatoes, snow peas, garlic olives, a preserved salted lemon and chicken.
Fresh figs and chocolate for dessert.

Today Dietske, owner of the coolest house in Amsterdam East, will visit us. She is a sweetheart, whom I met in May as a participant of the Green Gardens workshop in Marrakech. We obviously cook a proper moroccan meal for her. Tajine is already simmering on the stove...

huge harlequin blanket pattern

The huge harlequin blanket is finally finished!

Most of the work was done in 2017 and I 'only' had to work all parts together to make it into a blanket.

I reworked the original harlequin pattern from June 2013, so you can choose whether you want to make the large or smaller version.

You can download the renewed huge harlequin blanket pattern from my Etsy shop.

With this extensive pattern of no less than 22 pages, you can make a huge harlequin blanket, but also a mini baby blanket and everything in between. The size of the blanket is very easily to enlarge or reduce.

The huge version is for enthusiastic and eager crochet queens and a smaller version is perfect to use all yarn leftovers.

Last night it was freezing cold on the attic and I took the blanket upstairs to put it over the duvet...

gold up to the ceiling

Gold up to the ceiling.

Handmade moroccan tiles, in spicy tones of gold and bamboo brown, cover the kitchen walls.

The painted pink wall showed stains everywhere. Not surprising, of course, in a kitchen where you work and cook daily.
The 'moroccan pink' wall was repainted several times, but eventually we opted for a practical tile wall, up to the ceiling.

The aim was to create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

I would choose the moroccan pink color again and I will miss it, but after a few years it's time for something else.

What color? not too safe and boring and no green because that's too trendy.
Choosing a color is not that easy, however we quickly agreed; g o l d
Not the shiny gold, but a natural golden brown, mustard, ocher, spicy and different one...
(This color is also my favorite for wool projects, because it combines with everything although is quite a peculiar color.)

So it was a mess in the kitchen for three days, but the tile craftsman did an awesome job and it has become a beautiful wall!

I'm very happy with the result. Especially when the sunlight peeked inside yesterday.
The light, reflection, texture and the shadows of the plants; awesome atmosphere!

Today I am going to clean and redecorate the kitchen.