The devil is in the details.

Funny how some minor changes and some embellishments can change the look of a project.

Before:

And after:

I made some small changes and now these bag finally finished!

I've been making a lot of crocheted cowls lately. This is number 5 and counting... but at a slower pace as I am quite fed up with making them at this moment.

I was planning on doing some sewing but I've managed to destroy my sewing machine this morning when I dropped the footpedal on the ground. Now I have to find something else to do, not that it is that hard. There are a lot of things I could/should do, like work on my costuming website. But now that spring finally seems to have arrived  I really want to work on a vintage 50's style spring dress instead.

Still hooked to crochet

I absolutely love Ravelry with it's large amount of crochet and knitting patterns. This cowl is one of my latest projects made with a pattern  I found through Ravelry. It's fast, it's easy, the pattern is free and  I love the structure of the crochet stitches and you can find the pattern here : http://www.jjcrochet.com/blog/free-crochet-cowl-pattern/

The http://www.jjcrochet.com/blog/crochet-cowl-pattern-free-chunky-bulky-perfect-for-winter/ is also from  the same author, and it's just as easy, fast and free, and I like this pattern even better because the cowl looks better on me and fits more snugly around my neck, keeping me warmer.

My victorian purse is finally finished. I wish you could see more details of the jet black beaded decorations, but black on black is nearly impossible to photograph.

Can't wait for my sewing machine to get back from the shop. My mind is simply bubbling with ideas of thing I want to make. High on my priority list is a new vintage style spring dress. 

Websites are updated!

One of my friends warned me that crochet can be addictive and she wasn't kidding!
After finishing my own beanie hat, I decided to make a newborn size beanie hat and use up the yarn I had left over from mine.

I recently purchased this victorian umbrella handle on Etsy, we are going to repurpose it as a walking stick handle. Which will be a very nice job for my very handy husband.

While spring is here, the spring temperatures are not, which result in me not really being into a reenacting mood. I have to admit that I am not a die hard reenactor but a warm weather reenactor and although I have quite a lot of things to prepare for the upcoming season, I am not in the mood to do any of them. Something that I will no doubt regret later. I did however update our living history websites:

Muninn & Huginn Viking Living History
and
De Zwarte Zwaan Living History

Both are in Dutch only, but it might be worth taking a look at our picture gallery which you can find under foto's.

We have some viking events in our agenda but no medieval yet, which makes me kinda sad. I always like doing the medieval events and I don't get to wear my medieval costumes nearly enough. On the other hand with the health issues of both men in the family we are carefull not to plan too much.

I am working on several small projects, like a victorian chemise for one of my friends, but most of them will have to wait until my sewing machine is back from the shop for some TLC.