My Shop

My Shop
My Shop

Sewing Patterns

Sewing Patterns
Sewing Patterns

Crochet Patterns

Crochet Patterns
Crochet Patterns

About me

Welcome to Happy in Red!

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog and creative space, Happy in Red. I am your host Esther, a 30-something from Utrecht, The Netherlands. During the day I am a journalist, travel writer and webeditor. I have my own business and write for several magazines and websites in The Netherlands. I am very blessed to have made a carreer out of what I love to do most: writing.  

Since I am the owner of Mooistestedentrips.nl, a Dutch travel website about city trips and a freelance writer for a travel magazine, don't be surprised if something travel related pops up here every once in a while (though Happy in Red is a fabulous excuse to go yarn shopping around the world, who am I kidding!)


Happy in Red

Happy in Red

But at night, I turn crafty! And that's what I love to share with you here... today and everyday. A couple of years ago I felt I wanted to do more with my creativity and somehow got the itch to crochet... only I couldn't. My grandmother was my biggest inspiration and she crocheted beautiful things. Unfortunately, she passed away before she could teach me. So I hopped by the library to get some crochet books, turned on Youtube and off I went. The bug had bitten me!

Not long after that, I bought a sewing machine and enlisted to a sewing course and the rest, as they say, is history. I have a very busy job and personal life, but I find that crocheting or sewing always calmes me down. Since I make more than I can use, I have also opened a modest Etsy shop, hop on by if you're interested!


Happy in Red 

Happy in Red

Happy in Red

People e-mail me all the time with questions (yay!), so I thought it would be fun to awnser some right here, but if you'd like to know something else, don't hesitate to ask me!

FAQ: What yarns do you use?
>> Well, that really depends on what I am making to be honest. I have a lot of favorite brands, like Lana Grossa, Catania, Scheepjes and Durable. If you feel like crocheting a baby blanket with cotton yarn I highly recommend working with unmercerized Cotton 8 (as there are so many colours available), or mercerized Phildar 3, Larra or Red Heart Miami. These cottons are available in many colors so there's a lot of mxing and matching you can do. If you want to make a bigger blanket or if you're worried about the cost you can't go wrong with Stylecraft! There are so many colors available, there is almost 300 meters on one skein and there are sometimes really nice color packs available for a nice bargain. 

FAQ: Where do you buy your fabrics?
>>That's a tough question as I buy my fabric wherever I see nice fabrics. My favorite place to buy fabrics is close to home, at the Utrecht fabric market (every Saturday from 8 am til 1 pm), but I also love buying some heavier fabrics at Ikea. I am also a regular at some Dutch webshops like Noeks, Sew Natural (with awesome organic fabrics) and Studio Saartje. I also love shopping in Belgium, at Stoffenkamer or Julija's in Antwerp. Internationally I highly recommend Fat Quarter Shop. Even though this is a quilters place they have a HUGE collection of fabrics by any designer you can think of and if you live in the US or Canada, they have cheap shipping too.


FAQ: Can I sell products made with your patterns?
>>If you decide to buy one of my patterns in my Etsy shop (thank you!) than you can sell products made with these patterns on a small scale (for example in your own creative webshop or at a handmade market). The tutorials and patterns I offer here for free, are for personal use only. 


What else can I tell you about me? Well I...
  • Am married to my sweet love!
  • Absolutely adore all cats, but especially black talkative ones (I always talk back);
  • Have a thing for cycling and am mad about the Tour de France;
  • Have recently started running, and am really enjoying that;
  • Have a veggie garden ón my balcony, which is (surpisingly enough) very succesful;
  • Have Red hair, hence my blog name;
  • Love Red nail polish for my toenails;
  • Am 6 feet tall (and yes, that is very tall);
  • Read everything I can get my hands on;
  • Have a Facebook page and a Twitter account these days. Dear oh dear;
  • Enjoy reading your lovely comments on my blog! 

Please read my disclaimer for all terms and conditions.

If you ever have a question for or about me, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

So, thank you for stopping by at Happy in Red. I hope you'll stay a while and post a comment every now and then!