Challenging Arts & Crafts

a caddy for my yarn...




Today, I´m blogging about a caddy I recently did for my yarn. It´s a bag
 I crocheted while watching night movies at home. A carry-all bag that will hold all my crafting materials...yarn, threads & needles, scissors, etc.




Blue & white are my fave colors so I used both for this project.





This blue yarn was supposed to be a sample yarn that I brought 
along from Spain during holiday. The skein was a 100 gram/100 % Acrylic and the off white is made of 100% cotton that I´ve ordered from an online shop.




The bottom of the bag is a simple granny square, the sides are made of 8 smaller grannies that I handstitched together to form the bag base.





The acrylic yarn was thick but a bit softer... here, I used hook nr. 5








After handstitching the small granny squares to the bag base, I went on crocheting the blue yarn until it was finished, then I added the white yarn and the straps..




Basically, I couldn´t decide what to do with the blue yarn..


...I thought of making a bread basket, but I needed a pouch, a carry all bag for my craft materials and then came up with this one.





Crafting is my way of relieving myself from all the stress after a
 long day at work....glad to have done this one finally!






Have a nice Saturday!






first day of Spring - Naschmarkt, Vienna


Oh my, Vienna´s weather yesterday has been so beautiful!
We´ve had cloudless blue skies with temperature of  20°C.. 
We´ve been waiting for this moment after a grey in grey winter.

It´s the first day of Spring!!!

 So I thought of making a stroll, walked down the road not so 
far away from the city center to Naschmarkt ( in Vienna´s 6th District).

Some 6 years before, we used to have our old office here,
 to be exact, it´s the building parallel to the tram in the pic below 
... I could see from my office window the comotions down the market
 on a busy day.. 

The pic below depicted the original market a century back and though
changes evolved,  it still maintained its form up to now.

Google photo

It´s Vienna`s most popular market which historically existed since the
 16th century.. The vendors sell all fruits, vegetables and other 
food from around the world. 



It is also the food mecca of the city. The restaurants , bistros and cafes are always full  that you would hardly get a seat as in the above image and the photo that I took below.







Flowers are also sold in abundance




as well as condiments, dips, antipastis ...you name it! 
Each stall gives passers-by a sample to taste....


....dips and spreads you could hardly resist and ask yourself that you
 would like to buy a few grams...which makes the stall owner smile in all directions.


Lots of fresh vegetables


left & right....



Sweets & spices are nicely and neatly packed to invite locals and 
tourists to buy their products



A stall full  of dried fruits, berries as well as nuts of  all kinds
 are  also sold here





Oriental spices are one of the top selling items here.




Teas, coffee and chocolates are also being offered as well as locally produced wines direct from winemakers


Tea culture, anyone? 



















more sweets




A stall that offers colorful tablecloth, fabric bags as well as wall hangings and other accessories from the orient.





Buildings are full of architectural details



If it´s Architecture you´re looking for, Vienna has plenty of those..





Hope you enjoy the tour of Naschmarkt.... and if you plan to visit the city, do keep in mind to pass by this interesting place....you´ll love its flair!

Happy weekend !






a simple granny square pincushion....





 It started as a thought on what else can be done out of  crocheted
granny squares...



Choosing the yarn colors is the easier part than to start the
 first crochet stitch....



This is my form of relaxation after a busy and stressy day at work.





...and while watching a film at home in the evening, the first round
 was done.... and there was no stopping.....




then,  I ended up making two grannies for the top and the back side.



....and this pincushion was born.




 TGIF.....hope you have fun and an enjoyable day !!!

the roses of the Volksgarten - Vienna




For those of you who are roses enthusiasts , you would love coming here  between late Spring and Fall where all the hundreds of varieties of roses are in full bloom... This is Vienna´s Volksgarten which is actually open to the public for free since 1825.


The Rose Garden is located inside the Ring (Google Map), Vienna´s first District. 




This beautiful park is within the Ring located between the Heldenplatz 
and the Hofburg. 

All the tourists visiting the city won´t miss this park because it´s
 almost near to everything within the Ring..so if you´re dead tired, 
 you could come and sit at one of its benches while enjoying the 
beautiful blooms of roses and its scents.



This building is part of the Hofburg ( summer Residence of the
 Habsburg Dynasty) that houses the Chancellor´s Office.




The National Library in Heldenplatz




This photo was taken about a year ago in Summer during my 
lunchbreak. The building behind is one of those museums in the
 Museums Quartier.




During Winter time, all rose bushes are covered with sack to prevent damages that might destroy the whole plant.


I visited the Park about 2 weeks ago and took these photos...




















This is the City Hall of Vienna named the Rathaus... don´t be mislead by the german word "Rat" (LOL!),  it simply means Council.





The roses last Summer 









The way to  my work is not so far. My office is within the Ring which is just around the corner of the Volksgarten.




Now that Spring is really here, I think they will soon take out the sacks and the rose bushes will soon show the first leaves... I can´t wait to see the first blooms in one of my city strolls during lunch breaks. 

I hope your Thursday will be great, enjoy it!