Hooks 'n' Grannies

What a week !

2012-02-08T22:58:00.000+11:00

It feels like ages since I last blogged. Actually the past few days have been very stressful and sadly, yesterday we had to say goodbye to one of our little doggies, Xander. I don't want to dwell on the details as its way too upsetting. He was 11 years old which is a good age for a Japanese Chin and he only suffered for a few days before we had to make that awful decision.

Aust. Ch. Siatori Xanadu (Xander)

I knitted like a maniac to keep my mind occupied and made hats numbers 18-22 so I'm almost halfway through my personal challenge.

Last night I knitted a dog blanket (for charity) using two strands of 8ply and a strand of that feather yarn, on big needles. I haven't taken a photo of it so can't show you. Its very thick and soft though so hopefully it will provide warmth and comfort to a shelter dog.

I was watching an informal chat between Drew Emborsky and Michael Sellick on YouTube tonight. They were at the Craft and Hobby Association Winter Conference and Trade Show and were discussing and sharing their crochet experiences. Drew made an interesting comment - he said that a recent study revealed that crocheters were very 'giving' people and 98% of things they make are given away. What do you think about that?

The crochet sock book I told you about in a recent post arrived today so I'm going to have a fiddle tomorrow. There is only one pattern using sock yarn - the rest are 8ply/DK, however I think it would be easy to make a few modifications. I might start off with an 8ply pair as a sort of trial run.

Have a good day.

Love this scarf

2012-02-01T20:33:00.000+11:00

A fellow blogger inspired me to make this scarf which I finished this morning.

This one is done in 8ply acrylic with a 4.50mm hook and measures 55 inches by just on 4 inches.

I love the texture and am already planning on making another one but will use Bendigo Woolen Mills 'Luxury' 8ply wool in burgundy, grey and off white. I might go up a hook size as this wool works up thick and I want to keep the scarf soft.

Would you believe that one of my rose bushes is still flowering? I can't remember when it didn't have roses on it and am wondering how much longer I'll be enjoying these gorgeous blooms.

Have a nice day/evening, wherever you are.

Just a few little things

2012-01-30T17:43:00.000+11:00

I am currently working on a scarf and am so happy with the way its turning out. I'll show you a pic in a few days when its finished. As usual I've also been fiddling around with some little things - you know, 'have hook must crochet'.

Some of my crochet topped kitchen towels are looking the worse for wear and are destined for the bin. Such a shame though to be throwing out some nice crochet. So, in future I've decided to use these little hangers which, hopefully will last for ages.

With Valentines Day just around the corner, the little hearts are popping up all over the place. The pattern for this one was posted by one of my friends on Facebook this afternoon. Its quite a sweet heart and only takes about two minutes to make.

Another one of my favourite heart patterns is the Scandinavian Heart Ornament by my dear friend Teresa Kasner. Here's the link to the excellent tutorial for this lovely heart.

Don't forget to pop over to Teresa's blog where you'll see some beautiful photography and lovely crochet.

Vegemite, Hills Hoist and Chiko Rolls

2012-01-25T20:24:00.000+11:00

You could also add 2 stroke lawnmowers, the bionic ear, black box flight recorders, boomerangs, wine casks, dual flush toilets and many many other amazing things ... they're all Australian inventions. Tomorrow (Jan 26) is Australia Day, the day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future. I'd like to wish all my Aussie mates a bonza day - oh and put another chop on the barbie.

Haven't much to report on the crafty scene - just a former St.Dalfour jam jar turned into a place to keep my knitting needles ..

My craft room is looking vaguely like itself again but I'm so frustrated as I can't find my beautiful 8ply cotton anywhere and I NEED it for something I want to make. Now things just can't simply vanish, especially when they're inside a big crate so it looks like I'm going to have to unpack everything and hope it turns up. On the other hand, I could just go in there and grab a few balls of 8ply/DK and make something else. Yes !! That's what I'll do. Problem solved (for now).

PS .. Do you like that gorgeous sock yarn (hiding in this pic) I bought yesterday? Had intentions of TRYING to knit a pair of socks using the magic loop (can't master DPNs) but while browsing the net today, came across this book which I've ordered from the BookDepository. Hopefully crochet socks might not be so daunting.

Year of Projects update

2012-01-16T16:19:00.000+11:00

I'm starting to feel a bit 'hatted' out at the moment and think my next project will have to be something different, just for a change. Over the weekend I made numbers 16, 17 and 18. This child's hat was made from that multi coloured yarn I showed you in my last post.

There's quite a bit left on the ball so I may try something knitted later on, just to see how the colours work with knit fabric. Nos. 17 and 18 are baby's hats - probably premmie size.

While I was sorting my craft room before Christmas, I came across these two little 'treasures' of mine that I've been meaning to show you. I've placed a crochet hook beside them so you'll get an idea of their size. Both are little brooches - one a tiny metal crochet hook and yarn that I think I bought on eBay many years ago, and the other is a little thread 3D angel I received (also years ago) from a crochet friend in America. Aren't they gorgeous? I love them.

Before I finish this post, I want to give you a recipe for pumpkin scones. This recipe was made famous by Lady Florence Bjelke-Petersen who was the wife of a former Premier of Queensland in Australia. I think in some circles she was more famous for her scones than being the wife of a Premier. I'm not a lover of pumpkin as a vegetable on the dinner plate but these scones are delicious.

Flo’s Pumpkin Scones

1 tablespoon butter
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed pumpkin
2 cups self raising flour
Put butter, sugar and salt in mixer, then add egg, followed by mashed pumpkin. Finally add by hand the sifted self raising flour. Do not handle mixture too much. Cook in a very hot oven – 225-250 degrees C for 15-20 minutes.
NB. If the pumpkin is very dry, you may need to add 2 tablespoons of milk.

Just remembered one more thing!! Red Heart has a new free eBook available featuring 25 afghans/throws. If you'd like a copy here's the link. It contains one of my favourite patterns - the Reversible Hungarian Blanket (aka Wool-Eater aka Bavarian rug) along with some other lovely patterns.

Guess what

2012-01-13T22:05:00.000+11:00

Its called 'stash enhancement' and yes, I did need it !! Well maybe NEED might be too strong a word but I did think this was pretty and since I'm making baby things at the moment I did have a very strong desire to buy a few balls - plus, you simply just cannot go into the city and come home empty handed. Can you ?

I've been keeping a record of the number of hats I've made in a little notebook, and I made a little mistake in my last post. These are actually numbers 14 and 15 ..

After an overnight temperature of 1.6 degrees celsius on Wednesday night (middle of summer) which was the coldest January temperature since records started back in 1939, the sun is now shining and today was a very pleasant 27 degrees. These little carpet roses are still doing well and look so pretty in my front courtyard but I couldn't resist bringing these few inside to brighten things up a bit.

Have a lovely weekend.

First FO's for 2012

2012-01-08T18:05:00.000+11:00

Its hard to believe that we're already a whole week into 2012. Its been very quiet around here and I've had plenty of time to be productive but instead of taking that opportunity, I must admit I've been a bit lazy and have just been vegging out !! If I'm going to achieve my personal goal of 50 hats by end of June, I really must get a move on as there will be other projects I'll want to be doing in between.

My first FO for the year is a favourite pattern of mine - the Addison hat by Julie A Bolduc (free pattern here)

Of course there were the usual necessary tweaks because of our Australian yarn. This is hat number 11.

Moving on ... Knit4Charities had their first KAL (knit-a-long) a few days ago which was a lot of fun. We were told to use either pastel or happy bright colours but had no idea what we were making. A certain number of rows were emailed each day and of course there was a fair amount of speculation going on as to what we were doing. Turned out it was a pair of booties ..

Did you notice hat number 12 in that pic? Couldn't waste that left-over yarn. By the way, the colour in the second picture is correct - the lighting must have been a bit off in that first one.

This little set will be donated to the Miracle Babies Foundation (Tas).

Hmmm now, what to make next ?? A cat blanket, dog blanket, try out a square pattern, more booties ?? I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure. Oohh I can hear "Greensleeves" so Mr Whippy must be in the neighbourhood. Perhaps I'll have an ice cream.

Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T00:23:00.000+11:00

Fireworks Sydney Harbour January 1, 2012

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T16:02:00.000+11:00

Have you made any new year resolutions yet? Hang on a bit ... I want to tell you about a very brave little 13yr old girl whose story I have been following for the past 18 months or so. In 2009 she was diagnosed with medulloblastoma which is a malignant and aggressive brain cancer. She tries to maintain as close a normal life as possible as she faces a plethora of medical appointments and ongoing tests. At this time of year, as we're all making new year resolutions to lose weight, exercise more, give up this, give up that etc. etc., I think this quote from Dainere says it all .... "So much has happened in the past couple of years and I am just so grateful for every day that I have on this earth, I think that many people take life for granted and waste it by not making the most of it or doing things that really are not right or hurt other people. We should always wake up each day wanting to make it a special day, one where we smile at others, appreciate those people around us, try to help out others in any way and spread happiness and love."

So what are your New Years Eve plans? Here's what I'll be doing .. a bit of reading,

and maybe a bit of this ..

My DD, her husband and his parents have gone to Sydney for the fireworks tonight, a harbour lunch cruise tomorrow and then on to the Blue Mountains for a few days. I'll be watching the 9pm fireworks on the telly (after I've watched them draw my numbers out in the 31 million Lotto) and maybe stay up for the midnight fireworks which they're saying is going to be quite spectacular this year.

Oh dear, look what just turned up in the junk mail from Lincraft ..

Hmmmm - reminds me of something I read this morning "I'm not a hoarder, I'm a collector." Do you think I should go?

With only 8 hours left of 2011, I'd like to wish all my wonderful friends a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2012. (If I win the 31 million I'll buy you all a set of Denise Interchangeable Hooks). ;)

A little bit of Crochet and Larry's Spread

2011-12-28T19:05:00.000+11:00

I haven't been feeling too well for the past few days so not much of anything has been getting done. My family and visitors are away at the moment (they'll be coming and going for the next couple of weeks) .. so I've been vegging out a bit. I did however feel the need for a bit of instant gratification so hat number 11 has been added to my pile of charity items.

I love this pattern - requires no concentration, is quick to make and the 'butterfly' makes it look better than a plain old beanie. I used Lion Brand Micro Spun which I found in my stash, and a 4.50mm hook. Not real keen on working with this yarn as its very 'splitty' (is that a word?) although it is very soft.

Many years ago I knew a chef who used to make this wonderful spread. The hand-written recipe on a scrappy piece of paper fell out of a book I was looking at the other day so I thought I'd share it with you, and have it here for my future reference. Its a very quick, easy recipe and ideal for this time of the year when you're after something light to eat (and need to use up some of that ham).

Larry's Savoury Spread

1 tsp chicken stock (or a chicken cube crushed)
250g Philadelphia cream cheese
450g crushed pineapple (drain juice)
1/2 tin corn kernels
200g gherkin, chopped
100g finely chopped ham
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Cream the cheese, add all other ingredients and mix well. Will keep in fridge for 2 weeks. Can be made smoother by adding some pineapple juice to be used as a dip, or left firm to be used as a spread on crackers.

Mmmmm .. I'm off to the pantry - hope I can find a tin of crushed pineapple.

Phew

2011-12-25T20:40:00.000+11:00

Its not only the turkey that's been stuffed at our house. After a delicious meal of prawn cocktail starters followed by the traditional turkey, ham and roast veggies for mains, we were all ~~too full~~ sufficiently satisfied and so we have just had our plum pudding with warm custard for our evening meal. And now its time to try to get back to normal as soon as possible.

I missed out on posting my update for my Year of Projects last week and I must confess I haven't had much time to touch hook or needles for awhile. However, I can show you hat No. 8 which I'm not all that happy with but I suppose it might keep some poor soul warm next winter.

Oh, nearly forgot I also made two little premmie hats so these will be numbers 9 and 10.

Tomorrow my daughter, son-in-law and his parents from Belgium will be leaving for a few weeks holiday so I should have plenty of spare time to do what I like - and you know what that will be. No no no no no .... not sleeping all day !!!!! I plan on being a happy hooker.

Bye bye Santa .. see you next year.

'Twas the Night ...

2011-12-24T11:35:00.000+11:00

'Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse (or a cat)

Merry Christmas from me and from Madison

How cute is this ?

2011-12-23T18:42:00.002+11:00

Merry Christmas everyone
xoxox

Two weeks from now

2011-12-11T20:25:00.000+11:00

It has just occurred to me that in two weeks from NOW, it will all be over !! Santa will have been, the presents will have been opened, the food eaten, the kitchen cleaned up and we'll all be relaxing after the mad rush. I have to confess I haven't even written out my cards yet - must do that this week.

I knew I'd find a good excuse to show you this photo of my beautiful Nikki - our first Japanese Chin. She was the most loving and devoted little girl and I'm sure she thought she was one of us humans.

I almost gave in to that persistent Noro Kureyon sock yarn last night and started to feel guilty about having frogged it five times. After surfing around a bit on Ravelry to decide what it might be next, I was interested to read some of the comments on this yarn. Some hated it, said it was a nightmare to knit, noted that it breaks easily, is scratchy and hard .. even looks like clown vomit !! So, what do you think I did? Well, I did what any self respecting person would do .... I fished out some 4ply baby yarn, a pair of 3.75 needles and am making some premmie baby hats. This of course will add to my Year of Projects personal challenge so it was without doubt the best course to take.

I missed last weeks update as I've been so busy sorting/clearing my craft room so it can be temporarily used as a bedroom for guests, but I do have a couple of FOs to show you.

Hat number 7

A scarf from some yarn I found in my stash - Lincraft Surprise.

And finally a Christmas potholder/heatpad

Have a great week.

All I want .......

2011-12-08T11:18:00.000+11:00

The countdown seems to have begun

2011-11-28T11:21:00.000+11:00

Everybody seems to be getting ready for Christmas and here am I still trying to sort (clear) out my craft room so we can accommodate overseas guests. I did manage to finish a few more hats (Nos. 5 and 6) for my Year of Projects.

I tried several times to get the colour right in the photo of that butterfly hat and this was about the closest I could get to the pretty mint that it is. You'll have to excuse my granny mandala in the background.

By the end of this week I have a few secret santa gifts to post off and will be including this little doiley in one of them. Its one of my favourite patterns and for this one I used Peter Pan Washable Goldfingering - its white with a very pretty pearl like shimmer. You might see it better in the close-up picture.

This is not the easiest thread to work with and its certainly not soft but I think its pretty and would look nice on the Christmas table.

I know a lot of my dear blogger friends are busy putting up and decorating their trees now that Thanksgiving is over. We have a tradition in our house that we don't start Christmas decorating until after my DDs birthday on December 14. At least one advantage of doing this is that there's less time for the cat to get herself into trouble.

Have a fun week.

Trying to catch up

2011-11-20T18:01:00.001+11:00

Just about everything has stopped me from getting on with my year of projects challenge but the worst challenge is trying to sort out my craft room. I have overseas visitors coming for Christmas and need to make room in there for a blow-up queen size bed. Talk about a stash ..... I had to go out and buy three more 57L crates, plus give away a huge bag of yarn to a friend who also knits and crochets for charity, but there's still heaps more yarn looking for somewhere to hide. I'm not as game as some fellow bloggers so will not be showing you pictures of my craft room - sorry !!

I did manage to get the new hat number 4 done.

The previously mentioned hats number 4 and 5 are still on their respective needles and hook but I'd like to think I'll get these finished this coming week. I also finished a scarf which will be a gift for my daughter's MIL - I've been pondering over how to finish this one off and settled for just sc all the way around to give it a bit of a classic look. I used Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 10ply and the scarf is approx 60" long x 6" wide. It took all but a few metres of the 200g ball.

In an effort to use up some stash, I've decided to make some cat blankets for some of the animal refuges Knit4Charities is supporting. This month is Save-a-Dog Scheme (obviously they save cats too as they've requested these blankets). The group will also be supporting other animal refuges in the coming months so I'll just keep making the blankets in between other projects. I'm using double 8ply with a 10mm hook - starting with 40ch and working 36 rows dc. The cats don't care about fancy stitches so the blankies are nice and quick - they're also lovely and soft.

Hmmm .. almost dinner time here so I'll nip off to the kitchen for a while then come back here and check out everyone else's progress on their Year of Projects.

Have a great week.

Boom Boom

2011-11-17T15:41:00.000+11:00

A dying granny tells her granddaughter, "I want to leave you my farm. That includes the villa, the tractor, and other equipment, the farmhouse and $22,398,750.78 in cash."

The granddaughter, absolutely floored and about to become rich says, "Oh granny, you are SO generous! I didn't even know you had a farm. Where is it?"

With her last breath, Granny whispered, "Facebook..."

~~The Devil~~ Tommy made me do it !!

Travel Plans

2011-11-12T22:05:00.000+11:00

I have been in many places, but I have never been in Cahoots. Apparently you can't go there alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone. I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport. You have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my family, friends and those where I have worked. I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump and I am not too much on physical activity anymore. I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go and I try not to visit there too often. I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm. Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older. One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense. It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart. At my age I need all of the stimuli I can get.

We were in suspense this afternoon when a piece of new furniture was delivered and it just wouldn't go around the necessary corners to get into its designated room. After a few minutes of ~~panic~~ clear thinking, my daughter rang a glass repair company to find out if they could remove the window so said piece of furniture could come in via that way. As luck would have it, they could and in fact were here (from the other side of our city) in 35 minutes and about 45 minutes later everything was back to normal and the queen size bed was IN the room. Phew !!

I'm now recovering by doing a bit of crochet. More about that tomorrow.

Long time no Nanna post

2011-11-09T12:57:00.000+11:00

My grandson went to a school disco last night (ah that brings back memories) .. and he had to go dressed as something starting with the letter 'p'. What do you think of my little man - he can take me in any day !!

Nearly lunch time here .. feel like a snack ?

Bacon Strips

5 slices of bread
1 egg
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 cup grated cheese
1 dessertspoon melted margarine
4 rashes of bacon, diced

Mix all ingredients and spread over bread. Slice into strips and cook in oven at 200 deg celsuis (400F) for approx. 15 minutes.

Enjoy

Old treasures & FO's

2011-11-06T15:56:00.004+11:00

Its an absolutely perfect day here but instead of being out in the 28 degree (celsius) weather, I've been inside, looking through a pile of books I haven't touched in ages and re-discovered these beauties I knew I had but couldn't remember where they were. It would probably have been about 10 years ago, my youngest daughter was doing the rounds of just about every antique shop she came across and found these very old patterns which she thought I'd like.

This is what she wants me to make (to quote her words .. "a family heirloom" !!

My poor old eyes aren't what they used to be and these days I prefer to work with yarn rather than thread but perhaps as a compromise, I could aim for a table runner. Maybe. By the way, did you notice the original price on those patterns - 2d each - that would be two pennies. My how things have changed.

I have two finished projects to show you today. I finished this little dress last night

I was pleased with the way it turned out - I did make a few changes but they were very minor ones.

Finally, as part of my Year of Projects (50 hats by the end of June 2012) here's hat number 3
hot off the hook ..

Hats 4 and 5 should be finished this week (hopefully) however I have a major, time consuming task facing me in the next few weeks so I'm not sure how much crochet and knitting will be done. With overseas visitors coming for a few days over Christmas and needing somewhere to sleep, I have to tidy up my craft room which is currently bursting at the seams with crates, plastic bags of yarn, a table covered with stuff etc. etc. .. you know what I mean?? I have to make room to fit a double bed in there somehow. Oh well, as A.A. Milne once said "One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries". Wonder what else I'll find?

Have an exciting week.

Kids Granny Hat Pattern

2011-10-31T11:54:00.001+11:00

Thanks for the lovely comments on the Kids Granny Hat I posted about yesterday. For those interested, the pattern is here. You'll notice I did a few extra rounds of the granny pattern - this is because I used our Australian 8ply instead of the worsted weight which isn't readily available here.

Thank goodness for crochet

2011-10-30T23:36:00.000+11:00

It was starting to look as if I'd have nothing to report this week so I grabbed a hook and made this cute kids granny hat last night.

I've been working on a knit hat (part of my YoP hat challenge) for several days and it seems to be taking forever. Its so easy (just what I need) and is just k1, k1b every row - a stitch I'm sure you'll all know well. I wonder if its the pattern or just me but its growing so slowly. Hope to have a pic soon.

The weather here has been lovely this week - such a nice change from the long cold winter we've just had and the roses in my front courtyard have gone crazy. This pink Leonardo da Vinci always puts on a good show.

.. and the fragrance from these red beauties (forget their name) is beautiful.

Well, I'm off to bed now. Will be popping around to visit everyone tomorrow morning.

Hot off the Hook

2011-10-23T21:51:00.000+11:00

Yes, its Ta-Da time for the baby blanket I’ve been working on for the past few weeks.

This is the first time I’ve used the join-as-you-go method to actually make anything and I must say it was fun doing this blanket. For the record, I used Magnum 8ply with a 4.00mm hook. No pattern – just plain old grannies and for the border I just played around till I got something I thought was suitable.

A few days ago I decided to set myself a challenge to make 50 hats before the end of our Year of Projects. I will be donating some of these hats to Vinnies Night Patrol which is run by St. Vincent de Paul. The van visits several locations in my city, giving free soup, food and drinks to people in need. Some of these folk are homeless and live on the streets. Since the weather here in June is starting to get very cold I want to do my little bit to help keep these people warm and perhaps make life a bit more comfortable for them. The baby and children’s size hats will be donated to a local women’s refuge. Therefore, to enable me to do this, I’m ~~modifying~~ completely changing my list to now read “50 Hats for Charity”. Of course I’ll be wanting to make other things as well but I think it would be more realistic to just have the hats on my YoP list. And so, here’s hat No. 1 – this is the Urban Shells beanie which can be made in any size. I used Magnum Soft 8ply with a 4.50mm hook. The pattern was designed by fellow Australian Katherine Crombie and can be found here.

Almost there

2011-10-18T16:34:00.000+11:00

I missed my Sunday update so thought I'd better pop in to say hello and let you know how the baby's blanket is coming along. As you can see by the picture, I'm almost finished joining the squares and will then just have to give it a nice border. I'm sure I'll find something suitable in my new book 'Around the Corner Crochet Borders'.

With a bit of luck (and available crochet time), I hope to be able to show you the finished item by the end of the week.

I want to thank Marie from Undergroundcrafter for the lovely book, card and crochet hook I received in the mail a few days ago. You may recall I won the Ami Ami Dogs 2 book giveaway on her blog a few weeks back. The book is lovely and I'm particularly thrilled to find a pattern for a Pug magnet included as I've had Pug dogs for most of my life and am very fond of them. One of my daughters owns a Pug - guess what she'll find in her Christmas stocking this year? Thank you again Marie for this great prize.

At last

2011-10-09T23:23:00.000+11:00

Its been awhile but at last I have something to show you for my Year of Projects update. Mind you, its not finished but I'm happy with the progress so far.

Of course you can tell its going to be a baby's blanket can't you? I'm using the join as you go method so after 8 blue squares and 1 more mauve one, all I have left to do is the final white rounds to join plus the border. Reckon I'll have it finished by next week?

You can tell its spring around here ... the magpies are very active and are swooping like crazy. We used to have a family of maggies visit us each year but for some reason they stopped coming. This guy has been enjoying my yard quite a bit lately - I wonder if he's one of their offspring coming back for another visit.

Oh, before I finish this post, for those who asked (and especially Kathy), I've tried that Addi Swing Hook I told you about last week and like I said, it will take a little while to get used to the funny shape but its probably a good hook for anyone who gets sore hands when crocheting. I hold my hooks the 'pen' way and it seemed to be quite comfortable. Not sure how it would be for people who hold the 'knife' way though. I've only played around with it for ten minutes or so but when I've actually made something with it, I'll give you another update.

Time for bed now but I'll look forward to reading everyone else's updates tomorrow.

Sunday update late

2011-10-03T19:59:00.000+11:00

Seems I'm getting a bit slack with my Sunday posts but then we are ahead of the rest of the world time-wise here in Australia, so that will have to be my excuse. If frogging stuff is considered productive then I've been VERY productive this week. Started making a baby's blanket with 5 pastel colours - just 5 round granny's with another round of white for the join-as-you-go method. I used stash and thought I'd have enough, but oh no, not so !! Couldn't find the right colours at the LYS and to cut a long story short, ended up having to discard 9 squares, remove 3 from the already joined blanket, completely frog a baby's hat I had in my charity box so I could use the yarn to make one extra square that I was short of in that particular colour. Aghhhhh frustration !!!

During the week I received my Addi Swing Hook from America. Haven't had time to give it a test-drive yet but its very different to any other hook I've ever used and I think it will take a little getting used to.

I'm off now to do a bit of blog surfing to see what others have been up to. Have a good week everyone.

Nice Surprise

2011-09-29T12:24:00.000+10:00

A quickie today to share a lovely surprise. I've just received an email from Marie of Underground Crafter blog letting me know I've won a copy of Mitsuki Hoshi's brand new book Ami Ami Dogs 2 which was released on 27 September. Marie has written a review here. I've been crocheting for many years but this will be my first adventure into amigurumi. Thank you for this generous give-away prize Marie - I'm looking forward to receiving the book.

Getting my money's worth

2011-09-27T19:25:00.000+10:00

Some of you may recall the ball of Noro Kureyon that I bought (~~a few months ago~~) last January. I can't even remember why I bought it or what I was planning to make, but it has been started and frogged about half a dozen times, the most recent being about two minutes ago. I was urged on by responses to my question in my last post when several people made the comment that you should love what you're doing. Since I wasn't actually loving the scarf this ball of Noro was producing, out it came and I'm now deciding on what to try next. Its quite strong yarn as you would have thought I'd have worn it out by now but its still holding its own in spite of all my frogging. I won't tell you what I'm making with it ..... I'll just surprise you (and myself) when its done.

Before I end this post, I'll leave you with this most interesting conversion chart .....

Half a large intestine = 1 semicolon
1,000 aches = 1 megahurtz
Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower
2,000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won Ton
1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche
453.6 crackers = 1 pound cake

There ... you really needed that didn't you?

Just in Time

2011-09-25T21:43:00.000+10:00

Still a few hours of Sunday left for my weekly Year of Projects post. I don't have a FO to show you this week as I decided to abandon that shopping bag I started last week and start another which is about halfway done and is a much nicer pattern. The first one was curling horribly and not very pretty. Anyway, with a bit of luck I'll be able to show you the finished bag next week.

While I was surfing around blogs a few days ago I came across a really beautiful hat pattern that you can get as a free download. Its designed by Alla Koval and will be perfect for summer which is just around the corner for us here in the southern hemisphere. Of course its on my to-do list. Can any of my Aussie readers recommend a good firm cotton that might suit this pattern?

Another thing of interest I stumbled upon is just what we all need ..... another crochet hook !! This one is a special one for working that first round when doing edges on fabrics. As its name suggests, it has a sharp point which makes piercing the fabric much easier than an ordinary hook.

If you'd like to read a review, and a chance to win one of these hooks, visit here and here.

Confession time !! I have drifted so far away from my original list that I'm starting to feel a bit embarrassed. What do you think is more important in this project - sticking to the list or blogging?

Have a great week everyone.

Its gotta be Sunday somewhere

2011-09-19T13:08:00.000+10:00

Here's my Sunday update for the Year of Projects - again a little late but I'm hoping its still Sunday somewhere in the world !! I only have one thing to show now as I posted a couple of days ago about other things I've finished this week.

A problem I encounter time and time again is having to 'tweak' patterns written for American yarns so that they work ok with our Australian yarn. This little hat is no exception. The pattern is extremely well written and easy to follow though so its just going to be a matter of fiddling around with hooks and dropping a size or two before the flower band section.

I'm currently working on a self-pouching string shopping bag, using Milford 4ply cotton. The pattern can be found here. Where I live, the local government is putting a ban on plastic supermarket shopping bags from November 1, so this little bag should come in quite handy. I think they would be a nice addition to a Christmas gift as well. Hope to have it finished to show you next week.

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date

2011-09-15T13:56:00.000+10:00

Well, better late than never I always say !! This is a late Year of Projects post that should have happened last Sunday but due to other exciting events (like family visiting for grandson's 9th birthday) .. it didn't happen.

I have a couple of finished items to show you today. I'm happy to say the last of my orders is finished.

The colours are beautiful in this one but I wasn't happy to find a knot 3 meters from the end of the ball. The nature of this yarn requires a knot at the end so I opted to finish the scarf off before the knot as I felt that two knots close to each other close to one end of the scarf might be noticed.

My placemat is also finished and is being used every morning - love the colours in this too.

And finally for today, I was surfing around the crochet blogs and sites a few nights ago and came across this cute little baby's pattern. Of course I grabbed some yarn and a hook and in no time had this cute little hat -

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Bloomin' Beautiful

2011-09-08T22:08:00.000+10:00

They were all beautiful .. the flowers, the food, the sunshine and the company. Had lunch with my friend L yesterday and just happened to have my camera with me. These lovely double jonquils were all along the pathway from the carpark to the little cafe where we had lunch

Check out little hairy legs

Mmmm .. warm chicken and mango salad - tasted as good as it looks too

Its so nice to be getting some warmer weather after our long cold winter although as always happens, we'll no doubt be getting more of the cold stuff for another few months. Some of the flowers in my garden are starting to bloom and are brightening things up a bit.

I received this book in the mail today

It has 150 gorgeous border patterns by Edie Eckman and I'm sure it will be a very useful addition to my pattern library. I also bought "50 More Crocheted Afghan Borders" by Jean Leinhauser - again some lovely border patterns but I think of the two books, the former is my favourite.

Haven't been doing much crochet or knitting this week and probably won't have much spare time over the weekend either as we'll be busy celebrating my grandson Ryan's 9th birthday. House full of visitors = not much crochet time.

Tuva Ta Da

2011-09-04T20:35:00.000+10:00

For my Year of Projects update this week, cast your mind back a month or so and you may recall the agonizing experience I had with those evil dpn's ....... welllllllll I'm so happy to let you know that the Tuva is done - yipeeeeeeee !!!!!!!

Now isn't that something? Thank you Nola for finishing it off for me - without your help this would have remained a NEUFO (never ending unifnished object). Speaking of never ending things, I'm currently trying to complete something but I'm working with a never ending ball of wool. Hope to show you the finished object in a day or so. Its nothing to get 'jump up and down' excited about but will keep someone very warm.

Spring has sprung here in Australia and its lovely to see all the blossoms and wattle trees around our city. I think I may get apricots on our tree this year (no fruit last year for some strange reason) .. but if the blossoms are any indication ..

Oh, and have a look at these little beauties.

These are just a few of the tomatoes in my AeroGarden so I hope we'll be enjoying them soon.

I'm not sure if its Fathers Day in other countries but if so I hope all the Dad's have a great day. There have been two very special Dad's in my life and today I reminisced about some of the wonderful times we had together. I miss both these beautiful people very much ..

Ronald Richard Smith 1919-1995

Errol Garth Silver 1939-2004

Thank you for visiting and I wish you all a happy week doing what you enjoy best.

Little things

2011-08-28T16:59:00.000+10:00

Another busy week here but not much of it was crafty. I've been experimenting with combining crochet and knit for this hat which I managed to get finished a few days ago.

Have just reviewed my list for the Year of Projects and I've decided to abandon the baby's blanket that should have been finished by the end of August. Main reason is that its still only about half done and I'm 'over it'. There are a few reasons (a) I've made this same pattern before; (b) I used 8ply wool which I think is too heavy for a baby; (c) my calculations were wrong and it was not big enough - could have compensated by putting a wider border on it but I still wasn't happy; and finally (d) I think the baby is due soon. SO .... I bought a new pattern from Heather of JustCrochet which I should be able to have finished in time. Its her latest pattern and is for a little boy's vest, pants, hat and booties.

So I don't fail completely with the YoP, I whipped up this little soap sack last night (just need to do the washer to go with it)

.. and last thing I have to show you today is this little doiley (7" diameter) which I made as a gift for a dear friend of mine. Hope she likes it...

Hope you all have a good week. xox

While Shepherds watch their flock by Night .... they knit

2011-08-21T16:05:00.000+10:00

Did you know ..

One of the earliest examples of true knitting is an intricately patterned cushion found in northern Spain in the tomb of Fernando de la Cerda, who died in 1275. The cushion is covered with heraldic symbols. Arabic letters worked into the pattern suggest that the knitter might have been Muslim, albeit working for a Christian prince.

The first known knitting circles were capknitters’ guilds, established throughout Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. These knitters were considered master craftsmen and making and selling caps required a license. At that time the purl stitch was not yet known.

In the mid 16th century, knitting quickly shifted from a master craft to the incessant drudgery of the poor. Everyone knitted, all the time – while walking, when riding in oxcarts, or by firelight in the evening. Special schools were established to teach knitting to boys and girls as young as five. Even at that age, poor children were expected to contribute to the household income by knitting.

In colonial America early in the 17th century, knitting fit well into the Puritan idea that idleness was an unforgivable sin. Any opportunity to sit down and rest was an opportunity to take up one’s knitting – even shepherds were expected to knit while watching their sheep.

(The above are excerpts from “Knit it Together” by Suzyn Jackson, Voyageur Press 2009)

This book also contains patterns and inspiration for knitting circles and is a very interesting read. Other sections include a chapter on Elizabeth Zimmermann/Meg Swansen’s Knitting Camp; a story about a knitted river – around 100,000 squares were sewn together to create a river almost a mile long. This was in London in May 2007 and formed the centre of a peaceful demonstration to bring awareness to water poverty around the world; charity knitters will enjoy the article by Greta Cunningham “The Power of Sheila’s Shawls”; and my favourite, the Pretty Kitty Knitty Committee: Knitting for the Love of Cats.

I don’t have much for my Sunday Year of Project report this week. I did finish the last pair of black Victorian Lace fingerless gloves to complete that order and now only have one more Triana scarf to do for another lady. After that I want to get back to my list. The placemat I showed you last week is still the same – hopefully I can show you the finished item soon.

The Sunday Report

2011-08-14T14:20:00.000+10:00

Not much achieved this week in my Year of Projects as life seemed to get in the way and other things needed to be done. I was holding off on making the final pair of black fingerless gloves till I got my new glasses which I now have but I don't think they're quite right. However, I did start the gloves yesterday and will have them done soon.

I do have a couple of little things to show you that I've made this week. While browsing through some very old crochet magazines I came across this dear little baby's bib and just had to make one ..

There is a pattern for a little boy's bib too - its more square with a little bow at the neck. Very cute.

If I'm not careful I'll become known as the mad hatter as I seem to make so many!! This one is part of a baby shower gift for my daughter's work colleague - the pattern was in a Debbie Bliss book I borrowed from our local library.

Finally, because I didn't want to work with the black wool last night, I started this quick project which will become a placemat. I love the bright, cheery colours in this Lily Sugar'n'Cream. The solid aqua you can see in the background will be the edging.

Thanks for visiting and have a good week. xoxox

Year of Projects Update

2011-08-07T14:49:00.000+10:00

Sundays seem to be coming around very quickly these days and so its time for my weekly update on the Year of Projects blog-along.

I think the only item from my list that I completed this week was another pair of black fingerless gloves for one of my daughter's work colleagues. Just have one more pair of black ones to do and those orders will be finished. Two more scarves are ready for delivery which leaves only one more of those to do also. This first pic is the Katia Triana Lux scarf ..

Next is the Rizos which knits up nicely but let me warn you - if you ever decide to make one of these scarves, DO NOT wind the 'yarn' into a ball as I did with the first one I made. I probably spent more time untwisting that so-and-so stuff than actually knitting it. It comes in a hank so remove the cat from the room and just put the yarn on the floor and work it from there. It only takes a couple of hours to make the scarf.

Here's what the Rizos looks like - you just knit into every second hole at the top.

Being thoroughly 'pussed off' Madison was forced to find something else to do while I knitted - life's hard at times isn't it?

The only other things I made this week were a few baby hats for charity.

Next week? That other pair of fingerless gloves and hopefully some significant progress on a baby blanket that I must have finished soon.

Till next time, enjoy what you do and please leave a note to let me know you dropped by to visit.

Ondas Scarf

2011-08-01T20:11:00.000+10:00

As promised in yesterday's post, here are a couple of pics of the Katia Ondas scarf I finished on the weekend.

It was hard to get the exact colour under artificial light but this is fairly close to what it looks like. The yarn is very soft and silky to feel. I have another three scarves to make for this lady - one more in Rizos and two in Triana, then I think I'll have a little break before making the other 5 scarves from the 6 balls of different Katia yarns that my daughter gave me for my birthday. So far I've only made one for myself.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the week.

Fourth Time Lucky ?

2011-07-31T16:45:00.000+10:00

This post is a year of projects update.

Frustration has set in once again regarding that Noro Kureyon Sock yarn that I bought in October last year. It started off as a crochet scarf but felt horribly stiff and didn't look all that great so it got frogged and after spending hours on Ravelry and armed with what I figured would be a good pattern for this yarn, I started a knit scarf. Fifteen inches later it was put aside and forgotten about for a few months then (did you guess?) .. it got ripped out and was to become an asymmetrical neck shawl - but only for a day or two when I realised that one ball wouldn't be enough. So now, just because I'm thoroughly sick of it but because it cost too much to just throw away, this yarn is going to end up just a plain garter stitch scarf on 5mm needles so it will be soft, about 5 inches wide and for as long as the yarn lets it be. I won't bore you with a picture right now .... maybe when (if) its finished.

Earlier in the week I received my order of some more lovely Sugar'n'Cream cotton to make washcloths and soap sack gifts. Here's a couple of the cloths ..

I also finished another one of my orders yesterday but I'll have to wait till tomorrow to get a a photo to show you as my camera's battery needed to be charged. This scarf is my favourite so far and is done with the Katia Ondas (Col.74). The pinks and purples work beautifully together and the result is quite stunning. Please pop back tomorrow for a peek.

Can't recall if I put it on my list or not, but during this year of projects I really would like to get back to my Wool Eater blanket (Reversible Hungarian blanket) and either get it finished or well on the way to being finished.

I do tend to procrastinate on some things and blankets are one of them ! Like many crocheters/knitters, I see something that looks interesting, quick and easy so just 'have' to make it straight away. Of course this doesn't leave much time for other, bigger items.

Crochet Year of Projects update

2011-07-24T18:43:00.000+10:00

Sunday seems to be coming around too quickly these days and as its time for our year of projects update, I thought I'd better pop in to say hello to all my blog-along friends and thank you so much for the lovely comments you left for me last week.

I have been busy crocheting this week and posted what I've been up to a few days ago. Since those cream fingerless gloves, I've made a black pair and still have orders for another 2 pairs in black and five scarves in that gorgeous Katia yarn I told you about recently.

Wishing you all an enjoyable and productive week.

xoxox

Working Woman or Happy Hooker?

2011-07-21T18:52:00.000+10:00

Probably both working woman and happy hooker. I have never actually sold any of my crochet work but would you believe I have orders for 3 pairs of the lacy fingerless gloves and five scarves like the ones in this post? Today I actually made three fingerless mitts - the first one got frogged as I wasn't happy with the size. Isn't it funny how different brands of 8ply wool turn out so different. Now I know why commercial patterns carry that warning about substituting yarns. Anyway, I fiddled with the pattern and feel that I now have it right for this pair done in Bendigo Woolen Mills 8ply Luxury.

I have two more pairs to make in black and will get those done this coming weekend while I'm waiting for the 5 balls of that lovely Katia yarn to arrive. I've seen some cheap and nasty knock-offs of this yarn in one of our larger craft shops but it looks and feels like dish-rag ... yuck !!

Earlier in the week I saw some yarn which is new to me and looked interesting. I was actually looking for some 8ply equivalent cotton for washers but decided to buy a ball of this to see what its like. May not be suitable for a washer but it was lovely to work with. This 'washer' took the whole ball which cost $4.99 so its not actually cheap but I must say is very soft and squishy.

Lincraft Bamboozle 50g - 70% bamboo, 30% cotton.

And for today's touch of 'stupid' .. when there's nothing else to do ... make ice skates and pretend its Christmas (in July)

Finally, I want to thank everyone for their lovely comments on my last YOP post. I love hearing from you all and enjoy visiting your blogs too.

Year of crochet projects - update 3

2011-07-17T14:44:00.000+10:00

Finished my Queen Anne's Lace scarf this week and am very happy with the result.

For the record, this is made with one ball of Noro Taiyo, Colour 6.

I don't know what got into me last night but I decided to make myself a needle case to replace an old piece of felt that has been lurking in my sewing cabinet for years and is very tatty. I'm using some pretty pink #10 cotton with a 1.75mm hook. Now that I'm into the rhythm of the pattern, it isn't too bad but it has been ages since I've used anything much less than about a 3.5mm hook so its quite a change for me. Hopefully the ta-da moment will come later this week.

I've also changed one of the items on my YOP list - well not actually changed it but have come across the crochet version of the Saroyan Scarf so will be doing that instead of the knitted one.

Hope you all have a happy and productive week. Thanks for visiting and for all the lovely comments on last week's post.

Three hour scarf

2011-07-11T16:04:00.001+10:00

My daughter has been at me to use some of the beautiful yarn she gave me for my birthday last week and she specifically wanted me to try the Triana first. I did want to finish a pair of black lacy fingerless gloves for her in the daylight today but decided to give this new (to me) yarn a go. Three hours later, I have this very pretty scarf. Sorry my model is just a coathanger but my real one is at work !!

The picture on the front of the pattern leaflet gives a better idea of what it looks like on somebody.

I have to say this was a fun project but now I must get on to that second glove!

A few hours later and thanks to my Ott Lite, all finished and ready for DD to wear to work tomorrow -

These were done with a 4.00mm hook in black Panda Machinewash 8ply crepe (100% pure wool). Had to break into a second 50g ball for the last three rounds.

Crochet Blog-a-Long update #2

2011-07-10T15:30:00.001+10:00

I have some good news and some bad news !!! The bad news is that I was crocheting like a crazy woman on the cream Queen Anne's lace scarf and when I laid it out to see how it was going, I noticed it had become thinner. Checked the hook I was using .. checked my notes .. even checked last week's post .. everything seemed ok except the scarf. SO, after fiddling with different sized hooks, decided I really didn't like it anyway so frogged the lot. Now for the good news .... Ages ago I bought some Noro Taiyo to make one of these scarves but hadn't got around to it. Well, it just about jumped off the table in my craft room and into my hands just at the right moment and so here's what its looking like. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so to finish.

Needing a break from working with the dark colours, last night I found a ball of white Red Heart Sport (50g) in my stash and figured it would be enough for this simple little short sleeved cardi which only took a few hours to make and I think would look nice over a jump suit. This one will be for charity.

We have reached our forecast top temperature for today - 8 degrees celsius. They are forecasting stong gusty winds tonight with an overnight low of minus three. Brrrr .. good weather to stay indoors and play with some lovely warm yarn. When I was at Spotlight the other day, I bought some black wool to make a pair of fingerless gloves for my daughter and am thinking I should get a start on them now so she can have them to wear to work on these cold mornings. Did I tell you I ran short of wool (by about 10 metres) for the dark grey ones I was making for her ? Such a shame as it was a lovely crepe type of wool and looked good. I'll probably end up ringing the shop where I bought it (at Tuncurry on the NSW north coast) and if I can get the same dye lot I could get 2 balls and would have enough to finish the pair for DD and make another pair - maybe for myself.

My once a year day

2011-07-08T20:02:00.000+10:00

Just as well birthdays only come once a year. I had a wonderful day yesterday but rather than being TOO wordy, I'll just give you a little look at some of the things I did ....

After a quick visit to Spotlight to stash-up and use my 10% birthday discount and the $20 gift card I won at the Knit4Charities confab, it was off to lunch with my very good friend L to this great little place ..

... its like stepping back in time and I highly recommend it as an excellent eating place and a great place to browse. To find out more click here.

Received some lovely gifts from my girls ..

... this beautiful Lollypots bouquet (chocolate hearts) and some gorgeous yarn ..

My friend gave me a very pretty Australian china coffee mug, some delicious looking home-made marmalade and she also made me this very more-ish cake ..

Finally, it was out to dinner with the family to end a perfect day.

Crochet and knitting has been on the back burner for a couple of days so I really must get a move on so I'll have something to show for the blog-a-long post on Sunday.

Crochet Blog-a-Long update

2011-07-03T18:07:00.000+10:00

Although we only started this on July 1, I thought that seeing as though its Sunday and we're updating each Sunday, I'd give you my first report. I decided that the first project from my list will be the Queen Anne's Lace scarf. Not much done so far but at least its a start ...

For this I'm using Panda Magnum 8ply with a 4.50mm hook. The pattern is a free Ravelry download. Its such a pretty pattern, very easy and works up quickly. Awhile back I made one in Noro Taiyo and that worked beautifully in this pattern.

Blog-a-Long ... A Year of Projects

2011-07-02T00:27:00.000+10:00

I've joined a group of knitters and crocheters on Ravelry who have decided to run a year long personal challenge by committing to a certain number of projects and a public timeline. Today is the official start of Blog-a-Long and it will continue through to 1st July 2012. The idea is to either work your way through every pattern in a book or make up your own list of things you want to make during the next year (this will be my choice). I'll be posting about my progress every Sunday so if you're interested, please drop by to see how things are going. I have lots of odd balls of yarn that needs using so have selected things that hopefully will help in my de-stashing effort. I also need to allow time for additional ad-hoc projects that take my fancy and of course keep up with my charity items. Anyway, here's my list ....

Victorian Fingerless Mitts (probably a few pairs of these)
Baby's Blanket (needs to be finished by end of August)
Child's cardigan
Queen Anne's Lace Scarf
Slouchy Hat
Saroyan Scarf
Washer and Soap Sack
Urban Shells Beanie (adult size)
Baby Jacket and Hat set
Starburst Hotpad
Kitchen Pants Dishcloths
Past Times Striped Hat
Fragrant Frock Sachet (few for gifts)
Booties (several pairs)
Australian Tartan afghan (already started and really needs finishing .. has been a WIP for way too long)

Wish me luck.

Crochet Musings

2011-06-30T12:18:00.000+10:00

Its been over a week since I blogged so I thought I'd finish off the month by showing you what I've been up to for the last few days.

At the moment I'm in the state of mind that I really can't decide what I want to make so have been getting some inspiration from the internet and what other people are doing. I watched this video and thought it was a great way to smarten up an ordinary beanie so decided to give it a try .....

I quite like the effect and will be doing a few more like this for my charity donations.

Then on to Ravelry and after browsing for an hour or so found these cute fingerless mitts which are so easy and I absolutely love them. Had to modify the pattern for our Australian 8ply and I used Totem 8ply for this pair ..

And for no other reason than 'just because I can', I played around with these just for fun.

Have to confess I got carried away with all that stocking stitch on the little baby's hat and it actually turned out a wee bit longer than it should but I suppose the brim could be turned up a bit more.

What will be on the hook/needles next? Who knows. I do have a baby blanket to finish for a baby due in September so perhaps I should get on to that.

Oh, before I finish this post, its been ages since I've shown you a picture of my favourite little man ... doesn't he look smart in his school uniform? The picture isn't the best quality as my daughter took it on her iPhone, posted it on FB ... and I pinched it from there.

Home at Last .. Still Recovering .. and Catching Up

2011-06-22T14:46:00.013+10:00

Well, what an eventful few weeks. Thank goodness our K4C Confab was held when it was as a week later the area was hit by dreadful storms followed by floods all down the mid north coast. If the apartment I stayed in at Coffs Harbour had been vacant the week after I was due to leave I might still be stranded up there as I did enquire as to the availability with the idea of staying on a little longer. As it was I got stranded at Tuncurry (visiting family) for longer than I'd planned, due to flooding around Taree and had to cancel my visit to a friend at Toukley.

Have a look at the caravan park at Woolgoolga a week after Confab ..

and Taree ..

I was able to get in a good bit of knitting and crochet time which was lovely. Here's some of the things I made while stranded at Tuncurry.

I did promise you a few more pics of the K4C Confab so to finish off, here are just a couple .. first of all, morning tea on the Saturday

and a couple from the dinner on Saturday night ..

Did you notice the flowers are knitted and their stems are knitting needles. There was so much work involved in the preparation of things for this event and Kerry, our wonderful organiser, and her helpers deserve a huge pat on the back for everything they did to make our first ever confab the great success and memorable occasion that it was. Well done Kerry !! The koala was just one of many Australian animals that added to the room decorations .. there was also a kookaburra, wombat, emu, and probably more that I can't recall at the moment. These were all knitted by one of our members and her mother.

I have enjoyed reading everyone's blog posts over the past few weeks but because of difficult connections at times, was unable to leave comments. You guys are my inspiration and I thank you for being such great cyber friends. Now, before I finish this post .. one of my latest 'best friends' wants to say goodbye .....

Have a great day
xoxox

And then he Kissed Me

2011-06-09T19:55:00.006+10:00

Today I was kissed like I've never been kissed before .......... and I LOVED IT !!!

If you ever visit Coffs Harbour on the north coast of New South Wales, you simply must visit the Pet Porpoise Pool. The love, respect and trust between the dolphins, seals and the humans (both staff and visitors) is so obvious. Before their show, I had fun interacting with the dolphins in their play pool where we played fetch with their soccer balls and tickled them under their chins.

Words cannot describe how I feel about these incredible, very special animals and I'm so glad I visited them today for something I'll fondly remember always.

There are many other species at the park and of course I took lots of photos. I'll leave you with this one that tickles my fancy - I wonder what that bird on the right is thinking ?

What I learnt at Confab

2011-06-06T20:01:00.004+10:00

10 Things I learnt at Confab

1. K4C members are the most fantastic, wonderful, fun-loving bunch of people.

2. Trying things you've never had the confidence to try before can be easier than you think.

3. Kerry is an amazing powerhouse of energy.

4. With love, support and determination, you can overcome difficult, and what seem impossible obstacles.

5. Helping others is very rewarding.

6. Knitting bingo is a heap of fun and puts a whole new meaning to psso.

7. Sharing is caring and you can always use another ball of yarn.

8. Worrying about your diet at confab is not a good idea - you're not going to win!

9. 2012 confab will be held in Gippsland, Victoria.

10. Kerry, Gavin, Pam and Des deserve a medal for all their hard work in organising and turning this dream into a fantastic, memorable event.

If you want to know more about Knit4Charities click here.

As a newsletter is being prepared, I can't post any more confab pictures here until the newsletter is published on the K4C group site. In the meantime, here's a picture taken from the front of my apartment at Coffs Harbour where I'm staying for the next week. Although its winter, the days are lovely and warm here and I'm loving it !!

Confab Day 2

2011-06-04T22:17:00.002+10:00

Just a wonderful, fantastic day and this is how I feel ..

so ... I'm sorry but you'll have to wait for all the news and pics.

G'nite !!!!

Confab Day 1

2011-06-03T20:07:00.009+10:00

After waiting such a long time for this day, I have to say it was so lovely to meet 28 fellow Knit4Charities members plus Pam and Kerry. Today we met at 4pm for registration, a get to know you session and a casual meal. Kerry and her wonderful helpers did a magnificent job of putting together our confab bags which contained such an array of absolutely fantastic goodies. There was much fun, laughter and chatter as we 'met' each other in the flesh at long last. For members who were unable to attend this year, I took a few photos to share with you. The first pic is our Confab bags and the KAL bag - no idea what we'll be making but our homework tonight is the first 40 rows. The second pic shows one of the six tables of excited members checking out the contents.

Kerry then gave us a rundown of what to expect tomorrow and announced the venue for next year's confab to be held at Wallaby Rise which is nestled among 107 acres of natural bushland and opposite beautiful Lake Glenmaggie, 30 minutes drive from Traralgon in the Gippsland area of Victoria.

I'm sorry if the quality of these pictures isn't too good but I left a few items at home and am working with what I have at hand.

Some of you will know Jane from Papillongold who designed a lovely square which is now known as the Rejoicing Square - here's a pic of Jane giving Kerry a rug she has made with these squares for one of our charities.

And here's a close-up ..

Di Jones brought her beautiful cathedral window afghan to show us .. isn't this gorgeous

Now I must get on with my homework (40 rows) and try to get some sleep as we have a 7.45am start tomorrow !! Last night in the motel carpark, a car alarm went off at 3am and woke EVERYBODY - I do hope that doesn't happen again tonight.

One day to Confab

2011-06-02T16:00:00.005+10:00

Well, the time has come at last and I've arrived in Woolgoolga on the north coast of New South Wales for our Knit4Charities confab which officially starts tomorrow, although a few of us early arrivers will be getting together for dinner (and bingo) tonight at the club across the road from the motel where I'm staying for the next three nights.

I know there are a few fellow K4C members who read my blog so I'll try to keep you up to date on the activities during the next few days.

Weather-wise its rather dull but in spite of the weather, I'm sure things will brighten up while we're all here and Woolgoolga will never be the same !!!

Granny Mandala

2011-05-17T10:13:00.006+10:00

Oh did I have fun making this ! The old fashioned granny stitch has always been one of my favourites and as I said in my last post, I've been wanting to make one of these mandalas for ages. While I was making it I was wondering about the meaning of mandala and thanks to google, found out that in describing both material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community. So, when I look at my mandala it will be a reminder of all the wonderful cyber friends I have made over the years.

Actually, I'm not too sure about the edging and might end up taking it out and doing something else. Can you see how it tends to curl a little ? My blocking board is too small so I tried steaming it with the iron but it still won't sit completely flat. Any suggestions will be very welcome.

Time flies - 19 days to Confab

2011-05-15T14:56:00.004+10:00

Yes, its now only 19 days to the Knit4Charities Confab (conference) at Woolgoolga on the beautiful north coast of New South Wales. I can remember when we first started talking about this - doesn't seem like 18 months ago !! I've been busy preparing the handouts and making samples for the crochet class I'll be teaching, so haven't had much time to make any of my charity projects ---- with the exception of this little baby's hat ..

For this hat I used Patons Dreamtime 8ply and it took just under a 50g ball. Love working with wool !!!

I've notice lots of people I visit are having 'blogiversaries' so I'd like to congratulate them and say how much I enjoy visiting their blogs. I get such inspiration from seeing what everyone is making and really have a strong urge to make a granny mandala like Alice's on CrochetwithRaymond. Hmmm maybe I might just go and fiddle around in my stash to see if I have some suitable colours and start one today.

Those flowers I got for Mothers Day last Sunday are still looking good -

Now, let's see ...... purple, mauve, pink, bright pink, red even, blue, peacock, green, lime (yes lime), orange maybe .... omg mandala madness !!!!

Garter Stitch and Gifts

2011-05-09T15:38:00.010+10:00

I have two lovely new pattern books to show you today - one is a sort of stitch guide with each stitch (or pattern) made with just garter stitch (not one purl stitch). I think this will open up lots of possibilities and I'm looking forward to trying out some of these interesting stitches.

The other book is from Leisure Arts and is "Dressing Up Baby". It includes five crochet sets, each outfit includes a blanket, jacket, hat and booties. The yarn used is a medium weight with a 5.00mm hook so our Australian 8ply should work ok for these patterns.

Yesterday I told you about the beautiful shawl I received from Anne F in the Australiacrochet group's Mothers Day exchange, and said I'd take a pic to show you today. Anne's work is lovely and I will treasure this generous gift.

My family also gave me some wonderful gifts - this Lazypatch suit from my youngest DD and her husband, is like wearing a duvet (doona) but they say it softens after a little while and then feels like you're just wearing a t-shirt. I feel the cold badly so my daughter figured this would be the ideal gift for me.

And these beautiful flowers (plus a box of Darrel Lea Hard Centre chocolates) were from my other daughter and her partner who also took me out for lunch yesterday.

So, there we are ....... sorry today's post has been a bit picture heavy and I hope I haven't bored you all to tears. Thanks for visiting.

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-08T17:34:00.006+10:00

Hope all the mums have had a lovely Mother's Day. I've had a wonderful time with my family and am now going to grab the needles and yarn and spend a relaxing evening doing a bit of knitting.

This week has been a bit exhausting but fun. I went to Sydney on Monday to see Simon Gallagher and Julie Anthyony in a concert at the Sydney Town Hall which was fantastic. They certainly compliment each others style.

Spent the rest of my time in Sydney shopping and recovering in the hotel room which was right in the middle of the city and so convenient to everything. I had a lovely big corner room and this was the view from one of my windows ..

That's Park Street with part of Hyde Park in the background.

I participated in a Mother's Day exchange on Australiacrochet and received an awesome gift from my partner. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow after I've had a chance to take a photo.

Defeat !!

2011-04-30T16:08:00.003+10:00

OK .. I'm over it !!!!!! Yes, here I am publicly admitting defeat and I hereby vow and declare that those horrid dpns can go and stick their little ends anywhere they please as long as they're nowhere near me. I did try - even managed two rounds before a stupid stitch fell off the end of a needle. It happened to be a K2tog which made it worse as I even have a battle trying to pick up a single dropped stitch on two needles ................ so, I will now have to wait till my friend gets back from Bali and speak ever so sweetly to her (pretty please) and hope she might finish the top of that slouch hat for me. I personally think we should stamp out those hats that have that rounded shape at the top .. so old hat (if you'll pardon the pun). The ones that you just gather at the top are much more chic don't you think ? Just for the record, here's a pic of what I was trying to make. I nicked it from Aussie Maria's blog - hope you don't mind Maria.

Give me a crochet hook anyday.

Thou Shalt not Procrastinate !

2011-04-27T20:25:00.003+10:00

Well, I have to confess I've been putting off trying to use those dpn's with every excuse (to myself) that you can imagine. I will have to do something about it in the next few days though as the interchangeable circs I have the hat on at the moment have to be returned for exchange when I go to Sydney on Monday as the join is a bit rough. Sooooo .... hopefully I'll be able to show you a finished slouch hat soon. Actually I read somewhere today that knitters and crocheters seem to get more fun out of starting projects than finishing them. I'm not real sure I agree with this but given the number of UFOs I have littered around the house, maybe there is something to it.

This week has been productive in a funny kind of way. I've been working out the format for a crochet class I'll be teaching in a few weeks time. One of the participants wants to learn how to make this ....

.... and others want to learn all the different stitches, how to keep edges straight, front and back post stitches and tunisian. Do you think we're going to be able to fit all this into a two hour lesson ?

Your wish is my command (and a hat) !!

2011-04-19T17:50:00.004+10:00

One of my lovely blog friends has asked for a pic of the mile-a-minute (sometimes known as mile-a-millenium) strips I've been making for Knit4Charities. Here you go Pat ...

I think my stripping days are over for awhile as I have lots of other WIMs tempting me. I saw this tutorial for a scoodie (scarf/hoodie) on YouTube and think I'll give it a try as DD and her husband are going to the mountains for a few days over Easter and I think this might come in handy to help keep her warm.

Last night I whipped up another little hat to go in my charity donations box. Here's Charlotte modelling it for you.

Don't you love that cute little pom-pom on the top ? Its actually a crocheted pom-pom as I don't like the ordinary ones on baby's or young children's hats for safety reasons. If they happen to start coming apart I think those little bits of wool would be quite dangerous if ingested. Anyway, if you want to make a crochet pom-pom, just ch4 and join into a circle, then do about 24 x 3ch loops into the circle with a dc (sc if you use US terminology) between each one, then do 5 trebles (dc for US) in each loop right the way around. I found this pattern somewhere on the internet but can't remember where, otherwise I'd give credit to the designer for this nifty little pom-pom that would be more than happy to double as a flower embellishment if you want one.

Update on that knitted hat which is almost ready for the crown shaping ..... no further progress and no, its not because I'm afraid of those dpn's, its just 'cause the wool is dark and the light wasn't bright enough !! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Knitting Rules !

2011-04-18T18:40:00.004+10:00

That's the name of the book I received a few days ago.

If you want a good laugh, if you want some good advice and if you want some inspiration and motivation, then you must read this book by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. There are no patterns as such in this book but a wealth of 'recipes' and information on making just about every basic item of clothing you'd want to make. Stephanie has an amazing sense of humour which really shows through in her writing. I loved this snippet in the glossary ..

"UFO (unfinished object), A project that's incomplete, and proud of it. A UFO is seldom found alone but instead roams the knitter's home in packs. The discovery of one UFO should be regarded as a warning sign that there are many, many more. There are reports of mythic "one thing-at-a-time"knitters but these are only anecdotal. A thorough search usually reveals several objects the knitter abandoned and consequently banished from memory" ..

sound familiar ?

Not a lot of crochet being done here at the moment - just another mile-a-minute strip to be made into a blanket for Sydney Homeless Connect day which is being supported for Knit4Charities. I'm also working on a baby's blanket for one of my DD's work colleagues and when I'm feeling really brave, I do a few more rounds on a slouch hat I'm knitting and getting fearfully close to when I'll need to transfer from the circs to the scary dpn's ----- my first attempt at anything on such beasts. If it works out ok it will certainly become a ta-dah post. Wish me luck.

Back in Time

2011-04-11T12:32:00.009+10:00

After leaving home and heading north to Sydney, it was like turning the calendar back a month or two. The temperature was a beautiful ten degrees warmer, skies blue and very very easy to take !! Only drawback was that we were off to see a show in the evening and I’d taken winter woollies but fortunately I had a lightweight shirt with me which was suitable to wear. After a quick shopping spree by daughter we relaxed awhile in Pitt Street Mall and listened to the most beautiful music performed by a guy with a name I wouldn’t even attempt but I think goes by the name of Sky.

The atmosphere was incredible and it was hard to draw ourselves away to go find somewhere to have dinner prior to taking our seats in the beautiful State theatre to go back not months, but over 50 years, for “The Class of 59”. What a change from Sky’s music !!!! The place really rocked as we were entertained by Lonnie Lee and a group of tribute artists who were truly amazing. Songs by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and the Fonz !! I was most impressed by a young guy called Anthony Pettruci as Elvis
but they all looked and sounded like the artist they were portraying and it was just like being back 50 odd years when rock and roll emerged and took over the music industry. Here are a few pics we managed to get .... sorry about the quality of the on stage one but believe me when I say the place was rocking – the woman who was sitting behind us was jigging around so much in her seat that the balcony was literally rocking and it was near impossible to try for an in-focus shot.

My other daughter is an avid Elvis Presley fan and she's going to love this little guitar which 'Elvis' autographed for her .. it says "To Karen - xoxo Elvis".

It was back to normal when we got home yesterday – drop of ten degrees in temperature and house heating turned on again. Today I think I’ll relax with Sky’s music and play around with some yarn and a hook.

I've got a lovely bunch of .... Coasters

2011-04-07T13:53:00.004+10:00

I participate in a coaster exchange on AustraliaCrochet and received these cuties from my partner this month ..

The exchange requires you to send two coasters but as you can see, Kathy got a bit carried away. Thank you Kathy, I think the coasters are lovely and am going to work out the pattern and do a few for one of my partners somewhere down the track.

My friend and I went to a "Clayton's" meeting this morning - you know, the one you have when there isn't one on !!!! We sat in the car outside the venue for about half an hour waiting for other people to appear but alas, we remained alone. I won't bore you with the details but after checking with the equally confused staff who also thought there was a meeting today, we figured the best thing to do would be to hit the shops ..... the wool one of course. Two balls of yarn and a set of dpn's later, it was home for lunch and a bit of a play with that yarn. Reminds me of a couple of quotes I read from a book preview on the BookDepository site the other night.

SABLE - Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy

WHACO - Acronym for "Wool Housing & Containment Overload". This will happen to almost all knitters/crocheters eventually. Its the state reached where a knitters stash outgrows her particular ability and her resourses to contain it. This is usually a chronic condition, but periods of remission may occur when a knitter runs out of money (and is thus forced to knit some stash yarn) or moves to a bigger house.

Those snippets are from the book Knitting Rules - The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. At $14.41 Australian with free postage, how could I not buy it ?

Memories and M-A-M

2011-04-04T19:44:00.004+10:00

I've decided its time to clean up some of the files on my computer and have just spent about an hour or so browsing. All the old photos brought back lots of memories and in the recipe folder I found some great dishes I'd forgotten about. Since its been forever since I've shared a recipe with you, here's an oldie but a goodie, especially if you're watching your weight. You can eat the whole cheesecake without doing any damage .... so, enjoy !!

PINEAPPLE CHEESE CAKE

BASE
1 pkt lo-cal raspberry jelly crystals
1 ½ cups hot water
1 tsp gelatine

Add gelatine to jelly crystals. Pour hot water over and stir until dissolved. Pour into pie dish to set.

FILLING

125g ricotta cheese
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
100g unsweetened pineapple pieces
4 tsp gelatine
30g skim milk powder
10 drops liquid sugarine
½ tsp pineapple essence

Dissolve gelatine in ½ cup of boiling water, add unsweetened pineapple juice. Put ricotta cheese, skim milk powder, sweetener and essence in blender. Add gelatine mix and blend for 20 seconds. Add pineapple pieces. Blend for 10 seconds. Pour onto jelly base and allow to set.

My crochet projects are all over the place at the moment. I have several things on the go but have spent the past few days having fun with a CAL (crochet-a-long) on Knit4Charities. We're making these Mile-a-Minute strips which one of our members will be joining together to make blankets for the Sydney Homeless Connect Day later this year. Here's two I finished today ..

Each strip is 62 inches long, made in Aussie 8ply with a 4.50mm hook. These are as much fun as the Crochet-a-Rainbow squares - love playing around with the colours.

And finally for today's post, little dogs have played a major role in our family for many years. Here's one last memory from waaaaay back. Aren't newborns beautiful ?

Tag Holder

2011-03-28T21:19:00.002+11:00

Just a little post today about a little thing I made yesterday ..

I got the idea from here and thought it would be ideal to attach to your keyring to hold those Woolies trolley tags. The holders they come in always seem to break but this little one won't !! I used 8ply with a 4.50mm hook.

For Lucy

2011-03-24T14:25:00.004+11:00

Had lunch this week with my very dear friend Lucy who gave me a few clues regarding lighting and camera settings for digital photographs. In my last post I showed you a picture of the Imagination baby jacket which turned out a little on the dark side. Lucy, the white paper trick didn't work but the camera light setting seemed to help .. well it's a little bit better than the original. What I have to remember now is not to cast my own shadow on the subject! Anyway, this is how it turned out ......

Temptation has struck, courtesy of the mailman who today brought the latest Bendigo Woolen Mills colour chart. Oh my what gorgeous yarns !

Its not that I NEED any more yarn but they are so very hard to resist. Interesting too that some of their Classic range now also comes in a 10ply which will make things much easier if us Aussies want to use American patterns - so many of which are available for free on the net. Now, let's see -- that Holly looks nice, as does the Seaquest, Poseidon, Silver Twist .. oh decisions, decisions.

Stash Bustin'

2011-03-21T22:02:00.004+11:00

I watched a video on YouTube on Saturday and was motivated to give this little jacket a try. For this one I used Moda Vera machinewash 8ply crepe with a 4.50mm hook, however I think I'm going to tweak the idea a bit and use 4ply next time.

The colour doesn't look quite right in the picture - don't know if its the dark background or the lighting in this room but the jacket is white.

You know when you see something that you really must have but don't know where to find it ? That's what happened to me when I read this post on Clara's blog and saw these nifty wool needles. Hope you don't mind me pinching your picture Clara.

If any of my fellow Aussies have seen these in any of our shops, can you please let me know where I can buy some. I mentioned them to a lady in my local yarn store today and she said she has some similar so I guess they must be around somewhere. Wouldn't they be great for threading ribbon or elastic ?

Nice Surprise

2011-03-17T21:39:00.004+11:00

I found out this afternoon that a little purse I entered in our CWA branch competition went on to the group competition this week and was selected to go on to the State Conference at Nowra in May. Of the items I put in, I was expecting my Queen Anne's Lace scarf to have done the best so the outcome was quite a surprise. Here's the purse which is done in 4ply cotton with a 2.25mm hook.

I don't expect to do well at State level but feel honoured to have got this far.

The lovely knee rug that Robynne made is also off to the State competition. You'll recall I showed you a picture of it a few posts back. I have my fingers crossed that she'll do really well as its just gorgeous.

Spotlight Knitting Party

2011-03-14T15:23:00.011+11:00

After all the dreadful news coming out of Japan regarding the horrific devastation, loss of life, potential nuclear disaster and now a volcano eruption, its hard to be cheerful but I want to share with you something that has really brightened my day.

On Saturday I attended the Spotlight Knitting Party at their Queanbeyan store. It was a very pleasant day with a mix of people and activities. A few of us were knitting skull caps which will be sent to the Australian troops in Afghanistan (to wear under their helmets), then there were two young girls - one learning to knit and the other making pom pom monsters and doing loom knitting. During the afternoon a few ladies arrived - one wanting to learn how to crochet and another just needing some help with starting off a granny square. There was also a 'guess how many balls in the basket' competition and I received a phone call yesterday telling me I had won !! Here's my lovely prize ..

and this is what was inside ..

Would you like a closer look ?

... a total of 30 balls of Moda Vera yarn - Cinderella (4), Noemi (1), Marvel 8ply (7), Flurry (10) and Pure Wool 8ply in all the same dye lot (8).

Madison was very excited and most interested in what was on the table. You'll have to excuse her bad manners but the girl just couldn't help herself.

and do you know what ? Being quite camera shy, one is all we're gonna get !!!!!

Look and Link

2011-03-05T15:50:00.004+11:00

I have to show you this pic of the most gorgeous blanket a member (Robynne) entered in our CWA craft competition yesterday.

The colours in the picture are a bit brighter than the autumn shades in the blanket. This is done in pure wool and if you have a look at the close-up, you'll appreciate all the work that has gone into this exquisite item.

I hope it does well at our Group level goes on to the State Conference to be held at Nowra this coming May.

A few people have asked where I got the pattern for the poncho-sweater in my last post. I'm not sure this is the exact same pattern but here's the link for one that is very similar.

Happy crocheting

Got it !!

2011-03-03T21:09:00.004+11:00

Here's the pic of that poncho sweater I told you about in my last post. For the life of me I couldn't get it to not rotate when it uploaded yesterday so I took drastic steps and got rid of a few programmes on my computer that were probably in conflict with each other and will just stick with Windows Live Photo Gallery.

My oven has been 'on the blink' for a few weeks but I'm happy to say that its now fixed. Yaaaaay !! I've had such trouble with this oven which is a top of the range European model (better not say the brand) .. anyway, a technician from the head office in Sydney came down today and spent a good hour and a half rewiring, putting a new type of fan in plus other stuff - all at no cost to me. I was so excited that I felt the urge to bake something ..

... apple and cinnamon muffins - yum - and since the oven was on, I decided a casserole might be a good idea for dinner.

By the way, have you ever wondered why people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

A most beautiful time of the year

2011-03-01T21:08:00.016+11:00

Its hard to believe that summer is over - we've had such funny weather lately but now its time to look forward to the beautiful colours of autumn that our city enjoys each year. Its also time to start thinking about getting the winter woolies ready for when the cold hits.

I had an email from a friend yesterday asking for suggestions for some yarn someone had given to her. I've never heard of this particular French yarn - the tag says "Dubucher" and "Bois Joli" from "Tourcoing France" but my friend can't find a picture anywhere on the web to show me. Anyway she says it's a cottony-look yarn of boucle type in pinks/whites and reds and my friend instantly thought Scarf and hat set for mothers' day for the refuge she supports. We figured its between a 5 and 8ply so I suggested a V-stitch neckwarmer and made up this little one to show her ... (have to get two buttons to go where those pink needles are)

I'm now about to try out a hat pattern to go with this neck-warmer .. found it on the net and its called Damian Beanie, (made by Meg Dec 2007). I think the V stitch is very suitable for boucle type yarns as you don't have to actually work into the stitches - just into the spaces.

Also finished off another two projects .. such a lovely feeling isn't it?

I can't post a pic of the baby's poncho sweater which is the second of my FOs ... no matter what I try, the picture uploads rotated and I don't want you all getting a sore neck trying to see it. Another challenge to try to overcome tomorrow.

Drink anyone ?

2011-02-26T12:35:00.003+11:00

I participate in the coaster exchange on Australiacrochet and each month we are required to make two coasters to send to our partner for that month. My partner for the February round was Jenny F who said she 'got carried away' and ended up making me six coasters which happen to be very similar to my favourite pattern (scroll down a post or two for pics of mine) but the pattern for these little beauties is called the 1893 circle motif reworked by Sandi Marshall.

Aren't they cute ? The pattern was originally printed in the year 1893 in a publication called Fancy Work Manual. This is the centre portion of a pattern that was named Crocheted Wheel for Tidy in the 1893 book.

Thanks Jenny for these cuties which I'll add to my collection.

Mid Project Crisis

2011-02-24T12:06:00.004+11:00

A few weeks ago I picked up some gorgeous yarn (lost the band but I think its wool) and started to make a Queen Anne's Lace scarf. It was looking pretty good but you wouldn't believe it, the other balls of this stuff went playing with the other yarn in my craft room and have got themselves lost !!! Stupid little b's. Soooo, after about half a minutes thought, I began to frog this lovely scarf and decided to turn it into a knitted hat which will fit about a one year old baby and will go to charity.

On the crochet side of things, I'm so proud of the Australiacrochet members. So far we have sent 358 squares to Sarah London for the Crochet-a-Rainbow project to be made into blankets for victims of the recent Queensland and Victorian floods. I know there are members continuing to make these little 5-round granny squares so this number will certainly increase in coming months.

I've been fiddling around again and in an effort to use up some size 10 (bedspread weight) cotton of which I have heaps, wondered how it would work up doubled. I'm not sure if I like how this coaster turned out - what do you think ? I used a 3.75mm hook and the coaster measures 5 inches - a bit bigger than what I prefer but it looks ok under a mug.

This afternoon I hope to finish a wash cloth from that new book I got the other day. Will show you a picture of it tomorrow .. maybe !

Its fun to stay at the .......

2011-02-19T16:40:00.002+11:00

This really is such fun ....

And if that's not enough, just Beat It !!!! ..

How clever is that ?

Super Cute & Super Easy

2011-02-16T13:17:00.003+11:00

Now here's a book packed full of really cute and easy patterns. I've been looking for something to show new crocheters at an event I'll be attending later this year and this book will be perfect. Many of the projects can be completed in a short time and are all very usable items which include bags, hook holder, hats, wash cloths, mug and coffee pot warmers, cushions, blankets, scarves, fingerless gloves, bibs, slippers, tea cosy and much more - even babushkas (Russian Dolls). There are a couple of projects described by the author Nicki Trench as 'confident crocheting' and these include teddy bears, a summer evening shawl and even a pavlova !! Hmm can't decide what to try first.

Sorry, but this was disappointing !!

2011-02-09T18:35:00.006+11:00

This is a new Australian book which got me all excited when I saw it at the local library. My recent experimentation with colour (Crochet-a-Rainbow) and being involved with the Australiacrochet square exchange, made me really keen to get my hands on a copy, thinking it would be good inspiration. Not so ! The 64 'square' patterns are nothing more than a stitch dictionary (all in rows), most of which I've seen before. The pictures throughout the book all use the same 5 colours and are dull dull dull. All Bendigo Woolen Mills Classic 8-ply yarns - green, red, orange, purple and navy that would be lovely by themselves, but together they remind me of that camouflage colour. Glad I borrowed the book from the library.

Today's mail brightened my day when two lovely squares arrived from Shaz in the square exchange.

Shaz does beautiful work and I love these two squares. One day I'm going to join all the squares I've been given over the years and will have a beautiful blanket.

I've been playing around with double ended hook crochet (Crochetknit or Crochet on the Double) and came up with this tea cosy ..

Shhhh .. don't tell anybody but the cosy isn't actually on that teapot. They say you learn by your mistakes and next time I make a cosy I'm going to leave the bit under the spout open and perhaps put a button and loop there to accommodate fat teapots.

I've been commissioned by make another baby blanket for one of DD's pregnant work colleagues. She has requested Baby Lustre 8ply in white which may be a bit of a challenge for me to find as I think its been discontinued. Anybody know where I might get some?

Want to be inspired ?

2011-02-04T17:55:00.000+11:00

This lady is blind - have a look at this and I'm sure you'll agree she really is the amazing quilter.

TVKim- Watching: Kim's Picks- The amazing quilter

The next lot

2011-02-01T19:12:00.010+11:00

Its been a busy and somewhat stressful week. I've been working on more squares for Crochet-a-Rainbow and have sent my 36 off to Sarah this morning. I now need a break from them for awhile to do some other things. Here's my second lot of squares and then a pic of the whole lot.

I needed a second 7" square for the Australiacrochet group's exchange, so I whipped up this cutie which was designed by Jane.

Jane designed this square for charity so if you visit her blog and get the pattern, please consider making a few for charity. If you're looking for a worthy cause, you'll find heaps of suggestions at Knit4Charities.

Going around in circles for awhile instead of squares seemed like a good idea so I made a couple of coasters which I'll put away for something later in the year. I love this coaster pattern which I've had for many years so I can't give you a link to it I'm afraid. You can probably just work it out by looking at it if you're interested.

The other half of my bookdepository order arrived this week - whoopeee

Its just a stitch dictionary but I think I'm going to enjoy learning a few more of the double-ended hook stitches. At the moment I'm trying to decide between a tea cosy and a baby's blanket. Maybe the cosy will win out as its smaller and I like instant gratification. I find crochetnit quite relaxing and very interesting.

My real downer for the week was that one of our darling little Japanese Chins went to doggy heaven yesterday. RIP Willoughby 1 May 1998 - 31 January 2011

A grand champion right to the end.

My little bit of the rainbow

2011-01-24T16:32:00.006+11:00

I spent all my weekend crochet time making these granny squares for the Crochet-a-Rainbow project being run by Sarah London.

Sarah will be joining the squares to make blankets for the people affected by the recent devastating Queensland floods, who are in the process of trying to rebuild their lives and homes. Its a great way to use up all those odd balls of yarn while supporting a very worthwhile cause. I enjoyed playing around with the colours and as this project will be running for quite awhile, I plan on making lots more squares.

The BookDepository in the UK is my favourite place to buy crochet and knitting books because they're so cheap and world wide shipping is free. Today's mail brought me a lovely book "Sweet Baby Crochet" by Sandy Scoville and Denise Black which was published in 2010.

There are some lovely patterns in this book - I was going to show you pictures of a few of them but just noticed some rather strict copyright notes on the inside front cover but I don't want to get myself into trouble so can't share those lovely pics with you.

For my dear bloggy friends who have asked, here's the latest picture of the herbs in my Aero Garden. We've already raised the light twice, cut the top leaves of the Basil twice, and just can't seem to keep up with it. You can almost see that Basil growing. Here we are at day 29.

Sweet Heart

2011-01-19T16:04:00.007+11:00

While I was surfing around and finding new blogs to read, I came across this lovely heart pattern at Teresa Kasner's Crochet.

I don't know about you, but when I see something like this I just have to try it straight away. If you'd like a copy of the pattern, click on the link above and scroll about a third of the way down the page. Teresa's instructions are very easy to follow and have pictures. With Valentines Day coming up soon, I'm sure you can think of many uses for these gorgeous little hearts. I used a size 3 thread and a 3.00mm hook for my heart.

My Noro Taiyo #6 turned up in yesterday's mail and I've already started another Queen Anne's Lace scarf. That pattern sure is addictive and works so well with this yarn. The colours aren't quite what I expected but I'm sure the scarf will be beautiful. I don't think I've seen one of these QAL scarves that isn't pretty. I'm really enjoying this project so am restricting myself to only so much a day - otherwise it will be finished too soon and then I'll be hankering for more. The Taiyo costs me $26 a ball and since I'm running out of 'giftees' I probably shouldn't be thinking of buying any more for awhile. Plain coloured versions are also nice ..... which reminds me, look what I bought the other day while I was in town ..

Happy crocheting

The week that was .....

2011-01-15T18:18:00.007+11:00

This week has been the most horrible, tragic, depressing week for Australians with major floods covering a third of Queensland, including the capital city of Brisbane, and now areas of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. The Queensland floods have claimed 25 lives and there are still 55 people missing. I heard this morning that forecasters are now warning that Queensland could soon be hit by a cyclone forming in the Coral Sea. When will all this destruction end ? I haven’t really been focussed on blogging – just trying to get my head around all this. A few of the groups I belong to are donating goods but the authorities are saying that financial assistance is what they really need right now so the people who have lost their homes and possessions, are able to go out and buy their immediate needs. After the clean-up, arrangements will be put in place for other donated items to be sent. So, I made a monetary donation to the Queensland Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal and am now going to get back to making my other charity donations.
I’m supporting two charities this month on Knit4Charities – 10 inch squares for Wrap with Love (Sydney) – these will be assembled into blankets; and, beanies in red, yellow and black (Aboriginal colours) for The Footpath Library, also in Sydney.

Also played around with some hair scrunchies, and surprise surprise, some of which have been claimed by my two daughters. It’s a bit of a change for them to want something I’ve crocheted. (The youngest one has been pestering me for years now to make her a Queen Anne lace tablecloth – now downsized to a table runner, but that’s another story for another day.)

The saga of the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn continues and after spending a great deal of time on Ravelry, came across a knit pattern that I thought might work. I’ve done about 15 inches so far and its working reasonably well. I flatly refuse to frog it again so if it turns out yucky after all, well so be it !!

I really don't like this yarn and have vowed to never buy it again !!!! It is perilously thin in places and is almost like knitting with sewing thread.

Talking of thread, have a look at this gorgeous bookmark I received as a secret santa gift ..

Actually you could call it an angel secret santa gift as there was a bit of a mix up on the database which resulted in me not getting any gift at all. So my not so secret santa stepped in and made this bookmark for me which I love love love. Very similar to that Queen Anne's scarf pattern isn't it ?

We’re now up to day 20 for the herbs in my Aero Garden and I’m happy to say they’re doing well. The last to come through was the parsley which surprised me actually – for some reason I figured it would have been one of the first to emerge through the little hole. I think the basil is almost ready to start using. They reckon the plants like to be 'lightly' harvested as it makes them grow more.

Finally, something to think about ............
No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
If you jumped off the bridge in Paris , you'd be in Seine .

New Square pattern

2011-01-06T21:28:00.006+11:00

Jane from papillongold blog has designed another lovely square and is having a competition to find a name for the pattern. I liked her butterfly square so was keen to try this new one out straight away and I actually think I like this one better.

Before I finish this post, I must give you an update on my Aero Garden. All but one of the little plants have now popped up and seem to be doing well. Here they are at 11 days ..

There's Italian basil, purple basil, mint, dill, chives, thyme and yet to come through is parsley.

Do you remember that old wives tale about what happens when you grow parsley? I think I'll be safe though but thinking of that tale reminded me of this email I received from a friend today.

PREGNANCY Q & A!
Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q : I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes university.

Q : What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q : My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labour, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a cyclone might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q : Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labour?
A: Not unless the word 'child support payment' means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q : Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's nappy very quickly.

Q : Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in university

First FOs for the year

2011-01-03T17:53:00.006+11:00

After reading a blog friends recent post, I think I now know why it takes me so looooong to complete a big project - I get bored !! Yes, I'm sure that's it and that is why I'm forever making small items. Today I finished this heatpad ..

and here's the back

The pattern came from a book called "At Home with Crochet" by Leisure Arts - its one of the books I re-discovered on the weekend. The other pattern I found while I was supposed to be tidying my craft room, was the one for these coasters ..

This is one of my favourite coaster patterns as its so quick - only about 5-10 minutes work in each one. Instant gratification and they're quite useful too.

Ah, now tis time to eat dinner, and after that I might do some more of my knitting. I started a child's vest with that lovely variegated yarn I showed you a post or two back and I'd like to get on with it.

Sydney does it again

2011-01-01T18:06:00.004+11:00

If you missed the midnight fireworks in Sydney, have a look here. Each year they keep saying that its going to be better than last years and you know, I think they are right. Also, the Jersey Boys were nothing short of fantastic - might have to take a trip to Sydney to see their show at the Theatre Royal.

While friends on the west coast of the US are still waiting for midnight, I've already broken one of my new years resolutions. Should have know better and not made any. I promised myself to organise my yarn stash and pattern stash and today was going to be the start. Well, at least I have all my 100% wool in a big crate rather than in plastic bags all over the place BUT, I discovered pattern books I'd either (a) forgotten about; or, (b) didn't realise I owned. Also found some patterns I've been trying to find for ages so I guess that could be considered a good thing. It was a real trip down memory lane, finding these old favourites of mine, so instead of making a heat pad I was planning to do today, I'm about to start fiddling around with a couple of these little gems - just for 'old times sake'.

For those still waiting, when the clock strikes 12, have a ball.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T11:50:00.004+11:00

So Quiet

2010-12-29T21:02:00.005+11:00

Everyone must be away on holidays - its so very very quiet both here in blogland and in my emails. Hope you're all having a wonderful time.

My crochet/knitting is a bit ho hum at the moment. I found a pattern on the net that I decided to make, started it, frogged it because it was way too small even for a premmie, started it again making it just a little bit bigger, then about halfway through, decided that it was a lousy pattern after all so put it aside and will frog it when I feel inclined. If the yarn wasn't so pretty I'd just dump it all in the bin.

While listening to Dr Malouf on the radio the other night, I churned out another hat for one of the upcoming K4C 2011 charities. Here's Charlotte modelling it for you ..

Today I had to do a bit of grocery shopping and, wouldn't you know it, the yarn shop is right next door and all that lovely yarn was beckoning me to come inside!! Panda has this yarn called Crazy Print which is new to me so, as you do, I bought 2 x 100g balls. Variegated yarn has some kind of fascination for me - I love seeing the way it turns out. As I'm a very slow knitter, it might be a little while before I show you the finished project but this is what the yarn looks like ..

Pretty isn't it ? The yarn is 100% acrylic and feels a little icky but I guess the true test will be how it knits up.

Before I finish this post, I must show you one of my Christmas gifts ..

I hadn't seen these Aero Gardens before but they sound fantastic. There's a guaranteed harvest (I'm growing 7 different herbs) and the plants are supposed to keep growing for about 6 months. I have some cherry tomatoes to grow when these herbs are finished and if my timing is right, I'll have tomatoes during late winter. There's no dirt - just water, nutrients and lights which are automatic - 16 hours on, 8 hours off. I'll post another pic in a week or so - by then the young plants should be well and truly up.

Whew .. almost over for another year

2010-12-25T19:15:00.003+11:00

I hope all my Aussie friends have had a lovely day and those on the other side of the world are enjoying their Christmas. It was wonderful having the family here together for the day but its now time to relax a little. Grandson has gone home with his new drum kit and peace prevails once again in my house. The only casualty around here was me !! Managed to do a fair bit of damage to my little finger with a very sharp veggie peeler but thankfully it won't interfere with my crochet and knitting and obviously, I'm still able to type ok.

Apart from lots of lovely goodies from my family, I received a very nice gift from my partner Kathy in the AustraliaCrochet Christmas Gift Exchange. Here's what Kathy sent ..

A great gift which is much appreciated - thank you Kathy. By the way, the card is hand made and that is a lovely little crochet snowflake glued to the front. Oh and the smell from the sachet is divine.

I mentioned an interesting sounding salad in yesterdays post. Well I made it and it was really, really nice, albeit quite different to what we usually have. Here's the recipe.

Orange and chocolate salad
60ml (1/4 cup) orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
2 oranges
80g mixed salad leaves
2 tablespoons flaked almonds
30g dark chocolate

Put the orange juice, vinegar, oil and mustard in a small jar, season with pepper, seal and shake well.
Peel the oranges and remove the white pith, then thinly slice into rounds.
Put the orange slices, salad leaves and flaked almonds in a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and gently toss to combine.
Place in serving bowl. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate into curls and sprinkle over salad to serve.

Enjoy.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T14:07:00.005+11:00

I was going to leave it till tonight to pop in and wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy 2011 but with the family coming over for a European style Christmas Eve buffet tonight, I thought I'd better do it now. So, I do hope you all have a wonderful time. If you're looking for a fun, quick, easy kids treat, these little mini puddings are just the thing

They only take minutes to make so here's what you'll need.
Arnotts Royal biscuits
White chocolate melts
Jaffas
Mint leaves lollies - I couldn't find any at my supermarket so I bought soft jubes and cut them up but be warned, if you do that they are VERY sticky and hard to handle as they don't want to leave the knife or your fingers :) The method should be self explanatory by just looking at the picture. Have fun.

On the crochet side of things, I did something yesterday that I haven't done in years and that is crochet around a bought face washer.

The overlocking was so rough and shoddy looking that it really needed that crochet edge to tidy it up and I do think it finishes it off nicely don't you ?

Now I can't finish a post without a hat can I? I think I must be hooked on hats at the moment as I seem to have made so many. Anyway, this little one is one of my favourite baby patterns as the size is spot on for a bub.

Nothing fancy about this though and you don't really need a pattern as its just trebles (US dc) starting off with 13 in the ring and increasing the usual way on the next two rounds. For round 14 you turn (just the once) and do another 3 rounds to finish off. Turning makes the turn-up sit nicely.

Well, I'm off to the kitchen again to prepare an interesting sounding salad for tonight. If it turns out ok I'll give you the recipe next time. Have a great day tomorrow.

Mission accomplished

2010-12-20T22:29:00.004+11:00

Well its done and I'm satisfied with the sizing. Also got a bit of a buzz from just working out my own pattern. Next time I might make the pattern bit about 2cm shorter, although with a different yarn it might be ok as is. I used Feathersoft 8ply for this hat.

Needed to get back into my comfort zone before going to bed last night so made one of Suzi's fan bookmarks. I'd use a nicer thread next time I make one though - the tassel on this looks a bit ratty. Very easy pattern though and would make a nice addition if you're gifting a book to someone.

Just noticed the pic is a bit blurry - sorry about that but I deleted the other shots I took from my camera. You can see a nicer picture on Suzi's blog.

What were they thinking ??

2010-12-19T22:19:00.004+11:00

Well the size is right but the yarn is hideous !!! Yarn manufacturers should realise that some of their colour variations just don't cut it (IMHO of course).

The only good thing is I now know roughly how many stitches I need to get the size I want. So, would you believe I have started yet another hat but this time have decided to wing it and see if I can work something out for myself - ie no pattern ! Getting game aren't I, especially being a bit of a dumbo when it comes to knitting. I thought about it for awhile, thought about it again, then consulted a friend regarding the mathematics regarding the crown shaping ..... then bit the bullet and wrote down what I proposed to do. So far so good and the pattern and number of stitches have worked out ok. One thing I've decided is that 1x1 ribbing is sooooo old hat (no pun intended). I'm up to the top shaping now so might show you a pic tomorrow - if it looks ok :)

This time next week ........

2010-12-18T23:05:00.003+11:00

Only 6 more sleeps, and this time next week it will all be over !! Last year I showed you a very funny video that explains why email was invented. This year, I'd like to send you my best wishes for Christmas with this ......

I know there are many animal lovers who read my blog so I hope you enjoyed that. On a more serious note, here's something beautiful from one of my favourite singers, Rene Froger ...

No knitting or crochet pictures today as I'm still working on that toddlers hat. Maybe it'll be finished tomorrow and hopefully the size will be more to my liking.

Early start

2010-12-17T21:55:00.004+11:00

I felt the need to knit yesterday so decided to get an early start with my charity knitting for next year and chose this toddlers hat from my pattern stash.

Now this TODDLER's hat fits me and last time I checked, I wasn't a toddler !!
So frustrating, especially when it was a purchased pattern. Oh well, as its for charity, I guess it will fit someone who will get a little warmth from it.

I've spent the last hour or so sifting through my books looking for another pattern that might be better suited to a toddler and am going to try a pattern from one of the Lincraft books "Countryside Creations in 8ply". Fingers crossed it will be a better size.

All my Christmas gift shopping is finished (thank goodness) and I now have the luxury of a few days break before the mad rush to get the fresh food items for our Christmas dinner. Sooooooo ... I'll be off now and start digging into the yarn stash to find something nice for that toddlers hat.

Just for a change

2010-12-12T20:50:00.010+11:00

I decided to play around with my double-ended hook (aka Cro-hook) and really like the efffect you get. Its very similar to tunisian or afghan stitch except that you change ends every 2nd row creating a truly reversible pattern, different on each side.

I used a 6.50mm cro-hook with 8ply and the result was quite thick, very spongy feeling and I think would make excellent hot pads or potholders. My little experiment turned out to be a hook roll

Being a bit of a sceptic, I wondered if the hooks would slide out but I gave it a really good shake and they did stay put. Here's the finished look ..

Also finished the pair of dishcloths so now I can add them to the other goodies and get that gift in the mail tomorrow.

The pattern is here - its done in Peaches & Creme which isn't really my favourite cotton as its so thick but I have lots of it to use up and I think its probably best suited to dishcloths. I like the stitch and will try it with BWM cotton next time.

Did a bit more of my Christmas shopping this afternoon. Xander, Willoughby and Tasha (the dogs) will be getting Schmackos (liver flavoured of course) and Madison is going to get a little fluffy mouse that runs along after you pull the string where its tail should be ! She needs to lose a little weight so I hope she enjoys chasing her mouse around on Christmas Day. Here she is waiting for the big man in red.

Sure she's a little early but hey, a girl can hope can't she ??

By George, I think I've got it .....

2010-12-08T19:48:00.004+11:00

... thanks to my friend L who suggested I google White Balance. I've fiddled a bit with my camera and want to put the two pictures up here to see if what I did has fixed the colour problem that I had in my last post. Same settings for both pics

Yaaaay ... thank you, thank you, thank you my dear friend L !!!

Now to finish those dishcloths.

Why is it so?

2010-12-06T22:51:00.007+11:00

I learnt something about my digital camera today and am wondering why colours change with different backgrounds ? Perhaps one of my clever blogland friends might be able to enlighten me? This first photo of that scarf I was telling you about in my last post shows the colours exactly as they are, but see what happens (second pic) when I put it on a different background ..

The same happened with this little doily I made yesterday as a last minute addition to a small Christmas gift going to Belgium. The first pic (white background) is the correct colour, but see what happened when I put it on my table ?

Weird huh ??

Today’s project is a pair of dishcloths to be added to another gift for a family member in Queensland. Hope to get them finished before I go to bed so I’ll show them to you next time.

Only 19 days to go ......

The UFO that will have to wait another day

2010-12-04T22:45:00.005+11:00

Oh dear, I've made a mistake in my knitting and had to put it down as I'm hopeless at knitting backwards. Too keen to finish, I missed a row in the pattern so I'll have to go visit my friend tomorrow (hopefully) so she can fix my mistake. I'm making a scarf in Noro Silk Garden and really want to get it finished.

The premmie hats are on their way to the Knit4Charities member collecting on behalf of the organisation who asked us to help them out. I think I ended up making about 18.

Another FO for today is a little pair of premmie booties. These were meant to be for a large premmie but I think the next size up would have been a better size. These ones only measure about 2.5 inches.

Its starting to feel a bit like Christmas at our house. My daughter put up the tree and some lovely decorations this afternoon and there are already several gifts under the tree, along with the empty stockings for Santa to fill. The cat will probably have a ball after everyone goes to bed tonight.

Do you remember the mini Christmas stockings I was making a month or so ago? This was another Knit4Charities project and we were aiming for 5,000 stockings. Well, we got to a grand total of 4,613 which we all think was a pretty good effort. This means that Christmas for that many disadvantaged children will be a little brighter this year. I'd like to again thank Pat in Tasmania who also helped with this challenge and made some lovely little stockings.

It's raining, cats and hats

2010-11-30T15:26:00.006+11:00

Wow, from beautiful sunny weather last week at the coast back to cold, wintery and wet weather in Canberra. I reckon I'd qualify as a weather forecaster - my car has been in a rather dirty state for about 2 months and last Thursday afternoon after I got home, I decided to take it to the car wash and even paid extra for it to get the extreme valet service. Well, wouldn't you know it - the rain started Saturday and we haven't had a dry day since. It did ease off a bit this morning which was convenient for the workmen removing a dangerous very tall diseased gum tree which was growing about 3 feet from my next door neighbour's house. This guy was incredible the way he moved around up there .. almost monkey like. The pic was taken from just outside my front door - that dark bit on the left hand side is my guttering.

On the crochet front, I've been making little premmie hats. Someone told me that as far as size goes, a good guide is they should fit easily on an orange. Don't know about you but we get enormous oranges here. I've been experimenting with different size hooks, different baby yarns and different number of increases. Our Knit4Charities group received an urgent request from Berry Street Foster Care for tiny premmie hats and small blankets so I hope my contribution will help.

Its been awhile since Madison (my shadow) has popped in to say hello to you, so here she is waiting by the back door while I was getting ready to go away last week. Maybe she thought she was coming too ?