March 11th Altenberge Youth Day

On March 11, I showed kids aged 8-14 in Haus für Alle how to work the net material.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  I prepared blanks to demonstrate the different techniques.

Cassette tape and Christmas tree

 Leftover Christmas tree net joined 80's music tape - both are shiny and make a festive clutch.

Mayor's invitation

On Feb 1, 2023, Münster's Mayor invited all Future Designers ("Zukunftsmacher") to the historical townhall for an appreciation dinner.

Large sacks in yellow

Usually, I can get yellow only from the small nets holding lemons. But recently, I received a considerable number of bright yellow sacks made in the way of the more often occurring orange carrot sacks. I had trained myself with a recent challenge of making a cover for a mobile phone to cut smaller stripes and work a thin thread along for stability. Here is the result.
 

Crochet from the latest trash delivery

 

Loving doodles

 ... from cassette tapes

Fireplace wood

You can buy the wood for your fireplace in hardware stores in sturdy sacks like this. They are robust, so again, the question is how to get handles onto them for reuse. You can always go a longer way, attach some accessoires and make a pretty bag, but for a fast solution just put some rope through.

 

Shopping nets

When I was a child people used to have shopping nets made from some synthetic ultralight material which fit into the palm of your hand. Thus, without trouble, you always had an additional carrier bag ready.

Among the potato nets I get from collectors there are often intact ones. Because it seems such a waste to cut them up I tried to get handles onto them without too much fuss. It works, but does require an hour or two of crocheting. You now have a shopping net which is as good as the ones I mentioned above.

Pass time

Sometimes I do not have a fancy idea for a project, but doing pouches like this always works.

Ready in time for the party

Clutch made from cassette tape again. It took about 70 min of 80ies music 😀.

Gingko

 Just doodling

 

 

Mobile cover

This was an order and a challenge. Requirements: Make a  pouch for a mobile phone and find a way to close it. I cut fruit nets in very thin stripes that would normally break. In order to avoid that I ran a thin silver thread along when crocheting to give it stability. For closure, I used a magnetic button.

 

 

Donations go to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Already in the past I have donated any revenues generated from sales of my bags to a good cause. I have now established a connection to "Ärzte ohne Grenzen" (Physicians without borders), which will receive these funds.

Their podcast    Hope, not war

 

I am in the process of setting this up, but you can buy a bag and donate already. Starting amount is 50 €.

 

This is how it works for now: 

1. Scroll through my blog and select a bag you like. 

2. Copy the picture of the bag to this Email address: grossklaus.arts.and.crafts@gmail.com 

3. Send the Email to this address and we clarify how you get the bag and MSF gets the funds.

 

Wie könnt Ihr spenden? Schreibt mir eine Email an grossklaus.arts.and.crafts@gmail.com und sagt mir, welche Tasche Ihr für eine Spende erwerben möchtet. Scrollt durch meinen Blog, kopiert das Bild einer Tasche in die Email und meldet Euch bei mir. Dann klären wir, wie Ihr an die Tasche und MSF an Eure Spende kommt. Mindestgebot 50 €.

Purple

Purple nets are pretty rare. Friends found some. Here is a shopper made from the little material I had.

 

 

Wind chime

I had kept a round plastic thing with no idea for a use. Found two now: it could be a picture frame (think of crafting with children), but I made it into a wind chime with an old metal grid (does not chime, but reflects the sun 😀).

 

 

Summer theme

 Even got hold of some unusual blue for this one.

 

 

 

Fancy shoulder belt

I am really hocked by these colorful belt which have become available now.

 

 

 

New trash from the major collection site

For some time I have not been checking the AWM collection bin at Eulerstrasse and it was almost full again. That was, because it contained several intact cover nets for pickup trucks, which I will give to friends for the same use; no point in cutting them up.

Moreover, I found some lovely fruit nets of blue color, something rare and inspiring. In addition, there was enough material to finish up a bag I had started earlier.

Presentation at Hof Holtmann

Yesterday was the European Wagyo Gala at Hof Holtmann in Albachten (which was mainly about Japanese cows and animal husbandry). I had the chance to present there, did some live handicraft, and received a number of great comments. Thank you all!

80's spiral

Cassette tape again. Actually, the spiral shimmers, because I used gold thread at the edges. It looks quite lovely.

Cassette tape & note key

One has to make something music-related from an oldies tape...

Christmas residues

A friend found more of the white net so that I could finish a clutch.

 

 

The latest

Time filler and meditation: worked up the last batch of light orange nets and made another oldies tape into a pouch

Crochet 80ies

Knitting tape is okay, but I find the chrocheted material more sturdy. This is a pouch from 90 min of 80ies.
 

 

 

90 min clutch

 

I rescued a bag full of cassette tapes from the trash bin and was curious how the material would work. Here is a shiny "Depeche Mode" clutch for the 80ies lover. A band of one 90 min, respectively one cassette, is sufficient for a bag of this size. Quite amazing!

Rose bag and flower chair

It had been a wish for some time to re-upholster an old armchair. I finally found one from the 1950s which I redid with the help of my carpenter-friend. It was finished faster than expected, so the bag came next as an in-between projects.

Leftover green

 ...black, pink and burgundy. Copied the style from a commercial bag I saw and liked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red and orange

 

Used up all my red and orange nets for this handbag and backpack.

 

Butterfly

Spring, finally. I had some leaves left from my attempt to make 3D flowers which were not needed for the pigeon below.