Mon Petit Violon designs

Violet flower booties!

2012-05-21T20:13:00.002+02:00

Here is my newest pattern for Violet Flower Booties (available here or here). It includes 3 sizes and is made using this cotton yarn: Camilla Cotton . The flower is part of the bootie (no sewing required). There is also a strap for better fit.

I think that this is my favorite color combination for the moment - sea green with violet... :-)

Crochet Sarafan Dress!

2012-05-15T16:30:00.000+02:00

As summer is getting closer and closer I was dreaming about making some summer dresses for Sophie. I didn't have the right yarn though for the dress I wanted to make. But then luckily yarn-paradise released this beautiful yarn and next day after receiving it I started to work on the dress. I am very happy how it turned out. It works up pretty quickly as well :-)

Pattern available here:
For instant download visit my Craftsy shop - Crochet Sarafan Dress
Or buy it at my Etsy shop - Crochet Sarafan Dress

Braided Gladiator Sandals!

2012-05-10T16:00:00.000+02:00

Summer is just around the corner and every baby needs cute sandals! Aren't these ones cute?! :-) I love gladiator sandals and wear them as often as possible, so I thought it would be nice to design them for babies too!
For instant download visit my Craftsy shop: Braided Gladiator Sandals
Or buy it at my Etsy shop: Braided Gladiator Sandals

Life lately...

2012-05-04T20:53:00.000+02:00

Oh, the past week was beautiful here. It was almost like summer and we really enjoyed it. We made short trip to one beautiful town here near (Cividale) and it was wonderful. Here are some photos I made...

I wish this was my garden where we could sit, speak, eat and enjoy the beauty of nature...

While having a lunch at the restaurant ...

Wishing you a happy weekend! :-)

New pattern - diagonal strap sandals

2012-05-03T18:23:00.000+02:00

It is time for sandals! :-) It is almost like summer here and these beautiful sunny days inspired me to design some sandals. Here are Diagonal Strap Sandals! They are not only cute, but also stay on well as there is not only one strap but also special loop which helps to keep them on better.

They can be made for boys as well. Just skip the flower, but instead of it sew on bigger button.

Pattern is available here: Diagonal Strap Sandals!

For instant downloads you can visit my new Craftsy shop!

New pattern - floppy sun hat!

2012-04-26T16:26:00.003+02:00

It was time to design new summer hat for Sophie. I used 100% cotton yarn and like very much how it turned out. I made wider brim than usually and added small flower. Though Sophie didn't want to be a model on the day when these photos were taken and was trying to take it off at any cost. Maybe she didn't like the color?! :-) Oh, these girls...

Sun Flower Headband

2012-04-25T22:02:00.000+02:00

Though I have been quite busy with NOW YOU e-course (and I really enjoy it), I made some new patterns as well.
Here is the one for Sun Flower Headband. Unfortunately my little one is at the stage "nothing on my head" (which means no hats, no headbands, no clips - really nothing!!!), but I hope very much that this will pass and soon she will enjoy wearing all the staff I am making for her. :-)
Pattern available here: Sun Flower Headband

Another version using two colors for flower

Now you...

2012-04-20T10:08:00.000+02:00

I was taking photos for my new patterns I released on these days, when Sophie (after eating her yogurt, you can still see it on her face) joined me. It was a perfect moment to take a photo of us, even with messy face :-)

If you remember one my this year resolution was to take more photos of me with my children. For a while I am also following this blog "Shutter Sisters" where talented ladies share their inspiration, experience and life. And so, when I saw this post I knew I have to join this e-course. It is just what I was thinking for the past months or even years:
"I need to change, and I have been on this path searching for the beauty of me. Not about the pretty, all about the proof. The proof of my life. The ME in our moments. I want my children to look back and have proof of this me now, and the me tomorrow, and the me 5 years from now."

If you feel the same you can join us here! :-)

New patterns for baby booties...

2012-04-19T20:31:00.002+02:00

It's been long time I didn't design any baby booties. So here are two new patterns:

Magic boots - pattern available here!

Charlotte booties - pattern available here!

Enjoy! :-)

The trip home...

2012-04-15T22:10:00.000+02:00

Riga, old city

We just came back home from our trip to Riga (Latvia), my home city. It is 2 and a half years I haven't been there. So I was really looking for this trip and it was perfect. I could finally do all things which were waiting for me there, I could meet my old friends, I could spend time with my relatives (though they were coming to meet us in Italy, I always miss them).
It is not easy to travel with two small children but at the end everything went better than I expected. It was first time Sophie was taking an airplane, but she was happy. Though she made very big scandal at the check-in as we had to wait in a very long queue (it is crazy that there is no special check-in service for people traveling with kids, especially the small ones, and it is even more crazy that when you are traveling with infant you can't make check-in from home!!!). But then when the plane was taking off Alex started to laugh, (I guess it was because all the strange feelings you have in your stomach at that moment), and Sophie seeing her big brother laughing started to laugh too. :-) Usually children cry at that moment, but we had two laughing kids! :-) On the way back they did the same, only Alex yelled "yahooo!" as well... :-) I am glad they took it so easy!

I didn't take many photos. Just a few ones.

Next morning after arrival.

Riga, park

When we arrived it was very cold there, one day it was even snowing. Children were very happy to see the snow, to play with it. But at the end the weather got much better, and we could enjoy sunny and quite warm days.

My beautiful friend with Sophie.

Sophie is wearing my Mustard Bow Dress, only she wears it inside out :-) and you can't see the bow :-)

But don't think I was having only fun there. It is a place which inspires me quite a lot, and so I brought home two new designs for baby booties. :-) I remember the last time I was in Riga I created these three patterns:

Lilac baby Slippers Green Mary Janes Baby Ankle Boots

No need to say the pattern for Baby Ankle Boots is still my bestseller. I hope you will like the new patterns as well. :-) I hope to release them very soon.

Cluster Hat!

2012-03-28T19:43:00.000+02:00

I designed this hat quite long time ago, but didn't have time to finish the pattern. So, finally here it is! I made it using cotton yarn so that Sophie can wear it when the weather gets windy or when it is colder in the evenings. By the way - Sophie loves her hat! She is putting it on by herself and wears it even at home... :-) together with my heels... :-) Oh, these girls...

Hello Spring!

2012-03-25T18:02:00.000+02:00

Oh, it is finally here! Last week was simply marvelous! We stayed outside as much as possible to enjoy this beautiful weather. I am always very excited when Spring arrives. It kind of wakes me up! The blossom trees, bright colors, sun, green grass... it all makes me so happy... I think older I become more I enjoy this period of the year... :-) Here are some photos of this week...

Spring always inspires me to eat healthy food...

We made a one day trip to Venice. I love this town so much! The kids were happy as well. I was even surprised how well they behaved! I was really proud of them and could really enjoy this trip! :-)

First thing we did - we went to Museum of Natural History. Now we have to go there every time we are in Venice, because Alex wants to see the dinosaurs. :-)

Then it was time for lunch. We are lucky that my husband knows Venice really well, so we can skip all crowds and enjoy peace and silence of these beautiful streets.

The birds were really happy about our lunch leftovers...

And then it was time for running. Alex is my little assistant and he really helped me with Sophie. He was taking care that she doesn't go close to the water, or enter in the shops... For him it was a game, but at the end they both were very happy about it... Sophie takes it much easier if Alex is stopping her, and not me... :-) Well, I am more and more confident that life with two children is much easier than with one child. You don't need to entertain them anymore, they do it by themselves and much better than we would do...

How cool is this market?!

The end! :-)

I hope this week will be great as well! :-) For all of us! :-)

Special spring offer - 20% discount!

2012-03-13T13:55:00.002+01:00

*discount code is for my pattern shop> www.monpetitviolon.etsy.com

This is my favorite time of the year. I still have to wait till it gets really warm here, but the sunny and quite warm days we already have make me really happy. So, let's enjoy this period together! :-)

Crochet tips: the best way to join when crocheting in the round

2012-03-07T17:24:00.000+01:00

Finally here is the second "crochet tips" post. :-) I am too slow, I know.

So, what is the best way to join when crocheting in rounds?

* It is very important to join always in the same stitch. For example, if you are working rounds of sc (single crochet) the best way is to join always in ch-1. Then the joint line will look like this:

What is very important that in this case it will not "move", as it would do if you would join in first sc.

*If you are working rounds of dc (double crochet), join always in 3rd ch of ch-3 and your joint like will look like this:

* If you are following the pattern always take care where it says to join. It is much more important than you think. It can totally change the result if you are not joining where you should.

There are also some tricky ways how to join the rounds, for example this one!

Next post will be about FP dc (front post double crochet) and BP dc (back post double crochet). And there will be a small surprise! :-)

For sale - SOLD!

2012-03-05T17:10:00.000+01:00

So, you were curious about my birthday present, right? :-) Here we go... As my family knew my passion for photography they brought me this brand new camera! And I am sooooooo in love with it! For the past 3 posts the photos were taken with it. Can you see the difference?! Oh, I can! I still have to learn how to use it well, but so far I simply adore it. You can also record a video with it and now my little one asks me everyday to make "a film" about him. :-)

But now as I have 2 cameras I decided to give away my old one. It is Canon 450D! It is in good condition (though it has some scratches here and there) and makes great photos! I just feel sad looking how it stays in the box, without any use. Though I also feel sad to give it away. :-) It was my first SLR camera, I learned so much about photography since I've got it. It helped me a lot with my Etsy shop as well. It was like my best friend! But I am also sure that it will be happier if someone else would use it, and would have fun with it. Canon 450D is great for the beginners as if you don't want to bother yourself with manual settings you just turn it on automatic - portrait, landscape (and so on...) settings and press the button! It is very simple to use and the photos are really great.

The price is 250 euros with free shipping (the market price for used Canon 450D cameras is around 350-400 euros, at least here, I don't know about other countries)! And you will receive it together with Kit Lens EF-S 18-55mm IS f/3.5-5.6.

It is in perfect condition, almost like new, I used it very little. (My favorite is Canon 50mm lense :-), and it is not included )

The memory card of 4 GB is included as well. It means you will have everything to start right away! :-)

Only missing things are:

* USB cable (you will need it to download photos from camera to computer, but I never used it; I was always taking out the memory card from the camera, putting it in my laptop and downloading photos in this way);

* instruction manual (I don't know where it finished), but you can download it here!

If you are interested write me to: vita_apala@yahoo.com

I can ship only within Europe!

Life lately...

2012-02-27T15:48:00.000+01:00

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

2012-02-24T20:48:00.000+01:00

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!

2012-02-20T17:20:00.002+01:00

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...

2012-02-14T19:53:00.000+01:00

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...

2012-02-13T16:33:00.001+01:00

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

2012-02-03T15:55:00.000+01:00

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...

2012-02-02T10:06:00.000+01:00

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! :-)

Inspiration...

2012-01-30T19:43:00.001+01:00

from anthropologie

Happy Monday, my friends! :-) The other day I saw this top on Anthropologie and fall in love with it. I am not a big fun of fringe but this top is made in such unique way that I love it! And I love, love the color combination! :-) I even have all colors in my stock right now... :-) Though it is not crocheted (unfortunately) I think it is quite possible to crochet something similar... not exactly as it is, but quite similar...

Right now I am actually working on white top from previous inspiration post! :-) I hope to release pattern very soon. I made it my way and with sleeves, but I hope you will love it! :-)

Happy Monday! :-)

Striped tunic dress...

2012-01-26T19:32:00.002+01:00

pattern available here!

And so here is the third (and the last for the moment) dress I made for Sophie! This is so comfy that I'd like to have one for myself as well. :-) It is made without seams, with very soft alpaca yarn and it is striped! :-) I love stripes so much, and I never have enough of them. It is also made more like tunic so it can be easily worn under the coat and with trousers. Besides - it is extremely fast and easy to make it! :-) And color combinations are endless.

Photos of the day!

2012-01-25T17:24:00.000+01:00

pattern available here!

So, as promised here are the photos of Sophie wearing her Popcorn Dress. :-) I made two Popcorn dresses for her - one pink with short sleeves and this one, with long sleeves! I hope tomorrow I will release the third (and the last for the moment) pattern for another dress. :-) Stay tuned!