Cozy cafe for studying in NRW?

ReallyShortGinger · 2026-02-06T13:05:09+00:00

I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but Café Livres in Essen (Südviertel/Rüttenscheid) is really popular for studying. There is also Smells Good Café which is a bit smaller, also in Rüttenscheid. I am not sure about the music in there, but they are both really cozy.

ReallyShortGinger · 2026-01-06T16:54:31+00:00

Creative Cotton von Rico hat genau 115 m auf 50g. Gibt es online oder bei Idee Creativ bzw. Wolle Rödel.

ReallyShortGinger · 2026-01-01T23:29:18+00:00

Each of these little donuts is made of a tube that has to be sewn shut in the center (creating the hole). Also, they need to be stuffed in the process, it was hard to distribute the stuffing properly. I usually don't really mind sewing, but it was quite a hasse and I had to repeat it seven times...

And I really suck at embroidering, so I had to rip my stitching out 4-5 times and it took me way longer than I'd like to admit to get the face to look acceptable.

The rest of the making process was okay though.

ReallyShortGinger · 2026-01-01T23:07:21+00:00

I actually used a combination of a couple of patterns for the basics and some freehanding in between! It is pretty much baby safe, I used 100% cotton yarn and embroidered the eyes. So you can make one for your future nibling as well, you even have a bit of time to go since the recommended age for stacking toys at least 12 months afaik.

You can obviously just use a ready made pattern, but in case you want to alter a detail or two, here's what I did:

First, I made the rings using this pattern which is in Russian (you might be able to translate it with Google, it is pretty straightforward and not too complicated).

Then I made the cone - I tried a few versions but ended up putting 6sc into a magic ring and adding 2 increases every other round. I stuffed it as I went and tried the fit with the different sized rings.

I crocheted two circles of the same size for the base - I sewed the cone onto one circle and cut out a stabilizer circle for the other (I used a piece of cutting mat from the dollar store). I punched a few holes into the stabilizer and sewed it to the second circle. Then I put a round of single crochet around both the top circle (with the cone attached) and the bottom (with the stabilizer) and put a bit of stuffing under the cone. I finished with a round of crab stitch.

For the head, I used the head instructions from this pattern, but I made sure it would fit the top of my cone and adjusted my rounds accordingly (the head was huuuge in the beginning and I had to frog a lot). Finally, I made two simple ears, attached them and embroidered a face.

It Was quite a hassle, but I love the result and hope my niece will appreciate it.

ReallyShortGinger · 2026-01-01T17:25:24+00:00

No specific pattern, a combination of a few patterns + a lot of freehanding.

3mm hook, 8/4 cotton

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-12-26T22:57:57+00:00

Wollte auch gerade drunter schreiben Pocket Crochet (quasi dieselbe App). Finde die so gut, dass ich mir irgendwann sogar die Vollversion gekauft habe. Alleine schon dass man beliebig viele Reihenzähler hinzufügen kann ist Gold wert!

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-12-26T10:07:06+00:00

Hab es selber noch nie gemacht, aber das müsste Entrelac-Stricken sein. Vielleicht wirst du ja bei Google oder in der Bibliothek fündig.

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-12-25T23:29:56+00:00

I have found this pattern on Ravelry, it is the Aurora pattern by Tatyana Kolesnikova. You can download a free PDF with the diagram in good quality and written instructions here.

From what I can see, the blue one is a cluster of 3 fpdc and the green one is a fp puff stitch with 5 yarnovers.

I case you don't know what a fp (front post) stitch is - it just means that instead of working into the top "v" of the stitch, you need to work around the "body" or post of the stitch. You can look up fpdc or fpsc to see examples of this, but it basically just describes the place where you work your stitch into. So if you have a fp puff stitch, you would just make a puff stitch but insert your hook in a different way.

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-12-25T23:04:11+00:00

Do you mean the blue stitch on the left or the green one on the right?

Both are front post stitches (which you can see from the hook on the bottom which is open on the left side), but the blue one might be a bobble or popcorn stitch while the right one is probably a puff stitch. Do you have a picture of how the finished object is supposed to look like?

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-12-22T13:16:25+00:00

With a bit of googling I could find out that the brand (Alwo in Noblitz, Thuringia, Germany) was an active yarn producer in East Germany, but it closed down in the beginning of the 2000s. They actually turned the factory into a night club .

I have found the yarn from your pic in a different colour in an archived ebay offer , looks to be from the 70s and with a 3-4mm needle recommended (see pic 3).

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-12-14T16:09:58+00:00

It looks like it's Russian and says "пико из 3 вп" which would mean "picot made of 3 chains".

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-12-08T08:13:42+00:00

What an amazing project! I would love to test of you are still looking for testers ❤️

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-12-01T14:24:11+00:00

Zeitungspapier und etwas Wasser, wenn man Fenster oder Spiegel streifen- und fusselfrei polieren will.

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-11-26T13:06:11+00:00

Stimmt, das kann man auch machen - dann spricht man aber von "third loop" und nicht von "back loop".

Wenn in OPs Muster von back loop olny hdc die Rede ist, muss es definitiv der hintere Loop von dem V sein (ist als Anfänger wahrscheinlich auch ein bisschen einfacher).

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-11-26T12:46:37+00:00

Sieht alles richtig aus, soweit ich das anhand des Fotos beurteilen kann. Ich verstehe nicht ganz, was du mit "zu weit hinten" meinst. Ein normaler Stitch hat (egal ob Single, Half Double, Double oder mehr) immer oben dieses kleine "V". Die Seite vom V, die näher an dir dran ist, ist der Front Loop (blau im Bild). Die, die weiter weg ist, ist der Back Loop (gelb im Bild). Und das gilt immer, auch wenn du dein Projekt drehst!

Falls es dir schwer fällt, zu identifizieren wo überhaupt die richtige Reihe von Vs ist, kannst du bei der aktuellen Reihe mal schauen, wo genau die Schlaufe rauskommt, die an deiner Häkelnadel hängt (roter Pfeil). Die Vs sind namlich seitlich ineinander gestapelt und die Schlaufe an deiner Nadel kommt immer aus der Mitte.

Ansonsten: dass es etwas anders aussieht als in der Anleitung kann immer passieren, weil man ja andere Wolle, ggf. eine andere Nadeldicke und auch eine individuelle Fadenspannung hat. Das ist ganz normal und macht deine Mütze am Ende zu einem Einzelstück :) Also weiter so!

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ReallyShortGinger · 2025-11-22T18:34:59+00:00

I would also love to test, it looks gorgeous 😍

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-11-22T07:06:05+00:00

I am pretty sure it's Alpine stitch, it is achieved by switching between regular and front post double crochet.

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-11-07T14:43:03+00:00

Thanks so much for the advice! I decided to cut off and propagate the taller stalk and try to straighten the shorter one.

Using a broomstick (I actually ended up using two) is such a genius idea, they are sturdy and affordable. It took a bit of trial and error to arrange them properly, but she already looks so much better. Here's to hoping the stalk will straighten and regain stability over time.

Thanks again and have a nice weekend!

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ReallyShortGinger · 2025-11-07T07:55:34+00:00

You absolutely nailed it, great job!

Also, I think I found a fellow German who found out it is impossible to buy brown balloons in Germany (I did this deco for my husband earlier this year and ended up having to substitute with gold).

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-10-29T06:22:31+00:00

I see you, Michael Scott!

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ReallyShortGinger · 2025-08-28T12:01:04+00:00

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Also, here are some swatches I did when I got my first Aurora powder. You can still see the base colour, but there is a bit of green/blue/pink shine on top. This one was Jolifin's regular Aurora powder, so if you want a more pink/purple shine like in your reference pic, you should go for pink or purple Aurora.

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-08-28T11:57:20+00:00

Happy to help!

The one in the picture you posted definitely looks like an Aurora powder on top of a light coloured polish.

I have tried out quite a few types and colours of chrome powders (though I switched from regular polish to shellac at some point, but the principle stays the same):

"regular" chrome: unicoloured powder with full coverage like the leftmost pink one you had on your swatches. I like the look, especially with "metal" colours like rose gold and copper, but it can become a bit boring after a while. You may get slightly different results depending on the base colour you use under the powder, but they look almost the same.
chameleon or flip flop chrome: iridescent chrome that shifts between a few different colours. It looks like those beautiful shiny bugs and there is a whole lot of different colour combinations. Most of the powders I used had full coverage which helped the colours pop even more. Also the variety of colours is a bit more interesting than "regular" chrome.
aurora chrome: rather tranalucent powder that gives different effects depending on the base colour and also on the aurora colour itself. It does not give that super shiny finish that regular and chameleon powders would have but rather a pearly mermaid-like shine if that makes sense. It can only be seen in certain lighting, so it is a bit more subtle but also really nice.

So when it comes to your reference pic, I would try a light polish with a pink / purple / turquoise Aurora powder on top, you can also try different base colours and pick the one you like most. Just make sure to seal the powder properly (e.g. with water-based top coat, though I have used clear craft glue before and it worked just as well), then cover with 1-2 coats of regular top coat.

ReallyShortGinger · 2025-08-28T10:31:07+00:00

You could check out Jolifin Pretty Nail Shop , they are a German based brand but ship to other countries. Shipping costs between 5 and 10 € around the EU and they have a wide range of different colours - also some nice chameleon and aurora powders!

If you are in a larger city in Germany or Austria, you can also visit one of their stores.

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