Monday moodboard

Fish! 

tenderblue / oneandtwocompany / VillaYlle / krize

You can check more Monday Moodboards at Estella!

Secret Swap Cowl

I'm a member in a Hungarian knitting and crochet Facebook group. I love this group, because I can ask for help, if I don't understand a knitting pattern, and I like to admire the works and photos of other members. Now we are making a game: this is the secret swap cowl, so we must to make asecret cowl for the swap partner like long time ago, in the school at Christmas. :) We have filled a table about the most ideal cowl for us. For example, what colors and pattern you would prefer.
My swap partner would like to get  a not-too-tight cowl, and she wrote about her favourite colors, and she prefers the knitting cowl against the crochet. I have searched the ideal yarn, when I've found a pretty and very soft yarn: the Lana Grossa Merino Mix. I love its color (but I mustn't write more information, if my partner reads my blog... :)!

I've collected some beautiful patterns on Ravelry, and I tried to figure out for 3 days, which one to choose. ;) Finally I've started to make a pattern, but I wasn't satisfied. I've started again. Three more times. :P And when I've understood the pattern, I've choosen a new pattern. :P

Pattern: Origami Falls Cowl

My Ravelry project is here

(the color of cowl is in the reality, of course, not purple ;)

I had to start with picot hem technique. I start with provisional cast on, and I knit 7 rows (in round). The 8. row is *yo, k2tog* till end. Thereafter I knit again 7 rows. I extract the first chain row, and I pick the knitted stitsches to the needle. I fold back the knitting, and I knit a row till end with k2tog: 1 stitch from the first needle, 1 from the new needle. Finally, you have same stitches, and you must start to knit the pattern. The picot hem border is thicker and prettier as a normal, just stockinette border. And the 8. row, the *yo, k2tog* row now looks like as picot hem.

I think the cowl is really practical accessory, and this pattern is very pretty: a little laced, and a little geometric. I will knit this for myself too. :)

Choose the right necklace length!

I made a picture about the length of the necklaces. On the Etsy there is a new function: you can choose the items length, color, size, etc. I've made this picture in order to help you to choose the right necklace length.

Monday Moodboard

Last time I wrote about the knitting fashion, and I showed my unfinished cowl. Now I've collected some modern and exciting cowls from the european group of Etsy.

dekkoline / Fnine / Berniolie / TheYarnKitchen

You can check more Monday Moodboards at Estella!

Cowl designing

I read a (Hungarian) blogpost about the 2012 knitting trends. The article wrote about this autumns trends to wear cowl, mittens and collar. I've learned quickly to knit in round (yet before the article ;), and started to collect some patterns on Ravelry. And I felt I urgently need a cowl! Now I have 2 works in progress, but no problem, I'll quickly make an easy cowl, without a direct pattern. At least that was what I thought. :)

I ordered my things during the weekend, so now my yarns are organized in boxes. I've chosen a purple yarn, whereof I made a shawl last year. I made a test with a 5.0 mm size needle, but I found, my needle is too big for this yarn. I tried again with 4.0 mm needle - it was much more nicer. So I started to make my cowl...

I knitted a short part border, then I tried a "dotted pattern". That was terrible...

Where are my dots...?

In a knitting forum the people said, I use a too thick needle. I pulled down the dotted part, and after the border, I changed the needle to 3,5 mm. But the dotted pattern still didn't look good. Finally I've chosen a lace pattern, and I've bought a 'high quality' needle for the magic loop technique.

Now I'm halfway through, and I think, I've divided back about fifty times. :P
If i ever have it completed, I'll post the knitting pattern! ;)

Pantone colors, 2012 fall

Every year Pantone makes a forecast about the most determinative colors of the next season.
What do you think about the current colors? :)

French Roast: this is a typical autumn tone, ideal alternative of black and grey.
Honey Gold: this warm  tone of yellow is quoted in the autumn sunshine. Use with Olympian Blue!
Pink Flambé: this color reminds me of the Pantone color of 2011 year. That was the honeysuckle. With Tangerine Tango it gives a very retro feeling. :)
Tangerine Tango: this is the Pantone color of 2012. Energetic, powerful and cheerful. I love it!
Ultramarine Green: about this color from the Pantone page: "“love magic” - witches and warlocks, misty landscapes, love potions and dreamy skies set the mood for colors this season" Great idea!
Bright Chartreuse: this yellow-green tone reminds me of the spring. Use with Pink Flambé - really fresh and powerful combination!
Olympian blue: intensive tone, use with neutral colors, for example Ginseng and Hasel.
Titanium: very elegant and many-sided color
Rhapsody: I really love this tone with Titanium. Elegant and womanly pairing.
Rose Smoke: it's like as my favourite nail polish. ;) Soft pastel and nude tone. Have you tried with Titanium? - yeah, I think, Titanium is a very multifunctional tone. :)

Which colors would you wear from these? :)

Monday Moodboard

CuteOldThings / TheRetroBottega / mablum / mademoisellebomode

Vintage. :) I'm back in Berlin, yesterday I was already at the flea market. ;)

You can check more Monday Moodboards at Estella!

Festival of Folk Arts, Budapest

On the last weekend of August it's the 26th Festival of Folk Arts in Budapest, in the Castle of Buda. During the 4 days, you can find about 800 traditional craftsmen, concerts, workshops, and you have the chance to get to know the handcraft gastronomy. In this year the theme was the "Art of the everyday life", and the old and rare crafts.

I love the feeling of the festival - the people in folk costumes, the live folk music, the scent of the  food being baked... You can try some different technics, for example wool felting, handmade paper- and candle making, basketry, bookbinding... I admire the old women making lace - you can't see this in other places in the everyday life.

The girl, who has made yarn with spinning wheel from painted wool, she was just 9 years old!

And I could try new technics at the festival: I have learned yarn spinning with drop spindle. A few weeks ago I've seen a woman to sit in a Café terrace (in Berlin) with a portion of wool and a spindle, and she has made beautiful yarn with her hands. I was very surprised, because I thought, it's only possible to make yarn with spinning wheel. 

The painted wool, and the spindle in the basket.

At the festival, I have met a kind and very professional woman, who has helped me to take the first steps with the drop spindle. The handspinning is a very old and easy technique, but you need a lot of practice, if you want to make useful yarn. ;) I bought a beautiful, purple-grey handpainted wool, and now I'm starting the exercise. :) I think, I've found a new, amazing hobby!
I will surely write about my new entertainment in the blog. ;)

Monday Moodboard

vadjutka / meilingerzita / boldcolorglass / noritart

I'm now in Hungary, that's why I collected some beautiful things from Hungarian artists. I don't wear in everyday life too much red, but I love these minimalist things. :)

You can check more Monday Moodboards at Estella!

Monday Moodboard

 MyMonography / LoveLittleDarling / FrenchFind / EinBierBitte

On Thursday I'm travelling home, to Hungary. I'm really looking forward to this. I will meet my family, my friends, and I will sleep in my old bed. ;) We're going on vacation to lake Balaton, and I plan to go sunbathing on the beach and paddling in the lake.
And I won't eat currywurst and other german-style food: I'll only taste unhealthy Hungarian food, for example lángos. :)

You can check more Monday Moodboards at Estella!

Sea-inspired geometric necklace

When I was searching for the treasures for the last Monday Moodboard, I've found a beautiful photo on Etsy. I simply couldn't get it out of my mind. Beautiful picture, isn't it?

 CarolynCochrane - check her more impressive photos on Etsy!

A few days later (when I've already seen this pictures about 50x :) I figured out: I will make a jewelry with these colors, so this feeling is always with me.

I have made a palette in Photoshop.

Then I've mixed paints, polished, drilled and painted.
Check out my sea-inspired geometric necklaces!

Monday Moodboard

Hello sunshine!

MatkirschPhoto / karmologyclinic / LiinaKu / superlittlecute

I think, the sun has returned to Berlin. :) In the last 3 weeks it rained almost every day.
Today I will go to the park with a good book, a blanket, and a sunglasses, and I will enjoy the weather. ;)

You can check more Monday Moodboards at Estella!

DIY vintage button ring

A few weeks ago I have bought some vintage buttons on the flea market. Now I've chosen two really summer feeling buttons, and I have made them a vintage ring. It is absolutely ideal to wear on the beach or walking in the city on a sunny summer day. :)

Buttons from the flea market

What you will need:
- vintage buttons (or new from the shop :)
- ring base (I used rhodium plated and adjustable)

- two-component glue (glue gun isn't good!)
- a piece of sandpaper

- blade pliers

 I remove with theblade pliers the "ear of button"

 Now, the back of  button is flat.

 It will look like the ring.

I polish the ring base - it is very important! If the ring is flat and smooth, the glue doesn't adhere to the surface, and if you drop your jewelry, it will break down. You need a harsh surface.

 See the picture! I've polished the ring, so you can see the copper color below the rhodium layer.

 I glue the silver button in the blue, plastic button, then the ring onto the blue button.

I filled the holes with glue.

If the glue flows out around the ring, it'll hold stronger. Use a lot of glue!

 ...and you are ready! :)

Monday Moodboard

Today I desire for the sea - or if not, at least sea blue and turquoise color. ;)

SilksByUmf / Kosmika / MyMonography / iragrant

You can check more Monday Moodboards at Estella.

Monday Moodboard

Happy Birthday...

...to me. :) Tomorrow is my birthday. In previous year my Mother baked a marzipan-chocolate cake, and I had a picnic with my friends in Budapest, Kopaszi-gát. We played games, ate cakes and enjoyed the sun.

 Kopaszi-gát with Danube

Now in Berlin the weather is cool, my best friend works in France, and the others stayed at home, in Hungary. Tomorrow, maybe I will buy a daily ticket for public transport, and I will travel around the city, go to my favourite Café and I will eat a marzipan cake.

Hmm, I think that, my life is strange now. I live far from home, family and friends - in a beautiful and gorgeous city, Berlin. I make jewelry and try to work in a workshop as a goldsmith, but this is quite difficult, if you don't speak German (and English :P) well. I'd like to study at an University, but it is also very complex, because the University is in Amsterdam, and I'm in Berlin. ;)

And what would I wish, when I blew out the birthday candles...? Maybe, a good job, more Etsy sales, friends in Berlin, a successful entrance to Amsterdam...

And I made two collections about the things, which I would love. :)
The first set includes just "European Street Team-things". Yes, still I love the geometric (and sweet) articles. :)

AlindaandT / 10antemeridiem / LesMiniboux / RachellovesBob

In the second set I collected some beautiful articles from American/Canadian Etsy shops.

 janeheller / Charolastras / OllieOtson / theglossyqueen

You can check more Monday Moodboards at Estella.

Treasures from the flea market

When I was the first time in Berlin, we have visited the largest flea market in Mauerpark. That was about 4 years ago.
When the Berlin Wall was still standing (1961-1989), here was the border. There was a no-go area on both sides of the wall (Death Strip). After the demolition of the Wall this area remained free. Nowadays here is the border between the two districts: Prenzlauer Berg and Wedding. Every Sunday there is a flea market and karaoke, and when the weather is good (= the snow doesn't fall and the temperature is minimum -5 Celsius :P), a lot of people are sitting in the grass and picknick.

photos: carlos

I love the feeling of the park, so if the weather is nice, I always go to the flea market. And every time I find exciting and lovely things. :)
"Treasures from the flea market" will be a series about my finds. Because I sell my jewelry every Sunday in the park, I have the occasion to hunt for treasures. ;)

Last weekend I have found some beautiful vintage buttons, and a very small and pretty Chanel perfume bottle. (The whole was two Euros.)

Monday Moodboard

Blue and minimalist

dekkoline / papiki / bartinki / aplusdesignnn

I love minimalist things... When I have started to learn as a goldsmith, I loved the Art Nouveau. I drew curlicues and swirls in my booklet. I took some photos about Hungarian secession buildings, staircases and street doors. 

I started the goldsmith school, and I had to make secession jewelry. Only secession. And I began to have a desire for simple and minimalist things. A half year later I went to another goldsmith school. I learned from the best Hungarian teachers, and this school and the teachers followed the "minimalist style". I loved this period! 

Nowadays, I'm still drawing swirls on piece of paper. :) But I can't make secession jewelry. Art Nouveau is amazing and admirable... but now, I have to create minimalist and modern works.

Today, I collected some minimalist, modern and blue things. I'd like to wear them either. :)

And today my German course ended, hello summer break! In the next few days I will try to upload all my jewelry in my Etsy webshop. I have about 40-50 minimalist jewelry from the Geometric collection. I think, I will not be bored! :)

wooden necklace (hand painted, with acrylic paint)

You can check more Monday Moodboards at Estella.

Monday Moodboard

Now the weather is very ugly in Berlin... It is raining, I'm cold, and I hate this "summer".
I collected some pretty things for cool summer evenings

CelessaBazaar / Berliolie / SmArtAnna / ioulia

You can check more Moodboards at Estella.

Free shipping week!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Theiae

Free shipping week in my Etsy shop! I'm on holiday from the 8th to the 18th of April. If you order between 09.04-16.04 from my Etsy shop, i'm shipping free after i'm back! Please note that the 19th of April is the earliest when i can post your order! Cupon code: spring

Spring in Berlin

I took some photos in a little Park (Schwedter Strasse) last week. (Now it's raining, and the weather is cold and terrible :/)

New design

...and I have a new blogdesign. :) I love it! (but I will change too, if I get a new logo)

new Facebook page

I have a new Facebook page. Join here: http://www.facebook.com/theiadesign

TrendMafia

I was today at the TrendMafia design market, in Berlin Friedrichshain. I have been here in december, before christmas, but that was at another place in Mitte.

 

a part of my desk, with the Button Collection (handmade buttons from resin)

 That was the location of the market, the Karl Marx Buchhandlung

I hoped for better traffic: the people were staring at between the stands. I forgot to bring a chair so I was standing whole afternoon... It was very tiring. Now I think, i'm going to take a shower, and drink a big cup hot chocolate. ;)
Tomorrow I will show, what I bought here!

Berlin, TV Tower, after the market and before night :)